A Drink Between...Not Quite Friends

Posted on Sat Jun 21st, 2025 @ 11:37am by Commander Grace Vetur & Lieutenant Commander Aaron Marcus

2,206 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Preservation Instinct
Location: Sickbay

After talking with Amanda, Grace spent a few minutes in her ready room with her eyes closed. She tried a logical approach, but the problem was not black and white, and so the conversation did not end as well as the commander hoped it would. It did go about as well as she'd feared.

She needed to stop rehashing the conversation and what she should have done better. While she couldn't talk to anyone on the ship about specifics, there might be someone she could talk to that might just help her get a better perspective. And she needed a drink.

Actually, if she did what she was thinking of doing, she'd definitely need a drink.

Five minutes later, she nodded to Yiv and headed down to sickbay.

As the doors opened, she hesitated for a moment, then walked in, looking for Doctor Marcus.

Aaron had been in his office enjoying his BMW. Brahms, Medical texts on Bendii Syndrome, and whiskey. The doors to Sick Bay swished open and with a heavy sigh he grabbed his cane, slung back the dregs of his whiskey and hobbled out to the main Sick Bay. "Now, who in the hell would go and get..." What seemed to be the beginning of a great tirade was interrupted as he saw the Captain standing there. The tone in his voice changed from sarcasm to something somewhat accommodating. "Oh great and powerful Lady in Charge. What brings you to my humble Sick Bay?"

Good question. "I apologize for intruding on your shore leave, but..." What could she say? She was frustrated with a certain counselor and could use a dose of the doctor's acerbic wit? It was the closest thing she'd accept for a counselor right now. "Let's just say I would like a few minutes of your time. If you're busy, I can go elsewhere."

"For you? Anything. Come step into my parlor." Aaron motioned toward the door to his office. "I have a fine bourbon that I have been enjoying as part of BMW. Have a seat and take a load off. After all heavy is the head that wears the crown."

"Thank you. This has definitely been one of those days." She sighed as she followed him into his office. "And one in which I could use a drink."

Aaron followed the Captain into his office, poured two measures of the whiskey and took a seat behind his desk. "Well, I can tell you the Doctor is in, and he drinks. So, in the parlance of Sigmund Freud. Tell me about your mother." Normally, Aaron would care less about what went on in someone's head or what bothered them. However, the Captain was perhaps the one person aboard this ship the Aaron actually had some respect for.

She chuckled at the Freud reference. "My mother is fine. The problem was of my making." She took a sip of her drink. "I tried to explain a choice I made a few months ago. I was the XO then. But apparently explaining what I did and why I felt the person needed distance before I told them was also wrong."

Aaron sipped his whiskey and savored it. For him drinking was an experience and he would not miss a moment of it. He opened his eyes with a devilish smile. "I think the simplest answer is to follow in the illustrious footsteps of Captains before you. You are the Captain of this vessel and as such you do not have to explain a damned thing to anyone. So, tell whoever this slop tart is to go take a long walk out of a short air lock." He sipped his drink again and exhaled sharply through his nose. "However, something tells me this is not that simple. So, please praytell go on."

She took a sip of her bourbon, feeling the burn and accepting it, taking a moment to get used to it. She was not a drinker, usually, but this was an exception. "No, it's not that simple. At least, I don't think it is." She sighed, then chose to continue. She knew the doctor would be blunt and tell her if--how--she screwed up. "The former captain considered himself a ladies’ man--except he didn't want the women to be ladies. He didn't always get that far, though. Sometimes he would simply move on to someone else. When he moved on to me, I chose to see how long I could keep his interest." She smiled at Aaron. "I told him in my culture, we do not rush into physical relationships. He agreed to wait. Mostly." She shook her head. "He was a cad and I wanted to protect the women he hadn't tried to bed yet. In my defense, I only heard rumors and Starfleet had done nothing about them in the past, so I thought it would be a good option."

She took another sip of her drink to give herself a moment to decide how much she should tell him. Then just went with the basic story. "Unfortunately, there's one woman on the ship who thinks I stole him from her. At the time, there was nothing I could say to tell her otherwise, so I chose to wait until now. I thought time would help her see that he wasn't her prince charming and I didn't steal him from her. It didn't go well. She said I should have let her learn for herself--which is probably true, but he'd already moved on and was no longer interested in her. Now, she thinks the only reason he chose me over her is because I have a higher rank. She even said she won't find love until she's a commander. Waiting because I didn't want to hurt her feelings was the wrong choice. Trying to protect her in the first place was the wrong choice. Talking to her at all was the wrong choice."

She paused. "I only succeeded in making the whole situation worse. So, I came to you because I knew you had real alcohol and because I guess I need someone to listen to me vent, and who won't give me trite platitudes."

Aaron practically spit his last sip of whiskey out as he laughed. "Wait, wait... Wait one damned minute. You are telling me that there is an issue with another crew member because you tried to save them from a broken heart. Well first off I am going to call you a complete idiot. People lie, they lie to each other, they lie to themselves. So, the only way you can allow the moronic masses to learn anything is for them to do it themselves. As to this moron's comment about finding love when they are a commander. Promote them and let them get married, pop out some rug rats and get the hell out of your hair."

He sipped his whiskey again, placed the glass down on his desk and exhaled sharply through his nose. "I know that you mean well, but in truth you are trying too hard. Far be it from me to tell you how to do your job but I am going to try. Being a Captain is a lot like being a parent. Sometimes you have to let the children make the mistakes and clean up the messes after them. Other times when they ask you why you tell them because I said so."

Grace couldn't help chuckling. "You aren't wrong." She raised her glass to him. "And yes, I was being a complete idiot in trying to help her see that she avoided a bad situation. But I still had to try." She took a sip of her drink. "And now that I have, I can let her continue to make her own mistakes with a clear conscience."

Aaron nodded and smiled a little knowingly. "Sometime a clear conscience is all that one needs." He sipped his whiskey and was not sure if it was the whiskey or simply the conversation but for the first time in quite a long time he had in interest in getting to know someone. "Tell me Grace..." Aaron did not bother to ask permission to speak freely, for in his mind they were two people chatting. "...Why do you care so much? I mean you care about people more than I do and I am a damned doctor. So, one has to wonder why. And as I side note I would be lying if I didn't say that I was curious who this person you speak of is."

"I guess because I've studied history and learned much about humanity. Before becoming first officer here, I was a counselor and a diplomat. I like to think that most people have some good in them." She shrugged. "Or maybe it's just because I'm more of an outsider myself. I prefer music and solitude to noise and activity." Even though Aaron was a cynic, he generally spoke the truth, so she didn't hesitate to be honest with him. It wasn't that she lied. She didn't, but she didn't open up much, either.

She considered Aaron for a moment. "I would say I care differently than you. i know that if someone really needed help, you'd be there." She saw that in the way he treated Haruna and then, with the last away team, Percy. "Why did you choose medicine?"

There was a rather long moment of silence as Aaron thought whether or not he would talk about himself with the Captain. In due time he decided that perhaps he should have one friend on this god forsaken vessel. "When I was 14 my father took us to Japan as he got a valuable position at a hospital in Okinawa. I went rock climbing with this kid from school. He fell, got injured and I had to bring him to the hospital. We came in through the wrong entrance and passed this guy in the hall. It was a janitor. My friend came down with an infection and the doctors didn't know what to do. So, they brought in the janitor. He was a doctor. And a Buraku. One of Japan's untouchables. His ancestors had been slaughterers, grave diggers. And this guy, he knew that he wasn't accepted by the staff, he didn't even try. He didn't dress well. He didn't pretend to be one of them. The people that ran that place, they didn't think that he had anything they wanted. Except when they needed him. Because he was right. Which meant that nothing else mattered. And they had to listen to him." Aaron sipped his drink and exhaled sharply. "Incidentally this is the same reason that I do not do well in organizations such as Starfleet. I am Buraku." After another short pause he smiled. "But we are not here to evaluate me now are we. So, do tell me more about this person who has gotten under your skin."

"That's a fascinating story. Thank you for sharing it with me. I don't know much about the Buraku, but I will read up on them." She hesitated a moment, then sighed. "This person has a...skewed sense of reality--my opinion. Because, even after I explained that Elijah wasn't looking for love, he was looking for a fantasy, she still believes I stole him from her simply because I outrank her. I don't think she wants to understand. I get the feeling she likes being a victim."

"There are a fair amount of people in this universe who simply enjoy being stepped on and treated as if they are lesser. If she is one of them then I say let her be the victim and go on with your life. As you are no doubt aware, life is entirely too short to dwell on crap like that or even give people like that any thought. Besides if she really annoys you, you can have her transferred to the farthest point in the known galaxy." Aaron added the last sentence with a broad smile and a wink.

The comment, combined with the grin and the wink made her laugh. "Yes, I could, but I still hope she'll learn." She raised her glass. "I know, but I do want to try. I think a part of her problem is that she's given up on herself." She finished her drink and set the glass down. "I needed a drink and an ear. And a laugh. Thank you."

"My door is always open for anyone who needs, so long as they aren't complete morons. Seeing as you are the Lady In Charge you can come anytime you want." Aaron raised his glass in toast and took the last sip from it. He was well aware that Grace had not told him who she was talking about. If he was completely honest he knew that she probably never would. It was no matter. There was something comforting about knowing that the Captain felt the same way about certain things as he did. "Just means you owe me dinner."

A Post By

Lieutenant Commander Aaron Marcus
Chief Medical Officer
USS Ontario

Commander Grace Vetur
Commanding Officer
USS Ontario

 

RSS Feed