Hell of a start...
Posted on 29 Mar 2024 @ 8:30am by Captain Ricardo (Rico) Montoya & Lieutenant Commander Aiden MacMahon
1,458 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
M-18 The Past is Future
Location: Lounge
Aiden went back to his quarters, deciding on getting something from the replicator and then sleep, taking his tracksuit top off as he walked. As he stepped into his quarters and the door closed behind him, he felt trapped. "Shit....". He tossed his top over a chair in frustration and made a hundred and eighty. But before he left he took a small leather container from the drawer close to the door, turned it over a few times in his hand. "What the hell..." he said as he shrugged and strode to the lounge. He needed to check in any case if the lounge crew was okay and if they managed to restore order.
The lounge was mostly dark as no one there. Only then Aiden realized it was the middle of the night already. That suited him well. The steward returned obviously from a break and wanted to assist Aiden, but Aiden motioned that he needed no assistance. He didn't bother to ask the computer for more lights, he knew his way around the bar. He ducked behind the counter and took out a bottle of single malt from his stash hidden there, and gave the ship's computer an instruction and headed towards the viewport. He weaved through the chairs in the darkened lounge.
After parting ways after leaving sickbay Rico was returning to his quarters intending to finish what he had been working on but upon entering his quarter he had found Heather asleep and moving to his desk he picked up the tablet, re-reviewed the data and spent about 15 minutes making adjustments before setting it down. He let out a frustrated huff. He had seen this coming and had been unable to stop it and that was what was so frustrating.
Opening his humidor he grabbed a cigar, his cutter, and a torch and headed back to the lounge.
Aiden chose a chair in the left corner, next to the viewport and sank into it. He would probably fall asleep there rather than in his bed. He poured a generous helping of the scotch into a glass he grabbed and opened the leather box to reveal a packet of Gauloise cigarettes, an lighter, a cutter and two cigars. He took out a cigarette and lit it, leaned back relishing the taste as he inhaled. He knew he could be judged, but he didn't care.
Entering the lounge he glanced to see that all signs of the previous disturbance were gone and things were getting back to normal. A puff of smoke caught his eye and to his surprise saw his XO with a cigarette in hand. Approaching the corner table, "May I join you?"
"Of course, Cap'n" Aiden said swinging his palm towards the open seats. "Bad habit.." he started to say and leaned forward to put his cigarette out but halted. "I guess you don't mind," he said and nodded towards the cigar.
Sitting and laying his gear on the table. "True...but at least I don't inhale." Cutting the cap off his cigar he placed the tip on the table with the cutter. "Computer, cigar protocol."
As he toasted and lit his cigar a steward approached, "Your usual tonight Captain?"
"No, bring out my bottle of San Sebastián port please."
"Be right back"
Taking a draw he savored the flavor of his the maduro cigar, nodding approvingly.
His enjoyment was interrupted by the his commbadge chirping as he was hailed. =^= Bridge to Captain Montoya. =^=
"Montoya here."
=^= Sir. We've been hailed by the USS Granger. They are enroute to us for a crew transfer. =^=
"Who do they have for us?"
=^= A Lieutenant Rhineholt MD as our CMO, and a 2nd Lieutenant Emily Spicer, Marine Platoon Leader. =^=
"Understood. Transfer their records to myself and Commander MacMahon's databases and inform Gunnery Sergeant Wickham that their CO is on the way. Montoya out."
Nodding to the steward as he uncorked and poured the port into his glass. "Now where were we." Sitting back taking another drag on his cigar.
"Sitting here and sucking leaf flavoured air" Aiden answered, inspecting his cigarette after another drag, "and in your case drinking fermented juice and in my case, fermented soup mixture mixed with muddy water. Oh and I was going to tell you that my instruction to the computer is 'Allow Aiden to have some joy' protocol," Aiden chuckled. "Smells rich," he commented on the flavour of the cigar as he bent forward towards the ash tray the steward left for them. This was not the first time either the Captain or XQ were there. "Definitely better than mine" he added. "Picked up this in my Marine days.. " he motioned the Gualoise as he drew from it slowly. "Talking of which," he continued, his smile dropping and his tone now more serious, "maybe if we had the MCO here earlier, today's fiasco could have been prevented," he said.
Rico chuckled a bit hold up the cigar, "Well I have plenty. Not replicated either. Hopefully my supplier survived that mess at DS5, but even if he didn't I'm sure his company will. I doubt the MCO would have made a difference." Taking a sip, "Gunny Wickman knows his business, is and would have been closer to the troops than the Lieutenant, and he missed it. I think this incident was a perfect storm situation. There was the DS5 incident itself to create general animosity, a new casualty list was released to increase those feeling, unfamiliarity between the new and existing crew so you still have that initial isolation, and failure to report any questionable actions, if there had been any. Damn mess.
"Hopefully we can get all this wrapped up and those two back with the Granger. I don't want them sitting in the brig the whole time we are out here."
"Definitely" Aiden said pouring himself another whiskey., "It is good thing it happened now, so that bad elements can be exposed early on. .That being said, I hope you are right about the 'perfect storm'" Aiden said thoughtfully. "I hope it is not a symptom of something else.... But then again I am suspicious by nature."
Releasing out a stream of smoke he lowered his face. "Never should have happened in the first place...but we can't unscramble the egg now.. I informed the Gunny that I intent to address the entire detachment tomorrow morning. Would be best if we are there together."
Aiden nodded in agreement. "I will be there," he said, but thinking he needed to get there before the Captain. He had his own dressing down to do. Aiden studied Rico for a few moments. He didn't know the man yet, was new to his own role, so there was a lot to learn of how the dynamic would play itself out.
"Perfect. I'm sure things will workout...can't let these two bad apples spoil the trust that the crew and I have in our Marines. We've had a bit of a rocky start but enough work for now. We can here to relax, so lets do so." Raising his glass.
Aiden raised his in agreement. There was not much more to be said, silence was golden too. That didn't last for two long. "I am reading an interesting book about anti-gravity.... it is impossible to put down," Aiden said but then had to laugh at his own lame joke.
Rico choked as he took a draw from his cigar. Coughing and shaking his head. Taking a sip from his glass to to help clear his throat. Once he could speak again he looked at his XO. "Ok ok...You know you are going to pay for that."
Aiden leaned back in his chair and drew on his cigarette blowing little circles of smoke in the air. . "Whatever floats your boat Cap'n" he quipped with a straight face "Sorry I couldn't resist.." he said grinning as he took a sip from his whiskey.
Chuckling, he raised a good humored brow at his exec. "Fair enough. One things for sure you're not boring or standoffish."
"You are not too bad yourself," Aiden answered. "For a Captain that is, I think," he said inspecting him from where he sat. "A little smooth around the edges, but we can roughen that up, no problem..."
The two men sat for a while still, sometimes in silence, interrupted by some laughter or talking, some more drinking and smoking until the cigar was gone. Sliding his chair back, Rico rose. "Well it's been fun but I will be calling it a night. See you tomorrow morning."
"Night Captain," Aiden said, empting his glass and getting up, clearing the table before he left.
Captain Ricardo Montoya
CO
LtCmdr Aiden MacMahon
XO
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