Unorthodox Arrivals

Posted on Thu Feb 18th, 2021 @ 12:19pm by Ashe Zachariah & Lieutenant Commander Calvin Morgan

Mission: New Beginnings
Timeline: Backpost - Prior to arrival at Pathstone

Ashe had spent a solid twenty minutes trying to find her way to the indicated quarters, yet she still didn't seem to be any closer to getting there. With a sigh, she finally gave up, using a 'borrowed' over ride code to initiate a site to site transport to the current location of Commander Morgan.

As she cast a slow gaze over his form, the corners of her mouth turned up in a grin. "Damn, you're dressed, I thought I might have gotten lucky again," she offered with a wink as she walked across to him. "You know, you're a very hard person to find. I've been sending you messages for the last 24 hours and you haven't responded."

Calvin looked up from the book he was reading with no real outward surprise, if he had any. He picked up his glass and took a sip of the amber liquid. "Probably because I tried fixing my console," He indicated, pointing over at the console. A severe indent near the center of the screen was circled by spidering cracks. The desk was cracked near the keyboard where obvious blunt force was delivered to that part of the console as well.

Ashe looked at the console for a moment before walking across to him, sitting down on the coffee table in front of him, taking his hand, turning it over, looking for signs of damage. "It's a good thing you're a doctor and not an Engineer," she said calmly. "With repair skills like that you might not have gotten out of the Academy and then where would be."

Satisfied that he had either not done significant damage or at least healed himself, Ashe released his hand and straightened up slightly. "So, I'm gonna pour myself a drink, and you're gonna tell me what's going on. Got it?"

Calvin closed his book after he hit the end of the paragraph. "Bored?" He asked calmly setting the book down. "Pour yourself whatever you'd like. Replicator is over there and liquor cabinet is over there," He pointed in the two directions. His quarters were set up nearly identical to how his previous one was, save for the differences in compartment layout.

"What do you mean, what's going on?" He asked after a moment.

"As a general rule," Ashe said calmly as she returned with her drink. "Those who are as peachy keen as jelly beans don't go about repairing consoles with blunt force," she said simply as she sat back on the coffee table in front of him. "Having a bad day are we?"

"That was yesterday," He paused for a moment, "Or the day before. Today isn't a bad day." He wondered how long it had actually been broke for.

Ashe raised an eyebrow at his response. "Wanna talk about it?" she asked, still watching him. "Or shall I fix you a strong black coffee and put you to bed?"

"I'm not sure how those suddenly became my two options?" Calvin looked amused but confused.

Taking a sip of her own drink, Ashe continued to watch him. "Well, if you prefer I can take you to engineering and you can play whack a mole with some more consoles?"

“I’d hate to bother them. Their punch list is horrible. Met the Chief the other day, I don’t know how she keeps her head on straight,” He replied, sipping his drink.

"Uh huh. Fine, don't talk then. We'll just drink and I'll talk." She took another sip of her drink. "Oh, hey, yeah! I'm totally disappointed in you," she said as she leaned forward and lightly smacked the side of his leg. "You weren't even excited to see me! Like, seriously! I had to BEG my way back on the ship! I don't even get the lounge back and you aren't even glad to see me? Seriously wondering if I should have stayed on Earth!" She pouted, though her eyes sparkled with mirth.

"You don't get the lounge back?" He questioned, seemingly ignoring the playful pouting. He finished the last sip of his drink, only realizing it after he sipped on an empty glass.

"Lounge has a new manager," Ashe tipped her head to one side as she watched him for a moment longer. "Calvin?" Clearly something was very off. "How about I make you a coffee?"

“Sure,” He replied simply. He watched as she got up, turning around to go to the replicator. “I’ve been having dreams, well,” He stopped for a moment, “nightmares I guess,” he finally stated in the safety of the moment of not being watched. He didn’t know where it came from, possibly the empty bottle of whiskey, but the audible confirming of his problem made him uneasy.

Replicating two coffees, Ashe set one in front of him, remaining silent before retreating away again, clearly he wanted space, yet she wasn't sure he was in a position to be left alone. "What kind of nightmares?" she finally asked softly.

He picked up the coffee gently, almost afraid of it. He watched the steam waft off the top of it, the black liquid gently rocking from the movement. “All the time. Losing Astraea, so many made it. So many didn’t. It’s like I’m stuck in a time loop of the event.” He took a sip of coffee not making eye contact. Not wanting to see the reflection of his problem.

"There was nothing that you could have done differently," Ashe said quietly. "There was nothing anyone could have done differently. The moment is gone, you can't bring anyone back, you can't change the events of the past. Don't torture yourself by living there."

“That’s the worst part, I know that. I can’t think of a thing that could have been done differently. But the dreams, the nightmares, they just don’t stop,” He stopped for a moment to sip the coffee. He looked at it, not wanting to look away from it. “The voices, just won’t go away,” He said softly.

Ashe set her own coffee down, sitting on the armrest of the chair, resting her arm around his shoulders. "You don't have to listen to them alone," she said softly.

"They'll go away eventually. A temporary annoyance," He responded, not moving from her, but brushing off the symptom.

"This too shall pass," she rubbed his upper arm gently as she leaned against him. "And I'll be here until it does."

Calvin exhaled, having lost the will or the thought to say anything else.