BACKPOST: Aftermath, Part 1

Posted on Mon Jan 8, 2018 @ 3:42pm by Commander Caleb Ryan & Lieutenant Liam Reynolds

1,598 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Victory Conditions
Location: Gino's
Timeline: RUMOURS MD 8 2000

"Feel free to tell me to bugger off, Chief, but you look like you've had about the same day as me," Liam said, depositing another glass of beer in front of the Texan. "I figure misery loves company."

Caleb smiled. “Ah never say no ta a man buyin’ the beer,” he said, pulling it closer and taking a sip of the fresh mug. Gino’s theme had switched from the 50s diner theme to a Texas steakhouse. With the man being from Chicago, he made a steak almost as good as a Texan, and Caleb was about halfway through his steak, baked potato, and corn on the cob. A dessert of rich, chocolate cake awaited him. Meals in the Lissepian holding cell had been adequate, but the dang aliens couldn’t do a proper steak. “Can Ah get you somethin’, Reynolds?” he asked Liam, handing him the menu, actual paper menu, albeit holographically generated.

"That's kind, but I ordered at the bar. I got something akin to what you're eating coming," Liam said taking a seat opposite the Human man. "Can I just say your daughter was very helpful and considerate the other day. My stepsisters met her. I think they are hanging out ...well, if that's still what the kids call it."

Caleb shrugged. “Ah stopped tryin’ to keep up with kids when Ah was twenty,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s good she’s makin’ friends.” Caleb poured a bit of A1 on his steak and popped a bite into his mouth. “At least it gets ‘em outta your hair,” he said with a chuckle. “Get some time ta yourself with that pretty new filly of yours?”

"Filly?" Liam asked. Sometimes he struggled with some of Chief Ryan's language. "Oh, you mean Tera?"

Caleb chuckled. “Yeah, that nice Bajoran brunette Ah saw hangin’ on yer arm this afternoon, all battin’ her eyes an’ pressin’ up on ya. She seemed mighty determined ta get somethin’ outta ya.” He chuckled, sipping his beer.

An attractive blonde waitress sauntered over. She wore tight jeans and a red and white checkered shirt tied up to expose midriff and some nice cleavage. “Here ya go, sir,” she said to Liam, setting down his steak and fixin’s, flashing him a flirtatious smile. “Ah’m Charlene, an’ ya’ll just holla if all ya’ll need anythin’”

Caleb smiled. “Ah, it’s good t’ heah the old tongue, miss.”

The waitress giggled, set down a refill for Caleb with a flash of cleavage before sauntering off with swaying, enticing hips.

"Thank you, Charlene," Liam said after her. "This looks amazing."

He turned back to the chief. "She's lovely, but seems to be acting a bit clingy at the moment. You, erm, seem to have got that observation bang on, and it's all my fault," the part Betazoid sighed.

“Why is it yer fault?” Caleb asked.

Liam finished chewing his steak. It was excellent. Ryan and him weren't that close, but Cade, his usual confidant, was gone. And he had always sensed Ryan was a decent man. He opened up a bit.

"I had a bit of a crush on someone else, and it's early days with Tera. Nothing was defined. I felt I had to be honest with her about the other person. We agreed to keep seeing each other, but I fear now I have made her insecure and she's trying too hard, so to speak. She doesn't need too. The other person… It’s highly unlikely to go anywhere, and if Tera and I did decide to take things to next level I wouldn't, you know. I'm a one woman guy. Women, why do they get so wrapped up worrying?" he asked.

Caleb chuckled. “Ah’ve given up tryin’ t’ figure out women,” he admitted. “But Ah think ya might be right, about her wantin’ t’ stake her territory, as it were. Women ain’t usually like men. They don’t like ta share.” Caleb paused and took a drink. “Well, Human women,” he admitted. “An’ Trill. Ah guess Rowa’ni women don’t mind at all. But Ah don’t have much experience with any others.”

"Rowan'ni would invite the other party in," Liam stated. "So clearly I misjudged the situation. She's wanting more, and not cool with the idea of seeing other people. Yet gave the impression she was. I guess we need to have another talk. If she wants to be exclusive, we can give it a try. It's just I went through the wringer in the last one though. It's a bit nerve wracking opening yourself up properly again," Liam said quietly.

Caleb smiled. “Ah know,” he said. “Ah don’t talk about mah wife much anymore,” he admitted, “but when she came back joined...she was a completely different person.” His voice choked up a bit, and he took another drink. “But Ah loved her so much, Ah couldn’t have denied her this thing that she had wanted, bein’ joined. An’ when she came back, Ah still loved her so much Ah wasn’t gonna give her up. Ah had ta start all over, court her again. It’s hard ta get on the horse again, but ya ain’t gonna be ridin’ if ya don’t. She seems ta care about you enough ta try it your Betazoid way. But you gotta decide what it is you want, Liam. Ya hold back, try an’ keep yer options open, yer gonna find instead a two birds, ya got none.”

"That's why I'm willing to try, Caleb," Liam said gently. So they were on first name basis. That was good.

"All I've ever wanted was to get married, you know. A family of my own. Hopefully one less crazy than the one I have. My first fiancée my twin brother fathered a baby with, and she disappeared.My last girlfriend I proposed, but didn't exactly get the timing right. Or the girl right, looking back. Third time round I thought I shouldn't go rushing in, but it seems the goddesses have other ideas there," the part Betazoid mused. "What about you? Are you back in the saddle again?" he asked. He knew Caleb’s wife had passed awhile back.

Caleb shifted nervously and wiped his mouth on his napkin. “Ah wouldn’t want ta kiss an’ tell,” he told Liam with a bit of a nervous smile. “Ah would rather be discrete.” He didn’t want Opal getting into trouble for becoming involved with a patient, and he hadn’t exactly figured out how to tell Aleczandra about it. He wasn’t sure quite how serious it was, in any case. They’d had lunch a few times, and then a picnic on the holodeck that got more intimate than he’d intended. “Mah situation is a bit more complicated. Ah have a daughter ta think about.”

Liam smiled and nodded. "I understand," he said simply. Something told him that Caleb was already back in the saddle. He wanted to tell the other man he could talk freely, and that Liam was good at discrete. He knew about Zandra and was keeping quiet to protect them. He had also fought with Soran to try help with that, but that wasn't something he could really tell the man. He would just have to be the unknown friend and ally in all that.

"So you feel up to telling me about the Lissepians, or do you feel a more professional setting is required?" Liam asked, raising his hand and flagging the waitress’s attention. Another beer was required to chow down this huge plate of steak. "I can arrange a proper meeting. I just figured we are here." It was the Texan man’s call.

“Hera’s fine,” Caleb told Liam. “Better here than on a couch.” He smiled at Charlene came sauntering back over and ordered another beer as well.

“You got it, boys,” Charlene said, giving them a wink. “Comin’ right up.”

Caleb turned his attention back to Liam. “What do ya wanna know about the Lisseppians?” he asked.

"Did they treat you well, for a start?" Liam asked.

Caleb shrugged. “Well enough,” he said. “Certainly well within the boundaries of the treaty. The food was terrible. They can’t replicate a good steak ta save their lives,” he said, popping a piece of steak into his mouth and chewing with obvious relish.

Liam grinned. Leave it to Caleb to be grousing about that fact. "Talk me through it, Caleb. From beginning to end. All I got told was you had been put in prison, and then I was denied admittance to speak with you."

Caleb nodded, wiping his mouth on a napkin. He took a sip of his beer as he gathered his thoughts.

“We got a report that someone in a Federation uniform had been grabbed and transported off station. Ah called for a security team to meet me at the location. When Ah got there, nothin’ seemed amiss. Then a Lissepian rushed up, tellin’ me he had to show me where the snatch had occurred. He touched mah arm, an’ then Ah was caught up in a transporter effect. They beamed us right inta the cells. Lucent Speer, the Lisseppian undersecretary, then came and informed us of the charges an’ our predicament. They got us counsel an’ meals an’ such, but we stayed behind those force fields until the tribunal.”

TBC

Lieutenant Liam Reynolds
Chief Diplomatic Officer

Commander Caleb Ryan
Cheif of Security/Tactical

Charlene
Holographic waitress
NPC Caleb Ryan

 

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