An Awkward Parting
Posted on Sun Dec 3, 2017 @ 7:00am by Lieutenant JG Jason Fisher & Civilian 'Key Holder' Yolanthe Ibalin
1,840 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Rumours
Location: 'The Box of Delights'
Timeline: MD-08: 1603 hours
[ON:]
Mikaela Locke sat nervously in a quiet corner booth in 'The Box of Delights'. In the last five minutes, she must have checked the on-wall chronometer about twenty times. Her 'date' for the evening, Jason Fisher, was already three minutes late - and she didn't have long. The Europa, the starship that would take her on the first part of her journey to Starbase Vanguard, was due to depart the station at seventeen-hundred. She knew he didn't finish alpha-shift until four o'clock, but every minute that Fisher was late was a minute less that they would have together. And she had no idea when she would see him again.
Unless...
"You look like you need a drink?" The tall violet-hued woman who owned the bar stopped at the booth, a tray full of drinks carried on one hand.
Mikaela looked up, suddenly aware that someone was talking to her. "I'm sorry, Yolanthe," she said, suddenly aware that she had no idea what the Bokkai lounge-owner had asked, "What did you say?"
"You look like you need a drink," Yolanthe repeated, raising a purple eyebrow. The young woman was definitely distracted.
"Um... I'd like a soft drink, please," she replied after a short glance at the drink list, "Perhaps an orange juice." And then she quickly turned her attention back to the chronometer on the wall, which now read sixteen-oh-seven.
"Frankly, I think you need something stronger, want to upgrade that to a Screwdriver?" The bokkai offered. "Or maybe just the driver?"
“No, thank you,” Locke replied, not taking her eyes off the chronometer, “Technically, I’m still on duty.”
‘And so, apparently, is he...’ she added in her own mind.
The bar owner moved on, and returned a few minutes later with a large orange juice, a slice of orange decorating the rim. "There you go." Mikaela was still staring at the clock. "Waiting for someone?" It was obvious, but it was the classic opener.
"Um... yes... Er... thank you..." Mikaela replied, still obviously distracted. "One of the security team - Lieutenant Fisher. Do you know him?"
She thought about it, "Blonde, blue eyes, about yay high." She held her hand up level with her eyes. "I know him," the bar owner confirmed
"If he comes in, can you show him where I am, please?" Mikaela asked, already starting to worry that either duty would keep him away, or worse... he didn't want to show.
'Sixteen-seventeen...'
"Of course, Enjoy your drink." Yolanthe moved back to the bar, collecting empties as she went.
"Thanks," Mikaela responded absent-mindedly.
'Sixteen-nineteen...
Jason Fisher strolled into 'The Box of Delights'. He had said that he would meet Mikaela straight after his shift ended, but there had been some trouble with a Takaran freighter captain and, by the time he had finished the paper-work, he didn't get out of the security complex until nearly twenty-past. He hoped that she wouldn't mind a few minutes. Not that he felt that he owed her an explanation. Their relationship had always been both volatile and complicated and, of late, they had barely spoken to each other. When he got her message, he had debated whether he should even go. On a station that size, he could quite easily avoid her. Perhaps it was time to stop waiting for her to be 'ready' or whatever it was she was doing, and move on with his own life. But then he realised that, if that truly was what he wanted - and he wasn't sure that it was - he should at least tell her that face-to-face. And so, here he was, looking around the bar, to see if he could see her. Assuming, of course, that she was still here.
He was stopped by the bartender. "Hey sweetie, there's someone waiting for you in the booths at the back. She's been waiting a while, so you'd best get back there. Let me know what you're drinking and I'll bring it over."
"I'll take a vodka and lime, please," Fisher replied, already starting towards the booth where he could now see Mikaela sitting, waiting. She looked anxious - certainly not her usual, composed self. That unnerved him. Normally she was so self-confident, so full of bravado. He didn't remember the last time he'd seen her look so... vulnerable.
"Hey," he said cheerily, arriving at the booth, trying to defuse whatever tension was so clearly painted over Mikaela's face.
"Where the hell have you been?" she snapped as she turned to look at him, her anxious expression immediately hardening into a scowl.
"Alright!" he retorted angrily, putting his hands up by his shoulders, defensively, "If you're gonna be like that I'll just go away again..."
"No, no, no..." she interrupted, her face quickly softening again, "I... I'm sorry, please... please don't go. It's just," she glanced at the chronometer again, 'sixteen twenty-six', "I don't have much time."
He sat opposite her, her sense of urgency suddenly passed to him too. "What do you mean, you don't have much..?" Even before he'd finished asking the question a terrible realisation came to his mind. "Mikaela..." he finally managed to say, "Are you dying?"
"What?" she half-said, half-laughed, "No, I'm not dying - why would you think that?"
"Well, you were being so serious and you looked so worried and then you said..."
The misunderstanding seemed to lighten the tension. Suddenly Mikaela seemed more relaxed, although, clearly still with something on her mind. He sat in silence for a few seconds, not pushing, just waiting for her to tell him what was on her mind when she was ready.
She took a gulp of her orange juice. "I'm not dying, Jason," she said, her tone suddenly kinder, "But I am leaving."
"Leaving..?" Fisher processed aloud, "When?"
Locke looked up at the chronometer again. "About half an hour."
Out of nowhere, Fisher felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. Half an hour ago, he was fully prepared to tell her that this... whatever this was, was too complicated - that he wanted to end it and be free to make a life for himself without feeling like he was on a shoestring all the time. But now that that situation was being forced upon him, he was suddenly and completely terrified of it.
"Oh," was all that he could muster. "Where?"
"Starbase Vanguard," she replied, "I've been promoted - I'm their new XO."
"XO? Wow, I didn't even know you'd applied."
Her half-smile instantly reminded him how distant they'd become in the last few months. "To be honest, I never thought I'd get it."
Neither of them said anything for what seemed like an eternity. Fisher noticed Mikaela look up at the wall behind him again, and he turned to see for himself. 'Sixteen thirty-one.' "So this is 'goodbye?'" he asked, turning back to her.
"I don't know," she said, the pain of situation becoming evident on her face.
They paused in silence for a few more seconds.
"Come with me," Mikaela finally said.
"What?" He was startled. "I can't..."
"I don't mean right now," she interrupted, as if she could see into his head and was already deconstructing his argument before he had time to make it. "Apply for a transfer - it wouldn't take very long, and then we could be together again..." She hesitated, as if weighing her next words. "I love you, Jason," she all-but whispered.
And there it was. That look, that soft voice. Those words. She had this power over him. For a fraction of a second he felt like he would follow her across space and time - anywhere she asked. And then he remembered all the hurt she had caused; all the weeks of not knowing where he stood with her. He felt the frustration and pain building up in his gut and before he could stop himself, it exploded out of his mouth in a tirade of bitter words.
"You love me?" he spat angrily, "You love me? No, Mikaela, I think you love the idea of me... of us. But you have no clue how a relationship works. Everything is always on your terms."
The anger continued to build inside him and he knew the should reign it in, but he couldn't.
No. He didn't want to.
"I'm done with it, Mikaela," he continued, his voice raised now. He was attracting attention from the other tables nearby, but he didn't care. "I'm not going to keep running around the galaxy after you. It's too much. You say you love me and then you dump me. We try being friends and always end up in bed - then we don't talk again for weeks. I never know where I stand with you. I can't keep living my life in the shadow of yours. I can't just keep waiting until you decide you want this relationship. You know what? I'm glad you're leaving, maybe with you out of my life I'll finally be happy."
'Damn.' He hadn't meant that.
She didn't respond. She simply stared at him in disbelief. He saw tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. She swallowed hard.
"I..." he began, realising immediately that he needed to at least try and limit the damage.
Yolanthe arrived with the requested vodka and lime, and realised there was something up. "Are you going to be needing a refill?" she said speculatively.
"I'm not staying," Locke replied angrily, her expression suddenly changing. She got up from the table without another word, wiping her face with her sleeve as she did so. Fisher turned as she stormed off, but she didn't look back. Perhaps it was better that way.
The bokkai set the glass down in front of the stunned security officer. "If you want me to come back with the bottle, just say the word."
Fisher downed his drink and held the glass up to the barkeep. "Better bring it now," he said, dejected.
If she replied as she walked away, he didn't hear her. He turned towards the door, hoping beyond hope that Mikaela had returned, but there was no sign of her. He glanced up at the chronometer which now said sixteen forty-two. If she wasn't already onboard whichever ship was taking her to Vanguard, she would be soon.
He bounced his fist off the table in frustration at his own stupidity. He'd let his temper get the better of him and now she had walked out of his life for good. And for the first time in a long time he knew exactly what he wanted.
And this wasn't it.
'Damn.'
[OFF:]
This awkward conversation was brought to you by:
Lieutenant Commander Mikaela Locke
former-Senior Intelligence Officer
&
Lieutenant (j.g.) Jason Fisher
Security Investigations Officer
&
Yolanthe Ibalin
Propriator
The Box of Delights
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