Lieutenant JG Carter Greyson & Lieutenant Anjar Thoran: I Didn't Come Here For This, Part I
Lael Rosek
((Thoran’s Quarters, USS Montreal))
{{Time Index: 1956 hours}}
::Try as he might, Anjar couldn’t focus. None of his usual meditation techniques were working. He grunted in frustration, rising from the floor and pacing in front of the replicator. His brow was furrowed in thought as each aggressive stride only served to agitate him further. His stress was obvious in the set of his shoulders and the grim expression on his face. He was hopelessly confused over this whole situation with Swenhart. She wasn’t the type to settle for one man, much less a man like him. By letting himself get attached like he had, he was only setting himself up for heartache.::
::Shaking his head, he resumed his seat in front of the low table that held the incense and candle. It was another few minutes before he huffed again, finally giving up any hope of obtaining inner peace. He extinguished the incense and the candle before moving to the monitor on his desk, praying that something would distract him in the form of work.::
::That’s when he caught sight of the inbound message. His eyebrows raised clean to his hairline as he saw the subject. “Warp XV Project Recruiting”. He checked the sender and noted it was from an old Academy buddy, Roger Sharp. Curious, he opened the message and began to read. With each word, he became more and more enthralled.::
::Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. A way to get away from this whole mess with Miskre before it exploded without raising an questions that might lead to the end of his Starfleet career or hers. Anyone who’d worked with him knew his passion was propulsion engineering. In fact, he’d spent most of his time aboard the Veritas working as the propulsion systems officer. It wouldn’t be at all unusual for him to be like a kid in a candy store over an opportunity to work on the Warp XV engine.::
::But first, he needed some advice from a friend.::
Thoran: ::pauses:: Computer, what’s the current location of Carter Greyson.
Computer: Carter Greyson is currently in Engineering.
::Anjar briefly considered going there, but shook his head and instead decided to send a message. Something told him that they were both going to need alcohol for this conversation.::
((Officer’s Lounge, USS Montreal))
{{Time Index: 2016 hours}}
::Carter was dressed casually, since he was off duty. He helped himself to a peach pie and a mug of cocoa before taking up a seat near the window. To say he was rather surprised by Chief Anjar Thoran’s request to meet here once they were off shift was an understatement, since the chief was typically a private person. ::
::Anjar ran his hands through his hair and exhaled a slow, steady breath as he entered the Officer’s Lounge. He’d been through the ringer ever since his conversation with Lael just after the last mission. Hell, he’d been having a difficult time since Miskre had nearly--His eyes slammed shut as he pushed the memories to the back of his mind. Even after all the talking with the counselor, he still couldn’t think of it without having an anxiety attack. When they’d been stuck in the other universe, he’d managed to come out of it without the PTSD Lael had had to fight. But watching Miskre nearly get killed by that torpedo casing--that right there had stuck with him in a way no other memory had.::
::The nightmares were the worst of it. Last night’s episode had caused him to wake up yelling, which had brought Liara rushing wide eyed into the room. He’d scarcely been aware of her for the first couple minutes as she crawled into bed next to him, trying to soothe him through their empathic connection. He thanked the Gods she wasn’t telepathic. The experience might very well have traumatized her more than it did him.::
::Wanting to avoid a repeat, he’d all but begged Lael to take her for the night in hopes that a combination of meditation and sedatives would help. But it hadn’t. She was supposed to take Liara again for the night until he could figure out a way to prevent it from happening again. He grabbed a cup of strong black coffee from the replicator and, noting Carter already seated by one of the windows, moved in his direction.::
:: As Carter caught sight of the chief, he swallowed the mouthful of cocoa and started to stand up. Off duty or not, this man was still his superior officer. ::
Thoran: ::murmurs:: Sit down, Carter. We’re off duty.
:: Carter nodded slightly and complied, picking up his fork and slicing into the pie again. ::
Greyson: So what gives with the social invite, chief?
Thoran: ::grimaces:: I’ve got a bit of a situation and I need some friendly advice.
:: The younger engineer blinked for a a few moments as he considered. He was terrible at taking advice, and probably even worse at giving it since he had to transfer positions and vessels multiple times. It took him a few moments to respond. ::
Greyson: I’ll do what I can, just don’t expect it to be top rate advice. What’s on your mind?
::Here was where it got complicated. He lifted his gaze to meet Carter’s, fighting with himself for a few long moments before releasing a heavy sigh and taking a long drink from the mug before cradling it in his hands.::
Thoran: It’s about Miskre.
:: Carter noticed the way the chief seemed to hesitate for even the briefest of moments before speaking. He recognized the signs, as he’d done it himself on a few occasions. Ris and Kaansi, and even Chythar, had seen him hesitate at times. Luna too, now that he thought about it. ::
Greyson: I haven’t exactly been successful in the arena of romance, so I’m rather limited in how I can advise. But please continue.
Thoran: ::grimaces:: It’s not--romance exactly. It’s casual. I mean, don’t get me wrong. She’s very attractive. But her species isn’t the type for serious relationships. There’s biologically no reason for Dokkarans to have intimate relationships beyond pleasure.
Greyson: My xenology is a bit limited, I apologize for jumping to the conclusion :: He paused for a moment. :: I’d say your friendship with her is a serious matter, regardless of the romantic aspect. Now out with it, Anjar. What about her has you so worked up?
::He lifted a hand to run it anxiously through his hair. There was a good reason why he’d wanted Carter as Assistant Chief. He trusted the man implicitly and considered him a friend. In the time they’d worked together, the other man had proven himself reliable and honorable time after time.::
Thoran: ::sighs:: We’re...well, the new guy, Harkrow, confronted her about something he overheard between us-- ::grunts:: I wanted to keep this under wraps. I knew if anyone found out, it would cause a scandal not just for my career, but for hers.
Greyson: Right. Is it about the relationship that has you so bothered, or is it the fact she nearly got killed during a confrontation with the Tholians?
Thoran: ::grimaces and mutters:: Thanks for the reminder. ::sighs:: I’m worried about how it’s going to look to the Brass if they find out. We’re breaking the rules and, if I’m honest, I’m not even sure why.
:: Carter’s brow furrowed as he bit into his pie, contemplating the rationale. He’d been in a single romantic relationship where he loved the person. The only other relationship he’d been in was out of necessity, because Kala was a Vulcan going through pon’faar during her time at the academy. He wasn’t sure where his boss was going with it, so once he’d washed down the mouthful with some cocoa, spoke again and attempted to clarify the point. ::
Greyson: So you want advice on the relationship as a whole, then?
Thoran: I don’t know what the hell to think here, Carter. I know I should end it before the truth gets out...save both our careers. But at the same time...I don’t know. ::sighs:: I’m an idiot. I stand a damn good chance of getting hurt here because she’s only going to want casual. Is it really worth the #$%^ that’ll go down if we keep doing what we’re doing?
:: He didn’t know his boss well enough to determine the mental stability, or even really to comment on his character. What he’d heard was gossip, and the only reason he knew of it was because of the rumor mill. Various aspects of Anjar’s personality were constantly brought up by the gossip chain, but Carter usually didn’t listen to it too closely. ::
Greyson: Get out while you can. Otherwise you’ll be holding the lighter when it explodes in your hand, and Dr. Skyfire will not be happy about treating you for third degree burns. :: He grimaced slightly. :: Crude metaphor, I know… Is it true that you’re considering some form of resignation?
::Anjar stared at the mug of coffee he held between his hands. It was more than a little tempting to high-tail in back to R&D on Earth to get his bearings. He’d been dropped into the Chief role partly because the Montreal had needed one and partly because Lael seemed to have a faith in him that he just couldn’t understand no matter how hard he tried. He took a drink of the coffee, grimacing at the bitterness rolling over his tongue. It wasn’t helping his state of mind or his disposition recalling Miskre lying in that bed in Sickbay.::
::Was it possible he was developing serious feelings for her? He mentally shook his head. No matter how many times he listed to himself the myriad of reasons why that was a bad idea, it didn’t seem to stop thoughts of something less casual with her. It was like Erin all over again. It had been bad enough to have a crush on his Captain, but then when her alternate universe counterpart had come aboard, he’d fallen hard and had confessed his feelings only to get shut down before he could untie his tongue.::
Thoran: ::sighs:: I’m only a man, Carter. A man who’s screwed up so many times and in so many ways in his career that they should have some kind of special category for people like me. I wasn’t ready for Chief and I have no damn clue why Lael thought I was.
Greyson: She didn’t think I was ready for it either, since it was passed to you. In a lot of ways, I’ll probably never be ready for the full on chiefly title. Chances are, if she could’ve dragged Lieutenant Cadfael Peters’s hide out of the R&D labs at UTP there’s a damn good chance he’d be here in that spot instead of you.
Thoran: ::grins wryly:: Thanks, man. That makes me feel so much better.
Greyson: Any time. I mean, I aim to please.
---
PNPC Lieutenant Anjar Thoran
Acting Chief Engineer
USS Montreal, NCC-64927
I238110RH0
&
Lieutenant Carter Greyson
Acting Assistant Chief Engineer
USS Montreal, NCC-64927
O239002CS0