The Long Ride Up

Posted on 08 Mar 2013 @ 12:05am by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm

1,330 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 4, Turbolift
Timeline: MD4: 0730 hours

[ON]

Maenad left the science lab and Ensign Peers and her work to report for bridge duty. She yawned as she made a brisk pace down the corridor toward the turbolift, but her eyes clouded with water. She wiped them with her palms, which she wiped dry on her skirt. But at the end of the corridor was shortish figure (everyone seemed a little 'shortish to Maenad) who wasn't there before. She wiped her eyes again and saw that it was the unmistakable green-skinned Captain Saalm, who hadn't spoken a word to her since, well, she told her to leave her quarters. It looked like she was waiting for the lift.

Maenad slowed her pace as her mind raced. She hadn't been seen yet, she could have gone back to the lab and waited for the next lift to arrive. But that would have been foolish. She pressed her lips together for a second, sucking up her hesitations, and came up behind who she hoped could still be her friend.

"Good morning," she said quietly, eyes looking at the back of the Orion's head, and then to the floor when she turned around.

Standing idly with a mug of hot chocolate in her hand while waiting for the turbolift, the captain heard a familiar voice behind her and stiffened as she realized who it belonged to. The slight French accent in the woman's otherwise perfect Federation standard was unmistakable, and Lirha took a deep breath then she politely turned around to greet the tall science chief. "Good morning, lieutenant." she said in a quiet voice, staring up into her green eyes for a very short and awkward moment. Aside from daily bridge duty, Lirha had not seen or spoken to Maenad since the night she had cooked her dinner; The same night that the science chief had returned shortly afterwards to tell her that she did not share the same romantic feelings as Lirha. It had felt like a punch in the gut to the captain at the time, a sort of emotional betrayal of sorts, and she had spent the last several days trying to cope with the unpleasant feeling of rejection. Now, standing next to Maenad, Lirha was at a loss for words.

"How are you?" Maenad asked, trying to sound natural, but she regretted it before the words finished coming out of her mouth - Lirha was probably still upset.

"Well enough." Lirha answered simply, looking away from Maenad and down at her cup. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and sighed, then took a long sip of hot chocolate to calm herself. "And yourself?" she asked.

Maenad watched the floor a few seconds longer. "Tired," she admitted. "I was just with Ensign Peers. She was showing me her work to enhance the warp drive. It looks promising."

Lirha slowly nodded and leaned against the wall while she waited for the lift. "She is a very clever engineer." she replied quietly, then glanced back up at Maenad. Scarlet's words of advice ran through her head and tempted her to let Maenad know how she felt, but Nesh's words also echoed and conflicted with that idea. Unsure of what to do, Lirha looked back down at her mug and stood there in awkward silence.

The lift was taking forever, Maenad thought. She bit her lip. How long did it take a turbolift to get to deck four on a ship as small as this? "Yes, she is," she smiled anxiously. There was a pattering feeling starting behind her ribs as mixed emotions started filling her mind. Guilt, mostly. No matter what Liyar told her about it not being her fault, she still felt awful. The lift doors finally opened, reminding her of what she was doing, where she was going. She waited for Lirha to go in first before following.

When the turbolift arrived, the doors opened with a swish and Lirha quickly stepped inside. "Bridge." she called out quietly, then moved towards the far wall and leaned her back against it. "I assume you are heading there also?" Lirha asked the science chief.

"Yes, sir," she said, finding it strange to call Lirha so formally.

Lirha leaned her head back and closed her eyes, feeling the strangeness in being called 'sir'. Maenad usually addressed her as 'captain' or 'Lirha', and it was a harsh reminder of how strange their relationship had turned in just a matter of days.

"Maenad," she began in a soft voice, "regardless of what happened between us...I still want us to have a good working relationship. I do not want things to be strange between us."

Maenad smiled. She thought that Lirha hated her now, but this seemed to turn everything around in an instant. She wanted to hug her, but not here. "I was worried that you never wanted to see me again," she said.

Lirha waited a short moment before responding. She didn't hate Maenad by any means, but was also not exactly enamored with the woman at the current moment. "Not exactly." she answered quietly.

"Oh," Maenad said, looking at floor again. That stung.

"I just...wish that you had talked to me about any issues you were having, especially if it was making you feel uncomfortable. Instead, I feel like you...abandoned me, in a sense." the captain added.

Maenad closed her eyes and slowly breathed out through her nose. She suddenly wanted to cry, but she could hold it back. "I..." she started, "I didn't mean to. I thought it was..." she looked up at Lirha. "When I realised how you felt, I had to tell you the truth."

The turbolift ride seemed inordinately long, and Lirha would be grateful as soon as it was over and the awkwardness ceased when they went to their separate stations. "I understand why you told me. But...that does not mean that I agree with it." she replied.

She didn't agree? How could she not agree with the way that she felt? Maenad frowned, starting to feel a little angry. She continued looking at one spot on the floor, deciding it best not to say anything.

Lirha remained quiet and took a long drink of hot chocolate from her mug. Finally, the turbolift lights slowed their pulsing and the lift came to a stop on Deck 1. With a swish, the doors parted and took the lead, stepping out first onto the bridge before glancing back at Maenad. "If you want talk about it more in a while...I will be in my ready room." she offered, then wandered off into her private office.

Maenad said nothing. She looked at Lirha when she said that she would be in her ready room, but she had no interest in visiting her. It was clear to her that she was in no mood to talk or understand what she was trying to tell her. Maenad now felt sad and unsettled; Lirha was still angry with her, and it seemed like she only wanted to tell her how furious she was with her - and that was something that Maenad wanted nothing to do with. She had been honest and forthcoming the first time, and she was being the same now, but Lirha said that she disagreed with her honesty.

When the doors opened and the captain stepped onto the bridge, Maenad waited a few seconds longer before heading off to her station. She sat down, feeling distraught and frustrated. Petrov, who'd been on Gamma, gave her a report that she'd not paid attention to, and left. After a moment of spinning thoughts, she finally looked to the PADD she'd been handed and tried to go over the summary. After hiding her watery eyes with a pretend yawn, she wiped at them with the tops of her wrists.

[OFF]

--

CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Maenad Panne
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

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