The Ugly Truth

Posted on 18 Apr 2013 @ 3:00pm by Lieutenant Aria Rice & Petty Officer 1st Class Gabriel Stark

2,235 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo: Deck 3 - Outside the Security Offices
Timeline: MD 06 - 13:00

ON:

Aria let out a breath as she walked down the corridor. She felt better after talking to Scarlet, and she felt better for getting on duty on the ship again. She wore her hair braided right now, just to keep it out of the way since it was in dire need of getting straightened or washed. Whatever really.

"Aria?" Gabriel was walking towards her from the other end of the corridor and he leant forward and squinted to check he was right, but he'd know that silhouette anywhere. "Aria!" he laughed, his eyes lighting up as he broke into a sprint to run to her.

She stopped, smiling when she saw him. "Gabriel! You alright?" she asked, smiling as she moved quickly to him.

"Yeah! Better for seeing you!" he ran hard at her and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her up and off the ground as he hugged her fiercely, turning on the spot. "Aria doll!"

She laughed warmly, wrapping her arms tightly around him as she closed her eyes. "Hey, easy! Don't break me!"

Gabriel laughed warmly, setting her back on the ground, his hands resting on her tiny waist. "Sorry, I just got worried when I heard about Stone, I knew you were on his team."

She nodded, her eyes gentle as she touched his cheek. "I'm okay," she said softly.

"Good," Gabriel grinned before getting a teasing look in his eyes. "Only, I couldn't be sure, because I wasn't there to get you out of trouble," he winked.

Aria chuckled softly, looking down as she shrugged. "Sort of ended having to get myself out of trouble. Those creatures are nasty...but still animals."

"But you're okay?" he asked firmly, reaching to grip her shoulder, squeezing it.

She nodded as she met his eyes, taking a deeper breath. "Yes. I'm actually fine...more than I can say for my team. They took it rather badly."

"Yeah?" Gabriel watched her with a frown but finally shrugged. "I guess if you see someone killed in front of you it reminds you that it could have been you," he reasoned, moving on through to the Security offices with her.

Aria walked with him, shaking her head. "I suppose training kicked in. Get the danger out of the way, make sure the remaining people are safe. I knew he was dead the moment the animal went for him. I couldn't do anything....but then they all stood there wanting to go on. Even if some could barely stand out of shock."

Gabriel sighed, shaking his head as he wrapped an arm casually around her waist. "Guess that's why there's a separate security department. Get back and focussed on safety when it all goes wrong."

Aria nodded, her eyes gentle as she wrapped an arm around him as well. "Of course, then people wanted to go on with the mission. And two even wanted to stay while we went ahead..."

Gabriel sighed, shaking his head. "I guess that's how evolution works," he murmured, not able to understand it at all. "So I guess you and me are back to the drawing board, hm? No chief, you and me and Theron. And Kiwosk. He can be hard, but at least he talks sense."

She nodded as she smiled, looking around as they walked in. "Yep, back to the usual suspects. It'll be fine, they'll get a new Chief transferred as soon as we get in touch with the fleet again."

Gabriel nodded, sighing as they got to her desk. He moved to get them both coffee before she could argue about it, pulling over the spare chair to share her desk with her, as he often did. "Well I'm glad you're still here," he said quietly, but honestly.

Aria smiled gently as she sat down, taking the mug and wrapping her hands around it. "It was weird. You had Stone there, throat ripped out, his dog in shreds...and everyone just firing like maniacs. But afterwards...that was when it truly got messed up. The way people reacted. The...certainty they had to stay, despite what had just happened, even when protocol dictates for us to return to the ship. My phaser was close to burned out, it took that much juice to bring it down."

"People in shock don't think straight," Gabriel shook his head with a half smile. "That's the only reason I can think of," he admitted quietly.

She nodded as she watched him, her eyes shining as she studied him. "Perhaps...I suppose maybe they knew a side of Stone that I didn't know?"

Gabriel tilted his head and watched her with an arched eyebrow. "Really?" he said bluntly. "Look, I know people have this whole don't speak ill of the dead thing, but most people on this ship didn't have to work under him. We did. We knew what he was like, and what he said, and how he treated us. And it wasn't good."

Aria smiled weakly, nodding as she watched him. "So...we move on. Close that chapter and move forward. Stand together, as a department. No second guessing about him?"

"Yeah, exactly," Gabriel said firmly, holding her eyes, seeing the look in them. "Listen, I'm not pleased he's dead, I'm not a monster, but I didn't like him either. He was arrogant, rude, judgmental, even threatening sometimes, and he managed to upset you more than once, and was down right out and out offensive to me. On top of that, I think he was a bad officer. I think he made bad decisions both as a chief and as an officer. I can't help it, Aria, that's what I thought of him. And just because he was killed doesn't mean those things change. I'm not that shallow or fickle for those opinions and feelings to change from one day to the next just because he's alive one day and dead the next. Death doesn't change how he was, not to me, so it doesn't change how I feel about him either. And I'm not false enough to pretend otherwise. So give me twenty lashes for it, but I can't change it," he shrugged with a frown. "No second guessing."

Aria reached out, touching his cheek as she smiled gently. "Hey. You know I won't judge you..." she said softly. "And I am not mourning him either."

Gabriel nodded, offering a small smile of gratitude for the understanding as he gripped her hand, squeezing it fondly, also understanding why she wasn't mourning Stone's death either. "When I heard about the trouble on your team, it was you I was thinking about, not him. He was gone. But I knew you'd be left to pick up the pieces."

Aria smiled weakly, shaking her hand. "Good thing I can pick things up..."

Gabriel leant to her, unsure how to say it without offending her. "Yeah, but it doesn't make it easy, does it," he said quietly. "I mean, you just saw your chief get killed, violently, in front of you. You had to stop the creature. With the security chief dead, you're suddenly the one responsible for everyone else's safety, and you said yourself that some of them weren't thinking rationally at that point. There could be more of those things out there. You don't know why it did what it did in that moment. For all you know, there could be a whole pack of them moving in. And let's face it, Aria, you're such a tiny, pretty doll that a lot of people underestimate you as a security officer. And suddenly, you're having to take control of the security of a bunch of other officers, who by the sounds of it had other plans, and make them listen to you. I'm proud of you, sweetheart," he grinned, touching her chin. "Not that me being proud of you should really mean anything. I'm just some enlisted guy who likes to bother you and wind you up..." he winked gently to her.

"Gabriel...shut up," Aria shook her head at the last of his words as she let out a breath. "I...care. About what you think of me. Because when I was down there, and I was doing my job...I felt like they were ignoring me. Stonewalling me. Not caring. Because I am young, because I look it too...I know they don't take me seriously. And I don't...mind too much. Except for when I am trying to keep them safe."

Gabriel smiled at that. "Then I'll say it again - I'm proud of you -" he reached out and poked her in the ribs. "Proud of you - proud of you - "

She blushed and poked him back. "Bloody pain in the arse enlisted!" she laughed, her eyes shining. She leant close, hugging him tightly as she let out a shaky breath. "I'm growing up."

"Aria, I hate to break it to you, you're not going to get any taller, you're going to be an Aria doll forever," he said, but with a fond smile.

She smiled gently, watching him for a long moment. "Maybe I should grow wider..." she teased playfully.

"That's not going to work either," Gabriel chuckled, shaking his head as he held her eyes. "You're going to be a good officer, Aria. More than you think."

"It's that or be dead," she said as she smiled weakly. "I will see where I am in ten years time."

"Still making me proud," Gabriel gave a small smile, shaking his head. "If ~I'm~ not dead by then."

Aria smiled gently as she leant to kiss his cheek. "You're a good friend, Gabriel...and good in Security."

"Hey, I try and get the job done," he said with a firm nod, holding her eyes. "Not always pretty, but I'm in there."

Aria smiled as she took his hands, squeezing them as she searched his face. "You are one of those I want watching my back."

"Hey, you know I'm watching it," Gabriel leant to her with a small smile. "Just as well that I am really, because the straight guys are watching your backside."

She laughed and nodded, her eyes shining. "In my dreams...actually, I am not that fussed if a man or a woman stare at it."

"Yeah, I know, sweetheart, but when they're supposed to be watching your back instead, it could lead to trouble," he whispered, winking to her, pleased he'd got her smiling again.

She smiled, biting her lip as she watched her. "Hey, I can use it to manipulate my superiors! Because my vocal charms aren't exactly that great...I suppose the away team struggled taking me serious when I sounded like an angry chipmunk..."

"Don't worry about it, doll, I struggle to take you seriously all the time," he said casually, but with a teasing gleam in his eye as he reached to pull a padd over with a report.

She slapped his thigh as she sat back. "Cheeky! I am supposed to be an officer!"

"So was I once, and it all went wrong," Gabriel chuckled weakly, passing the padd across to her to review.

Aria took the padd, watching him for a long moment. "Road to true fulfillment is riddled by mistakes...that we learn from."

Gabriel watched her for a long moment, searching her eyes before nodding gently. "Yeah. Better get my hoverskates on then."

She looked down at the padd, frowning slightly. "If it helps, I trust your judgement more than most people's."

Gabriel looked across to her with surprise before giving a soft laugh, arching an eyebrow. "I'm on my way up the ladder of power then..." he grinned.

She smiled as she watched him, her eyes lighting up. "Mm...yep. Just have to find you a handsome officer to seduce."

"That'll be the day," he chuckled weakly, shaking his head with a small smile.

"Oh darling..." she said and smiled weakly. "I'll find someone for you..."

Gabriel laughed softly, watching her with a fond smile. "It's alright. Don't get me wrong...I can do the seducing bit. I can do the staying the night bit. I just can't seem to do the staying with someone for more than a one or two night stand bit."

Aria watched him before nodding, her eyes gentle. "I am the same. And if it is ever more than one or two night stands, it isn't...serious. Not that I am in the right headspace, you know?"

Gabriel searched her features for a moment before giving a small smile. "Footloose and fancy free. No other way to be."

She smiled weakly, shrugging as she looked down. "I...like my friends better than some of the lovers I have had in the past. And I have slept with some of my friends and felt better for it, even if nothing went there."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Gabriel agreed, shaking his head. "I'd rather share everything with friends rather than some random fling."

Aria nodded as she held his eyes before sighing dramatically. "I can't believe you are gay!"

Gabriel laughed softly as he glanced up from another padd and over to her. "You just don't want to believe it, doll," he winked.

OFF:

Lt JG Aria Rice
Security Officer
USS Galileo

PO2 Gabriel Stark
Security
USS Galileo
(PNPC: Lt JG Scarlet Blake)

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