Part I: Son of Hephaestus

Posted on 16 Oct 2016 @ 11:02pm by Commander Langdale Wiggins & Lieutenant JG Braxton MacKenzie & Lieutenant JG Jonas Flynn PsyD
Edited on on 17 Oct 2016 @ 1:18am

1,399 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 12 - Recluse
Location: USS Galileo - Holodeck 1, Deck 5
Timeline: MD-01 1245hours

ON:

After the departmental meeting Braxton was so angry he could break steel with his teeth. He was proud that he'd kept his cool and told Rahl to go speak with the XO first. Braxton would be going somewhere else. He went to his quarters, changed into sweat pants, picked up his material bag and headed to holodeck one.

He tapped the holodeck console calling up one of his favorite programs, the one thing that could calm him and bring him peace. He was so rattled and angry that he forgot that he too would have to meet with the XO. In fact he didn't notice that this was his time to meet Wiggins.

Braxton entered the holodeck threw his com badge to the side effectively silencing it and set to work.

Meanwhile, in Wiggins' office, he'd waited the usual five minutes when he had a meeting scheduled before getting annoyed at the tardiness. If there was one way to make a generally happy and easygoing Wiggins get annoyed, it was tardiness. He slapped his com badge like he was swatting a mosquito. "Wiggins to MacKenzie."

When there was no response, Wiggins slowly drew breath into his lungs to temper his mood. He located him via the computer and found he was in holodeck 1. He very briefly considered disengaging him remotely from whatever program he was running and then suspending his holodeck privileges but now he was curious to see what could have distracted him enough to miss a meeting.


***In Holodeck 1***


The dark cave like atmosphere mirrored his dark and dreary mood. “Computer, Fire the forge.”

Almost immediately the large bowl like charcoal fueled forge blazed to life; the flames licking at the sides demanding release. Braxton stood near and allowed the heat from the flames to warm his cold skin. He stomped towards the wooden work bench, threw down and opened his bag and pulled out the large bar of Damascus steel, a large material that was reputed to be shatter resistant and tough. He picked up his pliers and hammer stomping towards the forge.

“Computer disengage holodeck safeties.”

=^=That procedure is not recommended=^=

He sighed. “I don’t care. Do it. Authorization MacKenzie Sierra Echo 2 0 0 dash 5 1 9 0.”

He heard the cherp. =^= Holodeck safeties disengaged.=^=

He let out a shaky breath. This was no place for stress. He put the pliers on the anvil and laid the bar of steel in the flames. Braxton picked up the bellows and began to fan the flames. In a moment the steel would be malleable enough to shape. The fire would reach between 1,500 and 1,650 degrees Fahrenheit. He waited patiently and then using the pliers he pulled the heated steel out of the fire and laid it across the face of the anvil. Squeezing the hammer in his hand he reared back and struck the steel. The loud crash echoed off the cave walls. His shadow danced across the darkened cave as he hammered the steel flat shaping it into what would be his latest work of art.

In no time he was an hour late to see the XO and he’d missed his counselling session to boot. Lost in his world of hammering and heating he began to sweat profusely. The air was thin, it was designed to mimic a cave on Vulcan that was near the fire plains located west of Kir City. Wiping the sweat off his forehead with his forearm.

He was still drawing out the steel, flattening the thick steel disk thus lengthening it. Braxton, always one for details moved the metal to the anvil horn to give it the proper shape. He once again heated the metal, lost in heating and hammering and as a result not hearing the call from the XO over the com badge and minutes later the door whooshing open to the holodeck. He studied the pattern on the lengthening metal pleased with the pattern that was comparable to flowing water. The steel was still not thin enough he stuck it back into the forge and normally he would have noted that someone was standing behind him but not this time. His senses were usually right on but as of late he’d been feeling medically…not well. He’d maybe stop by sickbay after.

"What are you doing?" Wiggins had to shout over the loud clanging. He'd slipped in, and with Braxton so focused on what he was doing he didn't notice the XO storm up to him looking none-to-pleased.

Braxton turned startled. "Commander..." It sunk in that he'd missed his meeting. "Oh Gods of Betazed! I missed that meeting." He looked genuinely agitated and sorry. "I got lost in the work."

The doors swished open again and Jonas walked in hesitantly. "Hey Brax, you okay?" he called, having heard through the grapevine his big department meeting hadn't gone exactly as planned. He hadn't wanted to intrude on his friend's private time, but he was concerned. The truth was he was growing rather fond of Braxton, and though he had no intention of acting on his feelings, he wanted to make sure everything was all right. After all, such a visit wasn't out of the realm of his position's responsibilities, right? Personnel conflict was very much in his purview, and he'd be following up with any other department head in the same situation.

He spotted Braxton, looking stressed and sweaty and oh-so-inappropriately amazing, and was about to move closer when he realized they weren't alone. His first thought was to wonder why a simulation of Commander Wiggins was included in the program before he realized it was the real deal.

"Commander!" Jonas greeted, sounding more surprised than he had meant. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything."

Braxton sighed. He looked at Jonas. Suddenly despite the heat of the forge the temperature went up another 100 degrees. "I missed a meeting with the commander and he came looking for me. I missed our meeting too didn't I?" He gave the steel another hammer and then laid the tools down. "I'm sorry."

His eyes travelled once again to Jonas, he was wearing the Eleke Braxton had given him and that gave him way too much pleasure for him to analyze now. Realizing he'd just looked Jonas' way for too long he turned his gaze back to the forge and then back to both Jonas and Wiggins. "Don't get too close to the flames. The safeties are off."

Jonas' eyes narrowed as his general concern became specific, and he felt the counselor in him take over. "Computer, reinstate holodeck safeties immediately, authorization Flynn Zeta Echo 3 6 3 dash 1 0 3 7." He heard the computer chirp in acknowledgement but he kept his focus on Braxton. "Lieutenant, those safeties are in place for a reason and aren't meant to be overrode on a whim. What's going on?"

"I need real fire to make stuff." He said. How could he explain that the heat of the fire needed to be just right. "I can't make things out of metal if it's not a real forge." He looked down at what he'd bee hammering and then his heart speed up. He hadn't realized it but the steel bar was taking the shape of a heart. Crap! He'd had someone in mind and he knew just who. He quickly stood in front of the anvil blocking their view.

Wiggins made a sound that caught in his throat like a grunt. Up until now he'd been doing what he always did, and observe the interaction between the two men but also honing his instinct on Braxton to detect a lie. Fortunately, he found the CSO to be genuine but that didn't seem to change how annoyed Wiggins was. He took a step back from the forge even though Jonas had reactivated the safety controls. His annoyance was only tempered by the curiosity that arose in the XO over what his heightened intuition was telling him. The tingles his paracortex got from the body language and the words spoken intrigued him. Not enough yet to take the frown off his face though. From the lack of wrinkles, it wasn't an expression he used often.


To Be Continued ...

[OFF]


Commander Langdale Wiggins
First Officer
USS Galileo

&

Lieutenant JG Jonas Flynn PsyD
Chief Counselor
USS Galileo

&

Lieutenant JG Braxton MacKenzie
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

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