Guided Together By Time

Posted on Fri Feb 5th, 2021 @ 5:24pm by Captain David Tonelly [Reece]

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Lounge, USS Elysium
2794 words - 5.6 OF Standard Post Measure

The lounge was busy, busier than most Aerin had been to recently, but this ship was much larger than her last. The newer décor was nice enough, smoother edges, a darker theme than the old but still to most it was pleasing to the eye if they were into that sort of thing.

Aerin was in plain clothes, she takes the chance to get out of uniform whenever she can. She wore a peach blouse, some jewellery and black trousers with comfortable shoes.

Sitting at the bar she smiled at the bartender and he rushed over as if on cue. Aerin ordered and simply sat there, listening to the symphony of conversations flow about the room.

A few moments later, David entered the bar. As it was a Sunday, he, and his fellow Marines, were given liberty to enjoy the ship. What most of the fleeters didn’t realize, as the Marines are always training to go into battle, most of their time, aboard starships and space stations, was spent exclusively in there own areas of said ships or stations. Usually nicknamed “Marine Country”, most fleeters avoided those areas like the plague. It was probably why, even to this day, there was a feeling of division between the two groups.

Having heard about the many different restaurants and bars on Elysium, David had decided to start with the establishment that was furthest from his bunk. While the way he carried himself screamed Marine, his easy smile and friendly demeanor helped to make him seem, at least, somewhat friendly.

Stepping through the doorway into the bar, David was wearing a pair of black leather boots, a pair of dark blue jeans, black leather belt with a bronze buckle, a tucked in white tee shirt and green and black button-up flannel shirt, worn open, with the sleeves rolled down and cuffs buttoned. He was also wearing a single black glove over his right hand.

Seeing that the lounge was comfortable, he felt that he might actually enjoy himself. Moving over to the bar, he pulled up a seat, down at the end, and sat with his back to the bulkhead. That way, he could keep his eyes on the entire room, an old habit he picked up, back on Earth, in the 1980’s. When the bartender arrived, he whispered something to. The man and then ordered a beer and after it was delivered, took a sip and scanned the room.

The hairs on the back of Aerin’s neck stood up. This was usually in reaction to another of her kind nearby, and only if they were not aware of them in the first place. She began to look around for anyone out of place. Honestly you could pick half the lounge out and she hadn't been paying enough attention to who had been coming in to notice specifically.

There was a man, someone who stood out even in the crowded room. He stood near the bar but far enough away to watch the room. Aerin smiled, he was doing what she was but not with as much subtlety. Listening to a room was something they did well, but he may have just been nosey.

David was starting to enjoy himself. The beer was decent, though the best he had ever had was a a bar in Lexington, Kentucky, which he had spent much time in, back in the 1980’s. As he continued to scan the large room, he felt as if he was being watched. The feeling had an added energy to it. It was a feeling he hadn’t felt for nearly a century. It felt like one of his own kind! Continuing to scan, his eyes locked on one set of eyes that caused his heart to skip a beat.

She was a strikingly beautiful woman, her expressive black eyes seemed like pools on obsidian, and her dark brown hair a halo that perfectly framed her beautiful face. Tipping his head forward, David acknowledged her presence. He then stood from his stool, and began to make his way over to where the woman was seated. The rest of the people in the lounge seemed to blur out of existence. He had zero doubt now, that this woman was a member of his race.

It seemed Aerin's watchful eyes of this gentleman had caught his own. As soon as their eyes locked she turned as if she was being pulled by an imaginary string. Still, the voice from behind came.

In the native tongue of El Auria, David gave a traditional greeting. “May the Goddesses always watch over your travels.”

"Methral telal strama gui lelan. (May the stars guide you.)" she replied turning in her chair to meet this man who spoke her native tongue. "I have not heard that greeting in a long time." she said out loud to herself.

David gave a slight bow, then straightened up. "Nor I. May I join you?"

"Sure." Aerin said as she gestured to a seat to her right. The hairs on the back of her neck were settling down but still a nuisance as they danced for attention. She ignored them and placed a hand over the back of her neck to silence them.

David pulled out the indicated seat and lowered himself down. Then, after adjusting himself to the bar, he looked at the attractive woman and continued to speak in their native tongue. “Forgive my bluntness, but, from your accent, I believe you are from somewhere in Tangalla Province, perhaps even near Signano Valley?”

Aerin blinked at him for a moment and hadn't realised she was actually staring before her mind gave her a shake. "Wow... how can you tell that?" she asked as she returned the native speech. "I was born in Signano Valley, Mount Wea Hospital and lived in J'Vall. I thought my accent had disappeared..." she said in disbelief.

David chuckled and gave the woman a boyish grin. “It’s something I was trained to do, pick up differences in speech patterns and tone.” He craned his head slightly to the right and briefly stared off into space. “Man, I haven’t thought about the Domolt Language Academy for about, three hundred years.” His chuckled again then looked back at the woman sitting next to him. A look of embarrassment suddenly crossed his face. “I’m so sorry! Where are my manners?!” He extended his right hand towards the lovely woman. “My name is David Tonelly. I’m a Corporal, assigned to the detachment here on the Elysium. And you are...?”

"The Domolt Language Academy seems like a lifetime ago, my father taught there and was there when it fell." She said remorsefully. Aerin wondered how old this man was given the comment about three hundred, for sure he was older than that.

"Oh." she said taking his hand lightly. "Doctor, or Lieutenant, Aerin Olovaris. Ships Archaeologist and Anthropologist." she smiled as the man gave her hand a tight squeeze.

David started to nod, then stopped. "Wait, Olovaris. Connec Olovaris is your father? My goodness! This is a small universe! Your father was my dormmate!" David was grinning happily. "How is he?"

"Ehm I don't know how to say this gently... he died," she said a little painfully. "He became an instructor there and he would not leave anyone behind when the Borg attacked us. He died evacuating the last shuttle off the grounds, held back some Borg in hand-to-hand I was told..."

The happy smile on David’s face slowly fell as Aerin told him the fate of his friend. After she was finished, he hung his head, took a ragged breath and said a silent prayer for yet another friend lost to those evil creatures. After a few seconds, a heavy silence fell over their section of the long bar. Then, he looked back up at his friends daughter and with tears in his eyes, said, “I am so sorry for your loss, Aerin. While I’m sure you don’t need to be told, I must tell you that your father was a good man. One of the best I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Seeing you now, I know that he would be extremely proud of you.”

A little tear had formed in the corner of her eye. The subject of her father always tugged on her heart strings as the last time they had spoken then had argued and she had not had a chance she was sorry. "Thank you." She said wiping the tear away delicately. "So..." she began moving the subject on from that rather depressing one. "Tell me a bit about you. You know my father is dead and I think that quite personal. Like, how long have you lived?"

After a few beats, David gave a wry grin. Looking at Aerin, he got the feeling that, at best, she was about 120 to 150 years old. No longer a child, but, perhaps, in human terms, a young woman in her 20's. "Why do you ask? How old do you think I am?" His grin sparkled in his eyes as he spoke.

"I am just curious." she replied. "If you knew my father, went to the Academy with him then you are at least over 4 centuries old. I wont give a specific figure, I know how fragile men can be over making them older than they are." she joked.

This made David laugh suddenly. It wasn't an obnoxious laugh, but a surprised, honest one. He realized, as he was finishing, that it had been quite a while since he had laughed like that. "Well, now, this not so fragile man is 463 years old." He put a hand. "Don't worry, I won't ask yours. But, I will say that, so far, this is by far the best day I have had in a very long time."

"Wow... old." she said taking a sip of her drink and shooting a teasing smile. "Well, no. Humans say you should never ask a woman her age, and apparently they never tell so Goddess knows how they know how old people are." she said to herself with a small shrug. "You are welcome, I do aim to please." she waved her hand in a royalty styled motion and tipped her head.

David now gave a mockingly painful look. "Old. Old you say. My dear young woman, I haven't even reached middle age yet. But, I guess you're used to playing around with boys and not men." There was a mischievous glint in his eyes as he spoke.

"A lady never tells Mr Tonelly, especially to someone she has just met and who has not even bought her a drink." she too could play the mischievous game. "Thought older men had manners, knew how to treat a woman."

As if on cue, the bartender appeared, carrying two glasses. One, he handed to Aerin. "Your usual, I presume?" David retorted with a grin. The bartender then deposited David’s drink on the table as well.

Once they were alone again, David lifted his in a toast. "To new friends and wonderful surprises."

Aerin raised her glass and smiled. "To walk the road laid out before us."

After taking a sip, David lowered his drink down to the bar. “So,” he began, “Other than my age, what else would care to know about me?”

"You talk, walk and feel more Human." Aerin said as she analysed him a little. "One might say you could pass more easily for one more so than others of our kind. I am wondering if you have spent a lot of time with their species? They fascinate me."

Hearing about him being compared to humans, David absentmindedly moved his gloved right hand from the bar surface to his lap. “Well, all in all, I would say about one hundred sixteen years, give or take a few months.” He gave a sad smile and continued. “Though, the first eleven were both my favorite, and the worst.” He took a long pull from his beer, then sat a bit silent, looking off as if seeing some painful memories.

"Oh, sorry." she said noticing his sudden change in demeanour. "I don't want to bring up bad memories for you." Aerin said placing a hand subconsciously over his in comfort. She had always felt very attuned to the feelings of others.

Bringing his right hand back up, he placed it over Aerin’s hand, revealing some burn scarring between the wrist of his glove and the cuff of his shirt. “I’m the one who should apologize. It’s been a few hundred years now, you’d think I wouldn’t still have PTSD.” Though his smile was warm and inviting, there was still a pain deep in the backs of his eyes.

"What? No!" she said in shock. "Do not ever apologise for being sad, or in pain. The events of our past shape us to who we become, good and bad. You should never apologise to anyone for being yourself... unless you're, well, a serial killer or something." she joked to lighten the mood a little. "Then I do not think an apology would be enough."

This sudden statement was what David needed. He laughed out loud, his inner demons losing their hold on him for now.

After a few moments, he wiped a tear that had formed in the corner of his right eye. "Well now," he chuckled. "You better be careful. Twice, you got me to laugh harder than I have in, well, too long. Keep this up of helping me feel good, I might just ask you out on a date."

"I do have a thing for the older broken marine type." she admitted. In fact, she could actually hear her mother’s eyes roll at the very mention of it. "Although there is no guarantee I can make you laugh a third time." she smiled shyly as she noticed his hand still on top of hers. She began to remove it slowly as she did not want to look as if she was being forward, which she never usually was. For some reason men always made the first move on her, and truth be told she preferred that.

David smiled softly and looked deeply into Aerin’s eyes. “I’m willing to take that chance. Even if nothing comes of it, to spend time with someone of my species would be a wonderful thing. The fact that you are a very intelligent and attractive woman, well, that, as the humans say, is but icing upon the cake.” He noticed her gently removing his gloved hand from atop hers. “It’s a burn scar.” Looking up into her deep eyes, he added, “From my time with the humans.”

Taking in a small breath, he said, “If you would like, we could find some dinner and I’ll tell you about it?”

Aerin smiled softly. "Sure, I am sure you have lots of stories to tell, and I do love a good story."

Smiling in return, David asked, “You know the ship better than I. Where’s the best place to have a quiet dinner, so two people can talk, without getting interrupted?”

Aerin looked a little confused at his question. "David, I've been on this ship for a couple of days." she laughed. "You are lucky I found this place let alone know where else to go. Maybe that can be our adventure before we eat?" she asked in return.

Sitting back on his stool, David gave Aerin an adventurous grin. "My apologies. I thought you had been here longer than that. However, I think you've got a great idea there! My liberty isn't over till zero four thirty on Monday, if you're amicable to the idea, I'd like to spend the whole time, with you."

"Ehm, sure." Aerin said as she thought it over quickly. "I do have some things I need to do tomorrow in the science labs but it should only take a couple of hours. Got some reading to do." she said with a little bit of excitement in her voice. "But now, lets go find somewhere to eat." she smiled.

David smiled warmly in reply. He then stood from his stool and, like the old fashioned gentleman that he was, he offered his right hand to Aerin, to aid her in standing up, if needed.

Aerin giggled a little and took his hand as she rose from her seat. It was warm, and a little tough in places. From his age and time in the galaxy she expected as much but they took off from the lounge nonetheless in search of somewhere more private to eat, and talk.