Are You Sure That's Wise?

Posted on Tue Apr 2nd, 2019 @ 6:56am by Lieutenant JG Gallia Norris

Mission: Episode 1: Hell is a four letter word
Location: IFFY (Deep Space Nine)
2418 words - 4.8 OF Standard Post Measure

Estelle was at IFFY, shopping for clothes. She’d taken the exact measurements of Liorga with her, and was looking for ideas. She preferred shopping there, instead of going through the replicator menu or trying things out on the holodeck. The real people working at the shop usually had much better ideas and a better fashion sense, anyway.

Gallia had gone into IFFY to look for new clothes for Kara and Tay, as well as check on some potential wedding gear. Serendipity struck when she recognized Estelle’s posterior from behind, grabbing the Doctor and kissing her on the neck, “Hey, bestie!”

Estelle startled when she was surprised. “Gallia!” she exclaimed. “Seriously, you have to stop doing this to me. One day, my heart will give out.”

“Oh, now, none of that!” Gallia protested, “Here lookin’ for some new clothes? I’m shoppin’ for my girls, maybe a little somethin’ hot for myself.”

“I was hoping to find something that looked especially great on a certain someone with not all that much hair”, Estelle said. “I’m just not sure what yet.”

“Who? Me?” Gallia joked, “And I’d be happy to help you! Maybe I can get some help from you, too.”

“I’ll try, if you don’t mind my fashion choices”, Estelle said. She knew she wasn’t the most daring in terms of clothes. “What are you looking for, specifically?”

“Well, not sure what style yet.” Gallia began, “But I’m lookin’ for a color that would look good on you, Anje, Sami, and Liorga.”

“Why all of us?” Estelle wondered. “But I’d say it would have to be red. That’s the only colour that won’t clash with any of our hair.”

“That’s true.” Gallia nodded, “I think you’ll all look good in red. And why else would I be lookin’ for somethin’ that would look good on all of ya? Bridesmaid dresses, silly!”

“Brides.. What?!” Estelle blinked. “Are you mad?”

“Nah, I’m feelin’ great.” Gallia laughed, “Why would you ask that?”

“That’s what they all say once they’ve lost their minds”, Estelle remarked.

“Lost their minds?” Gallia raised an eyebrow, “What are you on about? Lost my mind?”

“You can’t seriously be thinking about marrying, now can you?” Estelle said.

“Of course I am, silly!” Gallia laughed, surely Estelle was joking, “Kara proposed, I said yes, now I need to start plannin’ because I dinnae want to see this thing go less than perfect. So, you like red? Good call. It’ll even look good on Vaylana.”

“Gallia, are you sure that’s a good idea?” Estelle asked. “I mean, the last thing I remember is her getting stupidly injured, during a time of crisis, almost getting herself killed for… nothing. Not to mention not taking care of Tayalas the way she was supposed to.”

“Yeah, we went over that.” Gallia said, she now knew Estelle was serious and she might have to do her wedding without her best friend by her side, “And, yes, it was stupid. That didnae change my feelings about her, though. And Tayalas loves her, too.”

“You’ve got to be careful”, Estelle said. “You told me you’re worried about keeping Tayalas. If you get married to someone with this particular track record, I’m not sure it’ll help your case, if it ever comes to a ruling.” Estelle was concerned for her friend, she wasn’t suggesting she reconsider because she was angry with Kara.

“Apparently she’s already talked to my brother, gotten his blessing and all.” Gallia informed her, “And I know you’re concerned, and I appreciate it, but there’s a lot of good in Kara’s record, too. I mean, she’s Chief Engineer on one of the biggest ships in the fleet, that’s got to count for something. Besides, it was one dumb mistake.”

“Very dumb”, Estelle agreed. “But that’s not the issue. I mean, I’ve done a few dumb things in my time. I’ve just never risked my life over them. I can’t believe I’m being the voice of reason on this one. The way I see it, she’s got some serious issues she needs to work through. That’s why I made sure she’d get counselling. And you two have only known each other for a few months. Don’t you think you’re rushing into things?”

“Aye, maybe a bit.” Gallia shrugged, “But sometimes, ya know, things are just right and ya just know. This is one a’ them times.”

Estelle made a face. She wasn’t convinced. “Just make sure that you protect your legal rights to Tayalas over this. Marriages come and go these days, but custody… that counts for something.” Estelle wasn’t a fan of marriage anyway. It had started out as a form of social control, then it became a legal status with tax benefits, and now it was purely symbolic. Her concern was for Tayalas, and from the looks of things, she figured Kara was a bad influence.

“I’ve got no worries there.” Gallia sighed, taking Estelle’s hand, “You’re really freaked out about this, aren’t ya?”

“I’m worried you’ll end up unhappy, yes”, Estelle said.

“There’s always a chance of that.” Gallia shrugged, “But there’s a chance of that in every relationship, and I don’t think this one carries any extra risk over and above the others. I just don’t want to go through it without you by my side…”

“Just because I think it’s a bad idea doesn’t mean I’ll desert you”, Estelle said.

“How can I convince you it isnae a bad idea then?” Gallia asked, she didn’t want her Maid of Honor to be there under protest, “What can I do?”

“It’s not up to you”, Estelle said. “You’re not the one I think isn’t ready for this.”

“So you think Kara isn’t ready?” Gallia laughed, “Funny since she’s the one who proposed. I figure somebody wouldnae offer their hand in marriage if they weren’t sure.”

“She wasn’t ready for deactivated safeties either”, Estelle said. “And look what happened. See, what bothers me isn’t just that she risked her life for nothing. She did it during a crisis, diverting already thinly-stretched resources away from the people who were in need through no fault of their own. We could have used an extra pair of hands helping out with infrastructure, or trying to figure out where Liorga was. But instead she did this, and had the gall to tell me she didn’t know. Like news of this hadn’t spread to everyone like wildfire. I don’t think she’s ready for any kind of serious commitment, and honestly, I question the wisdom behind her being given the role of chief engineer.”

“Oh… wow…” Gallia choked on the words, she wanted to cry but wasn’t about to give Estelle the satisfaction of letting her know she’d hurt her, “That was, without any question, the nastiest thing you’ve ever said. I can’t believe… Just wow.”

“I know, it’s not nice”, Estelle said. “But from where I’m standing, it’s the truth. It’s why I’m worried you’ll end up regretting this.”

“I know I won’t.” Gallia sighed, feeling rage building inside of her; it was like Estelle thought she was so perfect or something, “If you can’t in good conscience stand by my side during this, I’ll understand.” Maybe it’s for the best, Gallia thought, even if the idea broke her heart.

“If I turn out being wrong, I’d be happy”, Estelle said. “But as I said, just because I don’t think I am doesn’t mean I won’t support you all the way. If I can’t talk you into being careful, at least I can watch by your side.”

“I dinnae want ya to do somethin’ against your conscience.” Gallia shook her head, “Though, maybe there’s a way you two can fix things?”

“She needs to go through counselling, in my opinion”, Estelle said. “Maybe there’s something that can be done, something I can’t see on my medical scanners, or with my layman’s view of psychology. I’ve seen something like this before, and people got help and they got better. The difficulty is often in finding the cause. I can’t prescribe a pill for it.” Estelle wouldn’t advocate Gallia desert Kara because Kara had a mental illness. But what if she just wasn’t a good person? There was always that chance.

“She’s already getting set for that.” Gallia nodded, “She agreed to that the night we talked about what happened. Same night she proposed, incidentally.”

To Estelle, that proposal seemed like a hasty means of trying to prevent Gallia from turning away from her after that incident, which Estelle remembered had made Gallia furious. But she kept that suspicion to herself. “Would you consider postponing the date of the wedding until she’s had a chance to go through at least some of those scheduled counselling sessions?”

“We’ll we didnae set a date yet.” Gallia said, “But I’m sure we can get that started. Will that help?”

“It would help put my mind at ease, if nothing else”, Estelle said. “If counselling helps her, you wouldn’t need to worry about Tayalas and custody as much either.” Thankfully, the stigma attached to mental health issues had long since been thrown on the rubbish heap of history - though Estelle wouldn’t ever use that phrase out loud.

“Okay, then I’ll talk about that with her.” Gallia nodded, she needed and wanted Kara and Estelle to be good again.

“Good. That does put my mind at ease somewhat”, Estelle said. She wasn’t usually one to repeat herself, but there it was. “I’m sorry I had to be this direct.”

“It’s fine.” Gallia nodded, she knew Estelle was worried about Tayalas and about Gallia’s future custody of her, so she couldn’t be mad at her for that, “I appreciate that you care.”

“So let’s hold off on the dresses until it’s been sorted?” Estelle asked. “Who knows what size I’ll be by then.” She’d lost a significant amount of weight on the planet, but with things back to normal, she was certain she’d regain most of it soon enough.

“Right, just thinkin’ on colors was all.” Gallia laughed, “So, let’s see what we can find for the wee blue one, hey?”

“Speaking of her”, Estelle said. “If you want to go on some alone time with Kara, maybe help her get to the bottom of her issues, why don’t you drop Tayalas off with Liorga and me for a bit? I promise, I won’t play any pranks on the little one until she’s old enough to understand what pranks are."

“Aye, I think she’d love spendin’ some time with her Auntie Estelle.” Gallia smiled, this was a great idea indeed, “Though donnae be surprised if she spends some time tryin’ ta figure where Liorga’s hair is. She still tries to find my antennae every now and again.”

Estelle chucked. “She’s not going to find it.” But Estelle was going to make some good, traditional Andorian food for her to try. Maybe Liorga would enjoy that as well? It would be a good opportunity to show off some more cooking skills.

“Right.” Gallia played along, “Didnae find my antennae, either. Kept right on lookin’ though. An inquisitive sort, my girl.”

“You need to come in for a physical”, Estelle said. “If you’ve got antennae she might have been able to find, I’ll need to know about that.”

“No, no, none a’ that.” Gallia shook her head, “Though, when I was a sprog, I did sometimes wish I had them, me and Dolana coulda communicated like that.”

“It would likely have driven your parents absolutely bonkers”, Estelle said. “So it’s probably for the better.” She approached a silk dress, mostly translucent and very tight, pointing it out to Gallia. “What do you think?”

“Now that will look great on you!” She answered immediately, “Liorga will flip for you in that.”

“I was thinking getting it for Liorga, actually”, Estelle said. “But I guess I shouldn’t be selfish?”

“That’ll look fabulous on her, too.” Gallia stated, “I bet she cleans up right nice, that one. I know I didnae look that good without hair.”

“Gorgeous”, Estelle responded. That was a question that only needed a single word answer.

“I had a feelin’...” Gallia began, “I mean, it’s impossible not to notice her when you’re sharin’ a tiny space in engineering.”

“If I didn’t know better, I might be worried”, Estelle smirked. “Lots of frustrated engineers going home to their partners at the end of each shift, I guess?”

“Well, if you’re not frustrated in engineerin’ you’re not payin’ close enough attention.” Gallia laughed, “And, no, nothin’ ta worry on from me. I wouldnae betray you like that any more than I woulda done it to Dolana. She’s lovely, donnae get me wrong, but she’s off the market an’ so am I.”

“I know”, Estelle smiled. “I wasn’t necessarily thinking about you.”

“Oh, I’m sure.” Gallia shook her head, “Kinda feel like I need to walk around twirlin’ ma spanner, just in case somebody is lookin’ at Kara with a stupid thought in their head.”

“Don’t”, Estelle laughed. “As tempting as it might seem. She’s the chief engineer now, something she’ll probably be good at once she’s… well, sorted. She’ll have to assert her own authority, and I have not the slightest doubt that that is something she’ll excel at right from the start.”

“Well of course she will!” Gallia laughed hard, “She’s a Scot!”

“Yes, I know, the best engineers are Scots, or Germans”, Estelle smirked. “I think my parents are finally over their disappointment that engineering is so not something I’m good at.”

“Well, you’re a surgeon, and a bloody good one.” Gallia complimented the buxom blonde, “That’s the next best thing.”

-Off