Tanks for The Memories

Posted on Sun Nov 10th, 2019 @ 1:05pm by Lieutenant JG Gallia Norris & Senior Chief Petty Officer Fernando De La Rosa [Taylor]

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Holodeck2
Timeline: Current
1449 words - 2.9 OF Standard Post Measure

Fernando was in the holodeck, he was staring at the T-34 Soviet Tank they used in Gallia's war games. The name "Mamacita" written on it's muzzle. However Fernando had been busy adding artwork to the tank specifically the faces of Mona, Liorga, Anya and Estelle on the back of the turret and below that he had written " Gone but never forgotten." He stepped and admired his handiwork and had to admit it looked good, real good. He only hoped that when Gallia saw it would make her smile not cry at the loss of their friends who had been transferred away swiftly and suddenly.

He grabbed a tarp and pulled it over the tank hiding his 'improvements' Then tapping his combadge he spoke, "De La Rosa to Lt. Norris could you and Anje please meet me in holodeck 2? It's rather urgent."

"Aye, give us a minute, plase." Gallia replied, wondering how Fernando knew they were together.

"Very good. See you soon." Now he waited.

Anje, wearing sunglasses, entered first, the light was making her head hurt. Gallia had been mistaken, that bottle she was drowning in was not her second, but her third, and she'd pre-gamed a bit, too. She took a look at the tank, her tank, and managed a smile, even if it did set off the anvil chorus in her head, "Hi, Fernando." ~God, I hope he doesn't want to play, the noise would kill my head...~

"Hello Anje." Fernando greeted his friend warmly then cocked his head to look at her more closely. "Why are you wearing sunglasses? Are you alright? Do you need to go to Sickbay?" Fernando fired off the questions in rapid fire like he was firing his rifle. He walked over to her, after being quiet for several seconds he spoke, "You miss our friends no? You are not alone so do I. Very much."

"Just a long night, sweetie." Anje semi-lied. Sure, Vulcans couldn't, but Russians were a whole other issue, "And, yes, I miss them very much, this is a beautiful tribute."

"Aye, so whot's gooin' on here then?" Gallia asked as she stepped onto the holodeck, seeing Mamacita there apparently raring to go, "We tryin' ta get a game in or something?"

Fernando turned as Gallia came onto holodeck, "Hello Gallia, no nothing like that at least not now though we could do it, if we asked Kaylee to join us. This is something I did to remember out friends." He pulled the tarp back to reveal the faces of their absent friends. "What do you think? It's not too much is it?"

"Nay." Gallia shook her head, "Beautiful's whot 'tis." The statement was true, it was beautiful, the fact was it made her want to cry when she realized that her two best friends, her daughter's godparents, were torn from her without her getting so much as a chance to say goodbye, "Anyway, if you'll eschuse meh, Ah've got a lotto wark ta do in Ops. Pravious Chafe couldnae get nah payple aither."

Anje looked the redhead over, even with her very limited mental abilities she could tell Gallia was hurting, and badly, "If you need help..." She offered, not knowing what else to do.

"Nay, Ah'll bay jus' fahn." Gallia said with a false smile, "Ye know meh, always one step ahead."

"I didn't mean to up set you Gallia." Fernando replied feeling terrible over his insensitivity. He knew Gallia was hurting with Estelle and Liorga gone. "Please forgive me., I didn't mean to bring up a painful subject." Truth was he was hurting just as Anje and Gallia were. Mona was gone and in all probability never coming back.

"Nay, ye didnae hurt meh, Fernandah, Ah love the artwork." Gallia replied truthfully; he hadn't hurt her, her career had, "Ah jus' raley am thot busy."

"Okay, well, we'll start looking for some people to join us." Anje promised, "Then we can get going again, right?"

Fernando nodded at Gallia's words of reassurance but he wasn't totally convinced. He nodded at Anje's suggestion. "Right Anje. We'll all start looking for some new people to join us."

"Sounds a splendid idea." Anje smiled, though her own voice was loud enough to make her head hurt, "Maybe we can get your Bajoran pilot friend, Feyth, to join us, Gallia."

"I dinnae think shay'll be in-trested, Anje." Gallia shook her head, though she wasn't about to say why, "Shay's morufa flygarl than shay is a tread'ead."


Fernando looked over at Anje, confusion was written across his face. "What did Gallia say?" Her accent sometimes made it hard for him to understand her..... like now.

"She doesn't think Feyth would be interested." Anje replied, noticing a level of sadness in Gallia's expression that told her that something bad had happened, something she didn't want to talk about yet, "That's okay, Gallia, maybe we can all ride together in a different tank, try out something a little later model?"

Fernando nodded, "Oh." He replied. He brighten up as Anje made the suggestion about a different tank. "Yes! That is a good idea Anje. You Gallia, Sami and I. The Four Musketeers. We can so do this."

"Might be interesting to see what a T-90 can do." Anje offered, "Or an M-1 Abrams?"

"I dinnae know, but wae can dis-kus it." Gallia agreed, though right now she felt so damn low it wouldn't matter anyway.

Fernando wasn't stupid nor blind nor insensitive to what he heard or saw. Gallia was hurting for some reason and it just wasn't over the departure of their friends something else was at work here. He walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Your hurting and it's more than just the departure of our friends. Something else is going on. When you want to talk, we..." He gestured towards Anje, "Will be here to listen. We're all in this together. when one of us hurts, we all hurt. Please do not think your alone in this Gallia. As the Beatles say, I'll get by with a little help from my friends."

"Ah'll bay fine, dinnae ye warry aboot meh." Gallia unknowingly lied, this whole thing with Feyth hurt her far more than she realized, "Ah aprayshate it though."

"Fernando's right though, Gallia." Anje added, she too had felt isolated lately, this was just too much at once for more than just her, ~When was the last time I was out since Merella bailed?~

Fernando looked over to Anje and gestured for her to come closer, he looked into her eyes, "I know you are also hurting Anje and what I said to Gallia is also true for you. We, the three of us are more than just friends, we are a family that cares about each other and we can be honest with one another. Let us all remember that we have each other to talk with, cry and laugh with. We are not alone." Even as he said it his thoughts went to the departed Mona. *That's good advice, you should listen to it.* He told himself for truth be known he had been miserable since Mona left.

Gallia felt so bad for Anje, she knew how hard it was to lose someone who you thought was the one, it happened to her with Selina, though she at least had the privilege of knowing who Selina actually was. She wanted so badly to say something encouraging to Anje, but didn't know what that might be. She merely placed a hand on Anje's shoulder and sighed, "Mebbe whot way nade raht now's a good stiff drink, hey?" She suggested, "A little somethin' what'll warm the ol' heart cockles an' knock off some a' them bad mem-rees."

Fernando stood to one side as Gallia comforted Anje. He felt bad for both his friends and himself as well. His grand idea of putting smiles on their faces and easing the loss he felt had crashed and burned and in fact had made the matter worse by highlighting the loss of their friends. *Way to go Fernando! You are what is the word Sami uses? Ah a melonhead of the first degree!*

"I agree." Anje nodded, "A drink would be lovely right now. Come on, I've got the first round."

"Nahw ye're talkin'!" Gallia agreed readily, "Come on, Fernandah, le's go get a l'il peck meh oop."

"A most excellent idea." Fernando agreed. "I will buy the next round after that and we should all feel much better in no time."

"Well, whot're we waitin' fahr?" Gallia laughed, herding her friends out the door, "Them drinks willnae come to us ahn their own now will they?"