I'm not running

Posted on Fri Feb 1st, 2019 @ 6:33pm by Lieutenant Commander Angus Murphy
Edited on on Fri Feb 1st, 2019 @ 6:36pm

Mission: Run Afoul
Location: Officer's Lounge
Timeline: A few hours after the briefing
1059 words - 2.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Murphy sat at a table at the forward viewport staring out at the starfield that streaked by. He was nursing a glass of some amber liquid with the rest of the bottle sitting nearby.

Watching the chief engineer from afar for a moment, Lhaes was wondering what was going on with the man. Priorly he had seemed happy and yet now all he could sense was misery. "Everyting alright lieutenant?" he asked as he approached and sat down across from him.

"Why wouldn't everything be alright, Commander?" Murph asked, his voice edged with jaded sarcasm and smelling of whisky. "Dead ambassadors, bombs... oh, what else have we dealt with on this mission?" He didn't bring up his personal issues.

"Because you're resorting to what humans call liquid courage, I believe?" The Romulan leaned forward, studying the label on the bottle. "Real alcohol too," he added. "And given your history with alcohol... it leads me to believe you are well.. out of sorts."

"My history with alcohol?" Murphy sounded simultaneously offended and also surprised. "I'm unwinding. In case you haven't noticed, it's been a tad stressful around here," he said, defensively. "And I'll have you know I'm perfectly in sorts. I'm not on duty. I'm not breaking any regs."

"And you're alone," Lhaes added. "Yes, your history with alcohol. I know you have been known to indulge, quite a bit in fact. There's quite a bit of gossip flying around you see, as people talk. And as an intelligence officer I am rather used to getting information from random gossip." He tapped Murphy's glass. "I can also sense that something's bugging you. You're unhappy."

"Well maybe people shouldn't gossip and maybe you shouldn't be wallowing in it. You'll get your hands dirty, Commander," Murphy pulled his glass back towards himself, of out Lhaes' reach. "Unhappy. Please. I'm doing exactly what I want to be doing." He took another sip.

"Is that so?" Lhaes smirked at him. "Getting my hands dirty is what I do lieutenant. There's probably nothing I haven't done to get the information I need in order to make sure my captain can safely do his or her job. And right now, my senses tell me that there's somewhere else you'd rather be. So...why are you here instead of there?"

"My quarters got blown up. So, where I really want to be isn't very habitable at the moment, though I admit it's looking more desirable the longer you sit here," the engineer retorted wittily.

"And the chef opened his home to you, yet you were reported to not taking any rest," Lhaes bounced back to him. "Rumour has it you're a couple, so why not take him up on the offer?"

Murphy surveyed the intelligence officer with a steady gaze. "I think your information is a little outdated," he said tensely. "Patrick and I are not a couple. Maybe we're on a break. Maybe we're done. I don't know." He set the glass down and reached for the bottle.

Lhaes' hand was there first and poured the drink for him, but only half a drink before he took the bottle away. "Oh I don't think you're done," he smiled, "and I don't think he's done either. I've not seen him, personally, but as I've said, I hear gossip. And I'm hardly blind. The question remains...what are you running from?"

He was about to protest that Lhaes had taken the bottle, but Murphy shot back instead when the question was posed, "For the last time, Sommers, I am not running from anything. I'm not avoiding anyone-- or anything. I'm just here enjoying the peace and quiet after a long shift. Why do you care, anyway?"

"Aren't you?" Both eyebrows shot up. "Then you're deeply in denial Murphy. Is it so bad to have someone who takes care of you? I've heard about your outburst in engineering, don't you think it was a bit of an overreaction?" He leaned back, studying him. "If you're not avoiding anyone, why are you still here when you really want to be with him? You're a lucky man you know, to have someone care."

"Outburst? Are you referring to the andorian with the food cart?" It was now Murphy's turn to be alarmed and he set his glass back down a little harder he intended, the liquid sloshing up a bit and spilling some onto the table. He leaned toward the Romulan with wide eyes. "If you think it's an overreaction for me to be upset that a civilian with no security clearance was in engineering," his voice was rising to the level where he was practically shouting at the end, "FOLLOWING A BOMBING IN THE SAME AREA, THEN I'M CONCERNED THAT YOU ARE AS STUPID AS YOU ARE BLIND."

Murph slammed back the whisky and swallowed what was left in the glass without batting an eye. "I think we're done here, sir. It's clear our priorities are not on the same plane." He stood up and started to step away.

The anger he sensed was almost overwhelming and Lhaes briefly closed his eyes to center himself. "What it really about her?" He asked calmly, grey eyes fixed on the engineer. "Because I don't think it's about her at all. What if it had been Patrick who had come down? Would your reaction have been the same?"

Murphy turned around, eyes narrowing on the intelligence officer and before he could think better of it, he swung and his right fist impacted with Lhaes' jaw. "You were in the same briefing that I was! Yes. Yeah. I would be just as upset at him for breaking protocol!"

The Romulan reeled back, eyes darkening with reigned in rage as pain lanced through the left side of his jaw. "I think you're more upset it wasn't him," he said as he grabbed the drunk engineer by his collar, marching him out of the lounge. "I think, you need to spend some time in the bright to cool off. You just struck a senior officer and depending on how you'll behave over the next few hours, I'll decide whether to let it go, or make work of it."

Murphy rubbed his knuckles. He remained quiet as Lhaes dragged him away.

OFF:

Lieutenant Angus Murphy
Chief Hothead Engineer
USS Majestic

Lieutenant Commander Lhaes Sommers
Chief Intelligence Officer