A Port in the Storm

Posted on Wed Aug 7th, 2019 @ 4:27am by Commodore Jane Saulitis & Hak

Mission: For Whom The Bell Tolls
Location: Guest Suite, USS Majestic
Timeline: MD 04 07:00 Hours
1041 words - 2.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Mariame Hale was not a conservative woman by anyone's standards, but even she was surprised when she awoke in her suite on the Majestic next to the very naked man. Not just any man, the father of her new daughter-in-law. She recognized him immediately. "Alta!" she exclaimed, laying a hand on his shoulder and shaking him awake. "Did we...?"

She had never really been attracted to him before, but he wasn't too hard on the eyes and maybe after that second drink last night, things had become a little less tense.

"Hmmm," he mumbled opening his eyes. The second he looked at Mariame and realized where he was his eyes shot up nearly causing his eyelids to flap in a circle like they did on cartoon characters. He grabbed the sheet and pulled it hard enough that he lost his balance and tumbled onto the floor nearly launching the woman off the bed in the process. "What the hell is going on?"

Mariame tumbled onto the floor, bumping her elbow painfully on the hard decking. It was a moment before she'd picked herself up and stood up to tower over the bed. She, too, was completely naked, but she didn't seem phased by it. "Well, clearly we connected last night. You don't remember, either?" she asked as she rubbed her elbow.

"Sorry," he mumbled, getting up. "Are you all right?" He rubbed his temples. "The last thing I remember was having a drink in the lounge and I met the chief flight control officer. We went for a walk afterwards. I remember leaving the lounge. Nothing after that."

She continued to rub her elbow. "I may need to have the doctor look at it, but it will be okay. I'm made of strong stuff." She thought for a moment. "I was taking my bottle of Hazahn Diam 2390 on a walk. I was going to go the observation lounge and drink myself into a stupor, but then I ran into you near the turbolift and you indulged me and we had a few glasses over in the theater. That's the last I remember."

He eyed her carefully. "I don't even remember meeting you." Alta took a deep breath and reassured himself that things were all right. She wasn't freaking out after all. "Why were you drinking yourself into a stupor?" Yes, he was nosy, but he thought it odd for some reason that they both seemed to be drowning their sorrows at the same time.

"Because it's Tuesday? Because what else am I going to do in my free time? Because it's a lot of stress to take in everything people are feeling and experiencing," Mariame answered as she sat on the edge of the bed gracefully. "Starships are so very concentrated. Planets are bigger and more populated, but starships are uniquely compact and yet... isolated. And everyone's emotions seem so much more powerful this time. I don't remember this the last time I was on one."

"Okay, you don't owe me an explanation, I know." Somehow he thought that was only part of it. He sat down too, the sheet wrapped around his lower body. Suddenly he cracked a smile. "This aught to start some interesting rumors if anyone sees me leaving. Can you keep a secret?"

"No," she replied flatly, not at all willing to hide an affair from her son or daughter or even the chef. What else would she talk to people about? "Two people connecting, Alta, is a beautiful thing. Nothing to be ashamed of. We're both mature, consenting, single people who shared an evening of intense passion and beautiful companionship. Perhaps we should instead do the opposite of secreting it away... and do it again. But next time without the alcohol. So we remember. Hmm? What do you think?"

"Not about us," he corrected her though he wasn't at all sure anything had actually happened between them. It was odd but he had never forgotten a night of passion before, no matter how much he'd had to drink. "I walked in on my ex-wife and the chief of security yesterday morning. So . . . . we're not the only ones seeking warmth and companionship."

"Well, people get lonely and weddings only accentuate that," she started to say, but sort of trailed off when she noticed the man's feelings on the matter of his ex-wife having a relationship with someone new. "Everyone deserves to be happy," she assured him.

"True," he gave a short nod and then looked back at her. "I should probably get dressed and get out of here." But he didn't move from the bed. "Do you want to have breakfast with me?" It didn't hurt to ask. He really didn't know much about Mariame other than she was a Betazoid woman and they were kind of . . . high maintenance. She had raised Hak after all though, and he liked Hak.

"I'd welcome the company," she said, delighted that he'd asked. "We can stay here, if it makes you feel better, though I'm told there's a galley somewhere on this ship with a chef that will actually cook for you. I haven't had a good Tareerian Crepe in ages."

"I promise not to blush if I'm seen with you in public." He almost offered her his arm and then remembered he needed to put clothes on first. "I'll just get dressed and we'll go."

As did she, though she seemed amused by his preoccupation with the clothing. It made her giggle a bit. It'd been a long, long time since she'd been with a non-Betazoid. She got up and crossed the room to the closet, which slid open to reveal more clothing than most women owned entirely. "I'll just slip into something casual and do my hair and we can go," she promised.

He nodded and then realized he should maybe turn his gaze away from the naked woman to allow her the privacy of putting on clothes. It made it easier to get moving and pick his clothes up from where they were on the floor. Maybe something had happened from the state of the room. He was damn disappointed that he couldn't remember it though.

END

Mariame Hale
Hak's Mom

Alta Saulitis
Jane's Dad