Trouble

Posted on Mon Oct 10th, 2016 @ 6:25pm by Captain Carter Hall & Cadet Freshman Grade Benjamin Hall & Captain Madeline Sanchez & Senior Chief Petty Officer Teri Lane & Cadet Freshman Grade Waco Houston
Edited on on Wed Sep 12th, 2018 @ 5:31pm

Mission: My Place In This Universe
Location: Starbase Tiberius/Beta Quadrant
Timeline: 2388/07/01 2100 (July 1, 2388 2100)

Starbase Tiberius, located deep in Federation space within the Beta Quadrant, was well into it's night cycle when a small merchant vessel arrived and docked. It wasn't long before a few of her crew were out onto the station, and separating himself from the others, a young human-looking male maneuvered his way through the busy and crowded docking area. There he saw her for the first time through one of the large windows on the observation deck; the USS Armstrong, a saber-class starship assigned to the Corps of Engineers. His eyes narrowing, he regarded her for several minutes, his thoughts on all he had done, all he had been through, to finally get there. With a look of determination, he took off in search of the one he had traveled so far to find...

~USS Armstrong~

Doctor Austin Houstin hit the chime, waited to be let in, then flopped in a chair as if the weight of the world were on his shoulders. He slouched low in the chair, each arm hanging down its side to drag on the floor. He heaved a long, deep sigh.

Wearing his usual, when casual, black button down shirt and black trousers, Carter Hall was buttoning a sleeve. Hiding the sarcasm, he asked glancing over at him, "Something wrong?"

Austin's response was blowing out an exasperated breath. He sighed deeply, then furrowed his brow, anger rising to the top for a moment, "There shouldn't be such a thing as ex-wives! They should be blown out a torpedo tube when things go south!" Another deep breath, "Or I should be." Finally he looked up at Carter, "If I even THINK about marriage again, promise you'll shove me out of one?"

Carter nodded, grabbing his brown leather jacket off the back of a chair. "Gladly.." he said, and he meant it. In Carter's eyes, Austin never would be ready to settle down. A real casanova, he just wasn't the type. Besides it would just be another reason for him to whine. He looked over at him sideways, "Let me guess...Waco's mother?"

"Shocking huh?" Unable to sit any longer, Austin shot out of the chair and angrily paced, cursing in at least five different languages, possibly more. Finally he spun to Carter, "Do you know what that (uncomplementary Klingon word for a nasty female targ) is doing to my son? She's treating him worse than her father did when he was alive! He's damn near a slave to the needs of her new baby and now.. NOW she wants to send him to a boarding school half way across that damned soggy planet! She KNOWS he will be treated poorly! Almost as poorly as she treats him!" With a growl, he finished, "Just because of his half human lobes! Backwards bunch of bigots..."

"Grozit...", Carter mumbled. He couldn't help it...he cared. Placing his jacket over his arm he walked up to him, placing a hand on Austin's shoulder saying, "Let's talk about it over a beer."

Austin finally smiled, "Now that's the best idea you've had since you shanghied me for this crew! Lets go, first one's on you," he said as they walked out the door.


***



The Haggard Mermaid bar on Starbase Tiberius was busy as usual this time of night with Starfleet officers and civilians alike. The place was a bit of a dive, far from high class, although it could've been much worse if it hadn't been for the close watch on the place by the Station's security. And the determination of it's owner, Seg, to keep the place off the list of banned for Starfleet personnel.

Carter and Austin entered with Carter holding up two fingers to Seg as they past the bar. "Hey, Carter..!" someone shouted. Seg acknowledged Carter with a glance as he mixed a drink, then gave a double take, looking unhappy as hell as he recognized the cowboy with him.

Lost in his own thoughts, Austin didn't notice the look Seg cast his way, and even more telling, didn't notice the glance of a lovely Bajoran woman seated at the bar.

The Bajoran woman otherwise known as Mina, had most certainly noticed Austin and Carter however and flagged down Seg, ordering two drinks for them compliments of her. She then sat back and waited for the drinks to be delivered. What had started out to be an uneventful night out could possibly become much more interesting.

The two men picked their way through the crowd heading to the back corner not far from the kitchen. Carter headed for his usual place at the back table in the corner for when he wasn't sitting at the bar. From that spot he would be able to keep his eye on the place. There were two men already sitting at the table, and when one of them noticed who was heading their way, he gestured to his friend, both of them giving up their seats.

Austin slid into the chair across from Carter, it didn't bother him to have his back to the room, unless he was looking for companionship. He was lost in his own thoughts, but finally realized where they were. "Dagnab it, Carter. Don't you remember the trouble I had last time I was here? Isn't there another bar?" When a cute, but bored looking waitress stopped at their table, hitching a hand on one hip, holding a tray of dirty bottles and glasses from a table she'd just bussed, took a deep breath which tested the tensile strength of her micro work top and stretched the mermaid emblazoned on one impressive breast, Austin couldn't help perking up and smiling, "On the other hand.. Hello darlin', what can you get me tonight?"

She gave him an odd look as he stole her line, sort of, "Huh?" Finally, she gave him an exasperated look, it'd been a long shift and she was working a double because that skank, Retana, called in sick. In bed, she had no doubt, but sick probably only referred to her extracurricular activities. "I ain't in no mood for your frakin' flirtin' tonight, doc, so just order huh?" She nodded at Carter, "Usual?"

Carter nodded back, then directed to the bar, "Gave my order to Seg as we walked in. You can tell him I said he's getting old." The main reason Carter liked to go to the Haggard Mermaid was it was one of the few places in the quadrant he knew of that served bottled beer.

Heaving a put-upon sigh, the waitress headed toward the bar, nodding to another table that she'd be with them in a moment. She returned with four drinks and set them on the table with progressivly more force until the last one almost splattered on Austin because he wouldn't stop gawking and grinning each time she leaned over. Austin caught the last glass, and the hand holding it, and grinned, "Sorry darlin'. Just admirin' the uniform.. Here, for your trouble," he thumbed her PADD with a generous tip. "Uh, but I think you might have miscounted the drinks, sweetheart. I know we're large, but there's still only two of us. Unless you're plannin' on joining us?" His eyes twinkled as he took her hand off his drink and gave it a gallant kiss, ignoring the fact that he could taste at least three distinct kinds of alcoholic drinks on it.

Sabina, the waitress, jerked her hand back and wiped it off on the back of her itty bitty skirt with disgust, "They ain't for me, or from me. They're from her," she gestured to the Bajorian with a thumb, "Can't say much for her taste.." was her parting shot as she headed to the waiting table.

At the bar, Mina had been watching the delivery of her drinks with interest and as Sabina pointed her out, she waved discreetly at the two men as she flashed them a brilliant smile, wondering if the gesture would earn her an invite over to their table.

Austin turned completely in his chair to see who'd ordered the drinks for him and Carter, "Ah," he said quietly to Carter as he flashed a smile and tipped the brim of his hat toward the Bajorian, "Now that's tastier than sweet potato pone. Are we hungry, or just thirsty?" He chuckled, but his face lost some of it's sparkle when he recalled why they were there drinking in the first place. And the glare from a young guy a little ways down the bar from the sweetie made him lift a brow, "I do believe that look is intended for you, my friend."

"Yeah," was all Carter said. With his mindset since earlier that day, he was tempted. There was interest in his eyes as he lifted up his beer in thanks to Mina. He was also keenly aware of the man at the end of the bar, had been from the moment they headed through the crowd and walked past him. He had felt, noticed, the young man's eyes following them. That wasn't all he had noticed, and said, "He's Xenexian." before taking a swig of his beer.

Taking short pull from his drink, Austin said, nearly under his breath, "Something tells me we didn't need another one of those in the mix tonight.."

Carter shifted in his seat at Austin's words and leaned forward. He appeared to be relaxed, yet one hand was pressed on a leg; he was ready to spring into action if he needed to, his sixth sense telling him he would be...


To Be Continued...