Poor Service (Back Post)

Posted on Sat Feb 24th, 2024 @ 5:58pm by Lieutenant Tana Marshall & Lieutenant Alinar Vasatra

2,260 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: S1E0 - Prologue
Location: The Greedy Badger, Promenade, DS9

For some reason the promenade was packed today. Alinar thought there must have been a large shift change going on, or simply that there was a large number of ships docked at the station. DS9 had seen a large uptake in visitors of late since the end of the war and no doubt business was booming for the traders present.

"What do you mean you've double booked me?" Alinar asked the maitre de.

"I am sorry sir but it seems a clerical error was made. I'm afraid there are no other tables available tonight." The man looked meek, afraid of the ire that could potentially follow.

Alinar sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "It's fine my friend. Just means I have someone to talk to at dinner." he placed his hand on the mans shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Does it say who I'm sharing the table with?" he asked.

Tana smiled and nodded in understanding to the waiter who had approached her table and explained the double booking. She didn't mind sharing her table with another patron, she enjoyed company when she would eat out and ordered herself a wine as she waited for the other person, feeling it would be rude to order before they had a chance.

He had been talking to the waiter as he was being guided to his table so Alinar and he'd only seen the back of the woman's head that he was approaching. He was quite happy that it was a female, or appeared so from the back, and as the waiter pulled out his chair and he sat down his eyes looked up to see someone he did not expect. "Tana?"

Tana had been reviewing the menu when she heard the waiter and the other guest arrive at her table. When she heard her name she looked up at the face of the last person she thought would be on the station, or who she would want to see. "Who the hell let you out of prison?" She asked bluntly, shocked to find Alinar sitting across from her.

The waiter looked at Alinar for a moment. Shocked at the immediate words from the other guests mouth. For a moment he stood there like a statue unable to make a decision on what to do. Alinar placed his large hand over the mans bicep to give it a squeeze to bring him back to the present and imply it was alright to remove himself from the situation.

"Nice to see you too, Tana." Alinar spoke in a quieter and more gentle baritone. "You're looking good." he skipped over her question.

Tana kept her composure as she physically bit her tongue to hold back a cutting remark. Instead she turned to the waiter and stated they will need a few minutes. Once the man left, she casually looked at Alinar. "I thought you were in prison." She said as casually as she could, though not able to quite keep the heat completely out of her voice.

"Well, they let me out because I was so good." he said sitting down in front of her with a small smirk on his face. He always had a knack for bringing out the fire in her in both good and bad ways. "Even Starfleet was sensible enough to know they had one of the best pilots in the quadrant sitting in their penal colony wasting away. Also you know..." he took a sip of water and placed the glass back down. "War brings out the desperation in people."

Tana barely lifted her eyes over the top of her menu to look across the table at the El-Aurian. "The war is over, Alinar." She said flatly. "So when do they bring you back to your cell, or are you on the run?" She asked with the mildest of tease in her tone. The thought of bringing her ex-lover into Starfleet Security to resume his sentence was appealing.

"Not from what I see sitting across this table." he replied with a soft chuckle to himself. It was plain to see the war between them still raged strong if it only coming from one side. "Oh I'm a free man." he offered her the information quite freely. "Got myself a sweet little pilots gig on a Starfleet ship no less. Turns out I'm just too good to let go... some people value that."

Tana held his gaze, less than amused. "And some of us have ethics and principals." She countered before glancing at the menu again before looking back up at him again in realization, ready to beat him to the punch. "And before you say it, joining up with a bunch of terrorists does not constitute having either ethics or principals." She said to end the argument they always had before he could start it.

"You are right, and some of us actually stick to what is ethical and remain true to our principles." Alinar replied as he looked at the menu. "Oh the steak looks good." he said rather nonchalantly. "And one man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter." he winked. "All a matter of perspective." he was never one to just let an argument lie.

Tana’s eyes snapped up to Alinar’s at his mention of ethics. She let out a breath to calm herself, knowing he was trying to get a rise out of her. It was working. Glancing over the menu she made her decision and put it aside. “And what would you call someone who breaks an oath?” She quipped while putting the menu aside, taking a sip of her wine. Like Alinar, she wasn’t one to back down from an argument. “Because that is what you did, break your oath as a Starfleet officer after all. So, what euphemism do you use to sleep at night when it comes being a liar and betraying your crew mates?”

"I didn't break my oath as a caring and honourable El Aurian. One that puts the needs of others above political posturing. When I resigned I ceased to be a Starfleet officer and therefore no longer had any oath to break." Alinar replied. "If you want to dig into the oath Tana we can. 'I swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United Federation of Planets against all enemies, foreign or domestic' - this case being the Federation was being its own enemy." he also placed his menu down. 'To become an ambassador of peace and goodwill, to represent the highest ideals of peace and brotherhood, to protect and serve the Federation and its member worlds, to serve always the interests of peace.' - you tell me where abandoning those in the DMZ to the Cardassians, to pirates and anyone with weight to swing around, was representing the highest ideas of brotherhood? How it was protecting member worlds when, yes they weren't core worlds, but still a lot of core world species lived there. It sure as Hells wasn't promoting the interests of peace otherwise the Maquis wouldn't have been needed." he took a sip of his drink to finish off. "And 'to offer aid to any and all beings that request it.' - Starfleet just skim over that part of the oath when the colonists were begging for help, begging for aid and someone to protect them? - If me leaving Starfleet to protect them, to fight for them makes me a liar and a traitor then I don't know what it makes the organisation you seem to cling to dearly to as one who would deny that. They broke their own oath long before I decided they weren't good enough for me to proudly wear their emblem on my chest." he shrugged.

“The Federation and by extension Starfleet did all they could for those people in the DMZ. Do you think it would have been much better if they just started another war with Cardassia?” She asked rhetorically, “I thought you would have learned from Setlik III what the Cardassians are capable of. No one liked the idea of the DMZ but it was the best solution. It’s worked for over an hundred years with the Romulans.” Tana pointed out about the Neutral Zone. “We both swore an oath to do our duty. That means we don’t just get to play vigilante by taking off the uniform.” She added harshly before she stared at the El-Aurian. She wanted to keep going in her scolding of the man, but knew it was pointless, keeping her thoughts to herself. She didn’t however hide her contempt, knowing Vasatra would be able to sense it. “Let’s just get through this dinner, alright? I am due back on my new ship soon.”

"Setlik III is exactly why the people of the DMZ needed protection." Alinar said plainly. Cardassian brutality was well known, Setlik III only highlighted it in the mainstream. Sometimes you stand up to a bully and not placate them by rolling over like a dog. "And in my opinion Starfleet broke their oath, I just stepped away from a broken system that wasn't working, and technically I didn't take off my uniform to play vigilante. I resigned, then took it off and took on the role of a protector of the abandoned." he sighed. "But yes, let's get through this eh? I've got to get on the Alliance before long."

Tana simply glared at Alinar, sipping her wine, as he justified his actions. It took only half a second to recognize that he was going to the Alliance, just a second longer to remember he said he was assigned to a new starship and to start putting the pieces together, nearly coughing on her wine. “The Alliance?” She asked for confirmation, her voice was heated as it rose slightly. She calmed herself as the server came back to take their orders. Once he left, she darted her eyes back to Alinar. “What exactly do you mean you have to get on the Alliance?” She said with a tone was calm but clearly forced. “I thought you said you had a new assignment.”

Alinar looked up as he saw her body language change, that and the slight spit up of wine was odd... she never wasted wine. "Yes, the Alliance." he said as he watched her face turn a shade of pink he was all too used to. "I mean I have to get on the Alliance, that is my new gig. In the words of the famous Enterprise helmswoman Erica Ortegas, 'I fly the ship.'." he chuckled to himself.

Tana sat there, stunned. She probed Alinar’s mind to see if he was lying and sunk in her chair when she sensed the truth of what he was saying. “Someone in personnel has a sick sense of humor…” she muttered to herself, sitting up when the server brought their entrees, putting on a bright smile she didn’t feel in order to be polite, thanking the man.

"What makes you say that?" Alinar asked. He could feel her heart almost skip a beat at the mention of the Alliance. Deep down he knew what her answer was going to be, that the Alliance would be her posting as well. Still, he asked the question for confirmation if nothing else.

Tana gave an insincere smile that one could claim was sardonic. “Because I have been assigned to the Alliance.” She confirmed as she took a large sip of her wine to cope with their new shared reality.

Alinar chuckled. "Maybe we'll be sharing a bunk..." he added just for his own amusement.

Marshall had to restrain the urge to roll her eyes at his inane joke. She wasn't sure why she ever found him so amusing. "I think it would be best we keep things strictly professional." She commented dry, as she began eating her food so she could leave as quickly as possible. This is not how she had expected her evening to turn out.

"I think your porcelain shell would break if it were ever to be anything else." Alinar replied with a small sigh. She wasn't always like this and that was the sad thing. Human's emotional state could shift so quickly and stick just as stubbornly as a Klingon with a lust for battle. "Well, at least you found out here and not in a briefing. I know how you hate surprises whilst in company."

Tana could feel the disappointment and sadness from Alinar and worked hard to avoid hearing his thoughts. His comment about surprises while amongst company reminding her of when the announcement was made he was resigning from Starfleet years ago. Marshall softened a bit and nodded at the El-Aurian's food. "Let's just get through this meal, alright?" She asked quietly but with more sympathy in her voice than before.

Alinar was blessed with a strong mind, his people's ability to shield most telepathy was inherent in their species but there were times where he would wish she could just read his mind and save him the trouble. "For once you'll get no argument from me." his features also softened. "For once." he teased at the end. Sometime he couldn't help but try and put a smile on her face.

Tana simply glanced at Alinar before going back to eating in silence. There was nothing left to be said between and it was better to say nothing than risk another argument.

 

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