Dinner for three

Posted on Mon Sep 17th, 2018 @ 3:33pm by Lieutenant Galatea Polaris & Lieutenant Anthony Edwards Ph. D

1,866 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Negotiations and Apothecaries
Location: The Mess.
Timeline: Current evening

ON:

Anthony hadn't seen his friends Galatea or Hunter in a while as he sat in the Mess. Realising that the Doctor and Hunter were on the same shift as him he thought he would find out if either of them were free for a meal and a sit down. He called them.

=/\=Anthony for Doctor Polaris and Chief Hunter, I was wondering if you were free for grabbing something to eat socially?=/\=


=/\=Payton here. I'm on my way. I never turn down food.=/\=

Galatea, who'd heard the back and forth sighed and chimed in, =/\=Yes I am free. =/\= She didn't relish the idea of having a meal with Hunter but for the sake of peace she would. Not only had the man reported her to the CO but they had been arguing over the smallest things. She had to nip this before the whole staff got caught up in it.

It hadn't taken Hunter long to get to the Mess. He waved at Anthony as he came in. "It's good to see you." He said drawing up to the table and taking the seat to the left of Anthony.

It took Galatea a bit longer having been stopped three times on the way and having to make appointments on the spot. She was glad she carried her day planner everywhere. Much like her notebook it was a staple for her. She knew others snickered at her antiquated choices but she was comfortable with them. She entered the Mess and looked around. She spotted Anthony and gave a nod as she slowly, very slowly made her way there. Of course Hunter had beaten her there. She sighed trying to push away the instant nervousness she got when he was around.

After Galatea had taken here seat Athony looked at how pretty she was and leaving a quick complement about it that he might build on later he decided he needed to approach the next bit carefully but head on and said quietly so as not to be over heard at the next table. "I have kept my own confidence with this information but I have deducted that there may be bad blood between you. I want to be friends with both of you, but I also don't want to hear you screaming at each other as I walk past the medical centre." He smiled at them both as he knew it hadn't got there yet. "I want to help mediate this problem for you both and sort this out so the ship doesn't explode from ego's."

Galatea blushed with embarrassment. She hadn't meant anyone to hear them fighting but as of late Hunter only seemed to know how to push her buttons.

Watching the two as what he said sunk in he chuckled "Seriously though you need to be able to work together. Sometime that is improved with being social together."

Hunter sighed, "We weren't fighting. We just...disagree on a few points."

Galatea resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "That's putting in mildly. Either way this is not about us. We are both your friends and are here to spend time with you."

Anthony teased and said "Good because if the buttons that got pushed as I walked past last time were anything to go by I might start looking for a chaplain." He laughed again seriously I like you both and am glad your both here. None of us get that many hours to ourselves!"

That Hunter could agree with. "Well sometimes we do but we don't take them."

Galatea glared at Hunter, "Really? Was that another jab?"

Hunter sighed rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Power down Tay-a. I didn't mean anything by it."

"The hell you didn't." She turned her head away trying to give herself time to calm.

Hunter sighed. He turned to Anthony. "So. I hear you have someone new in your department, a civilian scientist."

"Yes, HG is quite talented! Quite a wide range to more interested in Engineering sciences but she has started developing a model on hoe languages and linguistics change. It is quite good I showed her how war or travel to and from war changes the local linguistics of the area. She is working on it now, she maybe a silent partner in the up coming agreement." Anthony said loud enough for Galatea to hear so she wasn't surprised by the addition.

"Well I'm for whatever gets the job done." Galatea said. "it's key that everything goes well."

Hunter gave a nod. "So how is it sharing the spot light with HG? I hear she's as eccentric as you are."

Anthony laughed at eccentric for about two seconds before he raised his eyebrow in a very Ambassador Spock like way, "It's no wonder you push Galatea's buttons if you use words like eccentric to describe me, even if it is right. Believe it or not I will happily share the spotlight with anyone that is highly intelligent, I share a friendship with you don't I?"

Hunter grinned, "Well! Complements is it? I am indeed intelligent."

Galatea rolled her eyes, "I am going to get some cake while you to smack your chests. Can I get you anything while I'm up?"

Hunter shook his head.

Anthony rolled his eyes at the compliments point of view, before he said "I'm not smacking my chest Galatea, that hurts. I would love a coke while your up though."

She left to get the food and drink. Hunter stared after her. "I'm sorry Anthony she's been difficult to deal with for days now." He shook his head. "I wish I knew what was wrong. Everything I do seem wrong."

Anthony laughed and said "Have you ever tried just being nice, rather than sickly sweet. try flowers rather than a sledgehammer of maple syrup? She likes you just relax around her, and discuss things with her rather than degrading her to command!"

"First off I don't like her...that way. Second She wasn't taking care of herself. The Captain was the only one she would listen to her." While he said he didn't care his eyes were riveted to her.

Anthony chuckled and he leaned closer so officers at the other tables couldn't over hear him, "Then Why are your eye glued to her bottom. Not that it isn't worth looking at. Have you ever thought maybe she likes you too? Ask her but I would wait for her disapproval of being dobbed into the Captain to die down first."

Hunter looked shocked. "I was not looking there." He quickly looked down at the table as Galatea came back with Anthony's drink and a slice of chocolate cake."

"Okay, now I can handle the world," she said as she tucked into her cake. "How's the lab treating you Anthony?"

Anthony wiped the smug look off his face as Galatea returned. *I think I have fixed the problem between them so long as Nurse Hunter can get his thoughts off Galatea's bum long enough to ask her out. "The science Laboratories on this vessel are some of the best I have seen. I have a couple running Linguistics, HG is using one and a few running other experiments at the moment."

"Are you loving being department head?" She asked with a smile.

“It is a thrill. Actually my last chief was very close to retirement so I was almost chief without the actual title change.” Anthony said with a chuckle.

Galatea smiled, "You never told me what brought you into languages?"

“I started studying them in primary school. In those days it was only ancient Earth languages but it started a spark that never died.” Anthony said with a chuckle. “Well you never what drew you to medicine and Pyschology? Then Iagain I had never asked before.” He asked.

She smiled, "I knew I wanted to help people." There was much more to it then that but she wasn't in the habit of discussing those dark times.

Anthony could feel instinctively that Galatea didn’t like talking about it so he decided to lighten the air and maybe get Hunter talking about something the fitted the current subject. “How about you Hunter what drew you to medicine?” He knew, of course, because Hunter and he discussed before, but if they discovered a shared interest maybe it was a way out of their problem and onto a healthier relationship. He hoped he could make a sideline as a matchmaker, and if not he could always pick up Galatea pieces if Hunter stuffed it up.

Hunter stared at the table. "I wanted to help people." He just said.

Galatea sighed, this was not going well. They were too uncomfortable with one another. There was a time when they'd been friends and things were easy but lately..."Listen I should go. I have a counseling session I have to prepare for." She bid farewell to both and headed out.

Hunter seemed to sigh with relief as she left. He let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.

As Galatea got out of earshot and could no longer hear what was being said he only partially joked as he said "Oh man have you got it real bad for the Doctor. You know that means one of two endings. The one you want, which I think if given half a chance she could come to terms with, She may not be as in love with you, but it could develop if you made a concerted effort to show that what you did was for her own benefit. Convincing her that going to Commander Tigran to get her to command the doctor to rest was probably the wrong way to go. did you ever think of a sleeping tablet dissolved in water or just a hypospray of sedative or maybe using the chain of command to get her to head off to bed rather than jumping straight to the captain?"

Hunter looked at him. "I did the right thing going to the commander and I am not in love with the doctor." He downed his drink. "Besides her ex boyfriend is on the ship and I think that's what is making her antsy."


Anthony chuckled to himself, Men were almost as bad a women for wanting to anything about it until faced with a challenge. “So it makes her antsy and your pricklish, are you scared of being compared to him. You keep telling yourself that your not interested in the Doctor,and who knows one day it might even be true. The two of you could both answer eachothers sentences. You both answered my question exactly the same, inflections and all. Linguistically that shows very close relationships that often not even identical twins share.” Anthony finished his drink and finished with “Think about that for a while, maybe knock on her door and see her casually build your friendship and take a chance.” He slapped hunter on the shoulder as he got up and prepared to leave.

OFF:

Lt (jg) Anthony Edwards Ph.D
Chief Science Officer

&

Lt. Galatea Polaris
Chief Medical Officer

&

Chief Petty Officer Hunter Payton
Head Nurse
[PNPC by Polaris]

 

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