A drink is a drink. Ahhhh refreshing.

Posted on Mon Aug 3rd, 2020 @ 4:53am by Lieutenant Anthony Edwards Ph. D

1,571 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: To catch a thief
Location: Starbase Bar Hopping
Timeline: 30th March 2395

ON:
Anthony was feeling sorry for himself he had already been two of the bars on the Starbase. There were still heaps to go. As he was about to enter the next he saw a familiar face and slightly slurred his words as he called out "Hey Gabe how about you help me celebrate the lives of Galatea and Payton."

Gabriel heard his name and spun around to face the direction it had come when he saw Lieutenant JG Anthony Edwards, the chief science officer of the Wolff.

"Holy shit." Gabe said to himself as he watched the man with a trained eye and knew he was about two shots away from puking his guts out. He eyed "The Fond Memories" the liquor store that had his two bottles of find liquor waiting for him and then the Lieutenant and groaned slightly to himself.

"Alright Lieutenant." he said as he moved to the man "Come with me now. Looks to me like you've had a bit more to drink than you should."

"Also a lot less than I was planning on Senior Chief so if you expect to try and return us to my Ships quarters I expect you will fail. Though if your willing to hold me up when I need it I promise I will do the same for you."

Gabe snorted "Your quarters no, not unless you got a bottle of 25 year old scotch. If you want some of that, that would be my quarters. You don't want to get ripped here Lieutenant, not if you want to get that second pip."

"Ah now that is a nice suggestion. Yes I think that is a great idea, though the advantage of being a junior officer, eventually the second solid is guaranteed." Anthony said with a laugh.

"Not any time soon if you get caught out on SB pissed out of your mind. I've seen plenty of JG's get hemmed up for many years waiting for their second pip because of indiscretions. Let's head back Lieutenant and you can tell me about those two." He said the sympathy almost perceptible in his voice.

Anthony started waxed poetic about how Galatea was the second most beautiful woman he had ever seen and how he was so glad he had stepped back once he had worked out that his friend Payton was desperately in love with Galatea. “Those two skipped around each other for so long before they finally decided to get it together.” He said with a drunken chuckle, almost glad to have found a Senior Non-commissioned Officer to replace Payton as a friend.

Gabe nodded as he listened and they made it back on ship and to his quarters. As the doors opened the Lieutenant was just telling him about the two getting together. He moved the man to the couch and pointed at it.

"As the chief armory officer I get special single man quarters. Take a seat Lieutenant and let me find that bottle." Gabe moved around the small quarters until he pulled a box down from his shelf with a large red cross on a white circular background. He popped it open and shook his head. "Wrong ones." then he put it back up and pulled a second one down as he opened it and grinned. "Here we go, Glenmorangie, 25 year old." he grabbed two glasses from his table and put them down on the table before pulling the cork and pouring two fingers for each man.

Being a connoisseur of scotch he nodded he knew he was going to be drinking one of the best. At 25 year barrel age all the rough edges had been knocked off and had gotten all the flavours it was going to get from the barrel and then had four years to age in it. Though his eyes had focused on the first box Gabe had picked and he asked almost rudely hoping to get a story out of him “What are they Gabe.”

Gabe snorted "That was my bottle of 50 year old." he laughed, then his eyes fell on the holophoto of a group of five officers in decades old ground assault armor. He blinked as he poured the amber liquid into each glass and placed the cork back in the bottle. He looked at the Lieutenant "I'm in a group..." he thought a moment then continued "We have a ritual, each man lifts their glass until every man has listed the names of those they out lived. The newbie goes first, so lift your glass L.T. and we'll remember our fallen together."

“Ah like French call a Tontine.” Anthony slurred before he added, “Turn about I think because I only have two. I drink to Chief Petty Officer Hunter Payton.” Lifting his glass he he took a small sip of his drink and let it slightly evaporate around his tongue as he breathed to get a true taste of the scotch before he swallowed. “It has aged really well.

Gabe lifted his glasses in salute "To Chief Petty Officer Hunter Payton." He echoed with a somber tone before responding to the compliment. "Thank you, the General usually keep me hooked up with decent medicinal liquids for just such an occasion."

“Ah friends in high places I see. I think you and I are going to become good friends.” Anthony said, this time almost without slurring any of them showing he might not be as drunk as he could have been, though it could also mean that he had really enjoyed the sip he took of the scotch. “Your turn and it is obvious the General’s not someone we will be drinking too.”

Gabe refilled the glasses to their previous volume and shook his head "No she wont be. She's the one that's the leader of my little group." he paused as he considered what more to say "We're composed of combat vets who have some trauma in our past. Typically the one people who can understand what we've gone through are people who have walked through the valley with us."

Gabe lifted his glass and looked over his shoulder at the image again before speaking "I drink to Petty Officer Third Class Thomas Sandoval." before he dropped the drink on the table with a loud bang and lifted it to his lips to down the fiery brown liquid in one gulp.

Anthony laugh as he watched and said "Sorry I don't mean offense by my laughter, but I see you have known a number of noisy Marines." Raising his glass he said "To Petty Officer Third Class Thomas Sandoval."He then before drained it and placing it down on the table and waited for the refill.

"Ran across a few of them in the war. Your turn." He said softly pouring a new round.

The next one was the tear jerker. It was also the one he was so happy to have HG as a friend, because if it hadn’t been for her Anthony would likely have followed his friends to the next realm. Taking up his next round he said “To Lieutenant Galatea Polaris.”

Gabe lifted his glass "To Lieutenant Galatea Polaris." He tapped the bottom of the shot glass on the table and downed it. He reached over and refilled the glasses after Anthony downed his.

Gabe sniffed slightly as he lifted the shot glass in his fingers and stood moving to the holopicture and picking it up in his other hand. He turned and walked back to the seat placing the frame down on the coffee table. He took a deep breath "Here's to Petty Officer Third Class Alisa Ramirez." he blinked back tears as a finger caressed the projected cheek. He shook his head before grabbing the drink and downing it quickly without waiting for Anthony to complete the ritual.

Anthony looked with bleary eyed stare of a drunk science officer and blurrily saw the tears get blinked back behind the eye lids an simply said "I get the feeling that one is best left to you alone." Though he did take a sip still.

Gabe's hand shook as he looked across at the LT. "I dont think I'm going to be able to pour any more." He said looking at his hand then looking up "You pour or pass out which is it gonna be?"

Anthony’s eye now crossed now by the fact that he was far gone in drink before starting on the scotch as he listened intently then rolled to the side as he passed out and started snoring.

Gabe wobbled on his feet as he pushed himself up and his hand shook slightly as he dropped the cork back in the bottle after the third try. He looked at the Lieutenant on his couch through bleary eyes and pulled the thermal blanket over him sloppily before turning and wobbling on unsteady legs towards his bed room. He fell to his knees before reaching the bed and sighed.

"It'll.. it'll be one of those..." he hiccuped "those nights." he said as he fell face down on the floor one unsteady hand reached up to the bed and pulled the blankets down over his torso before the alcohol did it's job and rendered him unconscious.


OFF:

Dr Anthony Edwards Ph.D
Lieutenant JG
Chief Science Officer
USS Wolff

&

Gabriel D'Anconia
Senior Chief Petty Officer
Armory Officer
USS Wolff

 

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