A Heart-to-Heart with a Hologram
Posted on Mon Jul 29th, 2019 @ 11:41am by Major Cornelius Tremble & Lieutenant JG Mira Jayna
Edited on on Wed Jul 31st, 2019 @ 8:10pm
1,352 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Episode 7 - Home Again
Location: Holodeck Three
Timeline: MD006 2200 hrs
Jayna couldn't stop thinking about what happened during the earlier sparring match and needed to talk to someone about it. She didn't want to go to the counselor, as that would probably cause trouble for Tremble, and she wouldn't go to her sister, as that would cause other problems, so she decided to go back to the holodeck and see if Mik was up for a chat. That had its own potential pitfalls, but it was her best option.
She verified that holodeck three was open and scheduled it before heading out to have a chat.
Mik was puttering around the gym floor when the lock cycled and he glanced over, then pushed his watch cap to the back of his head and asked, "Back again Missy? You might want to take a day off or so. How is your ear, by the way?"
She put a hand to her ear. "A little sore, but not too bad." She approached Mik hesitantly. "How's his wrist? I feel bad about breaking it."
Mik snorted, "Don't worry about him. He's broken most of the bones in his body. Most of them a couple of times." He shrugged then, "It's what he does and don't feel bad. After he gets his mind clear, I can nearly guarantee he won't feel all that bad about your ear or having a moment."
"Yeah, I got that." She stopped in front of him. "Can we talk?"
The hologram image crackled slightly and Mik seemed to take on a more kindly appearance as he said, "Our lips are moving sweet lady, so I believe we already are. What is on your mind?"
"Him. What happened. Where I go from here." She ran a hand through her shoulder-length hair. "You know him better than anyone. What do I do?"
"About Neil? There are several things. And several things that can be done over the course of a few hours time," the old man said with a sly wink. "But what is in your mind about him. Do you mean now that you've fought?"
She chuckled softly and looked off into the shadows where Neil had been earlier that day. She couldn't deny that she was attracted to him, or that certain activities weren't great stress relievers. "That's not off the table." But she wasn't going to proposition anyone. She shook her head, dismissing the idea., "Let's go with what do we do now that we've fought and it got out of control."
Mik beckoned her to follow him and led her toward a door marked office. They moved inside and he went behind the desk, turned down a radio featuring a singer crooning No body knows the trouble I've seen...Nobody knows my sorrow, accompanied by playing of a trumpet occasionally and other instruments.
The old man gestured her into a comfortable leather chair across the desk, pulled out a bottle and two kraft cheese glasses from a drawer, then joined her in a matching chair on the visitor side of the desk.
"Now then, Neil's friend Thomas programmed this in. It's synthehol, but the data points are very good, depending on who you ask.
Mik took a sip and then slouched into the chair and happily took a slurp from his glass. "Now then. Things got out of hand in the ring. That happens my dear. Fighters with more in their heads than good sense fight distracted."
He made a, short, broad sweeping motions with his non-drink filled hand and chuckled, "Anything can happen. Is that what bothers you most? That you lost control?"
"No. It's not the first time I've lost control and it won't be the last." She took a sip of the drink, not sure what to expect. It wasn't bad. "I'm not sure why the situation bothers me. My life before Starfleet was neither safe nor predictable." She took another drink. "I think it bothers me that it bothers me."
Mik sat quietly, listening to the music then said,"So, what you're saying is that you're bothered by the fact that you lost control on Neil? You admitted attraction to the big lug and it's not the impression that you wanted to make?"
She thought for a long moment on what he said. "Maybe. Maybe it's that I think I failed somehow. I knew I wouldn't win. It's not my style of combat and he's very good at it." She looked at Mik. "Maybe I'm bothered because I wasn't going to back down. Not until I broke his wrist and he almost broke my neck." She took another long drink. "I know I'm not his type. I'll never be blonde." She couldn't help grinning at that. "I dunno. Maybe I think I messed up somehow."
Mik eyed her, poured three more fingers of bourbon into both of their glasses and shook his head. "Seems to me like maybe you wanted more to talk to him like we're talking. Something like this would have been better saved for maybe the second date? You wanted to get his attention. Trouble is he's a bit obtuse to general flirting I think. You have to hit him over the head with pretty much any notion."
She took a drink. "You know, I think you're right. This is a conversation I should have with him." She grinned. "But unless he walks in this room right now, I probably won't." She knew the chances of that were slim to none. More none as he'd been there earlier. She raised her glass to Mik. "You, sir, are a wise man."
"Now they say," Mik said philosophically, "That wisdom is truly held by those who agree with you." He touched glasses with Mira and then the hologram glitched slightly and he winked at her, "And why not have a conversation with the marine. Unless you've fallen for my charm that is."
She grinned at the older man. "The Marine in question is going to think I'm nuts--and he won't be completely wrong." She took another drink from her glass. "I should talk to him, but I don't want to jeopardize our potential working relationship. Then again, I probably did that already." She shook her head. "Female logic." She looked around the office. "Maybe next time I see him here. There's something special abut this place--and you," she said, addressing Mik. "I have to figure out what to say. I can't just walk up to him and say, hey, sorry about that sparring match. I was trying to prove I could hold my own because I have the hots for you." She shook her head again and laughed at her words. "That sounds silly even to me." She finished her drink and set the glass down. "You're right that I'll figure out something." She kissed the hologram on the cheek again. "Thank you."
"Of course," Mik said, smiling and patting her absently on the back side. "I'm always here, of course." Then he looked at her, "But remember, life is too short for what could have beens. The older you get, there are more regrets over what wasn't ventured, than what was and didn't work out. And those ones, the ones that didn't work out...the regret is in the fact that it didn't."
Then he grinned, "Or you're really glad you made it out alive!"
She laughed because she knew how true it was. "Yes, there are definitely times I'm glad I made it out alive." She stood, knowing there was always the possibility someone would want to work out with Mik. "Thank you for listening. I will be back for some training."
Mik waggled his glass by way of waving goodbye. "Don't be a stranger girly," He then put up his feet up on the desk and began lightly crooning along with the music from the radio.
A Joint Post By
Warrant Officer Mira Jayna
Infiltration Specialist, USS Pioneer
Mik
Holographic Trainer / USS Pioneer
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