"kanpai!"

Posted on 05/01/2019 @ 12:03pm by Lieutenant Hiro Yoshida

819 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Mission 15: Keep Thy Enemies Closer
Location: Ten forward
Timeline: After return back to the Nogura

ON:

Liam just couldn't be in his quarters just yet. It was still very raw the memories of being attacked and kidnapped from them. He knew he would have to face them eventually but right now the idea of some dutch courage was standing firm. After the debrief with the Captain, he made his excuses and headed to the bar.

He deliberately picked a table facing a window just wanting to watch the stars wizz past and not think as he held his Aldebaran whiskey. Currently untouched after about half an hour of just holding it he sensed someone else next to him.

The doors to the spacious lounge opened and the Assistant Chief Engineer walked in at a slow pace. He felt quite relieved they got out of the hairy situation back in Carlson Nebula and was now able to relax again. He smiled briefly as he looked around while trying to find a good spot to sit down.

Liam looked at the newcomer. He looked somewhat familiar. He wanted to say Engineering but he could be wrong. He certainly sensed as relieved as he was to be back home. He hadn't set out for company but there weren't many tables free so he indicated his head and said, "Theres a spare seat here,"

Someone said something, but Hiro couldn't quite catch all of it because of all the talking people did that were present. He looked in the general direction from where the call had come from and noticed a man sitting close to one of the large windows looking straight at him.

After having crossed the distance he gave the man a polite smile and bowed slightly. "I'm sorry. You were saying something about a seat?"

"This ones free if you want it," Liam told him. "Your more than welcome to it."

Hiro had not really expected that. Up until now the plan had been to enjoy a hot cup of tea while sitting close to a window and stare out into space,...alone. Having a conversation with someone he didn't know wasn't one of his strengths. He hated the awkward silent moments that were bound to show up.

"Sorry you look familiar but ... well honestly it's not been the easiest week. Liam Reynolds. Counselling," he offered his hand to the other man.

"Hiro. Hiro Yoshida." The engineer took his hand. "From Engineering."

"Ahhh," Liam said pleasantly shaking his hand. "How are you finding working with Lieutenant Ba'au? She runs a tight ship yes?"

Hiro though a moment before answering. Truth be told he didn't know the Chief all that well yet. "She...eh. She knows what she's doing." was the cautious reply. "Have you worked with Lieutenant Ba'au before?"

"No," Liam answered. "Its my first time working with her. He chuckled. "I seem to more break things and irritate her. I'm naturally clumsy. But she handles it admirably." He finally knocked back the whiskey and groaned as it burnt the back of his throat. He saw on of the waiters approach and held his glass up. "Can I have another?"

The waiter looked surprised. The counselor rarely touched the hard stuff.

Hiro signaled the wait before he went to get the Whiskey for the Counselor. "One Saké, please." It wasn't that often he drank the stuff, but it wasn't every day you escaped from an unfriendly Multi Universe back to your own.

"So well done on getting us back to our reality,"Liam said. "I never understood much temporal physics. Hurts your head really doesn't it thinking theres unknown variants of yourself out there in different dimensions."

"Thank you, but I only did a small part. A large team worked on the problem." The Japanese Engineer looked at Liam. "And my advice: don't think about it unless you really have to. And if you do, use Mathematics and Physics to make any sense of it."

Liam laughed, he liked this chap. "I'm not a math and physics man unfortunately. It never really explains emotions, fears, phobias and the like. That's probably a good thing. I'd of never made counsellor if it were the case. Failed it terribly at the academy."

A smile appeared on Hiro's face. The conversation went easier than anticipated. Up until now he'd met close to a hundred new faces. The Counselor was the second one on board with which he felt fairly comfortable right from the start.

The waiter returned with their drinks. "What shall we drink too?" He asked.

Hiro grew pensive and his smile disappeared. There was a lot they could drink to. What would be appropriate at this moment in time? "How about 'To new friends and a brighter future'?"

"I like that," Liam said with a warm smile. He clinked his glass to the other man. "New friends and friendship."

OFF:

Lieutenant Liam Reynolds
Chief Counselor, USS Nogura

Lieutenant JG Hiro Yoshida
Assistant Chief Engineer, USS Nogura

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