Oh Deer, It's The Stag

Posted on 02/11/2020 @ 1:24am by Colonel Jack Patton & Commander Aer Feshau-Patton & Civilian Michael Taggart
Edited on on 02/24/2020 @ 8:50pm

3,962 words; about a 20 minute read

Mission: Mission 19: The Stuff of Nightmares
Location: White Stag Pub, Promednade

That was a quick two hours, almost as if she had just pressed a button and it was time to go.

Aer had went home, got herself all clean and presentable as she could, she was never good at gussying herself up for anything so really she kind of just did the basics when it came to make up and dress. For once she thought against the leather jacket she would always wear and instead had put on a flowing light top of the colour red and rather tight black trousers. She was a simple dresser and didn't think it was too little for 'meeting a guy in the pub'. Still the effort had been made.

Upon entering the bar she looked around, again it was lively. The owner seemed to have carved out a nice little environment for himself. She looked around for Jack to see if he was there yet.

There were a lot of things that Mickey Taggart could and would miss. However, a pretty face was not one of them. So when the young blond walked into his pub, his little piece of Scotland this far out, he was floored. With a crooked smile and a wave of the hand he called out to her. "Oy! Lass! Come on over, and pull uppa seat. My name is Michael Taggart and this be me pub. Da White Stag best Scotch outside of Scotland. What can I get ya love?"

Taken aback by the shout from the bar she turned to see the patron of said bar waving her over. Aer pulled herself a seat as requested by the gentleman whilst trying to figure out what the hell he was saying. Although, she did just catch the end where asked what she wanted. "I'll take a Scotch Mr Taggart, thank you." she replied with a smile.

Jack had returned to his quarters and for at least the first half hour sat on his bunk with his head in his hands. He could not believe that he had a date with her. "You know there is nothing in the verse that you fear. You are a Marine and yet a woman agreeing to have dinner with you can make you cower on your bed. Now get your self up and get ready. You're a Marine act like one." He gave the pep talk to himself and headed for the sonic shower.

Jack Patton dressed to reflect his personality which was quite the opposite from what you would expect a Marine. He wore a pair of dark blue jeans, a green t-shirt, and an untucked flannel shirt over it. Cowboy boots completed his outfit. He took one last look in the mirror and satisfied with the way he looked headed for his bar.

Patton walked in and the place stooped for a moment as everyone had to say hello and acknowledge him. It was as if he walked into his families kitchen. He slid up to the bar. "Oy Mick what's good."

"Well Jack me boy. I have Klingon Scotch, not as good as da real ting mind you. But dem Klingons don't do anything half arsed." Micky replied with a smirk, Jack ordered a glass neat. Then he turned to the beautiful woman who had been sitting there. "Fancy meeting you here." A boyish smile crossed his face.

Aer noticed Jack enter, his apparent reputation within the bar well known as he entered like a celebrity on the red carpet of a premiere. She smiled as she felt a bit of show just for her was being done, even if it wasn't. She smiled at him as he spoke to her, turning to face him she took a sip of her drink. "I know right? As if almost by chance..."

He clinked the glass of blood red scotch with her glass in toast. "Quite right. So what do you think of my little slice of Earth..." Jack was interrupted.

Mickey stood there with his arms folded. "Yer slice of Earth. Now don be gettin ahead of yerself Boyo! This be my pub and my slice." He turned to Aer and leaned in. "I hope you have better sense dan ta fall fer dis blusterin. I think you have better sense den dat Lass!"

Aer giggled a little, a bit out of character but she found the man with the funny accent amusing. "I like your slice of Earth, Mr Taggart. Although I will admit that I honestly have no idea what you just said... and I speak 9 languages." she said again laughing a little. His accent was very broad and she almost went as far as asking for a translator.

Taggart guffawed at her comment. "Tis true me voice takes some gettin used to. I am from Loch Ness in Scotland on Earth. Dere ain't no better place ta be from. Now I know yer not from Earth. Everyone from Earth can identify me accent. So were ya from lass?"

"I'll take your word for that sir." Aer replied giving him the respect she believed elders of a species deserved. "Officially if you look at a birth record I was born on Deck 2 on the El Aurian Transport Me'as… but that's a bit of a mouthful. I'm El Aurian, a wonderful example of an ancient race of long lived listeners." she said giving him a twirl.

Jack sat back and sipped his drink. He rather liked listening to her make small talk and get to know Mickey. The White Stag was Jack's favorite place and Mickey was an excellent judge of people. If there was going to be something here than Mickey would know.

Aer turned to look at Jack, she could see he was listening. "You know gaining Intel is supposed to be my job?" she asked rhetorically.

Before Jack could reply Mickey chimed in. "Ya know I am from an ancient race of long lived listeners as well. Except where I am from we call dem barkeeps." He smiled and laughed at his own joke. Jack and Mickey were friends from way back and right now the ole Scotsman was picking up the he should be going vibe from Jack. "Well welcome to the White Stag, and here we are all family..." His voice trailed off as he poured two sifters of Aldebran Brandy, and in a whisper he spoke to the couple. "Dis is on da house."

Jack laughed as the two drinks were set before them. "Hey Mick what about your tradition. You must be getting forgetful in your old age." Jack was going to keep from answering her question for as long as possible. "O course... O course..." the barkeep replied with a smirk and raised a pewter mug of his own. Jack stood up and smiled knowingly at Aer. "As I have come home I bring you lot a toast." He spoke loud so all could hear and made sweeping motions to the crowd to bring them in to his antics.

The crowd within the White Stag responded resoundingly "A TOAST!!!" and they all raised their glass and fell silent. "May the best ye've ever seen. Be the worst ye'll ever see. May a moose ne'er leave yer girnal Wi ' a tear drap in his e'e. May ye aye keep hale an' herty Till ye're auld eneuch tae dee. May ye aye be jist as happy As we wish ye aye tae be." Jack recited with his glass held aloft. When the toast was finished he brought the glass to his lips and sipped. There were replies of alright Captain, here here, and well said Marine as patrons tapped their pewter mugs on the tables. As for Mick he just stood their smiling broadly, he loved his pub and all of the people in it. Jack sat back down and leaned in to Aer. "You know if you want them to accept you, you need to give them a toast. Tis tradition...."

"You are all very silly people." She said laughing but rising to her feet. She had never really given a toast before, there had never been a need for one, but she would give it her best shot. Improvise the hells out of this.

"I sadly cannot match the eloquence of Mr Taggart or the rendition of Captain Patton but when I look out at the sea of faces before me it reminds me of a story I was once told. The Bravan Sea of El Auria, a beautiful feature of my old world, was said to have diamonds mixed in amongst its waters. The eyes of the sea, shining brightly and guiding ships home to see loved ones missed. I see a station here that is home to some of you, you look at me with eyes as bright and beautiful as the diamonds of my home and I am honoured to drink with you tonight. As my people say, Co-ady di lan. It's good to be home!"

"Welcome Home! Here Here..." The crowd replied resoundingly. Jack for his part was impressed and at the moment he did not want to admit it but he was also smitten. "They won't forget that anytime soon. So what makes Aer tick?" Jack said with a smirk. He attempted to turn the tables on the listener.

"A cosmic temporal clock." She said as if it was the most normal answer in the world. Taking a sip and looking up at him with her deep blue eyes she smirked a little. "Gods let me keep on ticking.... How does it feel to be descended from such a rich line of military men?" she asked. Aer always did a little research, it helped she'd done it months ago before his arrival but still, information is power.

He smiled she had done her homework, whether it be recently or a while ago. Jack appreciated a woman who wanted to be informed about her date before actually taking the date. "It can be a problem at times, people expect much from someone who has a legacy. However, I appreciate it and learn from it. I like to believe that I have a lot in common with all of those Pattons, in fact I have met George..." His voice trailed off as he chuckled. "...Well if you call a hologram meeting him. I have learned that El Aurians can have a number of families as they normally out live their spouses. So have you ever been married, any kids?"

Aer nearly choked on her drink, so much so that it flew up at her face with some speed. A little cough and wipe later she looked at Jack, "Kids?" She asked remembering her experience with Harringtons little ones. "They are the only thing I've encountered so far that put the fear of the Gods in me so no... nothing small and sticky in my life yet." She let out a little smile. "I've also never married, as my mother keeps reminding me just because she got married at 60." A little eye roll featured.

"However, I can understand the pressures of family legacy. My family has sat on our Grand Council for centuries, well my father has. Therefore as a result of simply being his children we are expected to be the same, or better." Aer noticed she had been talking for a bit. "Sorry, I don't usually talk this much."

Jack smiled "That is no problem I am rather fond of listening..." He took a sip of his drink and smiled flirtatiously. "In my office I have a few reminders of that legacy. My greatest of grandfather's uniform and pistols, I keep them to remind me of where I came from. I believe that if you do not keep tabs on where you came from, how can you know where you are going. So what brings you to Poseidon, the crossroads of nowhere and everywhere. The Kingsmen and I are here at request of Harrington. You?"

Mickey watched as his friend attempted to make conversation with the beautiful new arrival. In his opinion they made a rather handsome couple but knowing Jack he would probably screw it up somehow. Taggart hoped not and he sent over another round on the house to try to grease things up.

Aer smiled at the comment about listening. Her race was famous for it, albeit this was due to a pheromone they exuded leading people to tell them all sorts of things. She nodded at what he was saying about legacy, knowing how the past leads you to where you need to go in life. She was slightly more religious about such things, but that was her own beliefs coming into play.

"Curiosity mostly. I like meeting new species, and the Aquil are all shiny and new. That and Starfleet approved my transfer here and I get to meet all you nice people." She replied noting Taggarts new round of drinks. Aer would be lying if she didn't know what he was up too.

"You know it is said that curiosity killed the cat..." Jack acknowledged the new round of drinks by raising the glass in Mickey's direction and then he sipped the drink. "However, it is now my turn to be curious. Tell me the story of Aer..." He smiled flirtatiously.

'How can that kill a cat?' Aer thought before shaking her head of the thought.

"Well I'm only 73 so my story really hasn't began yet." She replied honestly. "I was born on a transport ship fleeing my old world. I was a surprise baby and my parents have not let me forget it. My mother is a farmer, my father on the grand council of our leadership. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps, dragged me from planet to planet when I was younger. Actually hated it. So I used it as a platform to build contacts up, my intelligence network stems from that time and a little more now from Starfleet. I have been in Starfleet 11 years and here I am talking to a handsome man who knows how good looking he is. In as you Humans say a nutshell? Am I using that right?" she asked.

Jack smirked, "Actually no I do not know how good looking I am, but I do love to hear people tell me. Yes, you are using it right... As for me I am just your average Corps brat. I am doing exactly what my parents wanted me to do, and to be totally honest I love it..." His voice trailed off as the idea that she was 73 years old set into his brain. They really had no idea how long an El Aurian lived. "...You know you don't look a day over 25."

"I am sure you do." She said in reference to his love of people stroking his ego. "I just don't do politics, totally makes my skin crawl the way I've seen people act towards my father. All so that they can get approval for something or as if a handshake from him meant the world." Her mind drifted back to the various trips with her father, even the other species trips. Made her skin crawl a little.

"25?" she laughed a little and lightly hit his chest. "You should have seen me at 25... thankfully I will look more or less like this for at least several hundred years at least. Perks of having good genes." She gave a little smile. "Our oldest living member, that we know of, is over 2,000. She doesn't go out much."

The idea that she would be this gorgeous for longer than he would live excited Jack to no end. "I served with an El Aurian once. Back when The Kingsmen served aboard the Endeavour, there was an Operations Chief named Thorrin. He once told me that he was on Earth and served under the first Patton, Geroge Patton. He always liked to tell me that he could tell me things about my home and my people that would curl my hair. When I finally got him drunk enough I found out he was around 500 years old."

Jack sipped his drink and chuckled at his story. "Would you mind if I asked you a personal question. How do you do it? I mean how does your people live for so long? To see friends age and die while you remain I just can't grasp it."

Aer shifted uncomfortably, not exactly light conversational topic. She was hesitant, quite unsure about how to answer him. "Not easily." She said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "To watch someone you have known, friends you have loved grow old and pass over to their Gods is always a heart-wrenching thing. I am lucky in that I am only 73 so I have not lived long enough to lose a lot of people. Although the ones I have... I was taught to cherish every day I have with them, make the days count as for those of other species have more limited time than mine. We do not place much emphasis on age, as you might expect, it is more the experience of knowing someone or being with someone if a more loving relationship happens." She said taking a large sip of her drink.

It was here that Jack dared to touch her. The idea that experiences not age made a lifetime was something that Jack had felt for as long as he could remember. When she placed her drink down he reached out and took her hand. "Even though those few have passed, I am sure their lives were enriched for just having known you." He brought the back of her hand to his lips and kissed it.

It had got real pretty fast. Everything in her body usually screamed to be more reserved as a talkative Intelligence agent didn't last long. However, she opened up to him about species, about her life in more ways than she would have with someone and she had no idea why. This was a most unusual feeling for her, the ease of openness and that she wanted to tell him these things.

Aer uncharacteristically blushed. What was going on? She felt like the heat on her face, Jack's breath on her hand as well as the pressure applied by his lips as he kissed it. She felt the sudden urge to jump him but that was her 'teenage' El Aurian age kicking in. She had tried to supress that over the years as it had led her into trouble before.

"I... eh... thank you." She answered trying to hide her face. Where had this strong woman gone? The young, emotional El Aurian was coming out. She looked at Mickey... was it the drink? No... it was her dropping walls.

Mickey knew a couple in the early stages of blossoming when he saw it. And it was his job as a barkeep to foster that blossoming like a farmer fostered their crops. As such he poured another round and raised a glass of his own. "A Toast!" he shouted and the crowd shouted the same back as they raised their glasses. "A ’guidhe dhut ballachan airson na gaoithe an-còmhnaidh, Mullach airson an uisge, Tì ri taobh an teine, Agus an gaol agus an gàire den fheadhainn a tha thu a ’cumail daor." (Wishing you always walls for the wind, A roof for the rain, Tea beside the fire, And the love and laughter of those you hold dear.) He spoke a traditional toast for couples in Scottish Gaelic and when he had finished a round of here here could be heard along with the clinking of glasses. Of course this was followed with drinking.

Jack raised his glass with the toast a look of thanks on his face directed toward Mickey. He never thought that he would fall in love. In fact he believed that no Marine ever should fall in love, and yet here he was. He managed to keep the flush out of his face and the sweat from beading on his brow. However, he felt like the proverbial schoolboy as he looked at this stunning woman and waited to see her reaction. He smirked and whispered "No problem, the pleasure was mine."

She had listened to Mickey with absolutely no idea what the hells he was saying. Most of the time that was the case but this time it seemed like he had been tasting his own spirits as the words made less sense than they usually do. She was passed something that could only be described as smelling like the engineering section of a Pakled ship, and tasting like Klingon bath water (if they had baths). It burnt her throat as Jack smiled at her reply and response to said drink.

"You're not like most marines I have met." She stated still holding his hand before he retracted his. "You're softer, sure of yourself but not cocky about it." she offered smiling a little as she tried to breathe through the still burning sensation in her throat.

"You have just described my entire familial lineage just about." Jack said with a chuckle. "As for the softer part don't let my men hear you say that. I would never live it down. And you my dear are unlike any woman that I have ever met." He added with a soft smile as he contained the urge to kiss her.

She didn't have the control to keep herself from him. Aer moved in and kissed him. She had grabbed his collar just so she could get him down to her height and even then she was on the tips of her toes. The kiss was soft but passionate and it was almost like a link formed between them. El Aurians bonded with those they loved, even though they loved many throughout a lifetime. This wasn't love, not yet but she all the signs of something was there. The butterflies, the excitement and for her the lack of self control that she had fought to keep in check. All El Aurians up to the ages of 200 exhibit what Human's would call teenage tendencies and this was one.

The initial kiss caught him off guard, but Jack was happy for it. A few seconds after their lips had touched he relaxed into and allowed his hands to cross around her waist which brought her in closer. Jack had been with many a woman in his time, but nothing was like this. He remembered when he was young and his Dad told him that when he found the one he would know. In this moment Jack Patton wondered if this was the one.

When the kiss broke Jack smiled broadly. "Well that was unexpected, welcome, but unexpected. Care to take a walk?"

She looked at her feet, feeling like she was back in school and had just done something drastic with a boy she liked. "Sorry... I can be... impulsive." she admitted as she dropped back down onto the whole of her feet and let go of his collar. Some people were looking at them, whispering and she heard Jack mention a walk. "Yes! I mean, yeah sure. If you like?" she said trying to act a little cooler but even though Jack was younger in terms of age his maturity was far greater.

Jack smiled and took the ladies hand. "Well then m'lady let us off."

---

Marine Captain Jack Patton
Commanding Officer The Kingsmen
Chief Strategic Operations Officer
SB 50, Poseidon Station

Lieutenant Junior Grade Aer Feshau
Chief Intelligence Officer
SB50, Poseidon Station

Michael Taggart
Owner/Bartender The White Stag Pub
SB50, Poseidon Station

 

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