Reunion

Posted on Mon Feb 24th, 2020 @ 1:36am by Division Admiral Thomas Lasky & Commander Tressa Brislan-Antilles

Mission: Mission 10: Holding on and Letting Go
Location: Various Locations - Starbase 400
Timeline: 1000Hrs - August 10th, 2389

Lieutenant Tom Lasky was walking down the promenade with a duffel
slung over his shoulder as he smiled, it was good to be back on the
Starbase when he looked around, he spotted the dark brown eyes of
a rather delectable looking woman as he raised an eyebrow.

He made his way over towards her. "Doctor." he greeted her.

"Fives," she answered with a smile. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"Well.. the Yorktown just got back..." he commented with a smile.
"I take it things on the Essex went well?"

She nodded slowly. "Its complicated, but yes," she said thoughtfully.
"Its good to be back home though," she added, smiling again.

"Nice... may I walk with you?" he inquired formally, he had no
idea if she had plans and so it was a food idea to err on the side
of caution.

"Certainly," she said. "How have you been?"

Fives started walking beside her as they walked down the promenade as
he led her around and through the crowds. "Where you off to?" he inquired
with a smile. "can I persuade you to add lunch to your list of things to do?"

"I was just going to drop off my things, actually lunch sounds nice," she said, smiling back at the handsome man.

"Sounds good." he responded. "So... where would you like to eat?" he inquired. "Or we could simply skip lunch and I could help you relax and show you other ways to pass the time."

The doctor's eyes flew open for a moment. Was he asking what she thought he was asking? She held his gaze; his smile never wavered. Neither did hers.

"You don't waste time, do you Fives?" She broke the gaze as a slight blush rose to her cheeks. "Its been a while since I've had an offer."

"No. I don't." he admitted as he gently took her hand in his. "Time is the one thing we truly shouldn't waste as we'll never get the chance again." he explained as he smiled at her. "so... your place... or mine?"

Am I really doing this?? she thought as he took her hand.

"Yours."

Fives nodded. "I've not had a chance to unpack really... but alright." he commented as he led her off of the promenade and into a nearby turbolift.
"Level Eight Hundred and Sixteen, Section Five." he commented evenly as
the turbolift waited on her.

Tressa let him lead her. How long has it been? At least... two years... she thought, glad he wasn't telepathic.

The Turbolift hurtled to its destination in the lower section of the station and a minute or so later the doors opened as Fives regarded Tressa. "Do you have any allergies I should know about?" he inquired.

"Allergies? Not that I know of, why do you ask?"

"Its only fair... I mean I don't want to poison you with something you can't eat." he responded with a straight face where as many would have thought the question a foolish one. "It would ruin lunch for a start." he added as he led her out the door and down the hall.

"Of course," she said, shaking her head. She blushed again.

Before long they were in his quarters and they looked somewhat spartan with three crates lying in the living area but he wasn't a messy housekeeper. "So... what should we have.... you feel like Bajoran food?" he inquired.

"Sounds good, I like Bajoran."

"Alright... Hasperat Soufflé sounds good?" he inquired. "I'll add a nice Tuarly Pie for desert." he added as he regarded her with a smile. "Do you have plans for the afternoon?"

She shook her head. "No plans, Fives. The souffle sounds delightful." She looked around at his sparse quarters. "I forget you are still settling in here."

Lasky turned back to the replicator as he ordered two dishes of Bajoran food and two drinks, he then brought them over to the table and then he brought the drinks to the table. "Help yourself hon." he commented. "I've not had a chance to unpack really... just got here then I had to help with a mishap over in drydock four and then I got the Yorktown assignment." he explained.

"How are you settling in?" the doctor asked as she sampled her dish.

"I'm doing alright... I can't really complain." he smiled at her as he likewise sampled his dish. "At least the replicators here are better then my last posting."

"The programming really makes a difference, too," Tressa commented. "This is delicious!"

Lasky trurned her smile with one of his own. "Well I can't take credit for another mans work." he admitted. "As much as I might like to." he added.
"the base staff who look after the systems here should be commented for their work." he then ate a bite of his own food. "Mmm.."

As she ate Tressa watched him with her dark Sicilian eyes. After a moment or two of silence she just had to ask.

"So. Fives.... why Fives? I never got that story," she asked.

"Well... I could make a long story on why the callsign... but simply out... the last five numbers of my service number are all fives, I've had five postings and five of us graduated basic and advanced flight in my class." he explained. "I switched to Engineering because I was good at it and my last CO and I hated each other... because he got six pilots killed and I knew he was responsible... when nobody looked into it, I demanded a transfer.."

"Six pilots? What happened?"

"An ordinance mishap." he explained evenly as his eyes developed that distant look whenever one was thinking but not seeing. "A live got mixed in with the dummies." he quickly explained how someone missed it and the exercise was simple.... go out and do eyeball runs on an asteroid and .... I got the live missile."

"You didn't know..." she said softly.

"Well... the class Alpha mishap was mine actually. I fired the missile when told to do so and it detonated among my squad mates." he explained as he sighed softly. "eight birds were lost... five killed instantly while the sixth... my wingman died later..."

"He lived with his injuries?"

"No... Greg made it back to the ship where they lost him on the table." he explained. "My CO decided I was to blame but he didn't launch an investigation right away... which was a major screwup... the ships Commander launched one and everyone involved was questioned on it. I was questioned twice... once by the Captain and once by the CAG...." he sighed a second time. "I was cleared of what happened and nobody held it against me... but I held myself responsible... and when the magnitude of what had happened came to me.... I decided to go and kill the man who I thought was really to blame."

Tressa froze. "Who was this?"

"My Squadron Commander... I felt he deserved to die." he frowned a moment. "I would have done it too but two of the other pilots knew what I was doing... and they talked me out of it... I demanded a transfer and the Squadron Commander refused.... until I broke six ribs, his nose and both legs
then he accepted my request..."

The doctor blinked, watching him.

"I decided to go by my Callsign... Fives... rather then Tom Lasky." he sighed softly for the umpteenth time. "It sounded... I dunno... less human.."

She continued to watch him for a long moment, absorbing all he had said. "I must admit, not exactly the story I expected," she said gently. "I don't mean to sound like a textbook but I am a doctor; have you spoken to a Counselor about this?"

"I have... its why I can function normally instead of come apart at the seams," he explained quietly.

She regarded him as he continued to eat; the casual, flirty fellow who had asked her out during an exam was much more complex then he seemed to be.

"So will you ever be Tom Lasky again?"

Lasky regarded her. "Up to this point, a name of little more then a convenient handle for others to address me." he commented without smiling.

"Maybe you could give him another chance? Surely he deserves that," Tressa said softly.

Fives regarded her as he slowly raised an eyebrow. "Y'know... I'll consider it." he admitted softly. "Had you asked me a year ago... hell six or even two months ago.. i would have said no and then shown you the door..." he paused. "But maybe... Tom Lasky does deserve a chance..." he sighed. "I all but abandoned my humanity... I'm the last Lasky... and when I meet god... nobody is going to care..." he sighed, knowing fully well that wasn't true.

"How do you know you'll be the last? I don't think you can know that for certain..."

Fives raised an eyebrow. "Tressa.. " he paused a moment. "I am not trying to evoke your pity, I want your understanding.." he responded quietly. "I've come to terms with a simple truth. People close to me die." he then shrugged. "I've grown comfortable being Fives... but and I don't know why I'm considering it but.... I'll give Tom Lasky a chance..."

The doctor's eyes went wide for a moment.

"Pity? Are you the only person to have ever experienced loss? The children I'm raising are all that's left of my family," she began. "I've seen death more times than anyone ever should and still every time I lose a patient I lose a part of my soul."

She dropped her head for a moment, composing herself.

"Fives.... Tom, loss isn't enough of a reason to give up on being a part of the lives around you. We're born and we die, every one of us, but the in-between is what makes is all worth it."

"You sound like my old sensei, a man named Lei'Shen." he explained. "When the war ended, I resigned my commission and retreated from civilization itself as I went into the Highland Mountains, I spent six years there among the ice and snow." he slowly smiled as he was clearly recalling his time there. "They were descended from the Tibetan monks and their buildings were much more elaborate as a result." he explained.

"Tell me."

Lasky eyed her as he raised an eyebrow. "To me... home is the top of a mountain crag with a year round temperature of minus fifteen to fifty degrees Celsius with snow all the time..." he smiled as he inhaled. "Makes me feel alive..."

"I'd prefer a boat on the Chesapeake, fishing in the early morning sunshine by Oxford," Tressa said, her eyes dreamy. "Perfect, and beautiful."

Fives regarded her. "I think you'd look rather fetching in a bathing suit.... I doubt I could resist it though." he commented with a smile. "I've already preferred the cold of home." he paused. "I sometimes reset then environmental conditions in here to match those of home but... I doubt you'd enjoy it."

"I don't enjoy cold at all! Give me sunshine any day," she said with a smile.

Fives chuckled softly. "Okay so I'll take you somewhere warm.... The beach at Wai Kiki should suffice." he gave her a look as he smiled. "so.. you still have no plans for the afternoon minus your children?"

She had just taken a mouthful of food so she just smiled and shook her head no.

"Good... because now you do have plans... with me and I intend to make sure its an afternoon you never forget." he gave her a smile. "Unless you are objecting?"

The doctor chuckled; Fives seemed as insecure as she was. She tilted her head, regarding him, then grinned. "I'm still here."

Fives nodded as he looked at her plate, it was still about half full and he glanced at his. "Eat later?" he inquired as he indicated the bedroom with his head and eye.

She put her plate down, watching him do the same, and extended her hand towards him.

Fives likewise stood up after putting his plate down on the table. "alright." he said quietly.