Man to Man Talk

Posted on 15 Jun 2021 @ 4:30pm by Lieutenant JG Ron Bumble

Mission: Patching up the Copernicus
Location: Medusas head
Timeline: End of last mission
1654 words - 3.3 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

Hawkins got back from the mission down on Meladoste (Epsilon Sigma 4) he had witnessed some really weird things there, gathered some interesting data that Ron might be interested in. He decided to have a talk with Lieutenant Ron Bumble about them and something else, Commander Natasha Blackthorn. When he got back to the ship, Michael had spotted the clip that Natasha had dropped a few months back, just before the Planet Killer was dealt with. He wanted to give it to her but, something always seemed to happen when he was about to. Maybe he could just see about Ron doing so. He had been catching some signs of something maybe developing between the diplomat and the science officer. Maybe he could nudge it forward somewhat, placing the clip into his pocket, Michael called Ron,

"Ron, do you have a minute or two? I've got some information you may want to look at from the Planet Meladoste. Where can we meet?"

"Hello Michael," Ron said formally. "I'm due a break. I could meet you for a coffee in the Medusas head." He didn't tend to socialise but Lieutenant Hawkins was determined to make him his friend. Why Ron had no idea but he had no other friends so he would be an idiot to miss this opportunity.

"I will meet you there then, see you in a few minutes." Michael replied, and set off to meet with Ron.

"Black coffee, a french press and 2 cups please and a small plate of Cantucci, chocolate and hazelnut," he added.

"No problem ensign, pick a table I shall bring it over," the bartender stated.

Ron nodded. Okay that wasn't too bad. No one seemed to be staring either. He found a booth, whipped out his PADD and waited.

Michael arrived just as the waiter brought over the coffee and biscottis. "Thank you." he said then sat down across from Ron. He set his PADD on the table, " I've got the information here for you. " he looked at the coffee and the accompanying biscotti "Looks and smells great. You've got good taste. How have you been?"

"Busy," Ron said. "And than you," he set his PADD up to take the files Michaels was transmitting for him. "How was it down on the planet?" he asked. He knew Natasha had gone and wondered if she had been okay.

'It was difficult, some of the away team became under the influence of the spores that were there in the air, along with the other colony team that had been assigned there. Only a small handful though of our crew was affected, Commander Blackthorn wasn't one of them though. We spoke for just a few minutes before we started distributing the cure. She only said that she had experienced something she'd never experienced before. And didn't go into details of it. The Captain also had his own experience as well, and well, I was the knight and steed for the engineer. Anyway enough of that detail, I've got something else to talk to you about." he placed the gold hair clip that had rubies on it on the table in front of Ron.

"I don't know if I told you that I had danced with Natasha before the Europa was used against the Planet Killer, but I did." nodding towards the clip, "She lost this after we danced, her leaving the holodeck, before I did. I'd not been able to give it back to her. Anyway would you give this back to her, instead of me?"

Michael didn't know how Ron would take what he said and was asking, but he still wanted to have Ron return it. He picked up the biscotti and dipped it into the coffee that was in front of him.

The elation that Ron was feeling at hearing Natasha hadn't got sick was immediately replaced with some mild jealousy and feelings of inadequately. He looked at the clip and swallowed. Of course Hawkins had been up close with the XO. Well she wasn't anymore. She would always be his XO right?

And Hawkins was the kind of man all woman wanted to dance with. He couldn't deny that. He should let his friend have his shot with her.

"If she lost it in your company Michael you should really be the person to return it," he said quietly.

What would she make of him showing up anyway? He had read about this sort of thing. Historically woman dropped jewellery so men could have an excuse to return it to them. Even Klingon women did it on occasion.

"You have a point there, but she doesn't know that she lost it on the Andromeda, on the holo-deck when she came joined in dancing with my team and then we just talked, well that is a lie on that point. She kissed me and that is all that happened, and she left, not knowing that this slipped out of her hair. You can tell her how you got it, I just don't want to take it to her." he blew out a puff of air and leaned back in his chair. "It just doesn't feel right. What if she were to think that I was... trying to press an issue. I'm not that sort of guy. And that seems to be insulting towards her. Natasha is a rather perceptive person."

"She kissed you?" The words were out his mouth before he knew he had said them. His shoulders shrugged.

Michael cocked an eyebrow up at Ron's outburst, "I see how it is." he mused softly. "You do like her, just what I thought." a slow smile lifting the corners of his mouth. "The kiss, it just happened, that is all that happened. And it happened before the Planet Killer died."

Looking earnestly into Ron's face. "Ron, you don't need to worry about me pursuing her, I've got someone I am having strong feelings for. Natasha is just a friend. And I saw the way she looked at you during that get together with the Merlin's crew. Natasha seemed to have eyes only for you." his eyes got a distant look in them, as he related his next statement. "Ron, something happened to her, I could see some sort of pain in her eyes when we had danced. I noticed it when she sang during Karaoke. She sang 'I will Survive' then 'My give a damn is busted. ' most times when a woman sings those songs, they had something happen that broke their heart. She wouldn't talk about it, but there was just something there. I didn't press though. I've got an image that one of my dance crew had taken of her, with her red dress and that barrette in her hair. They had even recorded her, they thought that she would be perfect to be part of the dance and theater group."

Michael sent those items to Ron from his PaDD. "If you watch it, take a good look in her eyes, there was a shimmer of tears in them."

He then picked up his cup of coffee and sipped at it, looking at Ron, over the rim.

"I don't like seeing her cry but why do you say she likes me. Why on earth would any woman like me? I'm no one important. I'm not attractive. I'm a nobody. I'm not worthy of her," he said sadly.

"Ron, the way she looks at you. She is very interested in you. Have you spoken to her? Have you had physical contact with her? Has she touched you, like on your shoulder?" he took a good look at Ron, remembering what his sisters had said that a woman looks for in a man. "Okay, don't say you are nothing special. I bet you are wondering why I want to be friends with you, too. I like you, you are pleasant to be around. You don't put on any airs and you are rather intelligent. "

"I ... erm I comforted her when we beamed over from the Europa. She as crying. She put her head on my shoulder," he said quietly not sure he believed all this.

"And.. anything else? What happened?" Michael urging Ron to think over what happened that day. "Did you embrace her? Hold her to comfort her?"

"Well I was hugging her. Both of us drawing strength off the other I suppose. We had lost our ship, everyone beamed over no time to get our belongings. Everything we had was gone. It was ... emotional," Ron said quietly.

Michael nodded, his face somber. "That truly was a rather emotional time. I really can imagine what that experience would be like, losing a ship, a place that you call home for so many years, but to really truly experience that, I've not got anything to compare it to." he contemplated Ron's words. " I am sorry that happened, the loss of the ship. Perhaps something good has come out of it, Natasha, liking you."

Michael didn't think that Natasha would be the sort to just go to any port in a storm. She didn't strike him as such. "Maybe I will take the barrette to her, like you suggested. Just to clear the air."

"No ... no maybe I should do it. If .... well if there's any chance of what your saying ... and we lost everything. It would be nice to show her she hadn't lost everything. Don't you think?" he said nervously.

Michael nodded, "I think that is a good idea." moving his hand back from the barrette. "I suggest that you may want to go now and give the barrette to her. And thank you, Ron, I appreciate this."

Ron swallowed and nodded. He took the clip. If he didn't go now his courage might leave him. "Thank you Michael."

Michael only nodded, and smiled.

OFF:

Lieutenant Ron Bumble
Science officer

Lieutenant Michael Hawkins
Chief Engineer