Drinking for Three

Posted on Mon May 4th, 2015 @ 3:39pm by Commander Cor Cordale

Mission: Debts to be settled......
Location: Lounge
Timeline: Just after Michelle's Personal Log

"Well, here we are."

In a lounge that was so far empty, alone stood Cordale. In his good hand, a glass of something that from a distance resembled scotch. At the table next to him, two identical glasses set out as though the Thux were expecting company. From the way he was talking, that company was already there.

"She's a Sovereign. Top of the yard, ship of the line. Oh you'd love her, Sil. Lights everywhere. Like a starfield in flight. I'm sure Cal would still love the little things in the walls that give you food when you ask." he chuckled. "They're called replicators. Sounds like something from a horror vid if you ask me." he took a sip of his scotch before he tested the waters and put his mechanical hand against the transparent metal of the view port. Sure, it was strengthened by an integrity field, but it still made him tense up a touch. "It's amazing out here. A hundred thousand stars in every direction. I'm sure one of them has a nice cozy world for us all. Thuxsphere." a chuckle, "Until I find a better name for it."

"I'm writing a book." he said to the two empty chairs. "Yeah, yeah. I know, ole Cor went and became literate." he chuckled, but the chuckle died half way through. "Not crying. Just... new ships are dusty." he muttered into his scotch.

Michelle had been on a walkabout seeing the ship, having come into where she thought she'd be spending at least a fair part of her time off... If she got that anymore. Sciences was one thing. But sitting to the right of the big chair? God, that was another. She had walked past the conversation as she took in the sites of the lounge, drink in hand herself. A few extremely overeager Ensigns had already come to say hi to her, but now this was her time away. "There's always a little splotch of dust on these things, it seems."

Cor turned to plant those icy blue eyes of his on the speaker, and whatever he had planned to say kinda died a little. "Yeah. Umm, sorry. Just having a drink with, well, my brothers." he motioned to the two empty chairs, and their not empty glasses. "They couldn't be here, in body, but ghosts will share a drink with the living." It was in his book, damnit, so it counted.

"I don't like to dwell on how long ago I lost them. I just know they've got a moment in their schedules to share a drink with the one that got out."

Michelle nodded in sympathy. It was certainly a very sweet gesture to the other two. What could she possibly say to that. "I like to think those who have left us behind always make time for us. And don't ever really leave our sides."

Cor gave a chuckle. He could certainly agree to that. "Yeah. Sometimes I get the feeling like they're right here with me. Well, except for Cal there..." he motioned to an empty chair. "If he knew that there was a place where food came out of the walls, oh it'd be like the AfterThux for him." the weaselmorph chuckled, then remembered his manners, "Sorry, umm.. Cor Cordale, chief engineer." One, Two, shit... "Ma'am." he added as he transferred his drink to his prosthetic hand to offer the nice lady his living hand.

Michelle chuckled a bit. "Michelle Bartlett, First Officer." she said as she smirked a bit and shook the 'living hand.' "Nice to meet you, Mr. Cordale."

"Please, just Cor. Mister Cordale is a respectable gentleThux. Probably an Admiral or an Emperor or something." he chuckled. It actually lifted his spirits a little, his entire posture perked up a bit. "Don't worry, I didn't lose my arm in some tragic Engineering-Related accident."

"Cave in, in a latinum mine. Arm was pinned." he motioned from one seat to another, "He held me down and fed me cheap booze as a painkiller... He brought the heat shovel down and cut me loose. When I woke up in the mine's infirmary I had this." and he raised his prosthetic hand. "Not the scotch, I mean the limb." he smirked. "Took some getting used to but I'm a fast learner.... listen to me, on and on like a rambleThux."

Michelle listened to the man as he spoke. "And I would presume that the two people who you were sharing your drinks with then..... also worked in the same place?" she asked. "I'm so very sorry. That sounds almost like more tragedy than anyone should bear."

"We all worked in that mine together." he confirmed with a nod. "And, I read somewhere that someone who has never been burned can't appreciate fire, or something like that." he was silent for a moment, "They didn't make it out of that mine. I used our pooled savings to buy out my work contract after they were, well... gone."

"You know, a lot of people go through life and have no idea what they're here for. What's my purpose? Why am I here? What's the point?" he cited. "The point is to live. To be recognized, to make a place for yourself. When folks look at humanity, they see everything humanity has done, good and bad, and then they say 'Damn, Humans are crazy!'." he stated, rather calm for what could have been a rant. "I want folks to look at a Thux and say 'Now there's someone I could depend on'."

After finishing his own scotch, he swapped it for one on the table. "Cal's a light drinker." he covered.

"Is crazy what they call us now? I always thought there were times that was shockingly diplomatic." Michelle replied. "And do you believe then that you are someone we can all depend on?" she said. "Not to cast doubt upon you on our first meeting. I've always been told it takes a special kind of crazy to jump into the fray as a chief engineer. Demanding command staff always wanting everything 6 bloody minutes ago. Oh. Wait. I guess I'm one of them now."

"I'm not going to toot my own horn here, ma'am, but I didn't say it just because it sounded poetic." he gave her a smirk, "A Thux is loyal and true to their family and their friends. I wrote that myself, because I believe it." he mentioned.

"Engineering's always made sense to me. I was an engine mechanic before I got spotted by a recruiter, y'know." he stated with a nod, "Guess everyone saw the mechanical limb and thought I was the god damned Engine Whisperer or something. Turns out, I kinda was. So I wouldn't worry too much about that aspect. You tell the helm where to point the ship, and I'll make sure we get there at all due speed."

"Oh, and as a bonus..." he took a swig of 'Cal's' scotch, "... I'll even make sure we *stop* once we get there." a chuckle.

"Sounds convincing to me." Michelle said, grinning a bit. "The engine whisperer, eh? God, on my last ship you'd have had to have been. Bloody thing was always coming apart at the seems. Made Kirk's enterprise look high tech."

Cor gave a smirk, "The Enterprise didn't belong to Kirk. Montgomery Scott just let him drive it." he chuckled. "Nah, just pulling your leg." he finished Cal's drink, and made that whole 'Should I?' look at the third glass. Then decided against it. "I won't lie and say that I'm some fearless superThux. Every time I take a posting, it's new faces and new places. That's half the reason I take the new postings. That, and I'm that special kind of crazy." he smirked at Michelle, and waggled the ridge where his eyebrows would be.

"To come to the Gamma Quadrant? You must be truly insane." Michelle said. "God only knows what we're getting ourselves into here. But my curiosity got the better of me. I'm a scientist... Not a diplomat or anything else."

"That's the lure of being an Explorer." he pointed out. "You're a scientist. I'm an Engineer who just also happens to be a Thux. We have a captain, a medic... who I still need to see about my medical entrance exam.... so yeah, we're a whole bunch of titles and specializations but at the end of the day, we're all just curious folks hurling ourselves in a direction to see what's waiting for us when we get there."

He smirked, "I hope they have coffee there." and he chuckled.

"Never much of a coffee person. More of the tea type. But... Maybe one day I'll have to see what the fuss is about. Hurling ourselves into the unknown... I'll drink to that."

"Not a coffee person?" Cor gave her a skeptical look, like she was a robot impersonating a person. "Ehh, I'll let it slide, you seem alright in my book. I'll warn you, though. I brew my own coffee in Engineering, and I use cinnamon in my go juice. If you want to see what the 'fuss' is about, and you want to do it like a champ, c'mon down one day and I'll serve you a cuppa that'll knock your socks off." he smirked. "Though, I just want to say, having the chance to like... actually talk to the upper officers really makes me feel better about this. I know it sounds sappy but really, you get to know a lot more about someone like this then just by reading some report." Cordale smirked. "I'm going to enjoy working with you, Miss Bartlett. This may sound a bit reversed, but I keep an open-door policy in the Engineering Pit. You need something, you come see me. I'll make it happen."

"I guess I Just volunteered to keep Commander Michaels' off the engineers' backs." She said with a laugh. "And cinnamon... Now there's something I might have to try."

"Now now, I'd never ask you to volunteer to do anything dangerous." he chuckled along with her. "Well, I'll have my rig unpacked in a few days and set up. I'll let you know when you can stop by." he smirked, "Though, for now, let me head to medical and get my check up. A rugged and well carved and humble Thux like this shouldn't keep the medics waiting." he chuckled as he recycled the three glasses. "It's not a small ship, but you know where to find me." a final smirk, before he took his leave.

"I certainly do. I'll look forward to it." Michelle replied. What a rather interesting being he was....