Men Are Stupid
Posted on Fri Oct 24th, 2025 @ 8:40pm by Lieutenant Commander Brianne Redstone & Lieutenant Vura
Edited on on Sat Oct 25th, 2025 @ 7:34am
1,951 words; about a 10 minute read
Mission:
Episode 16 - Silent Cries
Location: Outside the Klingon restaurant, Empok Nor
Timeline: MD002 1700 hrs
Vura was upset. It was hard to shake the Deltan, but Vura had made the mistake of letting Edmund get close to her. She had never allowed that since Cannir. She never let herself get to the place where she cared too much about anyone. She had enjoyed Paisley, the first friend she met on Pioneer.
Edmund, however, snuck into her soul. He had suffered like she had. They both had suffered the loss of their loved one. She had inadvertently freed his heart. What he did not understand was that he freed hers as well. The pain that she was suffering, of fighting with someone that she cared about was consuming her. Why now?
Her makeup had long since been removed from her tears. Oh, she could call her counselor, but that's not what she wanted. She wanted a drink. A name suddenly came to mind. Elen
A smile returned to her face as she hit her commbadge, =^= Elen, this is Vura. I could use that drink and then some. Tell me you're available. =^= There was some desperation in her voice.
=^= I'm down by Grek's restaurant. Feel free to join me =^= Elen replied.
Vura was already on her way, the moment she heard Elen's location. =^= Do they have real alcohol? =^= she asked. =^= I have the need to get, plastered, as I believe your species calls it. =^=
Elen's two male companions sniggered at that. The taller human stood up and non-verbally ordered two more pitchers for the table, while the shorter one went through his satchel, and extracted a small brown bottle.
"Polyfilla." he laughed, passing the bottle over.
Vura arrived in a whirl. Her makeup looked slightly off, which was highly unusual for the Deltan. She looked over at the male companions and then Elen. "Oh, you have company...."
The two men stood up, and slightly bowed, "I'm Commander Johnston Grant" the shorter one introduced, "And this is Marine Lieutenant Jamieson Fletcher, my XO. Think you might know our good friend, the newly promoted Lieutenant Commander Bombsite."
"Excuse me?" She looked over at the men and then at Elen and gave a short whimsical laugh. "Oh, Elen?" Vura's smile returned immediately. "Bombsite, eh?" Vura asked, nearly amused. "Dare I ask how you got that nickname? I'm sure that these fine gentlemen will be happy to tell me where it comes from." A small twinkle returned to Vura's eyes as she awaited the answer.
Jamie piped up "You've heard of the phrase blonde bombshell to describe a woman, well, Ellie's the blonde bombsite."
"The difference being?" Vura asked, not following.
"Elen's a mess." Jamie answered "When we met her, as a poor ensign many years ago she was a wreck- an attractive disaster of anxiety, crazy, and who-knows what, like a building that had been hit by a bomb- so, Jon and hers CO, called her that. To Odrin Gryf," he said raising his glass.
"May Gryf not be annoyed when you turn up late for your watch, which started ten minutes ago." Jon turned to him.
"Flip. Right. See you later, Commander" As Jamie left the table.
"Odrin was our boss in Scientific Operations. The present holder of the Gryf symbiont is my computer systems expert, Taran, who is in charge while we're off-ship," Jon explained. "And won't mind at all, as his watch isn't for another hour," he finished, closing an old pocket watch with a click and smirking.
"I see," replied Vura, not completely certain that she did. She turned to Elen, grinning at the good company. "Well, she's definitely much more put together now and I do believe that she owes me a good deal of actual alcohol, which I could use just about now."
Jon motioned to the small bottle on the table "Try this. It's from a people called the Calzorians. We're in the process of building a camp in their space to explore a bit more of the Beta Quadrant. They call it Angel Tears, think it's like ninety percent proof."
It took no prompting. Vura grabbed the bottle and then looked around. Something was missing for her. "Glass?" she asked. "A girl does need to maintain a certain sense of dignity."
"Better without one," Elen answered. "It vanishes in light into dust. Took me three bottles to find that out."
"Fascinating!" Vura replied genuinely and excitedly rather than the manner which a Vulcan might do so. "I hope that nothing lingers on the bottle from my pheromones that might drive you crazy.... Well, crazier than you may already be," Vura finished laughing and grabbing the bottle.
Jon just shrugged "Deltan pheromones don't affect me. One-eighth Andorian. If El's still on Anachlorotine, no problem for her too."
El looked up, "Yep. three milligrams in the morning, little greeny." Then went back to her padd, sighing. "Sorry, too many engineering things to sign off on."
Vura laughed. "They would affect you if I touched you. That is why we have the Oath. We're much more problematic than any Orion." Vura grinned proudly at Jon. "Nobody is immune from us. It can make for an interesting life out in the Fleet."
The Deltan then turned to Elen and whined, "This is shore leave. It is time to have fun. Put that away and get your Deltan friend drunk, 'cause men suck!"
"Hey, I resemble that remark!" Jon protested "I don't have to sit here and be insulted., I have a whole ship for that," mocking Vura. He stood up to leave "Get Drunk, Ellie, sort it tomorrow. Nice to meet you, Doc," he said touching Vura's wrist.
"See. nothing." He smiled. "It's in a paper, somewhere." Walking away.
El shook her head putting the padd away, took one of the pitchers on the table, and downed it in one shot.
Vura huffed, not caring if Jon was affected by her at this moment. She pouted dramatically and repeated, "Men suck. You think you know them and then they go all wonky over the stupidest stuff. I swear to whatever deity...."
"Any male in particular or just the whole infestation?" El asked.
"Edmund," Vura confessed. "I've not gotten so wound up about a man in...in...." She slumped down dramatically on the table.
"Merrick? Didn't think he was that way inclined, still comes down to engineering to think about his passed wife, Viv. Looked like he wasn't ready to date yet." El puzzled.
The Counselor scoffed, without lifting her head from the table. "He's ready. Just trust me on that."
"Ohhh...kayyyy" Elen raised an eyebrow, reaching for another drink "Suppose that's why you're a counsellor, can read the signals, if he beeped with red lights, I'd be able to tell."
That was enough to get the Counselor to raise her head. She giggled lightly. "Trust me, it would be easier if men beeped with red lights because then you would know the problem and the solution." She sighed heavily. "He's just so...so..." She exclaimed a soft, "Arrrrrrrrrgh," before continuing. "What a pain."
Elen laughed "Want an adverb? He's a marine. They're do have diagnostics, I'd have to find the manual, but it not under that pitcher, but worth looking."
For an answer, Vura took another draught from the pitcher. "I've had better than this." She put it back down on the table. "He may be a marine, but he's different, Elen. He's not closed off and he's usually sweet. But God, he's stupid about women. Just so very stupid."
"He's. A. Guy. They're all stupid. If they had a brain, they'd be dangerous. My ex-husband, Denzil, Jon, Jamie, Big Ears, Big Neil, all of them." El started to slur.
"So, what you're saying is that I'm at fault, then? For expecting too much of him? To be different?"
"You set your expectations too high. You don't get transwarp from a steam engine."
"Maybe you're right, Elen." She sighed. "I don't know. I just don't know why he thought he should get upset with me. I mean, who could get upset with me? I'm fun, aren't I? Honest and forthright.... I mean, I might tease, but not anything to be taken seriously...."
"There's your problem. Don't tease them. It's binary on, off. Keep it simple." Elen started to sway in her seat.
"Where's the fun in that?" Vura asked. "Besides, humans are just so, no offense, hopelessly naive when it comes to romantic matters."
"None taken, honey. I'm Betazoid, and very, very drunk."
"Apparently, I'm getting closer to getting there for forgetting that," she answered taking another draught up the alcohol. "Betazoids definitely are much less repressed than humans but still are a far cry from being Deltan. Again, no offense. It is just the way of the universe. But do you know what's worse? I shut myself off from all of that to come here! How stupid am I?"
El went to answer but stopped. She re-opened her mouth "I blame their coffee; it winds them up too much. Jon's wife deleted coffee from their replicators on the Feynman, the ship runs a lot better. And all the Klingon one they drink... rack a jingo or something, even worse. Terrans should stick to tea, or even better, beer," she said raising her glass.
"I'm not certain that's really practical, Elen. Their coffee? And you've had quite a bit without me, which is not fair. What's got you drinking so much today?"
"First time in six months I've seen my boys off the Feynman, we're celebrating - my promotion, their new ship, Jon's son getting christened, I'm going to be a Godmother, fairy wings optional. That and if I get drunk enough, might get some time off, the last three shore leaves didn't get any with repairs and what not." Elen explained.
"Promotion?! When did this happen?" Vura asked excitedly. Then her face became glum. "Tell me that you're not leaving me. I just met you."
"Yesterday. The order's in the pile somewhere. Finally finished level four training, so got the extra pip. Hope I'm not leaving either, getting some of my stuff out of storage to the ship- my drawing board and all the gubbins" Elen answered, reaching for another drink, and connecting on the third attempt.
"Well, if I have anything to say about it, you're not leaving," Vura replied insistently. "Who am I going to be corrupt with, otherwise?"
"Oh, please, a counselor corrupting me, how cliche, happened on the Smithberg got into a prank war so bad the senior staff all resigned, only Jon stayed, as he couldn't get his paperwork in before the Captain left," slurred Elen.*
"Oh, so I need to do something more spectacular with you? Is that what you're saying?"
Elen laughed throwing her head back "I'd like to see you try, and still have a job afterward."
Vura looked at Elen wryly, "You have a dirty mind, my dear, Elen. What exactly did you think that I would do with you? Hmmm?" She snickered lightly and took another drink.
El smirked "Buy me another drink, and we'll find out", she tried to be demure and put her head on her hand, leaning on the table, missed both, and fell onto the floor.
Vura tried hard not to laugh, but couldn't help but let out a combination of a gasp and a giggle. "Are you alright, Elen? Maybe we need to get you to sickbay?"
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Vura
Chief Counselor, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Commander Brianne Redstone
Chief Engineering Officer, USS Pioneer
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