"Guilt and Grapevines"

[Guest Vulcan3324]

"Guilt and Grapevines"

A joint log by Lieutenants j.g. Westler and T'Parek

October 15, 2155

 

T'Parek looked down at her Mediterranean vegetable wrap and sighed. She was still on edge from her incompetence with the transporter, and it was clearly affecting her personality that evening. Aaron pushed his plate aside and looked at T'Parek.

 

"It's still bothering you, eh?"

 

Was she doing that poor of a job at hiding her emotions? "What do you imply is 'bothering' me, Lieutenant?

 

He just looked at her. "You know what I'm implying is bothering you, the whole

transporter incident."

 

T'Parek pushed her plate aside. "And why should it not? I was the one who killed

Watterston. His death is on my shoulders."

 

Aaron looked down. "But it was an accident, wasn't it?"

 

"An accident, yes, but clearly due to my own negligence." She calmly folded her napkin on the table. "Gross negligence, I might add."

 

"But you did get everyone else back, didn't you?"

 

She nodded, looking down at the brushed silver of the table. "I suppose I did," she remarked rather drily.

 

"So how is that gross negligence? Couldn't it have been a computer glitch? You did your best"

 

"I suppose I did." She didn't look particularly convinced. "Have you ever had something of a similar nature happen to you?"

 

Aaron sat back and looked up at the ceiling. "Remember Ensign Lucky? I suppose it was partly my fault he died. I didn't stop the Suliban that stowed away after launch fast enough. Lucky would not have died"

 

T'Parek nodded. "That is rather illogical." She took a breath before continuing. "I

cannot see a direct link between the two facets of the incident."

 

Aaron looked straight at her. "And that's how I see this incident. It was something

out of your hands. Not everyone can be perfect, and not everything can go right all the time."

 

A brief flicker of amusement crossed her face for the first time since T'Parek's

Transporter Incident. "So you don't think I should resign my commission?"

 

Aaron blinked. "Did you just say you are thinking about quitting?"

 

"I didn't use that term, but under the circumstances, I believe it might be an

appropriate course of action." She shrugged. "I suppose it may not be entirely necessary, given the fact that I'm not the first Starfleet officer responsible for another's death."

 

Nodding, Aaron said "Well if an officer resigned every time a mistake was made,

there wouldn't be a Starfleet, now would there. Things happen, and sometimes they don't turn out the way we want them to."

 

She nodded again. "Logic dictates that you are correct, Mr. Westler. I do have one more question for you, and that is simply, 'How did you

move onward?' "

 

Aaron thought for a moment. "Well, that's a bit difficult to say. Right afterwards

we had a hard time in Engineering putting everything back together...but it was hard. Losing anyone, friend, crewmate, family, is hard to deal with. I think you just have to go on and not dwell on it all the time. Don't keep saying to yourself that it was all your fault."

 

"It isn't ... logical," she replied, sounding a bit more like her old self.

 

He sighed. "Not everything needs to be logical T'Parek. Some things never are."

 

T'Parek glanced off to the side and nodded. Clearly, she was doing better mentally, but she still wished to talk about something else entirely. "So, Lieutenant. I'm fairly new to the Bridge, and the ship's grapevine didn't always reach the Lab. What's the gossip going around?

 

Aaron could tell she wanted to talk about something else, so he went along with it.

"Well, the last few days in Sickbay have told me a few things."

 

"Do tell!" she said, rather glad that Westler had dropped the subject about the MACO. She'd heal, naturally ... in her own time and way.

 

He smirked. "Well, it appears Montague is 'interested' in Doctor McCellan."

 

She raised her right eyebrow. "Indeed? Since when has this been going on?"

 

He shrugged. "No clue. I just saw him place a gift on her desk. There's one other

'couple' that I know of." He smiled.

 

"Oh really? Who might that be?"

 

"Well, Mr. Vank from Security. He um, kinda, likes you, I think."

 

T'Parek stared at Westler in utter shock and disbelief. "What gives you that impression?" she asked. She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Then our meal together must have been what humans would term a 'date'."

 

He sat back. "You had dinner with him? Who asked who?"

 

Can't keep your mouth shut, can you, T'Parek? "He asked me."

 

Well, now, looks like Vankey has the hots for T'Parek here... "Well, now, it looks like he indeed does like you." He winked.

 

T'Parek had learned one very valuable lesson in her time among humans: the art of diverting one's attention away from the original matter in the hopes of 'changing the subject'. "You humans have rather complicated mating rituals. Do you not find them illogical at times?"

 

He smirked. "Yes, it's a bit, illogical, at times." He paused. "I do believe you're

trying to draw me away from the subject at hand, T'Parek."

 

This one's smart. "Why no, Lieutenant. The thought never crossed my mind. "

 

He laughed a bit. "Firstly, you can call me Aaron. Second, what are you going to do about Vank?"

 

"Do, Lieutenant... Aaron? Perhaps you would be the one better suited to answer that question. I am a Vulcan. He is a Human. My experience shows that Human males are prone to infatuation, which quickly cools after a short amount of time."

 

"Infatuation. Yeah, we do get "the hots" sometimes. However, most of the time it

does cool off it's because the object of the infatuation doesn't seem to want to be with the guy. You aren't going to do that to Vank, are you?

 

She shrugged. "Not necessarily. But there are ... several matters ... of a personal note ... that he would have to be acquainted with before any long-term relationship."

 

Aaron looked at her. "Well, maybe I should set up another dinner for you two,

maybe you can talk about those...matters."

 

T'Parek's eyes widened. "No, no thank you! I mean ... err ... it's kind of you to offer, but I'm certain that if he wants to have dinner, he'll ask me himself." She suddenly looked rather flustered.

 

Aaron smiled inwardly. So maybe she does have some feelings inside that blank Vulcan face... "All right." He looked out the window at the stars.

 

T'Parek stood and nodded politely. "It's been a rather long day for me, Aaron, and I wish to meditate before retiring for the evening." She made the traditional hand sign and inclined her head. "Thank you for your company."

 

Aaron stood up too, piling the dishes on each other, nodding. "Have a good night

then. I won't be able to sleep yet after all that rest in Sickbay. I'll see you on the bridge next shift then?"

"Indeed," she replied.

 

=END LOG=