Pulling out the Chair

"And then she said…That's not my husband….. he's Nausican!"

Admiral Gardiner could barely contain his laughter as he finally reached the punchline. Although he'd told the joke a thousand times, it still got him, every time.

Banging a pudgy fist down on the table, his other nursing a double measure of bourbon. Tears rolled down his red cheeks as he chuckled, staring across the table at his drinking partner.

"Come on Jake what's wrong with you? You've had a face on you all night, and it was YOU who suggested this place!"

Commander Jacob Christopher was leaning back in the booth. Although his black skinny jeans, cowboy boots and unwashed T called back to 21st century America, his demeanour screamed Starfleet. Jacob liked this bar, its dirty feel and mixed clientele made him feel at home. The sea of Cadets, Officers, Ferengi traders and Orion fugitives made this the perfect place to unwind, to escape.

However, his rule of "never in uniform" may hide his rank; but he knew anyone looking properly could tell he was starfleet, even if he tried to hide it.

"Sir, you first told me that joke when I was your fresh-faced young Ensign, You've had three wives since then, and it still ain't funny"

" Yeah, I guess you're probably right Jake"Gardiner chuckled as he sipped his drink. "But then you used to laugh back then."

Jacob took a deep swig from his bottled beer and grinned back at Gardiner, "true, true…but I guess I didn't know any better back then. Now? Now I know your not funny"

Gardiner leaned forwards and tipped his glass towards Jacob. "I'll have less of that Commander, you might not be my cocky little Ensign any more, but I'm still a superior officer! I expect a Sir on the end of that"

Jacob leaned forward, meeting Gardiner's eye, raised his bottle to his lips, and grinned; "Ok SIR, your just not funny SIR, that ok? SIR"

Gardiner threw his head back and boomed a hearty laugh "YEP!"

Jacob pulled a sly grin and laughed slightly as he clinked his bottle against Gardiner's glass.

" So Sir, are you going to tell me the real reason you wanted to meet for a drink?"

Gardiner gave a quick glance around, Jacob didn't know if it was for effect, or if Gardiner really was looking to see if they were being overheard. Either way it didn't matter, the music was too loud and nobody cared in this place anyway. As far as anybody could tell, they were just two buddies meeting for a drink.

"No real reason Jake, it's just been a while. Thought I'd check in on my star pupil, see how he's doing, surely an old timer can do that from time to time?"

Jacob rolled his eyes " Just cut the crap, what you wana know?"

Gardiner leant back in his chair, surveying Jacob. "how's life on the Sutherland? Edward keeping you busy I presume?"

Jacob leaned forwards and had another swig of his beer " depends, you asking as Gardiner or Clint?"

Gardiner grinned, this was exactly the answer he knew he would get. He had known Jacob a long time, he expected nothing less. " you're always so defensive, can't it be both? Can't I be both? Or does that produce two different answers?"

Jacob leant back again, not taking his eyes off Gardiner. Jacob always had the keen eye for reading people, always knew when there was motive, but Gardiner was the exception, probably because he had taught Jacob how to do it.

"Well…. , Admiral Sir, The Sutherland is a fine ship Sir, Captain Jellico is the model example of a Starfleet captain Sir, the crew are the best in Starfleet and I can't wait to get back onboard for the next mission…. Sir"

Gardiner didn't react.

" But Clint this assignment is the shits, Jellico is a son of a bitch who hates everything about me an everything I do! The missions are a bust, routine maintenance on anything he feels like taking apart. The crew could be a good crew but the captain just wants drills running constantly and he belittles everyone he works with! I can honestly say he's an ignorant, arrogant dinosaur and the sooner he retires the better"

Jacob knew he sounded like a petulant child, but he didn't care. Gardiner drained his glass and sighed, "well that's too bad Jake, we're promoting him"

Jacob spilled most of his beer down his front as he choked, brushing the most of it off his t-shirt he stared at Gardiner, "promotion?!Seriously? How! Why?"

"Well…" replied Gardiner relaxing back, " We think it's time for another rank rotation. You know the score, we promote a captain to admiral, he recommends a first officer to captain, the first officer recommends a lieutenant, yada yada, you know the drill"

"Yeah, old school back hand politics at its finest" Jacob wasn't impressed.

"Old school, but it works" countered Gardiner

Jacob leaned forwards again, lowering his voice "Come on Clint, who's he going to recommend, he HATES first officers. It's like he left the academy as Captain. Anyone who's after the chair he hates. He hates me, he hated Bailey, wouldn't work with Shelby and Will told me he couldn't even be in the same room as Jellico. I know they haven't spoken since the Cardassian incident"

Gardiner frowned slightly, "Will? You mean Will Riker?" Gardiner laughed "Didn't even know you two were friends, how's he doing?"

Jacob shook his head and straightened up " not really, we crossed paths over the years, never served together, but crossed paths. You know how it is, he was the Starfleet poster boy at one point. It's funny though, all those years as the first officer of the flag ship, everything he'd done, he gets his first command he's sent to the dead end of space" He had a final swig of the bottle, then motioned to the bar for another.

Gardiner nodded to the bar for another aswell "If I didn't know you better id say you where jealous"

The girl serving at the bar brought the drinks to the table, Jacob lifted his beer immediately, "no, not jealous, but I do sometimes wonder, is it all worth it? You know me Clint, I'd love to sit in the chair, permanently this time, not just some war time field commission. You know what Iv done for Starfleet, for the Federation, but the assignment has to be right. I wouldn't be happy just negotiating peace treaties between planets and moons, there's always going to be that need for action, adventure, a little danger"

Gardiner sipped on his fresh drink and stared down at the table "hmm that's too bad Jake, it really is"

"What is?"

Gardiner looked up at Jacob and a strange, schoolboy look came over his face. " We'll ya see, there's this new, state of the art experimental vessel come up. Just been finalised in space dock, signed off by the super intendant this morning, paints not even dry. I'm back on Earth to give it to Jellicos recommendation, but I'm not so sure about it"

Jacob's heart sank, for a second he'd dared to believe, but not now, not on Jellico's recommendation. "I don't know what's shocked me more, that there's a new line in the fleet or that Jellico recommended a captain! It's been a while since anything new came up, that would be fun, they need a first officer?"

Gardiner picked up his drink and let it hover " got one, got a whole crew lined up, all waiting on the captain's sign off. She's ready to leave within the week. It's a four year mission, all the specs and parameters are on this"

Gardiner threw a microchip down on the table between him and Jacob.

"But I just don't know anymore, not sure about this guy. He used to talk the talk, ticked all the boxes. The cadets talk about him at the academy, everything they guess about his war record, none of it as exciting as what really happened, but still... This kid had fire in his eyes and knew the job like he was born to do it. But now, nah, I just don't know if he's got it any more"

Jacob raised an eyebrow "why? Who is it?"

Gardiner stood up and drained his glass, the music had been loud all night but in that moment, all Jacob could hear was the blood pounding in his ears. Gardiner grinned and slammed the glass down in the table.

"You Jacob, you"