Drowning Our Sorrows

Posted on Sun Jan 26th, 2020 @ 5:51am by Comm Tech Wulf Edevane & Pilot Allegra Jennings & Executive Officer Kenneth McTigue & Passenger Kol Wescott-Fitzgerald

Mission: The Forgotten Arm
Timeline: Eros Incident +24 Hours, 9PM Ship Time

Ken sat in the galley, alone. He had a bottle of dark brown liquid on the table as well as as a metal mug. His composure had been fraying ever since Mickey had called the meeting. His training had compartmentalised his worries, stresses, and fear away during their escape. It had stowed it in the back of his head as the ship rocketed away from Eros and he fell asleep on his crash couch. Now that the imminent dangers were gone the compartments fell, thus he drank.

Headphones in his ears, Wulf wandered into the room, intending to hunt down some food. He stopped, halfway in, and regarded the morose-looking Force Recon Marine for a second or two before making his decision to continue into the room.

"Hey," he said, a frown making lines across his brow. "You okay? You... uh... want me to leave you alone?"

Ken glanced up at the tech and cracked a half-smile. "You want a drink?"

Wulf took a half-step back, then stopped, canted his head to the side and considered this for a second. "Sure," he said.

"Mind if I join too?" Kol asked, appearing in the galley seconds behind Wulf. Not being able to sleep, owing to the ever-present image of Sully being dragged away, Kol had been wandering the ship for the better part of an hour. When he'd seen Wulf heading for the galley he'd intended on trying to strike up a conversation but noticed the tech had his headphones in and thought it best he'd left him to it. He'd originally intended on grabbing some water but his stress made the opportunity to knock back some booze seem more than ideal.

Ken gave Kol the scowl. A scowl that had many a marine quivering in their boots. Ken kept it up for a very long moment before finally deciding. "Wulf, grab two mugs. We're getting drunk tonight." And with those words a new bottle, this one of clear liquid and no label.

"Woa!" Wulf jumped as Kol spoke, the man's presence unexpected and the sound of his approach drowned by the sound already being piped into the tech's ears. He killed the feed and opted to focus on the physical reality around him, but Wulf waited until Ken decided if Kol would stay or go. As that choice was made, Wulf smiled a little nervously up at their guest, then wandered over to grab the two vessels that Ken requested. He held both out before the engineer, one in each hand and looked at the mystery bottle. "What's that?" He asked, a look of concerned curiosity on his face.

The scowl warped into something resembling a wicked grin. "Either it's strong booze, or it's purified hydraulic fluid. You're going to find out which it is." and popped the screwcap off the bottle and poured a solid four fingers into all three cups.

For a few brief moments, Allegra stood propped against the entry watching the last bit of the exchange. It seemed fitting, given everything they had just been through. And the unknown of what happening, what was coming. She didn't say a word, oddly enough as she pushed off and made her way over the the cabinet, pulling a mug free before joining them at the table and setting the fourth mug in front of Ken.

A moment of eye contact was sought from Ken, and he nodded in approval. The fourth mug was filled. The cap found its way back on the bottle. He then raised his own mug, "To the captain. To those sad bastards on Eros. And if any god smiles kindly on us, may I put a bullet in as many ProtoGen bastards as I can."

Wulf stared at the clear liquid in his mug for a solid few seconds. He sniffed it, as if he could honestly tell the difference between hydraulic fluid and high proof alcohol, then regarded Ken. If the engineer was going to drink this stuff, then the tech figured he'd risk following suit - Allegra's entrance then just signed that decision on the imaginary dotted line. "To Captain Soto," Wulf said, his gaze dropping swiftly to the cup as his voice stumbled on the words. His tone steeled a little as he added. "And to ending Commander Jensen." He raised his mug to join Ken's.

"To Captain Soto," Kol piped up. He didn't know the man beyond their encounter on Eros but his crew had saved him from becoming whatever it was Sully had been dragged away by and that counted for something. He knocked back a mouthful of the alcohol Ken had offered him, wincing slightly as it burned the back of his throat before relaxing when the soothing warmth took its place. "To Sully, the man was a pain in everybody's arse, but he didn't deserve to go the way he did," he added after a beat. He'd never thought he'd miss the man but in the galley surrounded by strangers, he wanted nothing more for the obnoxious agent to stroll in and give Kol a mouthful.

Allegra wasn't quite sure if Ken was going to pour any of the drink in her glass, or if she'd somehow inadvertently disrupted some sort of weird male bonding moment. Her only response to his glance was a questioning quirk of her eyebrow until he nodded. She gripped her mug, lifting it to hold in both hands as each seemed to say their own piece. Badgey's salute to his fallen friend was fitting. While the man had been aggravating, no one needed to go out like that. She nodded once, adding her own voice in memory of the captain. "To Soto."

Ken made a face as the potent Pallas Vodka went down. "That'll put some hair on your chest." He coughed out with a wide grin. The cap was taken off the bottle again and he filled his glass up again. "You know, I fucking love High Elysium. And I know Wulf does as well, he emptied his whole credit account at Madam Alicante last time we were there." Ken's grin grew wider as he remembered, "What was that girl's name. Alicia?"

He drank the vodka slowly, not finding it necessary to knock it back for one very simple reason - Wulf knew he'd come up coughing and he didn't need that humiliation right now. He was sober enough to know his limits, soulful enough to accept them in this moment and he still had a good half of his cup's share when Ken came up for air.

Slowly, as the engineer spoke, Wulf found a smile. It snuck up on the tech as if he was unaware of his own facial expression and he shot Ken a guilty sideways look as he responded. "Alyessa," Wulf corrected. "Totally worth six months pay and that extra money from the job I did for that friend of Mickey's." Of course, the money side of things was relative, but they didn't all need to know that. "She was... inventive." The tech looked pensive for a moment. "Candy - was that your one?"

"Cally." Ken replied. His eyes shimmered with memories of the three weeks of their intimate relationship, even if it was paid for up front. "That was some money well spent." He said with reverence. "What about you, Kol. Ever blown a month's pay on a weekend of revelry?"

"Not quite that much," Kol answered after a moments consideration, flicking his wrist absentmindedly causing the contents of his cup to spin into a miniature whirlpool. "I had my fair share of blowouts though when I first arrived on Eros, it was hard not too with Sully as my only companion" he added, knocking back the rest of his drink as his fellow agent's final moments raced through his mind again.

"That man knew how to drink," he joked as he placed the empty cup back on the table.

At first, Allegra held back, downing only half of what Ken had poured in her mug. But then the conversation took the turn it did. Really? They had to do this shit now. She tossed the rest of the liquor back and shoved her mug back over for a refill. If they were going this route, she needed more alcohol.

That misty-eyed look on Ken’s face, the way he spoke of that carnally-oriented vacation, it reminded Wulf just how far away from civilisation they so usually were. Out here in the black, trapped together on the Albatross, flotsam in transit more often than standing still. He had the sudden need for a hug, but hid that calling for affection behind questions to their new passenger.

“Your only companion? You and Sully? All romantic and snuggly?” Wulf asked, not being unkind on purpose, but genuinely confused and somewhat amused by Kol’s answer to Ken’s question. “With… each other?”

Ken chuckled and shook his head at Wulf. The bottle swung over everyone's mugs, and mysteriously the mugs were filled again. "I think what he means is that he only knew Sully on Eros, so he fled to the women of paid love for some decent company."

The comm tech blushed, and looked from one face to another around the room. Ken, amused at Wulf's dumb assumption, Allegra serious and silent, and the new guy... Wulf let his gaze stop there on Kol. He took a longer sip from his refilled mug and winced at the strength of said liquid against his throat.

"Oh, " Wulf said in response to Ken. Another small draught of clear alcohol followed. "Yeah." A tiny hint of a smile briefly lifted one edge of the tech's mouth as he stared at Kol. "You're a cop, right?" He asked, as that smile vanished and worry coloured his expression, dark eyes locked on Kol's blue. "Must be a bad one if you ended up on Eros..."

Kol winced a little, 6 months later and his exile was still a sore topic. "Special Agent for the UNIB, white-collar," he told Wulf whilst turning to face him, "Got orders to reassign to Eros after getting too invested in a case. Let it get personal and ended up pissing off the powers-that-be" he finished before taking another drink from his cup.

"Wulf." Ken sighed, "You get to talk again after emptying your mug." As the younger man tried objecting Ken gave him a stern look known to have quieted many a marine. He then turned his attention to Kol. "I remember a tour on a UNN corvet. We were on a inspection and anti-piracy operation. We had a couple UNIB agents with us. Do you get trained to drink Marines under the table? Those bastards, I believe one of them was called Hernández. We had a five bottles of tequila between eight people. I remember that I was on the floor with four of the toughest mother fuckers the UNMC ever produced. And only Lau, the smallest of us was in his chair. And Lau was swinging side to side from the shots. But those two agents were sitting all solid, having gone shot for shot..." Ken blinked for a moment. "That story kind of got away from me. My point being, do you UNIB lads get that trained into you?"

Wulf's eyes widened as Kol-the-Special-UNIB-Agent spoke, and his gaze locked with the man's until Kol went for more alcohol. Swiftly after that, as Ken addressed him directly, the tech's spine stiffened and he opened his mouth to protest said instruction. Wulf didn't want to drink the rest of his mug. He wanted to ask questions. But that look...

Silently, Wulf accepted Ken's demand. He took a seat at the table and coddled his vodka mug, taking ever lengthening sips as he listened to the engineer talk. As the potent alcohol soaked into his system, the comms tech once again paid close attention to each person in turn, the quietly beautiful Navy pilot, the definitely slightly drunk Ken, and finally, that white collar cop. Halfway through his own drink, Wulf was curious now - could the cop out-drink the engineer?

Kol considered the challenge for a moment before knocking back the rest of his drink and pushing the empty cup towards Ken, "Let's find out?" Honestly, Kol expected the outcome to be a no, but the urge to get drunk enough to wipe the past day from his mind was too much.

In one rush of a gulp, Wulf finished his mug. He coughed hard enough to make everyone think he was about to throw it back up again, then seemed to regain control. A second or two later, with a gasp of breath, he hiccuped and then spoke. "If you two are gonna compete," the tech decided. "We should play a game so me and Allegra don't get bored." Wulf made pensive face for a millisecond and then went for the frat party classic. "Never have I ever," he said, with an impish smile. "Slept with a member of the crew."

Allegra muttered something that sounded very much like 'fucking Christ'. Green eyes shot a glare at Wulf even as as she lifted the mug and took a gulp. He seriously had to go there, right now.

Kol abstained donning an amused grin. He hadn't mixed work with pleasure until he'd landed on Eros and Sully really hadn't been his type. He felt he'd be drinking a lot less than the others, but reckoned he'd just make sure to drink extra when the statement applied to him to balance it out.

The shot of home-made varnish remover disappeared down Ken's gullet. "Never have I ever been caught touching myself to cartoon porn." Ken replied after filling his glass and locking eyes with Wulf.

Face tinting crimson, Wulf grinned sheepishly and held out his empty mug to the engineer. "Gonna need a refill, please Ken buddy," he said, dark eyes bright with guilty pleasure at some not-too-distant memory. He downed the shot of liquid fire swiftly after Ken obliged and then gasped. Smooth as fresh gasoline. "There's no privacy on this ship," the comms tech added. "Japanese stuff is the best..." Wulf looked to Kol. "And surprisingly legal."

Kol chuckled, his expression amused, as Wulf tried to explain. "We all have our vices, man." The agent said before knocking back a swig himself. "I was a teenager and had just gotten into the comic scene," he said through a wince and with a shrug. Once the drink had settled he decided to take a turn and change the subject, "Never have I ever been skinny dipping," he said without much thought.

A fist raised, not in anger but in hope of a comradely bump across the table, and the tech beamed a dumb grin. Wulf toasted Kol with a fresh refill and threw it back into his throat without any sign of issue this time. The alcohol was already numbing his senses a little. "Many, many times," Wulf answered Kol's question with a bright and deliciously happy look in his eyes. Home sweet home in a dome. "Beaches are the best," the tech added.

Well. That was something you wouldn't normally find out about someone, or two someones. Green eyes darted quickly from Wulf to Kol. He was an unknown, yet here he was sitting there playing a stupid drinking game with the crew of a ship that he knew nothing about. Allegra quirked an eyebrow as she watched Ken refill their mugs. Hers was still have full, and she was the only one that had taken a turn as of yet. Palming her mug in effort of ready herself for drinking on her own question, because why the hell not, "Never have I ever been arrested." And then Allegra lifted her mug and tossed back the contents before sliding it back in front of Ken. Then point was to get drunk, after all.

Ken promptly emptied his mug. "I've seen the inside of many a station security brig, and the occasional MP stockade." Ken laughed loudly before filling his and Allegra's mug up with a couple swigs of the bottle. "Remember once with Mickey and the Captain. We were on Ganymede, drinking in some Belter bar. One of them decided that the Captain's calm collected attitude was an insult to the act on stage. That act, turns out was his sister and he felt we should've been enthusiastic. So this tall skinny Belter gets in the captain's face, and y'all know the Captain, he doesn't get provoked so he's trying to talk this drunk kid down. I just came back from the head and see this tall piece of shit in the captain's face. I close the distance just as the kid raises his fist to take a swing at the old man. Next thing the kid knows he's face down on the ground, nose facing a proper ninety degrees from his face. Wasn't hit by a taser before that time. Station security showed up proper quick."

"Ouch!" The tech winced, then grinned up at the engineer. "High five, bro."

He'd lost count of the shots downed now, and Wulf's voice was definitely louder too as he lurched forward in his seat and waved a wayward arm between himself and Ken. "More please?" He demanded happily, caught up in that imagery of a past in which included a very much alive Captain Soto. "And remember when we got busted on... busted for singing too loud to those cops? I can't even remember where that was..." Wulf's voice trailed some in deep thought, the raunchy song's catchy tune leaving his mouth as he considered locations. "Ooh," he continued, leaping topics with complete disregard for continuity. "Never have I ever shot anyone."

Almost as quickly as her mug was refilled, Allegra was taking another gulp. One that left her with the bottom half refilled. The goal might be to get drunk, but she was trying to take her time doing so. Not that such seemed to matter that much as she lowly blinked her eyes. This stuff of Ken's was obviously stronger than what she would normally seek out for herself, obviously. Green eyes peered down into the half empty mug a bit lost in her spinning head.

"Pallas, right." Ken agreed grinning before sloshing a good amount into Wulf's mug and then his own. And as quickly as he filled it, he emptied his mug again. "Never have I ever shat my pants on the float."

"Pallas! YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!" Said Wulf, volume now up to eleven. "That was it." He stared briefly at his own reflection in the surface of the newly filled mug and then drank. "It wasn't my fault though," the tech protested vehemently, his tenuous argument punctuated by overly exaggerated drunken hand gestures towards the engineer. "You made that chilli, and... it was on fire, dude."

Stifling a hiccup, Allegra wave a finger in the air, "Never eat Ken's chili."

"But it tastes soooo goooooood," protested Wulf. His face screwed up into a frown so intense it seemed as if he were contemplating some previously untold mystery of the universe, then, finally he poked Ken with a pointy finger and beamed a bright, relaxed smile. "It's your turn, dude."

Ken grinned and emptied his mug on his own dare. "Nah, Kol, mate. You need to do one or...." Ken's word drifted off as he glanced down to his mug, "It's empty. How is it empty?"

"... Looks like I've been saved by the bottle," Kol quipped as he downed the rest of his drink, fighting to keep still despite how much the room around them spun. It's crept in but whatever Ken had given them was stronger than anything he'd tried on Eros. Not that he'd ever tried off his own back, tonight had been the first time in a long time that he'd had a drink without feeling like he had to behave. He was about to say something but stopped himself as he adjusted his position.

"I reckon we could have one more round," he said as he pulled a flask out of his pocket and slightly fumbled but successfully opened the receptacle and poured himself a small drink before gesturing to Ken's. He'd taken the offending item off of Sully when he'd dragged him towards his death. The taking of the item was normal, it felt strange not returning it though. As he waited for Ken to offer his cup.

"Never have I ever taken petty revenge against a mate," he added finally. If they were gonna polish off the rest of Sully's stuff they may as well do it having fun, he could almost hear the shit the man would say if Kol had decided to mope.

Wulf reached over and took possession of Ken's empty bottle, then held it upside down, rather optimistically, over Allegra's mug. A few drops fell, and the tech shook the bottle as if that might help persuade more to join them. "There ya go!" He told the pilot as if he'd just saved her evening. A quick grin then preempted a soulful expression of pure drunken sadness and Wulf hit Kol with puppy dog eyes in the hope of being allowed some of this new fountain of booze.

Kol reached over to Wulf's glass and poured the tech a drink, "Sorry, man," he said genuinely, he had meant to pour them all some but drunken Kol had terrible executive function. After tending to Wulf he gestured the flask towards Allegra's cup, pausing before anything could leave the flask. There hadn't been much but it had gotten the four off them through one more round.

"Thank you, Kol-dude!" Wulf responded in a happy sing-song voice as he cradled his re-filled mug carefully. Hands held it protectively, as if it might just be the last available alcohol in reach for thousands of miles, and he didn't take a drink from it in response to Kol's latest statement either. His dark eyes watched the others, waiting to see if they did.

Allegra tried to nod towards Kol, the movement making her head swim a bit more than it already was. Green eyes widened as they stared down into the mug, the voice from the guys resounding in her head like someone had upped the volume in the past ten minutes. But with a bit more of alcohol, whatever it was that had been tucked away in the flask hit the back of her throat she coughed. Clearly it hadn't registered that the drink had switched. She shoved the evil mug away, and let her arms cradle her head on top of the table. And groaned. "Think Imma sleep here."

An unmanly giggle sounded from the inebriated comms tech as Allegra settled herself for the night. Wulf looked from the pilot to the new boy and finally let his gaze rest fully upon the Albatross' engineer as he spoke out loud, holding up his mug as a toast to the other two survivors. "Never have I ever carried Allegra to her bunk," Wulf chimed the words as he gently nudged the drunken Martian's shoulder. "C'mon Allie-gator," he pleaded, hopefully. "Tell us how much you love Ken?"

Allegra's muffled, sleepy voice slurred from her newly appointed sleeping spot, "I loves Ken?"

"Yes!" Wulf declared, and demonstratively waved his arms about between pilot and engineer in a declaration of his accurate call. "See, told ya! She loves you!"

Ken rose from the table and smacked Wulf gently on the back of his head. "You got to learn to keep ya trap shut." Ken laughed as he emptied the last dregs from his own mug in response to the challenge. "Now come on Allegra, let's get you to your cot." Ken laughed as he bent down to lift her up.

Kol smiled as he watched Ken lift Allegra. He'd enjoyed the night, despite the events that proceeded it, he'd found it surprisingly easy to settle with the others. They seemed like good people to him and in his drunken, perhaps overly optimistic perspective, he reckoned they'd get the answers they sought. He shook his head a little to try to stop the room from spinning before turning towards Wulf.

"Thanks for tonight guys," he said loudly enough for the others to hear, "I reckon Ken won that one," he added before necking what was left in his cup, the proceeding dizziness causing him to wait a moment more before getting up.

Wulf stood up, gave Kol a shaky bow in response to his gratitude, then extended an arm to help support the other inebriated fella. The tech stopped held that position, a stupid grin on his face as he finished his mug while watching Ken handle the Allegra pick-up.

She let him lift her with little protest, her head spinning, "Love Ken. Love Wulf, Badge guy." Allegra paused, popping her eyes open, "Evil boys."

"I love these guys," Wulf told Kol with great authority and a noticeable slur to his words. "But yeah, Ken always wins. Better get used to it, Kol-buddy." He rested a comradely arm about Kol's shoulder, wistfully observed Ken and Allegra as the two negotiated the doorway then blew them both an exaggerated kiss from the tips of his fingers. "C'mon," said the tech to the newest member of the crew, as he and Kol stumbled wobbily-footed after them. "LessgetchatoyourcabinKol, s'bedtime."

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