A Difference in Opinion

Posted on Tue May 3rd, 2011 @ 5:05pm by Ensign Matthew Lessly

Mission: Episode 2.2 - "Resistance"
Location: Matt's Quarters, USS Pandora
Timeline: MD-02, 0630 hours

ON [[Matt's Quarters, USS Pandora, MD-02, 0630 hours]]

=^=The time is now zero-six-thirty=^= the computer announced.

=^=The time is now zero-six-thirty-one=^= it announced again.

=^=The time is now zero-six-=^=

"Alright already! I get it!" Matt bellowed from beneath a mound of pillows and blankets.

Digging through the layers of pillows he had at some point replicated, Matt found the edge of his bed and sat up. He hadn't gotten to sleep until after two the previous night and so wasn't too surprised that all he wanted to do was collapse back into the comfy, relaxing softness that was his bed. Unfortunately, the Pandora was scheduled to arrive at its destination within the next few hours and he had to make sure the sensor pallets were calibrated correctly.

Trudging over to the replicator, Matt activated the console and scrolled through the listings of hot, caffeinated beverages in hopes of finding something that would help him make it through the day. After a few minutes of searching, which was hampered by his still weary eyes, he found something that looked like it would work. Selecting it for replication, Matt waited a moment for the large sized thermos-mug to appear. The mug barely had a chance to finish replicating before it had been swooped up and it, along with Matt, made its way towards the small sonic shower room on the other side of the bedroom.

Crossing the boundary of the door, Matt could hear the sonic shower automatically activate with his presence. He leaned up against the wall, resting while the gentle vibrations of the shower doubled as a massage therapist.

A few minutes later, Matt walked out of the small room clean, semi-refreshed, and with an empty mug. He grabbed a clean uniform from his drawers and made his way towards the replicator to get himself a refill. About half way there, he stopped and his head drooped suddenly as he realized what day it was.

"Computer, what time is it?" he asked.

=^=The time is now zero-six-fourty-seven.=^= the computer responded.

"Enough time for a quick chat." Matt said to himself before addressing the computer again. "Computer, open a comm line to Earth, Lieutenant John Forest."

The computer beeped in response as Matt made his way towards his desk. He was struggling to get his left arm through the arm of his uniform's undershirt when a familiar face appeared on the screen.

"I was wondering if you'd forgotten about me." John said with a somewhat cheeky smile on his face.

"No... I just had a late night and forgot what day it was." Matt responded.

John made a mock-hurt face. "You mean you went out? Without me? I didn't think you ever did anything like that."

Matt stared at John, his face expressing how he wasn't amused by the statements. "One of the science crewmen thought he accidentally released a strain of the Magosian Reimore Virus we've been studying onto deck four. I was 'out' until two last night making sure he hadn't and that nothing was contaminated."

John laughed for a short moment before stopping. "I'm sorry, I hope everything was alright."

"Everything except my sleep cycle." Matt responded, thinking he should have replicated his refill before he called John. "How are things at exciting San Fran Shipyards?"

John shrugged. "They're alright. We launched one of those new Legacy-class ships yesterday. Some admiral put a rush job on it and so it was sent out over a month ahead of schedule. I just wish these admirals would realize that we only have so much manpower. Now we're behind on seven other ships, not counting the ones that are only here for repair."

Matt shook his head. "I'm sorry."

John shrugged again. "Oh well. It wouldn't be the shipyards unless we were behind on half of our ships."

Matt nodded, knowing that they were, unfortunately, always behind schedule on something.

"Say," John said, sounding somewhat hesitant, "I've got a question for you."

Matt's eye's narrowed. It wasn't that John was telling him h had a question before he asked it that bothered him, it was the way that he said it. "Okay..." he replied, wondering what John was going to ask.

"You've met my family, what, three times now?" John started. "I was just thinking that, the next time you get leave on Earth, it would be nice if we-"

"No." Matt interrupted, knowing exactly what John was going to say. "Absolutely not. I've been on my own for nearly ten years now and I've never looked back. I don't want to star-"

"They can't be that bad, Matt." John pleaded. "I've met my share of people like them and they've never bee-"

"You don't know them, John." Matt answered. There were very few subjects that could get Matt angry quickly, and John had just hit on one of them. "They threw me out of my own house. They forbid my sister from having any contact with me whatsoever. You had a supporting family growing up John, I didn't. If there was a chance that they would let me into their home, do you really think I would have lived in group homes and on the streets from sixteen until the academy? What makes you think I want to have anything to do with them, let alone introduce my boyfriend to them?"

John took a deep breath. He had known from his limited conversations with Matt on the subject that his family, his parents specifically, was a sore spot to him, but he never expected him to get to angry about it so quickly. It just wasn't something that seemed to be in Matt's character.

Not wanting to push the issue at all, and knowing that they both had to get to their duty shifts, John lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Matt."

Matt shook his head and reached for the command button to deactivate the communication, but stopped with his hand just above it when John said, "Matt?"

Looking up at the screen, Matt held back the urge to cut the transmission right then and there. "What?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly.

"I love you, you know that, right?"

Even though his anger was surging, Matt couldn't help but smile slightly. After all, it wasn't John he was mad at, it was the subject. "I love you too." he said, before cutting the channel so John couldn't say anything more.

OFF:

A Post by:

Ensign Matthew Lessly
Chief Science Officer
USS Pandora

Lieutenant John Forest (NPC)
Dock Master
San Francisco Shipyards
Played by Ens. Lessly