#17 - "Blending with the Bulkhead"

ON:

 

** Crew Quarters **

 

He wasn’t sure why he even remotely thought that he should be doing this.  Brandon Wellers didn’t socialize … at least not so much anymore.  He was far more comfortable with a padd and the communications lab, by himself, deciphering syntax and coding.  But not tonight, tonight he was going to attend a costume party that the captain had requested people to be at.  Brandon of course had declined, but it was still suggested he come to the party, get to know the new senior officers that now occupied Ronin.

 

Brandon than hesitantly accepted … he certainly didn’t want to be ordered to attend!

 

Even though it had been two months, he still really didn’t know these people that well.  But then again he didn’t exactly approach them in conversation or ask to sit with them while at the bar or the lounge (not that he went to such places anyway) … the only person he had gotten to know was Jennifer LaBrie … the captain’s wife.  But the two had separated and she took on another assignment, which of course made the communications officer of the station quite sad to see her go.  But that was the life of a station officer, people came and went and that is why Brandon didn’t try to form friendship … it was too hard to let go in the long run.

 

So Brandon knew far more about the captain than he had cared to admit (Jennifer would talk a lot) … but he would never betray her trust, or the LaBrie’s so anything he ever heard he kept to himself.  Privacy was always an important issue to Brandon, so he knew how important it was to keep it.  But now, he was standing in front of a mirror, looking at what he had come up with for a costume … which by the way was not an easy task at all.

 

But he had decided on something simple, but it had required some pieces to it and some make up … lots and lots of green make up.  Brandon wasn’t used to dressing up like this, or putting on appliances and make, he wore his uniform, came home and changed, that was his normal routine … but this was hard.  He had to put on the head piece first which flattened the top of his head, he had to apply these fake eyebrows to thicken the brow, put it fake teeth (which gave the appearance of bigger, thicker teeth), and then apply the green face make up.  Then to finish it off, he had to attach the silver bolds to his neck with the applicator glue that he had replicated.  The make up had made him itch, so did the glue … but he knew he could stick it out for the couple of hours he would be there.

 

He changed into the replicated outfit (which had squared his shoulders and added bulk), laced up the big honkin boots that added to his height by close to four inches (so this is what it felt like to be taller than average).  “Well here goes nothing,” Brandon had said to the mirror.  He took a deep breath, gave his lazy beagle a scratch behind the ears and left his quarters … clunking down the corridor in his big massive boots.

 

** Costume Party **

 

Brandon entered the bar and looked around, the place was filling up … he wasn’t late, but he had wished he would have been a bit more punctual.  Everyone seemed to be in groups, mixing it up and mingling.  There were some great costumes, most of which he didn’t even really recognize which was the mystique about it really.  He weaved in and out between the people, trying to find someone who could get him a drink, he wasn’t normally a drinker but he knew he would need something strong to help him get through this. 

 

Shortly after he started the hunt, he found someone who could mix him something, it was an amber color and it didn’t taste so bad.  In fact it went down smooth, too smooth, and before Brandon knew it, he was on his second one.  It gave him a light buzz, but he still had control of all his faculties, but it still wasn’t enough to make him daring to approach people.  So deciding that he couldn’t drink another amber concoction, he asked for some water and made his way through the crowd once more.

 

He found an empty spot by a bulkhead and decided that is where he would stay for the remainder of the night …

 

<tag anyone?>

 

OFF:

 

Lieutenant < jg > Brandon Wellers

Chief Communications Officer

Starbase Ronin (47)

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