Clearing the air

Posted on Tue Aug 4th, 2026 @ 1:48pm by Commodore Charlotte Reyes & Lieutenant Commander Maximo (Max) Vero

1,616 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Season 1, Episode 1: Ashes of Wolf 359
Location: Steyn Residence, Cape Town, Earth
Timeline: During party before launch

ON:

Max wasn't sure what room this was. It kind of looked like some sort of reading snug/office. He wasn't even sure she was following him but he went in anyway and quickly used the towel to rub some of the moisture out of his hair. The noise and chatter lowered so he assumed she had followed and turned around.

Charlotte closed the door after them both, standing with her back to the entryway and not moving much further in. She stayed silent, allowing Max to open this conversation given that it had been him who prompted it.

"I am sorry," he said genuinely. "It not something I have ever done before. You said you were escaping. Well so was I, actually no I cannot escape my situation. I tried too. I have had to accept that." He moved the towel and tied it round his trousers to soak up the water there and started unbuttoning his shirt. He figured she had already seen his chest.

"I no making any further move on you. I just ... to squeeze it out ..." he muttered. There was a pot plant. It looked like it could do with some hydration.

Charlotte hid a smile at his words, seeing part of the humour that had attracted her at the time. Her eyes scanned his chest as further memories were dug up of that night; a time she had genuinely managed to escape for one night before the day came and reality settled back in.

"So what...did you think when I woke in the morning that I was going to try and tie you down? Want more than that one night?" Charlotte couldn't keep the sharp edge from her words as she sought answers to the questions she'd had weeks to stumble across in her mind.

"I no think. There were too many thoughts ..... I thought it would help, you seemed so nice and made me laugh for the first time since it happened .... but I was wrong to allow it to go that far and leaving .... if I had stayed it was no fair to have you have to deal with what I was dealing with very badly, " he got the shirt off and squeezed it within an inch of its life over whatever long leafed green thing was potted. Pouring his frustration into that, he just had to say it all and so far he had only done that with counsellors.

"I am 129 years old. I am not from your time. I was flung on a federation vessel the Oberth from the past right into the battle with the cube aliens. Nobody knew what to do with me. I took a ... as you say Hiatus ... from Starfleet and went home. I was pretty much going to throw that career in. I thought might help, familiar Si, new start completely Si... but it didn't help because everyone was ... is dead," he said. He had had to say these words a lot of times to several people lately and he still didn't think it was fully sunk in some days. "I was not ready that night for that new start it seems."

Charlotte took a sharp intake of breath as she listened, her hand tightened on her shoes as whatever answer she expected; she hadn't expected this one. "I..." Words were lost to her as she tried to process the information both as a woman but also as a fleet officer. Of course she knew of the USS Oberth, what commanding officer wouldn't. A ship that history books showed disappeared from the universe but only several weeks ago suddenly appeared in the middle of Wolf 359.

"I..." She tried again to find something to say, instead moving to sit on one of the couches in the room. Taking moments more to try and gather herself again. "129 years old...I always had a feeling that I was older than you at 42 but I guess I didn't get that right either."

Max pulled his shirt back on. "I probably would have gone ... into the depression. I think you saved me that night. I was so lonely, home wasn't home any more. It was similar but so big. Too many differences. I tried to live back in the past, Find the past again. I was thinking about becoming a tour guide ...." he laughed at himself ..... "and well I felt again. It was the needed feeling but the wrong circumstances. And timing. They send me to numerous head doctors. I'm a rare commodity apparently they all want to research me. Keep checking in.

"You did nothing wrong. You are beautiful. Being 42 was no issue you need to worry over. The "relations" were wonderful. I am at fault and I sincerely apologise."

Charlotte flexed her fingers as the instinct to want to hug Max in that moment was nearly overwhelming. Her heart has broken a little realising just what he was he'd kept hidden so deep that she'd even missed there something being amiss. How could she be angry at him now knowing the weight he carried on his shoulders.

She left the moment stretched on for another beat before giving in and moving to her feet. She moved closer, resting her hand against his arm as if to steady him as much as herself. "And I'm sorry...call it wounded pride but Maximo...I didn't know. If I did this would have gone a lot different."

Unable to resist, the woman's fingers moved to under Max's chin as she sought to get him to look at her directly. "Your not a rare commodity, your you. A man who's life has been completely changed without having had any say in it. Anyone who's life was ripped out from beneath them in one foul moment would buckle and give in. You found something to cling to for a moment and that's ok."

He nodded and gently reached for her hand, pulled it up to his lips and kissed it once.

Then he said, “We will always have Bologna Bella if you can erase a stupid scared relic of a man running out on you.

If you’re willing, could we start again? Would you consider to be my friend in this strange time and universe?”

Charlotte found herself hesitating, his nickname for her brought back those memories that before this encounter had brought with them hurt. She knew she needed time to resort through them all again; forgiveness and understanding were easy but healing still took time.

At the same time, she understood that Max had laid himself open, shown his vulnerability. In her he seemed to have found an anchor and he needed friends. She hadn't gone into that night looking for another more than escape herself; he has been no different.

Squeezing his hand a little gently, she couldn't help but smile. "I mean sure...friendship sounds like a plan. But there's something you should probably know first..."

He nodded and let her continue.

"My profession is being one of those head doctors. It seems you already have enough of them queueing up to poke you like a specimen; are you sure you want another as a friend?" Charlotte tilted her head a little to the side as for the first time this evening genuine laughter filtered through her eyes.

“Si. We no need to talk about what’s in my stupid head. I have picked 2 of the counsellor's, my apologies if head doctor is the wrong phrase. I have agreed to work with these two remotely for the “research”. One he likes dinosaurs. Real dinosaurs. Works above a planet with them,” he said positively. ‘Dinosaurs they are cool. no matter what century you hail from.

But you and me, let’s be the friends who can laugh, enjoy talking and appreciate each others company.”

Charlotte laughed genuinely this time; loosening a tightening in her chest that had been there since she woke up on her own that morning. "Dinosaurs...I'm not sure that I even want to know anymore."

The woman let go of Max's hand before taking a step back, giving them both space to breath after what was just said. "Alright. Friend. But..." Charlotte's eye trailed along the man's bare chest before she pointed to it with one finger, "We may need to work on the shirtless thing. I'm only a woman after all."

Max nodded. "See your my best friend already. You keep me out of trouble," he said buttoning up the shift quickly. "I make no promises though on keep my shirt on, if I keep ending up in bodies of water. It not my fault. I fear I am now cursed by Poseidon himself."

He said the words as joke but there was something in his stomach. A strange feeling. His mother used to get those. Nah he was probably still feeling awkward he's made an ass of himself falling in the pool. No one in the family had inherited her 6th sense.

"Maximo there's something else..." Charlotte took a breath as she begun to put two and two together and realised there was more information he needed to know. If he was a crew member of Marc's, the man would learn soon that she was Marc's assigned Commodore. "You see..."

The woman's words were cut off by a firm knock on the door followed by a voice announcing all senior staff where wanted by the Captain. "Damn...look...maybe we can continue this conversation another time?"

"Si but of course," he smiled at her, indicating she step out first. "We pin it, till time."

:OFF

Cmdr. Max Vero
XO, USS Genesis

Commodore Charlotte Reyes
Starfleet Command

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