The Measure of a Man, part 4/6 (B5, fic, rated G)
The Measure of a Man
Five Times John Sheridan Had a Drink (And One Time He Didn't)
Links to previous chapters--
Part 1: Elizabeth Lochley
Part 2: Jack Maynard
Part 3: Anna Sheridan
"... no man is useless while he has a friend."
- Robert Louis Stevenson
“I think a man ought to get drunk at least twice a year just on principle, so he won't let himself get snotty about it.”~Raymond Chandler
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Io had a bustling spaceport, full of humans and aliens, some of which Captain John Sheridan couldn't even identify. He was here for an interim mission, chasing down a group of raiders that had been hitting the shipping lanes between Jupiter and Mars. EarthForce Intelligence felt they were based on Io, though not in the main colony of Galileo-town but somewhere in one of the ancillary small outposts.
His posting to the Agamemnon had just come through, but the ship, his ship, was still on its way in-system for refitting and repair. In the meantime, he'd been sent to mop up this problem, before heading back to Earth to supervise the Aggie's re-fit. He'd been given a small, fast military police ship, equipped with two swift and destructive flyers. While studying the personnel stationed on Io that would be available for temporary assignment to him, he'd come across a familiar name. The first time he'd met Susan Ivanova hadn't been under ideal circumstances. It had been just after the war, and he'd been doing the rounds, meeting with the families of the men they'd lost on the Lexington. With Captain Stern gone, that duty had fallen to him. Ganya Ivanova had been a superb pilot, and John wasn't surprised to see that his sister was as well. And that had given him an idea.
"Lt. Ivanova. Come in," John held the door to his makeshift office open wide. Susan Ivanova crossed the threshold, back ramrod straight. She paused in front of the desk, which John had retreated behind, and gave him a crisp salute.
"Captain Sheridan. It's good to see you again." She waited at attention.
"At ease, Lieutenant." John gestured towards the chair on the other side of the desk. "Have a seat and let me tell you why you're here."
He watched her carefully while he described the mission, enjoying the light in her eyes as he offered her a temporary position as his second. "I've spoken to Major Godwin already. He has released you from your duties here. He speaks quite highly of you, thinks you're on a fast track to your own command."
Susan flushed with pleasure at the forthright praise. "I hope so. Thank you for the chance, sir."
"Let's go over our plan of action. I'm waiting on some last minute information from Earth, but I don't expect the basic line of attack to change." John pulled out a tablet computer and pulled up maps of the surrounding outposts. Susan pulled her chair around to his side of the desk and they settled down to work.
After a few hours, John sat back in his chair, stretching out his arms to either side. "Well, this shouldn't take long, a couple of days at most. We're pretty sure where they are, and we've sent out the false information that should lure them out of hiding. Tomorrow we'll take up position and wait for them to take the bait."
Susan nodded, making a few notes on her own tablet. "Do you have any other instructions?"
"Not tonight. I'm just going to put in a call to my wife, then I'll grab some dinner." John turned to the com unit, but Susan interrupted him.
"The mess is closed by now, I'm afraid. I was heading out myself...you want to join me?" Susan asked.
"Sure," John replied. "Give me a few moments to get this call through." Susan nodded and stepped outside the office to give her superior some privacy.
After several minutes, John came out into the hallway. Susan was just finishing making a call from the wall-mounted comport. She turned to John and said, "I made us reservations at the Volcano Cafe. It's a big tourist attraction, but the food's pretty good, and you can't beat the view."
As they walked down the corridor, Susan said hesitantly, "I wanted to thank you again for coming to the Academy to tell me personally about Ganya."
"It was no problem," John replied. "He was a good man, and a good pilot." He saw her finger her gold earring, as if she were nervous. Striving for a neutral topic, he asked, "How's your father?"
Susan didn't break stride. "I haven't heard from him lately." Her voice was steady but no further response was forthcoming.
"That's too bad," John replied, sensing some strong emotion held in check within the young woman. Trying to change the subject, he asked, "So why did you join EarthForce?"
Susan whipped her head around, "Why did you ask that?"
"Just curious," John answered, watching her closely, "What is it? Something to do with your father?" Susan just shook her head. John walked silently beside her. He liked the young woman, and felt some responsibility for her as a younger officer. He offered, "If you ever want to talk, about anything...anything at all. You just have to ask."
"Thank you," said Susan simply. Turning a corner, she pointed towards the tube entrance. "It's just one stop."
The Volcano Cafe was in the main dome, overlooking the Ionian Plains. Eruptions of orange lava spilled out over the yellow cracked ground, making the alien landscape almost autumnal. The tall glass wall was on the far side of the hot sulfur springs that ringed the cafe. Patrons could take the waters either before or after a meal. It was casual in the extreme, with customers in various stages of undress, both in the springs and at the tables. There were several levels, risers and railings separating the springs from the main dining area.
John tried to avoid staring, and kept his gaze on his fellow officer. Susan strode confidently through the crowd, pausing occasionally to greet a friend or co-worker. She stopped at a table near the bar, and held up one finger, then looked over at John. "Sir? Can I get you something?"
"Let's leave off the 'sir'. At least during the course of dinner. And make it a whiskey, straight up." John held out a chair, and Susan took a seat. A waiter came over with a vodka neat and a whiskey and laid them in front of the two officers.
"On your tab, Lt. Ivanova?" asked the waiter, handing them both slim tablet menus.
At her nod in agreement, John broke in, saying to the waiter, "I'm buying tonight. Lieutenant," he added, addressing Ivanova, "You've got tour guide duty; no need to pay for the privilege."
Giovanni waited patiently while the two of them dickered briefly over payment, then began to recite the specials. John listened politely, but most of the dishes were unfamiliar to him.
Susan leaned forward and said, "All the specials are good, or you can trust anything Giovanni recommends."
"Let him pick then. I'm up for anything, as long as it isn't moving and isn't an insect. I've never gotten used to those. " John handed the tablet back to the waiter, and waited patiently while Susan went over the menu with Giovanni. Then the two of them chatted quietly over their drinks, which were followed by another round, and then another with dinner. John switched to water upon the realization that he couldn't keep up with Susan's pace, not and expect to pilot a runner in the morning. She followed his lead soon afterwards, he noticed approvingly, although he found it astonishing how little effect the alcohol seemed to have on her.
As the meal was coming to a close, Giovanni approached them with a large curved glass, filled with a liquid that shaded from a deep orange at the base to bright yellow at the top. A blob of red material floated about halfway up, changing shape and size as the liquid was jostled by movement. He set it on the table in front of Susan, who stared at it suspiciously. "What the hell is this?"
Giovanni shrugged one shoulder expressively, somehow keeping the rest of the drinks on the tray immobile, and answered, "It is an offering from that one, over there." He managed to indicate a tall slim man in a brown suit at a nearby table. Susan's face tightened as she looked in the direction the waiter indicated. John looked as well, noting the black gloves the man wore, identifying him as a member of PsiCorps.
"Friend of yours?" he asked casually. "And what kind of drink is that supposed to be?" he went on, trying to lighten the atmosphere. He noted the thunder in Susan's eyes and her tight grasp on the tableware.
"No friend of mine," replied Susan shortly, running her thumb along the serrations of the knife she held.
"It is a specialty of this place, sir," answered Giovanni, who looked uneasily at Susan. "A Jovian sunspot."
"Well then," said John, trying to keep her attention off the other man, who was making motions as if he was going to come over to talk with them. "You mind if I give it a try, Ivanova?" He picked up the glass and took a gulp, avoiding the red stuff as best as he could. Choking at the bitter taste and on the astringent fumes assaulting his nose, he managed to get out, "Not exactly what I would choose to impress a woman."
"He's not trying to impress me," answered Susan. She was obviously furious. "He's trying to pick me up. And he's been told before, in no uncertain terms, the extent of my complete and total lack of interest."
The man walked over to the table and leaned over towards Susan, talking directly to her over top of John's head. John resisted the impulse to intervene. Ivanova looked as if she could handle herself, and it would be interesting and informative to see what she did. Their table was on the left side of the main dining room, only a few feet from a railing with one of the smaller hot springs below. John had already removed his jacket due to the heat rising from the warm pool.
"Lieutenant Ivanova," purred the slender man, his eyes dark and hooded as he flicked a glance towards John, then returned his gaze to Susan. "I see you found some free time after all." Without looking directly at John, he remarked, "Susan told me she would be working tonight when I asked if I might take her to dinner."
Susan was silently seething, so John, swallowing the obvious answer, tried to smooth things over. "She is working," he said in a deliberately steady voice. "We're just taking a break. Everyone's got to eat," he added in a tone that indicated he thought it was optional in this man's case. When the telepath didn't bother to reply, John added caustically, "Not that it's any of your business. If you'll excuse us, we have work to do?" His pointed stare at the back of the man's head could have drilled a hole clean through it.
"Excuse the interruption, sir," said Susan. "Let's talk privately, Mr. Jeffries," she said, with a gracious smile, standing and moving towards the railing. The man followed her like an eager puppy, only pausing to flash a triumphant look at John. He leaned against the railing, one arm stretched along it and the other possessively reaching for Susan. Without any hesitation at all, she took hold of his outstretched arm, twisted it up against his back and tipped him forward, over the railing, and into the spring below. Then, without a backward glance, she returned to the table while John watched, quickly closing his mouth which had fallen open.
Reminding himself they represented EarthForce, John asked calmly, "Do you think we ought to make sure he's not drowning?" He found himself hoping this wouldn't become a capital-I incident.
"He'll have sent a telepathic SOS all over this room," remarked Susan. "See," she added, "Look."
A group of similarly clad men and women in brown and black suits came hurrying through the tables to assist Susan's admirer. He was pulled out sputtering and holding one arm with the other. "That bitch broke my arm," he declared, eyes spitting poison at Susan. "She can't do that!"
Two of the telepaths broke off from the group assisting Jeffries and approached their table. John rose; he towered over them, a bulwark of authority. "Is there a problem?" he asked, his voice low but stern.
"I wish to place a complaint of assault," said one of the men.
"That's understandable," replied John. Susan remained poker-faced, and seated. "And it's good of you to recognize and condemn the behavior of one of your own." He looked down his nose at the man, impeccably dressed in a black suit-jacket with a tight collar that made his head appear if it were floating. "An unauthorized scan of an EarthForce officer is a serious crime." As the man started to protest, he added mildly, "I believe it's treated as treason if the officer is on active duty."
Without looking at Ivanova, he asked, "You are on duty, Lieutenant?"
"Yes sir," came the crisp reply.
John loomed over the telepath, "Now, if you really want to continue this conversation, we'll head down to headquarters. Your friend's injury can be treated in MedLab there, and we'll file the papers requesting an official investigation."
The man's eyes narrowed. The other started towards John, fists clenched in black leather, but the first man stopped him with a look. "Perhaps it was a misunderstanding after all," he said blandly. "The course of true love, and all that. Two young people over-reacting..." glancing at Susan contemptuously he added, "Jeffries was told the guidelines about fraternization outside the Corps. I will remind him if he has forgotten. It is good of you to offer to help with his injuries, but we take care of our own." He bowed slightly towards John, and the two telepaths rejoined the group now shepherding Jeffries out of the restaurant.
John sat down, and gestured to Giovanni. "I think maybe one more round is in order," he said. As the waiter retreated to the bar to fetch their drinks, he saw Susan looking at him with some apprehension.
"How did you know?" she said abruptly.
"Know what?" asked John. Picking up the glass Giovanni had placed in front of him, he took a large swallow.
"That he tried to scan me," replied Susan. She started to add something, then stopped.
"I didn't know for sure," replied John, finishing his drink. "Just seemed like something a weasel of that sort would try. It was a shot in the dark, and a lucky one at that." He looked sternly at her. "You don't make a habit of flinging unwanted suitors into pools, do you?"
"No," she replied, the color returning to her cheeks. "Not as such."
"Good," replied John. "Now drink up, and let's get out of here. We've got a trap to set."
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