No ‘E’ in Whisky
Posted on Wed Jul 1st, 2026 @ 1:45pm by Ensign Nyx Calder & Lieutenant Amy Gordon
1,578 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Operation Kakori
Location: Messhall, USS Valiant
He was hungry, after that meeting he had requested with the others, Edmund headed for the messhall. Upon entering he went to get something that wouldn't give his throat issues. Looking at the replicator menu he looked to see what struck his interest.
Ice cream, that truly sounded wonderful and soothing for his aching throat. Talking had taxed his voice just a tad. Vanilla ice cream he made it a banana split, no nuts. As he went to find a seat, he noted that there was someone there, one he had wished to speak to. Lachlan.
He moved in that direction, taking a seat, and taking a bite or two of his dessert before speaking.
"Glad you made it back." Edmund remarked, "Wasn't certain who all would."
Lachlan was halfway through something that barely qualified as a meal, a bowl of broth, torn bread, and a mug of coffee strong enough to start a fight. His throat still felt rough where Korrath had got hold of him, so anything heavier could wait until his body stopped taking inventory.
He looked up when Merrick sat down, taking in the banana split with a brief flicker of amusement before his eyes moved to the bruising and the tiredness underneath it.
“Aye,” he said quietly. “Same to you, sir.”
He set the spoon down, because pretending to eat through this conversation felt worse than not eating at all.
“Wasn’t exactly a comfortable extraction.”
That was one way to put it. Four people going after Quaid, then fewer angles than he liked, too many prisoners, one unknown Klingon, a Cardassian assassin in the dark, and not enough hands for the work. The sort of numbers that looked bad on a board and worse in a room full of smoke.
He kept most of that behind his teeth.
“It was close,” Lachlan said instead. “Closer than I’d have liked. Korrath helped get you out when you went down. Would’ve been a harder carry without him.”
A small pause.
“I told him I’d vouch for him. Didn’t make promises past that, but he earned someone standing between him and the usual panic.”
He picked up the coffee and took a swallow, letting the heat scrape down his throat.
“Still,” he added, voice lower, “everyone came off that station breathing. I’ll take that over neat and pretty any day.”
Korrath, so that was how he came off the station. He regarded Lachlan for a few moments before he rasped out.
"The fact that you-that he." Edmund shook his head. "Thanks for bringing me back."
He looked down at his bowl of ice cream then looked at what Lachlan had,
Edmund realized that he had forgotten one thing that was needed when eating ice cream. Something warm.
"I'll be back, and you won't need to send anyone for me." the major attempting to laugh. It came out as a dry and grinding sound. Edmund winced, then gave a smirk as he rose from the table.
Coffee, he decided on, but also brought over water as well, stiffly sitting back down.
Lachlan watched Merrick rise, stiff and stubborn, and let the faintest hint of amusement touch his face.
“Aye, good,” he said. “I’d hate to organise a rescue party before I’ve finished my soup.”
The joke landed gently, because neither of them had much room for anything heavier. He tracked Merrick’s walk to the replicator without making it obvious he was doing it, only looking down again when the Major was steady enough to make the return journey under his own power.
When Merrick sat back down, Lachlan waited a beat before speaking.
“And there’s no thanks needed, sir.”
His voice stayed quiet, roughened by his own bruised throat.
“I wasn’t leaving you on a Cardassian deck. Not you. Not anyone.”
He picked up his spoon again, though he didn’t eat straight away.
“Korrath helped, aye. But getting you back was never in question. Only how awkward we were going to make it for ourselves on the way out.”
A small, dry pull touched his mouth.
“And for the record, that was very awkward.”
"Don't care if you think thanks aren't necessary, I do." Merrick responded gruffly,
He was firm on that point, he was well aware that Lachlan wasn't looking for thanks. Gratitude, Edmund felt was warranted.
"I will say this much, there's a bottle of whisky with names on it. " the major added.
A bite of his ice cream his face reflecting the relief the cold concoction was giving him.
Lachlan looked at him for a moment, then gave a small nod. If Merrick wanted the thanks said and heard, fine. He wasn’t going to argue him out of it.
The mention of whisky got more of a reaction. His eyebrow lifted slightly.
“Whisky, sir. Proper whisky. If there’s an ‘e’ in it, I’m still drinking it, but I’ll complain first.”
He took another spoonful of broth, letting that sit for a second before Merrick brought up Korrath.
“Aye, the Colonel will ask,” Lachlan said. “I’ll tell him what happened. Korrath was a prisoner. Helped us under fire. Carried you when you went down. Didn’t try to run when he had the chance.”
He picked up his coffee, thumb resting against the mug.
“He’s not cleared. I know that. But he’s earned a proper hearing, not being treated like a problem we dragged aboard.”
A glance went over Merrick’s bruised face and stiff posture.
“And you should probably let Zuub look you over before the Colonel starts in. You look bloody awful, sir.”
A drink of water then he remarked. "I'm sure the Colonel is going to be asking us questions, especially about Korrath."
"I did see Zuub, she was the one who deemed me fit enough to go watch a movie and move about the ship." Edmund remarked.
"Otherwise I'd not be here." A bite of his melting ice cream, he lowered his spoon.
"As for the whisky, it has no e." starting to laugh then winced.
He looked once again at Lachlan's bruises, "You know, I think we need to be more careful in whom we choose as dance partners, eh?"
A twinkle in his eyes, as Edmund said this.
Lachlan’s eyebrow lifted at that, and for the first time since Merrick had sat down, the amusement actually reached his eyes.
“Aye, well,” he said, “my usual dance partners are a damn sight prettier, sir.”
He took a drink of coffee, the corner of his mouth tugging despite the pull in his bruised throat.
“And if I’m lucky, I leave before breakfast, not on a stretcher.”
He let that sit for half a second, then gave Merrick a faint nod toward the ice cream.
“Still, I’ll grant you this—takes a certain kind of man to order that without flinchin’.”
A bried snort of a laugh, Edmund picked up the spoon to take a bite of what was now turning into ice cream soup, small pieces of the banana floating on top.
"Doctor's advice to my mum when I had my tonsils out. Give the lad ice cream, soothes the sore throat. He recommended it instead of Jello."
Looking down at what was left, Edmund shook his head.
"I think I've had enough." Ed nodding towards his bowl.
"Wonder where we can find a bottle of some good stuff." A twinkle in his eyes.
Lachlan looked around the messhall as if Merrick had asked where they kept the treasure vault.
“On this ship?” he said. “Good luck.”
He took another drink of coffee, then set the mug down with a faint shake of his head.
“This is an intelligence boat, sir. If there’s good whisky aboard, it’ll be hidden behind three clearance codes, two false panels, and a petty officer pretending they’ve never heard of Scotland.”
A little more amusement crept in then, tired but real.
“We’re better waiting till we’re back on Pioneer. Go see Chloe. She’ll know where the decent bottles are, and she’ll no’ insult us by calling synthehol a morale measure.”
Another laugh, Edmund giving a nod then raised an eyebrow at the mention of a petty officer. "A petty officer who pretended not to have heard of Scotland. Sounds like a strange encounter there." he shook his head. "What you're saying could be right, and I'd rather be talking to Chloe and be at home on the Pioneer. And I've not spoken to Chloe for a while. " he mused.
Lachlan gave a small snort.
“On an intelligence ship, sir, I’d no’ ask too many questions about what a petty officer knows or pretends not to know.”
He took another drink of coffee and glanced at the melting remains of Merrick’s ice cream.
“But aye. Back on Pioneer is the better plan. Chloe will know where the decent bottles are. Or who’s been hiding them.”
He sat back a little, the tiredness showing now that neither of them was pretending quite so hard.
“Debrief first. Then home. Then whisky.”
A faint look crossed his face.
“And no banana split anywhere near it.”
Major Edmund Merrick
Company Commanding Officer Officer, The Cure
USS Pioneer
(Written by Amy Gordon)
Sergenat Major Lachlan Barr
First Sergeant/COB
USS Pioneer
(Written by Nyx Calder)
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