The Roads We Leave Behind, Part 1

Posted on Tue Oct 14th, 2025 @ 12:50am by Lieutenant JG Maël "Gideon" Beauregard & Commander Vincent 'Vin' Salvatore

2,048 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: EPISODE 1: SHAKEDOWN
Location: Hecate's Lounge
Timeline: MD037

:ON:

Vincent sat at, of all things, a replica of a black baby grand piano. As part of the deal he made for the party he put together for the crew, Vin had offered to play live piano music off duty. In order to draw more people into the lounge to drink and enjoy themselves. It was his way of trying to acclimate to the crew while letting out a piece of himself to share with everyone else. He enjoyed playing. It was the only time he could lock out the chaos around him and just be alone with his own thoughts. Except for the times his mother would sit by him and join him or listen to him play. It was one of the moments missed being away from his home planet. As he slowly ended one song, he began another, just as the server gave him a fresh drink.

The place was decked in a low buzz--quiet conversations like pebbles in a river tumbling against and over one another, the clink of glasses, a faint aroma of something being fried in the galley. But over it all floated the notes of the piano, crystal-clear in the same way raindrops strike glass.

Gideon stepped in from the corridor, tugging at his sleeve, and permitted the sound to pull him closer to the bar.

He ordered an ale, his voice low, the bartender nodding without any ceremony. His eyes drifted back to the musical source: a black baby grand, glossy and slightly absurd against the individual who played it he'd been born there. Whoever he was, he had chops--fingers slipping easily over the keys.

Taking his glass, Gideon sipped and leaned against a bulkhead. Then it hit him--the piano man was Commander Salvatore, the Hecate's Executive Officer. No wonder the room was tilted that way: nearly ever eye in the place was on him. Gideon's too.

Vincent gave the server a smile and wave, mouthing the words thank you, for the brief moment he looked up at her. He began the next song, transitioning from the last few keys of the last song to the new one, as if combining them with ease. He couldn't help but smirk as he closed his eyes and allowed himself to slip into the rhythm again. His fingers and hands seemed to glide and move on his own. He felt a comfort he hadn't felt in a long time. No worries. No secrets to be concerned about. Just him and the music. The keys acting as a Siren's song.

Vin was flooded with memories of home and playing with his mother along side him. The moments of them laughing and her teaching him. His emotions reflected in his playing as the tempo of the music felt joyful and loving. Hs fingers continued to dance around the keys, gliding from note to note, before he was hit with more memories. A mixture of his sister and brothers. The moments they shared and the times they sat around just enjoying the time they had. The tempo of the music seemed to speed up, keeping to the style and rhythm he had kept to so far.

Then the memories of his father kicked in. The family business an the danger they were raised around. The warnings and threats. As he did his best to keep it together, eventually he found an out. He pulled back from his time and brought the music to a close. This time not transitioning to another song. As he gave the people who clapped a wave and smile, Vin looked up from the keys to the drink left by the server and took it, gripping it tightly before taking a big sip. Even though the ice had nearly melted away, watering it down, it was still something he needed at that moment.

The last note hung in the air a moment and it seemed as though much of the crowd had been holding their breath. Gideon took a long swallow of ale, its bitter bite grounding him, and his eyes meandered back to the piano.

The Executive Officer sat there with his hand still resting on the keys, his shoulders drawn-in. Whatever storm that had blown through him hadn't quite fully cleared. It was a strange thing, Gideon thought, to see a man of command turned inside-out by ivory and wood. Strange, yeah. And damned impressive.

He tipped his glass in the direction of the stage, not that Salvatore could see him.

"He's great, isn't he?" a dark-haired young woman remarked to Gideon, without taking her eyes off the XO.

"Man's got more than regulation in his veins," Gideon muttered. He could feel the room loosening--crew leaning forward, some clapping still, others grinning in a tentative way. After all, the piano player didn't just bleed a little beauty into their ears-- he also signed their duty rosters.

Vincent finished his drink and finally sat up from the piano seat. He turned around, finally taking in the lingering applause, as he place a smile on his face. He lifted his glass and stepped off, looking around at everyone as he walked towards the bar, carrying his empty glass all the way to the counter. Vin kept his smile on his face, thanking those he passed, before placing his glass on the counter as the bartender approached.

"You know... I was skeptical when you offered to play in return for putting that shindig together last minute for you." The bartender said as he placed his hands on the counter and smiled. "But after hearing you play and seeing all these people coming in. Feel free to play here anytime you like, Commander."

"Vin." The Executive Officer replied as he slide the empty glass forward slightly. "I've never been one for formalities when off duty. Give me another when you can, drinkslinger." He said with a smiled and nod. "Whiskey... neat this time."

The bartender nodded his head and pulled out a new glass before turning to grab the bottle of whiskey behind him. As he turned back around, he gave Vin a slight chuckle when he began to pour the contents into the glass. "There you go, Vin." He added as he took the old glass away.

Vincent nodded his appreciation and took the glass. He tipped it to the bartender then took a sip and closed his eyes. As he felt the richness of the whiskey slide down his throat, he hoped it would take the memories with it. It wasn't his intention to get this way, but he couldn't help it while he played. His mind just seemed to go there. All that talk with Gia about his family and home planet just seemed to keep those memories fresh in his mind.

Gideon hadn't expected to see the XO--no, Vin--end up two stools down from him. The whole bar was still alive and humming with the aftertaste of good music. He took another pull from his ale, eyes moving sideways.

Hell, that took guts, Gideon thought. To put yourself up there, raw edges and all, unsure if the whole room would be with you or not.

"Didn't figure an Executive Officer for the ticklin'-ivories type," he said, a mild grin on his mouth. "But damn if that wasn't somethin', Commander."

He caught himself. "Sorry--Vin," he corrected, chuckling at his own stumble.

Vincent looked over to the voice that was addressing him. He gave the man a smile and nod before placing him. He one of the new Department Heads Captain Burke insisted on meeting personally when they arrived at Qo'noS. He remembered looking up who they were afterwards. Lieutenant Nelar and Lieutenant JG Beauregard. Since the man obviously wasn't Vulcan Female, by process of elimination, he must be...

"Lieutenant Beauregard, I presume." Vincent said allowed as he let out a slight chuckle. "I remember seeing you when you came to the bridge with Lieutenant Nelar to meet the Captain." He took another sip from his glass, taking a moment to let the whiskey ease down his throat, before adding. "A pleasure... and thank you for the compliment. It's a little something I was taught back on my home planet. My mother insisted. As a boy, I was insistent it would never lead to anything. As I grew up, I finally understood why. Music can be the key to a great deal of things. A certain type of music can unlock memories, emotions, or simply bring to a place where you may never want to leave because the world outside can be a scary place." He let out a slight chuckle before looking back to Gideon. "Or... I could just be an entertainer at heart. It's all a matter of perspective really."

Gideon barked a laugh that drew a glance from nearby patrons before it disappeared back into the murmur of the lounge.

"Reckon that's one way to dress it up," he answered with a lopsided grin. "Me, I figure if a man can make a whole room go quiet with ten fingers and some strings of memory, that ain't just entertainment--that's power. The good kind." He took another sip before setting the almost-empty glass on the bar.

Vincent smiled as he finished his drink before moving over to the closer stool to Gideon. He placed his glass on the counter and gestured to both glasses. The Executive Officer focused on the Lieutenant again as he spoke. "True, but how I use said power speaks volumes to the kind of man I truly am, would you say?" He shifted his smile to a slight smirk as he held his hand out.

Gideon studied the outstretched hand like it might be part of a test he hadn't found the time to cram for. Then he grinned, broad and crooked, and took it.

"Depends, Vin," he said, his Louisiana drawl dripping from the words. "Man could use it to make folks weep. Or make 'em remember somethin' they thought was dead and gone. Or," he squeezed the XO's hand once, firmly, then let go, "he could just buy a round an' call it even."

He gripped Gideon's hand firmly in return and smiled pleasantly. As he released his hand, Vin looked back to the counter and took his drink. "You know... that will never stop being amazing to me. The lack of importance everyone seems to have when it comes to money." He let out a chuckle and looked over to Gideon as he took a sip of his drink. "On my home planet, money and gold were the most valued. Sometimes it became a... a... a sign of your status. People would steal and kill for it. Find ways to gain it without earning it and even come up with intricate plans in order to take it out from under someone's nose." He shook his head and took another sip, placing the glass soon down on the counter. "My father's entire organization had several ways to gain money that, on my planet, were criminal." He shook his head and let out another chuckle. "It's hard not to see, what happened to me, as a gift and not a lose. Don't get me wrong, Lieutenant Beauregard, I enjoy being a part of Starfleet. It's just, if I hadn't ended up here, I would be sucked into the same worries and concerns when it came to money as my father was." Vincent looked down for a moment, playing with his glass as he grabbed it again, spinning it around slightly with his fingers. "Still... me being here... means I don't know what's going on there and, knowing the dangers, I'm worried about whether or not they are all okay."

"Yeah," he finally said, tugging slightly at the vowels. "Funny thing 'bout leavin' a place--you carry it 'round in your bones, no matter how far you get. Don’t matter if it’s swamp mud or city smoke or some planet that can’t be pronounced. You cut loose, but it don't cut loose from you." He raised an eyebrow at Vin before adding, "And you go right on ahead and called me Gideon."

:OFF:

~To Be Continued~

 

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