Time With The Boss

Posted on Tue Oct 13th, 2020 @ 6:33am by Raven Mattel & Commander Mindo & Terrekal

Mission: Shore Leave
Location: Little Caesar's Barcade, aka The Palace

ON

Lieutenant Mindo was relieved Lieutenant Samson showed up on time to take third shift in the core. It had been a long day - heck, it had been a long week - and now that The Inaugural Hesiod Blue Civilian Committee for Welcoming Parties, Drink Diplomacy, and Post-War Strategies' services were no longer needed on Hesiod Blue, business could continue in Mindo's other on-board responsibility, Little Caesar's, the barcade and general get-together place for those looking for games, drinks, and fun.

He entered the already bustling establishment, with some crew already at various game cabinets, and made a bee-line upstairs to the bar area, where Raven was already skating out drinks and bar food to hungry and thirsty patrons. A couple skee-ball ramps were occupied, and two people were playing air hockey. The place was lively and raucous, with game noises, arcade music, and general mayhem and laughter. It did indeed feel like he was back in San Fransisco in Caesar's Palace, the old-style establishment from which Mindo had modeled Little Caesar's. The name was a nod to both the original establishment and the diminutive size of the owner.

While Raven rolled and entertained on the floor, Mindo approached the bar where Terrekal, using the leg devices Mindo had given him, hovered back and forth making drinks and cracking wise.

Terrekal grinned when he saw Mindo climb the small rungs on one of the custom-made bar stools. "Well if it isn't the boss himself!" Terrekal said. He turned and called out to Raven, "Hey Raven! The boss is here!"

Mindo smiled at his fellow Fesarian. "Most people call me the Chief," he said.

"Well here you're the boss," Terrekal replied.

Raven was wearing a yellow and maroon cheerleading outfit that she had seen in an old program from the era; her bleach blond wig tied up into a high ponytail with a large yellow scrunchie holding it together. She popped bubblegum as she zoomed around the arcade floor, gliding around serving drinks with impeccable ease. At Terrekal's statement, she made a quick dash towards the bar, pulling up just short in front of Mindo.

"Heya boss." She snapped and popped, a grin ear to ear. "Busy night, yeah?"

Mindo took a look around at all the activity. "It sure is," he said. "Everyone's getting a break from all the craziness. Plus since we've been gone we've had to stay closed." He turned back to Raven and gave her a quick up-and-down. "Raven, you look delicious tonight!"

Raven responded by completing a small twirl which ending with a bow. "Oh why thank you." She beamed, "It's nice to feel like we can have a little fun again. Things got far too serious for my liking."

Mindo smiled only slightly. He felt a pang in his mind, remembering Aoife. He knew Raven wasn't talking about her, but that was where his mind went. But only for a second.

"Things seem to be getting better," he said. "How was it with you two on Blue? What crazy things happened while the rest of us broke the Prime Directive?"

Raven visibly slumped a little, "Ugh! It felt like we were down there for months. I thought it was going to be a sweet little beach vacay but it was kinda stressful. Especially when those Talarians were attacking."

"Whaaa?" Terrekal interjected. "I thought we all had a great time! Sun, sand, the ocean... cute pilots. And the Talarian attack made it like a big adventure!" He looked at Mindo. "Is this the kind of stuff you do in Starfleet?"

"Oh goodness no," Mindo said with a shake of the head. "Things are usually way more exciting. Flying a shuttle into a nebula and making first contact with a new race at the same time, taking command while the Captain goes on a suicide mission to kill an alien with a scary nickname, disarming bombs in under a minute, fixing the entire ship because a maniac Captain decides to land it on a planet... and sometimes your Captain and half the bridge crew are trapped in another universe and you have to figure out how to get them back before they're gone forever! Even your off hours have their share of thrills. Sometimes you're attacked by a love-scorned Klingon who wants to kill you, or you're trapped in a turbolift with a woman in labor and have to deliver the baby with no prior knowledge or understanding of what the hell is going on! And then there's the time the Captain threw his pants at me..."

"Whoa." Raven breathed out, "You've had all that happen over your career, Mindo?"

"No," Mindo said. "That's just the stuff that happened here. If you stick around, you'll find even more excitement! Speaking of which, I'd like to ask you both how well you're getting along. Is the Palace a good place for you? Are you being treated well? Is there room for improvement?" Mindo knew enough about Raven to know he didn't have to say, "Please be honest" or "Don't hold back." He was confident Raven would tell him straight up. It's what he liked most about her. It was the biggest reason he hired her.

Terrekal, however, had only been on the Pandora for a couple of weeks. He and Mindo had spent a couple nights together, but Mindo didn't really know how Terrekal was doing. He wasn't surprised when Terrekal deferred to Raven. Mindo guessed he wanted to hear her first before responding. It was understandable.

Raven thought about the questions for a moment, then decided to take the load off her feet by sitting down in a nearby stool. She slinked back into the barstool and draped her roller-skate clad legs to the left, leaning slightly on the bar. "Can you make me something with coconut, darling? I feel like a summer cocktail." She winked at Terrekal.

Terrekal grinned and dramatically bowed. "Your wish is my command," he said, and set out making the drink.

She smiled and turned back to the Chief, "Folks love this place, Mindo. Between you and me, I was talking to some of the staff over at the Eclipse and they believe attendance has been down twenty percent since Little Caesar's opened. That's excluding during mission times, of course, but only a few of the jumpsuits come to Recreation deck then anyway." Raven smirked, "As for me? I love working here. It beats all those money-grabbing Risian bars I used to sling drinks in. And it's not cold and dull like those on Earth. All silver and glass? Yugh. This has character, theme. It's totally galactic. A few of the officers have gotten a little rambunctious but I know how to hose them down."

Mindo held up a hand. "Wait, you literally hose them down?"

Terrekal set Raven's drink on the counter, then picked something up from behind the bar. It was a black rubber hose.

Mindo's jaw dropped. "How has no one complained about this?"

Terrekal laughed. "And admit to another living being you PO-d the one person on the ship who is not to be messed with?"

"And here I thought that was me," Mindo said, shaking his head. "Well, I did give you full discretion when you asked about removing people, and I'm not one to go back on my word. May I ask what constitutes removal of offending patrons?"

Raven bit her pink lip, suddenly feeling regretful at making the comment. "Oooh, you know these jumpsuits, Mindo. Most of them are good eggs, but every now and then, they blow off a little too much steam and start actin' disrespectful. It's funny how quickly the Starfleet stiffness is forgotten when they've had a few." She gave a coquettish shrug, "I guess me being a civilian, there's a social difference between me and them. I feel it sometimes. I try not to let it bother me but when they're pushing their limits, I give 'em the hose."

Mindo laughed when he heard this and shook his head. "I guess go with whatever works!"

Raven felt it was okay to pause and take a long sip of Terrekal's coconut concoction. "Hmm. Delish as always, my darling." She smiled at him. Raven folded her legs over to the right and returned to Mindo, "Anyway, it's really a minor thing, just every now and then. For the most part, everyone loves this place and has fun. As for ideas for the bar, I know despite the dramas of Hesiod, it was good to have a change of scenery after being stuck onboard the ship for so long. Same goes for visiting Paradise, before all the murdering started, of course. People like what's new and different from the usual. Maybe if it's possible to have some theme changes every now and then. A specific kind of party night or seasonal celebrations? Just to keep it fresh."

"Alright," said Mindo. "You and Terrekal are now my event planners. You'll plan and schedule all events as well as create themes and looks for the Palace itself. Get any assistance or help that you need. I'll be here too. Sound good?"

Raven clapped wildly, sharing an excited look towards Terrekal, "Oh my! That's totally galactic, Mindo. I have so many ideas, I can't wait to start. When can we start?"

"Any time you wish," said Mindo. "But only when there's a lull in activity."

Terrekal clapped with excitement as well. "Oh my god, this will be so fun!" he exclaimed. "We could have a costume party!"

"The Captain already did that. You'll have to come up with something more... avant garde," Mindo said with a small grin. "I think you two are up for it."

"Avant garde," Terrekal repeated. "Wait, what does that mean?"

"Fancy, weird, unique." Raven replied with a shrug, "I do have some experience planning events my old haunts. Parties, theme nights. Once I did a champagne breakfast for the Real Housewives of Risa, but that didn't go so well. Sha'Zill should not have brought up her issues with Danyanka there."

Mindo furrowed his brow. "Was that the episode where Tanroni said Sha'Zill was 'crazy-go-kookala?'"

Raven beamed, "Yes. So iconic! And how she dragged Sha'Zill's pet-fashion line, the day after they attended her Spring Fur-shion Show. I thought she was going to throw the canapés across the table." She sighed, then looked back to the Fesarians, "But anyway, I'm excited. If we need a hand getting supplies or arranging things, who do we talk to?"

Mindo shrugged. "If you need any supplies, get me or one of my staff. It's not uncommon for Engineers to ask the supply officer for crazy stuff. As for arrangements, you'll want to talk to the Captain personally." Mindo noticed Terrekal's eyes widen at this. "What?"

"I'm not sure the Captain likes me," Terrekal replied. "He didn't seem to happy to bring me on board."

Mindo waved a hand. "Every starship Captain would be wary of new passengers. Especially ones with your reputation. I'm sure Captain Temple will warm up to you."

"I'll butter him up, darlings, don't you worry," Raven chimed with a grin, "He's holding a costume party, right? I'll volunteer for the Rec team putting it together and make it so fabulous the Captain will offer me the Command Chair as a thank you."

"He'll offer you a chair?" Terrekal said. Mindo laughed.

"OK," Mindo said. "I like where this is going. You both seem to have some good ideas. I think we'll need extra help, so I'll do a little recruiting on my end."

"Love it." Raven replied, jumping off her chair and back onto her skates. She wobbled for a moment but then pushed off and did a twirl, "I'm going to do some brainstorming tonight after my shift and maybe we can have a meeting tomorrow?"

"Sounds good," Mindo replied. "Terrekal, if you're not busy later...?"

Terrekal grinned. "Of course!"

Raven dreamily skated away, off to serve more drinks with a positive buzz in her stride. She felt seen by Mindo, truly seen, in a way that she hadn't before. Though she had been given responsibilities like this in the past, his confidence in her was something new. She knew she would work her buttocks off for him, and she'd ensure that Terrekal and anyone else involved was making this best damn holodeck bar in Starfleet. Officers would come from the Gamma and Delta Quadrants just to see it. This caused her to smile broadly. No one would get the hose tonight; no one could dim this happy vibe she was sailing with.

OFF