Catching up with friends, Old and New

Posted on Sun Nov 29th, 2020 @ 3:02pm by Commander Owen Nash & Lieutenant Commander Mindo & Terrekal

Mission: Shore Leave
Location: Little Caesar's Barcade

ON

Mindo rubbed his hurting eyes and put his attention back on the game. It was a fantasy game called Gauntlet that he'd never played before. He'd been playing for at least an hour and there seemed to be no end in sight. He thought about just giving up.

It had gotten a little hot in the barcade due to the temperature of the cabinets. He'd gotten the computer to decrease the air level but he was still sweating a little. He finally pulled himself away from the game and started heading for the stairs to get a drink. Terrekal was currently on duty and he made a great Fesarian suicide. He'd had the Box try and make the drink before, but only a Fesarian had the know-how to make one perfect. Because of Fesarian physiology, Mindo couldn't get drunk, which meant he was able to consume large amounts of alcohol with little consequence. The stronger the drink, the calmer the feelings. Some Fesarians refused to drink, saying it caused "unnatural" bodily reactions. Mindo was not one of them, and given his experiences at the Academy, it was almost important that he drank.

He had just started climbing the steps to the upper part when he saw someone come in. Someone he was very glad to see!

After his catchup with Krys, Owen decided that he needed to take a little downtime now that he was back on board the Pandora. He'd been through a lot on the away mission and it was clear since he'd gotten back that the crew had been through a lot as well.

A fallout of Admiral Thac's unofficial mission had seen it toll taken by ship and crew and both parties needed the time now afforded to them to relax, reset and prepare for the next mission.

Wandering down to the Holodecks, Owen saw that Little Caesar's was active and after inputting his security access code to be recognised, he entered the program to see that the various machines and arcades were happily singing away their various tunes to entice people to walk over and spend a coin on then.

Looking around, Owen suddenly saw movement as he realised that one of his many friends was here.

"Mindo! Bloody hell, its been ages!!!" he exclaimed.

Mindo grinned and activated his leg devices and hovered over to his friend. "Owen! Great to see you!" he said. "How was shore leave?"

Owen laughed as Mindo asked him about his "Shore leave"
"It was...very interesting..." he began. "I managed to spend some time with my father and also introduce him to Krys finally. Then I took some time to myself and managed to relax in the good old fashioned ways."

"Why, did you miss me?" he asked.

"Let's just say you better be around to lead the away team next time," Mindo said. "Somehow I think you're not quite giving me everything. Krysia was with us while you were gone. Were you involved in finding that Admiral?" There was no suspicion in Mindo's tone, but he was putting Owen on the spot all the same.

Owen smiled as he could tell that Mindo knew more than he had let on and decided it was best to speak to him about his recent trip away. He guided Mindo over to a nearby table and took a seat there before carrying on.

"Well in short, yes I did," Owen said before he continued.

"I'm right in that Krys, James and I went over to Carwennan Station to meet up with my Father. Its the first time that Krys got to meet her birth father and it was quite the emotional meeting. However, he was soon called away on assignment and before I know it, Krys and James decided to return to the Pandora whilst I stayed on leave," he explained.

"However, whilst there, I spoke with Captain Rao who had some personal concerns about recent orders sent out by Admiral Francis and some of the actions and routes being taken by the Admiralty when it came to the Expanse. After the Pandora was ordered to the Hesiod System with some questionable orders, the Captain made contact with me and we deduced that the real Admiral Francis hadn't given those orders... So off I went to go and find him and work out the Hesiod Conspiracy."

He paused for a moment. "Hmm...good name for a holo novel that one...The Hesiod Conspiracy...not that it will ever be published."

Looking at Mindo, Owen wondered. "So, now that you know, what made you think I was involved and not just enjoying my long overdue leave?"

Mindo grinned. "No tan," he said. "And I know you better."

"Dammit, forgot the tan again... I really need to work on that..." he said with a wry smile. Pausing, he then continued. "You probably realised that I was involved once I didn't return back to the ship after her re-assignment. Am I really that open a book?" he offered.

Whilst Owen was glad to be back chatting with his friend, he also knew that Mindo knew him pretty well and if there was a way for him to be able to help the Captain out...in a non-regulation way, he probably knew Owen would do it.

"Perhaps," Mindo replied with a smile. "And also the fact that everyone on this ship has a penchant for finding danger in unexpected places." He gestured for Owen to follow him up. "Come on, let me get you a drink. I'll tell you about the crazy things on my end of this mission."

"Hell, I'm all for that, after you," Owen said as he followed Mindo to the bar area. Once there, Owen took a seat and Mindo ordered the drinks in.

"So, from my brief scans of the Hesiod system onboard the Runabout, I could already tell that this was one hell of a system for the Pandora to be sent to... What happened to you all whilst you were here?" Owen asked.

"Well, like you I don't know the whole story," Mindo said as Terrekal handed them their drinks.

"Mind if I join you?" the Fesarian bartender asked. "We're usually empty at this hour."

"Of course!" said Mindo. "Owen, have you met Terrekal yet?"

"I'm not sure I've had the pleasure, but welcome aboard the Pandora. It's always good to see a new face on board," he said, welcoming the barman to the table to join them.

"So where do you hail from, Terrekal and what brings you aboard one of Starfleet's finest class of vessel?"

"Well," Terrekal began, "as you can probably tell from my size, I'm a Fesarian, though I'm from a different continent from Mindo. My father was a travelling merchant, so I didn't spend much time there. After he died, I decided to take up his old trade for myself. I have roots in Fesaria, but I've never quite considered it home. In fact, I'm not exactly sure I've considered any place home. After the debacle on Paradise Station, most of my things were confiscated, including my ship and my merchant's license. Captain Temple was kind enough to allow me passage on the Pandora as a civilian passenger. Since then, Mindo hired me as a second bartender here in Little Caesar's."

Owen raised his glass after taking another sip of his drink. "Well, I say welcome aboard, Mr Terrekal. We can never have enough Fesarian on board and I also say that as a barman, you do a wonderful job! Excellent job!"

"Also, may I add, that you seem a fine addition to the civilian population we have on board. That's one thing I can say about the Pandora. Whilst we may well be one of the more advanced Starfleet vessels out here in the Expanse, we also have room for the civilians and the many talents that they bring on board," Owen said. With the likes of Raven and Ignatius on board, Owen was sure that Terrekal would fit in nicely.

Looking over at Mindo, Owen pondered for a moment. "So, how does it feel to have a fellow Fesarian on board, my friend? Surely some good company as well as myself now that I'm back on board from my most recent adventure?"

"'Good company' is a fine way to put it," Mindo said with a grin. "It's been nice having someone on board who understands my 'customs.' I've grown rather fond of Terrekal."

"It is nice to interact with another Fesarian," Terrekal said. "But apparently I lack Mindo's charm."

"Still having trouble with the locals?" Mindo asked him.

Terrekal glanced at Owen briefly, before replying, "No comment."

"Well, I'm sure that you'll find ways to fit in soon enough and if you are having any issues... Let me know," Owen offered. Being the Executive Officer does have its perks as well as authority.

"The last thing I want to see is any of my civilian passengers being unhappy whilst on board." Owen was curious as to what or who could be causing Terrekal issues on board.

"Oh I'm happy," Terrekal said, smiling. "I've never been on a more comfortable ship! And most people have been polite to me. My quarters are very small, but tidy. You don't even want to know what my quarters on my old ship were like! Captain Temple has been very gracious, allowing me on his ship and letting me keep my various cargo. What's really helped me fit in is working here. People are nicer when you're serving them drinks. And working with Raven has been great! I've also enjoyed playing the games here. They're so primitive but fun!"

"Well, its good to hear that your happy being on board with the meagre offerings that we can provide here on the Pandora," Owen said. Looking around the place as he took in what was home again, Owen smiled. "I'll admit, it is good to be back...and to see you too Mindo. I missed everyone whilst I was away."

"Hopefully we can put an end to the recent issues we've had in the Hesiod system and move onto pastures new... I know that the crew could use some downtime," he added.

Mindo piped up. "That reminds me... I beat your 'Star Wars' high score yesterday. You still hold the high score in NHL Hitz, though."

Owen put down his drink and stared as his friend in mock anger... "You did what? Do you know how long it took me to get that high score?" he said. Rolling up his sleeves, Owen got up from the table. "Right, this needs settling and now," he said with a smile, making his way over to the 'Star Wars' machine and firing many coins into the slot in rapid succession.

"Nobody, but nobody beats me on here," he said with an even bigger smile.

Mindo turned to Terrekal. "If you're not busy, you may want to watch this. The Commander is incredible on this game." He grinned and added, "He's almost as good as me!"

Owen let out a small laugh as he set up the machine ready for another few rounds. "That's about to change my friend," he said as the game began with a familiar theme tune and Owen got into his task of regaining the high score from Mindo...