Being Ian Milkovich

Posted on Thu May 1st, 2025 @ 1:56pm by Ensign Ian Milkovich & Commander Mindo

Mission: Outside the Box
Location: San Fransisco, Starfleet HQ
Timeline: current

ON

Commander Mindo decided to walk to where Ensign Ian Milkovich, the latest addition to his crew, was currently staying while on Earth. It wasn't far from his own quarters, maybe a block or two. Since returning to Earth, Mindo had wanted to get a bit more fit. He'd somewhat let himself go with all the luxury food he'd consumed on Risa. The culinary experience on Risa was unlike any other. Nothing was replicated. If you wanted a steak, you'd get a real steak. Granted, the price of food was astronomical... for visitors. As a "Recreational Service Provider" on Risa, he could have all the food he wanted as long as he had enough "visitor participation" on his record. The Risans were very diligent with keeping the records, and for the three years he was there, Mindo had consistent high marks. He enjoyed it there, and would have fond memories of the place for the rest of his life. But he didn't have family there. His family was his crew, his home a warp core.

Or a command chair, Mindo reminded himself as he hit the chime at Milkovich's door.

Ian was sat on the edge of his bed; the small and unassuming Starfleet guest quarters were what one would expect for temporary accommodations. A standard single bed, a desk with a chair, and an ensuite bathroom. Nothing more than a place to rest until you were moved on to the next assignment. The Ensign's bag was by his feet on the floor, there was no point unpacking if they were shipping out at first light tomorrow morning.

He had, however, taken out one item from his case. A small picture frame with an image of himself and Mark, taken on their day of graduation from Star Fleet Academy. Both of them looking so happy, so young. It seemed like a lifetime ago now. The picture was cropped awkwardly on Ian's right side, where the projected "Class of" banner was behind them. The remnants of someone else's shoulder was just barely still evident next to Ian.

Cropped but not forgotten.

When the chime rang, Ian blinked, pulling himself out of his trance. He placed the frame on top of his case and walked the two and a half steps to open the door.

Mindo stood on the floor of the hallway in uniform. "Hello Ensign," he said. "We need to talk." Mindo walked past Ian into his quarters, where he activated his silent leg rockets, hovering to Ian's height.

Ian closed the door silently, and turned to face the Commander. As the room wasn’t that big, there wasn’t exactly a more formal place to go to, so he just stood awkwardly by the door. Instinctively, Ian clasped his hands behind his back and locked eyes with Mindo to show respect. “Aye, sir. What can I do for you?”

"I need to know what exact orders you received from Admiral Milne," Mindo said. "I'm a little concerned about an eleventh-hour transfer to a strictly off-the-books mission."

Ian tilted his head slightly, a look of confusion on his face. "Actually, it was Captain Temple who first tried to recruit me to the mission. About three months ago, I got an invite to the reunion on Risa. Unfortunately, the Marigold was out of contact at the time. When I was able to respond, I heard from Admiral Milne that Temple had disappeared. Though I serve the Marigold now, I still remember what the Pandora did for me as a new crewman, so I immediately offered my services to the Admiral to help find the ship and the captain. It was only recently that I was able to depart from the Marigold."

"You got an invite to the reunion on Risa?" Mindo asked. "I didn't realize there were invites, or even a formal reunion. How were you invited?"

Ian furrowed his brow. He fumbled through his pocket to find his PaDD, then scrolled urgently through the messages. He went past it a few times before he finally found the right one. “Here.” He said, showing the PADD to Mindo.

The message from Temple had read: "Pandora Crew Reunion Party! Let's raise a toast to the Pandora @ a bar called Destiny, with a special live performance by Warp Nine!" There was a set of coordinates and a time attached.

“That came from the Captain.” Ian explained. “But as I said, I was out of comms range at the time. By the time I could respond, the reunion had passed and Temple was gone.”

"I see," Mindo said. "Your last-minute addition still raises my skepticism, but I believe you're telling me the truth. I hope you understand my situation. A strictly off-the-books mission--with no record listed whatsoever--needs a cautious approach."

"I understand, sir," Ian nodded firmly, "It is my first mission of this nature, but I value the opportunity it provides. I will secure all of my personal items here for the duration," He moved slightly to show the secured case by his side, the photo frame still resting on top waiting to be packed away. "And I will only take the provisions provided. All my clothing and gear will be from foreign suppliers."

Mindo nodded. "Good," he replied with a smile. "I'm glad to have another familiar face joining us, even if they're late to the party."

"Here to help." Ian smiled back in return, "Plus this seemed a hell of a lot more interesting than running training drills in the Khonsu sector."

"Given Khonsu sector's reputation I think you'll be much better off in the Neutral Zone," Mindo said with a small grin.

“Here’s hoping.” Ian agreed. The mention of Khonsu struck Ian like a lightning bolt. “Are you aware of what the Marigold was doing in the Khonsu sector at all? I know you’ve had a lot going on…” he trailed off.

"Of course I know," Mindo said with a sly smile. "You were doing training drills."

Ian raised an eyebrow, "Then you know about the space station, and Temple?"

"What about Captain Temple?" Mindo asked, not sure whose bluff had just been called. While Mindo actually knew very little about the Khonsu sector, there was clearly new information about the Captain that Ian had been keeping from Mindo... perhaps under Milne's orders?

"The Khonsu Science Station was fatally damaged by a gravitational anomaly, and the three scientists onboard were rescued by some unknown person. They don't know who it was, but he saved their lives. They would have died otherwise." Ian explained, "Later, the USS Marigold was sent to scuttle the rest of the station, and we came across a thief attempting to remove the computer core from the wreckage. They escaped but we discovered it was, allegedly, Captain Temple. They clearly identified him as Temple. Now he was being hunted by us as a rogue officer, a fugitive. The whole ship was talking about it. Anyway, Temple managed to keep evading us in his shuttle and he eventually got away. It was only after that when Captain Qui said it had been a training exercise; it was apparently just a drill. That they were testing our response to that situation."

Ian shrugged, "That was the official explanation, and boy was I relieved. I couldn't imagine Temple doing that. But... then we returned to DS12, and I finally received the message from Admiral Milne that the Pandora was gone, and Temple had been kidnapped? It didn't add up."

Mindo was shocked to hear all of this, but he maintained his surprise. "Nothing's added up so far," Mindo said. "But it sounds like the Captain might be alive after all. I mean, what kind of training mission would involve such an oddly-chosen and specific antagonist?"

"I believe Temple's disappearance has been kept quiet. Officially, he's still an active officer without a ship assignment." Ian replied, "Milne's message to me was secured, I was not to divulge details to anyone. So, no one else would know that he was actually missing and the Marigold crew would accept that he's helping Starfleet with training exercises. But now, after what you've told us in the briefing, I think whatever he needed from the Khonsu was part of finding the Pandora."

A chime came across both of the officer's PADDS, a warning that their departure time was fast approaching. Ian leant down and placed the photo frame into his bag, then stood up again.

"It's time, sir." The Ensign said with a firm smile. "Let's go find the Pandora and our Captain."

With that, Mindo and Milkovich exited the quarters.

OFF