Views Costs Cakes

Posted on Sun 5th Jan, 2025 @ 10:27am by Commander Heriah Rex & Commander Entaaro Nasz

2,439 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: The Phoenix Gamble

-Start-

{Inner Dockyard}

Entaaro was waiting for the U.S.S. Eumenides, entering the stardock at 1/8 thrust after clearing the interior perimeter. as always the sheer scale of a starship flying within a larger immobile station made the hairs on his arms raise. The overhead announced again the imminent arrival and Entaaro stood ready, his seven and a half foot lanky frame well hidden in a padded Starfleet uniform replete with armor plates form shaped and meek to the eye. Usually the OPS team handled new crew orientation but Entaaro was a reservist for their ranks and today had been a busy one.

The Eumenides extended the umbilical and a dozen citizens of the Federation came pouring out of the airlock into the open spaces of the vast starbase. Entaaro searched, it was harder to see everyone than he imagined and tasked his computer to find her. With more than a few uniformed officers mixed with civilians galore, the search continued as hundreds now poured off the starship.

He spotted the Trill finally, and made his way through the crowd to greet her.

It was not Heriah's first time aboard a Starbase. Her first time aboard SB109, though. This one had a great deal of civilians in its population. So much that the SB109 crew had to create two lines for in-processing people. One for Starfleet personnel and another for civilians.

Heriah was following all the other uniforms. Most of the uniforms were Eumenides personnel wanting some R&R while the ship was docked. For Heriah, this was her permanent posting now. As she was looking at her PADD, she, out of her peripheral vision, noticed the line of uniforms was parting as though some obstacle was there that they had no choice but to go around. Looking up, Heriah noticed a towering Klingon in Starfleet uniform. It was a starbase uniform and not one for a starship. Heriah barely stood to the height of the man's sternum as she came upon him.

He's fluffy on the inside. Want to bet?'

"Hello," Heriah said with a wave and a smile. "Commander Nasz, I presume?" she said hoping her memorizing of the roster was accurate. The name came out sounding more like 'Nash.'

Entaaro was delighted to have someone get it so right, "Why yes the voiced palatal approximant is there as well, more of a zhuzh! Na-zz-jj. It is nice to meet you." He gestured to the station, "I am your guide for the next hour, or whenever Captain Francis become available and calls for you."

'So...babysitter...until Gordo makes the time to see you.'

Heriah ignored Rex's sudden thought and smiled, bigger this time, as it appeared as though she had both a shortcut to avoid in-processing and get something of a tour of her new posting. "Commander Heriah Khatain Rex," she said with a nod. She felt she really did not need to introduce herself but wanted to all the same. She stepped in the direction he was pointing and the two walked, side by side, through the crowd awaiting access to the station. "I am told I am the new Executive Officer." Heriah was almost bouncing on her heels through the excitement of it all. "I've held the position before, just not aboard a Starbase. I'm really looking forward to it."

The comms officer loved to chat, and finally someone else seemed to be free to speak their mind, it fed into a giddy energy others might call 'bubbly'. Turning towards the transporter pad for the pedestrian traffic, and gesturing to follow onto the pad Entaaro answered, "Yes you anticipate correctly Commander, and congratulations on what will be a formative post for your tenured career. Have you ever seen the true size of a Vanguard class Starbase? There's a vantage if you wish to start there."

"Ooh, I would love to," she said. "I've seen them from afar and only been on one while transferring to another vessel." Heriah did review a deck by deck listing of the starbase but, "nothing sure beats looking upon it from a good vantage. Thank you," and she stepped upon the transporter pad beside Entarro. "So, show me the base."

'Next you will be asking him to show you the stars.'

Heriah swatted at her ear, throwing away that sudden thought from Rex.

Entaaro input the code directly on the panel, to send them to the location in secrecy. They dissolved into swirls and re-appeared at the outer most ring level, where gravity was at an angle. Their intrasite transporter was to a small residential zone. The curvature of the outer hull placed a curved vaulting slope along one side. A yellow stripe indicated the slanted gravity field zone. Diners could eat in a right angle to the station, facing the length of the station at their feet. Y-Ring, the outermost ring along the widest portion of the domed Stardock was a 28 Km single strip corridor. There was a marathon on Y-ring annually, but overall the habitat portions of Y was a quiet place to live.

Entaaro stepped off the transporter pointing at the French bakery here, "So the deal is, they have a null gravity oven here, and make spherical cakes you eat floating in suspension in front of you. It is also the anti-pole of the gravity systems in this quadrant so we sit along the central axis, and watch the whole station turn underneath our feet. the only way to get the view is to buy a cake, or... muffin? Cupcake! So many words with nuanced meanings for desserts, humans are something to behold."

Heriah smiled, open mouthed, at the sight and the experience. "Yes," she said in response, "humans are something to behold. But, oh, I need to watch my figure. Um, do they have durian pastries, banana bread cakes?" 'huge pints of bloodwine, intestinal pudding' "I will gladly have one of those."

Heriah stepped along after Entaaro keeping the large Klingon nearby as she stepped onward on autopilot, taking in the sights. "How long have you been aboard Commander?"

Entaaro was pleased he didn't need to modify his stride, the long legs and high energy usually caused him to force march people who were only out for a stroll. "Four months, and every day a whirl wind." He pointed to the floor to ceiling concourse wall with a view of the station at their feet now. Over a hundred flying vessels crossed in the mere seconds of glancing, "Take the alpha shift in OPS, you'll go mad or dream in flight times, I forgot my own name at one point. Such a lively, busy place. I am equally curious about you Commander, your record was a treat to read."

'You hear that? A treat. How about you treat him to a nice throat slashing.'

Heriah swatted at her own ear.

'...or a nice time in bed.'

"I am," she spoke up, drowning out Rex's thoughts, "unsure if 'treat' is the word I would use. But am overjoyed that you think so." She stepped along beside him, almost bouncing on her heels. "I've had my rounds. First was the U.S.S. Cowpens, Outpost Talon and the U.S.S. Tiger Claw. I started out in Tactical, became Second Officer, field promoted to XO. I did all that on my own. No family ties in Starfleet. In fact, my family disowned me when I entered Starfleet. I also climbed that proverbial ladder without a symbiont's name or help. It was not until just over a year ago when I went back to the Academy to become certified as an XO that the Joining Commission on Trillius Prime contacted me about Joining."

'The worse day of both of our lives.'

She clapped her hand together once in excitement. "Oh, I had always dreamed of becoming joined with a symbiont. They told me I was getting Rex. Such a powerful name don't you think? And I accepted on the spot."

'Liar. You hesitated.'

"And here I am," she smiled gleefully.

'You left out the part of Rikata the Mole shrinking your head regularly.'

"I'm joined. I'm XO. And I'm ready to go."

Entaaro listened intently, curiosity growing at her tale. “The joining is fascinating aspect to your storied career. Rex is it? That is a Terran term for King, a Klingon curse word meaning brute, so powerful indeed to exist in three languages. I am profoundly curious as to the method of communication to your symbiote? You are the primary intelligence and living personality, so do you speak to it directly?” He caught himself chatting amiably and realized he might be offending her by discussing his fascination like she was an science experiment. Quickly he appended, “I can only imagine the therapy that must come with living with so many other lives.”

"Well we become one when joined," she said, not one bit of offense taken nor uncomfortableness in her voice.

'One insane ball of irritation you mean.'

"And there is a great deal to process and to get accustomed to. Yes, I did have to undergo about a year's worth of therapy as Rex's past is somewhat...troubled," she said.

'Borg assimilation. Davmorda slept around then discarded lovers like spent tissue. Luftine beat his wife. Yeah...troubled is the right word alright.'

"But he and I have integrated nicely. I have accepted him and his and he has accepted me and mine."

'The way one would accept a case of influenza.'

"And we do not...talk to each other...really. It is more like I have thoughts and then there are Rex's thoughts superimposed over...more like...under mine. Though I am the primary decision-maker. And, upon joining," Herian continued, "a new personality is born. There was a time when I was a fashion model for my family's business and a strict vegan. All that vanished away the second I joined with Rex. And, in Trill," she laughed at the thought that 'rex' meant both 'king' and 'brute' in various languages, "In Trill, Rex is simply a name. I do not think it means much."

'Though I do rather enjoy both 'king' and 'brute'. How about we change our name to King Brute?'

Heriah chuckled at the imposed thought. "What about Entaaro?" she asked him. "What weight does that carry in Klingon?"

Their strides had gotten them to the grav-bakery Cafe swiftly. The floor to ceiling windows just on the other side of the partition walled seating area illuminated the are without additional lighting. The curve of the floor matched the curve of the gravity bands at the perimeter of the dome edge. One could throw a muffin ball and it would travel in an orbit, the patrons loved it.

“What is a name but a gift from your parents? There is no specific meaning for the name it is not a word, more like a derivation of a true name, one of the noble houses from long ago. E-Taro. They were academics not prone to the battle names with monosyllabism.”

Entaaro signaled for two people to the house host, who gestured to follow, so he continued, “I followed in their steps to study communications and linguistics, more so than battle strategy or Kur’leth bouts.”

The table was a nice one, the house treated officers well. The expansive windows made the simple two seat cafe table seem tiny, a reverse fish eye effect like staring out of the aquarium. The only thing bigger was open space. A gentle blue glow permeated their area along the window, and a breathtaking view of the length of the station was apparent every hour minutes as the rotations allowed.

“I’d recommend the stuffed Cinnamon rolls”

Heriah allowed her hands to drop onto the table. "I love those things," she said, leaning forward a bit as though attempting to drive that point home to Entaaro. "I used to avoid them; family's orders. Now...only I tell me what to do."

'And I. Don't forget about me.'

"And you are right about names," Heriah continued. "They are gifts from parents. No one in my ancestry is named 'Heriah' and my family name only refers to an old village where my ancetors were from. As for 'Rex'..."

'Hey now, the Klingon already said it means King Brute.'

"...I suppose it is the nature of spoken language. All sounds and all combinations will eventually be made. 'Rex' was just the name given to him. It means nothing beyond that."

'I would like to hear a combination of him attempting to speak through blood gurgling in his throat. Maybe that will mean something.'

Heriah smiled at Entaaro as a waiter approached. Heriah was quick to announce her order. "The stuffed cinnamon rolls for me. And a cup of Trill Chai, sweet and with a dash of pepper oil. The hottest you have in store."

She finished and looked at Entaaro, preparing his order.

“I admire your palate,” to the waiter he smiled and spoke in rich undertones, “The blueberry mooffin, Vulcan Green with honey please.”

Lofting their way along a graviton path naturally created by coriolis forces and the mass of the station, three spheres of confections bobbled along. The frosting of the twin buns so paired to complete a sphere like shape had a ring of icing form along their mini equator. The Muffin had been baked as sphere from the get go, and the entire surface was crispy golden brown. The light dusting of powdered sugar had itself created a moon system quickly collapsing into sugary meteorites decorating the treat.

Entaaro held up his plate, a curious depth to it suddenly making sense as a catcher. So to Heriah, he only said, “If you miss it takes a whole year to come back around!” He had a goofy grin, the Klingon found himself flirting without realizing her cues were definitely mixed.

"We had best not miss it then," she said. "Such events are not meant to be spent alone."

She had a fierce countenance and though her signals may have been mixed, they came in strong. So befuddled, Entaaro missed his treat lost in her eyes. The frosting would form a moon by the time it came back around, but he didnt mind the wait one bit.

-End-

 

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