Picnic in January, Part I

Posted on Sat 13th Jan, 2018 @ 12:57am by Commander Paul Graves PsyD & Lieutenant Commander Alora Baro & Commander Jasmine Collins-Keller & Lieutenant Anjohl Gaden MD & Lieutenant Adam Keller
Edited on on Sat 13th Jan, 2018 @ 1:00am

1,464 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: A Phaser as Deadly as a Candlestick
Location: Tivoli Gardens, Paul Graves' home
Timeline: 239301.15

The nice thing about living on a temperature-controlled starbase was that you could host an 'outdoor' party any time of the year. Paul had been living in his new cottage on Deck 1552 for just over a month, and it was high time, he'd decided, to host a housewarming party, seeing as how he'd been a guest at several parties so far, and it was time to return the hospitality. He'd invited the senior staff and several other people he'd met and found interesting during his time on Vanguard.

His home was small, built in a Betazoid architecture style, with a large, pointed-arch window in the front and a smaller pointed arch framing the front entrance, which led into the den. The facade was of stone siding, designed to look as if different sizes of beige stones had been cleverly fitted together. His bedroom was on the upper floor of a square tower built at the back of the cottage. His study, which could double as a guest bedroom, was directly below it.

Paul switched on the oven light to check the baked beans. They bubbled gently in their casserole dish, the bacon strips curling slightly as the fat melted into the mixture of beans, brown sugar, and ketchup. It was terribly bad for you but smelled delicious, just as he remembered from meals he'd eaten in barbecue restaurants on Earth during his Academy days.

Outside, in the small backyard of his new home, the brisket and sausages were smoking, due to be taken out of the smoker in a few minutes. Luckily, he'd been able to make the potato salad and refrigerate it the night before.

Jasmine and Adam were among the first to arrive. Jasmine was happy to get out of her lab for the day. Adam was glad it wasn't another Halloween treat. Both recognized the style of the house almost instantly. "Hmm," Adam looked around. "Maybe we should look into a space like this to engineer a home on instead of quarters."

"Don't tease me, Adam." Jasmine smiled. "I'd love for our child to grow up in a house with a yard."

"I'm not teasing but let's concentrate on our host and having a good time today." He advised as he knocked on the door.

Caroline came up behind them and smiled at the couple before her. "You look healthy and happy," she said to Jasmine. "Strictly off the record, and asking as a friend, how's everything going? When are we meeting this new little scientist?"

"I'm feeling fine. Thank you for asking." Jasmine smiled at Caroline. "I've got a little while to go yet. I'm due February 10th but first-time moms usually go over their due dates."

"We're hoping to get the wedding in before the baby comes." Adam smiled. "We're making arrangements for that now."

Paul heard the knock on the door and glanced at his wall clock in surprise. Yes, it was already time. He went to the front door and opened it. "Jasmine, Adam, come on in! Hello, Caroline, glad you could make it."

He ushered the first arrivals in. "If you'll just set the food on the dining room table."

Caroline set her bakery box on the table, opening it and removing the Black Forest Cake she'd bought. When it was properly displayed on the table, she stood back, nodded once, and took the trash to the kitchen, where she found the expected recycler.

Outside, in the small backyard of Paul's new home, the brisket and sausages were smoking, due to be taken out of the smoker in a few minutes. He'd made the potato salad and refrigerated it the night before, along with an uttaberry pie. Aside from that and the drinks, it was to be a pot-luck picnic with the option of swimming or soaking in the pond just outside the cottage's entrance.

He was thinking of checking on the smoker when the doorbell rang.

Lt. Baro Alora's rich earth-brown hair was loose around her shoulders as she held a covered dish in one hand and a Bajoran potted plan in the other. She didn't know him well enough to know what he liked so she picked a standard Bajoran housewarming gift and brought food. One couldn't often go wrong with food. Though she'd been on board a few months, the station was so large one could go weeks without seeing even all the senior officers. She wore loose light brown cloth pants tucked into darker brown boots, with a light top and a vest to match the boots.

Paul smiled when he saw Lt. Baro, whom he'd sat next to at the Halloween party a few months before. "Alora, come on in! I'm so glad you could be here this afternoon." Paul wore a plaid shirt predominantly of teal, crisscrossed by narrow lines of black and yellow., and a pair of blue jeans. "That is a beautiful plant," he said admiring how lush and green it was. "Food goes on the dining room table," he said. He was about to shut the front door when he saw the next guest arriving.

Gaden, dressed casually in tan cargo shorts and teal A-shirt was right behind the Lieutenant. He was carrying a Tuwaly pie in each hand as he approached.

"Gaden, good to see you!" Paul said and held the door open for him. "Just follow Alora straight into the dining room, and put your goodies there. Would either of you like something to drink? I promise no bloodwine unless you want it."

"I'm not a connoisseur of bloodwine, thank you all the same," the Bajoran doctor said, "I'll take springwine if you have it. Otherwise, some kind of white wine will do."

"Is replicated okay? Sadly, I don't have any of the real stuff," Paul told him as he closed the door. "I do have some real Bajoran ale, though."

Anjohl's eyes lit up. "That will do just fine," he replied, "it's been a long time since I've had one of those."

Alora was putting the items on the table as instructed when her ears perked up, "What vintage?" She asked interestedly but politely.

"For the Bajoran ale, I have no idea, but the replicated springwine is supposed to taste like the vintage from 2379," Paul said. "You'd have to be the judge of that. Or I have some Moscato in the refrigerator, which is a sweet white wine from Earth."

Alora smiled and nodded her thanks at that information as she looked around.

He regarded the dining table with some bemusement. The Black Forest cake looked good enough to skip the barbecued meat for. Which reminded him--"Excuse me for just a moment; I need to get the meat out of the smoker. Feel free to serve yourselves drinks. There are plenty in the cooler." Paul hurried to the backyard.

Finding the door open slightly, Marin pushed against it, and she and Jade walked inside. They followed the noise and found a sideboard waiting for their contributions to the feast. Although both carried a dish, Marin's was hot and in a protective covering, a personal favorite of small shrimp, shell pasta, zucchini, grape tomatoes, and a white pasta sauce. Jade's in contrast, was a fruit salad made with tangerines, pineapple, cherries and strawberries, sour cream and tiny colored marshmallows in the shape of bees. They set the dishes down and turned to survey the rapidly filling room.

"Looks like we have the makings of another memorable party," Marin said. "I was sorry to miss the one at the doctor's house, but this might make up for it."

Jade laughed. "I don't think anything can rival THAT particular party, but this will have its own surprises, no doubt."

"I'm going to look around a little and see this clever little house. You never know when I might want to have one myself," Marin said, winking at her boss.

"I probably pay you enough to buy two," Jade said drily. "You go on, I want to talk to Dr. Graves anyway." They went their separate ways.

"Excuse me, " Gaden said as he approached his fellow Bajoran. "I'm Anjohl, Anjohl Gaden, but feel free to call me Gaden."

Baro turned and smiled, she'd not had much need to go into Sickbay, and was thankful for it, but it did mean she wasn't familiar with all the staff. Of course on a station this large, one needed the computer to ID all staff. "Baro Alora, but Alora please."

To be continued ....

 

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