Night Traveler

Posted on Sat Dec 30th, 2023 @ 5:50am by Lieutenant Commander Kelly Kerrigan & Captain Rhoda Morelli
Edited on on Sun Dec 31st, 2023 @ 3:26am

1,522 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Lacertae Mortis
Location: USS Arcadia

The pseudo wood flooring with its wide planks and metal plating riveted about the perimeter of the u-shaped wood bar was an interesting sight, nearly startling at first for those unfamiliar with the sights and sounds of Finney’s the primarily lounge and eatery aboard the Constitution class starship Arcadia. It was not nearly as old as the hull itself, but the seafood bar and grill was a long held tradition aboard the aging Arcadia. It was as irony would have it owned and operated by a delightful Caitian who an excellent listener was and had unforeseen magical powers if one believed the scuttlebutt. Not only was the seafood delicious, but the place had good acoustics, a cozy ambience, and drinks that could make even a seasoned patron forget their ‘space legs’ if they tempted fate long enough. A long night at the bar of Finney’s would make a man bare his soul and burn his esophagus.

A quick wipe down along the bar with their rag, and the Caitian was gone and back in a blink of an eye. The white rag worn over their shoulder like a Klingon baldric though this sash held more honour at least in the hearts and minds of the handful of officers and enlisted personnel aboard the Arcadia old enough to have served in the not so distant war or those ill-fated enough to have outlived their shipmates, friends, and family. Looking upward, Lieutenant Commander Kelly Kerrigan saw the paramount feature of the establishment, a pink luminescent holographic sea creature that looked like a Frankenstein abomination it was both shrimp-like and yet squid appearing. He had no idea which it actually was and in truth it very well could have been something from Ferasa or some other strange new world.

Kelly was due to be on duty for another several hours, well enough to sleep off a little bit of alcohol and if necessary, swing by the medical bay for some supplemental purging of any hangover that may linger. The Caitian barkeep had slid a glass mug his direction with feline precision though Kelly had stopped the momentum with his hand, catching the glass before it slid too far. He knew what it what and he knew that it was especially made for him. The Caitian always knew what to make and who to make it for, and more importantly when it was needed. They called it a seafood bar and grill but even in his short time aboard, Lieutenant Commander Kerrigan was fairly confident this was an illegitimate pharmacy serving tonics, spirits, and an occasional aphrodisiac if you believed in those sorts of things. The drinks were certainly more than enough to raise brow and suspect their guise to drop only to reveal potions.

No tricorder was warranted nor required for a quick examination the contents of the glass mug, hot but not scolding to the touch. A deep brown in color with a foamy whipped topping, garnished with a toffee drizzle. Kelly brought it to his mouth, but it was his nostrils that ‘tasted’ before his tastebuds had even a sip. Boozy, just how he liked it. There was nothing like an Irish Coffee to take the edge off of calm the jitters of a new assignment, and this assignment was like none that he had before. He was the First Officer of the USS Arcadia. It may have not been the flagship of the Federation, but she was distinguished and was recently refitted for a new crew and a the beginning of a five year mission, one that Commander Kerrigan was glad to be a part of and hoped would be history making. “You always knows exactly what everyone needs” Kelly said to the Caitian right before he felt a firm hand grasp his right shoulder, immediately causing him the swivel the bar stool around.

“Captain,” he said to the dark haired woman staggering up from the bar stool and adjusting his posture quickly to as though he were fresh out of the academy. “I was not expecting to see you here, ma’am” he added almost as though he had been caught with his pants down, but he was off duty and was not in the wrong by being there partaking in a beverage.

She assured him with a warm smile. “If you’re this on edge now, Kelly, I’d hate to see what you look like staring down a heavily armed Klingon battle cruiser” Captain Rhoda Morelli quipped. “Oh relax, Commander. I thought I would just stop in before you got settled in your quarters for the evening” explained the cheerfully restrained woman. The Captain was a thin woman with a grandmotherly appearance, a mop of frizzy grey rested atop her head and her features were angular, a pointed nose jetted out from a pale face with boney cheeks and seasoned hazel eyes that had been through a lifetime of adventure.

The two had not gotten to know each other very well, but there were a few things that Kelly had learned about her in a short period of time. Rhoda was predominately Greco-Italiana by heritage and proud of it, and she still had some family that resided on Earth in Sicily though one of her kids and Rhoda’s grandchildren settled on Parnassus Beta where the family operated a bakery. Rhoda had talked about the bakery extensively, how there was love that went into the kneading of the dough. The two had spent the past several weeks during the Arcadia’s refit discussing crew personnel assignments and getting to know one another over coffee and biscotti.

“I trust you’ll be able to handle things here for the next several days, Topolino?” enquired the Captain using a term of endearment for her new First Officer, his mousey brown hair and tendency to scurry about the starship had quickly earned him the little nickname from his Captain. Little Mouse Kelly thought to himself remembering fondly what the woman had called him.

He was curious as to what she had planned, an adventure somewhere. She certainly had more than earned enough shore leave time to take off for a bit before their shakedown cruise. “Several days?” he echoed her words. “Are you heading somewhere, Ma’am?” and every time he said ma’am it was hard for him not to slip up and say mom because that was how he had felt around her. His own mother had been dead for a few years now, and Rhoda was extraordinarily maternal to her crew, even the new faces like Kelly’s.

Rhoda’s eyes displayed an extra bit of warmth like golden brown pastries fresh out of the oven. “I’m taking a shuttle to rendezvous with the USS Cayuga. Captain Batel and the Cayuga are heading to Parnassus Beta. I’d like to stop by the bakery and spend some time with my daughter, Rosemary and my grandchildren before the Arcadia is ready.”

Lieutenant Commander Kelly Kerrigan understood what family meant. Starfleet meant sacrificing a lot of time and being away from those you loved. He could handle overseeing the refitting and ensuring that things were tidy and in order for when Rhoda returned. “Of course, Captain” he said politely.

“I won’t be gone more than a week or so, don’t get any ideas now. I may be old, but this old girl and I still have five years if not more left in us” she said teasingly. “Don’t think I don’t see the way you look at her when you think that I’m not looking” added Rhoda. He knew it was only in jest, but Rhoda did have a valid point. The Arcadia was something special and this assignment would bring him one step closer to a command of his own someday.
Rhoda looked at the bar and saw a small mug sitting there by its lonesome. A clear mug with a bright orange contents and a lovely aromatic experience. The Caitian had just placed it there before walking away to give the two some privacy. “Ponce Mandarino” she muttered sweetly and picked up the warm glass, caressing it in her hands. “Thank you, Commander. I’ll be working on some paperwork before I disembark, but I’ll cross all my Ts and dot each and every I to your satisfaction” she added. One thing he had shared with her, and something she had known before accepting him as her new First Officer was Kelly’s service history as being something of a 23rd century pencil pusher.

Kelly stood there for a moment watching the woman he had come to quickly respect dearly walk out through the doorway of Finney’s and thinking that they would have five more years of this. Five years of serving aboard the Arcadia on its next mission and working shoulder to shoulder with someone with so much grace and experience. He truly felt that Rhoda Morelli was a well of wisdom.

 

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