One
Outpost-974, Beta Quadrant, Stardate 59589.9
Commander Theus Eridos entered the secure briefing room of the space station with purpose. Accompanying him were his first officer, Commander zhNon and MACO Contingent commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Bullock. They moved at a deliberate pace, as they approached a large round table where all the captains and first officers of their task-force were to assemble. This included the Edosian captain Dravot who had been recently relived because of his action while trying to capture a marauding ship of Federation design known as the Butcher.
The three officers stood at their seats and exchanged greetings with; Captain Igmoha and Commander Hewlett of the Luna-class Europa, Captain Dravot and Lieutenant Commander Huitron of the Sao Paulo-class Vajra, and the Vissian Captain Havmin along with her Ktarian first officer Commander Nicarn who represented the Destiny-class Cicada. Captain Fenton and his Deltan first officer Ooccae of the Envoy entered shortly, prompting them to all take their seats, and the briefing to start.
"Captains, Commanders," Fenton began, "Thank you all for so promptly assembling at our staging point. I understand that these last few weeks have been taxing on us all, on the captain and crew of the Aegis especially. However, another crisis has developed that is time sensitive and will require the efforts of every individual in this fleet."
Dravot signaled with his center hand and stood. "Captain, I understand that this is not the time to interrupt, however I feel compelled to speak before we proceed any further."
Fenton nodded.
He turn to Theus and said, "Commander, I offer you my sincerest apologies. For my actions, and for my conduct toward you."
"Captain…" Theus said.
"Please, let allow me to finish," he continued. "My personal biases and opinions regarding your fitness for command dictated my actions. It was unprofessional, completely inappropriate, and I hope to one day atone for that and to have your forgiveness." He shifted and addressed the room. "I have no problems accepting the consequences of my actions while I was in command, but I do not believe I should be here."
"What you believe is irrelevant," Fenton said. "There will come a time for reviews and possible disciplinary action against you Captain. Right now, I need every resource available to me. That includes an officer with decades of experience. Now if you will kindly take your seat, we can continue."
The way Fenton finished the sentence made it clear that he would not accept no for an answer. His first officer input commands into a PADD, and the lights to the room dimmed with a holographic prompt displaying in the center of the table. "Commander Eridos, what is the status of your ship?" Ooccae asked.
"Repairs are estimated to be completed within sixty-seven hours. The Romulans scored some nasty hits while my away team was on the asteroid, and station control found structural weaknesses from their plasma weapons. I've also asked for upgrades to the ablative armor."
Igmoha said, "On that subject, I'd like more clarification. We've all assembled for a rescue mission, but are we expecting to get into a sustained conflict?"
Fenton held up a hand. "I understand you all have questions. Right now, this is Commander Eridos' show."
Theus took that as his cue and said, "Major Baresio has been abducted by his Mirror Universe counter-part. A Half-Vulcan and Human hybrid by the name of Pau. He's holding him hostage until I attempt a rescue."
"You?" Havmin asked in a soothing, cool voice. "Is there some relationship you have with him that we should be aware of?"
Igmoha said, "More importantly, how did he get to our universe. You made it clear during our last briefing that you took part in a mission to ensure that was impossible."
"I didn't go into details at the time, but I should've elaborated more," Theus said. "Individuals and even ships can still cross-over into our universe, but my team back then ensured it would be a fruitless endeavor. I've asked Captain Fenton to allow for a full briefing on those events to before we proceed to battle strategies."
Earth, Starfleet Command Headquarters, San Francisco California, Stardate 56987.2, OEC Year 2380
Theus materialized on an outdoor transporter pad that had a spectacular view of the Presidio. The crisp, late spring air assailed his senses with pollen and sea air as he stepped out of the alcove and headed toward the headquarters building. He had only been to Starfleet Command and the Academy a handful of times, and liked to think he would've enjoyed his time here, had he ever attended. The quads and pavilions of the campus were mostly empty, but he could still see plenty of shuttles, hover cars, and multiple other commercial transports in the skyline. After entering the building, he proceeded to the information desk of the main lobby.
"Good morning, Lieutenant," Theus said to the Benzite officer. "I'm Lieutenant Theus Eridos, service number RT-743-047. I have orders to report to Strategic Operations."
"Welcome back to Earth, Lieutenant," he said. "But you will have to wait a few days. Normal business hours will not resume until Monday."
"Monday?"
"Yes, Lieutenant. I believe humans call this time the 'week-end'."
Theus was slightly embarrassed, but knew he shouldn't be. He wasn't the first officer to be aboard ship for so long that they forgot to check local time and dates when they needed to spend extended time on a planet. "I see."
"You're arrival time has been logged. Please report back here at 0800 hours Monday morning, they are expecting you in addition to several others and your meeting is already on the Commodore's schedule."
"Thank you for your assistance," Theus said. "I'm just not sure what to do now."
"If you have returned to Earth, I'm assuming you were on a mission prior. This may not be leave, but I would take the time off to enjoy myself if I were in your position."
"That sounds like good advice," he said. "Is there a transporter near-by?"
He received the directions and proceeded to the station. At the destination terminal, he input his parents address and deleted it. Then he input that of his closest cousin and deleted that too. After mulling for a bit, Theus finally input the address of his home and stepped into the alcove. He materialized on the patio of his quaint townhouse, facing the ocean and hearing the shrill cawing of sea birds.
"That feels better," he said to no one.
The warm, tropical air of his South Florida home was more preferable than San Francisco. After taking in the view for a bit, he entered through a sliding glass door and said, "House, wake up."
Acknowledged. Syncing all contacts and notifications. Retrieving current events and local stories. A list of your preferred restaurants with current hours of operation is being sent to your personal digital device.
"Is there any mail marked urgent or past due?"
Fourteen messages all marked critical from your neighborhood home-owners association president. You're father replied to all.
"I'll have to remember to thank him."
Theus looked about his place and saw very little. The home belonged to his parents until recently, and was given to him as a gift when he was promoted to full Lieutenant. They had removed all the furniture to allow him to decorate as he saw fit, but he had never gotten around to it. His colonial Spanish designed home wasn't very large at only two stories, the rooms above with living areas and his kitchen below, but it seem vast now that it was empty.
"House, have the holographic emitter been installed?"
Affirmative
"Give me a chair," he said. It materialized, and he sat. "Damn…I am so bored."
A list of activities and local venues is available on your device.
There was glowing coming from a counter-top in his kitchen and he went to retrieve the small rectangular device. "House, replicate a wearable model and sync with my regular…call Keln Baresio."
Attempting…connection established.
"Eri! How are you?" Baresio asked.
"Not really sure what to do with myself. I tried checking in but we have to wait until Monday."
"Well yeah," he said.
"And you guys didn't tell me."
"I figured a smart guy like you already knew."
Theus laughed at that. "So um…are you doing anything? Would you like to come over, grab brunch?...Keln?"
The doorbell rang, and Theus opened his door to see Baresio standing with a sheepish grin and holding his own communicator.
"Well that was fast," Theus said.
"Right, now transporters are fascinating to you," he said and rolled his eyes. "Can I come in?" Theus moved out of his way and he said, "It's very…spartan."
"Give me a break, I just moved in."
"I need my own place," he said. "My pops is amazing and he was almost in tears when he saw me, but he's a little clingy. It makes my brother a little jealous."
"You went home first? Bad move."
"In hindsight, yeah. So brunch?"
Theus shook his head. "I was actually just throwing things out there. I'm not too sure what to do with my time if it isn't on a set schedule or Starfleet related."
"You told me that you had a lot of hobbies as a kid. None of them stuck?"
"They were…structured activities my parents enjoyed more," Theus said. "I've been away from home for years man, and the things that interest me normally involve higher forms of mathematics. I'm just not feeling any form of studying right now."
"Then how about we go shopping? Your place is too nice not to have a personal touch. What did this cost you?" He asked.
"Nothing. The property has belong to my family for a few centuries now. Right before World War III, this area was within one of the districts for the impoverished. A tactical nuclear device was detonated about one-hundred kilometres south of here, and one of my paternal ancestors helped with the clean-up. This neighborhood was undesirable in every sense of the word, but multiple immigrants, including one on my mother's side, came from Haiti. They were given these plots to build and were allowed to maintain it as their own. When the Vulcans landed and help us to decontaminate all the hot zones, life returned. And so did the property value in this historic district. I'm not sure of the market price, but everyone tells me a small moon would be cheaper."
"Your family is amazing," Baresio said.
"Thank you. And shopping does sound fun, just give me a moment to get changed."
Theus went upstairs and returned in a casual beach tunic that was laced in the front. His loose shorts almost reached his ankles and complimented the soft, opened toed sandals on his feet. When Baresio saw him, he chuckled.
"What?" Theus asked.
"I've just never seen you look so relaxed, not even on ship."
"Well we can't all have that amazing Vulcan sense of style."
Theus wasn't being facetious with the comment. Baresio wore dark slacks and mahogany boots that accented a folding tunic of deep red, gold, and royal violet. It looked incredible on him.
"Then I suppose it's a good thing we're going shopping."
They exited the house, and Theus stopped, "You have a car?"
"It's my dad's," Baresio said.
"It's nice," Theus said while looking over the sleek, black sports style transport. "And it travels on land?"
"I've told you how my dad is, one of his Artisan Preservation Guild friends restored it for him but it can hover as well."
"Sweet," Theus said and sat down in the passenger seat.
Baresio sat down in the driver seat, and tapped the display on the dash to make a call. When it connected he said, "Hey Junior, you at the store? I have a friend that needs some serious decorations in his place."
"I am, but does he know we're a craft furniture store? Most people shop with us using latinum or dilithium. The amount of Fed-Creds needed for even a small lamp is staggering."
Theus said, "Hello Mr. Baresio, by chance could I offer you two-hundred grams of sour-dough starter? I'll even throw in a few loaves of focaccia."
"Sour-dough? I honestly don't see how that's an appropriate compensation Mr.…?"
"Eridos, but please, call me Theus."
"Eridos?! As in Donte Eridos? Owner of the bakeries that makes the most sought after pastries on the East Coast?!"
"He's my father, but yes, that Eridos."
"Make is seven-hundred and I'll furnish your entire home inside and out. After you select your items it can be delivered immediately and my installation holograms will have everything setup within an hour."
"Four-hundred."
"Five-hundred fifty."
"Only if you sign an agreement to utilize if for personal use only and not to share the starter itself."
"Done! Bring him directly to me when you guys get here, Keln."
"See you soon, little bro," Baresio said, and the call ended. "You don't think your dad will be upset at you for bartering with his decades old starter do you?"
"I'm an only child, it'll be mine eventually," Theus shrugged. "We'll have to make a quick stop in Jacksonville before we head up to Brooklyn."
Baresio activated the hover function and headed toward the ocean behind Theus' home. On the windshield, multiple markers indicated the direction of the virtual roads they were allowed to travel through.
"Navigation says we'll be there in about ten minutes. I can have us in New York in about thirty after that. Sooner if you'd like."
The shoreline began to zip by as they reached super-sonic speed. "No thanks, I'm enjoying the ride and the company."
Riviera Beach, Florida, 1915 hours
"This is incredible!" Sitix said. "What do you call this again?"
"Pulled pork," Fisher answered her.
"It's pulling me in to eat more," she said.
Theus smiled and was slightly relieved that his comrades and family were having a nice time. This was the first time he had ever thrown a house party, so he wasn't sure if he was doing it correctly. His father was upset at him when he went to retrieve the starter, but only because he hadn't notified him that he was back on planet.
Wevis said, "I must admit, there is something about the bar-bee-que that I enjoy. A sort of primal satisfaction from consuming food roasted on an open flame."
Commander Keyona Eridos had made the trip from Earth Space Dock to welcome her son. She placed more food on the picnic table that Theus had recently purchased and said, "There is. But don't worry, all the protein is replicated or re-sequenced."
Baresio gave her a wry grin, "I appreciate that ma'am, still I'll stick to the tofu and plant-protein. But your potato salad and baked beans are amazing."
"Oh no!" Donte Eridos said from the grill. "No ranks here, son."
Joseph Baresio said, "He does that with everyone. I don't know where he picked it up from because we didn't do that on Vulcan."
Junior asked, "How long are you all here for?"
Theus said, "We're not sure. Once we get our mission briefing the day after tomorrow we'll have all the details."
"I wouldn't mind staying a while," Fisher said and clapped Theus on the shoulder. "You've been holding out on us."
"I'm not the cook of the family," Theus said.
The night progressed casually. They ate, drank, and drank some more. By the time it reached midnight, most had departed except for Wevis and Baresio.
"Thank you for having us, Eridos," Wevis said. "This has been an enriching experience."
"Any time. And before you say anything, we'll be staying out of trouble."
"That's good to hear. I've spoken with a few friends in high places. They weren't able to give me much, but I did get the impression that our security clearances are about to rise."
Baresio asked, "That's saying something, considering our last mission."
"Indeed. But we serve at their leisure, gentlemen," he said and tapped inside his pocket.
A few moments later, Wevis vanished leaving Theus and Baresio alone.
"I hope you had a nice time," Theus said.
"I did. Walk with me? I really wanna see the beach."
There was full moon above and not a cloud in the sky. The two took a lazy stroll to the shoreline and Baresio sat down, patting the sand beside him.
"It doesn't look like this on Vulcan. It doesn't look like this at my dad's place," he said.
"I've always been comfortable near water," Theus said. "I think that's why my parents gave me this place. My mom said that I said my first real words here as a child to her."
"That's sweet," he said. The breeze coming from the ocean was noticeable enough that he asked, "Are you cold?"
"No. I'm used to it here, you're the one from a desert."
"Yeah that was lame, I just wanna put my arm around you," he said and pulled Theus in.
"Is that why you've been so nice today?" Theus asked.
"These are the times you have to remember," he said.
They stayed like that in a comfortable silence, listening to the incoming tide and the crashing of the waves.
"It's getting late," Theus said and stood up.
"That it is," Baresio agreed and stood as well. "Did you want to meet up tomorrow? I'm good anytime you want."
Theus snorted. "Like you aren't staying the night." He raised his middle and pointer finger and Baresio connected them with his own. Theus gently stroked Baresio's hand before resting his forehead against his friend's and planting a soft kiss. He felt Baresio position his free hand on his temple and began to reach out.
"Theus? Is that you?" A voice interrupted.
Theus looked to see his neighbor approaching them with a pet corgi dog. "Good evening…morning Mr. Lasko. I hope you don't take this as rude, but I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment."
"Oh of course, of course," Lasko said quickly. "I'll leave you kids be." He walked head for a bit then stopped to say, "It's just, I noticed you don't have a custodian for your place while you're off planet. The sand gets blown about frequently around here. I know you haven't lived in the neighborhood long, and I have several programs I can recommend to keep your sidewalk—"
"I'll take care of it," Theus said. He left the two alone and Baresio didn't even try to hide his grin. "What?"
"You defeat threats to the safety and security of the Federation, but somehow can't keep your lawn tidy."
Theus pushed him away and said, "You are lucky you're pretty, now let's go break in my new bed."