Bottoms Up - Part One

Posted on 17 Nov 2014 @ 3:41pm by Commander Norvi Stace & Lieutenant Asahi Kita

1,656 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: Starbase 84, Stardust Lounge
Timeline: MD 29 - 2142 Hours

ON:

Stace had crossed her legs in a comfortable position on the sofa opposite Kita. She took another quick look around them both, her excited expression beaming from her face. They were sat right at the window. The floor to ceiling glass displaying the blanket of pitch stretching out beyond their vision, pin-pricked with nameless stars twinkling like a backdrop. As an Intrepid class starship burst into the fore, dropping out of warp close enough to make out its classification, Norvi's eyes widened and she grinned like a child to Asahi.

"This place is wonderful!" she managed, leaning a little forward to get a better look. "Best seats in the house!"

Asahi would have felt similarly, but the nervous rustling in his seat seemed to indicate otherwise. As the Intrepid-class vessel shot by, the engineer let his thoughts wander to the ship and how badly the decontamination team left his precious Engineering department. Putting it back together would take some time, if the worst was to be assumed.

Scolding himself, he smiled over at the Trill, almost impressed that she seemed so absolutely enthralled with their surroundings. It was Stace's idea to check out what the Starbase had to offer, and, as tense as he was, Asahi had to admit that he was glad he followed after her. Even if he had turned himself into a workaholic of the highest caliber, Asahi could appreciate a great view and even more wonderful company. "The Starbase is definitely well-layed out. You can see everything from here."

As Norvi settled back into her chair, she turned her attention back to the room with bowl-like eyes. The comings and goings of civilians unknowingly jostled for her sight as she took in a breath like she was drawing in their life-force. She turned quickly and caught the attention of an unfamiliar form loitering around their table. "Can I help you?" she asked innocently.

"More's to the question, can I help you?" came his reply.

"I'm not sure I follow?" Stace returned, shooting a questioning look at Asahi.

"I'm your bartender this evening, ma'am. I'm here to serve you."

Stace shook her head and then shook off her initial embarrassment. "Well, I am sorry! I'm a little excited after retuning from a short mission. It's just nice to be in big spaces for a change. It's all a little overwhelming!"

"I understand," he replied, passing them each a data padd. "Choose whatever you want and since it's your first time here, the first drinks are on the house."

He left and Stace looked amusedly over to Asahi. "Can't argue with that!"

"I would, but he used the magic words." And Asahi was never one to turn down a free drink. The very idea seemed impolite, especially with such a hospitable bartender. Eying the PADD in front of him, the engineer frowned. "Except I know maybe four of the beverages on this list."

"Four? I know one!" Stace replied with wide eyes. She looked over the menu again. "Sol Cosmopolitan?" she sneered. "That sounds so disgusting!" Looking back she read over the rest. "Um, excuse me!" she called over to the waiter who was on his way back to the bar. "What's this?"

She pointed to an item that was merely indicated solely by a symbol. A triangle clustered by stars and encased in a rhombus.

"I don't think you'd enjoy it," said the man honestly. "It's more tailored for the exotic." Stace's eyes flared with frustration at his suggestion as her mind tore through the experiences she, Asahi and their crew had just witnessed. She shook her anger off with a toss of her head and then raised her eyebrow with a challenging tone. "Two please. And make them doubles."

He bit his lip and simply said, "As you wish," and took merely a minute to return to the table with four vials. "If by 'doubles' you mean two servings, bottoms up." His own eyebrows flared with frustration as he left his patrons to it.

"Was he an ass or was it me?"

Asahi watched the exchange intently, concerned at the beverage the Trill had ordered. He hadn't exactly seen what she pointed at, but judging by the bartender's reaction, he was almost curious as to what it was. "... Maybe he's used to a different crowd. Or maybe he was trying to... warn us? Who knows."

Eying the vials of liquid in front of them, the engineer narrowed his gaze. The bright purple liquid looked inviting enough, but it didn't stop Asahi from wondering why there was a mint green swirl floating around in the middle of it. "... What'd you pick out? Looks pretty."

"This one," Stace pointed to, regaining her earlier excitement. "It does look pretty, doesn't it? I hope it tastes as nice as it looks." She picked up one of the conical vials, held in place by a square, glass holder on the table. She held it aloft and traced the green swirl throughout the middle of the drink and indicated that Asahi do the same. "You ready?"

Asahi examined the drink on the list, eying the symbol next to it. "... Huh. Well, last time I got a weird, exotic drink like this..." He smiled, recalling the extra safe, super fruity drink he had on Rigel VI. If he hadn't married himself to the ship by this point, he may have ended up hopping on the runabout and joining in on the festivities of Lirha's wedding.

Shrugging, the engineer picked up the first vial, nodding. "I'm about as ready as I'm gonna be."

Stace shot the first glass first, and it tasted so rank that she quickly grabbed the other one and did the same. "Yuck!" she exclaimed, swallowing hard as the liquid began to burn her throat. "What he bloody hell..." Her voice trailed off as did her vision. A sparkle quickly began to edge its way from the corner of her eyes before it covered her entire line of sight. "Asahi?" she said worriedly.

Not one to be outdone, the petite Asian slammed down one vial, and then the next, grimacing at the taste only after the burn from the second lingered in his throat. "... Ugh!" He frowned, attempting to shrug off the one-turning-into-many bright and sparkling stars in his eyes as flare from a nearby ship's nacelle glow. "Well, I think that went well!"

As the sparkles began to clear, the searing burn from her inner ears began to thunder through her skull. It rocked her brain like a horse, thrashing about under the crack of a rider's whip. She peered to her shaking hands as they began to tremble. Stace's widening eyes looked to Asahi as everything turned to black.

When she came to, the Trill's whole body ached. She felt just as that moment when Hanor, her second host, came crashing to his death from climb up the ice mountains of Trill. She felt broken. Her eyes flickered open as the darkness began to fade and the white face of Asahi came into view. She tried to sit up but couldn't muster the strength to fully right herself. Instead she tilted her head and tried to gauge where they were. They seemed to be in a nondescript corridor somewhere on the station. Both of their comm. badges removed and with no memory of the past twenty four hours.

"Five more minutes, Hojo..." Asahi groaned, hand outstretched as he sprawled further onto the floor. "... Computer, turn the lights off." He frowned, rolling over to one side and burying his head into his arms. Moments later, the engineer's eyes popped open, staring over at his companion, petrified. "............ What happened?"

A murky pain thundered through Norvi's head and rattled about her eyes. She tried to focus on Asahi and could only make out his pale features through bouts of dizziness. "I - uh - I'm not sure," she managed to say, placing a hand on her forehead to stop the dull ache that was creeping into her soul. "What... what time is it?"

Immediately regretting the head flop back into his arm, Asahi grumbled, waving a hand upward. "Computer, tell me what time it is." A moment later, he lifted his head ever so slightly, squinting at the air. "... I don't even know where we are. I just know my head hurts and the lights need to stop with the sparkles or I'll be throwing up colors to match 'em."

Grumbling, the engineer went to tap the commbadge on his chest. ".......... I'm missing my thing."

Stace's head shot over to Asahi's empty grasp as her own fingers leapt up to her breast. The bear material betrayed her comm. badge's absence as with splayed fingers they searched up to her shoulder. "I'm missing mine too," she murmured, trying unsuccessfully to scramble to her feet. She slumped back down and then tried again, gripping the wall to steady herself. Her vision began to return to normal as did her balance. "I think that we should head to sickbay, or at least see someone who can help us piece together what's happened."

Asahi was slower to right himself, whining and complaining at nearly every step. "... Ugh..." He leaned his body against the wall as if it would save him from his oncoming dizzy spell, frowning. "... Are we even going to be able to find sickbay? I haven't felt this awful in... I don't remember the last time I felt this awful, actually. I think it was about ten years ago, when I-... graduated... Academy?"

Stace groaned a look over to the engineer. "We're both too old for this... but I have an idea. I think. One that might let us save face." And with that they stumbled down the corridor.

...To be continued!

OFF:

Lieutenant Asahi Kita
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

AND

Lieutenant Commander Norvi Stace
Chief Science Officer & Second Officer
USS Galileo

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