Post 1 - Risa Shine

Posted on Thu Jan 28th, 2021 @ 1:13am by Captain Björn Kodak & Debbie Gless

Mission: The Waiting Game
Location: USS-Maricopa, VIP Guest Quarters
Timeline: Shoreleave: Day 1, 0941 Hours

[VIP Guest Quarters]
[USS-Maricopa]
[Shoreleave: Day 1, 0941 Hours]

Kodak sat on the bed of his guest quarters, eyes still glued to the blank screen inset into the wall. On it, he could see his own reflection: the familiar face he'd worn for decades no longer caked in grime or beset with bags under his eyes. The visage that stared back at Kodak was carefully groomed and pristinely clean -- a far cry from the state the Captain had been in when the Adelphi limped its way back to the Alpha Quadrant.

Now aboard a vessel that seemed like it hadn't seen battle in years, the luxuries of everyday Starfleet life were available again -- including sonic showers and functioning replicators: something the Adelphi had been sorely lacking during the month-long slog back to the mouth of the Nacene terminus of the Barzan wormhole. Beneath him, the overly-cushy bed felt as if it might swallow Kodak whole.

While the Captain of the Maricopa had ensured the Chameloid was assigned to posh lodgings -- befitting a visiting Captain -- Kodak found himself missing the sometimes lumpy, sometimes overly hard bed he'd had on the Adelphi. It seemed odd to think that he'd never sleep on that bed again... But I'm getting ahead of myself, Kodak thought to himself as he reflected back on the events that had brought him to the USS-Maricopa.

"Computer," the Captain intoned, "begin recording a personal message. Recipients: Klaus and Ingrid Müeller of Zirndorf, Germany: Earth." A responsive tone over the room's comm system signaled that the recording had begun. "Hallo Vater und Mutter," Kodak began, speaking the native tongue of his parents' homeland. "I hope this message finds you well. I apologize for the brevity of my last communique," he sighed, "but we'd only just returned to the Alpha Quadrant and Starfleet wanted all of my time. As promised, this will be a much longer message -- there's a lot to catch you up on."

Rising from the bed -- knowing the computer would continue to capture audio and video -- Kodak moved over to the replicator. "Kaffee, two sugars. Whole milk until it's light tan. Hot." Surprisingly without argument over what "light tan" meant, the replicator gurgled its sparkling lights to produce the requested beverage. Turning as he took a ship, the Chameloid moved then to sit on the even-more-overly-plush couch in the sitting area of his temporary quarters.

"I'd mentioned," he began the video letter again, "that we'd come back to this side of the galaxy sooner than intended. What I left out last time," Kodak took another sip, savoring the bitter flavor, "was why. Suppose now is a good time to get into it, hmm?" Clothed in civilian garb rather than his customary uniform, the garments lent themselves well to the Captain pulling up and crossing his feet under himself. "So...we ran into the Vidiians. And before you say I told you so, Mutter," he smirked, "allow me: you were right."

"It didn't quite happen the way you thought, though," Kodak continued speaking to his mother, envisioning the smugly-satisfied look that would be on her face as she watched his message. "They tricked us. They tricked a lot of people actually," the Chameloid sipped the kaffee again. "But after imprisoning my senior staff -- who'd been sent to find the missing Ocampans I mentioned in my last message," he clarified, "the Vidiians set out to disable the Adelphi and take the rest of us as organ donors, too."

"Thankfully, a good crew is the sum of more than just its senior officers. Who, incidentally," Kodak swelled a bit with pride, "did amazing on the planet given the circumstances, by the way. But the Second Stringers...as they've taken to calling themselves," he smirked, "performed admirably as well. Thanks to their efforts, we were able destroy or disable all of the four Vidiian ships chasing after us in that nebula. Which allowed us to return to Cr'staya, the honey pot trap of vast natural resources the Vidiians lured first the Ocampans and, later, us into. By the time we got back to the planet, my senior staff had already taken over the prison complex and secured everyone's release. Well, not everyone," Kodak lamented, rising.

Kaffee still in hand, the Captain moved to stare out cabin's expansive picture window, his back to the screen that was now recording him from behind. Rainbow starlines of warp-speed psuedomotion streaked from left to right, wreathing Kodak dramatically as he thought deeply about the previous weeks. "Sora'a and Isan were killed. Organs stolen," the mirth had fled from his tone, "and too late to do anything about it. But the rest of the crew were alright, more or less. Though if Parsons files yet another complaint about Starfleet officers starting forest fires, we're going to have a less than pleasant talk."

Kodak turned back towards the screen then, leaning back against the bulkhead. "We beamed up the crew and all of the surviving Ocampans. Got a few other species as well: people unlucky enough to be lured in, just like we had. And eventually, we did get them all home. But sadly, the Adelphi was in no shape to stay out in the Delta Quadrant after that. Given all the damage she suffered, our only choice was to come home, hoping for some time in spacedock to get on our feet again. Starfleet, however, had other plans."

He moved then back to the bed, where a large duffel bag sat half open. "Given the Adelphi's age and the state she was in, Starfleet decided the ship just wasn't worth the repair time or material. So...my first stint as Captain has ended in the ruination of my ship," Kodak shrugged heavily. "But, to be fair, I think we did pretty damn great given the situation we faced. Even so," he expelled a long breath of air, "the reality is that my crew no longer has a ship to call home. In fact, they're not even my crew anymore. Well, most of them, anyway," he raspily lamented.

Kodak reached into the duffel and withdrew a wood-carved statuette in mahogany, eyes fixed on the horga'hn cradled now in his hands. "The senior staff is being kept together. So are the Second Stringers and some others like Debbie Gless. You know, the one who threw a chair at you, Vater," he chuckled, thinking back on a day 10 years prior. That was a whole other story, though... "Sadly, the Adelphi housed 750 people and Starfleet only let me keep 30. The majority of the crew are moving on to other assignments. Where the rest of us will end up, I don't know yet. But we're headed to Risa to vacation while we wait for our new assignment," Kodak said, holding up the horga'hn and smirking.

"We're a couple hours out yet but it feels bizarre to be going back there," the Chameloid admitted. "Our visit to Risa when I was 7 feels like yesterday somehow. I remember you looking again -- still in vain -- for any trace of my parents. Pretending we were there to vacation," he subtly huffed, dropping the fertility totem back into his duffel. "I know, I know," he predicted his mother's no-doubt-forthcoming complaint, "we were there to vacation. You both just got distracted looking into my origins. I imagine finding a baby on a beach would have that effect on just about anyone," Kodak chuckled.

"Some people take a good book on vacation," he continued, "but I'm taking this." He picked something else up from the duffel then, a small, black orb in shining onyx. "I found out what it is, by the way," the Chameloid held the orb up, eyes dancing. "An Orion member of my crew called it a 'Koh-jut.' It's like some kind of puzzle device that either contains something valuable or...you know," he mock-shrugged, "poison or a bomb? Either way," he chuckled, "I've not yet figured out how to open it. But part of me wonders if, on this trip to Risa, it might shed some light on my origins. Maybe there's a clue to my parents' identities inside? Or maybe it's just a recipe for my preferred type of baby food. Either way, I should have plenty of time to work on it," Kodak said, tossing the orb he'd been found with as a baby back into the bag.

"In any event, we're going to be on Risa for a couple of weeks," the Captain said, zipping up the duffel and then moving it to sit on the floor, next to a large travel case full of other belongings. "I know Risa isn't exactly around the corner from Zirndorf but if you feel like stretching your legs, I'd love to see you. On real-time subspace if not in person," Kodak smiled wide. "I imagine my crew and I will be getting another ship on the other side of this vacation, though who knows what that will be. Given what happened to the last ship Starfleet entrusted me with, maybe it'll be a large runabout?" he smirked for show. To parents like Ingrid and Klaus, however, the façade would be like a forcefield: easy to see his disappointment in himself through.

"I suppose that's it for now. I've a few last minute things to do before the Maricopa makes orbit," Kodak explained. "I'll get a message out to Stefan and Inid soon, too," he referred to his adoptive brother and sister. "I love you both and am looking forward to talking to you soon. Please take care, mama and papa." He paused there, offering a final, parting smile to the screen before closing up the communique. "Computer," the Chameloid invoked, "end message and send."

The confirmation tone sounded at the exact same time as the door chime. Brows furrowing with an unspoken question, Kodak moved to the door, wondering who was on the other side. As the entrance swished open, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Hi sweetie!" Debbie Gless guffawed, slow-twirling in front of him. She wore a garish combination of a bright, flowery sarong in blaring yellow and a billowy, flowing-over blouse in blue. Atop her head was probably one of the biggest sun hats known to man. "Well, what do you think? Am I Risa Ready?"

"Debbie," Kodak beamed for the first time since his ship had been mothballed, "some things never change. You are so ready for the beach. And you know what? I think I am, too..."

=/\= A post by... =/\=

Captain Björn Kodak
Former Commanding Officer
USS-Adelphi

and

Debbie Gless (NPC: Kodak)
Former Ten Forward Proprietor
USS-Adelphi