Star Trek: Starbase 777

This is where the shore of the beach of the Khaa district was - as Mol'Rihan's largest beach, it tended to attract a lot of visitors in the summer. Purple waves crashed along the shoreline, calm in the area near the homes and other buildings, but on the opposite end of the waterfront, there were much larger waves. As any of the waves came up to the edge, the air had a refreshing coolness to it as the light mist fell into the atmosphere. Despite the cooler temperature of the planet, the beach still exuded a comfortable warmth and, well, good vibes. Away from the homes and further along the shore near the larger waves, a long, stone bridge reached across small sand dunes that are filled with scurrying creatures and long, elegant grasses. Further off, there's a small forest, or jungle - hard to tell what, but lots of trees far off in the distance. Back to the large waves - close by those was a fairly large shack with a wooden sign that read 'Dudesek's Surf Shop' in 3 languages: Havrannsu, Rihannsu and Standard. A sign below also said 'AND BAR' as if it were tacked on much later. There were several barstools set up at the counter of said shack, and a middle-aged Reman man named Dudesek is usually behind said counter with a toothy smile on his face.

3

Showing up at the beach was Mr. Rai tr'Torre'vnau himself. He was dressed in some dark coloured swim trunks that had a french bread pattern on them. Renakir had given them to him. With Rai was Kali-fal, the little epohh happily hopping along the sand.

Eiheu pulled up to the beach too. She wore clothes that looked recognisably Romulan, although perhaps slightly more outdated than what everyone else on the beach wore; she wore trousers that were long, but made of a loose, breathable material, dyed with a medium-grey. Her shirt was similarly grey, with an extra checkered square pattern, and its fabric was also light, and hung freely around her shoulders - which, luckily, did not have any sort of shoulder pads on them. Eiheu approached the wooden shack, and addressed the man behind the counter. "Jolan'tru!" She gave the classic greeting. "So... I don't know anything about Mol'Rihan." said the Romulan. "Would you know anybody who could, uhh... Tell me a bit about it...?"

He came to this beach every year since he'd met Allan, and this time was no different. Wearing nothing more than a tight pair of swimming bottoms (which, on him, should not have that name) and an elaborately detailed Vulcan sarong, he strolled down the beach like it was a runway, but one where the models were allowed to bring a pet that didn't want to be there.

2

1

'The pet that didn't want to be there' wasn't entirely accurate, since he did choose to come here, but it certainly didn't look like it. He wore a full-body swimsuit, covered up to the arms and legs, a black slightly gothic looking semi-sheer kaftan, carried a parasol, and he wore sunglasses that still left him squinting. Already turning red from the heat despite all his protection, he was being dragged like a gasping fish on a hook across the hot sand, struggling to keep up with Eshen's pace (who at this time would probably go by Dion). This was what happened when a person who was biologically accustomed to a harsh desert sun and a person who lived on climate-controlled environments for most of their life were walking together on a beach.

2

1

But surely he could not be suffering more than the half-andorian who took more after his andorian side? Just looking at them, one might think they were having about the same experience. Thalass, who was wearing haemoargyros (a powerful sunscreen with nanite-enhanced technology, copyright Zero) and all the other avanced sun and heat protection technologies in pill, cream and suppository form you could think of, was wearing nothing but a pair of blue speedos. Meph, knowing they were half-andorian, had asked them earlier if they were alright, and Thalass had replied 'I am having an excellent time'. Despite their flat tone, it had been nothing but the truth.

2

"Hello, folks!" Said the only sun-resistant motherfucker of the trio. "And whazzuuuup Dudesek!" He would never say whazzup to any other person. Truly, he and Dudesek's friendship was strong. Probably.

3

Brokuk was the first to notice Rai, really because of the swim trunks - but also the happy epohh hopping in the sand. "Yooooo, is that Rai!?" He said, loudly enough for most people around him to hear as he did a little jog up to the man. "Dude, I love the shorts. Kinda makes me want a sandwich."

Meanwhile, Dudesek was looking at the young Romulan at the counter, slightly confused. "Yolan zhu," he greeted back in Havrannsu, "do you mean, like, in general, or...? Where are you from?" He asked, and meanwhile appeared to be shaking some sort of drink concoction together.

And Allan was probably walking with Dion and Mephistopheles and co., in some small swim shorts and a completely unbuttoned black mesh shirt that had a red floral pattern on it. In a bag, though, he had a full wetsuit, for when they'd go surfing. Because he absolutely would. "Heyyy, Dudesek," he said to the bartender as well, grinning.

And Dudesek handed Allan a drink promptly - a piña colada, to be exact. "Hey, dudes!" He was grinning now too, at the group of people now at his bar, "whazzuuuup? I've just been chillin', not gonna lie."

"Well, uh, I'm from Qo'noS!" Eiheu explained to Dudesek, as she watched him give Allan the drink - making her want one too. "I mean, I know stuff about Mol'Rihan, obviously, but it's only the formal and kinda boring stuff that I learnt at my job. But I don't know about all the normal stuff, you know? Like, where's the best place to eat? Where are all the cool landmarks? Where do they keep the nuclear vessels? Okay, maybe not that last one-"

Mol’Rihan was not exactly uncharted territory to him. He had been on the planet before during brief official meetings when on the Dumont, as Marcelo had been one of the many diplomats to engage in negotiations with the new Romulan Republic. He had not yet, however, had the opportunity to experience the planet as a tourist, something he had chosen to remediate now after a very insistent request that he took some time for a shore leave. After researching relevant places, one of the one’s pointed was the beach where he stood in one of his light robes. Wide, as far as the eyes could see, doted with houses and small businesses, and with an exotic purple sea. An unusual color. He could identify some other officers he knew and that had chosen the same travel destiny, it seemed, next to a bar he was passing by.

2

"Best place to eat? Chadrix's backyard," he said with a laugh, but then shook his head. "I got a list of places I give out to people, actually - it's a pretty commonly asked question, though it's pretty localized - I don't have a list for the whole planet, this is mostly focused on this district - Reman-owned businesses and such. The food and sights to see part, not the nuclear vessels," he laughed, "don't think you'll find any of those here."

Allan was... to put it lightly, mildly concerned about the woman nearby's question about nuclear vessels, but he figured it was just a joke. Speaking of unusual things, though, he spotted... "Wait, is that Tarsek?" He whispered, mostly to Mephistopheles probably, as he watched the man go across the sand. He wondered for a moment if it was worth it to flag the man down and greet him, or to leave him to his own devices. But, well, perhaps Garcia's voice was in his head for a second as he decided on the former. "Hey, Commander!" It wasn't a very loud shout, since the man was Vulcan and most the people around him also had enhanced hearing, but loud enough hopefully for the Vulcan to hear him as he waved - well, his wave that was really just the ta'al with a slight waving motion to the side. As always.

3

"Oh hell yeah, I love Reman food!" Eiheu smiled. "Hand over that list!" She said lightheartedly, as she made funny little grabby hands. Once Eiheu heard Allan call out to a commander, she turned around immediately, to check which commander it was. Upon figuring it out, she immediately looked concerned, and turned back to Dudesek. "Bartender-! I would like one large alcohol, please! With extra alcohol!"

2

4

The call was indeed heard and Allan saw the Vulcan calmly halt and turn his heard towards him. There was not much of an expression on his face, but again when was there? The confirmation he had been recognized came in the form of Tarsek approaching the bar and consequently the group. “Greetings Lieutenant, Captain…” He greeted those he recognized and that were within ear range. Yes, that included Eiheu. Allan’s ta’al was returned in kind, minus the waving of course. “It seems we coincidently chose the same venue for our respective shore leaves.”

While he tried not to laugh at the woman's request to Dudesek, he focused his attention on Tarsek now that he'd come up to the group. "Yeah! What brings you here? I, uh- I've been going here every summer with my friends for like... oh, Gods, I guess - this year is my twelfth? Yeah. Yeah, twelve years."

”I had never visited Mol’Rihan as a tourist.” Tarsek started to explain. “I did come before as an officer, those occasions rarely left much time for one to engage with the local culture.” The information that the lagh present was apparently a high consumer of alcohol was stored for later. “I decided it would be in my best interest to further my knowledge on one of our current allies in a practical way.” Way to make a shore leave sound like work, you mean.

3

"Ohhh, yeah? Yeah, this is... pretty damn local," he smiled, looking over at where Brokuk and Chadrix were likely chatting with Rai and playing with Kali'fal. "I kinda got to see it like... grow? Like, before Mol'Rihan was actually designated as the new planet and all that, and before uh-" he paused, "you know, um... some of the politics here gets pretty... interesting. But it's a real nice place to relax, too, if you wanna do any of that. The water's really nice. You ever surfed before?" He figured the answer was no, but - he could never really assume something like that of someone.

"Yeah, I got you- if you go to my website, it's right there, Allan helped me put it up," he smiled that toothy grin again, "but I also have a few physical copies, if you want. Chadrix and Brokuk have got one hanging up in their beach house, after all." He looked awfully confused when Eiheu asked for 'one large alcohol', though. "Could I- sorry, could I see some ID..?" He asked, because while this was likely to be someone who maybe just never really drank (from Qo'noS!?), he had to make sure.

2

”A most useful knowledge.” It was safe for him to assume that Allan knew this place very well, probably had ties with a lot of local people. “And yes, I am familiar with the political scenario. I have never surfed, but know the sport and have witnessed it.” The image of Lt. Cdr. Jorge betting against several younger officers he could easily learn how to surf and failing to complete the task came to mind. Another shore leave of another time.

2

"Yeah? I mean - do you want to learn? I've got the best instructors I've ever met right here," he smiled, figuring he'd at least make the offer. "Pretty sure anyone can learn to surf with their help. Like, anyone." Just like how anyone could cook in that movie, Ratatouille.

Tarsek seemed to consider the offer. And that was the interesting thing about the man, he always seemed to carefully take another’s words in and measure them before offering a response. “Not at this moment. I do not find that the experience would serve a purpose within my current objectives.” Where was Garcia to convince the 2 meter tall Vulcan to get on a board when you needed her?

1

"Objectives?" He raised an eyebrow, actually doing so in a rather Vulcan style. He tended to do that. Habit. "And... I mean, you wanna share those objectives? I could help, maybe."

"ID-? Oh, fuck, uhhh..." Eiheu scrambled around her pockets, and found a very tiny PADD that was small enough to fit in one hand. She scrolled through it quickly to find her digital ID, which was written entirely in Klingon. She showed it to Dudesek, and hoped that he would be able to read it - and if not, hoped that he had some other way of verifying its legitimacy. He was a bartender, after all-!

”I believe I have.” He raised one in kind. The question of whether he was purposely mirroring Allan or if it was his own genuine reaction would remain unanswered. “I wish to see and understand more of the culture that has stablished itself on this planet. Such will be useful for my line of work.”

1

He smiled still, very polite as he waited for her to produce the ID. Once she did, he looked it over - and he did in fact know how to read the important parts, as he was in fact a bartender who got tourists from all over the galaxy. "Thank you," he said, then went back to that line of 'large alcohol'. "Do you have any drinks you prefer in particular? Or you want a surprise?"

"Ahh, I mean - just saying, surfing's pretty big to the culture right here," he pointed at the ocean, but chuckled, "but yeah, okay, is there - anything that interests you in particular to learn? Food, games, music, art, the vibes..?"

Eiheu sighed in relief as Dudesek accepted her ID. "Oh, surprise me!" Eiheu smiled. "I do like sweet drinks, though!" She added, giving him a helpful little hint.

”Art and music seem like a proper way to start.” What was better when learning about a culture than seeing how it represented and understood itself in such areas. “Though I must ask you to clarify on… “the vibes”?” An almost imperceptible tilt of the head at that question.

1

"Alright, alright- you want what he's got?" He gestured to Allan, and the piña colada he currently held in hand. "It's got pineapple and coconut flavors to it. Pretty sweet."

"Oh yeah, that looks awesome as hell!" Eiheu confirmed - she guessed that Dudesek probably saw her looking at Allan's drink a few seconds before.

"Bet, bet, okay- I mean, if you want, Brokuk and Chadrix are having a party this evening, there's gonna be some good music there. And there's a Reman History Museum a few blocks over, it's got a lot of art in it, last time I went. Also- and this is I guess art to me, but it's a pretty subjective opinion- there's an architecture and transit museum not far from here, next district over." Yeah, of course he would mention the nerdy engineering things. He laughed, just a little bit, when Tarsek asked him to clarify the meaning of the vibes. "Like.. the general atmosphere, I guess? How people act, the slang, the energy, what people get excited about - I dunno how to explain it, really."

”I am not familiar with either. It seems to me it would be considered rude to attend to a party when not invited by the hosts.” He did take note of the other options though, they seemed very promising places to start his exploration. Including the architecture and transit museum. “I see. Yes, “the vibes” would be included on my interests, indeed.”

"Nah, everyone - everyone I know is invited, they say that every year. All of 777, basically," he grinned, looking over at the Reman guys in question. "Chadrix cooks some reaaaally good food, too. For free. And yeah? Yeah, there'll definitely be vibes at the party, I'm just... I'm just sayin'." Seemed like he really wanted Tarsek to go.

1

”Very well.” He then finally conceded. “If the hosts have allowed you to decide so, I shall join you.”

3

"Yeah dude, I got ya," he smiled and then started making another piña colada for Eiheu, putting in a bit of extra rum since she had requested 'one large alcohol', after all. Still, not so much to overpower the flavor, though. After a minute or so, he handed it to her, complete with a little pineapple slice on the edge of the glass.

"Hell yeah," his smile got a bit bigger when the man confirmed he'd come to the party. "It's gonna be absolutely lit, I promise."

"Yes, the bread," Rai turned to Brokuk and waved at him. Kali-fal immediately recognised the familiar Reman and rushed towards him to sniff and wobble her antennae in his direction. "My brother gave them to me. I'm.. watching his daughter whilst he's spending some bonding time with our parents uh... Meruvix and Cerrub. They are going rock climbing and whilst Kali-fal is athletic, we agreed she would probably not be good on a mountain."

1

Eiheu smiled as she received her piña colada from Dudesek. "Wow, this looks so pretty!" She said. "Especially with the little pineapple slice on the edge!" Eiheu sipped on the drink, and analysed the taste. The truth was, even though Eiheu could joke about alcohol, the only part of alcoholic drinks that really mattered to her was the taste and presentation; the alcohol could've been replaced with sea water, for all she cared. "Wow-! This is delicious!" Eiheu smiled at Dudesek, as she sipped on the drink a little more. She then took the little pineapple slice and ate it, complimenting the drink. (edited)

After an elucidative talk with his former number one, now captain of the second Mol’Anarhai, Vellek had felt the need to roam a bit and reflect. Being from a port city, well, former port city, he had been used to the seas of Rihan. Now, on this new planet, the seas were different, only another way in which this place was different, of how his life had become different. He walked along its shore, nonetheless. They said it was the biggest and it seemed plenty of tourists and locals gathered here. Maybe if he observed the strangers and the strange sea long enough it would start to feel… less strange. Maybe. He ended up approaching one of the shacks, ran by a Reman. He had never had anything against them, in fact it was good to see that they had somehow adapted as well to the circumstances. He was not interested in surfing though. “Jolan tru. What kind of drinks do you sell here?”

"Hiiiiiiii!" Eiheu waved to the Romulan newcomer. "Get this one, get this one!" She pointed to her piña colada quickly. "This one's like, legitness!"

"Fuck yeah, the bread," Brokuk grinned, petting Kali-fal when she came up to him. "Yeah, I heard he's coming back for the party tonight though, right? Rock climbing sounds absolutely sick, though, I'll have to ask him about that. What're you planning to do, though? Just chilling?"

"Thanks, dude," he said when Eiheu complimented the drink, then nodded his head towards Allan. "He taught me about it, said it's from where he's from - Puerto Rico, it's an island on Earth." He smiled at the Romulan when he walked up to the shack. He was a little surprised by the less casual attire than most of the others here, but figured the man just wasn't here for swimming, clearly. Or being in the sun. "Pretty much anything you can think of," he answered with a bright grin, "anything you like or feeling in particular?"

The other Romulan’s enthusiasm earned a deep sigh from the older man. He turned to address the Reman again. “Alright, give me what she is having.” Any alcohol is good enough alcohol for his current situation, he mused.

2

"Coming riiiight up," he said, making yet another piña colada for the man, complete with the pineapple garnish, of course. "I assume you don't have any allergies?" After all, several people he knew were a bit allergic to pineapple. Unfortunately.

Meanwhile, Allan observed all these piña coladas being handed out like candy (and, now he was thinking if Marra would consider a piña colada candy... he'd have to ask when he was back on the station) and laughed a bit. "Wow, it's the drink of the day, I guess," he smiled at Dudesek, "I should just add it to the board, yeah?" And when he got a nod from the older Reman, he gleefully got up and went over to the board with the drink of the day written on it, writing 'piña colada' in Havrannsu first, then Federation Standard, and then paused and looked at Dudesek and the rest of the group. "What would it be in Rihannsu..?" He wasn't actually sure if he should attempt to write 'strained pineapple' in the language or just stick with the original word. That might've been easier.

"'IventoH vIychorgh HIq!" Eiheu answered immediately. "Wait, no... That's what it is in Klingon..." She suddenly realised. "I... don't know what it is in Rihan... But hey, you can write it in Klingon anyway-! You never know!"

Tarsek looked at Eiheu’s frantic waving at some newcomer, she seemed fully excited today. Allan left his side not soon after to write at some board, by the looks of it a tradition of sorts, he had been right at assuming the man was well inserted on this place. As his eyes trailed back to Eiheu who had just wrongfully attributed a Klingon expression as Rihansu, he finally realized the newcomer was not a stranger. “Jolan tru, Riov Vellek i’Mirek tr’Rehu, meeting you here is unexpected.” A ta’al presented at the remarkable coincidence.

1

”No, I do not.” Patiently awaiting for the drink after his answer, Vellek mostly ignored the little grammatical chaos around, though a small part of him pushed towards him finally helping the younger man who appeared to be human. This part was shut down as soon as his full name was uttered near. By all entities, was the universe trying to mess up with him? That of all times and all places he would find himself dragged back to a reality he had decided he was not ready to face? “Lt. Cdr…. Tarsek, was it not?” A bluff. A complete bluff, almost a shameful one at how obvious. Both men knew each other. “I could say the same. Are you taking some time off from official duties? Perhaps a mission for the USS Dumont nearby that allowed you to visit along with your crew-mates?” It was safe to assume these peculiar people, who seemed very much integrated, were Starfleet.

1

"Perfect - here you go, then, enjoy," he handed Vellek the drink soon enough, and then turned back his attention to Allan, helping the young engineer out with the board to write the phrase in Rihannsu. He did, however, happen to hear the Romulan being referred to as Riov, followed by the Rehu name. That made him freeze for just a bit, but he swiftly waved the thoughts off that appeared in the back of his mind, that were caused by a combination of his title, his perceived age, and the house name all in one. If the man was here, in this heavily Reman district, ordering a drink from him - surely he was more aligned with the Rehu'mol - or, at least, he could hope as much.

2

"I - I mean, I could," he laughed a little at what Eiheu said, and did in fact write it down in Klingon, best he could - and Dion might have helped him to do so - and then wrote what Dudesek told him to before he sat back down at the bar, back near Tarsek and the new guy. He also heard the title, and then a reference to the Dumont - so everybody knew eachother here? For a moment, he wondered if the Romulan girl speaking Klingon also knew Tarsek and this new guy - Vellek - at all. Not wanting to interject in the two's conversation at the moment, though, he turned to look at the girl in question. "By the way, uh - I'm Allan, it's nice to meet you."

"I'm Eiheu!" Eiheu introduced herself back and smiled. "... Okay so I get the impression that everyone here is from the starbase where I work. Which is crazy, because it's a whole ass planet here, but we still ended up in the same location... So... What's your job on that starbase in particular?" She asked him.

1

He laughed, raising an eyebrow at her assumption, but also was just in general surprise that this was the girl Vara'l had been talking about. Things were starting to make a lot more sense because of the dots now connecting in his head. "Well - as far as I know, I just invite everyone I know every year," he smiled, "no clue how you and the Commander got here. But I just invite everyone because those two-" and he pointed at the two Remans in the distance, next to Rai and the blue epohh, "invited me at the Academy one summer, and I've been coming here ever since. They don't work on 777, though. They're ship boys." He said and forgot to even answer the question about what his own job was.

"I'm here because..." Eiheu was about to explain why she was there, but then her voice trailed off a little. At first, she wanted to come because she wanted to check out this "new Romulan homeworld", but after the message that she received from her father, she changed her mind, and just decided to come over for fun, and nothing more. "... Because... This planet is so... Full of swag...?" She answered, while improvising a lot.

1

”Commander now, in fact. And no, I am no longer with the Dumont, I was transferred to Starbase 777, these people are indeed part of our crew, in the majority.” He gestured towards most of the group. How interesting that he would reunite with Vellek in this way. During his missions regarding Romulans, Vellek had been a double figure: first a rogue captain, someone that could step onto Federation’s toes occasionally due to the conflicts within Romulan territory but that Marcelo had been insistent on aiding, then a relevant ally, when peace talks started between the Republic and the Federation. There had always been a common point though, and when that was removed, he had not expected to cross paths with the Romulan so soon.

1

The negative towards Tarsek being here with the Dumont close made him relax while sipping his unknown drink for the first time. Marcelo did mention being on shore leave, but who knows… it would not be great to meet that crew again like this. What followed next almost made him spit the sweet concoction. “Starbase 777 you say…” Play it cool Vellek. “And congratulations on your promotion.” The universe was not trying to mess with him, it was actively trying to fuck him up. “Forgive me for asking, were there… differences, between you and Captain Neto that resulted in your transference?” Maybe if Tarsek and Marcelo had fallen out in any way… maybe the Vulcan would not be something to worry about. And Vulcans were not known for gossip…

2

"Uh-" he laughed again at Eiheu's words, truly not sure how to respond to that. "I mean, you're not wrong? Definitely this part of the planet does, yeah. Other parts are, uh - a little weird on the vibes end of things, but I like it here," he shrugged, and despite the conversation with Eiheu, he couldn't help but start listening in a little when he heard Vellek mention Captain Neto. As in that ~~extremely handsome~~ Captain that had visited the lights viewing and they'd had a ... nice conversation. That guy. It made sense that he'd mention him after mentioning the Dumont, though.

2

”No such event. It was simply a matter of a career opportunity. I assure you Captain Neto and I stand on amicable terms.” And that the man was still a cherished friend, one the Vulcan might tell about this unexpected encounter. He remembered Marcelo held something akin to a friendly affection towards this specific riov and knew they shared some history written long before he himself even considered joining Starfleet. From what he had witnessed in those years, he could understand. Vellek had always seemed to be a responsible and serious man, reliable if he even dared to say. He didn’t know many riovs who had abandoned what was left of the navy right after Hobus to aid refugees and fight the Tal Shiar. Tarsek could respect a man with strong morals.

1

”I see. It’s hard to get on his bad side, I’ll admit.” Note to self: avoid Tarsek like the plague. But to do so he would need more information. Professional information. “And which opportunity snagged you from under his wing? Was it simply the new rank?” Sip and appear unbothered, your fool.

2

”The promotion only happened 3 months after. There was a position for a diplomat and Captain Neto believed the opportunity was too great to pass. He recommended me.” And convinced him of his reasoning, even if Tarsek had gladly been planing on getting back to the Dumont after his injury. “His logic was sound. The following events proved so. I was promoted to commander and offered the position of Station Deputy Commander.”

1

Eiheu, noticing that Allan was listening in to Tarsek and Vellek's conversation, became morbidly curious and decided to listen in too. She had exactly zero context for any of their conversation, of course, and whatever dialogue she could pick out was surely doomed to be misinterpreted, but she had a go anyway, while sipping on her piña colada with extra rum nonchalantly. At some point though, Eiheu decided to lean a little closer to Allan and whisper to him. "Hey... Uh... The hell are they talking about...?"

”An important position, but he would not have recommended you if he didn’t judge you capable.” Vellek hadn’t had much contact with Marcelo’s crew. He remembered some of them, the seniors mostly, and Tarsek was part of the small group he would recognize. The Vulcan had been close to Marcelo, after all, so it was natural they would have briefly interacted. The Vulcan had always been straightforward and civil. A level headed presence in any discussion. He was probably a good XO. A XO he needed to avoid like the plague. (edited)

2

He was sipping his own piña colada as well, and yet he was expecting Eiheu to follow up on something he said - not to ask what the two very senior officers, clearly, were talking about. "What?" He asked her, looking at her like he was surprised - because he was. "I have..." he was going to tell her he had no more of a clue than she had, but given her previous interactions, maybe he did. "Just how the Commander got onto 777, I'm pretty sure."

"Oh, uh, okay..." Eiheu's tone then slowly turned into one that was getting more anxious, for some reason. "Because, like... Look, I don't know how to explain this, but like, I feel like they're gonna start fighting each other now...? Like, the vibes are completely off... I think one of us needs to distract them, like, right now..." There was absolutely nothing wrong with the vibes, though... But of course Eiheu would be the one who read the situation as being significantly worse than it actually was. She was the same one who ripped a panel off a turbolift due to a minor power fluctuation... Was that because the vibes were off to her, then, too? It seemed like whatever overcalibrated sense of vibes she had back then, the same sense was influencing her perspective now.

1

"Fight?" Allan squinted a little, turning his attention back to the other men for a bit as he thought about her assumption. He then shook his head. "No, I - don't think so..?"

Eiheu was about to defend her stance and explain herself, until she remembered; Allan was probably a Federation officer. Eiheu assumed that Federation officers were so relaxed and unused to fights or conflict, that they would never be able to tell when one was about to occurr. "Trust me, I know a fight when I see one. Don't worry though, I got this-!" Eiheu then got up and stood exactly between Vellek and Tarsek; the first step of de-escalation. Step two was distraction. "So-! Uh-! Oh no, I've got bad news-! Turns out that the arch-nemesis of my previous captain in the KDF escaped from the prison-planet where my captain abandoned him after a failed attempt to start a mutiny, and now he's mind-controlling all my friends using some weird alien thing he found on that planet which invades people's brains-! And now my previous captain wants me to go and, uh, assassinate that guy-! Specifically using an ancient pistol which uses hollow-point bullets instead of a distruptor beam, which was banned according to Earth's Hague Convention of 1899-! And if I don't do it, then I, like, lose all my honour and stuff-! Hypothetically, what would I do in such a situation-?"

1

Allan was already very unsure of where this was going to go from the start, but when the woman got up and started speaking, he clasped a hand over his mouth, trying so fucking hard not to laugh, but his eyes were wide in absolute fucking disbelief of what he was listening to. And concern. No words could even begin to describe what the fuck was going on, probably, so he didn't say anything. Because truly, what the fuck was she even saying..?

1

After taking the other two off to reapply some sunscreen and drink some water after one of them had a dry-throated coughing fit, they returned. "So I see we've been getting a little too absorbed in our holodeck adventures, have we?"

1

He raised an eyebrow. What the hell was this person banging on about? Was it something he should be concerned about? Because it sounded like something he should be concerned about.

They were completely unconcerned. In fact, they were in the middle of fucking off outta this conversation and into the ocean. They hadn't said anything but they were already tired of talking. Time for the Big Wet.

1

The man lowered his drink slowly, eyes fixated on the substantially younger officer that had managed to place herself between him and Tarsek. His brain refused to acknowledge most of the gibberish coming from her mouth as soon as he realized there was no sense in any of her words. He turned his eyes back to Tarsek. “One of yours? I sure hope she isn’t an exchange officer from ours.” The woman had mentioned KDF, but Vellek had taken that as another piece of bullshit in her non-sense speech.

2

”Not one of yours, no.” The Vulcan raised an eyebrow at Eiheu. The number of incidents seemed to keep on growing, he surely did not wish for a diplomatic contlict with a Riov as relevant in the Flotilla as Vellek. “lahg t’Llweii, what are you doing?” (edited)

1

Eiheu looked over at Tarsek, and tried her best to think of a decent response. She was distracting Tarsek and Vellek in order to stop them decking each other out, of course! But she couldn't tell him that this was what she was doing, obviously. The good news was that the distraction worked. The bad news was that now she needed to explain her distraction in a way that was not suspicious. Shit. "I, uh... I heard of this thing that Federation officers like to do, where, they, uh, ask random questions in order to get everyone to know each other-! They're called, uh, icebreakers, I think-? Yeah...!"

”If you wish for a discussion on conversational techniques, we may have such later.” He had no doubt this was another instance of Eiheu misreading the room and taking incomprehensible actions. “But it is not polite to interrupt a conversation between two people, especially your elders.” Let alone two people who both held considerably higher ranks. “Please, step aside and allow us to continue on our previous topic.”

1

"Forgive me if I'm interrupting, but was your conversation topic relevant to our work at 777 at all?" He asked, considering he was, in fact, another member of senior staff, so it was probably more appropriate. Not that he wanted to talk extensively about work on holiday, but a bit was fine.

... Nevermind. Turned out the distraction didn't work at all; Tarsek just wanted to return to the conversation that, Eiheu thought, was going to make them fight. In a quick attempt to save face, Eiheu suddenly pointed to some random faraway location, and shouted "Whoa, hey, what's that?!" , then immediately ran off, returning to where she sat with Allan before. "So... Uh... That didn't work..." She sighed, addressing Allan.

"Yeah, uh- usually icebreakers are like... what do they wish they knew more about, have they climbed a tree, do they have a favorite day of the week or color or food, things like that," he said, just very in... still in disbelief of that interaction she'd had in front of the two most senior officers of the station.

"I guess... I was just like, saying whatever, you know...?" Eiheu grabbed her piña colada with both hands and sipped on it defeatedly. "... If they start fighting again, maybe you should be the one to distract them next time-?"

"I could tell." Allan said, rather deadpan, as he sipped his own drink, too. "They're.." he sounded a little puzzled still, "I- they're not fighting, Eiheu."

"But they were going to fight, I swear-! Didn't you hear the way they were talking-? The way that they looked at each other-? They were like, two seconds away from throwing sand in each other's face-! You must've noticed that something was a little off, right-?" Eiheu attempted to explain herself. She knew what she saw... Right? She was so convinced in that moment that something was wrong, but the way that Allan reacted now, made Eiheu wonder if she maybe saw something that wasn't there... No. Eiheu shook her head to herself. She knew what she saw.

He approached Allan and Eihu, wrapping an arm around Allan's shoulder and casually sipping some of his drink. "And so what if they fought? I'd like to see that! Two strong men, fighting on a beach. Some people would pay for the privilege."

3

"Oh yeah? And when Tarsek paints the entire beach green while fighting, whose job would it be to clean up the mess? His inferior officer's, of course-!" Eiheu, following Eshen's example, attempted to say something a little funny in order to lighten the situation after her bombastic fuck-up.

”Hello Captain…” The Vulcan took a small pause to think on what he had been asked. Technically, him and Vellek had only been… doing something similar to a catching up. “No, I don’t believe so. Allow me to introduce you to Riov Vellek tr’Rehu, commanding officer of the Mol’Anarhai. We know each other from my previous work at the Dumont. Riov, this is Captain Mephistopheles Mo, Commanding Officer of Starbase 777.” Perhaps this introduction would be clarifying enough for Mo.

"I- are you..." he didn't realize that Eiheu was quite joking at first, but maybe she was joking about the whole thing? She didn't actually think they were going to think they would fight? Even if so, it was still crazy to joke like that about such senior officers, to him. But surely she was joking that Tarsek would actually display any form of violence like that- because of what he knew of Tarsek, from the prison to right now - was that the man was nothing like that. "If you're joking, it's not... a very good one." He said to Eiheu, letting Eshen take some of his drink while also leaning against Mephistopheles just a little bit. Subconscious thing, really.

"Ah, I see." He didn't bother with a handshake, since in his experience most Vulcanoids weren't as fussed about that sort of thing. "Good to meet you. What did you both do at the Dumont?"

Well fuck him all the way to the Delta Quadrant and back. On top of avoiding the XO he would also need to avoid the CO. Not that he would see them much… he knew how the work of those on the higher end of the chain could be demanding. He just had to hope neither would have a soft spot for Romulan treats… Too deep into the upholding of an identity he no longer had, he finished his drink and asked for another one to the bartender before continuing the farce. “I never worked on the Dumont.” Well, technically he had? If you would count the times he had officially met Marcelo there. “I have never worked under Starfleet. My ships simply… had a tendency to find Captain Neto’s ships from time to time.” First on the borders between the two powers as adversaries, then as unofficial allies during his rogue acting and finally as true allies once Republic and Federation declared amicable relations. Though he was not keen on going in depth about that complex timeline with a Starfleet Captain he barely knew and that commanded the place he now lived on.

2

"I see," he said, cogs turning in his head. There was obviously a long and complex history here that he had no context for. "So are you both here at Allan's invitation, then?" He gave said Allan a squeeze on the arm.

1

”Who?” He had not meant it in a rude way, he simply certainly did not know anyone by that name much less been asked here by such person. Obviously, he did not notice that Mo had meant the man by his arm.

”I believe in both instances, it was a coincidence to find ourselves here.” Tarsek had not planned on reuniting with crew mates, much less Vellek.

"This handsome gentleman," Dion (as he was going by today) said, gesturing to Allan. "I think the Captain here just assumed Allan had invited you because Allan kind of knows everyone, including lots of other handsome gentlemen, and is quite generous with his invitations."

He bit down, firstly the remark that this was now his home planet and he didn’t need an invitation to be around and then secondly the remark that, although the compliment was… flattering, both this supposed Allan fellow and the man that had just spoken were probably much too young to be directing such to a 120 something year old retired Romulan riov. Granted they didn’t know he was retired… but it was not the point. “I see. No, I wasn’t familiar, but interesting to meet you.” Starfleet people always had something peculiar going on, didn’t they?

Said Allan got the squeeze on his arm and heard his name, promptly distracted from his conversation with Eiheu and thinking about Tarsek to.. being pulled into the conversation with Tarsek and the newcomer. That was a captain in the Republic and also a member of the Rehu house, allegedly. "Oh, um-" He was about to answer the 'who' question, but Dion answered it for him, and he laughed a little. "Yeah, I, uh- invite everyone on the station I know, really. To here, specifically." He pointed at the sign of Dudesek's shack and bar, and then the beach. "Like, this area- I've been going here since... mm, 2404, actually," five whole years before it became the head of the Romulan Republic. People always wondered what a human was doing there, but it was because, "my friends over there," a gesture over to the two Remans playing with the epohh Rai had brought along, "invited me. It's nice to meet you, too." He smiled, hopefully nothing he said was too off.

Comfortable in a loose sleeveless shirt, decorated hat, long trousers and boots, Rakim at this time finally elected to make an appearance! He was and remained, as he approached the group of familiar and some unfamiliar faces, blissfully unaware of the presence of the one person who happened to again be on his mind. Eiheu. The person who'd almost trapped the CTO in a turbolift. A person he just about managed to expel from his mind as he finally drew into earshot and called out. "Hello all." As he waved at the group.

1

”I see. Technically you are more a local than I, Mister Allan.” Considering Vellek had only settled in 2409 and didn’t even spend much time on the planet due to his former position.

1

Eiheu turned her head to look at the newcomer, and was fairly glad to see that, although it was another senior officer, it was at least the nice senior officer. She took one hand off her piña colada and waved at him... Yeah, Rakim is never going to escape the influence of this menace.

The nice senior officer? What was he, chopped liver? "Yeah, it's a nice place to get invited to, although a bit hot for some people. I grew up in temperature-controlled environments, so that 'some people' is, well, me."

2

"It is also very hot for me," Thal said, suddenly appearing, uncaring of whatever conversation they might be interrupting or who they might be jumpscaring. "I have found a crab. Here is the crab." They showed everyone the crab they were holding. There it was. A crab.

2

"Whoa, a crab-!" Eiheu exclaimed immediately. "Can I eat it? Please? I bet it'd go great with this drink-!"

Rakim, as he spotted who waved at him, mustered his training as a diplomatic attache and smoothly smiled! Oh joy! He'd expelled thought of that matter, of trying to tutor well, Eiheu from his mind for a time for shore leave! And now, here she happened to up and be! Here on a beach on Mol'Rihan! Goddesses great and good! "Hello!" He continued to approach then, a eyebrow quirked up at Eiheu's question. "You...want to eat the crab?"

Aoife hadn't initially planned to take shore leave during the high season, it tended to get too crowded but this time her work took her to Mol'rihan and she decided to tack on a few days by a beach Allan never shut up about. After a week in meetings with members of the republic Navy, Intelligence service and various politicians she needed a stiff drink and a sun lounger to vegitiate on. As she arrived at the beach she realised how busy it truly was, and silently cursed herself when she recognised many of the faces as her colleagues from 777, some she knew personally others she only knew from their files. Oh well she was here now and surely someone would have spotted her, she continued toward the group of 777ers. Aoife was wearing a two piece swim suit, for maximum tanning potential under a simple set of shorts and crop top. She had a pair of sunglasses on which obscured her eyes, her ginger usually in a tight bun was let out covering her back down to just past her shoulder blades. Coincidentally it covered a majority of her scars, but there were a few visible on her lower back along with a long and slender scar which stretched the back of her neck to her lower back. "I guess this beach gets more and more popular every year." She said as she approached the group, slotting into a space near Tarsek. "Captain, Commander. Riov." She said in greeting as she crashed the conversation which she guessed as the proverbial "adults table" of the beach party. (edited)

1

They stared at Eiheu. Then they stared at the small crab in the palm of their hand. Then back at Eiheu. "...Whole?"

"Well, not whole, of course!" Eiheu answered. "I'll take off its claws first, then I'll eat it!" "Oh, by the way-!" Eiheu then turned to address Rakim. "Those two were, almost about to start fighting." She said, pointing at Tarsek and Vellek, while talking potentially loud enough for either of them to hear. "I tried to distract them, but it kinda didn't work, so... If they start fighting again, could you distract them-?"

Rakim blinked a bit in surprise at the other Romulans loud statement. "Eiheu." The El-Aurian stated as his gaze flicked to her then to Eiheu. "It doesn't seem like they're intending to fight" He mustered a 'smile' then. "You're off duty, enjoy your drink and have fun." Rakim considered the other and then their surroundings for a moment before he added. "Though I'm sure they weren't, everyone's calm here" What he hoped was a reassuring smile mustered then even as he mentally filed away the fact it seemed like another thing had occurred with Eiheu for later. Seemed like he'd be getting another message from Tarsek, he reckoned. Woo hoo...

"Trust me though, they definitely were before you came here...!" Eiheu picked up her drink and sipped on it again, seemingly listening to Rakim's order to have fun.

"You can- you can just call me Allan," he said with a smile to Vellek, because out of all the ways people liked to address him, 'Mr. Allan' was definitely the craziest to him, for some reason. He then looked at the crab Thalass was holding, and did a little soft clap. "Oooh, very nice, very nice," he laughed a little, "I like it." He nodded when Aoife came up and he gave her a wave, before looking at Rakim. "They weren't." He confirmed to the other. "I genuinely have no clue where she's gotten that."

Korozysh arrived at the beach well-prepared. She lugged a large cart behind her full of things, including foldable chairs, books she wouldn't read, and her headphones. She wasn't supposed to practice music on vacation, but she'd snuck her guitar with her anyway. She was wearing an open, black shirt with a fishnet top and black trunks. Her hair was down in braids so it wouldn't smack in her face when wet. She set up her towel and chair on the sand and then performatively sat on the bare sand to prove her toughness. She was prepared to take out her grip strength weights when she turned, overhearing a commotion a little ways away.

3

Finally, someone appreciated their crab. It was the best and most important thing here, unlike whatever everyone else was talking about. Allan received 1/10th of a smile, detectable only by Allan and any other Vulcans in the vicinity. "I would like to study the fauna of this beach, but I am not sure who I should talk to about that."

1

Rakim turned as Allan turned to look at him. He then nodded ever so slightly. "I see." The El-Aurian started then. "Hmm, have been wondering about all that." He turned to Eiheu then, chocolate hued eyes fixed upon them as he considered the other. "Eiheu, what made you think they were 'fighting'?"

Korozysh looked over and noticed the crab in the hands of some blue-haired person in the large friend group. "Cool crab." She commented, continuing her grip training.

"Cool weights," the black-haired person replied. They were best friends now.

4

"Ah, thanks." Korozysh flexed an arm. As one does whenever their weight lifting is brought up. "Holiday doesn't mean a break from exercise, heh."

They flexed in return. Their muscles were not as developed as Koro's - quite lean, more the build of a runner or, more likely, a swimmer. This silent gesture said more than they could be bothered to actually vocalise, so they didn't actually say anything.

"Sweet gains, bro." Korozysh complimented them. Best friends already, indeed. "Everything okay with your, uh, friends?"

"No," they answered. "They are too distracted by hypothetical fighting to discuss the local flora and fauna with me." Clearly that was the reason, and not that they were in the middle of their own conversations.

"What, ya find anything else cool?" She asked them. She slipped her weights in her waistband, placing her hands on her hips.

Rakim, as his PADD pinged then, pulled it from his satchel and rapidly skimmed the contents. He hummed thoughtfully then, the contents of what had been fired off to him processed swiftly before he swiftly and rapidly composed a reply. With a tap, Rakim fired off that reply before he then slipped the PADD back in his satchel and started to look for anyone else who seemed familiar to him.