Saying Goodbye to a Friend on Mars

Posted on 19 Feb 2014 @ 5:58pm by Lieutenant Teth Miir

2,172 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 05 - Solstice
Location: Shuttleport, Martian Colony 3
Timeline: MD 26 1630

ON:

Teth stopped in the gift shop right outside of the shuttleport. It was run by a crafty looking Ferengi woman who only had one eye. Teth did his best to avoid contact with her single eye as he browsed the trinkets on the shelves.

There was a wall at the back of the shop, covered in pottery, glassware, and holographic statues. He stared at it all. It all seemed like garbage to him, but he did promise Olsam he would bring him something back. Nothing in the store seemed to be pie related, and the few snacks offered were Ferengi in origin. Do Bolians like Ferengi food? It was very difficult to tell. Both cultures had a predisposition to eating the vile and disgusting.

He turned on a few of the holo-statues. One was a flower, the next was a replica of some Martian monument. He found a third one that was an image of an Orion woman doing one of their famously seductive dances. At last he came across one with a bright pink base. It seemed to be intended for children. When he turned it on, it was a stream of rainbows and rained tiny holographic jumja sticks.

Figuring it should suffice, he put the thing in a small shopping basket that hung precariously from his forearm. He also wanted to buy something for M'Ressa while he was away. In spite of everything, he still felt like he barely knew her sometimes.

Jewelry was generally considered an appropriate gift for female loved ones, even in Caitian culture. He didn't want anything over the top or garrish, and he hated that the selection was so narrow. But this was the only leg of his trip where he had planned to do any shopping, so he figured he should better choose wisely.

He turned to one of the jewelry racks, all of it seemed over the top. Cheaply made with giant neon colored gemstones set in gold and copper colored metals.

"Are you looking for something for a lady friend?" the Ferengi woman asked from behind the counter. She looked around to see if the shop was empty before waving him over.

"You're a Starfleet officer, right?" she asked when he got there.

"That's right. Why?"

"You have an energy credit chip in your hand and a bank account full of money you have not time to spend. Right?"

"I suppose so. Is this the part where you try to hawk junk at me for unreasonably high prices?"

The woman frowned and looked disgusted at the mere suggestion.

"I sell quality goods here, Stlarfleet, so take them or leave them."

Teth shrugged and was about to put the holo-statue back when she slid open a velvet curtain leading to a back room.

"Come back here, I think I have something you might like."

With curiosity and caution, Teth follow, wondering if it was some kind of trap. Maybe she was about to rob him.

Instead she turned around with a sleeve full of beautiful, radiantly glowing pendants on long silvery chains. Their glow pulsed in unison. Most of them were red or purple and cut into a diamond shape. In the middle of them all, he saw a vibrant blue one in the shape of a stare.

"I like that one." he said, pointing it out.

"I thought you might." the old woman said through a sharpened brown grin.

She handed it to him and it's pulse rate changed when in the palm of his hand and it was now an even more vibrant, almost electric shade of blue.

"This thing isn't dangerous, is it? Do you perhaps have a tricorder around?"

"Of course it's not dangerous! Why, stranger, do you insist on questioning whether I am a reputable businesswoman?"

"Well, it's just that it has radiation in the visual spectrum." he tried to explain, "I kind of want to know what other radiation it might be emitting."

She snatched it back from him in a huff.

"Fine, if you don't like it, you can't have it."

Teth shrugged, looking around at the rest of the back store room. He saw a single dark metallic bracelet in a velvet box. It appeared to have an intricate design of leaves around it.

"What about that?" he said pointing.

"That? You don't want that. It's very boring."

"No." Teth pressed. "I like it, how much do you want for it?"

"Do you have gold pressed latinum?" she said feeling hopeful, but doubting very seriously that he did.

"Just energy credits. How much?"

She shrugged. "Fifty."

"Ok, I'll take it."

"Really? Just like that, huh? I guess you Caitians aren't very aggressive people, are you?"

"No, we really aren't at all."

He went on to pick up a small black shoulder case, a bottle of rippleberry juice, and an extra set of clothes. Just plain cotton black pants with a plain cotton gray shirt, and some simple white canvas shoes which seemed kike they should fit him.

He took his now overflowing basket to the merchant and set it all out on the counter for her to scan with a distinctly Ferengi looking magnacode scanner.

The counter was glass with an obviously wooden base that had been painted a bright shade of gold. Inside were a variety of things. Mostly weapons and drug paraphernalia. But among the knives, he spotted a stiletto steel blade with a rainbow opal handle in the shape of a squid.

"I want that as well."

"What? The water pipe?" the storekeeper said glancing down at the glass case.

"No no. I have no use for that." he handwaved her, "No, I want the knife with the squid handle."

"Ah." she said, "You want a Rigellian ritual bloodletting blade? I'll give it to you for 100eC."

"Ok, sure." he said, once again not wanting to barter. The old woman was visible irritated as she scanned the knife and placed it in the shoulder case along with the other purchases.

"That will be 453eC."

"Alright." Teth said, unphased by the price. It was true what she said, he had plenty of money in his account and no opportunity to spend it.

He offered her his wrist where the monetary exchange implant was. She scanned it with her device.

"You should receive a receipt at your personal mail address shortly." she said.

"But before you go, could I interest you in some of these fine fermented tube grubs? They're from 2286, an excellent year. I'll give them to you for a very modest price of-"

"Thank you, but I'm fine. I must be going. Have a nice day." he yelled back to her as he rushed out the door and into the street.

==============================================


Mars was an unusual place. It seemed very similar to Earth due to the terraforming, but still wasn't quite there. Martian Colony 3 was and is a very old mining colony. It predated the terraformation, and many of the self contained capsule building still stood. In fact, most of them were still inhabited or had businesses in them. They were at the center of the sprawling colony. Around it were newer, more modern structures designed for a class M atmosphere. The juxtaposition between ancient technology and new was striking and reminded the counselor a great deal of his home city in Germany.

He followed the streets to the best of his ability, it had been years since he had been to the colony, but surprisingly little had changed.

He finally arrived at the house he had been searching for. It had been repainted since he saw it last. It used to be a blue color but had since been painted a mint green.

He rang the chime by the front door, wondering if anyone would even answer. He hadn't bothered to call ahead.

He waited a few minutes, and was turning to leave when the door slid open.

"Teth?" the familiar voice called out.

"Holy hell, I haven't seen you in ages. Where have you been?"

"Oh, you know, just analyzing the childhood traumas of Starfleet's finest."

Still a couple of steps down, he leaned in and hugged the half human woman. The other two quarters were Trill and Bajoran. She was short and dark skinned with light red hair. Her tell tale spots were sporadic and not necessarily in their typical trill locations. She was close to Teth in age but looked much older.

"Please, come inside, it's been too long!"

He followed her up the stairs and ducked into the too short door frame.

"I can't stay long, Molly, I have a meeting to attend. How have you been?"

She grabbed a teacup that was sitting in her replicator and sat down on an old style wicker couch with a loud red floral print on it's cushions and waved for Teth to join her.

"I can't complain. Still working in the mines."

"Why the mines? What ever happened to your job at the hospital?"

She frowned and shook her head.

"I don't really want to get into it, but I didn't leave on good terms. I was terminated, in fact."

Molly Ezera had until recently been employed as a sensor repair technician at the hospital.

"All I can say is that being a whistle-blower never ends well." she sighed deeply. "But it's ok. I like the mines, I still get to use my skills there. And being underground so much makes me feel like I'm back on a Starship sometimes."

"You still never told me why you left Starfleet. You were always a great Engineer. I certainly missed you on the Glasgow."

"Well, you remember what happened to Lt. Versen. I just couldn't stay there after that."

"I didn't realize you were that close."

"We were." she said, not wanting to add anything more.

He looked over at a picture on one of her end tables. In one side of the frame was a picture of her next to the late Lt. Versen, both of them laughing. On the other side was a picture of Molly alone, holding a newborn and he managed to put two and two together. He looked around the room and saw no signs of a child or anyone other than Molly having lived there. That is, save a single pair of pink baby shoes hanging on the wall near a potted floor plant. He was curious, but he knew such questions were better left unasked during a casual meeting with a long lost friend.

"I'm sorry." he said softly.

"I was just in the neighborhood and I wanted to see you. Who knows if I'll ever get a chance to again." he said with a nervous laugh.

"Why, are you moving somewhere?"

"No." he said, "I'm just taking a trip. I got assigned to a new ship. The Galileo. They just got back from a fight with the borg."

"Well I bet you've loved that." she said sarcastically. "How are you hanging in there? I know the borg stuff always really freaked you out."

"I'm doing fine. The implants and everything are fine. It's all ancient history, I never even really think about it anymore. I just am worried about the crew."

"I'm sure." she said, not believing a word he was saying.

"So you said you're going to a meeting?"

"Yes ma'am." he replied, staring at the opal handle poking out of the top of the canvas shoulder case. He quickly picked it up and zipped it shut.

"Does this person you're meeting up with like tropical fruit?"

"What?" he was completly taken aback by the question and was utterly perplexed by the possibility of it's relevence.

"Probably, why?"

Wordlessly, Molly stood up and stomped off to the next room, only to return a few minutes later with a large fruit basket.

"My birthday was yesterday, my supervisor gave it to me. But between you and me, Teth, I loathe citrus."

She sat the thing down on the floor in front of him with an audible thud. He recognized a pineapple, but the rest of the very colorful fruit were a mystery to him.

"Care to take it off my hands?"

He stared at the fruit basket and wondered if he should. He knew if Olsam had been with him, the entire thing would be devoured in a sitting.

"Alright." he agreed. "I'll take it. Maybe he'll like it."

Molly nodded in enthusiastic agreement. "Good. I'll be glad to be rid of it. And I know you said you had a meeting to go to, do you have time for a cup of tea first?"

"I always have time for a cup of tea with you, Molly."

And he followed her into a glass encased garden area, a small wooden table set in the middle. Surrounded by all variety of flora. They sat down together and caught up on missed time through white lies and half truths.

OFF:

Lt. JG Teth Miir
Counselor
USS Galileo

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