by Vol Tryst and Dabin Reece
110209.0100
After Mission Improbable
110209.0100
After Mission Improbable
Vol Tryst sat at his computer, double checking his appointment calendar for the next week. Depending on the person he was scheduled to see, his reactions varied anywhere from pleasant smile to shrug to cringe. He reached slowly for a mostly empty cup of coffee and was just about to press the cup to his lips, when an intruder disturbed what was to be a relaxing morning.
Without a chime requesting entry, the door to Vol’s office simply opened. Vol froze with the coffee cup at his lips and shifted his gaze to see a wild eyed Dabin Reece pointing at him with a trembling finger.
“You!” Reece spoke in a gravely voice just barely above a whisper. He moved swiftly towards the Betazoid and Vol thought the same thing everyone else thinks when they are charged by a crazed intruder with unknown intentions.
*Finish the coffee before it’s too late.*
Vol gulped down the last of the cup, and just in time, as Reece grabbed his wrist and pulled him up from his chair with surprising strength. The mug toppled to the floor in what appeared to be slow motion as Vol was dragged away. Too shell-shocked to realize what was happening, Vol allowed Reece to keep on pulling until they were out of the office and inside a turbolift.
“Can I ask where we are going?”
“Replimat.” Reece answered, as he circled the lift like a caged animal. The Replimat was a small room aboard the ship housing a few larger sized replicator designed to handle more than your typical bowl of soup or cat food.
“Can I ask why?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Reece shouted, throwing his hands up in the air.
“You’re… worried about something.” Vol surmised, sensing Dabin’s emotions.
The lift stopped and Vol was once again moving involuntarily down the corridor. Dabin pulled him into the Replimat and pointed at an image of an item that was frozen on the screen above one of the replicators.
“I hate this,” Dabin said, pointing at the picture of a garden gnome. Vol looked up at the image, blinked and resisted the urge to gulp.
“Okay,” He said, waiting for more input.
“It just doesn’t say O’Sullivan to me.”
Vol laughed out loud. “No, it doesn’t. Should it?”
“Look, the Captain is throwing this sort of Christmas surprise for the Irishman. Just don’t tell her I know because she doesn’t know I know.”
Two engineers, having just replicated a replacement part for the ventilation unit in Sickbay, glanced back over their shoulders at Reece as they were about to leave.
“Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” Dabin said, holding his finger up to his lips. “It’s supposed to be a secret!”
“I didn’t say anything!” Vol shot back, holding his hands up in innocence. “And if it is indeed a secret, how is it that you came to—”
“Liisy talked to the ice man, all hush hush. That always means something is going down. Then I saw Steele all decked out like the Michelin Man and muttering something about a tree down by the transporter room. I put the pieces together from there. That and I pulled the transport logs after they left the ship. So I need something really O’Sullivan like to surprise him with, a gift from the crew. The gnome just isn’t talking to me. Help me Vol!!!”
Vol tensed his face and shut his eyes. He raised his index finger to drill it into his right ear for a second or two before removing it and stretching out his face.
"Counselor!" Dabin's pitch was beginning to inch away from persistence towards whining. Vol quickly placed his hands on the Trill's shoulder.
"Yes, Dabin! Of course I will help."
"Good."
"What's in it for me?"
"You—what?" Dabin almost yelped.
"My time as Ship's Counselor is very valuable Commander. There could be a patient waiting for me right now, in my office, in turmoil beyond your wildest imagination. And yet, here I am and here I shall remain if you make it worth my while." Vol cocked a single eyebrow. It was a signal, the gauntlet had been thrown down.
Dabin was quiet at first as he peered at the Counselor suspiciously.
"Did you have something in mind?"
Vol grinned.
"How is that beautiful wife of yours?" Once the words were heard and understood, Dabin's mind went places that caused the counselor to fail at stifling a laugh. A hand founds its way to his abdomen, an instinct when one's abs clench in pain despite laughing in glee.
"I miss her, that's all."
"...really?" Dabin joked.
"I do and I want to kidnap her. I've let you have her all to yourself for quite some time and I have been very patient."
"I gather you mean that you'd like to spend time with her?"
"Yes and soon."
Dabin's face was riddled with confusion.
"You know, you could have just taken off with her at any time. I'm sure she would've played along. She misses you too."
Vol raised his eyebrow again. "Is that so? How long would it have taken before you summoned all of the Sera's security officers to help you find her?"
"An hour at most I imagine."
Vol rolled his eyes. "You would have begging for help the moment you realized she was gone.”
“This isn’t getting my present selected! I’ll watch Sophie and you two can go have your day of fun. Deal!”
"Right, so..." Vol clapped and rubbed his hands together, pivoting so as to look up at the image of the garden gnome once more. "...a gift for Mr. O'Sullivan."
"You go first." Dabin suggested.
"Me? You want me to come up with an idea right now? Why?"
"That was my first guess." Dabin pointed to the viewer.
"Right!" Vol submitted. He approached the console and surveyed the buttons which gave him ample options to choose from. He tapped a few and then looked up at the viewer to browse the selections available. Once he found something he stopped.
"How about that?"
Dabin tilted his head to the side, looking at the picture of a small knife with Celtic knot carved into the handle.
“Too Blane,” Dabin said, shaking his head. Vol shook his as well, for a different reason, and brought up a picture of gift basket with an array of Christmas themed toffees.
“Too Dengar. Next!”
What followed was a rather hideous Christmas themed vest and scarf. Reece regarded it for a moment, then shook his head.
“Too me. But send me the number of that file. No, this is big, Vol. This is like the biggest deal for people of his faith. I love all the lights and stuff but I don’t know Christmas like he does! It needs to be meaningful, and respectful, and emotional and not tacky or ugly.”
“I can see why you are stumped,” Vol grinned as he spoke under his breath. “You said there is possibly a tree. Ornaments are part of the tradition, perhaps we could come up with something along those lines?”
“So what are you thinking?”
"Does he like stars?"
"Huh?" Dabin looked to the Counselor as the hybrid looked over his shoulder back at Dabin.
"Or does he prefer angels?"
"I haven't a clue." Dabin was on the brink of sounding helpless. Why'd he have to be determined to be a nice guy? It's so hard!
"Well, which do you prefer?" Vol now turned to Dabin directly. "Present are much more about the giver than they are the receiver anyway."
"They are?"
"Stars or angels!?"
“He has to have an angel already. I’m thinking star.”
Vol turned around and found tree ornaments which were traditionally tied, hung or placed on the ceremonial tree. There were quite a few.
"Alright, which do you fancy?" Vol spread his arms out wide as thirty-five or so ornaments were displayed in a slideshow on the monitor.
Reece looked at the offerings and tapped his foot. As his eyes moved from one to the other, he could sense Vol’s mind almost playing the “warmer colder” game in his head, leading him towards the one Vol liked.
“That one!” Reece shouted.
“I agree,” Vol nodded. “I’ll have it replicated, wrapped, and the good Commander will find it on his doorstep.”
“With a note saying its from the crew?”
“Yes Dabin, with the note.”
“You’re the best, Counselor!”
“I know.”
*******************************************
Vol Tryst
Ship’s Counselor
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
&
Dabin Reece
Chief Science Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012