Dinner at Zarmunds

Posted on Wed Nov 11th, 2020 @ 8:26am by Commander Leif Magnus & Lieutenant Victor Barclay de Tolly & Commodore Phoenix Lalor-Richardson

Mission: Season 4: Episode 2: Rest And Relaxation
Location: Pacifica Seaside Grand Hotel
Timeline: Current
2905 words - 5.8 OF Standard Post Measure

Commander Leif Magnus, the commanding officer of Starbase Prometheus was on vacation on the planet of Pacifica. While a few of his crew of his Starbase which was nearby was enjoying romance, he was much of a loner. He was at the Grand Hotel when he heard his Engineering teacher was at the base with her family. After meeting his former teacher, he was sitting in the lobby watching on a screen of the news. "Unbelievable," he says to another guest watching, "New York Yankees have won twenty-three in a row."

The Bajoran guest asked, "Never followed baseball."

Phoenix had chosen to visit the hotel shops while Miran was off with Triston and Raye, getting up to things she did not want to know about. As she moved through the Lobby she heard a conversation about baseball and turned to study the man who spoke. But she was not sure about what her eyes were seeing. So she stopped beside the concierge desk and began to leaf through several pamphlets.

"You would love it," Leif says as he looked around because he was about to go eat. From a distance he saw what he thinks was the one woman who he always loved but never had the courage to step over the line. He walked up as he saw on her collar Captain pips. "I always thought you would make Captain first Phoenix." He notices a bump but he never asks a woman if they were pregnant. "Nice to see you again Milady."

Phoenix turned and she smiled "Ah Leif" She said. "A fluke or twist of fate if you believe in that. What a surprise to see you here on Pacifica"

"Likewise," Leif says taking a deep breath as he could see her cheeks had that certain glow pregnant women had. "I hardly come but my Engineering Professor from the Academy was here with her family. The Prometheus the base where I am the commanding officer is nearby. You should visit one day with your family. Mostly Science Projects. We do have a very nice view of the universe."(edited)

"Well i am sure the Ely could drop by." Phoenix smiled. "So you have your own command, thats great."

"Since a year ago," Leif says smiling as he had goosebumps seeing Phoenix. "I had to turn my commanding officer over the Federation. He was working on a project that would have destroyed the whole sector here. One should not try to create a Genesis bomb. Came within two minutes before that bomb almost blew." Leif takes a deep breath. "Here I go rambling on. I am just happy to see you."

She smiled back at him. "Its good to see you too. My crew is here for R&R after a very hard mission. We are only here another 3 days or so. Will you be here much longer?"

"Now I will be," Leif says as he thought. "Phoenix I have to ask. Are you married or seeing anyone? I do not enter another man's field."

Phoenix gave a shrug "My Fiancée died a couple of weeks ago." She said. "I am sorry Leif, I am just getting to used to that."

He touches her hand for comfort. "I am sure he was an honorable man. Hope you are getting support from his and your family. Is there anything I can do besides massage your feet."

Phoenix gave a laugh. "My feet are fine. And I have my sister for that anyway." She said and then she turned and pointed as a trio of teenagers basically ran across the lobby and out the door. "The brunette is my sister. Her best friends, Triston and Raye" she added. "They all meet on the Elysium." Phoenix watched with a warm smile as they vanished into the rental kiosk. "Looks like Raye won the argument, they are going orbital skydiving next."

"We had fun back at the Academy," Leif thought to those days, "Are you still the one who knows no fear?"

She wanted to say yes but instead she shrugged. "For the most part. Some things I have seen that makes me agree that fear keeps one alive."

"So all those times you did those wild stunts," he chucked a bit, "It was your way of understanding fear and how to live with it.

"That and having a CO who chooses to run holographic simulations near borg space, which results in a borg actual attack" Phoenix said dryly.

"Glad you have not lost that tenacity," Leif said with deep admiration. It was obvious how much he adored Phoenix. "Phoenix, there are several restaurants here. My favorite is Zarmunds and there is Kitty's Pub plus next to Kitty's is The Blue Mermaid. Would you like to get a bite to eat?"

Phoenix considered it. She studied him. "As friends." she stated.

"Of course," Leif replied gallantly. "You are in the family way and I want make sure when you go back to your ship, you have a friend in the universe who.....," he momentary pauses,"who cares about your welfare."

"One of a few anyway" She said brightly.

"Amen Milady," Leif says looking into her kind eyes, "Which of the three would you like to go to eat?"

Phoenix gave a shrug. "I am on a restricted diet so, any place that serves healthy food will do"

"Zarmunds does," Leif says as lightly licked his lips. "They have the best Ahi Tuna dishes made from real Tuna and their desserts are to die for."

Phoenix nodded. "Sugar is a no, but I am always up for food."

He offers his arm to escort her just like when he was a Junior at the Academy and she was a Freshman. "My arm as always Milady."

"Charming as always Leif" She laughed and took his arm.

They walked there as it was ten minutes away. "I heard about the Quantum Event you had on your ship and I hear your new visitor is now your Chief of Engineering."

"Yes, he seems to be fitting in well." Phoenix said

"I met with his mother earlier," Leif says as they walked. "She was my Engineering teacher and now she has a family because of this event."

"A lot of that going around according to reports." Phoenix said calmly. "Though I could have done without him appearing in my bedroom."

"I did not hear that part," Leif replied calmly. "That is thing about these kind of events. No one knows where you might wind up." They reached the restaurant. The owner comes out.

"Mister Zarmund. I would like a table for two."

Zarmund, the Vulcan Sarpedion answers, "You want one with a view or one that is Private Commander."

Leif realizes how it must look. "A view of course. Phoenix and I are old friends."

Phoenix gave the place a look around as they were escorted to a table. "So, tell me about your command."

Leif walked with her with the table. "We do the run of the mill of checking for anomalies and investigating them. We also have several Science Projects monitoring riffs. There was one here recently but no harm. Professor Barclay de Tolly and her granddaughter experienced it. And last but not least, we have our Science Projects from Botany to Zoology."

"And are you enjoying it?" Phoenix asked curiously. "Being stationary?"

"Sometimes but we do have our moments investigating anomalies," Leif replies holding her chair out to sit. "Recently there was someones who went through an anomaly. I contacted Department of Temporal Investigations after we capture them. We almost lost one of my men. I am content at times when the Science Station is quiet. It feels like when you are in a jacuzzi and you put your ears below the water."

Phoenix sat "Well at least you are not being sucked into the past or into pocket universes there"

"There is a pocket universe nearby," Leif points out. "A planet exists in it that basically has a tropical rainforest in it. You wind up in there. You might come out in two days with your child born. One day here is six months there."

"Sorry been there done that. died there, had twins." Phoenix said calmly. "And it was in the Gamma Quadrant where that happened.

"Twins," Leif says as he was handed a menu. "Are they Okay?" He instinctively places his hands on hers just in case.

"They were with their father, their universe was different from ours, and we left them a rescue beacon." Phoenix said. "I met them when they were 16 or so,"

"Glad," Leif says with a deep breath as slowly let go of her soft hands. "The ship that is Station at our base The USS Asminov is about to go back to Earth for a refit. If you want to stay in this galaxy, you could stay for a few months or until another ship is assigned to the base. "

"Unfortunately, we have been recalled to Starbase 13 in a few days, apparently there is a colony convoy the need us to escort. Knowing our luck it will be another trap.." She smiled as the server came up. She ordered a water when asked about drinks

Leif asked for a cold glass of cherry lemonade. "Know you are always welcome." He finally had the courage to say something he should have said a long time ago. "Phoenix, we will always be friends. My timing was always off but if you ever desire to be more than friends, we can explore that. If you want to keep it at status quo, I can live with that."

"For now, Leif it will have to remain friends. There is a lot going on." Phoenix admitted.

"Agreed," Leif says nodding. "Just know you have a place. Now I feel better. I do not want to live the rest of my life with regret. Time happens so fast. You and your child will always be welcome. Now back to the menu," he says looking at it and he wanted to change the subject. "Besides the Ahi Tuna Salad they also have a great Portabello Mushroom Burger served with a Vegetarian Salad."

"I cannot wait to be able to eat junk food again." Phoenix said as she looked it over. "But doctors orders, that and no stress."

"Agreed," Leif says charming way. "One thing that could help you is to have a pen pal. I of course volunteer to be yours. I will not talk about anything stressful but you can tell me anything so you do not keep it bottled up."

"Might be an idea." Phoenix said. "I am lucky that my executive officer is very good at his job."

"That is always good to have," Leif responds with a smile. "We can do video calls if you like." The two of them made their order for the night. After the order, Leif adds, "Thank you Phoenix for being a friend. Seems the only ones I ever communicate are my cousins in Starfleet, most of them are JAG officers. "

"Well at least you could call them" She smiled. "I spend my evenings listening to Teen Drama"

"Tell them you have a friend you would like to talk to for fifteen to thirty minutes," Leif suggested.

"And my sister would hang around pretending to 'study'" Phoenix did air quotes. "She is cunning." she smiled though. "Having a 16 year old around certainly spices things up."

"I bet," Leif says smiling. "Is she planning to attend the Academy?"

"No. She is looking to attend Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, on Earth, Paris." Phoenix said. "She will get in there most likely. She is a painter."

"Ah Paris," he says smiling, "I have been there many times in my childhood. We would fly there from Oslo at least once a year. Last time I went there was the year before I met you. I suggested a few times with you on our breaks. You know I always like when we talk. We had many a great conversation. I admire you for making your own destiny than one that is mapped out for you."

"Paris is nice to visit. I have missed the conversations."

"Time is like an Event Horizon," Leif says cleverly, "If you do not pay attention, it goes by so fast."

"Indeed" Phoenix said with a smile.

Like many times, Leif felt the desire to kiss her but this was not the time nor the place. The food was brought to them. "Would you like to go for a walk on the beach and collect seashells, just like Malibu tomorrow?"

"I'd like that but unfortunately I have meetings on the ship." she sighed. "I wish it was not so."

"We will take a raincheck," Leif said understanding. "Message me if you want to meet me back here or if you want me to come over there for supper."

"Sure, though I will need to send someone to show you around. The Ely is not exactly small"

"So I heard," Leif says as he takes a sip. "My Science Station has only a crew of a hundred fifty which means fifty on each shift. If you ever want to trade, just ask."

"No thanks" She laughed. "I like my ship. Its home."

"Like my Botanist would say," Bloom where you are planted."

"A sound saying." Phoenix said as she sampled a tomato.

Leif takes a deep breath as he keeps seeing Phoenix. "We have helped the farms here on Pacifica with their vegetable production as well as their fishery. Federation calls it good will. I do get perks by I always get a good table here but this is first time when there was only two at the table."

"You don't eat with your command team down here?"

"I do but always there are several at the table," Leif says truthfully. "We sometimes come here when Admirals and Commissioners are here. Plus there is the occasional visit from The Department of Temporal Investigations."

"We can never keep that position filled on the Ely. Guess we freak them out too much." Phoenix said softly. "Ah well, after the last one and I had an argument about how it is always my fault, I am thinking of removing the department from my ship."

"Wise move," Leif says as he cuts his Ahi Tuna. "We have cases of it but we have a Quantum Physics expert in my XO. We do not need one plus we do not have that many crew Quarters or Offices on board. One third of my crew are Science or Engineering Officers, one third are Security or Tactical. The other third are comprise of Operations, Communications, Logistics, Counselling and what not."

"Wise. We seem to go through counsellors as well, though the current batch have stuck it out longer than 6 months so, so we must have toned down the crazy."

"We only have three and each one is married to another officer," Leif says smiling. "We have about seventy couples on board so we do have children, lots of them. I ask them if anyone wanted a transfer and they say no. Last one to leave the base was my boss. He was very arrogant and he suffered from pride which got the better of him. "

"Hubris' Phoenix nodded sagely. "I rely a lot on my XO and senior staff. Most have way more experience then I do in command, so its fine with me."

Leif was the first to finish eating as he waited for Phoenix to finish. "Phoenix, since you are in the family way, would like for me to drive, I mean fly you back in my shuttle. I will let you off in your hangar bay and then I will fly back to my base. Of course we can bring the teen-agers."

"Oh its ok, I am staying in a villa here for the time we are here." she smiled. "I needed to get away from the ship for a bit. Sea air is good for you, You know."

"Oh I know," he replied with a wink. "Just like Malibu."

She laughed and finished her salad. "Yes well, Malibu was a long time ago."

"Indeed," Leif said, "So what now. Would you like for me to bring you to the villa or what?"

She shook her head "No, its not that far a walk and I have some shopping to do. Crew wedding coming up"

"Ah of course," Leif says as says instead blushing a bit. "I am too shy to see what you buy in Victoria Secret. So I will walk you to your first shop and I will be on my merry way." Leif takes out a communicator where he paid for the bill before she said anything.

"Next time my treat and no argument" She stated as she stood.

"Agreed," he says as he walks her to the first shop. "Hope to see you soon and I will send you a message on possible video chats. "

"I shall keep some time open for your call" She said. "Its nice to reconnect with old friends."

"Indeed," he say as he ends it not with a kiss but by saying, "It was FANTASTIC." Leif wanted to give her a kiss on the lips but he did like he did at The Academy, he kiss her forehand. "Till next time milady."

End Post