Planning a Follow Up - Part 1 - BACKPOST

Posted on Tue Sep 16th, 2025 @ 1:58am by Lieutenant J'airesh Mora-Heath & Lieutenant JG Zac Smithson

Mission: Season 6: Echoes of the Zynari
Location: Dining Hall
Timeline: BACKPOST
1901 words - 3.8 OF Standard Post Measure

Zac had come to the dining hall to grab a quick bite. Emily was out with her daughter, spending some quality mother-daughter time together and leaving Zac to fend for himself. He didn't like to eat in their quarters by himself which explained why he was here. He wasn't alone (well, yeah he was but he was surrounded by others) he rationed out. But right now, he wasn't even eating, he was just sitting at a table a vanilla milkshake in front of him, lost in thought, thinking on a follow up get together with J'Air and her beau and Emily and himself.

By pure coincidence, a concept that J'Air was usually wary of accepting, she happened to walk into the Dining Hall just in time to see Zac on his own at a table across the room, staring in a contemplatory manner, into a milkshake. J'air had popped in to get some lunch to go, as with no other reason to take a lunch break and thinking that she'd just 'eat at her desk' and do some of the mountains of "admin" that was there, threatening menacingly to engulf her. She thought she'd get some lunch but now she was out and walking the corridors, finding different things and people to see for a change she had got cold feet about going back and giving up her break.

The image of Zac sitting alone was enough to seal her already crumbling resolve and homing in on her friend, she approached and asked with a cheeky grin. "Is this seat taken?" She was already putting herself into the seat in question when she added with irony that she hoped Zac was in the mood for: "Only it's SO crowded in here, I couldn't find another seat vacant, Sorry." She indicated around the half-full room as if to prove her lie, rather than to reinforce that it was nonsense. Her broad grin gave the clues to the fact that she was joking but she was silently concerned that his intense stare directed at the drink might be because he wasn't in a socialising mood. Hoping this wasn't the case, J'Air tilted her head so she was directly in his line of sight.

"Hi, I don't think we've met, are you married?" she chuckled but then stopped. "No, but seriously, Hi, how are you Zac? Is Emily okay?" she dropped the joking and started to ask proper, sensible questions.

Zac saw J'Air approaching and it instantly filled with joy. He truly like J'Air she was a good friend a heck of a Doctor. He was about to greet her when she started teasing him. Forcing a grin back down from it had already begun to spread across his face. he decided two could tease. he rose from his seat, "No, it isn't please sit down." his gaze swept the hall before coming back to settle on her. "I know what you mean. They are unusually busy today." His voice even. He blinked at her, "No, we haven't. I'm Zac and if that is a proposal I accept!" He finished with a huge smile.

He then greeted her like the good friend she was, "Hi J 'Air. I'm good and Emily is great. Thanks for asking. How are you? And how is Chuck?"

With a huge grin and a hearty laugh, J'Air took up on the joke and made an elaborate act of searching first for pockets, then for something inside them. "Oh Drat!" she exclaimed in mock frustration. "I seem to have forgotten the engagement ring. Could I ask you again next time instead?" she rolled her eyes and then offered a friendly hug to Zac.

"You're great!" she declared delightedly. "Have you eaten? Or are you about to?" she asked, looking at the Menu Pad on the table, offering enticing images of all kinds of available dishes.

"I like the look of the Andorian Flat Fish with the Creamy Linberry Sauce." she said, thinking out loud about her decision. "Can I get you something while I'm ordering?"

Zac nodded, "Going to hold you to it." He teased before returning the hug. "If you are going to get something then I will too though I'm not that hungry. Can you get me a pepperoni pizza with extra cheese and have them cut it into eight slices, I don't think i could eat ten. Along with a large order of season fries, a slice of cherry pie with whip cream on top." He said all while keeping a straight face. He wondered how much he could add before J'Air realized he was teasing her. "Oh, a chocolate chip cookie, better make it two and a brownie. I think that's it. Oh, maybe a six inch sub sandwich as well."

J'Air laughed. "Well, it's lucky you weren't very hungry, wasn't it?" she returned the joke and began to order all that he had mentioned. (she had put her other hand over the off button on the mini two way PaDD before she started typing) She pretended to put in the order with, painstakingly spelling it all out. "Okay, not sure I have all that right" she pretended, trying to be very serious sounding.

"So a cherry pizza with no cheese, a side of plain fries with cream, eight brownies and two subs- or was that six brownies and ten subs?" she twisted her face as if trying to detangle the order and some confusion but she couldn't hold it and was grinning like a Cheshire Cat before she could finish the pretence.

Zac stared at her for a moment before his face registering shock before it split into a huge grin shaking his head as spoke. "Oh, that's good J'Air! You had me going there! I know this if I ate all that stuff, I'd be sick for a week!" he paused and grew serious, "Oh, just a roast beef sandwich and fries is good for me. I already have a drink. Thanks."

J'Air took her hand away from the 'off switch' allowing the ordering PaDD to reactivate and still chuckling softly, ordered the roast beef sandwich and a side of fries before adding her own flat fish choice and a Terran Rooibosh Tea. She signed it off with her thumb-print and sent it off into the ether to be received at the kitchen and produced ready for a waiter or waitress to deliver the final order in full.

This all happened within a surprisingly smart amount of time, much to the delight of the two customers laughing and chatting at Table 12 - Zac and J'Air.

"Ooh this looks delicious" J'Air commented as the dish was put in front of her along with her tea.

Pausing their conversation, Zac nodded as their dishes were put in front of them. "Smells good too." He observed as the heavenly aroma of their meals filled the air. "I bet they taste good as well." He said with a wink. at J'Air then picked up a fry and bit it. "Ohhhhhhh! Nice and hot. I hate cold fries. Absolutely hate them." He repeated.

"Hmmm" J'Air answered around a quick slurp of her tea and a sigh at how pleased she was that it was just as she liked it. Thanking the Waiter she made a fake move as if to slap her Comm Badge into action. "Note to self" she pretended to dictate. "Iced Fries for dinner for when we host Zac and Emily". She laughed as Zac heard and looked directly over at her.

Zac's head snapped up from his sandwich to look at her and his face screwed up most unpleasantly as J'Air mentioned Iced Fries. "Oh very funny. You wouldn't dare" His eyes narrowing dangerously. Then he took a sip of his milkshake and laughed. "That sounded really good didn't it." His face splitting into a wide smile.

"It sounded appropriately scary. I'll consider myself duly warned!" J'Air looked suitably subdued, but only for a moment before her own grin returned.

For a few minutes the two ate with enjoyment of the delicious food they had really ordered.

Zac nodded his head, "Good, see that you do." He said in mock reproach before he burst out laughing. Then like J'Air he began to eat his sandwich and fries. "Umm, good. How is your fish?" He asked as he took another sip of his shake.

"It's lovely!" J'Air enthused between mouthfuls. "I wasn't sure I was very hungry so I was just going to get something to take-out..... wait, I think I told you that already? Well anyway, I'm so glad you were here and that made he stop and get something more substantial." Having stopped eating whilst explaining, J'Air dug back in again and ate more but she couldn't keep quiet for long so, with a forkful halfway to her mouth she stopped again a few moments later and added.

"It's strange, you must be psychic, I was only saying to Chuck the other day how it would be nice to catch up with you and Emily again." She smiled with more genuine enthusiasm. "How's that for coincidence? Here you are, as if summoned by the Fae!" the forkful finally made its way to stifle the smile with more fish and sauce which gave Zac a chance to get a word in edgeways.

Zac smailed at J'Air's enthusiasm over her meal. he didn't know if he could get that worked up over fish. Now a good steak was a different story. "A good coincidence or just good luck." He admitted. He chuckled , "What I was summoned by was the desire to have a milkshake. it was calling to me and here I am and here you are as well. What excellent fortune. The next thing is since you are here, is planning what we do next for our next group get together."

"Oooh, yes please!!!!!" J'Air immediately responded, forgetting to wait until her mouth was empty. She coughed a little as she got her exclamation and her food swapped over and into the correct pipes and had to drink some of her tea before she could go on.

"Sorry" she apologised to Zac. "I forgot that breathing is a preferred inter mouthful necessity!" she gave a wry smile, slightly abashed.

Zac shook his head in amusement at J'Air. "Yes breathing is a preferred necessity unless you can take air through your skin by osmosis." He bantered back before going on. "I was thinking we can continued with the outdoor theme that you started and pulled off so fabulously when we first got together. What do you think about continuing that?"

"I like that. I think it really worked. But, do you think it will support a second try or do we need to change it to keep it fresh and new?" J'Air asked, probably overthinking this.

"I think it will work." Zac replied. "I've been thinking on some activities we could do this time. Rafting, not white water just down a lazy river or if we don't want to try that we could do tubing. Maybe some para gliding or getting some paddle boats and just enjoying the day and the company." Zac sat straighter, "Oh! What about snorkelling?"

J'Air lit up more and more as Zac's list of suggestions grew. When he finally sat up and came out with *snorkelling* she beamed even wider.

TBC