Asking a friend, Part One

Posted on Tue Sep 16th, 2025 @ 10:06am by Consul Andrinn Orin & Nicholas Mathias

Mission: Season 6: Echoes of the Zynari
Location: Mess Hall
Timeline: MD5, 1700hrs
1088 words - 2.2 OF Standard Post Measure

[ON:]

Andrinn walked into the Mess Hall and looked around to see if he could see anyone that he might've recognized who might have been eating their meal. The Mess Hall appeared to be packed full of people within that moment, but through the crown, Andrinn caught a glimpse of someone who he hadn't talked to in a while.

Nick was sitting in one of the corner tables and eating what appeared to be what Nick called a "sub sandwich." It was something that came in a variety of sizes and flavor combinations. Nick tried to get Andrinn to taste one once and Andrinn just couldn't do. Maybe, it was how it was made or what was on the sub itself. But, Andrinn just gagged when he tried it.

Nick on the other hand ate the rest of it and enjoyed every bite. He said that it depended on what was on it and what type of bread it was served on as to how good or not so good it truly was. Andrinn wondered sometimes about the friendship that he had with Nick. But, he also knew that Nick would always be there for him and that's why Andrinn was glad to have seen him eating down there in the Mess Hall at that moment.

Walking inside, the doors to the Mess Hall shut behind Andrinn as he made his way to the corner table where Nick appeared to not only be eating, but working on a few reports for his department. Getting to a certain distance, Andrinn pointed to the chair across from Nick and asked, "Mind if I have a seat and eat a bit of something with you?"

Nick looked up to see who was disturbing his meal, only to get the biggest grin on his face. He pointed to the seat and said, "Of course! Anything for one of my favorite Trills! But, if you're going to eat something, you might want it to be something more than just air. I know you've said you wanted to lose a bit of weight, but I don't think that's quite the way!"

Sitting down across from Nick, Andrinn couldn't help but chuckle. This was something that Andrinn enjoyed about Nick. He knew how to turn a frown upside down on just about anyone and everything, when the time called for it. Andrinn looked over at Nick and asked, "How in the worlds do you manage to do that?"

Looking at Andrinn, Nick was a bit confused and asked himself, "What do you mean?"

"Well, you have always known how to make me feel a million times better when I was down. Especially since Sam has been gone, it has been kind of harder. When you're in charge, you've got to put on a smile and make sure that stuff gets done in a timely manner. So, it has been good to have you onboard," Andrinn replied as he thought about Nick's question.

Nick just smiled like he had been given the Federation Presidential Medal of Valor or something. He had the biggest, shit eating grin on his face that anyone could tell was truly genuine. Nick simply said, "Thank you" without another word, as though to process some of the information that Andrinn had told him.

While the two men were silent, Andrinn had a moment to think about what he wanted to do and eat. After Nick thanked him, Andrinn said, "Would you want me to get you something good to drink? A refill on whatever you are having?"

Nick nodded and gave Andrinn his cup before replying, "Sure, I just had a thing of coffee and this one has gotten rather cold. Nobody liked cold coffee, unless it's iced coffee." Andrinn couldn't argue with that logic. He took the cup and asked, "Want another one that way we used to drink back in the day? When we were both a bit younger?"

Scratching his chin, thinking about it for a second or two, Nick said, "You aren't talking about how we used to get it back about 10 years ago? When we were out on Bajor those few times?"

Andrinn couldn't help but smile when Nick remembered those trips that the pair had taken to Bajor and some of the Bajoran moons about a decade prior. Since Bajor was still new to the world of universal archeology, there were still so many unexplored locations around the entire planet.

One of the best drinks that they ended up getting while they were on planet was a special blend of Bajoran coffee that had some grit and bite to it. While the Bajorans didn't have an official name for the drink...it was coffee. Tried and true. Andrinn headed over to the replicator and put the old cup into it for recycling.

Then, Andrinn ordered up two cups and took them back to the table. Placing them down, Nick thanked Andrinn took his own seat. Nick looked across the table and saw that look in Andrinn's face when he asked, "What's troubling you, my friend? I've seen that face a thousand times with a thousand different moments in your life. So, what's going on?"

Andrinn had barely sat down, so he wasn't sure what Nick was going on about. But, Andrinn had just come from the holodeck, where he had pulled up the recreation of Ranul, his previous host. It was like looking into a fun house mirror, so it was a bit freaky. So, Andrinn was honest and said, "Well, I just came from the holodeck not too long ago, where I ran a program. It was with Ranul and it was just...an interesting experience was all."

Nick raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why was it an interesting experience."

Andrinn waved him off with a simple wave of his hand, but Nick wasn't having any of it. "Really, what was it like to see your host like that for the first time in several centuries? Cause, ti was several centuries ago that he passed away, right?"

"Yeah, it was. Passed away in the 21st century. About 20 years or so after Earth achieved warp flight for the first time. It was interesting, if you'd like to hear the whole story?" Andrinn asked, looking over at Nick to see how Nick's body language would change before he spoke again.

Nick kept his eyebrown arched and replied, "I'd love to hear it."

"Well, you see..."

To be continued...

[OFF:]

Consul Andrinn Orin
Chief Diplomatic Officer
USS Elysium