Pictures of You

Posted on Sun Mar 9th, 2025 @ 11:56am by Lieutenant Gabrielle 'Gabi' Shimoda & Petty Officer 3rd Class Gavin Ralston
Edited on on Tue Mar 11th, 2025 @ 11:01pm

2,890 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Impending Midnight
Location: Starbase 72
Timeline: Hours Before the Briefing

ON

After her meeting with Deputy Director Perryman, Gabi took the opportunity to engage in an old tradition, the feast before the transfer. Though, unlike others, she used this as an opportunity to be solitary, to reflect and take in her surroundings one last time. She engaged with the Starbase 72 directory, the information system giving her a litany of restaurants, eateries and bars that she might want to visit.

“A Japanese replimat? That sounds reasonable.” She muttered to herself. Sure enough, after a turbolift ride that seemed longer than necessary, she stepped onto a balcony. The raised platform overlooked a manicured Japanese garden; the area was lined with blossoms, bamboo and Sakura trees. A small river twisted centrally through the landscape at a tranquil pace, with soft mosses growing on rocks along its bank. Amongst the greenery was the niwa shi, an ancient man in beige dungarees, who was lovingly placing a lotus into a koi pond. As he did, a bird settled on a rock and tweeted soothingly too him.

For a moment, Gabi thought she’d been transported to a similar place back on Pike City. In fact, she expected her mother to appear and show her every leaf in the garden and patiently explain its genus and purpose within its ecosystem. Perhaps then her father would take her to a window and tell her all about the starships outside; the classes, their top warp speed, and how efficient its computer system was. Every detail delivered with that wide, goofy smile, proud that he once served on these great vessels.

All of that vanished like tears in the rain when a young man in a paisley green jumpsuit approached her. He held a PADD, checking it. “Would you like a seat, ma’am?”

“Uh, yes,” Gabi nodded. “Just a table for one, thank you.”

“Certainly. Could I interest you in a beverage?” The boyish waiter asked, escorting Gabi to a table downstairs that sat adjacent to a fence that separated the restaurant from the garden.

“A cold water, thank you.” She said, taking a seat.

The earthy scent of the garden mixed with the smell of Japanese cuisine, the placid sounds of nature mixing with hushed conversation from the patrons. Settling in, she retrieved her own PADD and began reviewing the knowledgebase of information on the AI entity that threatened to end life as they knew it. She found the reports fascinating as she poured through them, often discovering more than what was found in Starfleet’s intelligence digests and the often sensationalist Federation News Service.

She found the entire situation fascinating; especially how Starfleet had found an ally in another AI being. Though she was unnerved by the reported presence of the Borg; an omnipresent threat, one that she’d never encountered. Regardless, her stomach tightened as she remembered being a little girl and seeing news reports of cubes callously attacking worlds. Her hair stood on end as she reviewed statistics of the enemy fleet that had been raised. Details were scarce, though information was surely coming in the form of a briefing at warp speed.

She put her discomfort aside for a moment as the youthful waiter returned with her water.

“Something to eat?”

Gabi placed her PADD aside and jumped for the menu. She made some hasty decisions, safe in the knowledge that the foodstuffs would be there whether she’d looked or not. Her eyes darted over the menu. A snap decision was made. Time to really push the boat out. “A sashimi platter, gyoza, and gyudon. Thank you.”

The waiter placed the order. His eyebrows flashing for an instant with surprise. Someone was hungry. “That’ll be just a moment, ma’am.”

Gabi returned to her intelligence reports, catching herself up on the memorable missions of the Missouri. It had seemed like the vessel and her crew had found themselves unwillingly drawn into a prolonged battle with a formidable enemy. However, they’d performed admirably, and things were certainly coming to a head because of their gallantry.

Her order arrived moments later. Rice, meat, dumplings, it was all happening in this smorgasbord fit for two. Though it was clear the one person at the table had no hope of eating it all.

“Thanks,” she said, smiling to the departing waiter. Another report was consumed, this time some official debriefings and anecdotes from the Missouri’s crew, accompanied by mouthfuls of tuna doused in soy sauce. Their views seemed to be as extraordinary and nuanced as the fresh fish’s flavour.

From behind her, she heard a familiar voice. She lost her place in the text and dropped a morsel of delicious meat onto her shirt, leaving an oily brown smear on her crisp grey Starfleet uniform.

“Lieutenant Shimoda!” Ralston called, rounding the table with a PADD in his hand, dropping himself into the seat opposite Gabi. With a cheeky grin and a mischievous sparkle in his eyes, he slouched back in his chair and looked down his nose at her. “I’ve been looking for you. How was your meeting with Director Perryman—”

“Wait, how do you know that I was meeting with Perryman?”

“Well, I saw you enter one wardroom as I was leaving my debriefing. I’d just met with him before.”

“Oh.” Gabi nodded. Here I was thinking my planner’s password wasn’t complex enough. Instead, it seems like I’ve adopted a lost puppy. Great.

“So,” Ralston started as he leant forward, grabbing a gyoza and lowering it into his mouth. Gabi had gone to stop him, but she couldn’t beat his lightning fast thievery. He continued, chewing away, “How was your debriefing?”

“Enlightening.” Gabi answered. Raising her eyebrow. Her jaw clenched as he masticated vigorously before her.

Gavin swallowed. He then began fishing around in the gaps of his teeth for stuck pieces of meat. “Did you discuss… me?”

“Not specifically.”

“I’m still sorry about the whole name thing. And the species thing. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“I’d suggest saving the subterfuge enemy next time.” Gabi countered. She continued reassuringly, “Though you performed satisfactorily; my reports and discussions with Director Perryman reflect that. We got to the Starbase in one piece, we achieved every objective we could, short of bringing D’Pan back to life.”

“Bit hard when he was split in half and splattered on his dashboard,” Gavin shrugged, seeming to produce a pair of chopsticks from thin air. He snagged a piece of salmon and some horseradish from Shimoda’s plate and popped it in his gob.

Gabi’s grip tightened on her PADD, its thin metal frame flexing under her fingers.

“Are we taking Perryman up on his offer to take the information about D’Pan to his family?” Ralston asked through the mouthful of food. A grin crept back onto his face, “Y’know, I’ve always wanted to go into Romulan space--”

“No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’?” Ralston demanded.

“As in we will not be taking the information about D’Pan to his family.”

“Don’t you think his wife and kid deserve to know what happened to him?” The young man’s eyes narrowed, his skin flushed as he sat forward, tossing his PADD on the table, his tone shifting to an unusual aggression. “Perryman said she is only four years old. She’s probably living out her days on Chaltok waiting for her dad to walk through the door—”

“Petty Officer, if I wanted to deliver messages to the far reaches, I would’ve become a mail courier.”

“I admire your detachment,” Ralston muttered.

“It’s just business.”

“Business…” Ralston echoed with a harrumph.

“It’s not a matter open to discussion.” While she wasn’t going to admit it to Ralston, for fear of being bundled onto the underequipped Priedo and spirited off for a needlessly dangerous in-and-out adventure in Romulan space. She knew that telling D’Pan’s family was the right thing to do. She recalled how she would wait nervously as a child, counting down the days until her dad returned from duty. The relief she would feel when she saw his familiar, pudgy face looking adoringly down at her, his arms welcoming her into a tight fatherly embrace. The thought of D’Pan’s daughter never experiencing this again cut her like a razor, but to acknowledge it would be a slip that would destroy her. She fought to remain cool, but she was a burning building. “I was hoping to return to Earth, though it seems things have taken a turn. I’m transferring to the Missouri, temporarily.”

“Joining the fleet, huh?” Despondent, Gavin returned to his slouch. His arms were folded. “Nasty business with that AI.”

“Quite,” Gabi nodded. She ate a spoon of gyudon, its full flavours and warmth contrasted against the sashimi. She could see the fresh-faced Petty Officer staring her down, still spoiling for a fight like a boxer dancing on the spot waiting for the action to kick off in the ring again. The fight now was for D’Pan’s family. “It’s where I’m needed, apparently. Besides, if this AI wins, news about her father is going to be the least of that child’s worries.”

“Yeah, right.” Gavin considered what she’d said, though he was pained to admit that she was right. Stealing another gyoza and tossing it into his maw, he stood and went to leave. “I’ll see you around, Lieutenant. Good hunting.”

As Ralston strode off purposefully, Gabi took in a deep breath. She wanted to slap him; if not for his audacity, it was the knowledge that he was going to board that pithy shuttle while the rest of the fleet went off to save the galaxy. She rolled her eyes and sat back in her chair. Folding her arms she wrapped all her frustrations up and stowed her frustration.

Looking back to her meal, she noticed that Ralston had left his PADD on her table. He was long gone, but she reached for the device, bringing the screen into view. On it was the copy of the letter the child had written for her father. Below it was D’Pan’s family photo.

She looked into the faces of the father, mother and daughter. The Vulcan stoicism was ever-present, though there was a hint of pride in the face of family man, the warmth evident in a caring embrace between mother and daughter, and the beaming grin from the Vulcan child. Gabi studied that smile. The little girl was so happy. Her world was about to be ruined no matter what.

Gabi looked from the grin on the face of D’Pan’s daughter to the gyoza on her plate. She remembered her father showing her how to make the dumplings, her little hands clumsily pinching the dough with his patient guidance to seal the filling inside. She wondered if there wasn’t an existential crisis looming over them all, if she’d have relented for Ralston and went to Chaltok. It didn’t bear thinking about. Instead, she tossed the PADD in the river and stood up, dropping a napkin on the half-eaten meal.

=^= Transporter Room to Lieutenant Shimoda. =^=

She tapped her combadge. “Go ahead.”

=^= The Missouri is ready for you to beam aboard. Please report to Transporter Room 19 with your orders. =^=

“On my way,” Gabi replied. She turned, watching the PADD burble and drift to the riverbed.

|Main Concourse, Starbase 72
|Subsequently

Shouldering past a steady throng of Starfleet personnel and civilians of all stripes, Gabi found herself moving toward the transporter room at the speed of a snail. Hundreds of people moved around like blood cells inside a clotted artery, the concourse of the Starbase busier than usual as the fleet prepared to move off and assignments were finalised. It reiterated how enormous this operation was.

The intelligence officer found herself being hit with the occasional piece of luggage as people pushed against the crowd. The air was electric with anxiety and uncertainty from the passing, the din deafening. It was all a little much. Gabi decided to take a moment for herself, slinking off into a tiny seating alcove. Taking a seat, she grabbed her PADD and continued reading about the Missouri and its mission.

“Shim?” A voice called from the throng.

Shimoda looked up, narrowing her eyes to see a Cardassian woman in a command division uniform interrupting the flow of the crowd. The officer looked back and slapped the arm of another command-division officer and whisper something to them. The two women approached.

Oh, great.

“Gabi?” The other woman, a tall, slender human Captain with a coiffure of crimson hair questioned with a hint of astonishment. She approached cautiously as if moving toward a coiled snake, the redheaded Captain flanked by the Cardassian officer.

“Captain Harris. Commander Lakret.” Gabi greeted, stumbling over her worlds. As the Captain and her Executive Officer closed in, the alcove began to shrink, as though it would swallow her. “W-what are you doing here?”

“The Aquarius is part of the fleet.” Harris explained as if it was an obvious answer to a stupid question. She crossed her arms, standing over the seated Shimoda with her second-in-command like a pair of enforcers.

Lakret spoke up, looking down her nose at Gabi, “I hear you’ve been assigned to the Missouri, Shim.”

“That’s right,” Gabi replied. She stood and stuffed her PADD into her pocket. She moved to leave, seeking an abrupt conclusion to this encounter. “Well, it’s been good seeing you both. I need to get to the transporter.”

“Whoa, easy, what’s the hurry?” Harris smirked, closing the gap between the XO and herself. Her shoulder bumped Shimoda’s, pushing the Lieutenant back. “We’re heading the same way, the Aquarius is assigned to the same pad. We’ll walk and talk.”

“Very well,” Gabi replied. She couldn’t believe her luck. Her jaw tensed as it did when she expected conflict, as she looked for an opportunity for a swift escape. There wasn’t one.

The trio began to walk through the crowd once more. The Cardassian XO led the way, her hands swaying at her hips as if the crowd was stepping out of the way for her. “So, Shim, we heard you’re in the intelligence game now?”

“I do a little work,” Gabi answered. “I’ve spent a couple of years on Earth at Starfleet Tactical organising fleet formations. I’m trying to move away from field work.”

“And yet you’re so good at it,” Harris retorted, nudging a Bolian crewman out of the way. “Even as a junior officer you showed promise. Hey, Lakret, do you remember how wild Shim was when she was with us?”

“Oh, yes,” Lakret smirked over her shoulder. “Remember the party on Chrysalia, Shim?”

“How could I forget,” Gabi grumbled, pulled along by the command officers as if she was attached by a tether. In her mind, she heard the pounding tribal drums. The thickness and heat in the Chrysalian air. The sweetness of the pungent, fruity cocktails, the way the scales on Lakret’s neck felt on her fingertips as her senior officer’s lips trailed down her own. The memory was as sore as her body after the hangover. She felt her face flush, biting her tongue to avoid taking Lakret’s bait.

“You seem to have changed so much, Shim. So serious. But,” Harris gave the Lieutenant a slap on her shoulder. “I see you’re still not looking after your uniform.”

Gabi went to defend herself and then noticed that oily brown smear on her shirt.

“Victim of a working lunch, Shim?” Harris laughed.

“First impressions count, Shim, but I guess some officers can afford to be sloppy,” Lakret said with a soft, mocking chuckle. “Can’t they, Captain?”

“Must be nice,” Harris agreed.

“Must be,” Lakret echoed.

Gabi ignored the ribbing from the officers. Not even a disciplined mind was keeping this animal caged. The beast inside was pacing and ready to fight. This was how they were when she was cashiered off their starship as a suspected murderer years before. But she couldn’t give this pair the satisfaction. A sense of relief washed over her as they stepped into the transporter room. The two senior officers pushed past her.

“We need to be preparing the Aquarius, we’ll be leaving first, Lieutenant,” Harris stated. Stepping in front of Gabi. The commanding officer led the way, stepping onto the transporter.

“Bye, Shim.” Lakret said, passing Gabi and joining her CO on the pad.

“Good to see you, Lieutenant,” Harris said as the transporter warmed up. “Watch your back out there.”

Gabi’s fist clenched. Not with anger, but with anxiety. “Likewise.”

Harris looked to the transporter operator. “Energise,” she ordered.

A moment later, the room gently hummed and the two senior officers dematerialised in shimmering brilliance. Gabi breathed another sigh of relief as the two departed. She felt the tension in her shoulders subside as she relaxed. She nodded to the transporter operator and stepped onto the pad. She was Missouri bound, and hopefully away from the Aquarius and its crew.

OFF

Posting by

Lieutenant Gabi Shimoda
Chief Intelligence Officer

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