Shore Leave in Crystal City

[rosetto 0]

The buzz in the air was the Andorian Miracle Cure. Sal didn’t know much about medicine but Frank Donnager did. Frank was with Tony and Kris when they arrived on the plaza transport pad in Crystal City. Celia knew Frank from a previous assignment and he was the newcomer to the group that Sal was known to hang around. Frank had some theories about the Zencarian metabolism and its unique strain of antibodies. Sal was certain that he’d hear all about them over dinner. Celia kissed Tony on the cheek and grabbed Kris’ arm. The women were in good company. The guys would be lucky to see them after that evening. They had other plans in Crystal City. This was the first real port that the El Paso had seen in four months.

 

 

“Hey Kris… Tony”, opened Sal, “Did you get everything off the El Paso okay?”

 

“Yeah”, Kris responded, “We’re all set for this wild adventure you got planned. I even had Tony pack an extra portable LSU. We’re staying inside the terra-formed regions, right? I don’t think any of us are equipped to venture outside. Besides, we’re on vacation! That would be too much like work for me!”

 

 

Kris, Lieutenant Commander Kristina Flanningan, was a senior environment specialist on the Science Team. She had been dating Tony now for four years. Sal & Celia had teased that they were never going to take that step. Tony, Lieutenant Anthony P. Hurtus, worked for Sal. He was a bright engineer and had helped Sal out of a couple of fixes. They became friends soon after Sal had joined the El Paso crew. Tony wasn’t as ambitious as Sal, though. So even though they were of the same rank when they met, Sal had advanced further and taken over the department when Chief Peterson was transferred. Tony didn’t mind. He preferred not to be in the spotlight, as it were.

 

 

“Hey Frank! Did you remember to bring that Capellan brandy of yours? That should go down smoothly when we’re roughing it on the Green River.”

 

“Yeah Sal, I did. Also brought an extra-thick EV bag since I’ll be flying solo this trip”, Frank laughed and Sal returned an appropriate smile knowing that he too was in a similar situation. Celia and he would be sharing a tent on the river but other than that it was separate but equal billing.

 

 

Everyone got settled into their hotel rooms and Sal caught back up with everyone on the Plaza Deck that overlooked Crystal Bay. It was late afternoon and Baran-6 hung quietly on the blue-within-blue sky. This was a unexpected feature of Tartessos because the skies of the other worlds of the Aldebaran System all had deep red hues. Aldebaran was 40 times the size and 150 times as bright as Sol. It dominated the sky with its off-red glow but the oxygen-rich atmosphere of Tartessos overpowered its energy. It was still quite warm and everyone had opted for short pants and sleeves. Even the doctor who had extremely white calves wore a pair of low contrast gray shorts. The girls wore swimwear though Kris had a light wrap around her shoulders.

 

The special was Kansas City Barbeque which was always a favorite on a Human colony. Everyone sat down and grabbed menus from the holder that was centrally located.

 

 

“Well, I’m having ribs. Haven’t had real meat in several months”, popped Celia as the server approached the table.

 

“Can I start you off with some refreshing Aldebaran Tea?” asked the server.

 

 

They all looked at each other, nodded and stated in unison, “Stiffer!”

 

 

Sal pointed to a particularly potent liquor on the menu called gPuk and said, “Neat.”

 

“I’ll have a planetary nebula… with whipped cream”, exclaimed Kris in her soft-spoken voice, “Hun. You want a beer?”

 

 

Tony nodded and Frank waited for the server and then spoke, “I’ll have a whiskey and soda. Celia. What are you having?”

 

“I think I’ll have that tea you mentioned. Someone’s gotta get these boys back to their rooms.”

 

 

The table laughed and the server smiled, “I’ll get those drink right away.”

 

 

Dinner was much quieter. Frank didn’t once mention medicine and Sal thought that made everyone feel more at ease. Kris and Tony kept on about this new entertainment group who used real instruments. They had seen them before and knew the group was in for a treat. Sal couldn’t help noticing a Vulcan sitting in the shade alone. He had an iced tea that he had not touched and several times Sal had caught him looking in their direction and taking notes of some kind. If he was fleet then he was out of uniform. Celia told him that it was some form of diplomatic attire. Frank disagreed and said that it looked more civilian than anything. Regardless, it was unsettling for the entire table and so when everyone was satisfied they all left together.

 

 

As they left, Frank motioned, “This one’s on me.”