Pumpkin Spice Isn't So Nice
Posted on Tue Jan 30th, 2024 @ 9:02pm by Lieutenant Commander Asahi Kita & Rear Admiral Yoshi Minawara
Mission:
Shakedown Shake-Up
Location: Esquimalt
2473 words - 4.9 OF Standard Post Measure
"I told you one hour. We are now late."
L'Paras was a solemn woman; most Vuclans that Gun-soo knew had the same cadence and monotony in their voices. But L'Paras was particularly monotone, and her cadence?
It was far from off, but Gun-soo had made the mistake of once calling it intimidating and receiving a four minute and thirty second long lecture about how all Vulcans in the Learning Center at home were taught to keep their tones even and placid in order to maintain a balance to their day-to-day emotions. He knew it was four minutes and thirty seconds because she said so, for the record. He sure was not counting.
"By like thirty seconds," he shot back with a playful tone. He was now in another uniform, one that looked identical to the one he rode in with. But he felt that telling her he was assaulted by a pumpkin filled with a horrific mixture of old-Earth smells was going to net him nothing but another lecture. "Relax. They're busy people, yeah. But it's nothing a gift basket and profuse apologies can't fix."
The woman merely quirked her brow. When she accepted this assignment, she did so out of the understanding that she would be monitoring how people reacted to a famous idol. Gun-woo was far from famous on Vulcan, as far as she was aware, but it was fascinating to see so many people flock around one human. And that fascination warranted study.
But in reality, she found herself babysitting him more than studying the effects of his existence on those around him. Perhaps that was what the Starfleet Admiral in charge of him had in mind when she was offered the position.
Her stare bored into Gun-soo's conscience, and he cracked his trademark smile. "Don't worry, Pear." The nickname would have made her cringe if she was not so aware of her facial muscles. "We'll sweeten them up somehow. We always do."
As he gave her a (mostly unwelcome) pat on the shoulder, she tilted her head slightly. "Did you... put on a new scent?"
Gun-soo immediately put his hand down, shaking his head. "Nah, must just be something else you're smelling. Let's go in and play nice with the brass, eh? I'm sure we'll have a good meeting." The door in front of them slid open, revealing the conference room they agreed to meet the Captain and the Admiral in. "See? We're already opening doors."
She ignored his jests, following him through the door. Her chides of formality and etiquette would have gone unheard, but whether that was because he was human or because he was Gun-Soo Kwak would have been a thought experiment she would save for another time.
The young lieutenant gave both Captain Penner and Admiral Minawara the biggest of smiles, holding out a hand for shakes. "Hey, sorry if I'm all late. Had a mix-up with the uniform, and I didn't wanna come with a dirty one. Gun-Soo Kwak, at your service!"
Captain Penner accepted the handshake, a wide smile on their face, hiding back a laugh that snuck around the edges of her face. For the Admiral's part, he fixed the man with an impassive stare. It was a very poorly kept Fleet secret at this point that if you wanted to get on Rear Admiral Yoshi Minawara's bad side, you simply brought the press along for the ride. In his time rumours had quickly spread of the end of Felicity Avindr's career had been at the hands of the man present. A story told on the lower decks of many ships within Task Force 72 was that when the copy of Errant Starship had landed on his desk, he'd used the Quantum Slipstream Drive to personally show up at the publisher's home and strangle her. Yoshi's eyes narrowed a fraction, and he extended a hand for a shake. There was truth to the first story, and only Ensign fantasies to the second, but that lead to the concern deep within Yoshi's eyes. He hated the press, sure, but he hated PR more. After the incident on the forgotten colony of Paenope VI Starfleet had first paraded him around as a hero, surviving the encounter, before quickly shuffling him away when they realized the bad optics, and instead replacing his face with placating Public Affairs Officers. The Public Outreach Officer before him was an extension of that same branch, designed to soften the edges of the Fleet and make them look more approachable to the masses. Gripping the man's hand, he was none too kind in his grasp of the man, before turning around and approaching the conference table.
A collection of items from Vohela Sweetius, who'd been more than happy to whip together a collection of light snacks. A pot of coffee at in the centre of the table, which Yoshi poured himself a cup of, before sitting at the head of the table. "Welcome to Esquimalt Station Lieutenant," Yoshi finally said. A small part of his brain insisted he reach for the bottle of rum stored in the room, though he resisted it and instead took a pointed sip of his coffee. "Captain Penner and their crew are excited to have you."
Gun-soo rarely went off and made mental notes (that's what L'Paras was for). The moment he reached for a handshake, there was an odd sense that he may not have been wholly welcome. The Captain seemed to have the same reaction everyone else in Starfleet Brass seemed to have. But the Rear Admiral - L'Paras mentioned he may have been a tad different than most. Gun-soo could feel her knowing stare burrowing into the back of his head as the handshake exchange confirmed that fact. But, Gun-soo did not let that get to him, and he made a dramatic 'oooo' at the spread of food in front of them. "The welcome is felt wholeheartedly," he began, turning his head slightly to the Vulcan behind him. She did not seem amused, but she maneuvered herself so she was closer to the table. "This is L'Paras. She's in charge of all my scheduling." And the rest of his life, it seemed. Was she looking for poison in the food? "Thought I'd bring her along in case we had fun events we wanted to talk about, but I really wanted to touch base before I crawled all over and got cameras in."
He might have been the best at - quite literally - being a face of Starfleet, Gun-soo was keen to not get into anything classified. He suspected he would not be able to access it, which was fine. The less he knew the better. He barely knew why he was here to begin with. But it was always better safe than sorry. "Seeing as it's my first station assignment, I thought I'd make it special and get you guys some good coverage. Great coverage even, I don't get to encounter a lot of Rear Admirals in my assignments." Unless he was at some Starfleet celebratory function, and even then... "Maybe if we had some time, an interview could be arranged? With the both of you, of course. I bet it'd be great to see a little Command face time."
Kai's face fell onto Yoshi, their eyes portraying a note of At least try and pretend you are enjoying this that could have come from his wife. Had the two been conspiring? He resisted the urge to grunt at the thought of an interview, but still it was all part of the Fleet optics, and now he was a high profile member of that plan. A sigh that took just a little too long escaped him instead and he nodded. "I believe my yeoman team can find the time to make that happen. We are in the middle of a great deal of follow up, considering our recent displacement, so my team and I are especially busy. Though, I am sure Captain Penner's team would be more than able to accommodate a longer and more timely interview if that's what you are looking for. Esquimalt is, it it's core, an outreach station with supply functionality and civilian support infrastructure. I am positive there are plenty of stories the crew could tell that would satisfy your... fans."
"The Admiral is being modest," Captain Penner cut in. "He has plenty of stories he can tell, and I am sure if you ask nicely you can convince him to talk about the development of the Quantum Slipstream Drive." Their eyes twinkled, a spark of chaotic mischief present, that earned them a glare from Yoshi. The pair worked well together, and there was a noted banter between them, which Kai was leaning into heavily. "Besides, his work in restructuring Task Force 72 has been amazing, and he really has done some solid work. There is plenty he can talk at length for, and I am more than sure he would be willing to schedule it into his busy Admiral duties."
Gun-Soo looked between the pair of red-suited brass types, but it was the Vulcan behind him who tapped him on the back of the shoulder to keep him going. "I don't want to cut into all the busy duties, but if we could at least get an interview with you at some point, Admiral, that'd help me out with this assignment." He rubbed the back of his neck with a nervous smile. "We'll hit up the crew for sure too. I wanna get some focus on your promenade, but - lots of people back at home are curious about Esquimalt lately so any sort of exposure you guys want? Let me know and we'll get it in there!" Sure, maybe he had an Admiral somewhere who explicitly told him to stay on Admiral Minawara's heels, but Gun-Soo was not an idiot. Yoshi did not look comfortable, not from where Gun-Soo was standing.
Besides, there was more to do on a station than stalk one man.
This seemed to release some of the tension from the Admiral's shoulders, who was more than happy to let the station promenade take centre stage, and let the PR people wow the local civilian population. "I'd focus on the work being done by our refit and upfit teams. Esquimalt is the last starbase in Federation space before you head into the unknown. Our teams do a lot of work preparing various starships for that task, from survey ships to ships of the line. Currently the USS Sarajevo is receiving upfit work with a new experimental sensor suit that will allow it to filter out for deep space anomalies - I imagine her crew would love to talk at lengths. The USS Vesta is also undergoing massive repairs in wet dock, if you and your team want to showcase the work this station can do for the Fleet." The last bit was a sore patch, but also the closest Yoshi was going to give to an olive branch. "Captain Penner's crew are some of the best in the Fleet, and has made great strides to make this station - a former listening outpost at best - into one of the most adaptable starbases in Starfleet. I am sure there are plenty of stories you can tell there." His eyes darted to the man's handler, waiting to see if there were objections to that.
Gun-Soo did not wait for L'Paras to say a word; he could feel her aura of objection beginning to exude from her form. But he offered a smile and a hum. "Yes to all of that. Especially anything that showcases how excellent Esquimalt and her team are. The Vesta... that's why I want a one on one, Sir. Clear up the inaccuracies of that book and the rumors that keep spreading around." He would not outwardly admit he secretly enjoyed reading that pile of garbage book. Not in front of Admiral Yoshi Minawara. Not without immediately ruining any attempt of civil conversation. "Really I'd like to get a good interview with the both of you. I think having it would just as fantastic as showcase vids of the starbase."
L'Paras's stony gaze penetrated Gun-Soo's attempts at buttering up the Brass. "We have a time table to keep."
"And it's adaptable!" Gun-Soo insisted with a grin. "I'd rather have a focus on the positives than an unbiased look at everything we can get our hands on. Let the public decide how they feel. If positive doesn't win 'em all over, then we'll do something else." He shot a glance back at L'Paras. "We're here for long enough to make sure we get the right message to the people one way or another. Let's have some fun with it. But there's life being breathed into Esquimalt, and we're front and center for it. It's exactly where I want to be. So long as no more pumpkins are thrown at my head, we're fine."
"Pumpkins?" Yoshi asked, a long pause on the end of the statement that hung a little in the air. For their part, Kai offered a shrug in return, and the Admiral made a bit of broad gesture around the room. "I don't intend to dwell on the negatives, but has someone assaulted you in your time here?"
Before L'Paras could wave a hand at the thought, Gun-Soo shook his head. "I don't think I'd call it assault, unless someone's got intimate knowledge of where everyone's staying in this station before they get there." He held out his arm as if expecting that to answer the question posed. "I went to replicate a coffee and got a pumpkin with guts full of one of those old, overly sweet drinks thrown at me instead. I'm sure it was some weird glitch, but I still smell like it."
L'Paras could only mildly scrunch her nose at the idea.
The Admiral regarded the Captain for a moment, who suppressed a giggle, and he rolled his eyes. "I will have engineering take a peek for you Lieutenant," Captain Penner said, a smile on their face. It was probably a system issue, something missed as part of the rebuild and someone somewhere had had a taste for overly sweet drinks. "But I suspect a simple recalibration should solve that problem."
"Thank you Captain, and thank you Lieutenant. You're dismissed then," Yoshi stood, gave a polite nod and returned himself to his desk, watching as the group departed, Captain Penner in tow with no doubt a host of suggestions at their disposal. Yoshi let out a long, slow sigh before he hung his head in his hands and shook it.
