Pseudo-Harmony

Posted on Tue May 12th, 2015 @ 2:44am by Admiral Ricky Wegener & Captain Li Hawke

Mission: Breaking New Ground
Location: VIP Quarters
Timeline: Current

* * * VIP Quarters * * *

Tomas emerged from his bedroom, out of uniform for the day (finally), and dressed in trousers and a silk shirt. He was more tired than he could recall in recent memory. He crossed to the bar and as he poured a drink, he considered this case. It was one of the strangest of his long career and things were not going according to plan. H had a partner that had become something of a loose cannon, a witness in the psych wing, and another so carved up he had to be placed into a medically induced coma following surgery. He paused as he passed a mirror on the wall and studied his own face.

“What the hell is going on here?” His reflection seemed to have as few answers as he did. The door chime interrupted his musings. It would be Eria. Tonight was dinner and time for the two of them to compare notes and see where things stood so far. He was tempted to simply call for her to come in, but his mother had raised him with better manners than that. So, he crossed the room and opened the doors.

“Hi Eria, come on in. Dinner’s almost ready.”

She smiled, which was uncharacteristic for her lately. “It sure smells good,” she said as she entered. “What are you making?”

“Carne Asada. It’s been marinating most of the day, all that is left is the searing of the meat. The rice is just about done.” He led the way over to the large kitchen where a large stemmed glass sat on the kitchen island which was flanked by several stools. “Sangria?”

“Oh, yes, please,” she said, joining him and taking a seat on a stool. After a drink she said, “This is just lovely, Tomas. I haven’t had real sangria in ages.”

He smiled at her as he filled her glass, shaking the pitcher slightly to persuade a slice of orange to drop into it. “What can I say, I had the urge for the real thing.” He pulled out a second glass and filled it as well. “It’s been a trying few days; I thought we could use a little down time.”

She let out a deep sigh. “You’re telling me. Some down time is a welcome thought, something I haven’t had since we arrived.” She inhaled the aroma of the carne asada and her stomach grumbled in anticipation. “I think I’m going to enjoy dinner. And thank you for cooking.”

“My pleasure, really.” He raised his glass, touching it to hers. “To clear thoughts and a quick resolution. This quadrant is interesting but I prefer the climate at home, despite the lovely women down below.” A smile lingered on his face a moment, then he sipped the sangria.

She chuckled. “There are definitely some sights here. I could get used to it, but like you, I think I prefer things back home. I’m actually missing feeling dirt and solid ground under my feet. It’s been a long time since I was stationed on a ship or station.”

“Funny the little things you get used to isn’t it?” He turned to the stove and began to lay the slices of beef on the grill. Instantly the sizzle of the meat and the aroma of spices filled the air. “This’ll just take a minute or two. Grab those plates will you?” He watched the pan, checking the underside. Moments later, he flipped them all over.

She came next to him, holding the plates. “So much better than replicated food, that’s for sure.” Again she inhaled deeply. “I may wind up gorging myself on all of this and won’t be able to move for days!”

He filled both plates, then they moved over to the dining table. The meal was perfectly done and Tomas held up his fork with a sliver of beef on it. “You can say that again. You can thank Jackson for the supplies for this concoction. Bless the restaurant supply gods.” He swallowed the meat and washed it down with more sangria.

She almost dropped her fork at the mention of the name. “Mmm, yes,” she said, not wanting to bring up that particular event of the day. Finally, she took a bite. “This is amazing!”

“Glad you like it.” Tomas grinned at her, then dug in with gusto. “I did make dessert, and I thought it might be a good time to compare notes and see where we are so we can wrap this up.”He kept his tone casual. “More sangria?”

“Please,” she said, sliding her glass closer to the pitcher. After it was refilled, she drank deeply. “What kind of dessert?” she asked, hoping to steer the conversation elsewhere. It was bound to happen, though. He was here for the same reasons as she and they would eventually have to talk about the case. She had just hoped to put it off for another day or so.

“Flan of course.” He laughed as he reached for his glass. “I haven’t forgotten that little hole in the wall place we found near Coit Tower or the superb flan. How many did we go through that day?”

“Oh, wow, I had forgotten about that place!” she said, stabbing another piece of the meat and almost stuffing it in her face. Between chews she added, “I don’t remember the number, but I know that I felt like I needed to vomit because I had eaten so many.” She laughed and washed down the food with her drink. “But it was just too good to stop eating!”

“That it was, Eria.” Tomas pushed his plate aside. “So how’s it been going for you? To be honest, I seem to have gone in circles.”

“Not...good,” she said, stumbling for the right words. “I got nothing from Nico and wound up having to place Banning in the brig. He kept avoiding my questions and then started acting like an asshole, so I figured a few days in the brig might get him to be a bit more accommodating.”

Tomas raised his eyebrows. “Jackson? That’s not like him. What did he say exactly?”

“Nothing, that’s the point,” she replied, her ire getting back up at the thought of her interview with him. “I kept asking pointed questions and he would go on about how good Hawke and Wegener were and that they never could have done anything like this, blah, blah, blah,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I could never get a straight answer out of him. Then he finally told me to kiss his ass, or something like that.” She took a drink and her eyes went wide. “Oh! And when I had security take him into custody, do you know what they did? They took him to his quarters! It’s like there are no professionals here whatsoever and they just do whatever they want! He said it was because I didn’t specifically say he was to be taken to the brig, or somesuch. What baloney.”

“Easy there, dear.” Tomas kept his voice mellow to soothe her. “I’ll take a crack at him if you like. What about Nico? I had a report he’s in psychiatric isolation. Did you hear about that? Do you know why?” Tomas had a good idea why but for now, playing dumb served his purpose much better.

“Doctor Swift took him there after my interview with him,” she replied, shaking her head. “I think it’s all a ruse to make it seem as if he doesn’t remember anything, but I don’t believe it for one second.” She took another bite but continued. “He just kinda’ went berserk and completely flipped out when I took a drink of my water--I don’t even want to know what that was about.”

Her words almost caused Tomas to choke. “Do you recall the transcriptions of his initial interviews in San Francisco, Eria? He kept babbling about the water - how much his throat hurt and how his torturer kept drinking the water.” He sighed aloud. “When they’re as broken as he is, you never know what will set them off I suppose.”

“Oh, for goodness sake, Tomas, I was just drinking some water. Am I supposed to go thirsty during all of that talking just because he had a bad encounter with water in the past?” She shook her head. “It’s not like I did it on purpose,” she said, lying through her teeth. She knew exactly what she was doing and had secretly enjoyed the entire episode. “The fact remains that I still need answers from both Nico and Jackson and I will get what I need.”

“You really think so?” He rose, taking their plates around to the sink. A stop by the refrigerator produced dessert which he set before their seats. “Dig in.” He sat and had a bite, savoring the sweet flavor mixed with the caramel.

She almost moaned with delight at the taste. “Is this the same recipe?” she asked. “It it so good!”

“Hey I have friends in high places,” he joked. “And yes, it is. Enjoy.” Tomas took another few bites. He also refilled her glass, figuring she should be pretty well-oiled at this point...or close to it. “I had another report come in today you should know about. James Holbridge, former intel. I interviewed him yesterday. Later he was found in a side corridor, sliced to within an inch of his life. Things are getting dangerous Eria. I think you should be careful.”

“Holbridge was injured?” she asked, acting shocked. “I hope he’ll survive? I mean, for obvious reasons I’d hate for him to die, but we may need his testimony at the trial. And doesn’t he have a family? I hope this isn’t something personal that might involve them.”

“He does, yes.” Tomas left it at that. Things were getting so screwy now that he thought it best to start keeping some of the pieces separate. “With the danger the witnesses seem to be facing, I would suggest caution, Eria, otherwise we may have no case left, either alive or mentally competent.”

“We may need to even go so far as to have a security detail attached to the witnesses, just for their safety. I don’t know what the hell is going on with everyone here, but we can’t lose our witnesses like this.”

“You’re right, and I don’t like it,” he agreed. “And tomorrow I’ll go bully Jackson a little and see what I can get. Any word from the officers we sent to Betazed? I’d been up to my ass in interviews the last two days and haven't had a chance to speak with Lt. Benson.”

“I haven’t received anything from them, although I expect something soon.” She finished off her flan and sipped the last of her sangria. “And I too would like to get this wrapped up soon. There are some seriously strange things happening on this base, which might also be something we bring up to Command. I don’t know if it’s because everyone knows Wegener is no longer in charge or it’s just normally like this, but this is craziness.”

Tomas had to admit she had a point there, but he had his own suspicions about that one. “One thing at a time, Eria,” he counseled. He sighed aloud as he finished his flan. “That was good if I do say so myself. How about a movie? There plenty more sangria.”

It was a welcome thought, but she didn’t really want to entertain any further questions about the case right now, and they were sure to follow. Tomas was truly a good man and because of that, he would likely continue talking about the case. So, she decided. “That would be fantastic, Tomas, but I don’t know that I’d be able to keep my eyes open after all of that delicious food. I think I may just head to my quarters, take a long shower and get some sleep. I think I need to destress and that usually helps quite a bit.”

“Understood.” He had to admit to a little relief of his own. “I think I need to do the same. Something tells me the next couple of days will be interesting ones.”

She stood and took the dessert plate and her glass to the kitchen. “Tomas, you’ve really outdone yourself with this one. I don’t know when I’ve had a meal so damn good! Thank you.”

“Anytime.” He stood and walked her to the door. “Enjoy your evening and tomorrow...back to the grind. Goodnight Eria.” Reaching out, he touched the panel to open the doors.

“Sleep well, Tomas.” She made her way into the corridor, relieved that it was over but truly wishing she’d had another flan before she left. That man really could cook like a pro!

Tomas closed and locked his doors and bypassing the kitchen, sat at the desk and pressed the control panel. It was late so he settled for a message to Lt. Benson requesting his presence in Tomas’ quarters at 0700.

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Admiral Tomas Cruzado
Primo Chef

Admiral Eria Azoulay
Dine and Dash