On The Advantages of Staying Aboard Ship
Posted on 06 Nov 2025 @ 7:02pm by Ensign Mira Quinn
1,036 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
After Tarvik
Location: Starbase 369
=/\= Promenade, SB 369 =/\=
Mira had come with her roommate, Vel, down to the starbase — or rather, Vel had dragged Mira with her. Vel had insisted that shore leave was wasted if you spent it sleeping, but if it were up to Mira, she would be in her bed, reading.
The place was busy with traders, businessmen, and quite a few Starfleet crew. Some Mira recognized from the Arawyn, though she didn’t know their names.
Mira had tuned out for a bit, nodding absently to Vel’s endless enthusiasm about all the things they could do on shore leave. When she focused again, her roommate was still extolling the virtues of the base.
“There’s a place here that sells alcohol.”
“We can do that back on the Arawyn,” Mira pointed out.
“Real alcohol,” Vel emphasized. “Everybody’s gonna be there.”
“That doesn’t make it sound better.”
Not for the first time, Mira wondered if it hadn't been a mistake to follow Vel. But the nurse's suggestion still rang in her head: make friends.
“Hey,” Vel pointed across to the other side of the promenade. “Isn’t that the Captain?”
Mira automatically struck down Vel’s arm. “You don’t point!” she hissed, sounding uncomfortably like her mother. And then curiosity took over - “Where?”
“Right there.” This time Vel didn’t point, but she nudged her head toward the restaurant across the way.
Mira looked. The Captain was sitting there with another officer.
“Who do you think—” Mira started, but then the Captain turned around. Vel pulled Mira away before they could be spotted.
“Welcome!”
They both turned, realizing that what they thought was a little side corridor was actually a shop — its narrow entrance opening into shelves upon shelves of strange objects that seemed to stretch deep into shadow.
The speaker was tall and thin, about two heads higher than Mira. She looked up.
“Welcome to Curio and Curiouser! My name is Quen,” his voice was low enough that both women had to lean in to hear him. “And I’ve got the exact thing you’re looking for, even if you didn’t realize it.”
“You’re a doc—” he paused, tilting his head as he examined Mira. “No, you’re a scientist. And I’ve got something that's right for you!”
“I’m not really looking—” Mira began, but Quen had already disappeared into the back of the shop.
“I think we should go,” Vel whispered.
“Wait.” Mira’s gaze moved across the shelves, then back to her surprised roommate. “I want to see what he thinks is ‘perfect for a scientist.’”
The two waited.
"You know they're waiting for us," Vel pouted as time stretched and still no Quen. She started looking at the shelves around them.
"Look, isn't this cute?" She picked up a few figurines of children, carved from some bluish material. “This isn’t stone,” she murmured, turning one over. "Oh, and look at that," she had replaced the figurines and continued down the shelf. "It looks like old rank pips. We could maybe use it to… oh, that’s strange, they’re engraved."
She squinted. "Why would someone carve writing on rank pips?"
Mira sighed.
"And what's this?" Vel unrolled a piece of parchment etched with glowing constellations. As she did, faint heat shimmered from its surface — the paper beginning to smolder at the edges.
“Whoah—”
“Don’t touch that!” Quen reappeared behind them so suddenly that both women jumped.
He snatched the parchment from Vel's hands and replaced it carefully on the shelf. When he turned back, his expression had returned to its usual calm.
“Old star routes,” he said lightly. “Still a bit… reactive.”
“Now,” he said smoothly, turning toward Mira, “what do you think of this? Isn’t it just perfect?”
He held up a glass jar. Inside, colorful gases swirled like miniature auroras.
“This is a nebula,” he beamed. “Well — a sample of a nebula.”
Mira took out her tricorder, but was stopped by Quen. “Oh no, no, no. We don’t test the merchandise. Not until after we buy it.”
“But—”
“One strip of latinum.”
“For a jar?”
“Of nebula.”
Mira looked at Vel, who shrugged. “It’s probably something you can make at home,” she said, throwing a look of daggers at Quen.
“I assure you; I bought this from a very trustworthy source.”
Mira didn’t answer. The colors inside the jar kept shifting, hypnotic.
"I'll buy it."
"You will?" Vel asked.
Quen quietly produced a credit machine to take her details.
“What does this say?” Mira noticed a note in an unknown language affixed to the jar’s cover.
The shopkeeper shrugged. “Good question. And for you—” he turned to Vel.
“No, thanks,” Vel said. "I'd rather not have a nebula on my desk. Or burn down anything," she glanced meaningfully at the shopkeeper.
Quen smiled politely.
“I liked him better before things started catching fire,” Vel muttered as they stepped back onto the promenade.
“He’s probably saying the same about us,” Mira replied.
“Seriously, you walk around with a tricorder on shore leave?”
“You never know when it could be useful.” Mira shook the jar slightly, watching as the colors swirled inside. She tried taking out the tricorder again, but Vel stopped her.
“Leave the work stuff. Now let's drunk!” Vel grinned, grabbing Mira’s arm.
A few officers were already gathered around the bar — boisterous, cheerful, laughter filling the air. The bar itself gleamed under the overhead lights, every glass catching the shimmer.
“Come on!” Vel steered her toward the group. “Hey! We’re here!”
=/\= Sometime Later =/\=
Mira groaned as her eyes fluttered open. Her head was pounding.
The ceiling above her was unfamiliar — white, sterile, and faintly vibrating. Never a good sign.
She pushed herself up on her elbows and blinked.
One bunk. A glowing field. A guard pretending not to notice her.
She was in a security cell.
“Oh, perfect,” she muttered, and let her head fall back with a thud.
=/\=
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Don’t know what I did, but I didn’t do it.
Mira Quinn
Science Officer
&
Vel Zodeil (NPC)
Helm Officer
apb Mira
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