Failure to Lunch

Posted on Sat Jul 1, 2023 @ 12:27am by Lieutenant Penelope Naroot & Lieutenant Commander Zachary Addams

2,181 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: A Lost Endeavour
Location: Zach's Quarters

When Zach heard the chime, got up quickly and went to the door. He hit the control panel in the room and pressed the door trigger. As it opened, he smiled. “Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” Penny said, smiling. She looked at his outfit--polo shirt tucked in, belt, pressed shorts--then at her own plain tee and shorts. “Am I underdressed?”

“Not at all,” Zach said. “I was just in a mood to be at the beach.”

“Oh,” Penny said. “Well, if you want, we can go to the holodeck again.”

“Who needs a holodeck?” Zach said, tapping the control panel by the door again. The walls shimmered and his cabin was replaced by a wide expanse of sand and an ocean by the far wall. “Did you know the crew quarters were all holographically enabled?”

“It’s been talked about,” Penny said, noting the salty breeze that had suddenly picked up in the room. “I suppose…none of us ever thought to employ it.”

“Starfleet thinking at its finest,” Zach quipped. “I’ve been really enjoying the different backgrounds available, but I think this one is my favorite.”

“Makes sense, given how much you love the ocean,” Penny said, smiling and sitting down on a beach chair. “Swapped out the standard-issue furniture?”

“Only in this room,” Zach said. “My bedroom and bathroom are sand-free.”

“Probably a good idea,” Penny said, giggling. “So, what’s for lunch?”

“Ah, one moment,” he said, walking to a “cabana” to the side. Inside it was his normal cabin wall with his replicator alcove. He tapped their order and came away with two plates and two glass bottles. “Shrimp salad, kettle chips and an ginger ale,” he said.

“Great!” Penny said. She took the plate and sat back, watching the waves. “I like doing this a lot,” she said.

“What, sit in your quarters and eat sandwiches?”

“No. I mean, yes to sandwiches, but I meant sitting watching the ocean,” she said.

“Something we have in common,” Zach said, watching the waves and chewing thoughtfully.

“Yeah,” Penny said. She watched the waves for a minute, something taking root in her mind. “So, you’ve told me about your family and your childhood home, but what about you now? Did you always want to be a doctor?”

Zach gave a half shrug. “No, actually. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a fighter pilot.

Penny grinned. “Cool. Is that what led you to Starfleet?”

At that, Zach snorted a laugh. “God, no,” he said. “I never wanted to join Starfleet.”

Penny’s smile dropped and she looked confused. “So…you didn’t want to be a doctor, and you didn’t want to join Starfleet…and now you’re a doctor in Starfleet. What changed?”

Zach didn’t answer right away. Instead he just ate his sandwich and stared at the holographic waves. “Technically, nothing” he said. “However, I made some decisions, and in doing so my life...detoured. In the end, this was my only option.”

Penny wanted to ask more, but Zach didn’t appear to be willing to say more. “Do you enjoy it, at least?”

Zach gave a shrug. “There’s always the satisfaction of a job well done,” he said. “And I’m always pleased when a patient says they feel better. But do I wake up every morning looking forward to a hypospray in my hand?” He shook his head.

“It’s the twenty-fourth century,” Penny said. “A person can do anything they want in the Federation. Why not just resign your commission?”

“I can’t, yet,” Zach said. The finality of his tone wasn’t lost on Penny and she didn’t ask further.

After a few more moments of silence, Zach switched topics. “What does your being an android have to do with constructing that silver stylus-thing?”

Penny tilted her head. “What?”

“When you claimed you designed and built that tool you have. Norman’s words were ‘That is not possible. She is one of us.’”

“Good memory,” Penny said.

“Perfect recall,” he explained. “It’s why I got through medical school at all.”

“Ah,” Penny said. “I thought I had perfect recall since my memory was so exact. It made not having memories of a childhood a bit more odd though.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” Zach said.

“Sorry,” Penny said. “The androids aren’t able to create something ‘new’. They can build what they have schematics for, and can, to a limited degree, adapt technology they know of. It’s how they built their ships, using old designs with modern technology. But, my probe? That’s totally a new idea. It’s literally one-of-a-kind. I think that’s what forced them into not insisting on resetting me. It was something completely unexpected, and they wanted to study how it happened.”

“Is that the only thing you’ve created?”

“No!” Penny said, grinning excitedly. “I built a hover-racing pod! It was on this little backwater planet out by the edge of the galaxy and it was amazing!”

Zach smiled at her enthusiasm. “Did you get to race it?”

“Not only did I race it, I won,” Penny said, proudly. “Had to almost pawn my probe to afford the racer I’d built, but it was worth it in the end.”

“Well done,” he said. “Sounds like you have a knack for engineering as well.”

“Well, like I said, I double-majored in Engineering and Medical at the Academy,” she said.

“True,” Zach said, nodding. “I suppose that’s doable if you barely sleep, have perfect recall of all the reading material and can ace every test within a day of learning it.”

“Exactly,” Penny said. “I thought I was some whiz-kid, and I wanted to join Starfleet and see what was out in the galaxy. I’ve always been curious.”

“Mmm,” Zach said, sipping his drink. “I used to travel a fair bit when I was a kid. It was fun. Spent time between Earth and Vulcan, mostly. Overall, I preferred Earth. Maybe I’m too much of a homebody, but there was always so much happening on Earth, I didn’t really feel the need to travel much unless my parents were taking me with them.”

“Would you go back to Earth if you could?” Penny said.

“Honestly? Yes,” Zach said. “I liked my job there. I liked being able to see my family all the time, I had made friends there. I had a life. I would give up the Delta Quadrant for that in a heartbeat.”

Penny tilted her head, staring at the scenery. “I guess that’s something we don’t have in common.”

Zach looked at her. “Yeah,” he said, quietly. “Well, differences are bound to happen. And, I suppose this would fall under ‘never say never.’ That’s my view on what I want now, but that might change as circumstances do.”

Penny nodded. “I understand that. I’ve definitely changed my opinions on what I want since I started.”

“Oh?” Zach said. “And what is it you want?”

Penny blushed and looked down, then, as if it exploded out of her, she half shouted, “I-want-to-command-a-starship!” She put her hands over her mouth, glancing at Zach, eyes wide with surprise that she actually said it out loud. “I’ve never told anyone that…not even Nicole or Camille…”

Zach grinned at her reaction. “Well, I’m honored.” He gave as much of a bow as his seated position allowed. “Is that why you got out of Medical?”

Penny shrugged and gave a shy grin. “I mean, kinda. More so I just wanted a change. But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I kinda want to do something meaningful with my life. I mean, I’m going to be around for a while, and if I want to explore the galaxy and make it a better place, what better way to do it?”

“‘Some paint in broad strokes, some draw with a fine tip,’” Zach said.

“What’s that mean?” Penny said, tilting her head in curiosity.

“Something my Pop--dad’s dad--used to say,” Zach said. “Some people go out and blaze wide trails across the galaxy. They touch thousands of lives, influence nations, and fell empires. Others focus on their little corner of the galaxy, touching fewer lives, but having a deeper, more defined impact and making that patch of home a bit greener, a bit safer and a bit happier. We need broad strokes to increase the canvas, but we need fine tips to fill in the gaps.’”

“I like that idea,” Penny said, smiling. “Are you more of a ‘fine tip’ kind of person?”

“Definitely,” Zach said with a far away smile on his face. “My dad would say that so long as each generation works to raise the next one to be a bit better, we’ll solve all the problems. I think I could do a good job making my little part of the world better. Settle down with a girl, raise a handful of kids, send them out to continue doing good.”

His smile dropped as a thought occurred to him. He couldn’t resist the impulse to turn and look at Penny who was looking at him and coming to the same realization. Zach could see himself with someone like Penny. She had almost everything he’d want in a partner. Almost.

“Like I said,” he said, slowly, “things change. My attitude down the road--”

“Zach,” she said, “if having kids is a deal-breaker, I understand.”

Zach sighed and sat back in his chair. “It’s…I mean…there are other avenues…”

Penny stood up and swung her seat around, putting it next to Zach’s, turning it around and sitting down to face him. “You said by the third date you know whether or not it’s going to work out,” she said. “Look me in the eyes and tell me, with our goals, our dreams, our…capabilities…that this will work.”

Zach stared at her long and hard. “You have no idea how much I wish it could,” he said.

Penny smiled. “Thanks,” she said. She leaned over and gave him one more kiss and held his hand. After a moment of silence, she said, “can I tell you another secret?”

“This is all one of my sister’s holonovels, and I’m suffering from a psychotic break?” he said.

“No,” Penny said, glancing around, “at least…I don’t think so.” She shrugged. “I was going to say…my two best friends and I are very close. I love them more than anything. When they left the ship, I got really scared.”

“Of what?”

“Being alone,” Penny said. “Only the Captain and Commander Torres knew what I was. Not even Cullen knows.” She bit her lip, unsure how true that statement still was. They still hadn’t talked. “It’d be nice to have a friend who really knows me, someone I can really talk to.”

Zach squeezed her hand, marveling at how her skin felt, the pulse in her palm, the warmth of her touch. It took him a moment to equate what she was saying with what his senses were telling him. “I figured you’d have Walker to confide in.” He immediately kicked himself for how petty that sounded, and hoped his voice didn’t sound as bitter as it did in his head. “Sorry. For what it’s worth, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

Penny nodded. “What Cullen and I have is a pretty weird bond,” she said. “I mean, I know how he feels, but he really is just trying to protect me.”

Among other things, Zach thought. “So long as that bond doesn’t get in the way again, I will always consider you a friend.” Penny brightened like a ray of sunshine and Zach felt like a jerk for what he was feeling. He quickly reigned it in before his brain tamped it down for him and he lost the moment.

“You know,” he said after a moment, “you sell yourself short. Seems like you understand us organics better than you think.”

Penny tilted her head then smiled again. “Thank you,” she said. She looked past him as a thought occurred to her. I wonder how that happened she thought. “I should get going,” she said. “Would you…maybe want to do something fun together some time? As friends?”

“Sure,” Zach said. “But maybe give it a week or two. Let me digest that idea.”

Penny nodded and smiled. They stood up and she gave him a tight hug, which he returned, and a final kiss on the cheek. With one last smile, she walked out of his quarters.

Zach watched her go and sighed to himself, then sat back down to watch the waves again.

Penny waited till the doors shut and hurried down the corridor back to her quarters. She had a diagnostic to run.

 

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