On Matters of Legacy (Backpost)

Posted on Thu Sep 12th, 2024 @ 10:16pm by Commander Patricia Cooke & Kenji Karibuchi & Lieutenant Commander Tsukasa Izumi

1,585 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: I-402
Location: Harry F. Cooke Lounge, Deck 2
Timeline: Part 2 of 'A Lesson In Personnel Management'

Previously, on Star Trek: Missouri:

"I don't think so," Tsukasa said with a smile. "You just need to keep a cool head and think things through. The first rule is not to panic and to think about your crew." She explained.

"I suppose you're right." Patricia said. "Maybe being cooped up in here doing paperwork is driving up my stress levels. Perhaps you'd be interested in going for a little walk with me? There's one place on the ship I haven't seen yet, but I'm damn excited to; and I think it might better explain why I'm taking this so damn seriously."

Tsukasa smiled. "Sure, a change of scenery always helps."

"Excellent. I was hoping you'd say yes." Patricia responded.

And now, the continuation:

Until he had been assigned to the Missouri, Kenji Karibuchi had never heard of a 'gedunk bar.' So, when he had been awarded the restaurant contract for a lounge on a Bellerophon class starship that was billed as such, Kenji read up on the 20th century slang to ensure he knew what he was getting himself into: It turned out it was actually quite simple, as the term 'gedunk bar' referred to a snack bar on board a historical navy or coast guard vessel, which fit the description of the "Harry F. Cooke lounge," as it was called: A lounge which served snack foods and light meals alongside non-alcoholic beverages. It was a rather strange requirement that alcohol not be served, however it was one that Kenji was happy to honor.

This particular day had been fairly slow for Kenji business-wise. A small trickle of officers every now and then to grab some refreshments. However, that all changed when Jinryo, the expectant quartermaster, stopped by and told Kenji to expect a command inspection of the lounge. Kenji had spent the time since Jinryo left getting the place into presentable shape for the captain: Picking up trash, vacuuming the carpets, and general tidying up.

Kenji was in the middle of wiping down the countertop of the bar when the captain and first officer steooed through the doors. He greeted the two women with a nod and a smile.

"Welcome to the Harry F. Cooke lounge." He greeted. "Let me know if I can get you anything."

"Well?" Tsukasa asked turning to the younger woman. "We can stop our walk for some refreshments?"

Patricia had been in awe by finally seeing the space for herself. She had received special dispensation from Starfleet command to name her forward lounge new to the Bellerophon class design, and she had picked the name that paid homage to her family's Missouri lineage, but at the same time wasn't as patronizing as "Francine Cooke Memorial Lounge" had been.

Patricia had been particularly taken by the décor, paying homage to the Missouri lineage. Perhaps the most eye-catching thing to Patricia had been the large mural on the wall of BB-63, the Iowa class battleship, firing a full broadside.

"Oh, right; refreshments..." Patricia said, snapping out of her trance and approaching the bar. "What's on special, Mr...?"

"Karibuchi, if you may." Kenji responded.

"Right." Patricia nodded. "Anyhow, is the special, by any chance...?"

"Just plain black coffee?" Kenji finished. "Yes, ma'am. Though, it's quite strange that the special beverage is so... Simplistic."

"Harry never was a complicated individual, as far as I know." Patricia explained before her eyes met another pair peeking above the counter.

"What the-? Hideo, I told you to get out from under there!" Kenji said.

The small boy giggled as he complied with his father's orders.

"You'll have to excuse my son, Commanders." Kenji sighed. "He sure enjoys causing trouble."

"Not to worry," Tsukasa said with a smile. She looked over at the young boy. "He's just playing. My own son used to do things like this too."

"Yeah, unfortunately, it's not like there's much else for him to do." Kenji sighed. "I'm all he has for parents, and call me old-fashioned, but I'm not the biggest fan of nanny holograms- especially for a six year old."

"My son is also six, and on board. Perhaps we can arrange a play date?" Tsukasa replied with a smile. "It would help Shouta too, he struggles with making friends."

"Hmmm..." Kenji muttered as he pondered Tsukasa's proposal. "If your son doesn't mind a play date on the holodeck? My boy's dying to see what kinds of skate park programs this ship has. It's his latest obsession, skateboarding, and he doesn't see what's wrong with why he can't ride his skateboard up and down the corridors."

"I'm sure we can put something together. I'm not sure if Shouta has even tried skateboarding before," Tsukasa said. "But he does have the curiosity of his father, so it might work."

"I'm sure Hideo could teach him the basics." Kenji said. "Might have to remind him to hold back on busting tricks, though. Don't need to have... Shouta, you said his name was? be intimidated at all..."

"If it helps, I could give you a list of skate park programs we have." Patricia chimed in. "And, now that I know we have an up and coming young skateboarder on board, I'll make sure more get added." She said with a wink

"That'd be great." Kenji said. "It'd give my boy something to be excited about."

"It's worth a try," Tsukasa said. "I'll discuss it with Shouta. Convincing him to leave his room is sometimes... a task in itself." She sighed.

"Is it, now?" Kenji asked. "Well, maybe he might be spooked by a kid on the opposite end of the spectrum from him. Hideo's about as outgoing as they come, like his mother..."

"You know what they say. Opposites attract." Tsukasa smiled.

"I hope you're right." Kenji muttered. "Anyhow, let me know when you want that playdate to happen. My schedule's pretty flexible, so whatever's going to be easier for you."

"I'll send you a message," Tsukasa smiled. She turned back to Patty. "Well, how about those refreshments?"

"Of course." Kenji nodded. "One black coffee, and..." He trailed off before turning back to Tsukasa. "Actually, I don't believe you ordered anything: What would you like?"

"Same. Bit with plenty of cream and triple sugar," Tsukasa smiled. She looked over at Patty. "I'm not as brave as you with my drinks," she chuckled.

"Sweeten it so much you can barely taste the coffee, got it." Kenji chuckled.

As Kenji turned to prepare their coffees, Patricia turned to Tsukasa.

"You know, I'm not a big fan of coffee myself." She admitted. "I much prefer tea, but it was always coffee that was served when I visited my grandma. She didn't believe in sweeteners, either, so it was always straight black, and I just learned to tolerate it. After she passed, that... Awful taste began to remind me of her. Funny how a simple beverage can keep someone's memory alive."

Taukasa chuckled. "You should have seen it when my niece first tried coffee. It was rather funny to watch her reaction."

"Oh, I've gotta hear about this." Patricia chuckled. "What happened? Did her eyes bulge out of her head? Did she have a telepathic outburst?"

Tsukasa laughed. "Well, she didn't like it until I added cream and sugar. Then she downed the entire mug." She couldn't help but smirk. "It took nearly four hours past her bedtime for her to get to sleep. Honestly I think Kagami was on the verge of killing me for that." She laughed. "That was shortly before Shouta was born, I was about 32 weeks pregnant at the time."

"You know, 32 weeks was when Marie had to lay off the caffeine, because the doctors were concerned that Hideo would be born early." Kenji commented as he came back with the commanders' coffee. "Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself..."

"No its perfectly fine." Tsukasa replied with a smile.

"I guess it's just that Marie's been on my mind a lot lately," Kenji sighed. "Especially given what I've heard the Bellerophon is capable of:"

"What have you heard, Karibuchi?" Patricia asked half-jokingly.

"I've heard that the Bellerophon is cloaking capable." Kenji muttered. "Courtesy of my wife's murderers..."

"Whoa, simmer down there, Karibuchi." Patricia said, her tone changing to a serious one. "That's some strong language to be throwing around."

"I know it's blunt for me to come out and say it like that, but it's the truth." Kenji responded, turning to Tsukasa. "Ask me about the Okinawa sometime."

"My sister has a motto. One I've learnt to adopt." Tsukasa said. "You can't change the past, but what you do in the present shapes the future," she stated. She gave him a small smile. "You should consider it's meaning, for the sake of your son."

Kenji was about to respond, but at the mention of Hideo in passing, his gaze shifted to his son doing something he wasn't supposed to:

"Oh, darn it:" He exclaimed, rushing out from behind the bar. "Hideo, I told you not to..."

Patricia couldn't help but giggle. The young officer had never had children. She'd had a few relationships, but none of them felt 'right' to her:

"Well, I can see the crew will be in good hands." She observed Kenji before turning back to Tsukasa. "Well, shall we be heading back?"

Tsukasa motioned to the door with a hand. "Lead the way."

Posting by

Commander Patricia Cooke
Commanding Officer

Lieutenant Commander Tsukasa Izumi
Executive Officer

Kenji Karibuchi
Harry F. Cooke Lounge Manager

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