A Little Visit

Posted on Tue 22nd Sep, 2026 @ 2:40pm by Captain Mindo & Sundae

1,706 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: [MAIN] Learning to Fly
Location: Sick Bay, Recovery Ward
Timeline: 4 to 5 weeks prior to relaunch

ON

The change in command announcement regarding Captain Francis stepping down and the soon-to-be-promoted Commander Mindo rising to the position had been announced only a few days ago, but the young Fesarian had been trying to make the rounds to meet as many of his senior staff as he could. He had chosen Paul Graves as his first stop.

Mindo already knew Commander Graves, though not that well, and Mindo didn't really know how this sudden change in command would sit with the station's head Counselor, who was still recovering from a week-long coma. Fortunately, Mindo came prepared. As he entered the recovery room, Mindo put on his nicest of smiles as he walked in, holding something behind his back.

"Morning, Counselor," Mindo said as he approached Paul, who sat in a wheelchair he didn't normally need.

Paul smiled at seeing him. "Mindo! Good--seeing you. Glad--have visitor--not nurse." He gestured with his left hand toward a chair. "Have seat. Bring Sundae? Sorry; can't talk well."

"I made you something..." Mindo brought his hand out. It was holding a Rubik's cube, which shimmered with colored lights on each square. "It's a puzzle cube with a timer. When in use, the cube resets itself to another random pattern. You can adjust the amount of time with each reset, so if you choose three minutes, the colors change after three minutes. It goes until you solve the cube. My best time is forty-five seconds. The timer can go as low as thirty seconds and as high as however long a complete counseling session lasts." The cube moved the same way as a Rubik's cube, and Mindo showed Paul how to use the timer by pressing one of the middle squares.

"Oh, fantazic!" Paul exclaimed. He grasped the cube with his left hand and fumbled at it with his right. "Good ffffh ock--OT," he said. "You made? Mindo, thank you!"

Mindo grinned as he sat down in the chair opposite Graves. "You're welcome! I figured it would be a neat gadget if people need to fidget during sessions."

"Good f-for man...man-ye--" Paul rolled his eyes and wiggled his fingers. "Dexery. Will help. Will use this." He demonstrated by lifting his right hand to the cube and clumsily placing his fingers on it to turn one of the layers.

From seemingly nowhere, a familiar-looking calico cat jumped into Paul's lap and settled right in. Mindo and Paul both could hear her contented purring.

"Sundae! Where--you--hiding?" Paul asked the cat and gave her several strokes down her back and a good scratch behind the ears. "So ga-lad you survived."

Mindo smiled. Not only had the mysterious cat survived, other than the chocolate and caramel-colored splotches of her fur she appeared to have made it out from the exploding station fully intact.

"Does someone own her?" Mindo asked. "Because they do a lousy job of keeping track of her."

Paul shrugged. "No idea. Sss-tarted seeing her--several places--on base for months. Orchids & Jazz. My office. Cor-hallways." He smoothed Sundae's bib and asked her, "Want water?"

Sundae didn't respond. Instead, she snuggled in and went to sleep, purring peacefully.

"She needs a nap, I guess," said Mindo with a shrug. "At the Academy, some of my friends owned cats. I've seen them but never interacted with one until I came here. I've heard humans argue over which is better, cats or dogs. What's your perspective?"

"Depends on person," Paul said. "Cats more inde-pendent. Dogs more wanting pack. Some say cats worshipped as gods; dogs worship owners. Sundae seems--both. Inde-pendant but wants company."

"Well, I do like her," Mindo said. "I guess that makes me a 'cat person?' I know there are 'dog people' and 'cat people,' but it seems like there's more to that than the obvious. As a counselor, do you have any insight on those terms?"

Paul laughed. "I like both. People who like dogs--are--outgoing, fah-riendly, like cah-lear commu--cues. Want know what dog is telling them." He paused a moment and went on. "People who like cats--tend more inter-overted, like boundaries, want more inde-pendent, less de-manding animal."

Mindo furrowed his brow and smirked a little. "Interesting. I wouldn't call myself introverted, and I don't like boundaries. I think of myself as independent, but I don't know how demanding I am. Maybe I'm not a 'pet' person... which is strange, because this cat seems to follow me places. Does the fact that I'm uninterested in the cat make me more interesting to the cat?"

Paul laughed again. "Probably!" he said. "Would be--just like cat."

Sundae shifted position in Paul's lap. Her purring continued.

"Speaking as the former head of Security," Mindo said, "does anyone know exactly how Sundae manages to get places? It seems like she just shows up anywhere and no one seems to mind. Even Francis seems okay with it."

Paul gently stroked Sundae's back, not wanting to disturb her sleep. She was purring now, and her purrs made him want to melt. Wasn't a cat's purring supposed to be therapeutic in some way? He gave Mindo's question some thought and shook his head at Mindo. "Don't know. Never thought about. Is uncanny, though. I think--so happy seeing cat we just...welcome. We forget asking how she ter-ravels. Just pre-sume as normal. But good quest-tion. She beam here? With whom? Again, don't know."

"Fascinating," Mindo said.

Paul gave Mindo a wicked look. "I interested now. Bored with th-therapy--So. Very. Bored. On sick leave; can't investa-invest? Look at. Can't look at." Paul pointed a finger at Mindo. "But you--You head of Intel now. Can ask quest-tions, and no one ask you why. Just tell you. Interested?"

"You're asking me to investigate Sundae?" Mindo said. He smiled and leaned back in his chair, his feet dangling from the edge, missing the floor by several inches. It was technically true that he was the head of Intelligence, but the position was all but vacated now that Captain Francis had announced his retirement, with Mindo set to take the center seat. But that was still a few months away.

"I would start--something simple," Paul said. "Check ter-ransporter records for cat. Check ships docked with Th-Thunderchild. Any have cat? If not, got here some other way. Won't tell us how. Will tell us odd."

"I don't think it's transporters," Mindo said. "If a cat was using the transporters to get around, we have some serious security issues, and being former Chief of Security, I'd have heard about it by now." He looked at Sundae as she lay content in Paul's lap. "She seems harmless enough. Any chance she could become a threat?"

"Don't pull tail," Paul said, only half-kidding. "Meaning, don't anger. But ter-ansporters--I mean beaming over with someone. I think more intella-intel--sa-marter than we know." He petted Sundae again. "What seen in sec-urity videos? She beam over or just...appear?"

Mindo shrugged. "I actually just now thought of this," he said with a chuckle. "Honestly, I probably won't follow up on it. My time is so full preparing for my pro...mising new assignment, so I can leave that job to someone else." Mindo had been lucky not to let the news of his promotion slip. He and Captain Francis wanted it to be part of the surprise they were planning for when Paul came back to active duty.

Paul smiled. It probably was an extremely low-priority thing to investigate, considering the recent attack. He nodded at Mindo but wondered what the man was suddenly cautious about. "Under-stand. You have much on plate. Ideas who attacked?"

"The investigation is ongoing," Mindo said. "Pretty sure the Second Sons were the culprit, but there are other forces in the area. Some of them are carrying pretty advanced tech. They may be influenced by some of our neighboring governments. The Cardassians and Ferengi are denying involvement, and we've definitely ruled out the Klingons. I'm waiting to get some of my hands on them, but there aren't many devices that work. Most everything is destroyed by the pirates upon capture."

Paul nodded. "Car-dassians, Frengy--Fur-enghi?--far away. Not likely bother us. Kah-lingon government not in it. Interes-sting. And Delavi?"

Mindo shrugged. "The Federation continues to deny aid. Qaraq is still at it. The korfmagers continue to flow, though. They've really expanded a lot, opening more breweries throughout the region. They're mass-produced now. I must admit, it's an ingenious idea. Get our attention through beer. Have you heard their new advertising jingle? It's very catchy!"

Paul laughed at the notion of Qaraq making a play for gaining a positive Federation opinion of Delavi through korfmagers. "Way to heart through stomach, eh? I like. Cheaper than diplomats." His amusement faded. "How much longer Feh-dration likely ignore?"

Mindo shrugged. "Sometimes it takes years. At least Qaraq is making some noise. Not too hard for him, though. That baritone voice could drown out a red alert!"

Paul dissolved into laughter again. "Could!" he agreed. "How James Kirk do it? One mission and, poof! Planet in Feh-dration. Harder when entire area of space, many planets, I guess. Too bad. Qaraq good, though. Won't let up. Hope he succeeds."

"Membership evaluations were indeed easier back then. But with all the bureaucracy that came later, it got really difficult for the next generation," said Mindo. "There was once a ship that had to travel to a planet in deep space nine times before they could even complete the process of saying hello! It literally took generations just to make first contact!"

Paul winced. "More patience than I have. Must have really wanted to join. What species?"

"I think they called themselves 'the Prodigy,'" Mindo said. "They were pretty childish, if I remember correctly. They were members for only two years before the Dominion destroyed them. All that work..."

"Not very per-odigious, if ask me," Paul said. "Nine visits just for gah-reetings. How they get anything done? Sorry to hear Dominion des-ter-oyed them."

"And to think, they never got to know each other," Mindo said.

"Wonder if was slow-motion des-ter-uction," Paul said and then shook his head at himself. "I am--ff-fine one to complain. Really apper-pareciate you visiting, Mindo."

"Get better, Paul," Mindo said, patting him on the shoulder. "And enjoy the new cube!"

OFF

 

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