Posted by Civilian Joe Milligan (Bartender) in Downtime on Space Station Deep Space K-5

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Troy Hunter (General Medical Doctor) in Downtime on Space Station Deep Space K-5

Posted by Civilian Joe Milligan (Bartender) in Downtime on Space Station Deep Space K-5
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
[snip]
A few days after leaving the planet EP19 and the Ascended being Josan behind, the Merrimack arrived at Space Station Deep Space K-5. Captain Glen had had time to get his story straight about the last mission, and to decided upon his advice and recommendations on what should be done, and he would hand in his report to the Admiral before receiving orders for their next mission.

In the meantime, this visit is a chance for the crew to let their hair down, to meet with old friends and for some rest and recuperation. Space Station Deep Space K-5 is a major modern space hub, and the most populous space station in border zone, and is intergalactically renowned for its luxury shopping, gambling, fine dining, entertainment, ultramodern architecture and a lively nightlife scene. In 2397, DS K-5 was voted the most liveable space station in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, and in 2399, as one of the safest, ranked on factors like rates of violence, crime and corruption.

On DS K-5 you can surround yourself with the greatest entertainment in space. The entertainment on board the station is just as revolutionary and carefully crafted as the station itself. In fact, they claim to be changing the future of entertainment there. The entertainment there happens 24/7 and its fresh and unpredictable, surrounding you and delighting you with spaces and experiences never seen before. If you’re visiting K-5, you should absolutely make time to see a show. Captivating main stage productions will leave you talking long after the roar of applause and final bow. Another must is a performance by Disaster Area; regarded as being, not just the loudest rock band, but the loudest noise of any kind at all.

The K-5 sports centre, located right in the heart of the space station, offers a wide range of facilities. It has two spacious, state of the art gyms, and three sports halls, all the perfect place to workout. Or if you want team sports, their are indoor grass pitches to provide the perfect environment, with markings for volleyball, netball, basketball, badminton and football. There are keep fit classes, two swimming pools, swimming lessons, sport facilities and dance classes.

K-5 boasts four of the largest off-world gardens, and a giant entertainments complex that includes an anti-gravity fountain, with jets and lights choreographed to music. At night, the spherical walls of the waterfall becomes a 360-degree stage for a light-and-sound show. Six artificial spheres attached externally to the station, that span five stories in height, contain several eco-resorts with animal parks of conserved alien land and marine creatures. It is also famous for its luxurious and extremely large casino-hotels linked to the passenger terminals. The station’s tolerance for numerous forms of adult entertainment earned it the nickname “Sin Station”, and has made K-5 a popular setting for the newly developing holographic industries.

The cafés and restaurants provide food to make an incredible food journey all around known space, from cheap eats, to the best restaurants within two Quadrants, and everything in between. There’s nothing that says ‘Earth Food’ like chicken with rice, noodles or potato mash, but on DS K-5 you can also sample Klingon and Andorian delicacies, so unlock your inner foodie, and experience a cosmopolitan selection of dishes from many different parts of the galaxy. It also hosts the largest number of cocktail bars, pubs, corner taps and drinking spots outside of Sector 001. There is something for everyone here with foods and drinks from right across the Milky Way.

The most popular and famous of the bars on DS K-5 has to be Green Dragon Tavern. It exhibits a cheeky insouciance, and attracts the trade of the footloose on K-5. A magnet for boldface writer and artist types, it has perfecting the evanescent magic of adult drinking. However, the rooms are very small, and it’s difficult to find, being tucked away behind a well-known bakery. The Green Dragon has a daring drinks menu from a newly appointed head bartender, who just happens to be someone that the Merrimack knows very well, being a retired Starfleet officer who has served on the ship twice before.

Hunter was getting ready to leave the ship and heading to the station, taking a final look in the mirror . Quiet cuffed, self admiring and delighted with himself the doctor headed to the turbolift ,at that moment he did not care about sickbay or that crazy nursing officer and equally unusually strange character and behavior of the CMO .

His first stop was at a map of the station, he was looking for a bar and memorized the route he had to take to get there. When Hunter finally arrived he headed straight at the bar, sat down on one of the stools and ordered a shot of whiskey ,his eyes where roaming , skillfully scrutinizing the females ,some of which had already seen the handsome impeccable doctor.

Hunter stayed on the stool for he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they would came to him.

The present owner of the Green Dragon had hated the name of the place the first time he saw it. He hated the way the place smelled. Someone had tried to cover up poor cooking with too many sauces! And then there were the green and red walls! So, he went to work. He did not however get as much done as he had initially thought he would. On the day he was going to yank down that dragon over the door he turned it into something else completely. The dragon became a dragon chasing a four-leaf clover. And beneath that was the skyline of an Earth city with a starship flying above it.

He did change the colors of the walls but changed them according to what area you were in. There was the bar area and then the dining area. And much to his chagrin a small gambling area. The station’s owners demanded he have it. All throughout however the lighting was somewhat dim. It was this way to accommodate the various races and their sensitivity to light.

The owner enjoyed tending bar himself often. He could see what was going on throughout the place from the bar. Most especially the gaming room. That and he was a people person. Everyone said so!

The owner was today dressed as casual as he usually was. He wore sandals, a loose pair of red and green pants held in place with a drawstring and a bright red loose sleeveless top. To top this off he wore dark sunglasses.

He saw the man enter the bar, but he wanted to make sure. He tapped the side of his glasses and was immediately rewarded by the man’s pulse, heart rate, body temperature and as the facial recognition mode did its job, he knew not only who the man was but his rank in Starfleet.

He watched as Hunter sat down. He started laughing silently and began to mix a drink. The drink came in several layers. The bottom layer was red, the second layer was blue, and the top layer was green and appeared to have a small whisp of fog moving across it. There were ice cubes and a lemon slice floating about in there as well. Joe placed the drink down loudly in front of Hunter and said loudly over the din of the bar. “The first one is free Mister Hunter! How DO we keep running into one another?”
Every head bartender needs to have a signature cocktail, amongst a rotating menu of seasonal ‘signature’ drinks that can provide loyal patrons with something new to look forward to, and this was Joe’s.

Hunter was still totally oblivious of what was going on around him,he did hear the barman placed the whiskey he ordered and without turning simply picked up the glass and drank it in one go * Funny taste this whiskey * he thought as two young females approached him .With that small sided smile he introduced himself ‘’Hello I’m doctor Hunter ‘’ putting back the empty glass and asking for a refill.

So his next step was getting to know them ,a blond women , the other with darker luminous skin and glossy curly hair. The doctor had already made up his mind ‘’So do you both work at the station ? ‘’ he asked.

The blond younger female giggled and both nodded but the dark skin one was keenly observing him ‘’How came you are alone two nice looking women ?’’ he asked jokingly though it was simply a tacit from his side .The blond one was first to respond ‘’ I just got separated from my husband, he was too controlling ,possessive and jealous ‘’ at which she looked around rather uncomfortable.
Hunter mentally crossed her out the last thing he wanted was to end up in sickbay with a couple of broken bones ,then turned to the dark skin one ‘’ My name is Sara and no strings attached ‘’ she laughed showing her perfect white teeth ‘’ A have no desire to get a partner ..my motto is enjoy life as long as you can’‘.

That was music to Hunter’s ears and replied ‘’Same for me Sara,I don’t want any drama in my life ..shall I buy you a drink or perhaps you’ll be on duty soon?’‘.
Sara nodded and put her arm around the doctor ‘’Sound good to me , besides its my day off I’ll be on duty tomorrow …would you like to see my cabin I share it with another girl but she ‘ll be on duty during the night ‘’.
With those crystal blue eyes Hunter was taking in every feature of her face ‘’Another whiskey for me and .....’’ ‘’The usual for me Joe’’ Sara chirped in.

The blonde one realized he had no interest in her and quietly left ‘’Why don’t we meet here later in the evening and I’ll show you my cabin afterwords’’ Sara mused ‘’Sounds fine to me love’’ ......and so his mission was settled. She took the drink ‘’See you later handsome ‘’ Sara called out , Hunter winked as she left the bar.
He took out his credit card and slipped it on the bar ,it was at this point that Hunter finally looked at the barman ,first he frowned ,next he closed his eyes hoping that when he opened them the image would be gone but no it was definitely Joe the previous Cmdr ......and he’s all time foe.

Hunter Dr.

Joe could only laugh at Hunter. He didn’t wait for Hunter to say anything he just pointed at the half empty second drink that he had been handed. It was almost finished with its little smoking portion. show and was settling down at the time Joe said to Hunter. “Same old guy aren’t you, Doctor? While humans can drink that particular drink much more than one sipped slowly can make you pass out within the hour of drinking and then tomorrow you could wake up with temporary blindness. ” Joe pointed behind him at a picture of the drink on the wall along with warnings. “Someday you have to keep your eye on the ball Doctor. If you wish to show that young lady your skills you better hurry. You may only have about an hour. I’d go straight for the main show if I were you. Welcome to the station!! ” Joe slapped his hand on the bar and walked away. He hadn’t meant to do that, but some people just walked into things.

Joe Milligan

Dariusz Pokorski had asked Faith Hopkins if she wanted to visit the space station with him, but they had become separated and lost among the maze of small walkways.
The revolutionarily designed space station was built, not as a department store or like a planned town on a Federation planet, but more like the complex network of tributaries of a bifurcating river, or like a wonderfully modern take on an old Arabian souk.

Loaded down with her huge bags of clothes shopping and trying to find her way out of the huge labyrinth, Faith turned a corner to discover Dariusz was no longer with her. Some of the streets are so narrow that only pedestrians, motorbikes, and bicycles can access them. Fortunately, she was able to backtrack her steps and found Dariusz stood watching street entertainment in a courtyard, though she had to fend off the unsolicited help offered by locals expecting an overinflated tip.

Not the best start to a first date, and Faith was annoyed that Dariusz had been totally oblivious to her problems. From his point of view, he had stopped for a minute or so to watch a couple of street music performers getting the crowd ready for their next show and had never left her side. The atmosphere between them now could certainly be described as cool. So, she suggested that they find a bar, have a quiet drink together, and start over again. Dariusz had no objections to that idea; shopping hadn’t been his idea of fun anyhow. Maybe get something to eat too?

So, that was how they came to discover the Green Dragon Tavern, its small entrance tucked away on a narrow alley. right behind the ‘Let ‘Em Eat Cake’ bakery shop. They had no idea where they were any longer but stumbled into the alleyway and then saw the odd green dragon chasing a four-leaf clover sign above the door.

It wasn’t quite what Faith had expected inside. The lighting was very dim, but it was clean, and it had been recently decorated. But how it had been decorated: with walls in red and green?

She put down her heavy bags on a seat in a corner, sighed and then took a better look around. There were a few people around, though you could hardly claim that it was packed. That was good for a first date. She wanted to get to know Dariusz a little better, without all the noise and attention they would find in the Merrimack’s Fan Tail or Forecastle lounges.

Dariusz noticed that some of the customers were also eating, which pleased him as he was now starting to get hungry. The food didn’t look too special. It was soups and various meats in sauces. He also noticed that some of the customers were playing games; three-dimensional chess, holo-battleship, and Fizbit. It was just like being on the Merrimack. He didn’t think that the date was going too well. Faith seemed most annoyed with him about something and he had no idea why. He had spent three boring hours following her into twenty or more shops and hadn’t complained even once.

It was Dariusz who noticed them at the bar first; the Doctor from the Merrimack Sickbay, who must have come straight here from the ship, talking to a barman dressed in sandals, red and green trousers that matched the colour of the walls, and a bright red top. Even under the dark sunglasses, the barman looked incredibly like the old XO.
“Say Faith,” Dariusz asked, “Isn’t that barman the spitting image of Joe Milligan?”

• Dariusz and Faith

Having seen the pair walk in Joe grabbed a towel and acted as though the already pristine bar needed cleaned. After a bit of this he called over the other bar man and spoke into his ear. Joe then disappeared into the food area for a bit. Soon after he emerged just as the couple were looking more and more as if they were getting ready to snarl. Joe placed his sunglasses on the top of his head and laid down the platter on their table for them. “Welcome to the flipping Green Dragon today! ” He said with gusto. “We’re having a special for the next hour for the crew of the Merrimack!

He then slid a silver platter between the two of them. On it was one large bowl only and in it two long pointed silver tongs for spearing the more than interesting hunks of meat in the bowl. The meat was a bright glistening color of dangerous looking orange which was cut into small cubes. Along with the bowl there was a carafe of perhaps blue wine. And of course, matching small silver cups for the wine.

Joe laughed as he said, “I never thought to see any of you again and now look! The place is beginning to look like the lounge on the ship!” It was obvious that Joe was enjoying himself more than anyone had ever seen him enjoy himself. “Since you two look like a nice couple I’ve had something special prepared for you. The orange meat is a special delicacy said to ignite the fires of passion. The wine is said to cool it down just enough to prevent disaster.”

Joe Milligan

Xavier stepped through the door to the small bar/eatery or whatever this was, lured in by the image of a Dragon on the sign outside. To be honest, that was the only thing that had peaked his curiosity about what this place was as he searched for somewhere to grab dinner and a drink, before heading back to the overnight accommodation he had secured after watching his next posting, the Merrimack, arrive at K-5 from the viewports along the docking ring.

Average height, good looking according to his mother and a small circle of friends, clearly fit, Xavier blended in well to the regular crowds in most places he visited and that suited him fine. He seldom sought limelight or attention. Casual slacks and a collarless shirt was covered by a dark brown leather rocker jacket with a short and stiff collar, unmarked by any patches or labels but of quite good quality if one knew what to look for.

After only a moments pause he stepped forward again deciding on the bar as a starting point. The place wasn’t terribly busy, although Xavier was surprised by who he assumed was the bartender wearing dark sunglasses in such a dimly lit space. Looking around again he smiled slightly to himself, one corner of his mouth rising in a soft grin. It gave him Italian Mafia movie vibes considering the decor and low light, and in his head he joked to himself that the sunglasses wearing bartender was probably called ‘Joe’, that catch all Mafia bartender name they used in all the old movies.

A couple sitting at a table he passed caught his attention, more so because of the single platter and bowl that was sitting between them with chunks of meat in a dangerous looking sauce rather than any special attention that he gave the two patrons. They were probably on a date judging by the platter although, the sauce reminded him of the time his grandfather took him camping high in the mountains when he was young and proceed to produce ‘mountain oysters’ after a short hunting session for dinner. It was the one time his grandfather hadn’t managed to trick him into eating something weird as the young Xavier had realized, seconds before plopping the thing in his mouth, that oysters didn’t live on snowy mountain tops, but, Tahr did. Realizing he was probably staring at them and their food although it had only been a couple seconds, Xavier smiled at the pair, raised his eyebrows in a friendly greeting accompanied by a quick raise of the head in the time honoured silent hello, thought that probably looked weird, moving along now and turned his head back to the Bar.

Internally wishing the pair luck as his steps had carried him past the table, he picked a stool a couple over from a dapper looking man already seated at said bar, noted a poster on the wall behind ‘Joe’ that warned about the hazards of a certain layered looking drink, decided to avoid that at all costs, and slid smoothly into the seat drumming his fingertips on the bar top quietly’ish as he came to a stop. Taking a second he looked at his neighbor a moment while his imagination noted the slick way that he presented himself. Probably the young hotshot of the Mafia movie who got all the girls and butted heads with the older Mafia members, he thought. Quickly realizing now that his imagination was far too vivid, he contented himself with examining the alcohol on display behind the counter, looking for one in particular and hoping his brand was on hand.

There was plenty for him to do before he joined the ship but, for tonight the priority list was much smaller than it would be the following day. Hopefully, he would have time to find the elusive game store that K-5 was said to boast. Stocking up on Warhammer and Battletech models would tide him over till the next time they got into station.

Xavier Khauv