~ By Laura Cynthia Chambers
“…so I drew out my phaser and fired! Phshhhhh-pow! And that creature was history!” Kevin Riley mimicked shooting a weapon, then threw his hands up in the air. “Anyways, it’s been great, pal…see ya,” he nodded, slapping the back of one of the four Agapeans who had been listening to his story. He half-stumbled towards the sound of singing. “They’re playing my song,” he laughed, hiccupping again. He wondered briefly where the captain was, scanning the crowd for him. Neither he, Spock nor Descin were anywhere to be found. The old man had probably called it a night. Same for his superiors. “Nighty, night, fellas,” he muttered. “Maybe when I get back I’ll sing you a lullaby, huh? Would ya like that? No, probably not…” He shook his head.
As the evening had progressed, the crowd had thinned. Most of the Starfleet officers still planetside had migrated to a smaller chamber down the hallway which appeared to be a combination office/drawing room.
He peeked in the door and saw Todar standing by a large unlit fireplace. A cabinet to the left was open, and inside he spied several clear bottles of liquid in various shades of amber and red. One appeared to be missing, but then he saw a tall bottle in Todar’s hand. A leering grimace covered his face as he poured a shot glass full of dark blue liquid for Nurse Courtney. The rail thin redhead raised her glass, spilling a little on her dress front, giggling. Others conversed lightly, glass in hand, waiting.
Todar looked up, spying Riley. “Come in, friend. I believe I saw you earlier, didn’t I?” He beckoned Kevin with one hand. Others nodded and offered half-smiles to him. “We were just about to toast my brother’s homecoming. Care to join us?” The man picked up another shot glass from the table and poured, as though certain what his answer would be.
“Yeah, sure.” He walked into the room, through the grouping of chairs and standing people. He counted at least ten from various departments.
Todar handed the drink to him and he sniffed it. “Hey, I tried some of this already. Not bad. Why’d ya keep one under lock and key?”
Todar hesitated. “That was breesin,” he huffed, as though being bothered by a small child.
Riley indicated the bottle with his thumb. “So what’s this then? The good stuff?”
“You could say that. It is malarbreesin. The difference is subtle at first, but I think you’ll find it rather…interesting.” With that, he stepped back and raised his own glass. “To my beloved brother Albix on his return; may he always be seen as he truly is.” He lifted it to his lips and tilted his head back.
“To Albix,” the crowd agreed, downing their glasses in unison.
Riley felt a rush of cool sweetness as the blue liquid trickled down his throat. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “Not bad,” he chirped. “Fruity and smoo-“A jolt of electricity ran down his limbs and rocketed up into his head, freezing him in place, glassy eyed. All his fellow crew members had the same vacant look on their faces.
Todar placed his empty glass on the table, unaffected. He surveyed the entranced crew before him. “As he truly is,” he repeated, slowly pacing around the room, his hands clasped behind him, jaw tight.
* * *
Fire filled his mouth. Riley gasped, filling his lungs with air, which set off a coughing spasm. The blue-faced lieutenant turned crimson, dropping the glass with a crash. He doubled over, hands on his knees, trying to breathe again. He drew in first one shaky breath, then two more.
Several of the crew members were clutching their throats, while others wobbled on their feet, having recovered quicker. A few tittered nervously, weak with relief.
His breathing slowing down now, he stumbled backwards and plopped down into a chair, his arms hanging limply at his side. He lifted one and dragged it across his sweaty forehead. “Wow!” he exclaimed, looking towards the fireplace, his vision clearing. “’Interesting’? You weren’t kidding…”
But Todar had left sometime during the incident; the cabinet door was locked again, and there was no sign of the bottle of malarbreesin. “How d’ya like that?” Riley turned to Courtney, shaking his head. “What did he put in that stuff, anyway?” The nurse shrugged, clearly still too tipsy to care.
“Eh…” Riley stood up from his chair. He cast a glance at Todar’s discarded glass. Frowning, he lifted it up to the light. Empty. Not even a film of blue liquid at the bottom, unlike everybody else’s. He tugged at his collar, then headed for the door. “If anybody’s looking for me, I’ll be outside. Need some air.” Nobody seemed to hear him as he exited the chamber.