Part I - Interesting Lunch

Posted on Sat Jun 28th, 2025 @ 1:06am by Lieutenant Xavier & Lieutenant Commander Yivliph Ra-Gruvloveii

1,147 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Preservation Instinct
Location: Station Riversong

ON:

'Intelligence you say?' Yiv replied, his interest piqued. The Fleet was big, and he had never heard of an Admiral Tolson. 'It would be my pleasure to have lunch with you both. You can fill me in on this love-match you've managed to arrange.'

Tolsen clasped the man on the shoulder. "Ha! Finally someone understands. Let's go!"

The trip to the restaurant didn't take long and soon they were seated at a table in a restaurant that catered to wild fusion cuisine that was meant to be a treat for the taste buds. Drinks and meal ordered they sat back.

Eden sipped quietly at her water. "Alright, old man. Out with it."

He snorted and turned to Yiv. "I have, my young Commander, pulled of the love story of the century!"

Eden smiled at Yiv and rolled her eyes.

Smiling pleasantly as his drink was slipped into place in front of him, Yiv stifled a chuckle at Eden's exasperation, and chimed in, 'you keep us on tenterhooks, Admiral. I think it's unfair to keep us in such suspense much longer.'

He grinned. "Right then. So how do all good stories start? AH! Yes, I got it now. A long time go when Dinosaurs roamed the Earth...er... in other words when I was a young man slightly older then yourself I sponsored a young man to enter the Academy. He came from rough life, he was very sad and in hopes of getting him more social and talking to fellow Academy members I started a mentorship program where students who were within the final years of the Academy would mentor those who have just started."

Eden smiled having heard this before, many, many, many, many times.

"Now then, he was a tough cookie but I guilt tripped him into joining and he met a friend. The Starfleet Letter Exchange Program, my best idea...well next two this one, that is. The program is supposed to last only a few years." He clapped his hands startling a few tables around them. "Now the, son do you know what happened next?"

Yiv flicked a glance to Eden, then back to the man, and his smile widened, 'no, I don't know what happened next, sir.' Despite himself, he was enjoying this little impromptu dinner, It had taken his mind off Percy for a little while.

Tolsen laughed, loudly. "Well! They started writing one another and thanks to those exchanges my boy became more social, he joined clubs!...er...nerdy clubs but clubs none. The. Less!" He said punctuating his words with finger taps on the table.

Tolsen continued, "They continued, after they graduated, to write to one another. Someone pointed out that there were two members who'd written to one another for nine years....Being the one who put the program in place naturally, I wanted to check up on that..."

Eden leaned close to Yiv. "In other words he wanted to snoop."

Tolsen gave her a glare.

Chuckling lightly, Yiv leaned in and asked, 'and what did you come across?'

"Well," he went on. "I might have read a couple of letters they shared...then a couple more. It was two people falling in love! Ha! I knew then that I had to get those two together!" He looked at Yiv, clearly eager to be asked more questions.

Eden signed and smiled at the Commander giving him a subtle eye roll.

'So ... you have two officers falling in love across star-spanning distances,' Yiv replied with a thin smile, 'distance being an impediment to a blossoming relationship, you must have intervened somehow?'

Tolsen had a Cheshire grin. "I did! I made sure that I would transfer an officer onto the ship that my boy was on that would make him want to leave. When he asked for a transfer I sent him to a ship that is less ship and more family and that had an opening for a head nurse too so I could transfer his pen pal! So I transferred them both!" He gave a gleeful laugh. "My boy's settling in on the Ontario and they are about to get a new Head Nurse! Plus! The ship has an XO that is in a relationship with the science officer and the boys will have someone to talk to...or so my sources tell me. I reviewed the record. Seems like a fine man, great role model." He waved a hand. "Commander Yilip Gurulove... Something like that."

Keeping his expression sweetly neutral, Yiv slipped out a smile. 'Ah, yes, our Chief Science Officer. I know him,' his smile widened, 'I'm not sure I've come across ... sorry, what was the name?'

Eden's chocked on her water and looked at the commander and then at Tolsen. "What was the name," She parroted.

"Yilip Gurulove."

Eden rubbed the bridge of her nose. She looked at Yiv and shook her head like she was saying 'don't tell him.'

Tolsen sighed. "Excuse me I need my glass refilled and I can finish my story. Brilliant idea that it was!" He stood taking his glass to the bar.

Eden looked over at Yiv. "Oh dear..." She remembered him introducing himself. "I'm guessing that's you. Yivliph Ra-Gruvloveii...." She said in a perfect Efrosian accent that she'd perfected over the years.

'That would be me, yes,' Yiv smiled. 'Unless there's been a transporter malfunction somewhere and I've got a double. One that's made a career choice given the name Gurulove.' He chuckled, then leaned forward. 'I'm not sure why the Admiral thinks I'll be any good for the two lovebirds though?'

She sighed. "I don't think that even Devine beings in the universe understand how that man's mind works. Perhaps he thinks you'll be a great role model?" She shook hear head. "I am sorry. He's....a bit...." She waived her hand around. "I want to say Crazy as a Bat but... as his wife I really shouldn't....but if you say it I'll support you!" She smiled.

'I couldn't possibly call a member of the brass crazy,' Yiv grinned, 'that would imply Starfleet Command didn't know what it was doing. And we simply can't have that, now, can we?'

Eden patted his hand. "Congratulations you have just been adopted, you are now my second son." She laughed.

'I am honored,' Yiv replied with a hooting laugh.

Tolsen came back. "Now then where were we?"

'You were telling us about Yilip Gurulove and how he was going to, er, coach the young lovers,' Yiv pulled a mock-puritanical expression, 'I hope it's not going to be something scandalous for the crew.'


To be continued....

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Commander Yivliph Ra-Gruvloveii
Executive and Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Ontario

&

Eden Tolsen (NPC)
Botanist
Starfleet

&

Admiral Tolsen (NPC)
Starfleet

 

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