One is the Loneliest Number

Posted on Fri Oct 24th, 2025 @ 2:47pm by Lieutenant Commander Sora Bernadotte & Lieutenant Commander Kuzos

2,643 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Short Treks
Location: Officer's Mess Hall
Timeline: 2439-06-25, 20:00

It had been another busy day on board the U.S.S. Enterprise. Now that her duties for the day had concluded, Sora had decided to visit the Officers' Mess, for something to eat and drink. While she still wasn't very familiar with her crewmates, she had begun to get to know them a little, and started to feel more integrated into the processes on the bridge. And with the new bridge freshly inaugurated, she was sure that this was going to continue to improve. Once she arrived at the mess hall, she found it to be almost empty. Once she had grabbed a plate of chicken tikka masala curry, complete with rice and a nice garlic naan, as well as a pot of green tea, she took a seat at the nearest empty table and began eating, while also reviewing some reports on her PADD.

Kuzos entered the Officer's Mess and looked around it was sparsely populated which he was glad for. he had accepted a battlefield commission to Lt. Commander to hopefully strengthen the ties between to Dominion and the Federation while still retaining his rank as Administrator. he wasn't particularly hungry but could use something to drink. As he looked around the hall he notice a solitary figure sitting a a table. He had seen her on the bridge, what was her name? He searched his memory and got it. Sora Bernadotte. He decided to take a chance and walked over to her. "Excuse me, Commander Bernadotte, do you mind if I join you?"

Sora looked up from her reading and looked at the new arrival. The rank bars on his badge identified him as a Lieutenant Commander, the gold uniform trim as a member of the Security, Operations and Engineering departments. And, of course, he was a recognisable alien - a Vorta. "Commander Kuzos," she finally said, turning off her PADD. "Of course, please pull up a chair. Unless you want to head to the replicator first, of course."

He flashed his trademark mega watt smile. "Thank you, I believe I will get something to drink. I will be right back." He ambled to the replicator and made his drink selection. A rum and coke. Returning to Sora, he sat down. "I have been experimenting with different Earth and Federation drinks. I believe this one is called a rum and coke."

"I am very familiar with that one, although I prefer whisky myself. Scotch, single-malt, to be precise," Sora replied, taking a sip from her tea. "Of course, with my dinner, I went for tea. Being on a new ship, and all that, I prefer to stay sober until I feel a bit more at home. How long have you been on board?"

"A whisky you say? I will have to try that next." Kuzos replied with his broad smile as he sipped his drink. "A smart if not logical course of action though it would give your new crewmates something to talk about." He observed his smile brightening. "As for me, I have been aboard for several months. It is nothing like serving on a Dominion ship."

"I was surprised to see a Vorta on board, especially one in Starfleet uniform," Sora admitted. "I haven't had much dealings with your people, or the Dominion. Am I correct in understanding that you are all clones? Sorry if that's a rude thing to ask."

"To be equally frank, I am surprised to be wearing it. When I first came aboard at Founder Odo's request, I wore the uniform of a Dominion with the rank of captain. However after sometime aboard the Commodore offered me a battlefield commission with the rank of lieutenant commander with the argument that it would bring the crew together." He paused for a moment and his smile bloomed. "Not rude just wrong. No, not all Vortas are clone. Many are but not all. I am not."

Sora chuckled as she finished her curry and pushed the tray away slightly. "I see, so you're a special one, so to speak. Like I said, I don't know much about the Dominion or your people beyond what's in the dossiers. The War was before my time, and this is my first time in this quadrant." In this universe, anyway,, she added inwardly. During her cadet cruise on I.S.S. Voyager, the ship had been dispatched to the Gamma quadrant to deal with a rebellion backed by the mirror version of the Dominion.

"So," she continued, reaching for her pot of tea, but finding it empty. "You are our chief tactical officer. Any situations in this quadrant we should be prepared for?"

He shook his head, "I do not know if I am special or not. I do know I am an original." He nodded his head in acknowledgement of her statement. "Correct. The Commodore assigned me to this position. I do not object. It allows me to be on the bridge to see what is happening. As to threats or situations in this quadrant, not even the Dominion has explored it in it entirety. As to the area we have explored and surveyed there should be no problems this ship cannot handle easily enough."

"I am certain our tactical systems will be more than adequate, at least from what I've seen on the specifications," Sora replied with a smile. "Excuse me for a moment." She rose, and returned a moment later with a beer. "I don't like replicated spirits," she admitted. "Synthohol is an absolute waste, in my opinion. At least beer tastes alright even without alcohol or synthohol." She chuckled and took a sip. "What did you do before you were assigned to this ship?"

"I have not yet tried a beer. It is on my list of drinks to try." He answered looking at the beverage in Sora's hand before continuing. "I was an administrator which is to say a captain in Dominion forces. Before Founder Odo assigned me as Liaison Officer to the Enterprise. I oversaw the planetary government on Silkaline 4 as well as commander a Dominion warship." Kuzos answered evenly.

"I see," Sora replied. Thinking back to her last post before crossing over, when she served as first officer on I.S.S. Asha, she added, "it must have been quite the change, going from a commanding role to being a subordinate officer?"

"You have the gift for understatement Commander. It was indeed quite a change. I do not know if I am fully comfortable with it yet or if I ever will be. However Founder Odo feels as does the Commodore that by me wearing the Federation uniform it shows unity."

Sora nodded. There had been a few crew members on her previous ships that were not in uniform, for various reasons, and they always felt out of place. "It certainly makes it look more like you belong, rather than being a temporary assignment or something like that. How are you finding it, serving in Starfleet? I imagine it must be quite different to the Dominion fleet."

Kuzos nodded slowly. "As different as light and dark my dear commander. The Federations seems to spend an inordinate amount of time having meetings or various discussions. It is wonder they get anything done or have advanced as far as they have. The Dominion has very few meetings and fewer discussions. Everyone knows their position and role and fills it accordingly."

"The meetings can feel rather tedious, I do admit," Sora replied with a chuckle. In the Terran Empire, things were different - the Captain gave the orders. Sometimes, they would consult with senior officers directly, but never in the form of big, drawn-out meetings. "Still, while it may seem inefficient, it does allow more ideas to be considered, which may lead to a better outcome."

Kuzos shook his head slowly from side to side at Sora's reply. "Tedious is being polite Commander. I prefer the word agonizing. A Dominion commander may if they choose consult for another opinion or option. However, in the Dominion once a decision was made it was followed, No further debate. To debate brought swift punishment. Sometimes permanent punishment."

Sora slowly nodded. It sounded like the Dominion and the Terran Empire were pretty similar in that aspect. "That may be efficient, but it can also cause issues. For example, when a commanding officer has overlooked something critical that threatens a disastrous failure of the mission, and yet nobody dares to speak up to prevent that from happening."

"The humans have a phrase that I feel is appropriate here. "It goes with the territory and in the Dominion view the benefits outweigh the risk of not asking, getting other opinions, points of view." Kuzos replied s he took another sip of his drink.

Of course, Sora was very familiar with that kind of leadership style. Still, she could not allow herself to reveal that information. "It certainly is a very different approach compared to how the Federation does things. And then, of course, the Dominion is directly led by those you consider Gods, while many Federation worlds have moved beyond the concept of religion. And yet, we work together. There is something to be said about that openness."

Kuzos considered her comment. "Perhaps but in the Dominions view they have had great success employing this style of command throughout it forces. I do not see them changing anytime soon. Though if one follows the line of thinking that change is inevitable, than anything is possible. I suppose" He finished with a smile.

Sora shrugged. "Whether they change or not is, ultimately, a question for Dominion leadership. Neither of us is part of that group, so, debating the point is nothing more than an academic exercise." She took a sip from her beer. "So, Kuzos, what do people on this ship do in their off-duty time?"

"True enough." Kuzos agreed and then thought on Sora's question after a moment he replied. "They either spend an inordinate amount of time in holodeck in what I can only guess is an effort to forget their problems or in Ten Forward trying to drown their problems."

"And what about yourself," Sora asked, with a smirk. "Where do you go to forget your problems? Are you a drinker, or do you delve into fantastical worlds on the Holodeck?" She chuckled. "I'm old-fashioned myself. I prefer a good old paper book and some good music. When I go to the Holodeck, it's for exercise. Training with my rapier or my bow and arrows."

Kuzos shook his head, "I am not a drinker at least not to forget problems. That is running away. As for the holodeck, I have only used it for training exercises others have come up with. I tend to stay in my quarters, listening to some music or go to the lounge and just watch people. You can learn a lot about people by just watching them."

Sora smiled. "Training exercises, you say? Do tell me more, I'm always up for one of those. And I am glad to meet a fellow music lover on this crew. I have to say, though, at least as far as human music goes, it's gotten rather bland over the last few centuries in my opinion. All my favourites are from the 20th and 21st."

"Yes, The executive officer set up a series of tests for me to show my familiarity with weapons as well as my marksmanship, Fairly standard, However one test was out of the ordinary. I had to face different enemies of the Federation and defend myself, "Klingon, Breen, Borg and to her acute dismay Jem' Hadar warriors," He paused as he switched topics, "I am fond of the Beatles The Rolling Stones, Some group called CCR. I particularly like Bad Moon Rising."

"I prefer old-fashioned hand-to-hand combat, myself," Sora replied. "I own a hand-crafted rapier, and I make an effort to keep up with my fencing. Archery is also a wonderful sport. Since you are shooting a physical projectile, you need to take all sorts of environmental factors into account, and of course you draw the bow with your muscles. Much more involved than energy weapons."

"I confess I am not all that familiar with hand to hand combat. Fencing sounds interesting but archery sounds absolutely wonderous. I will have to look into it. A question, you shoot a projectiles with a bow. how far can you shoot one effectively? I am guessing there are different types of bows as well depending on what you wish to use it for."

Sora smiled. Now the conversation was getting onto one of her favourite topics - old-fashioned weaponry. "Correct. There are many different ways to construct a bow. Materials, size and shape all influence the draw strength, which is what influences both the range and the power of the arrow. And then the arrow itself can be fletched in different ways to affect flight behaviour, and you can tip it with different kinds of head, all depending on what you want to do. And then there's technology. You of course have old-fashioned bows which are made from one piece of wood, or several in the case of a composite. More modern competition bows are made from advanced materials like carbon fibre, and incorporate pulley systems. I've even once encountered a civilisation that uses bows to fire plasma bolts. I would be happy to give you a demonstration of archery on the holodeck some time. And fencing, if you're interested. There's a wide variety of sword types you could use, from a simple longsword to a Klingon Bat'leth."

Kuzos listened in rapt attention as Sora described both the make up of the bow and it's arrows and the materials that could be used in constructing them. "This all sounds truly marvelous!" He exclaimed with a broad smile. "I had no knowledge of this archery, bows or arrows. I think i would like to learn more, much more about it. So a trip to the holodeck seems to be in the future. As for fencing, I am familiar with it and i think if i was picking a weapon I would use a rapier. it is well balanced, light and effective." He smiled at her, "I'm not sure i could get use to using a Bat'leth. it seems so cumbersome but I suppose like any weapon in the hands of an expert it is quite lethal."

"I see you are a man of good taste in blades," Sora replied. "I favour the rapier myself. It has a certain elegance to it, would you not agree? My sister prefers the katana, but then she always had had a thing for Asian culture. Even though neither of us grew up on Terra."

"I would and do agree. I see it as a classy sword as you said it has a certain elegance to it. The katana? No, I think the rapier is a better weapon. of course that is my own personal opinion." Kuzos replied.

Sora smiled as she took the last sip from her beer. "I am looking forward to sparring on the holodeck some time then. Well, I believe it is time for me to head back to my quarters. I still have a little bit of unpacking and rearranging to do before it really feels like home."

"Of course. A sparring session sounds interesting. I'd like that." Kuzos smiled, "I won't keep you from unpacking and rearranging any longer. I thank you for a most enjoyable and pleasant conversation. I hope we can do it again sometime."

"I must agree, it was a pleasure to chat," Sora replied as she rose. "And we should definitely set some time on the holodeck. Have yourself a pleasant rest of your night, Kuzos, I will see you on duty."

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