Stardate: 70429:2000
Title: Parole
Author: Ensign Alex Ross
Time: Following "Appletini Anyone?"
Scene: Horizon's Gateway, USS Horizon


"Don't you have something better to do?" Alex Ross was annoyed as he entered the ship's bar, shrugging off the hands of two security personnel as he did so. The security men looked at each other with bemusement and shrugged. Where could he go from here?

"Call us when you want to leave, Mr. Ross. Captain's orders." One of the security officers held contact with Ross' eyes. "Don't get inventive."

"Fine," Alex replied. "And the name's Surect. William Surect."

"Riiight," one of the men said as the duo left Horizon's Gateway.

It was bad enough being forced back aboard this ship when Jake was still out there somewhere... he had to be. To be bombarded by the medical staff with personal questions and then every kind of test known to man was adding insult injury. The result, of course, was the foul mood he sat down at the bar in.

"What can I get you?"

Surect looked up to see who had addressed him. The woman behind the bar was petite and blonde, wearing a smile that was meant to charm the customers, he was sure. It wasn't working on him at the moment.

"Old Granddad," he said gruffly.

"What's that?" The woman's smile belied the fact that she had not a clue as to what, indeed, 'Old Granddad' was.

"Whiskey," Surect grumbled. "You heard of that?"

As the woman walked away to get the whiskey, with a curt nod that had assured him that she did indeed know what whiskey was, Surect tried to calm himself. He was angry. Angry at having his life and his son ripped away from him. Angry at being here now... with Jake nowhere to be found... in another person's body, of all things. He was angry in general and, being the decent man that he was, he knew that these people had done nothing to deserve that anger.

"Miss?" He asked as the woman sat his whiskey on the bar.

"Astra," she replied, still wearing a smile.

"William."

"What can I do for you, William?"

William coaxed a smile of his own. "Astra, could we... talk... for a minute?"


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Ensign Alex Ross
Operations Officer
USS Horizon
NCC-72400
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