Blues and Soul (Backpost, Part 2)

Posted on Thu Mar 26th, 2026 @ 12:11am by Lieutenant "Joliet" Jane Cooke & Lieutenant William Neil
Edited on on Thu Mar 26th, 2026 @ 12:12am

1,273 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: All Our Yesterdays
Timeline: After 'Blues and Soul (Part 1)'

Previously, on Star Trek: Starbase Frontier:

He had to think for a moment there. "I think the classic thing to have would be a coke right?" He paused and then nodded. "Yes, let's go all in. A coke is fine."

And now, the continuation:

"We have Pepsi products." The waitress responded. "Pepsi okay?"

"Pepsi it is." William said with a smile.

"Then I'll have a Starry." Jane ordered.

The waitress looked at them both for a moment before repeating the order back. "Large deep dish sausage, A pepsi and a Starry." She nodded as she recited. "I'll be right back with your drinks."

William smiled politely and turned his attention back to Jane as the waitress hurried off. "So aside from hunting for good pizza, what do you do when not on duty?"

"Honestly, I like to curl up with a good manga." Jane said before realizing William likely wouldn't know what she was talking about. "They're these Japanese comic books that read counterintuitive to how someone like me would read. My personal favorite series is this one from the mid 1990s called Initial D. Cover to cover, the series is just iconic- even if it did get dragged out in the later years. It did so many things right for spreading Japanese car culture outside of Japan, not to mention the kickass music its anime adaptation brought. I have the whole series soundtrack if ever you want to discover a new genre. It's a ride, to be sure."

"Not sure about the comics, but I'd love to listen to the soundtrack. I often listen to different musical cues while working on problems. It helps me focus." He replied.

Just as he finished speaking the waitress brought their drinks and politely excused herself once again.

William looked at the carbonated beverage and the black plastic straw. "Last time I used a straw was with liquid rations and an Environmental suit." He picked up the glass and took a drink through the straw before smiling. "This tastes much better."

"Anything tastes better than those nasty rations milkshakes." Jane shuddered just thinking about it. "Those always tasted like ground up chalk mixed with water. A carefully calculated formula of proteins for basic survival, it may be, but it's definitely no McFlurry."

"Ha, you think the standard issue ones are bad. Starfleet rations are fine dining compared to some others." William chuckled and allowed himself a bit of a cold shiver. "The one's that Orions stock are barely 'edible'."

"You should try some pre-Khitomer Klingon rations sometime." Jane said. "Not real ones of that vintage, because they'll probably kill you being over a hundred years old and all that, but the replicated versions. They make those Orion rations you talk of seem like a Michelin star meal by comparison. Those Khitomer Accords really did improve the palatability of Klingon rations..."

"Some of us might have preferred that ending honestly." William said with a dark chuckle. "Either way, I'm hoping the pizza is as far from rations as either of us have tasted."

"Amen to that." Jane remarked, sipping her drink.

Another half hour passed between receiving their drinks and the arrival of the Pizza. Jane had assured William that a long wait meant they actually cared about getting it right, and as the minutes ticked by, Jane actually began to look forward to the pizza with how long it was taking. But at last, the waitress arrived with the pizza:

"One deep dish sausage pizza:" The Bajoran woman said as she proceeded to cut the pizza into slices. "You want me to serve your first slice? Or just help yourself?"

"We can serve ourselves, right?" Jane asked, turning to William.

"Oh, of course." William replied as the server smiled and left their table.

He gingerly reached out and took his first slice, trying not to drop or spill any of it. It looked delicious and smelled of fresh spices.

Fetching her first slice and setting her napkin into her lap, Jane picked up her knife and fork and cut a piece off the tip of the slice. With her teeth removing the fork from the bite of pizza, Jane made note of the symphony of flavors that her taste buds were being subjected to: The texture of the handmade crust, the ooey-gooey cheese that required much chewing to avoid choking on, the sauce made from fresh tomatoes (or at the very least, replicated tomatoes) - it certainly wasn't a good old fashioned Lou Malnati's pizza, but it was certainly one of the best Chicago style pizzas she'd had outside the Windy City.

"I do say..." Jane said with her mouth full. "These folks have definitely nailed what Chicago style deep dish pizza should be. I'd certainly come eat here again if I get a hankering for the food of my people."

William swallowed just as Jane was talking and managed a grin as he dabbed his lips with a napkin. "I don't think I've had a deep dish like this before, and that's not a complaint." He studied his slice for a moment. "I think they're using a lot more real ingredients than you'd expect out here."

"Your family is originally from Chicago then? I've never been there personally but I may have to change that the next time I visit home." William said as he used his fork to portion off a bit more of his pizza before popping it in his mouth.

"Well, technically I was born and spent the first few years of my life on Mars." Jane explained as she cut another piece off. "My family moved to Chicagoland when I was three because of the Dominion War and my grandmother's call to service. Grew up in Algonquin, McHenry County side."

"Ah," William replied after swallowing the bite he'd been chewing. "I was told once before that home is wherever you finally feel comfortable."

The was a pause before he continued. "Don't think I'll find home again. I was captured a few years back. For a long while. And when I finally made it back to Earth things were different. I was glad to be back, but it wasn't home anymore. So now I'm looking for something else I guess."

He cut another bit with his fork and popped it in his mouth. He chewed for a moment before continuing. "But that's old news for me now. I'm more interested in what it was like growing up there, do you remember much about Mars before the move?"

"Not really." Jane shrugged. "We moved when I was three. I remember a few scant things about life at our townhome, but it was mainly all the drama that revolved around moving: Fresh paint, fresh carpeting, needing to be not home when people were being shown through."

By this point, Jane had reached the crust, and set down her utensils to eat the crust by hand.

"Really, as long as I can remember, I've called Algonquin my home." Jane remarked. "I'd hear stories from my folks about the epic Christmas and Halloween block parties they and their neighbors held at the townhome before they had my sister and I, but that was before my time."

Together, William and Jane finished off their pizza, with Jane volunteering to take the leftovers. As Jane left, she knew that this assignment wasn't going to be all bad after all. Lieutenant Neil definitely had his problems, but then again, she did as well.

A mission post by

Lieutenant "Joliet" Jane Cooke
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
Starbase Frontier

Lieutenant William Neil
Chief Operations Officer
Starbase Frontier

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