Asphodel: Evading the Underworld

Posted on Tue Sep 8th, 2026 @ 3:17am by Lieutenant Percival Bálor Ph.D & Lieutenant Commander Yivliph Ra-Gruvloveii

1,106 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Preservation Instinct

The area around the communications terminal had grown quieter as the station's evening cycle settled in. Civilian traffic continued beyond the viewport, but inside, only the subdyed hym and hum of subspace relays and computer cores broke the silence.

Percival Bálor remained at the terminal after concluding his contact with Captain Grace Vetur. He was intrigued by what she had to say.

There was one call left to make though, arguably more impotence than to Grace.

Unlike the official transmission, this one carried no protocol beyond his own hesitation. This was one was rather personal in nature.

He entered a restricted command frequency from memory. Sometimes, it came in handy to spy on your boyfriend's data PADD when he was distracted.

"Computer," Percy said, "establish an encrypted point-to-point subspace communication with Lieutenant Commander Yivliph Ra-Gruvloveii, USS Ontario. Authorization Bálor Gamma-Seven-Nine."

The computer acknowledged immediately. "Encryption verified. Opening secure channel" the computer verified.

Percy folded his hands behind his back while the connection propagated across the relay network. His expression remained composed, though anyone who knew him well would have recognized the faint tightening around his eyes. He was poised to play one of his games.

When the channel connected, he offered the slightest hint of a smile. "Hello, handsome. You look a bit scruffy? I heard you were off ship frolicking with flowers without me. Naughty boy."

'I made no promises about extra-marital flower frolicking,' Yive replied with a smile, resisting the temptation to raise his hand to touch his fingers to the screen. The smile faded slightly. 'I read your rather cryptic message.'

Percy's voice softened with a sigh. "So, as you can imagine I managed to delay my return yet again, my love."

'Yes,' Yiv replied, his throat tightening around the words, rendering them almost curt with hurt. 'I still don't understand why - I have ... Well, I have a lot of questions ...'

Percy's attempt at humor faded as his thoughts returned to Folnar III and the 'gunfight' on Freecloud. Both which nearly killed him.

"I will save you the interrogation. Don't read any news from Freecloud. I have been busy..." noted Percy. He continued "I need your help" he added.

Percy paced slowly before the communications console.

"There is a nasty bunch of individuals pursuing me. Orions. They have been competent, but inconsistent. Their tactics suggest access to Syndicate resources without Syndicate discipline. If it were the Syndicate that I pissed off, they would have sent professionals who would never have allowed me to escape Folnar, much less Freecloud."

He stopped pacing. "Oh yes, Folnar III. I will bore you with the details when I get back, but Yiv, I need you to do some digging for me. You have security clearances that I do not, resources that I cannot tap into at the moment. I think I am dealing with one of the Orion Five Families, but I don't know which."

Letting out a little sigh, Yiv's shoulders slumped. 'The Five Families Percy? Really? You're out there on your own,' fire crept into his voice, the anger lit and curling through his voice. 'You should come back. We can look after you here. Take the Orions on together. Not this making me watch from afar, half-hearing what you've been up to.'

"Do not worry about me, Yiv. I already spoke to Grace. The Ontario will come pick me up after you are all done with what you have going on there." Pervy shook his head. "I heard there were flowers, and now people aren't feeling well. Grace is having me get in touch with the science department. I'll have a look at everything, but I want you to be extra careful. I miss you. A lot."

He reached out to touch the Tellarite on the terminal. 'I miss you too,' Yiv replied softly, 'and I do worry about you. I'll feel better once we've picked you up.' The Efrosian felt a bloom of joy deep in his chest that his love would be home soon. 'Can we keep track of you at least til then?'

Percy pressed his hand to the screen on his end. "I'm safe," he reiterated. "I am staying here until you all arrive. I promise to stay put, but I do need that information, Yiv. Anything you can get me on the Orion five families. I need to to determine which one of them is cross with me" added Percy.

"I was on Folnar and Freecloud for you," stated the Chief Science Officer, not fully disclosing everything in detail. "When I get back aboard, we can discuss it in detail. I don't want to say anything on this channel. Secure or not, we both know they never are entirely secure."

Frustration welled up inside him. He knew the channels were never fully secured. Yiv had ordered too many slices into others' conversations to imagine differently. Having to wait for Percy to return to find out what was going on was not the way he wanted to play it, but he would wait. And in the meantime, 'I'll get as much information on the Five Families as I can. We can arrange a drop in the usual manner,' he said with the ghost of a smile.

"You know I do enjoy it immensely when you speak my love language," teased Percy. "Cohersed acts of espionage and subterfuge. You really know how to turn a trouble maker on, my love," he quipped.

Yiv bit his lip, then smile. 'Come home and there can be plenty of espionage and subterfuge to be experienced.' He grew serious. 'I have your promise, right? Nothing reckless?'

Percy took a deep breath. I love you he thought to himself before answering Yiv. He was betrothed. This was the man he wanted to marry, the man he had just gone through hell and getting hunted planet to planet by Orions for, just because Percy was determined to give Yivliph Ra-Gruvloveii a ring only Percy could present.

"You have my heart," replied Percy. "That is even better than a promise" he said, not committing nor commenting on the promise not to do anything reckless. "I am just going to wait here and mind my business" added Percy.

He could tell Yiv was waiting for the promise. Percy sighed. "I promise that..." Percy smirked. "This signal is terrible. Did you hear me? I'll see you when you get here. Love you."

Percy severed the signal.

Lieutenant Commander Yivliph Ra-Gruvloveii
First Officer
USS Ontario

&

Lieutenant Percival Bálor
Chief Science Officer
USS Ontario

 

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