Party Preparations

I'm worried about the Christmas Party that is starting next week.

It could well have been a mistake having the Borg do the catering and playing the music; however, as the Borg Queen threatened to assimilate us if we don't comply, we didn't have much of a choice.

The senior staff are having a meeting in my Ready Room so that we can discus the final preparation before it goes ahead.

"How are things with the Borg, Seven?" I ask her.

"I have received a communication from Unimatrix o1, Locutus." she replies, "The Borg Queen tells me that The Strolling Bones have been rehearsing, and will be ready to perform; there are back up drones standing by in case one of the band members becomes faulty and needs repairing."

"And the Catering?" inquires Riker.

"That is also taken care of" she tells him, "There are drones who have been trained in carrying cocktails, cheesy snacks and vol-au-vants."

"Good." I tell them, "Now what about the invitations? How are we going there, Data?"

"We are getting quite a few replies, Captain." he answers, "Many are saying that they cannot wait to enjoy the occasion. For a few, I have had to assure them that they will not be assimilated by one of the waiters."

Seven looks the other way when this is mentioned, but she assures me there will be a truce while the party is going on.

"Where will the Enterprise be, Captain, while the party takes place?" asks Geordi.

"Hopefully in a very quiet part of the universe, Mr La Forge." I reply, "The party will go on for five days, and none of us will be in too good a condition to ward off alien invaders."

"They should know it's Christmas!" chimes in Deanna, and the others agree.

"How about the Christmas tree, Jadzia?" I ask, "Is that coming along?"

"I've got a team of 12 crewmembers working through the day and night on the decorations." she says with irritation, "If we'd have had the party in the holodeck, we could have created one instantly."

"It's not the same, Jadzia." Beverly tells her, "People like to see a real tree."

"Does that mean you'll join the volunteers, Beverly?" replies Jadzia drily.

"Now finally," I state, "Security. What is happening there, Mr Worf?"

" I will have a team of my best officers standing at the door, making sure we don't get anybody we don't want in, Captain." Worf states firmly, "The brig will be all ready so that we can throw any troublemakers in there right away."

"No need to be too heavy-handed, Mr Worf" I advise him, "Be discreet; after all, the crew are enjoying themselves and letting their hair down, like I will be doing."

I hear many try to suppress a slight giggle at this remark. I wonder why?

"Klingons are not known for discretion, Captain." Worf comments, "However, I shall think carefully before I throw anyone in the brig."

"All right, everybody." I tell them, "That's the meeting over. Now let's get ready for the party starting on Monday."

What are we all in for?

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Author's note: Your last chance to submit an entry for the Christmas Party is Friday night 1st November! See previous posts for details!