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Jake sighed, tossing his PADD on the couch in frustration. The deadline for submission to the Bajoran Young Writers’ Society was in just a week. He had been attempting to write for over an hour now, but still had only a bare outline of the story he wanted to send in.
After a few more minutes of re-reading what he had already written, Jake heard the doors to the quarters slide open with a whoosh. “Jake-o!” his father called, walking over to the replicator. “Sweet tea with lemon, iced.”
“Hey, Dad.”
The captain picked up his freshly materialized glass of tea, carefully holding it to the side as he leaned over the back of the couch to kiss Jake on the head. “What are you up to?”
Jake sighed again. “I was trying to work on my story, but I just can’t seem to focus.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Something on your mind?” Ben asked, sitting down on the couch next to Jake.
“Yeah, I guess. It’s almost Nog’s birthday,” Jake replied, sounding despondent.
“And that’s a bad thing?” his father asked with a tilt of the head and a touch of amusement in his voice.
“Well, it’s his last one before he goes off to the Academy,” Jake said, “And I want to do something special.”
“I see,” his father responded, nodding. He crossed one leg over the other, taking a sip of his tea. “Any ideas so far?”
“Not really,” Jake said. “We normally go to the holosuites and then watch that shark movie, but I don’t want to do the same thing we do every year. I want it to be memorable.”
“Hmm, right.” Ben gave a slightly perplexed smile. “I will never understand why that boy loves Jaws so much.”
Jake chuckled. “You know, after watching it three years in a row, it’s actually grown on me.”
The captain shook his head, laughing. “I could say the same thing about Nog himself.”
Jake laughed again, glancing at the framed photo of himself and his friend on the nearby coffee table. The boys were dressed as the main characters from an old Earth comedy film, wearing baggy clothes and posing as if playing electric guitars.
“He’s full of surprises,” Jake murmured, affection coloring his voice. He looked up suddenly. “That’s it!”
His father raised his eyebrows, startled. “Yes?”
“A surprise party! Oh, Dad, Nog would love it. He’s always wanted one, but his dad and uncle are always too busy working to put one on for him.”
“Well, his birthday is only a few days away. Will you need any help?”
Jake looked around their quarters, his mind beginning to race. “Uh, yeah, maybe. Can we have it here? Can you make some food?”
“Of course, son.” Ben smiled, reaching over to pat Jake firmly on the shoulder. “Just let me know when I should start prepping the gumbo.”
-
Jake sat in the replimat the next morning, brow furrowed at his PADD. Kazoos were apparently hard to come by in deep space. He could probably get some shipped to the station from Earth, but the earliest transport wouldn’t be there until the day of the party, and he wasn’t sure if it would arrive in time. He wondered if he could use his dad-is-a-Starfleet-captain card in this situation, try contacting someone who would be on that transport and make sure they could get them to him before the party began.
Beginning to think that maybe kazoos weren’t exactly necessary, he picked up a slice of makapa bread, stirring it in his raktajino and watching as the drink began to gently froth. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone approach his table, and looked up.
“Good morning, Jake,” Major Kira greeted him cheerily, glancing back at Lieutenant Dax, who walked up carrying two mugs.
Dax handed one mug to Kira, smiling warmly, before turning to Jake. “Still working on that story?”
Jake took a quick bite of the soggy makapa bread, making a face as he chewed. “No, actually, I’m—” he paused, swallowing his mouthful as he glanced around the replimat, “I’m planning a party. A surprise, for Nog’s birthday.”
“Oh, how wonderful!” Jadzia exclaimed. “I love surprise parties.”
“Of course you do,” Kira scoffed and rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t hide the smile that pulled at the corners of her mouth.
“What can I say? I love to be celebrated!” Jadzia laughed, Jake and Kira grinning along with her.
“Well, I really want to celebrate Nog,” Jake said. “He’s going to be leaving soon, and…I’m worried. I mean, there’s never been a Ferengi in Starfleet before, and no one at the Academy knows how great he is, and I don’t want him to forget us or—”
“Jake, hon,” Jadzia said gently, pulling out the chair across from Jake and sitting down. She smiled up at Major Kira, who nodded in understanding and leaned down to give her a quick kiss before walking away.
Jadzia settled herself in her chair, looking at Jake with the slightly amused face of a parent who knows their child is upset over something inconsequential.
“You know Nog loves you, right?”
“Yeah, I know.” Jake replied, looking down at his lap.
“And he knows you love him?”
“I guess.”
“He does. Believe me, after seven lifetimes, I can sense these things. It’s understandable that you’d be worried—Nog’s classmates will have to be open-minded and take their time to learn who he is, just like we had to do. But he’ll find his place, his people. And he won’t forget the people and the place he has here.”
Jake looked up at Jadzia and sighed. “You’re right, of course. And the truth is…well, I think I’m more nervous for myself than I am for him. It’s hard to imagine life without him just a turbolift ride away. And I don’t really have any other close friends on the station, and…I’m just really gonna miss him.”
“You will. It will be hard. But you’ll adjust, and before you know it, you’ll be on Earth, too! You can save up your transporter credits and visit him whenever you like.”
Jake smiled, imagining what the future might be like. He would get out of his last class of the day, chat with his classmates about the most recent assignment, and stop by his quarters to grab an overnight bag before taking the transporter to San Francisco. That wouldn’t be so bad, he thought.
“I haven’t gotten into the Pennington School yet,” he said.
“Details, details,” Jadzia retorted, pushing her chair out and standing up. “Now, I have to get to Ops. Just let us know when and where this party is happening, and Kira and I will be there.”
“I will. Bye, Jadzia.”
“Bye, Jake. Have a nice day!” she called, waving as she walked away.
Jake sat for a moment longer, picturing Nog visiting him at school, showing him all his favorite spots around Wellington. Eventually, he stood, took his tray over to the replicator to dispose of it, and headed to Quark’s. If this party was going to be truly memorable, he had to make sure Nog could have all the tube grubs his heart desired.
-
Jake pressed the button next to the door and listened as the chime rang out. The doors slid open almost immediately, startling Jake and causing him to take a step back.
“Jake! Looking forward to our holosuite appointment?” Nog asked jovially.
Jake smiled, feeling his heartbeat quicken with excitement—and nerves. Everything (and hopefully, everyone) was in place, now all he had to do was make sure the guest of honor showed up.
“Yeah—yeah, I just—do you mind if we stop at my quarters first? I’ve got to, um…” Why hadn’t he thought of an excuse ahead of time? “I wanted to run some writing by you. I’m not sure about the ending of the story I’m working on.”
“Oh. Alright.” Nog sounded slightly deflated. “Listen, I know you don’t like Ferengi holosuite programs. I promise, this time I chose one with much less—”
“No, no! It’s not that, I promise. It’s just that I’m a bit stuck, and I really value your opinion.”
“Oh! Well thanks, pal!” Nog brightened up again, placing a hand on Jake’s arm. “Anything to help my friend, the future best-selling author.”
Jake watched as Nog hurried toward the turbolift. Yes, Jake thought. Any of the other cadets at the Academy would be lucky to have Nog as a friend.
-
“…and so then Uncle Quark said that if I make it to ensign in four years, he would leave the bar to me in his will, but then my dad said—”
“Surprise!”
Nog had been so preoccupied with his story that he hadn’t noticed the nervous, hopeful look on Jake’s face as he opened the doors to his quarters. Suddenly the young Ferengi was faced with an overwhelming sight—balloons and streamers lined the walls, a powerful mixture of aromas emanating from a long table piled with food, and what seemed like half the station stood in front of him, many wearing party hats. Even Constable Odo was there, holding a small, plastic, pipe-like object and looking slightly pained.
“I—what—Jake! What’s going on?” Nog sputtered.
“Happy birthday, Nog.” Jake said. “I thought you deserved something special for your last birthday on the station.”
Nog grinned wide, showing off his sharp teeth. “Jake, this is incredible! I thought you’d been busy working on your story! How did you have time for all this?”
“I’ve had lots of help,” he smiled, glancing around the room. “And yes, I’ve been busy, but it’s your birthday! You deserve it.”
Nog gave Jake a tight hug before pulling back to look him in the eye. “Jake Sisko. What would I do without a friend like you?”
Nog looked around, walking further into the room to begin mingling with the other guests. As he went, Jake glanced over to the table of food, making sure the tube grubs were fresh like he had requested. He shuddered as he watched them wiggle around in the serving dish.
“Well, son, you pulled it off.” He turned at the sound of his father’s voice and leaned in as he put an arm around his shoulders.
“I did. Well, the surprise part, at least. We’ll see how the party goes.”
Ben chuckled, gently squeezing Jake against him before letting him go. “Oh, the party will be great. And if you don’t believe me, just try the gumbo.”
Jake looked across the room, watching Nog get a hug from his teary-eyed father and a pat on the back from his uncle. He smiled, a bittersweet feeling settling into his chest. He knew saying goodbye to Nog would be hard, but he also knew his best friend would help him get through it.