Change at Dinnertime

Posted on Sun Jul 3rd, 2011 @ 12:19pm by Captain Vorn Krace & Lieutenant Commander Sara Archer & Commander Jordan Gunning & Lieutenant JG Martin Cook

Mission: The Fate of the Swiftsure
Location: USS Iapetus - "Ridge" Lounge & Bar
Timeline: MD1 1834hrs

As Vorn entered the "Ridge" Lounge, as it had been affectionately nicknamed on the Iapetus's opening voyage, the thought suddenly occurred to him that it had been a long time since he had sat in the lounge for a meal, or even a drink. Most of the time lately, he'd been eating in his ready room or in his quarters, not even contemplating visiting the lounge to eat in a more sociable environment.

Taking a quick glance around, he immediately spotted the face of his newest helmsman as he made his way over to the replicator. "Banean rolk stew and a glass of..." he smiled, as he decided on a beverage that he recalled was added to ship databanks upon Voyager's return from the Delta Quadrant. "Tarin juice." As the replicator hummed quietly, he watched as his meal and accompanying drink were materialised out of the blue shimmering particles. Picking them both up, he made his way over to wards the helmsman's table.

"This seat taken, Lieutenant?" he asked as he approached.

Martin looked up, with his mouth full of contents of his roast dinner, he quickly swallowed and cleared his throat. "Not at all sir, please have a seat." Martin hadn't expected to be approached by anyone yet, let alone the captain. In his mind he had already switched from relaxed to a 'watch what you say' state of mind. Still, he thought he'd break the ice.

"So that gateway was really something eh sir?"

[Security Offices - Deck 9]

Jordan completed his log and picked up a PADD. The mess hall was as good a place as any to get yet more work done and there was always the chance that someone might distract him for long enough for him to forget that he didn't have another pile of PADDs waiting for him in the security office. The doors hissed behind him as they closed. Everyone would be off duty by now so he was careful to secure them, the last thing he needed was some nosey crewman thumbing through the report he was writing on Sub Commander Nevarn.

He felt himself sneer as the name crossed his mind. It had stuck in his craw that the vicious little git had got away scott-free. He hoped he might run into him again one day and he could crush his windpipe with a well-positioned thumb.

The Ridge Lounge was only one floor down but he didn't have the inclination to do anything other than stand in the turbolift for the three seconds or so it would take to deposit him on his selected floor. That was the problem with a starship, you never really had to walk anywhere.

[Ridge Lounge & Bar - Deck 10]

He reached the Ridge Lounge and Bar, a nice little enclave which seemed to be an oasis of unpredictable encounters in a sea of Starfleet homogeneity. The large doors parted before him and a thronging hub of the Iapetus' best and brightest sprawled out in front of him.

It was one of those situations where he didn't feel as though he knew anyone's name. Most of the senior officers would be taking a nap or finding some other way to entertain themselves but this was non-commissioned officer territory. Up until around eight o'clock, it always was.

He moved to the only free replicator that he could find in the room and gave a long, hard look. Was he hungry? Half the time he could never tell. El-Aurians, his mother had once told him, live so long that they barely need to bother eating. That was fine for her to say but being half-human he would probably only have half her life span. Something of a cruel irony really.

He wondered what his half-brother Alex would be doing at about this time. Probably enjoying some of the many entertainment delights on that Starbase of his. Perhaps he would send him a subspace message when he got back to his quarters. He had heard so little of him recently. He gave the replicator another long glance while an NCO impatiently kicked his heels behind him; too polite to ask a senior officer to move, too hungry to be completely passive.

What would Alex order? He thought to himself before speaking directly to the replicator. "Blended Scotch Whisky." He declared before pausing. "Cask strength... aged for eight years."

The blue haze lifted, revealing a neatly cut glass containing the amber liquid. It was an ample measure. Starfleet were good to their crews on that front.

He approached the nearest table where he was pleased to find the Captain sitting with a youngish Lieutenant who he had never seen before. He asked politely: "May I join you, gentlemen?"

"One of the most spectacular sights I've seen in my career so far," Vorn said, responding to the Lieutenant's question. Looking up at Jordan, he indicated towards the helmsman. "It's the Lieutenant's table," he answered, a smile on his mouth. "But if he agrees, then by all means."

Martin nodded in approval, with his mouth yet again full of food. It seems like all the senior officers were going to approach him when he was most likely to embarrass himself.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Jordan said taking up a position next to the Captain.

Another rare visitor to the "Ridge" slipped through the main doors. Since the voyage through the gateway, she had spent nearly every waking moment going over reports and writing new ones. Thanks to the previous mission, Sara was now the leading expert from Starfleet Intelligence on the Romulan Shrike class. Before the Iapetus went through the Gateway, Sara had to brief Starfleet on the new ship. The whole process was exhausting, even for her. She was looking forward to a well needed break.

Strolling over to the bar, she flagged down the bartender. One of the perks of being on the senior staff was that you had priority for drinks. "What will you have, Commander?"

"One Glaapian Fireheart, please." Ever since her aunt's visit, the spy had gained a taste for the drink. She ignored the annoyed glance from the bartender. The drink was not anywhere close to an easy drink to make. Sara instead looked around the room, watching the various members of the crew mill about.

Jordan caught the eye of the Chief of Intelligence and smiled warmly. He turned to his companions quickly and said with a cheeky grin crossing his face, "I hope you don't mind being joined by a spook."

"Seems like you've just chosen the most popular dining time tonight, Lieutenant," Vorn commented with a smile. "Don't worry, she's not as spooky as most spooks."

The Lieutenant squinted in a curious manner. "Sounds interesting. The last one I met was 'very' serious. Short hair, never smiled. For the first half hour of her security briefing I thought she was a Vulcan." He sipped his water. "The more the merrier," he said with a smile to the Intelligence officer.

Sara caught Jordan's eye and nodded in his direction. She didn't necessarily come down to socialize, but she knew that was a risk she was going to have to take. After the bartender finished her drink, she made her way across the lounge. "Good evening, gentlemen."

"Good evening, Sara," the tactical officer declared enthusiastically, "pull up a chair. Is that one of those Glaapian Firehearts?"

She nodded. "That's right. I guess I've developed a taste for it." She pulled over another chair and took a seat across from the captain. Sara still wasn't too comfortable in social situations, at least not when she wasn't on a mission. She just sipped at her drink and waited to see where the conversation went.

"See, I've decided to go for something more local," Vorn told the group. "Since we're in the Delta Quadrant, I opened up the cuisine database Voyager brought back from their little sojourn here." He held up his glass. "It's not actually half bad," he said with a grin.

"I suppose," Jordan interjected, holding up his own drink, "I'm drinking a toast to my half brother in my own little way. Blended Scotch, just like father always drank. Lighter, easier on the palette than a malt but definitely a refined taste."

He took a sip and muttered under his breath. "Here's to you, Alex."

Sara sipped from her glass. "I'm not a big fan of change. It's a miracle I'm even drinking this."

"Well, I'm afraid you're going to have to get used to it, Sara," Vorn said, smirking. "Because a whole lot has changed for us now. We're in a whole new part of the galaxy."

"That I'm fully aware of, Captain. That's why I needed the drink." Archer was not one to drink, mostly since she rarely considered herself off-duty, but given the circumstances, she was willing to make an exception.

"Things really are different," Jordan offered, "Just look out there. Every direction we go out there, there's going to be something new. Something that could be incredible or it could be completely banal. That's exploration for you- you just keep plodding on until you eventually find something worth writing home about."

"I just feel like a fish out of water. My job is to manage information. I control what we know. When in a crisis, people look to me to have the intelligence on our adversary that we need to solve the crisis. We're forging into unknown territory. Everything I have ever known, everything I have ever learned, will be useless out here." Sara took another drink. "I told you I don't like change."

Jordan placed his hand on Sara's arm. It was the first time he had ever actually made physical contact with her. It seemed slightly alien to him, she was usually so aloof but she seemed to need some kind of comfort.

"You'll adapt, Sara." He said, speaking more softly as this wasn't really for the benefit of the group. "I've seen you guess your way out of impossible situations. You've got instincts for this kind of thing and you're going to be an expert on this backwater in no time."

Sara stayed quiet. She wasn't really used to being touched. It's been a long time since anyone other than her aunt really showed any kind of a physical connection. Strangely, she did find it comforting. She closed her eyes and took another sip of her Fireheart. Under her breath, she only muttered "Thank you."

Gunning removed his hand and placed it back around his glass. He glanced over to her and caught her eye before mouthing the words 'you're welcome' silently.

Martin had continued eating, his eyes switching between the others at the table. "I think we should all be feeling at least abit of excitement. I mean this 'is' what we signed up to do right? Whether you're a security officer, intelligence, a pilot or even the captain, we're explorers first and foremost. Sadly I think starfleet lost that aspect periodically thanks to the Dominion War and the Borg incursions, but I'm happy that I'm on this ship doing stuff far more interesting than ninetyfive percent of the other ships in the fleet."

"Food for thought," he said as he scooped up the last part of his dinner.

"Here here," Vorn said, raising his glass in appreciation of the lieutenant's comment and taking a drink of it before picking his fork up again to eat some more of his rolk stew.

-----------------------
Captain Vorn Krace
Commanding Officer

Lt. Commander Jordan Gunning
Chief of Security

Lt. Commander Sara Archer
Chief Intelligence Officer

&

Lieutenant JG Martin Cook
Chief Flight Control Officer