Dinner for Three

Posted on Fri Apr 10, 2015 @ 4:35pm by Lieutenant Saria Rex & Commander Caleb Ryan & Civilian Aleczandra Naqiis-Ryan

2,463 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Eye of the Beholder
Location: Lt. Cmdr. Ryan’s quarters
Timeline: MD 2/1900

Aleczandra had gone to a lot of work to get their quarters ready for dinner with Lieutenant Rex. What hadn’t been unpacked had been shoved into Alecxandra’s room out of the way. She had exaggerated a little with Saria yesterday. There wasn’t that much left to be done. One learned to travel light when living in Starfleet. But life on Leto Colony had led to a more settled existence, so there were a few more things cluttering up their lives. While they had culled much of it before leaving Leto, many personal things still came with them. The quarters were big than any they’d had on a starship, but smaller than the bungalow on Azandria.

When the door chime sounded, Zandra looked up from where she was setting the table. “I got it!” she called to Caleb. There wasn’t an actual kitchen in quarters since it was assumed one would use the replicator, but Caleb had set up a makeshift station with a table and some burners.

Zandra took off her apron and tossed it into the bedroom before going to the door. It slid open to reveal the blonde Science chief and Aleczandra smiled. “Hey, boss. Come on in!”

Saria stepped inside the Ryans’ quarters very casually, though she was still dressed in her uniform and her utility belt. She'd only sometimes don civilian clothes, but usually it was just her uniform. Especially with her position as Chief of Science aboard the station, she felt the need to 'represent' Starfleet's Science division.

"With pleasure," Saria replied as she looked around the quarters. They were no more different than her quarters, except for the furniture, which was more of a blend of both Terran and Trill.
"Seems you settled in quite well already!" She turned to Aleczandra.

“It’s all illusion!” Aleczandra laughed. “I am very adept at hiding the mess!”

Saria only smiled and nodded in response. She bent her head around the corner, into the extent of the living room, and saw a tall but solid man standing behind what seemed like a makeshift kitchen. His face was unshaven, though it was only a stubby beard, and his hair was somewhere in between proper and a little messy, but it didn't really bother Saria.

"So, you must be the famous cook of Deck 24 then! Lieutenant Commander Ryan, I take it?" She smirked.

Caleb wiped his hands off on his apron before taking it off. He was in jeans, cowboy boots, and a nice black buttoned shirt with white pearl buttons and a string tie with a longhorn skull for the clasp.

“An’ you must be Lieutenant Rex,” he replied. “Caleb’s just fine when we’re off duty, ma’am,” he told her with a genuine smile. “Haven’t gotten around ta meetin’ all the senior staff yet, so it’s good ta meet ya. Come on in. Can Zandy get ya a drink?” he offered, nodding over to where a small table had been set up under where the replicator was, a sort of wet bar with various offerings.

"Good to meet you too...Caleb." Saria smiled. "Do you have something like...soda? I heard you Old Western people drink 'Root Beer', right?" she said, as she memorized some of the things she picked up during her training on Earth.

Caleb laughed. “Root beer,” he said with a nod. “That we got.” He nodded to Aleczandra, who went to a small stasis cube, much like one that would be had in Sickbay or a biology lab for keeping samples. This one must have kept things cold, as well, however, as the bottle was icy when Zandra handed it to Saria.

Saria looked around carefully at the Old West-styled quarters. She expected Caleb to have most of the furniture, after she read his file. On the wall, she saw a Terran Old West rifle that used chemical rounds. Next was a black hat she saw hanging in the distance. Probably Caleb's, she thought. Throughout the quarters itself were holopictures of what seemed to be a ranch, with horses and cows and an elderly couple. ~Must be his parents and her grandparents.~
She walked toward his desk, spotting a display case next to his computer. She bowed over it to get a clear sight of what was inside. A pair of treated Terran pistols that used chemical rounds as well, probably some kind of prize piece.

Finally, she saw a framed picture on the other side of the desk. A family picture. Saria slowly approached it, as the lighting made the details clearer. On the left, she saw quite sturdy man in his end-30s. No doubt it was Caleb. Down in the middle was a young girl with blonde hair, blue eyes, and the typical crude Trill spots on the sides of her head. It looked like she had just hit puberty. ~Aleczandra when she didn't have the rainbow hair yet~ On the right side, smiling, was a Trill woman. She had blonde hair, and blue eyes, just like Aleczandra used to have. Saria moved in a little closer to see more details. She now saw the Trill spots on the woman's forehead. This must've been Mika, Caleb's wife.

“That’s my mum,” Aleczandra’s voice spoke quietly as she came up behind Saria. Caleb had returned to his kitchen area to turn the steaks, their scent filling the quarters. “Wasn’t she beautiful?” Zandra said wistfully. She put her hand on her stomach.

Saria nodded slowly. "She really was." Turning around slowly, she now faced Aleczandra. "It's unbelievable how one can be ripped from your life in a second. It's something you'll never get used to..." She remembered the deaths that Rex had witnessed throughout its life, especially Anaia Rex's massacre on Tau Volantis.

“Yeah, I know,” Aleczandra said with a grimace. The pain of her mother’s death had faded over the last two years, but it still rose up sharply at times, and the fact that her mother was inside of her didn’t help. And then there was the firsthand knowledge of death she had from Juheni, who had taken his share of lives.

Saria suddenly sniffed the air a few times, smelling a somewhat familiar scent. "Is that... steak, what I'm smelling?" she asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Caleb smiled. “Should be ready in a few minutes. That okay?” he asked. “Ah wasn’t sure what you’d enjoy. Zandy didn’t say. But Ah’m a fair hand with a steak, if Ah do say so myself,” he smiled. He went to what looked like a small oven and used a pair of tongs to pull out some oblong objects wrapped in metal foil. “Table ready, Zandy?”

“Just about,” the rainbow-haired teen said. “Excuse me,” she told Saria. “Please, make yourself at home.”

"Need any help?" Saria asked Aleczandra quickly as she passed by. "Because that's what I do at home," she added, smirking.

Aleczandra shrugged. “Sure,” she said. “It’s almost ready.” The place settings had all been gathered and put out; they just needed to be laid.

“You prefer beer or wine?” Caleb asked Saria, looking up from pulling out what appeared to be a side dish of macaroni and cheese. “And Zandry-bear, the salad is in the preserver,” he said.

Zandra winced a bit, embarrassed at the nickname used in front of her new ‘boss’.

Saria grinned upon hearing Aleczandra's nickname as she laid the cutlery out around their plates. ~I wonder how they came up with that nickname,~ she thought.

"To be honest, Caleb, I'm not much of a drinker, but a wine will do," she replied to the busy Chief of Security. After she laid out the cutlery she went ahead and got seated, as she didn't want to be in the way of the Ryans when it came to the food.

“Whatever ya like,” Caleb assured Saria. Soon they had the table laid out and Caleb plated up the steaks. They were covered in a mushroom sauce with a baked potato and broccoli on the side. A side salad and a bowl of macaroni and cheese completed the meal offering, though Caleb assured Saria there was dessert.

Caleb finished pouring the red wine into the glasses – only a little for Aleczandra – and there was also ice water available. Then he took his own seat. “Ah hope ya like it,” Caleb said.

Saria looked over the food that they just set on the table. "I think I will." She smirked as she grabbed her plate and was actually the first to grab a piece of steak, just when Caleb sat down. She also quickly grabbed some of the potatoes and the broccoli and dropped it next to the steak. Then she placed her plate back in front of her and grabbed the cutlery. She was just about to cut a piece of steak when she looked up to Caleb and Aleczandra, who hadn't even got the chance to grab any food.

"Oh, excuse me... It's been awhile since I had dinner with others..." She dropped the cutlery and blushed. How could she have been so rude?

Caleb chuckled. “Don’t worry. Zandy usually is shovelin’ it in by now, too,” he said.

“DAD!” Aleczandra exclaimed, embarrassed.

“Ah can’t say Ah blame ya,” Caleb smiled at Saria. “It smells delicious.” As he and Zandra fixed their plates, he said, “Go ahead and dig in.”

Zandra gave Saria a reassuring smile.

"You have quite a vision of Aleczandra's eating habits, Caleb," Saria remarked somewhat teasingly. He was, however, right about his steak, which she couldn't get enough of as she put the second piece in her mouth.

"So, as you might already know," Saria spoke, "Aleczandra is willing assist me at the Science department with some tasks, which I believe she is well suited for. Do you have any objections, being in the Security department yourself?"

“No, ma’am,” Caleb said. “As long as she gets her schoolwork done and remembers school comes first, Ah have no problem with it. It’s a good opportunity for her,” he said with a smile. “It will look good on her Academy application.”

Aleczandra frowned. “If I go to the Academy,” she said before taking a bite of steak.

"Would you also mind..." Saria asked after, but realized soon that it was a touchy subject, and paused for a little to get her head straight about what she was to say. “Would you also mind me teaching Aleczandra about Trill culture, the...uhm... other side of her heritage?" She did her best not to offend Caleb's former wife. "I think that, if given the time, Aleczandra could learn a lot about the other abilities that she possesses, but has not yet mastered."

She looked at Aleczandra in the hope that she didn't offend her by underestimating her current abilities.

“Other abilities?” Aleczandra asked. Looking at Saria and then at her father, hopefully keeping the panic from her face. Does she suspect?

Caleb had a better poker face. “If Zandy wishes,” Caleb nodded. “Mika – my wife – taught her some, but Ah admit we never did get to Trill when she was alive.” And likely will steer clear of the place now that Zandy is illegally Joined. “Ah haven’t had much to teach her on that since then though,” Caleb admitted.

"I understand," Saria said calmly, cutting a piece of the steak. "Only if you want to, Aleczandra." She looked at Caleb's daughter. "I will teach you Trill language, history, culture. We could exchange experiences and knowledge through a 'mind bridge'..."

“Mind bridge?” Aleczandra asked.

"...but since you are unjoined, a mind bridge might be a bit overwhelming for you. Your call," she said as she chewed on a piece of steak. "If you like, I can also perform Zhian'tara, an essential Trill ritual where a joined Trill will place the personality of one of their past hosts into another person so he or she can actually 'meet' their past host." Saria turned a little to Aleczandra. "It can be really fun!" she flustered, grinning.

Fun! Aleczandra wasn’t sure it would be so fun meeting Juheni. Kinony might be, but could also be risky. And her mother…

“That all seems a little…advanced,” Caleb said warningly to his teenage daughter. “Should probably go slow,” he said, with a smile before taking a bite of his steak. “How long have ya been on DS5, Lieutenant?” Caleb asked.

"Two years," Saria slurped her drink. “and still going strong. I was the acting Chief Science Officer before they made me a real Chief." She laughed. "Have you ever served on a station this size before, Caleb? I can imagine it can be somewhat overwhelming."

Caleb smiled. “A station, no,” he said. “Was XO of a whole planet before this, though,” he said. “Leto Colony.”

Saria snapped her fingers. "Oh yeah, forgot about that! I talked about it with Aleczandra. Big responsibility, I presume!"

“Certainly,” Caleb nodded. “A rather…unique experience,” he had to admit.

"What do you think, Aleczandra? Big station, huh?" Saria said.

Aleczandra shrugged. “It’s okay,” she said with typical teenage diffidence. “Haven’t had much time to look around,” she admitted. “Anyplace you recommend checking out?”

"A lot. There are dozens of fancy shops and cafes on the Promenade. I would recommend the Box of Delights, but I head from Yolanthe that you already were there not too long ago," Saria replied.

“Yeah, we stopped in,” Zandra nodded. “It was pretty cool. Not stuffy at all.” She grinned at her dad. “They let me drink.”

Caleb shook his head. “Just that once,” he warned her.

Saria came closer to Aleczandra. "Maybe I can recommend Cult Coffee. It's a book and coffee shop on Deck 142 run by Professor Vince Price. If there is any good storyteller on the station, it's him," she said. "My eyes and ears on the station say that my 'lackey', Temah Eusal, likes to go to his storytellings," Saria whispered teasingly.

Aleczandra blushed a bit and her father gave her a quizzical look. “Sounds like fun,” she said. “I love to hang out in book stores. Real books, or PADDS?” she asked. “And what kind of stories does he tell? Don’t think I’ve ever sat and listened to a storyteller. Well, other than Dad, and he’s boring,” she grinned, sticking her tongue out at her father.

“Hey!” Caleb protested with a laugh. “Ah am not boring!”

FIN

Lt. Cmdr. Caleb Ryan
Chief Security/Tactical Officer

Aleczandra Naqiis-Ryan
His daughter

Lieutenant Saria Rex
Chief Science Officer

 

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