Don't Be Eye Candy, Be Soul Food

Posted on Sunday September 15th, 2019 @ 8:19pm by Lieutenant Commander Canaan Serine & Lieutenant Nealey Brinsley
Edited on on Saturday February 8th, 2020 @ 5:48pm

2,787 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Departure and Trial Run
Location: USS Poseidon; Officers Galley and Dining Room, Deck 3
Timeline: Pre-Poseidon Launch; Pre-Departure

[ON]

The Poseidon offered several different recreational facilities throughout the ship, from bars to lounges and game rooms, to mess halls and dining areas. Most were for the enlisted personnel, cadets, and trainees, with a few strictly reserved for the officers. The ship wasn't lacking on the creature comforts of home. If one were looking for a relatively quiet space to enjoy a bite to eat, it was the officer's galley and dining room on deck three.

Lieutenant Canaan Serine entered the cabin and was immediately seated by the host. The officer's dining room was a formal affair as it pertained to meals. Perhaps this was due to the little downtime offered to line offers, and what precious little they did have was intended to meet their station and role. It was a luxury and direct reflection of their status. Canaan wasn't opposed to the concept, although he didn't promote it, either.

Taking a seat, the host poured Canaan a glass of water and received his beverage order. The host returned moments later with a glass of ice-cold strawberry lemonade and a basket of assorted bread. The host nodded to Canine before turning to return to his station where a young woman had appeared.

Canaan recognized the officer as Lieutenant Nealey Brinsley, the Poseidon's Chief of Operations. He waved for Brinsley to join him, gesturing to the empty chair opposite his own. "Care to join me?" He asked, dropping the cloth napkin into his lap.

Nealey nodded and accepted the invite she'd been extended to join her new colleague. She took the offered seat and smiled at Canaan before extending a hand across the table for a shake.

"Thank you, Lieutenant - a pleasure to meet you," Nealey said.

"You as well!" Canaan embraced the woman's hand in his own, giving a gentle squeeze before pulling away. "We didn't have much of an opportunity to say hello in the briefing; how are you settling in?"

The host returned for Brinsley's drink order and dropped off two menu's for them to consider.

Nealey ordered a cup of tea before beginning to browse the menus. Both were attractive, and she was having a difficult time choosing between them.

"Not too bad thank you. It's a bit cramped in our quarters seeing as there's five of us plus a cat - but so far so good. How about you?" Nealey asked.

"So far, so good," Canaan replied, "I suppose being single has its perks in the amount of privacy and space offered. You've quite a large family on board?" He wasn't privy to details of Brinsley's familial status and thought it best not to assume.

Nealey nodded. "Yeah. My younger sister and two daughters live with my wife and me - to be honest,, our quarters on the Victoria weren't that much bigger than the ones we have now, so we're used to not having much space."

"It makes it all a bit cozier, right?" Canaan could be obnoxiously positive at times, which turned out to be a blessing and a curse as it related to social interactions. "You must have a very active home life then? Was it always like this?" There was no pretense or judgment in his questions, merely unbridled curiosity.

"Nope. My eldest daughter was put into care when she was born - as apparently I wasn't a fit mother. First to move in was my sister followed by my eldest daughter - my wife moved in shortly after that and then my youngest daughter was born three months later," Nealey responded.

"I'm sorry to hear about your eldest daughter, that must have been incredibly difficult. She's back with you, though. Did circumstances change?" He didn't intend to pry, although that's how it must have sounded. "How long have you and your wife been married?" Canaan attempted to divert the conversation to a cheerier topic while he reviewed the menu options, quickly deciding on a meal.

Nealey replied. "Thanks...it was difficult, but at least I got her back in the end. We've been married since December 2389 - we got married just before Christmas actually."

"Did you two have a snow-filled wedding reception?" Canaan mused as he took a sip of the ice-cold strawberry lemonade, savoring the sweet and tart flavor.

Nealey smiled. "We did actually - the Chief Engineer of the Victoria made a snow machine just for Maddie and I's wedding. It was such a magical day...I'd offer to show you the photos, but there are literally hundreds of them, and we'd be there all night."

Canaan laughed with a subtle shrug of the shoulders. "I can think of worse ways to spend an evening. I could bring wine." He mused, envisioning a grand ceremony surrounded by friends and loved ones. "I'm not familiar with the Victoria, what class of ship is it? Is that where you and Maddie first met?" He saw the host approaching, ready to take their order.

"The Victoria's the oldest Excelsior-class left in the fleet at the grand old age of 99 years old. It is indeed where Maddie and I met - if you want to come and say hello one night we could have that bottle of wine you've suggested?" Nealey replied.

"I'd like that, so long as it wasn't an imposition." The pair ordered their meal, Canaan going with the Sole Meunière and a small dinner salad with balsamic vinaigrette. "Most of the crew are trainees and cadets, which has made it difficult making new friends." He confessed.

After going between one or two different dishes - both of which were very tempting indeed - Nealey selected the cheese and spinach chicken with mixed vegetables.

Nealey smiled. "I wouldn't offer if it were Lieutenant - we like making new friends. Admittedly like I said earlier it is a bit cramped...but we've always got a room for our friends."

"Excellent!" Canaan replied happily, ripping a piece of bread from the loaf for both Nealey and himself. He offered her the herb-infused butter. "So what prompted the change... In the venue, I mean?" Although he gestured to the dining room, he meant the ship as a whole.

Nealey smiled and thanked Canaan before buttering her first piece of bread - telling herself not to eat too much of it before her main meal arrived.

"Erm...well the Victoria is going in for a refit and will be out of service for up to four months. I'm not sure I really want to sit on my hands for that long," Nealey replied.

"Will you go back after it's all said and done?"

Nealey nodded. "That's the plan at the moment yeah - Madison has been offered a promotion to chief conn officer once the refit is complete and I don't really want her to miss out on a promotion she's worked so hard for. But...things may change over the next few months, so the door is open to staying here permanently."

Canaan disliked the thought of losing a friend after only a few short months, but he also knew how the fleet worked. "Well, I hope it all works out precisely how it's intended." He remarked honestly. "I, myself, signed on for a full five years. It makes sense, " He affirmed with a shrug, "Most tried, and true experiments tend to take that long." He was exaggerating, of course.

"I was offered a role as the first officer on a deuterium tanker, but I wasn't sure it was for me really. The commanding officer seemed nice enough - in fact, he was lovely - but I didn't really want to commit to a position I didn't feel 100% about. I actually felt really guilty turning him down," Nealey responded.

"Why guilty?" Canaan wondered with an eyebrow cocked upward. "If it didn't feel right, then that means you followed your gut. What about it didn't make sense at the time? Do you regret your decision?"

Nealey shrugged. "I just don't like letting people down, I guess. In hindsight...maybe I should have given it a try...but I'm here now, so it is what it is."

"Indeed," Canaan replied, letting the topic go as a server approached with their respective meals. Canaan looked down at the dish, surveying the crispy filet still sizzling as butter dripped down the cracks of its light, flaky crust. "But you're here now and settling in with the family. What do you think the purpose was of investing in a comprehensive refit when there are brand new ships of the line in dire need of a crew?" He wondered, sprinkling freshly ground pepper on the side salad.

Nealey looked at her own meal and already knew that she'd made the right choice. She could almost taste the succulent chicken breasts - and was very much looking forward to eating the well-presented dish the server had put in front of her.

Nealey replied. "I feel older ships still have a part to play in the fleet. Take the Victoria - she's the oldest Excelsior-class in service, and yet she's having an extensive refit despite being a hundred years old next year. In all honesty, I feel more at home on the older ships - they feel like they were built to last. The more modern designs don't really give me that feeling...and I don't think they have a lot of character either."

Canaan shook his head, hastily chewing a bite of fish so he could respond. "The Gemini is an Intrepid-class, and I found her to have quite a bit of character, although that may have had more to do with the crew than the ship." He pondered this for a passing second before continuing, "But, I see what you mean, though. I'm eager to try out the recreational facilities, many of which you can't find on a more modern-day vessel. I mean, we have a freaking arboretum!" He gushed with more enthusiasm than intended.

Nealey shrugged. "I suppose I might check out the recreational facilities when I get a chance - although with the situation being what it is I'm not really sure there's much point in me getting too acquainted."

She then began to eat her food - suddenly feeling a sense of sadness that the friends she and Madison would make here would be left behind again once the Victoria was ready to return to service.

Canaan mirrored Nealey's shrug, "There's also no harm in it, either. It could be counterproductive to stay closed-up in cramped quarters, right?" He suggested, "Besides, think of this as a mini-vacation before the real work begins; might as well enjoy all of the little luxuries while we're here." He gestured to Brinsley's dish, "How is it?" He asked with a half-cocked smile.

"We like to be social it's just for the first few days of us being here we decided we'd stay in our quarters just so we can settle in I suppose" Nealey responded.

She then took a mouthful of her food before answering Canaan's question about her food.

Nealey concluded. "It's really nice thank you - how about you?"

"Mine, too." Canaan agreed with a confident nod of the head. "Where are you originally from?" He asked, tearing a knob of bread from the roll and dipping it into the buttery sauce. This meal was the first he'd enjoyed since arriving and was finding it and the company to be most enjoyable.

Nealey too helped herself to some more of the bread and took a large bite out of it before responding to Canaan's question. So far, Nealey found herself enjoying his company and was looking forward to serving with him.

Nealey replied. "I'm from Australia originally - my partner is from the North West of England. How about yourself?"

Canaan always found differentiating between the two accents a bit difficult. "Australia?! I've never been, but I've heard it's paradise." Even with transporter technology, there were places on Earth he'd not visited. Canaan had a list, though, and Australia was on it. "North America, specifically Maine, north... only a few hours by car from Quebec." He explained, "Snow country."

Nealey smiled. "Australia is amazing...you really need to go if you ever get the chance to. Although now it's my turn to say I've never been to where my colleague was born - although North America is on my "to do" list at some point"

"I'll take us on a hike through the backwoods," Canaan suggested, "In the Autumn, the weather is perfect, and we're sure to see plenty of wildlife." Moose, bear, deer, ducks, and pheasant among the gorgeous backdrop of color-painted leaves. "And if you're feeling up to it, perhaps a night of camping?"

"That would be lovely. As we're stuck out here though...it might take a while for that to happen. Would you be able to sort something out using the holodeck?" Nealey responded.

Canaan nodded, his expression brightening with excitement, "Yes! And we could have your wife and kiddo's join us, too... if they wanted. Or not. I suppose that's up to them." He rambled on for a bit longer before taking the last bite of his meal.

Nealey smiled. "Sure - I'll suggest it to them later and see what they think about the idea. Maybe I can take you on a little tour of Australia in the next couple of weeks or so? I've got a few programs of my own which I think you might enjoy."

Canaan hadn't visited a proper beach before. There were only a few sandy beaches along the coast of Maine, and the waters were a far cry from what he envisioned the tropical depths to be along the Australian shores. "I'd like that," He answered sincerely, "I've not snorkeled before, maybe we could do that, too?" In these activities, Canaan reverted to his more playful side. He was an outdoor enthusiast, coming up with just about any reason to have an adventure.

Nealey had some more of her food as Canaan spoke. She was very much enjoying her meal in addition to the equally excellent company.

"How two good minds think alike. One of my programs involves snorkeling off the Gold Coast which I'm sure you'll love as much as Madison, and I do," Nealey responded.

"You two must be like fish?" Canaan joked, taking a sip of his beverage.

Nealey giggled. "Well we can both swim so I suppose that's something that Madison and I have in common with fish."

Canaan mirrored the giggle, day-dreaming about how if he lived minutes from tropical beaches, you'd have to drag him kicking and screaming from the water.

"Well," he began with some satisfaction, "That was a pretty delicious meal, compliments to the cook and all, but I found your company the most enjoyable." He stated with no hint of insincerity. Canaan smiled, slowly standing. "I'm afraid there's still a bit more to do before I call it an evening and should probably return to it sooner rather than later." He pushed his chair in, dropping the napkin on the seat beforehand. "Shall I send you a message about our holodeck excursion?"

Nealey nodded. She'd not quite finished her meal yet, but she liked to take her time to enjoy the food rather than rush it as she felt rushing spoiled the meal. She paused and put her cutlery down before smiling.

Nealey replied. "Yeah of course. It's been lovely to meet you, and I look forward to our holodeck adventures - as well as you coming over to have a look at our wedding photos."

Canaan grinned, "With a few bottles of wine, too, don't forget." He added, with a subtle dip of his head. "Thanks for sharing this time with me, Nealey." He finished. Under normal circumstances, Canaan would've waited for his counterpart to finish, good manners dictated as much. But there was still much to accomplish before their departure that exceptions needed to be made when it came to etiquette. He knew that Nealey understood and would forgive his social faux-pas.

Turning, the Science Officer departed the dining room with a nod of the head and smile to their host.

Nealey watched Canaan leave with a smile on her face before continuing to eat the rest of her delicious meal. It had been a wonderful dinner which she'd shared with some excellent company - and Nealey was very much looking forward to introducing Canaan to Madison and the rest of her family too.

[OFF]

"And suddenly you know, it's time to start something new and trust in the magic of beginnings."

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