Dinner Date

Posted on Sun Dec 19th, 2021 @ 2:27am by Lieutenant Commander Shoniara T’ghann-Travis Dr & Commander Samantha Howard

Mission: Sinister Intentions
Location: USS Washington. Guest quarters

Valev T’ghrek looked over the dinner menu he had prepared himself. He did not often cook but he felt this time his guest deserved the best. After their non lunch date the other day he had felt ill at ease. He attempted to think logically as to why. His sister was out of sickbay with her mind intact and a promotion to full Lieutenant. Callie on the other hand was another matter but he had done what he could for her and Shon was following up with her.

No, he reasoned, it was something to do with his dinner guest Sam Howard. Outwardly he found her very attractive and inwardly her mind attracted him in another way. It had been a few years since he had felt like this and that relationship had ended badly

He did not know how long he had left on the Washington as his ship the T’Planna Hath was warping towards them. He was wanted back on Risa as he always was. He sighed and sipped his 300 year old brandy and waited.

Sam looked at the chronometer in her office and swore. She had promised T'hgrek she'd meet him for dinner after her shift ended and was now a good 20 minutes late having lost track of time trying to document the events of the last few hours. She hastily added some more notes before closing the file and all but running out the door.

A few minutes later she was pressing the door chime she tried to compose herself and look presentable.

“Please come in” said a comfortable Vulcan voice. “Sam, thank you for coming, welcome. I wish I could offer you better quarters but” he gestured round, “this is the best they had to offer at short notice. Please sit down wherever you like. What can I get you to drink, of course the replicator will make you anything you wish but I have 300 years old brandy, Andorian ale and cherry liquor from Earth.”

Sam looked around the guest quarters, finding them as usual devoid of any personality. Comfortable yes, personal no. They gave no indication as to the person inhabiting them at the time, no clues as to hobbies or interest, dreams or desires.

" Ahhh sure thanks" she looked and found a comfortable arm chair, dropping into it and crossing her legs as she regarded the being before her. Was he trying to commence a relationship? Or was he just being nice? She was a little confused and thus said nothing.

He poured her a glass of brandy and handed it to her. “If this does not please you say so and I will provide you with something else. He sat down in the chair opposite her. “Please call me Valev, and how should I address you? Doctor Howard or Commander is so very formal, it if you wish it I will continue to do so”

" Valev, is that Vulcan or Risian?" Sam asked curiously, wondering as to his heritage, "And most people call me Sam, I save Doctor, or Commander for occasions that deserve it" She smiled, trying her best to let her guard down just a little.

“Valev is a Vulcan name, I am full Vulcan, I am Shoniara’s Bond Brother. A few years ago I happened to be on a small ore mining colony called Arcybite. I could hear part of a Vulcan mind calling out in distress and I discovered Shon slumped over a table drunk, at the time she was also addicted to the Klingon drug J’heek, I do not know if you have heard of it but it is a particularly nasty one.

She had recently lost her husband and daughter to a Klingon attack and she had left StarFleet and was working as a pilot on this ore planet, mainly to feed her habit. I found her took her with me and after many months she was off the drug and alcohol and had begun her Vulcan training with me. I am sorry Sam where are my manners. Dinner is ready, please.” He stood and indicated the table behind him. It was laden with a white linen cloth and sparkling crystal.

He pulled out the chair for her and waited.

She rose from the lounge chair, picking up her glas as she went and taking a sip. Sitting carefully as Valev pushed her chair in she regarded him again. "So you have bonded with her, is that kind of like the way she and I bonded during her Pon Farr mind meld? Goodness knows there are very very few people who understand how the Vulcan mind works, least of all me"

“In a way Sam, our bond is performed in a ceremony on Vulcan, it involves a blood promise to be there for the other person and to expect the to be there for you. So although not of my blood and only half Vulcan she is my sister and if I do not take a mate she will inherit all I own. Now, we have a spiced Plomeek soup, or jumbo mollusk a particular Vulcan delicacy, the nearest on Earth I think is jumbo shrimp I think, but maybe a little more jumbo.” He smiled. The more he looked ther the more beautiful he thought she was.

Sam's eyebrows raised at the choice of entrees, having lived pretty much her entire life on replicated food. " Wow.. um... could I try both?" She asked hesitatingly. Why was he looking at her like that?

“By all means I was hoping you would say that, they are both delicious, if by any chance you do not like either of them then there is a simple salad.” He put a bowl of soup in front of her and a hot plate with the sizzling seafood by her side. Please help yourself.” He served himself with some soup and sat down.

“You are from Earth?” He asked. “Family, brothers, sisters?” He refilled her glass.

She looked in amazement at the glorious food before her. If this was entrees she couldn't wait for mains. " I... ah... yes I'm from the southern regions of Earth actually, you kind of get used to the oppressive heat. Kind of like Vulcan I would expect, although that being said I've never actually been to Vulcan" She quickly shut her mouth when she realised she was rambling again.

“Most 0f Vulcan is extremely hot and desert like but there are a few places that are natural oasis’s . The heat is not a wet heat, when one breathes sometimes it feels like burning in the throat.
I have only been to Earth once and that was San Francisco. Very satisfactory but I do not think it represented the best of the planet.” He took some of his soup. Are you enjoying it Sam?” He asked.

She tasted the brightly coloured soup and wasn't sure what to expect. She'd never tried the Vulcan staple before and had heard rumours of it being everything from burning hot spicey to having zero favour. What she found though was a pleasant combination of flavours skillfully crafted into a flavourful but not spicy soup.

"Wow... not what I expected to be honest but it's quiet nice" She admitted, taking another spoonful. " You made this yourself?"

He nodded, “ with what staples the galley had yes, it is not exactly what it should be but it is a fairly close approximation. I always try to have fresh food, replicated food never tastes the same. I must admit I am spoiled however having a Vulcan chef. One of the perks of being an Ambassador. If you enjoy our food then you should take a trip to Vulcan. I will give you an open invitation. I must admit to having a selfish reason for the invitation. I would like to get to know you better.”

" You have you're own chef?" Sam blurted out, agape at the thought of such a luxury. " I... ahh.... I didn't know that. I guess there's a lot about you I don't know" She blushed a little as she regarded him across the table.

He actually smiled. “Sam when you are a Vulcan Ambassador you are expected to entertain various heads of State, I know I am a fairly good cook but no, I would spend all my time in the kitchen.”

He came round the table, this is a Vulcan grape wine, it is fairly sweet but fresh.” He poured half a glass for her and as he did he could smell her. It filled his senses and he found it to be wonderful. “Do not forget to try the Mollusk Sam?” He moved back to his seat and carried on with his soup.

am was a little conflicted, the Plomeek soup was great, the Mollusk soup was sure to be just as good, she wanted to demolish all of them but to do so would be to ruin the rest of the meal" If only I had three stomachs" She mused aloud with a smile.

Our next course is a simple steak and Vulcan vegetables. How do you like your steak, I will cook it to your liking? May I ask why you decided to be a physician?”

" Ahhh... I guess I just always wanted to help people" She shrugged "It seemed the most logical way to do so" She nodded towards his Vulcan abilities " and pray tell what drew you to being an Ambassador?"

“Sam this is your dinner just eat what you want to, if something is too delicious then eat it. I believe humans have a saying ‘a doggy bag’ I can send the rest of the meal to your quarters.” He sat back sipping his wine.

“I never wanted to be an Ambassador, I wanted to be an architect. My father was the Vulcan ambassador to Rigel for twenty years. I had already begun to practice my love for aesthetics, clean lines huge windows. Anyway my father died and they asked me to take over and, like an obedient Vulcan son I did.” He took another sip, “and of course I have regretted it ever since. It has been a good life but it can be so boring, endless dinners and being nice to endless people one does not want to be nice to.

When Shon travelled with me it was much better with her Risan wit she to make fun of some of the awful people we met. She is an excellent imitator.” He stood “but I am being a bad host, I have another wine for you to try from my own estates in France.” He opened the bottle and poured her a glass.

“Tell me more about yourself, what do you like to do if and when you are not Commanding your magnificent sickbay?”

Sam looked at the wine and the food and the charming man sitting opposite her. "You'll have me rolling back to my quarters if you're not careful" She quipped as took a sip of the wine. The alcohol was making everything warmly fuzzy. " I'm pretty boring honestly, work most of the time cos there's not too much else to do around here" She admitted, feeling heinously inadequate next to T'hgrek.

He sat back and looked at her. “Sam are you enjoying this, you seem uncomfortable. Is there anything I can do because I really want you to enjoy spending time with me? it is not often I get to spend any time with an intelligent beautiful woman who does not know she is beautiful.”

She blushed from the top of her forehead down to her toes. Things were starting to fall into place in her slightly warm and fuzzy mind. T'hgrek was attempting to court her, and she'd only just picked up on that minor detail.

" I... ah... I don't know what to say" She admitted shyly, her eyes a little downcast. She wasn't used to this type of attention.

He stood and walked over to her clearing her plates. His Vulcan sense of smell picking up on her personal fragrance, no perfumes or pomades just woman. Have you finished eating, we could go to desert?”

" There's more?" Sam's eyebrows rose as he skillfully cleared the table with a grace she couldn't even hope to emulate. " I'm not going to eat for a week after this!"

He smiled. “Of course Sam, there is more.” He placed a covered dish in front of her with another full of fruit. “Under the cover is a dark Vulcan chocolate mousse filled with honey from the beehives on Mount Selaya monastery on Vulcan. It is a very sweet dessert so the pears will cut through the sweetness. Most Vulcans are allergic to chocolate so I will just help myself to a pear.” He refilled her glass with sweet dessert wine. “Please help yourself.”

“So why specifically a starship Sam, you could have stayed on Earth?” He sat down in his chair fascinated with this woman.

The feast was sumptuous and completely flawless as would be the way for a Vulcan. For Sam it was a smorgasbord for the eyes and heaven for her taste buds. She'd never been courted in such a way before. " Let me ask you a question T'hgrek of Vulcan, why me?" She met his gaze with her own and dared him to answer.

He looked a little bemused at the question. “Valev, my name is Valev Sam and in answer to your question why not you? I note that you have skillfully evaded most of my questions and that for most 0f the evening you have been self deprecating. You fill your life with work you love but what happens to the woman? Sam I was drawn to you from the first time I saw you, your skill, your kindness, your beautiful face and the way your body moves. Sam Howard you are beautiful and you do not know it.

I am Vulcan and adhere to the traits of my race otherwise I would kiss you now. Does that answer your question?”

Sam's jaw dropped, remaining there for a few moments before she recovered her senses. She tried to think of something to say but her mind had turned to mush. He really was courting her, and she was horribly rusty at the whole ordeal. She didn't feel uncomfortable, it was more an unease of not realising his attraction and not entirely knowing what to do with that information right at the moment.

"I don't know what to say. I'm flattered, but I'll have you know, I'm a little rusty at the whole dating game" she admitted finally, the colour in her cheeks still bright.

“Then Sam I will make a decision for us although I run the risk of being rejected and you running off. I will not force myself on any woman but….” He stood and moved over to where she was sitting in the chair, bent down and gently kissed her on the lips. He whispered, “Could you feel the same for me?”

Sam's mind wafted somewhere else entirely as all logic fell by the wayside and any coherent thought was a thing of the past. The kiss was unexpected, and took her a little by surprise. She enjoyed it though and found herself responding.

"Well I think that explains a few things" she replied as they came up for air.

T’ghrek also felt something he had not felt for an aeon. He pulled her up onto her feet looked into her eyes and caressed her face. “You have to want this too Sam, just say yes?”

"We only met yesterday and you leave soon. How will we make it work?" She asked hesitatingly, not wanting to have her heart broken.

Finding it extremely difficult he pulled away from her. “I can stay longer if it is too soon for you. I am sorry Sam it has been a long time since I got carried away but you have awoken something in me that will not let me rest. If you do not want me then it is a blow to my own self conceit. Please continue with your meal.” He sat down his breathing slightly ragged as he tried to bring himself under control.

"Would you?" There was a coy look that meant deep down she was hungry but not for food. "It's been a while since anyone has shown me such attention" she admitted.

He sipped his brandy, “I have not taken any leave for several years, I can take a few weeks, stay here, spend time with you…if that would be acceptable Sam?"

She laughed as she took a sip of the wine in front of her. "What of your bond with Dex though? Will she feel what you feel for me?" There was an uncertainty in her voice.

Valev took the chair nearer to her sat and sipped his brandy. He could hear the uncertainty in her voice. It was strange that such a talented doctor, a Chief Medical Officer, a Commander on a Starship could have two such different sides to her.

“Shon, no, not unless I choose to let her know. I did ask her if you had anyone special in your life and she reiterated what you have said to me that work is the only thing that keeps you alive.” He took her hand between his. “Sam, the soul needs others to make the reality stronger. Have you never had someone you loved above all else?”

"No" the word were quiet, ashamed almost. Her eyes were downcast and she regarded the rim of her glass, unable to meet his eyes.

Valev said nothing but went and pulled Sam to her feet. He held her to him wrapping his arms around her stroking her hair, then he kissed her on each cheek, on her forehead on her neck and finally on her lips, stronger this time. He whispered in her ear “well It is about time.”

"You're sure about this? I know Vulcans can only bond with one person" she learnt into his kiss, her body responding to his advances despite the protests of her mind.

“If you are sure Sam, start thinking about what you do not know about Vulcans and I will show you.” He picked her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom. He laid her gently on the bed and began to undress her. “Sam Howard, I am going to kiss every inch of your body to start and then if you are still enjoying my company we will move to the main course.”