Breakfast

Posted on Sun Jan 16th, 2022 @ 9:12am by Captain Shran dh'Klar & Lieutenant Commander Shoniara T’ghann-Travis Dr

Mission: Respite
Location: USS Washington

Shran stood in what was essentially his kitchen. He didn't cook very much. It was something a friend of his had gotten him to try out many years ago and it had stuck, though not to the degree it had with his friend. His friend though had grown up cooking, learning the trade from a top end chef, so it made sense that his friend would be quite a bit better at it. Every time he cooked, Shran would think of his friend, and then about humans in general. Despite all the technology and the many advancements that had happened over the last few centuries, of all the species in and out of the Federation that Shran had encountered, no species enjoyed cooking in the traditional ways quite like humans.

The meal he was making this morning was something another friend of his had introduced him to. Admiral Carroll was not only a friend but a mentor and fellow officer. He was proud of his heritage, coming from the island on Earth known as Ireland and raised in the Midwest region of the American region in the old state of Indiana. The meal was what the admiral called an Irish-American staple, guaranteed to satisfy and provide you all you need come what may. Shran had one large skillet slowing cooking a potato dish known as potatoes O'Brien while he was warming a second skillet to put the beginning of the second half of breakfast to cook, and his kettle was full and has just been put on the warmer. He had just gotten out a mixing bowl and set a small tray of eggs next to it on the prep table when the door chimed.

He suspected that was his expected guest, "Enter" he called out and the door opened.

Dex stepped through the door not knowing what to expect. The delicious smell of something cooking greeted her however and her stomach rumbled. “Good morning Captain, reporting for breakfast .”

Shran looked over at Dex with a reserved smile, "Come in. Please have a seat. Breakfast will be just a few minutes." He returned his focus to the food preparation as the sound of the second part of the breakfast starting to heat up could be heard beginning to sizzle, corned beef hash. He quickly stirred it ever so slightly and then moved to stir the potatoes before returning to the prep table and begin cracking the eggs into the mixing bowl. As he did he looked back towards Dex, "I hope you brought an appetite."

“I never lack an appetite Sir, it smells delicious and I apologise for the sounds my stomach is making. Most doctors are always hungry, I think it must be something to do with the irregular hours.” She smiled, it was something she never thought she would have seen, their upright commanding Captain slaving over a hot skillet. She could not help but giggle and disguised it with a question. “How often do you cook sir?”

Shran cracked the eggs into the mixing bowl and then added a pinch of black pepper and a dash of milk and then began to whisk. "Not often. Much like you doctor I don't often have the time. But as we are on vacation, I can take the time to make something elaborate myself. I can't promise it will be a truly gourmet experience, but hopefully you will like it. This particular breakfast was taught to me many years ago by Admiral Carroll when I worked for him. Some people would call it a bit of a heavy meal, but I have found that it is quite delicious and provides me with quite a solid boost through my day."

“This is fascinating,” she said moving so she could watch what he was doing “I believe it could be viewed as multitasking in old Earth parlance.”

"The admiral has a variant of this dish he would make as well. He called it his Texas variant, where he basically makes the same food, but them mixes it all together in a large tortilla and then adds a generous portion of picante salsa and then a side of sour cream. It is equally good in my opinion, though if I want to cook that sort of thing back home I would likely have to replicate the ingredients. Speaking of, any plans with this short respite? We aren't terribly far from Vulcan. I myself am going home to Andoria for a few days."

“I thought about it but I was beaten to it by Doctor Howard. I am sure that you know she has been seeing my brother for a few weeks now. She wanted to spend some time with him so I volunteered to stay on board to cover her duties and any ship emergencies. I do not think she will be away long.” She shrugged. “Our recent mission has been mentally very tiring so I hope to take some time to meditate with Puss.” She smiled “He says hello by the way.

"As long as you find some time to not work, call it a win. Surprised you are staying aboard though. Plenty of medical staff that could handle the light duties while we are docked, and if things did get wild the station's medical staff should be more than prepared for an influx. But perhaps staying here and meditating is what is best. Personally I am looking forward to the time home back on Andoria. Not often that we get back this close to the core of the Federation. I know several others are taking advantage. I believe Lt. L'Rissa is going home to Cait after she drops me off at Andoria, and I believe Ayana and Celes are considering a trip to Earth." He quickly stirred the potatoes once again and then poured the scrambled eggs mixture into the pan with the corned beef hash and then let it begin to mix and cook.

“I might take some time in the holodeck, spar with Ensign Ravencroft or just spend time sleeping.” She wasn’t about to tell him about her burgeoning relationship with their new diplomatic Liason Office Seth Travis, such a thing was private. “I have not been sleeping lately so it will be good not to have to wake to an alarm. When was the last time you got back home?”

Shran continued to tend to the food as the prep work was coming to an end. "It has been a little over a year. It comes as part of the job of course, and my family knows this, but it is a long time to be away." Just as he finished speaking the kettle began whistling, signaling that the water was ready and he took the kettle off and poured the hot water into a pair of mugs and began seeping tea.

“Can I help in any way?”

"You can sit and ready yourself for this meal" Shran replied as he turned off the heat and took a plate and began to scoop food from both skillets onto it. He completed the first plate and sat it before Dex and then did it all again before setting his own plate down. He then walked over to the prep table and took hold of the mugs and brought them over. "Do you like milk or sugar in your tea?"

“No milk, no sugar thank you.” She looked at the feast before her, picked up her fork and took a hesitant bite. Her face lit up as she chewed and swallowed. “This is wonderful, the mixture of flavors is delectable.” For a few moments she ate as slowly as was possible for propriety’s sake, gave up and took bigger bites. “So” she said when she halted to take a sip of the hot tea. “Tell me about Andoria?”

Shran finished chewing and took a sip of the Irish breakfast tea as a means to pause before speaking. "Andoria is quite beautiful. Vast frozen lands, crystalline lakes of ice that shimmer as the light hits them, majestic snow covered mountains. Our cities are below ground, vast metropolises carved from the stone and kept comfortably warm by the vast geothermal vents. We have a massive tunnel network that connects every city and an equally impressive natural hot springs network. It is vastly different than the heat you get on Vulcan." He sipped his tea once more. "And you, where do you call home?"

She carried on eating. “Andoria sounds so beautiful I hope to visit it one day. I prefer the colder climates Vulcan is too hot for me. In answer to your question I am not sure where I really belong. I spent my happiest time on Earth as I told you at our last meeting. I love the mountains capped with snow, the streams and the lakes running with fresh water. The sound of the eagles crying as they circle above.” She sat for a minute taken with her vision. “I think that is my favorite place. She finished her tea, “May I have some more tea…..and another helping of...hash?”

Shran refilled her tea cup and then served her the requested hash, then gave himself a second helping as well. "Andoria is quite cold. Even in the summer during a heat wave the temperature hovers only around freezing. Very little lives on the surface. Earth has nice locales of course."

“I feel quite sad that there is nowhere I feel I really belong. Risa is too busy, although it has some wonderful jungles in the eastern hemisphere but, it seems there are always people around. Vulcan as have said is too hot for me but I love the peace and logic of its people. I have tried for Kolinahr but failed at the last. Mark, my husband and Shasta my little girl were there. I remember she cheered when I failed, seems like she had gotten it wrong until she told me she loved me the way I was. Then of course the Dominion war came and ….I lost them.” She went silent and studied her meal.

Shran saw the sudden solace that seemed to befall Dex. "The war was brutal. I don't think anyone went unaffected, though some of us were impacted more than others. I lost many friends, though nothing as personal as the loss of a loved one."

“When you lose a husband and a daughter you do not realize the effect it has on you in the long term. It is always there, I also had to kill……” she hesitated, “sometimes I revelled in it, killing the enemy, hardly preserving life.” She finished up her plate and sat with her tea.

Shran finished his food as she spoke. "I can't imagine losing family like that, though I have an understanding of killing and even liking it. The war did a great deal of bad for all us."

Dex shrugged, “I am sorry I seem to have brought our pleasant breakfast down. It really was delicious, it has been a long time since I had a home cooked meal. She took another sip of her tea, put her elbows on the table and her chin on her hands. “Tell me what it is like being the Captain of a Starship?”

Shran sipped his tea. "I suppose it is a bit like being the Chief Medical Officer, just with more tactical duties, and a need to deal with intelligence. I have a crew of 1000 that I am responsible for. We have a slew of reports that I have to tend to daily. Then you have Command constantly tossing wrenches into the works and altering whatever your day or week was supposed to look like. And that is just your average day." He sipped his tea once more with a smile, "That isn't to say nothing good comes from it. You get a sense of pride sitting in that chair as you watch your crew tend to their duties. And of course, we have our fair share of excitement aboard the Washington, perhaps a bit more than our fair share. Until the war, we rarely had anything near the craziness we deal with here aboard the Jupiter. It was mostly patrols, a rare amount of exploration along the frontier, and checking on colonies. While those were simpler times, I must admit, I prefer the excitement we have aboard the Washington. I'm a tactical officer first and foremost, so I'm useful here."

“I can remember the look of enjoyment in your eyes when we first beamed onto the Breen planet you enjoy being a ‘boot on the ground’, do you ever wish to be just that and not have the responsibility of it all? What I mean to say is how do you cope with the mental stress?” She drank the last of her tea.

"I drink" he said with a smile. He sipped his tea then looked to Dex once more, "I think every captain remembers their days as an XO with, as the humans say, rose colored glasses. Honestly, it is hard not to. XO's lead away teams, they have the safety net of the captain, what's not to like?" He sipped his tea once more. "I'm sure you experience something similar in sickbay knowing Samantha is always there as an oversight."

“May I please have a refill of tea?”

Shran quickly refilled her cup and then decided to give himself a refill as well.

She smiled at his ‘I drink’ quip, he had no idea that is what she did. “I think it might be slightly different with me and Sam, we both respect and consult with each other’s specialties and she, of course has much more paperwork than I do, but we both take part in away missions equally and I am lucky she never looks over my shoulder. However I can see by this last mission how quickly and easily situations can develop.” She took a sip of her tea. “I remember Deanna telling me they had poker nights on board the Enterprise where the senior staff could get together and unwind….sounds like a good idea to me.” She smiled daring him to agree. She found him fascinating and much less aloof than his persona.

"You are welcome to try. I warn you though, Celes is near unbeatable. Not easy playing cards with a telepath." He grinned.

“Ah now surely there has to be some sort of handicap that could be applied.” She sipped her hot tea. “I know, maybe if she didn’t play, that would be the perfect handicap.” She said laughing.

"If you can't play against the best opponents it isn't worth playing." Shran sipped his tea. He looked at the chronometer, "Well doctor, this has been lovely. Definitely something worth doing again. But I must wrap this up as I have a shuttle to catch."

“I apologize Sir, I was wrapped up in my interest.” She finished her tea. “Thank you for the wonderful breakfast and for the good company. If we do this again and I hope we do please consider calling me by my first name Shon or Shoniara.” She stood, “please have a safe and wonderful trip.”

"Thank you doctor, um, Shoniara. I hope you have an enjoyable vacation as well." Shran escorted her to the door and watched her leave before heading to his room to get changed.