Dinner With a Friend

Posted on Sat Sep 7th, 2024 @ 7:15pm by Captain Shran dh'Klar & Commander Samantha Howard

Mission: The Andromeda Strain
Location: USS Washington, Captain's Quarters

The Washington had survived something that he thought would be its doom. The temporal anomalies were bad, but they turned out to be only the tip of the iceberg. The invaders the created them had attempted to stop the Washington and its crew, as well as the Andromeda and the Ojnas under command of an old friend. The ship and crew had endured much, and they were now returning to Federation space. It was the first time in what seemed like forever that he and the rest of the crew for that matter could breathe and honestly, just recuperate. And so Shran felt it prudent to sit down with an old friend. He had set two place settings and made the preparations and waited for her arrival. He knew that she too needed time to recuperate after all that had happened.

Dr Samantha Howard had received a request from the captain to join him in his quarters that evening and replied with her confirmation that she would attend. She and Shran had enjoyed these kinds of evenings periodically over their long years of service together and she was grateful for his friendship and constant support during the ups and downs of the passing years. Dressing informally, she grabbed a bottle of wine from her collection and headed over.

Upon her arrival Shran welcomed his friend in and escorted her to the table. Once she was seated, he opened her wine selection and gave it a moment to breathe before pouring it. He noted that she picked a good wine considering his dinner choice. He brought out the entrees, chicken parmigiana before pouring them both a glass of the wine.

Sam settled back in the chair and regarded her old friend with a critical eye. She raised the glass to her lips and took a sip, grateful that she had saved the bottle for an occasion such as this. "You've something on your mind?" She asked honestly. "Smells delicious by the way."

Shran sipped the wine, enjoying the fruity bouquet. "Am I always that transparent?" he quipped. "I felt it necessary to see how you are doing after the events of our last mission. You had a difficult time, a near impossible task. I want to be sure you are recovering from all of it."

Sam mused over this, not expecting this line of conversation so early in the piece. Her track record for missions lately wasn't overly spectacular but somehow, they always seemed to muddle their way through. "Shon deserves the credit, she did most of the viral engineering. I only figured out the two-part delivery mechanism. She's a damn fine doctor that one" Sam praised, deflecting the attention away from herself. "You can't talk either, it must have been carnage on the bridge, I saw the injuries that came in from there."

"I have put you both in for commendations with StarFleet Medical regarding the situation. I think you are both deserving. And yes, things were chaotic on the bridge as well" Shran replied. He took a bite of the food, enjoying it. "Sorry to be so blunt, but I did feel it important for us to discuss the matter."

Sam was quiet for a moment, not used to receiving concern. Her eyes dropped for an instant, "I'm fine" was the automatic response. Her demeanour contradicted her words and she knew it. No longer was she bright and bubbly, the long years of service had worn her down and left her a shadow of her former self.

"That's crap, I'm not fine, and I'd be surprised if anyone on this ship actually was deep down. We've been through hell and back, we've lost good people, too many good people. I don't think Command realizes that" she admitted, blushing a little from the outburst. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be so rude" she apologized.

Shran sipped the wine. He completely understood what Sam was saying. "No need to apologize Sam. I understand your feelings. I wondered if you would be honest with yourself about all that has happened. You are right about Command as well. They don't pay attention to what some ships and crews seem to deal with. They treat everyone and everything like things are just like they were before the Dominion War, before we encountered the Borg. We have advanced technologically in significant ways since those events, but they haven't altered how they treat personnel. I am pushing very hard to get the crew proper leave time so they can all decompress, really relax. Betazed, Risa, Pacifica, any would be acceptable, though considering that much of the crew is human, I'm hoping to get us some time back on Earth, allow the crew the chance to actually relax at home. I know I would very much like to return to Andoria."

"They need some leave, and you need some leave" Sam affirmed whilst tucking into her meal. The food was exceptional, and the wine paired nicely, taking the edge of formality off the evening. "How long do you think Command will leave us alone for? A week, two maybe? A month would be recommended but we both know that's not going to happen."

Shran continued to enjoy the meal, the wine, and the conversation. "Well, we have another week of travel to Starbase 12, and then however long it takes for the repairs to be completed. We'll be near Betazed, close enough to get there by shuttle at least. Deanna has already put in for a runabout to visit her family. I'm sure much of the crew will at the very least enjoy the starbase. Beyond that though, I can't say."

"Betazed hey, sounds like a great place to unwind for a while" Sam mused, already envisioning a beach somewhere with her name in it. She turned her attention back to her old friend. And you will have enough time to have a meaningful trip back to Andoria?"


"Not at this point. If we get closer to Earth maybe. Been too long since I have been with my family, my children. But I am sure I will get some needed rest while we are having the ship repaired" Shran replied.

The two continued their meal and the conversation, enjoying the relative silence and tranquility.