Evening Tea

Posted on Sun Mar 3rd, 2024 @ 6:20pm by Lieutenant JG T'lenn & Lieutenant JG Jason Williams III

2,269 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: The Menagerie: side stories & mischief making
Location: Officer's Lounge
Timeline: MD 2, 2200 hours

T'lenn had spent a rather long day on board the Serenity. Most of her energy spent trying to keep Commander Lorut from walking right into another technological snare that the crew had yet to fully understand. She had spent a full day and a half with the Commander, and T'lenn found the Commander's impulsiveness an affront to logical rationale. And while T'lenn understood that most races of the Federation preferred more of a balance than traditional Vulcan teachings, T'lenn saw no balance in the Commander at all, and had been questioning her ability to be in a command position since early this morning.

She had just come from meditation and ordered a red leaf tea, and was prepared to take in a quiet moment alone and focus on future endeavors.

Once he was finished with his post-flight inspection of his Valkyrie, Jason got cleaned up and put on some comfortable clothes: black leather boots, blue jeans, white tee-shirt and his bomber jacket, coveted in the patches of the units he had flown or trained with. He then made his way down to the Officer's lounge. As his internal clock had yet to fully climate to the current timezone, it felt like 1400 to him, he was still wide awake.

Upon entering the lounge, he looked around, seeing one or two familiar faces from his time in service, but didn't approach any, as they seemed to be engrossed in their own conversations. He ordered an iced tea and a ceaser salad from the replicator, then looked for an empty table. The only empty seat he saw was off to the side of the room, with an attractive Vulcan woman as the only occupant. Moving over to her table, he spoke to her, a tone of respect in his voice.

"Forgive me for the intrusion, Ma'am, is this seat taken?"

T'lenn tilted her head so that her ears followed the sound of the newcomer's voice. "It is not," she said simply.

Smiling slightly, Jason replied, still standing, "May I join you?"

T'lenn took a deep breath in and raised an eyebrow at the inquiry. She had planned to sit in the corner in quiet contemplation; however she did not have a logical reason to say no. At least not one that would not be offensive to Humans. After letting her breath out slowly she answered simply once again. "You may."

Dipping his head respectfully, Jason replied. "Thank you." He then pulled out the empty chsir and sat down. "I'm Lieutenant Jg Jason Williams III, by the way. I just arrived to assume the position of Squadron Leader of the Starfighter compliment aboard Astrea. And you are...?"

"T'lenn, a science officer specializing in planetary evolution. Also Lieutenant Junior Grade. However, off duty I prefer to be referred to simply by my name. No rank is needed."

Nodding again, Jason, replied. "T'lenn it is then. Please call me Jason. It is a pleasure to meet you." He gave her a boyish, lopsided grin as he spoke. There was a honestness in his eyes, and a feeling of openness and respect in his mannerisms.

"Hello, Jason," T'lenn replied. She glanced around at the other officers mingling in the lounge, and then back the individual sitting across from her. "I could find somewhere else to drink my tea if you prefer to be alone," she offered.

Looking up at her, a hint of regret filled his features briefly. "Have I already done something to insult you?" He hoped she would stay. One, he'd like to get to know her, as she was a fellow crewmember. Two, he thought she was very pretty as well.

"You have done nothing to offend me. There is the likely chance that you only chose to sit here because there were no open tables. You have a meal, which would be preferable to eat at a table. I am simply drinking tea, and so if one were to move locations, it is logical that I should be the one to relocate," she explained.

Smiling softly, Jason lowered his voice as he replied. "Or, I may be interested in meeting a new friend? I have just arrived afterall. Forgive me for saying, but, would it be logical to prevent me from getting to know you? Who knows, we could become very good friends?"

"Humans rarely make decisions - in particular social ones - based on logic. Though it seems they enjoy entertaining themselves around Vulcans by pretending that logic is behind their true intentions," T'shir replied before taking a drink of her tea.

After taking a sip of his drink, Jason shook his head and smiled. "Don't get me wrong, I am as human as the next Homosapien. My intentions, for this social interaction, as you put it, is simple. As I have stated, I am new here. I'd like to get to know my fellow crew mates. Neither of those statements are false. Of course, it doesn't hurt, that I think you are the prettiest woman I have ever seen, and that's no line, just honest truth." The look in his eyes and tone of his voice echoed the honesty in his words. "Of course," he added, "Should you wish to be left alone, I will respect that. Just, don't sell me short just yet," he grinned softly. "Who knows, perhaps you will find enjoyment in getting to know me as well."

"I see that like most of your kind, you speak in hyperbole all too easily. As for enjoyment, perhaps I might suggest that the next time you choose to keep company with Vulcans you elect to dine on a less... malodorous dish," she stated, referring to his ceasar salad and Vulcan's heightened sense of smell. She gauged him carefully for a response, though revealed no expression of her own.

Looking down at the, nearly finished salad, he looked back up and dipped his head respectfully. "My apologies. I haven't served with many Vulcans, so I made the error of not realizing my blunder before even sitting down." As he was down, he covered his dish with his napkin, hoping to cut down on its disturbing aroma. Almost immediately, a roaming busboy came by and asked if he was finished with it. After Jason said he was, and the dish was carried away, he placed his hands on the edge of the table, one over the other, in a non threatening manner and asked, "Would you be interested in teaching me some new dishes? Perhaps then, in the future, you will be less offended by my presence?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he realized how that might have sounded, and regretted it immediately. In a flush of nerves, his old stutter, which he had long worked to erase, popped back up. "I'm s-s-sorry. I didn't m-m-m-m," he took a breath, then continued. "Intend any insult."

"My comment was not intended for you to discard your meal prematurely," the Vulcan responded, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. "I was simply making an observation for future reference. Introducing you to new dishes is not objectionable, however, you would likely find Vulcan cousine bland."

Taking a breath, to calm himself, Jason finally replied. "That's alright. I was finished anyway. My appetite hasn't fully caught up with me yet. My body still feels like its 1100 hours this morning." He took a sip of his tea, then added, "And that's very presumptuous of you to assume that I wouldn't care for Vulcan cuisine. How do you know I don't already like it?"

"Most humans find it bland. Vulcan olfactory senses are more heightened than that of humans, which directly impacts the intensity of flavor in food. The same dish would taste very different to you than it would to me," T'lenn pointed out.

Jason nodded. "That is very true . But then no meal tastes exactly the same, from one person to another. If fact, when I don't feel well, P'tolmic soup is what I eat to keep my strength up."

T'lenn raised her eyebrows at his pronunciation of the favored Vulcan dish. "You've spent time around Vulcans?" She didn't ask her question like most women do, her vocal intonations made it seem more like a statement.

He shook his head. "I have. One of my best friends is Vulcan. Lieutenant N'vok, one of the best men I have ever had the honor of knowing. He saved my life once. I am forever in his debt."

"I am sure that Lieutenant N'vok would not consider you indebted to him. Vulcans do value life. If you were in danger, it was likely not a difficult decision for him to make when he decided to assist you," T'lenn replied.

Jason's features suddenly turned a bit somber. "I know. Saving me ended up costing h8m his life. That's why I am forever in his debt. He gave me the ultimate gift, his life. So, I live my life to the absolute fullest, no matter what. I owe him that much." He looked down for a moment, as he composed himself. Looking back up, his ocular implants could be seen adjusting as he focused back on T'lenn's face. "I'm sorry. I usually am able to keep that stuff inside."

"You are emotional," T'lenn observed. "How long ago was your encounter with Lieutenant N'vok?"

"Thirteen months ago," he replied quietly. "He was my wingman. Our ship was ambushed by a rogue Cardassian Gul, who apparently still blamed the Federation for what happened to his world. Dude was unhinged, but still dangerously brilliant. He had designed and built these drone starfighters, and was using them to attack us. The Captain had us scramble to deal with them, while he dealt with the Gul." He paused as he relived the battle momentarily. "Sorry, it was a hard battle, and I lost four good friends that day. N'vok was our Squadron Leader and he had just taken up a position as my wingman, giving me cover to get my wounded bird back to the ship...when two of the drones locked onto us. We were able to get the first one, but then my weapons went out, as the other one went for a kamikaze hit on me. N'vok, he...." he took a breath to steady himself. "He flew his bird in between us, taking the hit meant for me."

"That is the sacrifice that commanding officers will often elect to make if it is an option," T'lenn responded.

Jason nodded. "Doesn't make the nightmares any less terrifying when I have them." He took a sip of his drink to try steady himself.

"Have you tried speaking with counselors or physicians?" T'lenn asked. "There are methods to alleviate such systems so that one does not have to carry such a burden so heavily through life."

He shook his head slightly as he replied. "The docs and counselors have tried with therapy and medications. It all works for a short while, but the nightmares always come back."

"Perhaps you be interested in Vulcan meditation techniques." T'lenn regarded the pilot curiously as she made the suggested.

Looking up into her dark eyes, Jason had a look of honest gratitude on his face. "I would very much like to try. I've heard that it is quite refreshing for the spirit."

"Then I am surprised you have not as of yet," T'lenn replied.

He nodded his head as he replied. "I suppose, as I was feeling so trapped by the pain, that it never occurred to me to ask." He paused a beat, then, "If it's noy to forward of me to ask, would you be willing to teach me?"

"Of course. I am here to serve," T'lenn stated plainly.

"When would be a convenient time for you?" He asked respectfully.

T'lenn angled her head toward Jason slightly. "When does your scheduled work shift end tomorrow?" She asked.

"Fifteen hundred hours," he replied, hopeful that the time would be acceptable to T'lenn. "The Captain asked me to go through the shuttle and starfighter compliment, to see what we will need to replace, when we get to Starbase 76."

"I will reserve a holodeck for 1730 hours. If you choose to eat a meal after work, I recommend that it be a light one. Meditation is more effective if one's blood circulation can be dedicated entirely to the exercise," T'lenn informed him.

Nodding his head in understanding, Jason replied. "I understand. I will ensure that I do as you suggest. Is there any type of outfit that I should wear?"

"Your clothing should not distract you. Something that is comfortable," T'lenn suggested. "If meditating properly there should be nothing about your clothing that is taking your attention."

He nodded, then replied. "I've got some comfortable sweats that I usually wear when I'm just trying to relax. I'll wear those." Suddenly, his chronometer beeped softly. Looking down at the display, he seemed to deflate slightly. Looking back u at T'lenn, he spoke, "I hate to cut our discussion short, but my lunch break has ended and I need to get back to work." He gave her a gentle grin as he stood up, picking up his empty glass. "It was a pleasure to meet you, T'lenn. I hope the rest of your day is a pleasant one, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Indeed," T'lenn responded. She waited until Lieutenant Williams had left the lounge, and then did the same, placing her mug in the recycler as she left to return to her quarters.

[End]

Lieutenant J.G. T'lenn
Science Officer
USS Astrea

&

Lieutenant Jg Jason Williams III
Starfighter Squadron Leader
USS Astrea

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