Lunchtime Confidences

Posted on Thu May 26th, 2011 @ 1:41pm by Lieutenant Commander Kh'ali & Commander Patrick Leroy

Mission: The Ties That Bind
Location: Restaurant, SB900

* * SB900, Various * *

Kh'ali had taken her first few hours back on the station to unpack, such as it was. It was somewhat humourous that when she'd done so on the Berkeley, it had been with the thought that she would be there a while. Maybe this time that would prove true.

The move to CDO was an exciting one, especially here at what was becoming the crossroads of the Delta Quadrant. Her staff was a good one and her attach, Quentin Dobry, she knew somewhat from the Academy, though he'd been a couple of years head of her. It seemed strange that she outranked him, but as his record showed, he'd taken a lengthy leave of absence when his parents were killed, leaving a younger sister surviving alone. The fact that he valued family so highly impressed her.

As she put the last thing in place, her terminal beeped with a reminder that she was meeting Aleksa for lunch. Now that should be interesting. Kh'ali wondered if Aleksa and her 'gentle' friend were will making a go of it, and what Aleksa would think if she knew Kh'ali had found Patrick the utter opposite of Aleksa's description. Humans were so odd sometimes. She sent a message to say she was on her way, and left her quarters.

* * *

The restaurant was a buzz with talk of the new department heads as Kh'ali entered and scanned the crowd. Finally she spotted her friend at a table in the middle and made her way over.

"So... You're already back from your adventures..." She greeted Kh'ali motioning her to the seat opposite her "It's been the shortest assignment I've ever seen but I'm very glad you're back. I want to know everything. Think that lunchtime will be enough." She ended laughing.

Kh'ali smiled as she sat down. "Well it was a whirlwind, I'll say that."

"This meal it's on me. No, no don't say anything. Just spare my sight of some Klingon delicacy that has to be chased around the table."

She ordered something rather mild, actually, and once Aleksa had ordered and the waitress moved on, she continued.

"I had enough time to meet the crew, get friendly with them, one more than most."But don't get too excited, he's staying on the Berkeley, so....."

"You see? They're all the same." Aleksa replied with disdain "Oh, sorry my mouth have been quicker than thought... but while we are around the matter... Did you meet him?"

"Patrick you mean?" A smile tugged at Kh'ali's lips now. " He was actually the first one I met when I stepped off the transporter pad. He was a gentleman, showed me to my quarters. Interesting conversationalist." The smile appeared fully now, as she recalled his slip of the tongue regarding 'fierceness' when they'd met in the lounge a few days ago. "Seems dedicated to his job too."

Aleksa froze for an instant: "Showed you to your quarters?... Yes he can play very kind and charming but he's just the last part you said, when his career comes to his mind you're second place in a heartbeat... Showed you to your quarters you said?".

"He did. I've not seen much of him at all till a few days ago just before we left the ship." She looked closer at Aleksa now. "You seem surprised."

"Well... I thought you were about to tell of a funny episode. You had such a smile..."

"Nothing really." Kh'ali shook her head. "Had to be there I suppose, it was a slip of the tongue is all." She fell silent as their lunch arrived and they began to eat.


* * SB900: Sector 81 - Residential (Civilian) - Promenade * *


"Mine I said. It's mine!" said the little girl, her voice querulous as she contended the toy with another child.
"No! get another one I want this!!" replied the boy fending off the girl's hands from his precious toy keeping it out of reach. And as was quite predictable the girl started crying desperately.

"My, my... What do we have here?" said a young woman coming to the rescue.

A soft smile got Patrick as he watched the scene. He'd been there leaning on the rail of the walkway above the kindergarten for a while now, wondering...
He'd always considered Starbases no more than way stations between assignments. Backwater places where you could have some rest and resupply while real exciting life played itself out there aboard a starship.

Now that he had accepted the proposal to become CSO on SB900, and he had to admit to himself that promotion had weighed heavily on that, he was starting to look at his surroundings with different eyes. He never realized how odd the things he was seeing there looked to him . He never stopped a moment to think about it, so concentrated was he on other objectives.

Civilians aboard starships, with exception of Galaxy class, were rarely encountered and in company of their families even less. Those were things planetside in his own opinion. Now it seemed he had to get used to a new concept of Starfleet life. At least for a while. Heaving a sigh, he cast one last glance at the great garden, teeming with people, children and animals.

Surely you can't have all of this inside a starship.

He walked down the promenade remembering that he had to contact his parents too as it had been a while since they heard from him, and maybe he could also eat something on the way.

* * *

"...it was a slip of the tongue is all." The waitress left their lunch and moved on. "I have found that female Klingons cause such things often in human males."

Leroy entered the restaurant. It was crowded and it took some instant to have the attention of a waitress for him. Being alone he had no chance to have a table for him and the waitress gently ushered him to a stool at the counter for a quick meal. Much to his grimace rank had not all that weight in a civilian restaurant. A thing that he quickly filed in the Cons part of his list about Starbases.

"He's here." Said Aleksa her expression turning icy "No matter how big the starbase is..." her words trailing off.

Kh'ali half-turned to have a look of the newcomer, even if Aleksa's voice and eyes had spoken volumes to her, and smiled immediately upon seeing Patrick. "Why should it matter? You have your merchant marine and are happy, yes?"

"Yes. I am." Aleksa replied, her jaw set. "Norman really does care and is present instead of running in an impossible chase of some fabled treasure or striving to become admiral or whatever."

Aleksa's words, however, didn't sound very convincing to Kh'ali. Her female intuition was giving a different insight of the matter, as was the tension radiating from her. Kh'ali took a moment to process it all and came to her original conclusions: that Aleksa was one mixed-up female and that she needed to let it go. Leaning a bit closer she spoke again.

"Aleksa, look. You need to let it go. There is an old saying I heard from my mother. Living well is the best revenge. You have a good relationship, you say you are happy, then act like it. Seeing you doing so well is the best way to get to him. You know, it's the old 'I'm doing much better than you' idea." In truth, Kh'ali hoped Aleksa would buy it and give poor Patrick a break.

"Maybe you're right" She answered in a half-voice playing with the food in her plate "To the hell with Mr. know-it-all Leroy."

A moment of silence passed between the two as the meals where finished. But as Kh'ali could see Aleksa was definitely brooding. Until suddenly she came up with a question: "Is he the sort of guy you would have an affair with? Should I not have told you about him in the first place?"

"I barely know him, Aleksa." Kh'ali shrugged. "However, I do need to get to a meeting, the senior staff. We'll talk soon." She smiled and stood, glad the lunch was over. She liked Aleksa, but her Patrick obsession was draining. Especially given that Kh'ali found the man to be very pleasant. Moving away from the table, she crossed to where Patrick sat at the counter.

"Hello, Lieutenant."

"Oh, Advisor. Well-met." Patrick said standing from the stool. "Should I have known you were here I would have offered lunch, the waiters would also have probably deemed us worthy of a table instead of having me at the counter. Joint ventures hold many an advantage. Would you have a drink or something anyway?"

"That they do." Kh'ali smiled back at him. "I just finished, thanks." She paused only slightly. "And I'd love a drink sometime, perhaps later." A slight nod of her head indicated Aleksa still at the table.

"I understand." He replied becoming serious. "Well, I'm finished too. I think you're bound to the senior staff meeting too. We're in no hurry, care to have a walk on our way there?"

"Thank you, that would be very nice." She studied his face a moment, her smile remaining, then she turned to lead the way out of the restaurant.


********

Lt. CMDR Kh'ali
The Dodger

Ensign Levkova
The Obsessed One

Lt. CMDR
Patrick Leroy
The Scoundrel/Gentleman