Meeting the New Guy

Posted on Mon 15th Jul, 2019 @ 12:45am by Lieutenant JG Kellian Michaels & Lieutenant Commander Dallas Briggs

1,352 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: A Diplomatic Affair
Location: Security Department, Promenade
Timeline: 1215 hours

Dallas had been busy the last couple days as he tried to settle in his new job as Assistant Chief of Security. His boss Isabella Perry seemed to be pretty cool so far, their first few minutes together was a bit rocky, but it had improved since. Dallas even had a small office to do his reports and read daily reports comfortably.

He sat in his comfy chair behind his desk going over some of those daily reports as he sipped from a glass of iced tea. He wondered when Victoria was going to pop in. Lately, she had been giving him space so that they could enjoy one another’s company in the evenings more, but he still missed her.

A knock sounded at his doorway and a tall, dark-haired guy poked his head in. "Hi," the man said. He wore the uniform of a lieutenant junior grade in the department. "I'm Kellian Michaels in Investigations. Are you Briggs?"

“I am, please come in and have a seat,” Dallas said as he stood up.

"Thanks." Kellian extended his hand. "I had to come see for myself that we really do have an official assistant Security Chief in here, finally. I've been acting Sec Chief twice, and I am glad you're here. Welcome to 109."

Dallas took his hand and gave a firm handshake. Once he released it he indicated the chair in front of his desk. “Can I get you a drink or something?” Dallas asked.

'Thanks, no," Kellian said. "I actually came to see if you wanted to go get a bite to eat somewhere."

Dallas laughed, “How did you know that I was hungry? Are you a Betazoid?” Dallas said before adding, “I am so hungry I really could eat a horse, but since I don’t feel like finding one a way out here, we should go and get some grub someplace.”

"There are all sorts of places," Kellian said. "What're you in the mood to eat?"

Dallas grinned, “How about real horse meat!” He laughed loudly, “I’m just kidding, but I could really go for some real meat. If they don’t have that then the replicated meat will do.”

"I had horse sashimi while on vacation in Japan once," Kellian said. "Maybe we can see if Pearl with a Chainsaw serves it."

"You know what, I'm willing to try anything as long as it doesn't make me sick or kill me," Dallas said as they both headed for the door. Dallas waved the man through first. "After you..."

Kellian laughed. "If they don't serve horse, we can at least get potstickers. They make really good ones. It's a Besm place, by the way, so it looks Oriental but with odd differences. The food's still fantastic, though." They went to the tram and rode down to deck 666.

“Oh man, I love Chinese too.” Dallas said and at that point his belly rumbled reminding him that it was past time to eat.

The two arrived in the Promenade and began walking. The place was immense, there were places to eat everywhere. “One could have a hard time choosing where to eat with all these choices. Where is this place we’re going?” Dallas asked.

"It's down this hallway, " Kellian said. "See that red door next to the mural of a woman in an Oriental-looking dress, who's holding a chainsaw? That's the place."

"Than what are we waiting for, let's go find us something to eat," Dallas said as he headed for the door indicated.

They entered the restaurant and walked to the hostess stand. "Party of two," Kellian said. "Are there any tables available on the lower level?"

"Oh, sure, take all my best lines," the hostess joked. She was short and stocky; not fat, but muscular. Her hair was neon orange, and her eyes were unusually large by human standards. She picked up a pair of menus and turned in a swirl of silken skirts. "If you'll follow me, gentlemen?"

She led the way past diners seated at small tables along a railing, then turned down a broad wooden staircase. Revealed below was a miniature landscape, a bonzai garden conceit. At the end, a stage where two white-haired young women with the same face played slow airs on biwa and samishen, then a rolling lawn of grass, a meandering stream, a fig tree no more than a meter tall spread its branches, its heart-shaped leaves creating shade for a pair of mud-men in the shape of scholars, reading from scrolls. As the group came to the landing and turned to descend again, the statue at the far end of the garden, under where they'd entered, became visible.

The statue depicted a venerable gorilla seated on an open lotus blossom, its legs crossed in the posture of the same name. A look of great peace was on its simian face, and its hands were held out; one extended in welcome, the other upraised in a mudra of warding away evil.

Michaels soaked in the beauty of the restaurant. "Someday, maybe they will play the koto in here," he said to Briggs as they followed the kimono-clad lady to a table.

“Sounds very nice.” Dallas said as they made their way to the table. He looked around at all the authentic decor that the restaurant had on display. He found it all intriguing.

"It sounds better when they're not playing the same one note ten times in a row," Michaels muttered under his breath.

The hostess stopped beside a table and turned to look at Michaels. "That's an odd thing to say. Are you suggesting that you're only hearing one note? Or that what they're playing is different to what you expected?" With an inviting gesture she indicated the pair should be seated.

Kellian looked at the hostess. "I'm sorry, Ma'am; that was rude of me to say, and I didn't mean for you to hear that. I just like koto and erhu music better. This song has some melody to it, which is nice. I think I've heard a recording of Chikuzan Takahashi playing it."

"While the biwa and samishen may not have the octave reach of the koto, they're both capable of the full range of notes in the scale," she responded. "You should hear my sister shredding flunk after hours." She grinned briefly. "And no need to apologize. Musical taste, like every other kind of taste, is highly individual. I can put you gentlemen in one of our private rooms, if you like? They can be soundproofed."

"That's not necessary, Ma'am," Kellian said. "We came here to enjoy the restaurant, not to be shut away from it. What's good on the menu for two hungry guys?"

"We don't make anything that isn't good," the hostess teased. "But if you're not familiar with Besm cuisine, I'd recommend the 'first tastes' column on the menu." At that, she seemed to remember that she hadn't yet given them the menu, and handed one to each officer. "The gyoza are quite popular with first-timers, though they are technically an appetizer rather than an entree. And, of course, there's our sushi selection, though Besm sushi uses a very thin layer of fried egg rather than the seaweed most sushi producers favor."

Without even looking at the menu, Dallas replied, “I'll try the Gyoza and generous selection of the sushi. Oh and a glass of iced tea, if you have it.” Dallas was indeed hungry and liked foods from most worlds. He hope that this food would also be no different. He looked over at his new friend indicating that he was done ordering.

"I'd like the shitake mushroom soup to start, then the seaweed salad with the wasabi dressing, and the gyoza," Kellian said, "and a pot of hot tea, please."

"Thank you, gentlemen. My sister will have your orders out soon. I hope you enjoy your stay with us." The Hostess bowed over her folded hands and departed.

"How are you settling in?" Kellian asked Briggs. "I think Lt. Perry told me you're fresh off the Typhoon, right?"

 

RSS Feed