Catching Up... Part II

Posted on Sat 1st Jun, 2019 @ 4:33pm by Captain Andrus Grax & Commander Mikaela Locke

848 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: A Diplomatic Affair
Location: Deck 600 - ‘Orchids and Jazz’
Timeline: MD-05: 1800

“Well,” Andrus Grax said definitively, “That was delicious.” He rested his knife and fork on the edge of the plate that had previously been piled with spinach and cheese ravioli.

Opposite him, Mikaela Locke smiled. “I knew you’d like it,” she said. “I’ll make a vegetarian out of you yet.”

“One of the tings about replicated food, Mikaela,” Grax countered with a grin, “I can consume all the meat I want with a perfectly clear conscience.”

Locke rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Whatever,” she said, putting the last fork-full of her own ravioli in her mouth and setting her cutlery down. She reached out and took her glass of table water and took a sip. “So, here’s the million credit question...” She paused, her eyes almost taunting him.

“What?” Grax answered, seemingly unsure whether to be frustrated by her game or genuinely concerned about what was coming next.

Mikaela sat back on her bench and gleefully asked, “Are you having pudding?”

As soon as their plates were cleared away, Jenna stopped by the table again. "Now what about a slice of Death by Chocolate, or George Washington Cherry Bruleé? I can highly recommend both, though Black Forest Cake and New England Cranberry Pie are also excellent choices."

"For me, it's got to be the Death by Chocolate," Mikaela said with grin.

Grax shook his head. "I'm not really a big chocolate fan," he mused, almost to himself. He turned back to Jenna. "I think I'll go for the Black Forest Cake, please."

Jenna grinned at him. "You do know that's also chocolate, don't you?"

Andrus Grax tilted his head from side to side, slightly playfully, “Yeah,” he said, “But there’s fruit as well and that makes all the difference. At least,” he continued, glancing back at Mikaela with a smug expression, “That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.”

“You’re so full of it,” Mikaela answered, shaking her head in mock-disbelief.

Jenna laughed and responded, "Alright, one Death by Chocolate and one Black Forest Cake, with extra cherries, coming right up." She walked away from the two, still smiling. It's nice to see the XO so cheerful, she thought.

Miss Lantz saw Jenna walking away from the XO's table and finished her conversation with a Marine Major and his wife, then strolled over to meet Mikaela's guest. He might be the new Intelligence Director she'd heard mentioned, or he could be someone off one of the ships that had docked during the day. Either way, the XO looked very friendly with him, and Jade wanted to find out something of his story.

"Commander Locke," Jade said to her friend, since the woman was in company with another senior officer, a captain if she read the pips right. "It's lovely to have you with us this evening. I hope you enjoyed your meal." She glanced at the man, including him in her comment. "A first for you, Sir, I believe. I'm Jade Lantz, owner of Orchids & Jazz," she held out her hand in an offer to shake. "I extend my personal welcome to the club, and hope you like us enough to return."

Grax took Jade's hand in a polite shake. "Thank you, Miss Lantz," he said with a smile. "It is my first time, you're right, but I suspect it will be the first of many. May I complement you on your ravioli," he continued, indicating back towards Locke. "Mikaela said it was good, and she was absolutely right."

"I will pass your compliments on to my chef, Marin Holmes. It was her recipe, and it's gained such a following, I don't dare take it off the menu!" Jade laughed. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now, if you have a specific bit of jazz you'd like to hear, please ask. I'm going to play with the Dendrobians for a little bit, and we'd love to play something you like. All the members are stationed here, either with Starfleet, or with a company or embassy."

Grax looked at Mikaela with a slightly bemused smile. “Do you have a specific request?”

Mikaela thought for a moment before turning back to Jade, “I’m feeling a bit of ‘Moonlight Serenade’, if that’s okay?”

Grax immediately clicked his fingers and pointed at Mikaela with a pistol-type hand gesture. “Ah, yes,” he said, “Good choice.”

"Moonlight Serenade it is, then. Feel free to stick around, even after dessert, and listen to all the great music, even dance, if you're so inclined. That's the purpose of the dance floor." Jade smiled one last time and went toward the small, low stage, weaving through the secluded tables.

Picking up her alto sax from a chair in the back, she said, "We have a request for Moonlight Serenade. Everyone knows it, so Max, lead off with a little romantic snare drum and the rest of us will come in on the second measure."

Before long, the beautiful notes of Glenn Miller's 1939 Swing ballad floated out over the audience.

 

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