Lower Decks: It Isn't Exactly the Promenade, But ....
Posted on Thu 29th Apr, 2021 @ 7:34am by Crewman Eslin Briga
1,391 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Business Not At All As Usual
Location: Shopping Mall, Deck 2255
Timeline: MD 6, 1350
"Okay," Emmie said, after consulting her PADD, "the shopping area is on 2255, so we have to go down five decks." She dropped her hands, still holding her device between them. "Does it ever seem odd to you that bigger numbers are down instead of up? Or is that just the years I spent on a planet?"
"I never thought of that before," Eslin admitted. "I guess I just got used to it being that way, since the decks on a ship go from lowest at the top to highest at the bottom, too. How long were you on a planet?"
Emmie laughed, "All my life before Starfleet! I grew up on Earth, knocked around a bit, trying to decide what I wanted to do, and then joined Starfleet about ten years ago in shuttle maintenance. None of this is ingrained in me, even after a decade. Plus, I've never served on a ship, only in shipyards and now here. What about you?" she asked as they got on the turbolift. "Deck 2255," she said, and then waited to hear more about her new roomie.
"This is actually my first posting," Eslin said, "unless you want to count the couple of months I spent at Starfleet Medical while they decided where to send me. I gather I'm older than the usual enlisted person just starting out."
"Age doesn't matter so much any more, I think. We live so much longer than people even a few hundred years ago," Walker shrugged. "I think it's good that you took some time to think through what you wanted to do, and experimented with other things." The lift opened on their deck, and they stepped out into the corridor. They could hear the noise of the mall from where they were, and turned left to join the small throng of shoppers.
"Ummm, smell that? I'm not sure what it is, but it must be delicious!" Emmie exclaimed. "It's making my mouth water."
"My nose is doing the happy dance, too. Let's check it out," Eslin said. "So how did you get into shuttle maintenance?"
"Excellent luck," her roommate replied. "I was always tinkering with things, even as a young woman. There was a shuttle accident near where I was working, and the pilot got out of it okay, but couldn't fix the problem. Someone pointed him in my direction, and I was able to get him flying again." She grinned, "Luck took over from there and his boss invited me to take the exam for the school and join Starfleet ... so I did. I don't know if it's what I'll do forever, but I like it, and it's good for a few more years, at least."
They were following their noses and came to a stop in front of a small storefront with a large sign that said, "Texas BBQ - You've Had the Rest, Now Eat the Best." Emmie snickered. "Shall we investigate?"
"BBQ," Eslin read. She read each letter separately. "Okayyy. Never heard of Texas, but whatever BBQ is, it smells fantastic, and I'm drooling. Let's try it."
"I'm not entirely sure, but I think it used to be a country near North America, on Earth," Walker guessed. "It does smell good, though, so I'm all in." They headed inside, eying the paintings of cows and cactus and men on horses that decorated the walls. "I wonder if this is real animal meat, or vat grown."
"I'm betting vat-grown. It would take a lot of grass to feed one of these animals, wouldn't it?" Eslin wondered aloud as she looked at the paintings of horned animals on the walls. She glanced at the menu. "Oh, hey! They have potato salad!"
"Potato anything is good with me!" Emmie said. "And hush puppies? It's like learning a whole new language to eat in some restaurants. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound, as grandma always said," and she stepped up to the ordering kiosk.
"I've had hot dogs, so maybe hush puppies are a variant of that? You'll have to let me know." Eslin tapped on the screen of a different ordering kiosk and chose a sliced brisket sandwich with "real Texas BBQ sauce," potato salad, fried okra, and iced tea. "Want to sit over here by the window and watch the people go by?"
Emmie took the tray that slid out from behind the kiosk and glanced over at the table Eslin indicated. "Sure, I like people watching as well as the next wanna be author," she laughed and followed her new roommate to the window. "There seem to be plenty of people to watch, even down here at the bottom of the universe."
She peered into her tray. "I don't think hush puppies have anything to do with hot dogs," she said. "It looks like some kind of bread ball." Taking a tentative bite, she gave her approval, "Oh, yeah, this is good. Herbs of some kind and maybe cornbread?"
"So like a corndog without the dog? That's different." Eslin joined Emmie at the table and bit into her sandwich. She gave a soft moan and closed her eyes as gustatory rapture overtook her. "Ohhh...Oh, my. Whatever BBQ is, it's good!" After her transports of ecstasy subsided, she gave Emmie a curious look. "Are you? A wannabe author, I mean?"
Emmie nodded her head as she wiped her mouth. "Since I was a little girl. I've always jotted down stories. I remember my parents were really upset with me one time and banished me to my room for three days. I mean, they even brought in my meals, and I couldn't leave for anything. I know they thought it was terrible punishment, but I actually didn't mind. No chores, no siblings, and I spent the whole three days writing my first novel." The red-head laughed. "Totally not a memorable story, of course, but I remember the time fondly."
"But that's wonderful!" Eslin said. "Do you write stories for publication?" She dug into the mustard potato salad and smiled as the warm, potatoey goodness went down her throat. Yes! Proper potato salad.
"No?" Emmie paused her eating and sounded tentative. "That is, I haven't ever submitted anything to anyone. I suppose with all the self-publication options, I could have printed, but who has time for self-promotion? Mostly I write on fan fiction sites and for myself, simply because I love words. You ever write?" She went back to eating, taking a moment to ponder why she never pushed herself.
Eslin's eyes widened slightly, and she glanced from side to side and leaned forward slightly. "I, ah, write the occasional story. My guilty pleasure is Jedediah Tully and the Spacefleet Marines. My mother would have a fit if she knew. One of the characters is rather ... salty."
"You write fanfic for that?" Emmie asked, amazed, her fork halted halfway to her mouth. "That would be awesome!"
"It's not all that great fanfiction," Eslin said with a grimace. "I take forever to write the stories because I can't plot my way out of a paper bag, and Tully stories are all about the wild and crazy action."
Emmie finished transporting her food to her mouth and then said, "They say write what you know, and wild and crazy is not in my experience bank, but I do enjoy the holos and books. So, where would I find these episodes you've written?"
"I've got a couple at Archive of Our Own. The rest are at Tullyverse," Eslin said. "I publish them under the name Eslin B."
"I'll look them up, as soon as I have a chance," her roomie said, pushing her empty plate away. "That was quite good. I'll have to remember this place and try the barbecue next time. Right now, I'm so stuffed, I'm not sure I could eat a piece of my favorite lemon meringue pie, even if I could find one."
"I was drooling over the peach cobbler, but since I had two sides, I decided to get dessert on my next visit," Eslin said as they got up to put their plates and silverware in the recycler. She suddenly laughed. "You know, I don't think we paid any attention to what was happening outside the window at all!"
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