The USS Parnassus was docked at Star Base One for routine maintenance and upgrades. All over the ship, technicians and engineers were busy installing, removing, repairing, and cleaning every inch of the ship. The task, especially the last one, was a thankless job that few enjoyed and even fewer volunteered for. Thus it was very unusual for there to be an entire contingent of Star Fleet Cadets crawling through Jeffries Tubes, under deck plates, and through power relay conduits cleaning and and learning about maintenance in a hands-on fashion. All of them were Engineering Cadets, and all of them seemed to be throwing themselves into the work with a gusto usually reserved for their first assignment after the Academy.

Lieutenant Commander Shi’toouk, the ship’s Chief Engineer, wandered the ship and watched and answered questions and showed some ‘tricks of the trade’ when a Cadet or Cadets appeared to be going at something the hard way. She wasn’t upset or worried that the Cadets would mess anything up. Indeed, all of them had one of her Engineers with them to answer questions and clarify any concerns. What she was… was confused as to why they were here. Oh, she had received the orders indicating they would be arriving. And their Academy chaperone was an Engineer of no small reputation. Lt. Tor was not only a solid engineer, but a good officer as well. Shi’toouk knew of him, but hadn’t yet met him. So she made her way to Main Engineering to see if she could find him.

As the doors slid open to Main Engineering, something wasn’t right. There was an odor in the air. The Chief Engineer smelled the air, and her antennae twitched. It wasn’t burning. It lacked the ozone smell of a blown relay. And, unlike almost anything burning in a star ship, this actually smelled good. She walked further into the space and was greeted with a sight she would never had expected.

In the middle of the warp core chamber was a makeshift stove, complete with multiple burners on which sat a large, steel pot. Several of her staff were gathered around and talking to a blue-skinned humanoid with a vertical line of cartilage diving his face into left and right halves. He was tall and thickly built, with little muscle definition. He wore the gold uniform of Engineering. He was also wearing an apron and a chef’s hat. He looked up as the CE approached and he smiled. “Lieutenant Commander Shi’toouk! So nice to meet you!” he said and held out a blue hand. Dumbfounded, Shi’toouk took the hand and stared at the figure. “Lieutenant Kendric Tor. Engineering Department of Star Fleet Academy.” He let go of her hand and picked up a cutting board on which sat a mound of diced vegetables: onions, celery, and carrots. “Careful, Commander. Don’t want t splash you.” Tor said as he carefully slid the vegetables into the pot. As he did, the aroma changed and suddenly the Chief Engineer was very hungry. She shook her head and said “Lt. Tor. I… wha-… I mean… What is going on here?!” she finally managed to blurt out. Tor smiled and said “Gumbo. Made with Deltan prawns and Andouille sausage from New Orleans.” Shi’toouk stared at him a moment and then said “Okay… but why?” she asked, confused and getting more confused by the second. Tor chuckled and said “You needed more hands to help with your refit, yeah? I had a class in need of a project to hold them over until finals. So… I requested that they be allowed to work with your team in getting the ship ready. And they have done great work, Commander. Really stellar… no pun intended.” and he grinned. “So, since they have been really putting in the effort; I thought I would cook for them and your team. I invited you, Ma’am. Invitation should be in your messages.”

Shi’toouk reached over to a station and picked up a PaDD. She pulled up her comms and sure enough, there was a message from Tor asking if he could cook something for the crew and the cadets. “I didn’t get an answer, Commander… so I just went ahead and did it. I hope that was okay.” She was about to say that of course it wasn’t okay when the doors slid open and the Cadets started to come in. They were dirty and smelled like old grounding gel. Uniforms were stained and torn in places, hair was a disaster, and they looked tired… but all of them were smiling. Her team was mixed in with them, and one of her Ensigns walked up to her. “Hey Chief. It’s done. We got all of the backlogged cleaning and maintenance done; and we even cleaned and re-gelled all of the convertor housings.” He sounded so proud, Shi’toouk scolded herself for almost ruining that. “Well done, Ensign.” she said and then raised her voice and said “Well done all of you. We really appreciate you coming here to help, Cadets.” Tor held up a bowl behind her and said “Okay! Who’s hungry?!” and a cacophony of voices started talking at once. Tor laughed and said “Okay okay okay… you know the drill. Newest cadets up front, then next newest and so on. Parnassus crew, you are behind them. But first!” and he ladled a heaping spoonful of something into a bowl and handed it to the Chief Engineer. “Thank you for letting us into your ship, Commander. Nothing beats hands-on for learning the way around systems and whatnot.” He dropped a spoon into the bowl and handed it to her. “You get the first bowl.” and he laughed. “That way if you get sick, your crew can still keep things running.” and more than a few of the assembled personnel chuckled.

Shi’toouk took a breath and said “Very well, Lieutenant.” She looked at all the eyes on her. In her mind, her xenobiology professor at the Academy was yelling at her. “Bolians can literally eat anything! They don’t have any concept of taste or cuisine! NEVER eat anything a Bolian cooks!” She grimaced and then lifted the spoon to her mouth. Her eyes went wide as the flavors erupted across her palate. From the spiciness of the sausage and the broth to the sweetness of the carrots and the salty, fishy flavor of the prawns… it was quite literally the most delicious thing she had ever eaten. “Holy c#&p, Lieutenant! That’s amazing!” she said and began eating in earnest. Tor grinned and began serving the rest of the crew.

A few hours, and four pots of gumbo, later; Tor stood in the transporter room. He was looking at a PaDD and reading new orders that came down from Command. He was still attached to the Academy, but he was no longer going to be an instructor in the classroom. Now he had the dual role of Engineering Instructor and Chief Engineer of the Academy ship USS Challenger. He grinned an stepped up onto the transporter pad. He looked at the Transporter Chief and grinned. “Energize, please.” and he disappeared in a swirl of blue and gold light.

Tor, CE