Posted by Lieutenant Commander Janusz Korczak (Counselor) in Mess Hall - Open Thread

Posted by Commander Maxwell Harkness (Executive Officer) in Mess Hall - Open Thread

Posted by Cadet Rhese Bowman (Scientist) in Mess Hall - Open Thread
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻

[Snip]

Rhese had finished his apple slice, and proceeded to also finish the last bite of his akutaq before pushing his tray away slightly, to indicate he was finished. “Well, it would of course be your project, Catt. But I’m willing to assist in any way you’d need. Though I would also like to produce a couple of units to grow my seeds in. The yields of the lettuce varieties, in particular, are very high – most likely we could produce enough for several fresh salads per day.” Talking about the fresh food reminded him again of the delicious foods provided by the Counselor – the apple slice itself had been particularly good. He turned to look again at Korczak, smiled, and said “Thank you again, Commander, for sharing this with us. It was all delicious!”

Turning back to his Caitian crewmate after a beat, Rhese’s expression changed gradually to a look of concern, as he continued: “You do raise good points about the mass of the project, though, Catt. We’d have to be careful not to exceed our means, depending on the space allotment. We could work out some way to create a ‘backup’ artificial gravity system, too, to avoid issues if the main system went down for some reason… but you’re right in that there’s no way to guarantee something couldn’t go wrong at some point. Though, there have been several successful hyrdoponics projects – even for additional food on missions to remote sectors where resupply of the ship couldn’t be guaranteed – on multiple starships. Perhaps we should look into their logs in order to better anticipate potential issues we might face. As to starting a hydroponics bay here on the Challenger during the cadet cruise, it could easily be something that could be maintained should one or all of us be reassigned, with some training… though I definitely understand your reluctance to set up your project here, not knowing how long we’re to be assigned to this fine vessel,” Bowman concluded. He looked, again, to Commander Harkness, hoping he might have some advice or input.

Cadet Rhese Bowman (Scientist)

“It is definitely an interesting thought,” Max said as he looked around at the cadets. “We could probably reinforce the super structure under one of the cargo bays, and include a secondary inertial dampening field to help minimize any effects of shifting load. We could set aside some space for your experiment Cadet Bennet, if you would like. And we could bring on some additional seeds from the starbase before we leave. I think it would be a good project, and can be used to help improve the ship. And of course like any good experiment, if it doesn’t succeed by the time you leave the Challenger, there is nothing wrong with that. But we have to start somewhere.”

Sitting up, he leaned on the table. “So if we were to start this project small, just to start. I can get you a cargo bay, but what would you need to get started?”

Cmdr. Harkness - XO

Korczak listened intently as the exchange took place, but kept his face passive and seemingly preoccupied with the discussion. He watched the Cadets interact, particularly Bennet, and was quite pleased… and more than a bit surprised… that she had stepped out of her shell in such a fashion. He made a mental mark to note her profile when he returned to his office.

Looking down at the now empty plates, he smiled and gathered up the plates and put them back into the bag. An advantage of being as non-descript as he was, leaving a table of people engrossed in conversation had never been an issue. He tended to blend into the furniture wherever he was, and that was fine with him. With a polite nod in the direction of the table in case anyone noted his leaving, he stood and walked out of the lounge.

Korczak, CNS

Starr noted that the counsellor was excusing himself and nodded back in his direction. “Thanks again for the much more substantial than usual meal, counsellor” he nodded as he left. “I should also take my leave as well, I wish you every success with the project, and as I mentioned - if you need someone to make sure things don’t get disturbed, let me know - it sounds like a really interesting project so, keep me in the loop, OK” he said smiling, rising from his chair to go to his quarters. He had an early start tomorrow.

Cadet Simon Starr, Security