Posted by Fleet Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Officer’s Mess- Dinner with the Captain

Posted by Civilian Sair Songz (Counselor) in Officer’s Mess- Dinner with the Captain

(snip)

Different expressions swept over her face: bewilderment, shock, understanding and then overwhelm. “Oh,” she whispered, her eyes welling with tears. Sair had been the kind of person to laugh and joke and show happy emotions easily. She had been bright and cheery and it had never been a facade. It had been real. She was less like this now, for a lot of reasons, but still when it came to the negative emotions she was very stoic. It was a part of being a physician and counsellor- your own crap never mattered when you were dealing with patients. It also meant that Sair was reluctant to show frustration, anger or sadness. She felt them of course but they just were there. She understood it wasn’t always healthy but she also had ways of privately dealing with her emotions.

Crying in public… it just wasn’t done.

As she tried to temper her feelings and focus on the reality of what he was offering Sair understood that this was something he could do for her. No one could change the fact that her mother was dying, but she could see that the man was keen on action when the opportunity presented itself. “Thank you,” she said softly as she swallowed, wiped at her eyes, and forced herself to take a deep breath. “My mother actually retired before she left, it was why she was flexible about how long she stayed. But I think my father would like feeling like he wasn’t shirking his obligations.”

“Thus the shifting of obligations.” Alex replied. “As new diplomatic partner to the Federation, it us important that more than just the diplomats interact. The perspective of the citizenry is important. So… there were are.”

Sair set the padd down beside her and met Alex’s gaze. “Honestly, a part of me wants to say no, because I’m not sure I can watch her go through it. But any time we and Koro can have with her is precious. And having my father here?” Her face lit up. “Oh, Captain, for us to be together again for a bit is a special gift, so I do mean it when I say thank you. It’ll be their decision, but if it’s what they want, I won’t stand in their way.”

“Speaking as someone who lost a parent in a most public and humiliating way, trust me.” Alex said softly with a glance down at the table. “Time is precious. Your time is positive… even under the circumstances. Don’t waste it. And you can tell your mother I said so.”

Her half laugh caught in her throat and Sair’s shoulder shook slightly. “I’m not sure she needs the reminder, but I’ll be sure to pass the message on. ” Never mind the fact that a person’s decline could be swift and regardless of speed it was not a fun time for anyone. Yes, they would have more time together, but how much of it would be quality before Kel was too weak and in pain for it to be enjoyable time was exceptionally hard to say. Perhaps though that just made his point about how prescious the moments they had now were.

“Now, are we still doing this dinner thing or has that idea passed?” Songz said, shaking her head.

~Sair Songz, CNS

Cochrane smiled and said “If we canceled, Harv would kill both of us.” A server approached at that moment and set covered dishes in front of both of them. Lifting the covers revealed a dish of small, bite-sized pasta topped with a red, herbal-scented sauce and strips of grilled meat. “Chef Harv would like you to enjoy this Andalusian tomato sauce over Tarkanian gnoche. The meat is seared Olloo cheek from Arcadia here in the Delta Quadrant. Bon appetité.” they said and retreated away.

“Looks interesting,” Sair said appreciatively.

Cochrane picked up his fork and said “I have never had anything of his that is bad… but sometimes I have to look and say ‘Wait… what planet is this from again?’” and he laughed.

Cochrane

Sair laughed as well. “Intergalactic menu items, I highly approve,” she said as she cut a bit of the meet and scooped up the little pasta puff with some sauce. She popped it in her mouth and her eyes went a little wide. Chewing, she sat back, her eyes narrowing slightly as she tried to evaluate what she as eating. “I like it… I’m just trying to figure out all the tastes.”

She eyed Alex for a moment , twirling her fork in her fingers. “So, I’m curious about something. I have my suspicions, but I’d like your take on it.”

“Why exactly did you invite my mother and I to dinner?”

~Sair Songz, CNS