Posted by Lieutenant Ben Hudson (Chief Medical Officer) in Ship’s Lounge

Posted by Civilian Sair Songz (Counselor) in Ship’s Lounge

Posted by Lieutenant Ben Hudson (Chief Medical Officer) in Ship’s Lounge
Posted by… suppressed (8) by the Post Ghost! 👻
<SNIP>

Well, if you’re after a bit of comfort food, I’d either go with cream of tomato or chicken soup; I find them ever so restorative,” he suggested. If you’re after more of a main meal, then I can throughly recommend ‘bangers and mash’” he continued, gesturing to his plate of food.

Lt. Hudson
Chief Medical Officer

Sal mouthed the words ‘bangers and mash’, letting them take up his mouth as he tried to process them. Looking at Ben’s plate only helped mildly, as he understood one of those things was a sausage. “Soup sounds like a place to begin. I think most cultures would have some sort of soup and it’ll be the ingredients that change it. I’m not sure what tomatoes or chicken are, but if you had to pick one of those soups, which one would you gravitate towards?”

~Sal Songz

Ben smiled and suppressed a giggle at Sal contemplating the concept of bangers and mash. “Sorry, a British term for sausages and mashed potato. For some reason it always reminds me of home.”

“It is an odd set of words that don’t quite translate, but I bet we have similar dishes
“As for the soup, I’d probably go with chicken soup, served with a fresh baguette,” he suggested. “Tomato is a great fallback if you’d prefer something vegetable based, rather than meat based.”

Lt. Hudson
Chief Medical Officer

Sal considered his options and decided to take the suggestion. He went and ordered the soup, including the baguette (which translated to ‘long bread’ in his language) and soon was back. He set everything down and eyed the soup. “I had no idea what chicken noodle soup was, but seeing it makes me think of something similar we have back home, but rather than the meat, it uses a fresh-water crustacean.”

He lifted his spoon and gave a bow of his head before digging in. “Huh! It’s pretty good. Thanks for the recommendation.”

~Sal Songz

“You’re welcome,” Ben said with a smile, as he cut off a bit of one of his sausages, pressed some mash against it, and then some peas. He paused for moment.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how is the family?” he asked, conscious that it might be a little too raw for Sal, but wanting to make it clear that he was there to listen.

Lt. Hudson
Chief Medical Officer

“I don’t mind,” Sal said, though his voice softened even more. “Koro is understandably distraught. He understood that Kel was ill and wasn’t going to get better, but he’s so young that it’s hard to make sense of. And Sair…” He took a sip of the soup from his spoon and let the comforting liquid slip down his throat. “She’s so strong, Doctor. As a physician and a counsellor, she’s seen death more times than people can imagine, especially as a Kobliad. But this is different. Her and Kel had a complicated relationship, but it was loving.” He set down his spoon. “I just worry that in her wanting to take care of Koro, and make sure the crew is still okay, that she will neglect her own healing journey. She’s terrible that way,” he said with a warm smile.

~Sal Songz

Ben nodded sympathetically, as he placed his napkin on the table. “I do remember as a child that feeling of everything being able to last forever,” he said, softly. “Losing someone you’ve been familiar with your entire life does shake that impression to the core… it’s not just the loss, it’s the realisation that there is more to follow.” he continued, sadly. He did wonder whether it was a little too blunt for Sal, but he hoped the elder would understand where he was coming for.

Sal blew out a breath through his nose. “It’s inevitable for Kobliads that this realization happens sooner in our lives than for others. It’s not just knowing it will happen to those you care about but everyone around you too. Koro will be one of the first of his generation to not suffer from the genetic disease, but he’ll still have to see those older than him go through it. It’s terrible, but reality.”

“As for Sair, I agree she’s bound to focus on everyone else to keep busy and not think about it.” he commented. “I would expect the Captain to make her take some compassionate leave to have chance to grieve, but let me know if you need me to tell Sair to take some time for herself.” he said, showing genuine concern for her.

Lt. Hudson
Chief Medical Officer

He chuckled. “Oh, I’m sure she’ll be forced to take time. The counter point to this is that we need to be careful not to tell her how to grieve. She needs to figure out what it looks like in this instance. But I am grateful that people will be looking out for her. I will have to return to Kobliad soon, and I will hopefully worry less knowing you’re all there for her.”

~Sal Songz

“Of course,” Ben said with a smile, as he put his cutlery in the centre of his plate. “And I assume that you will have a support network for you when you return to Kobliad?” he asked, also slightly concerned for Sal’s well being.

Lt. Hudson
Chief Medical Officer

Sal was quiet as he ate his soup for a few moments. “I will manage. The music community is close and I always have my music. Being able to communicate with Sair will help as well.”

“What about you? How do you like being out here in the Delta Quadrant?”

~Sal Songz

“I’ll reserve judgment for now,” Ben said with a smile, “it’s only my first week.” he continued, pausing for a moment as he realised just how much had happened in that single week.

“How long have you been out here for?” he asked Sair.

Lt. Hudson
Chief Medical Officer

“About a month,” Sal said. “It wasn’t the plan, but then Captain Cochrane extended the invitation and I didn’t want to pass up us all spending time together.” He smiled, though it didn’t touch his eyes. “Kel and I said our goodbyes already, back on Kobliad. She came out here to bring Sair’s son to her once she had gotten settled. It was going to be their time together, to sort things out. But you know, I think this was the best possible outcome for all of us. And after the ceremony, I’ll spend a bit more time with my daughter and grandson and then go home. My people need me. Of all the things there in life, when your outcome is bleak, it is the arts and music that carry us through.”

~Sal Songz

“Having you around will be good for Sair and the little one,” he started. “But make sure you take some time for yourself too, even before you leave.” He continued, taking a last sip of his drink. “And please, do let me know if there is anything I can do to help.”

Lt. Hudson
Chief Medical Officer

Sal ate some more of the soup and then studied Hudson. “So what would you recommend as activities here on the ship? I’ve visited the amazing garden on Deck 4, and Koro likes going to the holodeck to this park program. But anything else people around here do for fun?”

~Sal Songz