On arrival at the mess hall, Noami frowned. There were numerous officers drifted between collecting their trays to already leaving. Carefully she ducked through the bodies toward the bar set up and snatched a divided tray from the end. She collected a few toads in the hole, bacon, eggs, and roasted vegetables. She missed cooking for herself some times back in England. Perk of being on a planet meant the food rarely held a distinct and nasty after-taste, unlike the ship’s.

As Naomi finished up at the bar, she turned to try to find a seat. That appeared to be a daunting task since most of her crew had sat down and left little to no space open.

–ENS Naomi D. Locke, Sci.