Posted by Captain Shock (Commanding Officer) in Mess hall – everyone welcome

Posted by Captain Shock (CO) in Mess hall – everyone welcome
Shock went for a late-night snack. He had not eaten all day. Anomalies had kept him busy on the Bridge and in his ready room all day. He was tired. He checked the time, 23:11 hours. He needed some food before retiring for the night. He walked to the mess hall. It was quiet. No one was there. He walked up to the replicator:

“Baked potato, no flavouring. Oil. And a pot of hot water, and a tea cup.”

Instantaneously appearing, he sprinkled the oil on the steaming baked potato. From his pocket, he took out some real loose-leaf tea – tieguanyin from Earth’s eastern Asia region, and placed the leaves his the glass pot of hot water.

He walked to a table close to the windows, seating himself to see the stars outside.

In his glass pot, he saw the leaves slowly expanding and colouring the once-clear water to a darker, more yellowish colour. He took a deep breath and began eating.

Shock, Captain
Commanding Officer

The skin gave little resistance. It was thin and brittle, his teeth breaking it cleanly. The oil clung to the surface, leaving a light gloss on his tongue. The inside of the potato was dry but yielding. The starch dissolved slowly, coating his mouth in a powdery film, mixed with the flavourless vegetable oil and his own familiar saliva. It was not an unpleasant experience.

He noted the warmth of his bite. It spread evenly, carrying no sharpness, no spice. Only the faint trace of earth. It reminded him of the mineral-rich foods of his childhood Vulcan, foods grown locally and organically. Though Vulcan foods would, for reasons obvious, have a completely different mineral make-up, greatly affecting the flavour.

This meal was a good mix of carbohydrate and fat, suitable since he had not eaten all day, and needed energy. Protein would follow in the next meal. But now he needed energy more than anything.

He chewed, swallowed, and observed. A potato offered little more than sustenance. Yet, it provided a warmth in his belly that brought his memories to his childhood, with his parents, with his family. He would not admit it, but they were good memories. He thought of his father, who died all too early, and of his mother and brother. He had not spoken with them since his father’s funeral. It had simply not been logical to reach out after. He assumed it had not been logical for them either.

As he ate, he could not help but think of them more and more. Their absence in his life was now acutely pronounced.

And he took another bite, letting the steaming potato flesh fill his belly with added warmth.

Shock, Captain
Commanding Officer

Bethany had lost a lot of her socialness since her last mission on the Asimov. It didn’t do for a department head to be reclusive though. So she made herself go to the mess hall to eat. Aasrel was on duty, and so she entered the mess alone. She hated the onslaught of minds, she hated their emotions, she hated this curse, and mostly she hated herself and what she was.

She entered the mess with a smile though and made sure to speak briefly to the officers she knew before grabbing a plate and sitting down at an empty table to eat.

Lt. Gadi, CTO/RTF