Lunch and Reflection

Posted on Fri Apr 19th, 2013 @ 12:49am by Fleet Admiral Mike K`Wor Bremer & General Janice Fultian-Bremer & Ensign Becca Bremer & Christopher Bremer & Lieutenant K`Wor & Commodore Leon `Lee` Pike & Lieutenant Anandra Delair & Ensign David Brody & Ensign Anthony La Baron & Commodore Alexandra Harrison & Lieutenant Catherine Mclintock

3,209 words; about a 16 minute read

Mission: Mission 82 - The Aggressor
Location: Earth, Charleston South Carolina
Timeline: Following 'High Leave Meeting'

ON:

Bremer, K'Temoc, Delair, Brody, and K'Wor walked inside the Charleston Crab House. An old restaurant in Charleston South Carolina for an early lunch. The waitress led them upstairs and to the outdoor deck where they took a seat.

It was a cool spring day in the city and the sea breeze was blowing gently. There was a hint of jasmine and wisteria in the air and it mixed with the ocean salt as well as flavors from the near-by restaurants made for a pleasant aroma.

"Before I beamed down, I took the liberty to send an invite to the rest of the Durga's Command Crew for the mission. I thought some might like to join us." K'Temoc announced.

"Mike glanced over at his brother and smile, "Good idea...but I guess we need to let the waitress know we need to reserve the entire deck."

Ensign Brody absorbed his surroundings. They were a stark contrast from San Francisco. Having never explored Earth beyond San Francisco, he was amazed at how full of life this city was. He took this opportunity, which was much less formal, to thank his new Admiral for accepting his request for transfer. "Admiral. I wanted to express my gratitude for your allowing me to assume this posting. I promise, you will not regret having me as part of the crew."

Mike looked over at Brody, he was definitely turning out to be more stable and dedicated than the previous Assistant Chief Security/Tactical Officer that lasted only a few days. “You’re welcome. All I ask of my crew is to be dedicated to your duty, to Starfleet and the Federation, and do you best. The experience and training will come.”

He paused a moment to address everyone, “I’m very pleased…honored to have you all as a part of the Starbase 400 family.”

Lieutenant Delair took a seat where she could enjoy the view of the water and still be involved with the conversation going around the table. She felt very drained, her mind occupied with thoughts and concerns in light of the events thus far on the mission, but she was quite content to bask in the sun and the cool sea air for a bite to eat.

The shuttle landed a bit aways from the restaurant, Alex and Lee had decided to join the others for lunch before heading to Hawaii to meet his parents. They walked off the shuttle and headed for the restaurant holding hands.

K’Temoc watched Lee and Alex walking down the street toward the restaurant. “Here come the love birds.” He said with a smile.

Alex was all smiles. Everything went well with her parents. Alex took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air, something that they rarely get to experience. She stopped for a moment to enjoy the gentle breeze, savoring it, "I've almost forgotten what it feels like to be outside." She inhaled one more time before entering the restaurant.

Once inside, they were greeted by the host. They told her who they were meeting and she led them to Bremer and the others. Alex found herself once again looking at the view before sitting, "Nice."

The waitress came back with glasses of water for everyone. K’Wor watched her, they were about the same age. She flashed a smile at him, and K’Wor returned a smile of his own.

“I’m K’Wor.”

“I’m Ashley.” She smiled again and brusher a few strains of her blonde hair out of her face. Neither one said anyone for a moment, just smiling at each other.

“Excuse me.” Mike said with a smirk, “Can we get two Market Street Samplers please? “

The waitress blinked and looked away for a moment before replying, “Sure, two orders of Peel’n Eat Shrimp, Crispy Calamari, Fried Green Tomatoes coming up.” Ashley looked back at K’Wor for a moment then headed to put the appetizer order in.

Lee nodded to everyone as they reached the table:"Hello everyone." He pulled out a chair for Alex.

Alex smiled at everyone as she sat down. She looked at Lee, "Thank you."

He then sat down next to her:"Just to let everyone know, since we are here on Earth, my parents have invited all of you to their home in Molokai, Hawaii for an engagement party.'

Alex was still smiling, "Thanks." She saw the shrimp and grabbed a small plate, taking a few. She passed up the Calamari and the tomatoes. The waitress had walked by their table, "Excuse me." The waitress stopped and took a few steps backwards. Alex was still a little nervous about meeting Lee's family so a drink sounded good, "May I have a glass of the Beringer White Zinfandel?" The waitress nodded and left.

Brody took a seat next to Lieutenant Delair with a plate of bright red 'crawdads'. He turned to Delair and tried cracking a joke. "I didn't know they served Klingon food here." He had developed a taste for Ferengi crab, so he was optimistic that these 'crawdads' would be delicious.

Anandra sat gazing out at the water as the other guests arrived. Her attention piqued when K'Temoc mentioned the approaching love birds and she lifted her chin from her palm, drawing her gaze back to the group at the table. As Brody took the empty seat beside her she waved a lazy 'hello' at him then let out a laugh as his joke, though her attention was quickly pulled away by the events around the table. She greeted the 'love birds' with a smile and a hello, and lifted her glass to wet her lips as the others got seated. When the engagement was announced, a broad smile spread over her face. "That is wonderful news, congratulations! And you know, wine is an excellent idea, Alex, in fact I think we should have a bottle brought to the table, this lunch just became a celebration!"

Alex waived the waitress over once again, "Can we get two bottles of Ferrari Carano Fume Sauvignon Blanc and enough wine glasses for everyone?"

"Here, here!" Brody seconded Lieutenant Delair's sentiments. He would likely pass on a glass of wine, perhaps taking just a sip. Brody didn't want to let on the one glass would usually lead to many more. First impressions were important and, while there was a celebration to be had, Brody would have to maintain moderation and decorum.

Lee smiled and nodded:"Thanks everyone." He then turned to Admiral Bremer:"Sir just to let you know, Janice and the kids are also invited to the party at my parent's."

“I’m sure they will enjoy the extra get away.” He replied.

K’Wor looked over at Pike, “I’m not a kid.” And turned red, hoping the waitress, Ashley, hadn’t heard to comment.

Pike leaned over and whispered to Alex:"Contact your parents when we get back to the shuttle and invite them also."

Alex nodded, "I will. I think that they'll enjoy themselves."

Lee took a sip of water:"The party will be tomorrow night at 1800. It will be a Luau style party."

Anthony entered the quaint restaurant to find all of his crew-mates enjoying a selection of seafood and wine. He took a seat next to Anan.

"Did you miss me?" He asked, smiling in her presence as usual.

"No!" she scoffed, teasing him, then smiled. "Maybe a little. How was your day?" she asked, giving him her full attention.

"It was fine. Now it's much better." Anthony smiled and grabbed Anan's hand under the table for a moment before pouring them a glass of white wine to accompany the shellfish.


Brody 'ate' his crawdads, doing his best to mimic the others in the room who had ordered the same dish. He caught K'Wor's attention before nodding in Ashley's direction. "I see you have your target acquired, Ensign. You raising shields or firing at will?" He laughed and threw a gentle elbow into K'Wor's side.

Alex saw an elbow collide with K'Wor's side. She wondered what that was all about. She learned one thing, that this Brody guy was a jokester. She watched for K'Wor's reaction.

K’Wor blushed again, then notice Ashley was a little red in the face now too, smiling at him. “I think I’m going to fly on auto-pilot and see where it takes me.”

Lee sat there watching everyone. He almost raised an eye brow at Brody but decided against it. He sat there eating some of the jambalaya he ordered.

Mike smiled at his son. He had grown up so fast. He realized he hadn’t ordered anything for himself after ordering the appetizers for everyone. “Excuse me.” He said of another waitress that came to help Ashley, “Can I get a ‘Crab Pot’ and add some scallops to the side please? Also two orders of ‘Low country broil’ an order of ‘Garlic Blue Crabs’ and an order of ‘Alaskan Snow Crab Legs’ to go please?” He didn’t know if Janice or Becca wanted to eat, or if they already had, but he wanted to make sure they had something nice if they were hungry.

“Yes sir.” The waitress said.

Brody made short work of his meal, leave a pile of shells and emptied claws in his wake. He used the provided 'wet nap' to tidy himself before getting up and proceeding to where Captains Pike and Harrison were sitting. He stood at attention, unaware that he still wearing a paper smock emblazoned with an image of an animated Earth crustacean. "I wanted to congratulate you both on your impending nuptials. I'm very excited to be serving with you."

Alex was already in a bubbly mood so when Brody walked over to them, Alex burst out laughing. She tried to say thank you but she couldn't stop laughing. She finally took a breath, "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. Well, actually, I do." She thought at first that he was joking around until the blank look appeared on his face. She pointed at the bib. "Thank you and stop standing so stiff and straight. Relax. We're off duty."

Brody took note of the bib still attached. He surveyed the room and could see that none of the other patrons had utilized the supplied garment. He could feel his face flush a little. He took the Captain's advice to relax to heart and loosened up. "Sorry, Captain. I tend to be a slave to protocol." He saw his second helping arrive at his table and quickly removed his bib with a smile.

Lee gave a smile:"It's ok we all do something like that at some point, David. Thank you, now go enjoy the rest of your lunch."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. I seem to be a bit of a seafood amateur." He nodded respectfully and maintained a slightly embarrassed smile. Brody returned to his table and plopped down into his chair next to Lieutenant Delair. "That couldn't have gone any better", he said sarcastically.

Anandra had a wry grin on her face as Brody approached - she'd seen enough of his exchange with the Captains to feel sufficiently embarrassed for him, yet also quite amused of course. "I don't know, from where I'm sitting it looks like it went pretty well indeed." she teased with a small laugh, picking at one of her own crawdads and throwing a piece into her mouth.

"Presidents, Admirals, Captains...", Brody reflected, "give me a tavern full of angry Nausicaans any day." He laughed to himself, digging into his second helping of one of South Carolina's best dishes. "Don't mind me. First day jitters. Seems like I'm fitting in already."

She listened with a smile at her new crewmate, amused by his unintentional antics in front of the captains as well as his..attitude. "So you're the fighting type?" she arched a brow. "I don't mind you," she assured him. "I think you're fitting in just fine. And between you and me," she said, leaning in to speak without being overheard. "I agree, give me a tavern full of angry Nausicaans - at least they don't expect you to stand at attention and follow protocols."

"Not a fighter, per se. I've just been more comfortable around phasers and fisticuffs than in social settings such as this." Brody looked around the restaurant at his new crewmates, all of whom seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. "For the last couple of years, I've felt like a Klingon without a war to wage. It's time for me to come out of my shell, as it were, and explore my interpersonal abilities. This may not be the greatest of starts, but I get the feeling this is the perfect crew with whom to explore my personal growth."

"Your feeling is very astute Ensign, I think you've come to the right place if personal growth is on your mind." She paused momentarily to consider him. His discomfort in social situations had indeed become apparent by now, if only upon witnessing the amusing exchange with the Captains. Anan found herself wondering how a guy like him ended up socially awkward - he was good looking, and had to be a fine officer if he were accepted aboard this crew. As a counselor obviously she knew many other factors played a role in what constituted a person's comfort zone, and these were the things she was pondering in regards to Brody. "Much better to explore your personal growth than to humor your inner Klingon by finding a war to wage." she noted, lifting a glass of wine to her lips.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. I appreciate your advice. I'll be sure to take it to heart." Brody almost always avoided anyone with a psychiatric background, but sensed the Counselor was genuine in her approach. "If I sense a proverbial thirst for blood wine, I'll be sure to give you a call." He laughed, noticeably avoiding the real wine, choosing to sip his water instead.

"You do that," she urged playfully, indeed taking note of the fact that he was drinking water instead of wine, which she found curious given the setting, but not so much that she'd address the matter verbally. Anandra turned her attention to the crawdads on her plate, picking them apart and setting the meat in a neat little pile off to the side on her plate. "I see what you meant about Klingon food earlier," she noted aloud. "At least they're not still moving."

Brody laughed, his joke not lost on Delair. He was completely unaware that his anxiety over this particular engagement had almost completely dissipated. The need to impress his superiors had waned and he was actually beginning to have fun.

Alex was getting hungry for some crab. After all, they were in a crab house so she placed her order with the waitress who had brought over the two bottles of wine and glasses, "I'd like your Garlic Blue Crab and an iced tea." She looked over at Lee.

Lee looked at Alex and offered her some jambalaya he been eating.

Alex smiled and politely turned him down. The food placed before her was enough.

By this time, Mike had devoured his meal, it was the most he’d eaten in weeks. ‘A little gagh would have been good with this’ he thought to himself. Then, a smile crossed his face.

“If you’ll all excuse me for a moment.” He said as he stood and walked inside and down stairs. Seeing the Admiral approaching, the restaurant’s manager became nervous.

“Uh, is everything okay sir?” He asked.

“Oh yes, very good.” Mike replied. “I want to make sure you put the entire bill on my tab. Mike replied.

“Ah, yes sir, absolutely.” He replied.

“Also, have you thought about expanding to another location?” Mike asked.

Back at the table, K’Temoc had finished his meal. He’d kept pretty quiet while eating, choosing to listen to everyone else. It allowed him to get a better feel for his new crewmates but also time to savor his food.

“I’m going to walk down to Battery Park when we leave. It’s a just over a kilometer away if anyone else wants to walk off the meal too.” He smirked as he leaned back in his chair. “It’s a really pretty,” had he really just said ‘pretty’, “part of the city with a great view of the Ashley river and into Charleston Harbor and out toward the Atlantic Ocean.”

Alex looked over at Lee then at K'Temoc, "I think that we're going to push off after this."

Mike came back up and out onto the deck with everyone else. He had a smile on his face and a large bag with Becca’s and Janice’s food in it in his hand.

“Did everyone enjoy their meal?” Mike asked.

Alex nodded, "It was most definitely worth the detour."

His faux pas notwithstanding, Brody enjoyed the good food and the company of his new crew. "Yes, thank you Admiral."

Anan simply nodded and smiled in the Admirals direction, wondering and hoping that he managed to enjoy himself as well..though the little get together did seem to take his mind off of things. Satisfied with her meal, she drank down the last of the wine in her glass, then excused herself from the gentlemen on each side of her as she stood from her seat. She had a lot on her mind, and wanted to write up her reports and counselor's log while it was all still fresh. "I'm going to make my rounds then find somewhere quiet to work on my reports. I'll see you around Anthony," she said with a warm smile, then turned to Brody. "It was a pleasure meeting you Brody, and welcome to the crew." She gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder before she left the table. On her way out she stopped to offer another congratulations to the soon-to-be-wed couple. "I'll be sure to stop by the celebration tomorrow." she promised with a smile, then excused herself to approach the Admiral. "Sir, if there are no objections I'd like to excuse myself to work on some reports, but I'd like to speak with you sometime tomorrow when you have nothing of consequence going on."

K'Wor was standing over in the corner of the deck, talking to Ashley. She handed him a small PADD and said, "Sure, I'd love to go."

K'Wor smiled then kissed her on the cheek. When he turned around, he saw everyone watching him, and he blushed again. "Umm, I'll walk with you." He said to his uncle.

"Thank you all for coming. The meal is on me, so you all enjoy the rest of your day and we'll all meet tomorrow evening in Hawaii." Mike said with a smile. He really did have a good time and was feeling a little bit better, about many things.

He walked back inside and down the stairs, then out the door and onto Market Street before tapping his comm-badge. "Bremer to Durga, one to beam back to my personal residence please. Energize."



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