Even Lieutenants Need to Eat

Posted on Fri Aug 4, 2017 @ 8:41pm by Lieutenant Corsa Yeros & Lieutenant JG Mirok & Lieutenant JG Zander Devereaux

Mission: Strange Matter
Location: Deck 40; Coffee Mess
Timeline: MD 27 | 1230

With all his rushing around Corsa forgot to actually eat and luckily he hadn't yet been called to duty. With a quick check of his chrono he wandered towards one of the ship's replimats for a bite to eat after taking the turbolift from his quarters to a place that would allow him to gain some well earned nourishment. If he left it any later he'd have to be on the bridge with a pit-empty stomach and that didn't appeal.

There was also the paperwork. Setting up duty rosters, pouring through reports and officer reviews within his department, shuttle maintenance reports, shuttle maintenance requests as well as his senior staff report to the Commodore and Commander to name a few. Corsa had been under the belief he was there to simply fly the ship but he had been given a small mountainous task to perform and he wasn't about it let it defeat him. Nor was he about to let hunger assist in that defeat.

He entered the room and moved towards the replicator before making a safe leaning choice he often went for at the Starfleet Academy. "Two large sandwiches; lightly toasted with cheese, ham and ranch dressing." With a glow and a whirl a plate appeared with the order and then came the order for his coffee; black with five sugars. Caution around replicators were common for him since they were still a new technology for him to get used to. He didn't want his food to be swimming in his drink order.

With plate and mug in hand he sat down without thinking or checking to see if there was anyone already settled at the table. Instead with the task in hand in focus he picked up one of the sandwiches and took a large bite out of it with a sound of satisfaction.

Mirok blinked at the newcomer, and then resorted to his 'natural' glare in hopes of catching the other man's attention.

In mid bite Corsa caught the glare and furrowed his brow. The tall alien chewed away and swallowed before he spoke with a quizzical expression. "Something wrong?"

"I don't know how they do it on your world, but in the Federation, we typically ask before sitting somewhere where others are sitting." Mirok said, poking at his own food with his fork.

Zander had just turned from the replicator with a meatball sub that was smothered in parmesan cheese, a side order of fries, and a large coffee when he saw the start of what looked like an altercation at one of the tables.

He shook his head and headed over to set the tray down at the same table as the tall boy and the dude with the attitude and looked at them. "Twenty years," he said as he sat down at the table.

Corsa was about to reply to Mirok before he turned over to Zander with his confused expression not disappearing. "Twenty years? Come again?" the Traxian asked.

"I said twenty years," Zander repeated himself as he reached for a fry and popped it in his mouth.

"Twenty years what? The amount of time I'm stuck with you people?" Mirok muttered.

The Traxian smirked a little as he bit into his sandwich and chewed on it. He picked up the mug of steaming hot coffee and allowed himself a small drawing sip after swallowing the mouthful of ham and melted cheese.

"I've been in Starfleet for twenty years and you young bloods never cease to give me a laugh," Zander said as he picked up his meatball sub and took a bite. "Pull your panties outta the crack and you'll feel better."

"And I've been in about that long as well, I'm not a young blood, human." Mirok said.

"Ten years military. Then eight years in Starfleet. Guess that makes me the young blood here!" Corsa let out with a jovial tone. "Guess that explains my youthful complexion and rounded, handsome features."

Zander looked at the Romulan and laughed. "So why aintcha pulled the panties from yer crack?" he asked. "And by the age you seem to be, yer young still, which makes you wet behind those pointy ears."

The stocky Engineer looked at the tall guy without waiting for a response. "Just remember to scream 'not in the face' when we have incoming," he advised. "It attracts enemy fire to yer mugs."

"Maybe I'll just be too damned good for us to get hit." the flight chief remarked. One sandwich had disappeared and he didn't wait to start on the second, taking a quarter bite from the tip. "I think he's just upset I parked my rear on the seat without asking." Corsa added after he swallowed.

"I'm still trying to figure out what you are." Mirok said, scooping up a long slightly blued noodle into his mouth.

"I'm a Traxian. We newly joined the Federation about...nine years? Give or take." the flight officer replied.

"Now we're one big happy family," Zander said. "Zander Devereaux, Damage Control Specialist," he said by way of introduction after the fact, then glanced at Mirok. "You already know what I am."

"You can assume I'm a Romulan." Mirok said, glaring between both men.

"Never met a Romulan before, pleasure! I'm Lieutenant Costa Yeros. New chief flight officer." he replied to both of the men but gave Mirok another attempt of his disarming smile. "As for humans I met plenty in San Francisco. They made me feel right at home though they do love their metaphors."

Zander looked at Mirok and cocked an eyeball. "When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me and I ain't no ass. Well, it depends on who ya ask, but that's another story. Who and what are you?"

"I think he's someone who doesn't like to share a table for lunch." chimed Corsa with a small grin. "It's a big ship with lots of people. Might just have to hide in your quarters to avoid them."

"Well here's a hint, both my parents have pointed ears." Mirok said, stuffing another noodle in his mouth.

Zander took a big bite of his meatball sub and washed it down with a gulp of coffee. "So you're an angry elf?"

"Romulan/Vulcan, but I've never been to Vulcan, nor did I grow up there."

Something Zander said caused Corsa to turn his gaze towards the engineer. "What's an elf?" he asked before giving the hull breach in his sandwich another tear with his teeth.

"Fictional pointy eared magical creatures from Earth," Zander said as he reached for more friese. "A Romulan/Vulcan, huh? Did you ever follow the teachings of Surak?"

"Sounds like some kind of pudding. I'll have the Surak with extra cream." Corsa said.

Mirok shook his head, responding first to Zander, "I was raised Romulan, so I never got the chance." He then turned his attention--and glare--to Corsa. "Surak is only the greatest of the Vulcan philosophers who brought about the reformation of Vulcan and the turn to logic and emotional suppression. It is not some dessert item!" He slammed his fist on the table for emphasis.

"Let's calm down a bit," Zander said as he held up his hands. "Corsa's people aren't familiar with him. Maybe you could teach him a bit about Surak?"

Corsa smirked as Mirok's fist thumped into the table. "I'm going to go off on a guess but you aren't exactly top of the class in that regard? I mean, what did that table ever do to you?"

"Computer, send all files detailing the work of Surak to my PADD." Mirok said, and handed the PADD to Corsa. "That should educate you."

"Might help if you studied them a bit, too," Zander said casually as he finished his meatball sub.

With the PADD in one hand Corsa decided to pick up his coffee mug to take a sip. Partly for the actual drink inside and partly because due to Mirok's table punching it felt like a tactical choice to have a ceramic vessel with a steaming hot liquid in hand. "Yeah I'll...get right on that." the Traxian said without trying to sound too unenthusiastic. "On a slightly less monotonous note what's the Promenade like? Never seen that on a ship before."

Mirok shrugged, "I've got a couple more weeks till I find out. But after 20 years on a starbase if it's anything like that one, boring."

"How can it be boring? We never had anything like that on our ships. No room for anything that wasn't a disruptor battery or torpedo launcher." Corsa replied with an exacerbated sigh.

"The Promenade is incredible," Zander said. "The Black Hole is the best place to eat on the entire ship and they have clubs, tattoo parlors and everything else you can think of. There's even a place you can buy almost anything, but don't trust the Ferengi."

After taking a sip of coffee Corsa smirked over at Zander. "Merchants back home have had to learn that lesson the hard way. I'd love to visit though but probably best if I got familiar with my work first. Never ran a department before."

"I never have and I never want to," Zander said as he drank more coffee. "Too much PADDwork. That's why I'm only a Lieutenant Junior Grade."

"I don't know. The idea of actually climbing the ranks and maybe getting to command my own ship now that...that would be something. But for now I'll just work hard and not get into trouble with anyone." replied the Traxian.

"Try being the deputy of two separate departments." Mirok said, "You wanna know PADDwork, we can trade places for a few weeks."

"Clean them pointy ears," Zander grunted. "I said I didn't want to do PADDwork. Not my fault you picked the biggest ship with the biggest department in the fleet to double specialize in."

"I actually like it, gives me something to do when I ain't allowed on the Promenade for another few weeks." Mirok said, referencing his extra duties from the Commodore.

"Did you accost a light post in the Promenade after someone asked for Surok pudding?" asked Corsa with a single brow raised.

Mirok blinked at the other man, "something you'd better learn fast, do not insult a Romulan like that, I'm not afraid to risk my career to have your head mounted on the wall of my quarters."

Corsa held up a finger as if to say 'wait a moment' before arranging the condiments and sugar containers around like a little wall. "I learned about this at the Academy...this can be our little Neutral zone." Corsa said as he gestured to the items. "That means you can sit there and be all broody and make empty threats while I'm over here and being productive and not getting banned from places because I like to punch furniture."

"Can we grow up and be adults now?" Zander asked. "It's not too much, is it? I may not like it, but I don't get salty every time someone cracks an Engineering joke or talks about my height."

"At the very least the table will not be battered." the Traxian commented with a wide grin.

Using his right arm in a wide sweep, Mirok knocked the containers either into Corsa's food or off the table entirely. He tend picked up his plate, lobbed it and its contents at the other man, then stood and walked calmly out of the room.

"Well," Zander said as he wiped the front of his uniform off. "That explains why he can't go on the Promenade. He hasn't been house trained yet."

With a stunned silence Corsa just sat there with his coffee mug raised as if he was about to stave Mirok's head in with it. As the Romulan walked away he watched him with a wary expression before he sat down, food still clinging to his uniform. "...all Romulans like that?" he asked Zander tersely.

"Just the ones that haven't gotten their shots," Zander said as he got up with his tray. "You're a head, right? You're also ranked officer here, so you get to fill out this report if you want it. I have to get back to Engineering. Warp core breaches are easier to deal with."

There was a small, non-committal sound from Corsa as he gave a shrug. "It was something he was provoked into. Maybe a...unofficial word to the higher ups. No need to make his life even harder than he seems bent on making it...leave it with me, see what I can do."

"Alright," the short stocky Engineer said. "Nice meetin' ya." With that, he headed to recycle his head and went back to work.