Nice to meet you
Posted on Fri Sep 11th, 2020 @ 3:13pm by
Edited on on Fri Sep 11th, 2020 @ 3:15pm
1,734 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Episode 10 - New Home, Same Pioneers
Location: Starbase Sirius
Timeline: MD007 1215 hrs
Kalina barely had a chance to visit the station, she just arrived, and was already whisked onto the USS Pioneer. She met with the duty officer, and the first officer. All the talking first thing in the morning made her hungry. She wasted little time heading to the promenade area on Starbase Sirius.
She started to look around the promenade, trying to find a place to eat. There was so many choices. She could from the emotions of others, that everyone loved being on the station, and almost every restaurant had a lot of people at their doorways.
"Where to eat." She softly called out. She did not mean to say that out-loud, it just happened, as she looked around the promenade. Trying to narrow down, where to eat.
“It is a difficult decision to make,” Zaire said stopping next to her. “Isn’t it.” He smiled at her. It was hard enough starting his first position out here, he really didn’t want to eat alone.
"Yes it is, and everything smells good, and every place seems to have a long line. I have no idea, which line to choose." Kalina said, with a big grin on her face.
Zaire looked around. “I am thinking this may not be the day to try something new as I am starting a new job tomorrow. I may go with something familiar.”
"I am not part of the stations crew." Kalina pointed out to him. Incase he was confused. She assumed he would think she was station crew since she was eating in the promenade.
“No?” Zaire returned. “Neither am I. In a while I will be starting my career with Starfleet in a ship.”
"There are a few of them docked, what ship did you get assigned?" Kalina asked, trying to make simple conversation, while deep down, she was still trying to figure where to eat.
“The USS Pioneer,” Zaire informed her. “I will be working in the science department.” He smiled then. “My first assignment out of the academy.”
"No kidding? Me too, but not in science. I will fly the Pioneer and her shuttles." Kalina suggested to him, with a grin on her face.
Zaire’s smile widened. “We’re going to serve on the same ship! That is really cool. I know we just met but it’s nice to know I have met someone that is serving there and is new like I am.”
"15 decks, is a lot of space still, plus my shift is on the bridge mostly from 1800 hours till 0600 hours." Kalina pointed out to him, she was not sure if they would see each other. He was a junior science officer.
“You never know,” Zaire replied. “We could end up on the same shift or run into each other at a meal.” He was an optimist and believed things happen for a reason.
"Perhaps, but lets not take the chance. I hate to eat alone, care to join me, assuming I can make a choice, where to eat." Kalina asked with a smile on her face, that was warm and inviting.
“Yes,” Zaire replied with a smile. “I would like that.” He looked around. “What are you hungry for?”
"I dunno, everything sounds good." Kalina said, with a big grin on her face. She was hoping he had a suggestion. "What are you hungry for?" She asked.
“Pasta,” Zaire said after a moment. “Steak maybe, or meatloaf?”
"Those are culinary varities. Does not really narrow it down that much." Kalina said, wondering if they were both going to starve.
“How about we just jump in a line and pick something,” Zaire suggested. “It will be like that on the ship, Just making choices from what they have.”
"I see, oh silly me, where are my manners." Kalina said out loud, as she looked to Zaire and then said, "Kalina Solwick, nice to meet you." She softly said, as she reached out with her hand, for him to shake.
“Zaire Bryne,” he took her hand and shook it. “It is nice to meet you.” He only hoped she would feel that way after he shared the news he had.
"Nice to meet you, so I will follow you in." Kalina said, having no idea, that he had something to tell her. Her aunt never told her about the upcoming marriage.
Zaire walked in and looked around for a place to sit. “What about we grab that table in the corner?” It would give them a little privacy.
Kalina smiled as she said, "sure I have no preference." She said, passing off the comment as a simple friendly gesture. She had no idea, that he needed to talk to her.
Zaire was feeling a bit nervous about what was to come. Both of them being Betazed an arranged marriage wasn’t unusual, in fact they both would be expecting it, just not this soon.
Kalina walked with him and the waiter to the small table that he picked out. Kalina was the first to sit down. It was sweet of him to offer her the chair first. "Thanks, such a gentleman." Kalina said, as she sat down, waiting for him to follow suit.
Zaire took a seat and decided to wait until they had ordered to talk to her about their impending marriage. He knew he was putting it off but he needed something to drink first.
"you mentioned working on the Pioneer, when did you come aboard?" Kalina asked, trying to start up a dialogue with him. She hated eating in total silence.
"Just today," Zaire murmured. "I met with the first officer got my room assignment and then headed here to meet...headed here for lunch." He was grateful their drinks arrived. hoping she would not mention his blunder.
"Same here. What are the odds two new crew members from the same ship, would meet up in the promenade and have lunch together. Makes me wonder if I am being honest, if the Commander wanted us to meet up for lunch." Kalina said, with a warm hearted smile.
Zaire sighed. He couldn't keep this up. "I have a confession to make." He began. "The Commander, sent me here to meet up with you."
"I had a hunch when he suggested I have lunch today in the promenade, that he was up to something. The question I have is, why did the first officer want us to meet?" Kalina as she looked over to Zaire, hoping maybe he knew why.
"It seems that your aunt contacted the Commander," Zaire began. "She is an ambassador if I am correct?"
"I have a couple of Aunts, but if I had to adventure a guess, what did Auntie Krisna request of the Commander?" Kalina asked, getting ready to apologize for anything her aunt did.
“There is no easy way to say this,” Zaire shook his head. “It seems that your family and mine got together and an agreement has been made for us to be married.” He knew there was probably a much better way to say it but he didn’t want to drag it out.
Kalina was a little surprised. "And you knew about this?" Kalina asked a little surprised she was hearing from him. She was not upset, she was startled and surprised. She wondered if he was a pawn in this too. And was this a joke, most of the time families notified their kin, of pre-arranged marriages.
“I found out earlier at my meeting with the commander,” Zaire explained. “I didn’t know before today but when I found out I felt it would be best if I told you and not him.”
Kalina thought she was being punked. Typically, pre-arranged wedding engagements are not handled this way. "Are you pulling a fast one on me? This is a joke right?" Kalina asked, as grabbed her glass and took a drink from it.
Zaire had expected a reaction but not that one. He shook his head and looked in her eyes. “You can read my thoughts if you doubt me. This is one hundred percent the truth.”
"As you know, Betazed's are not allowed to read each other’s mind without permission. I would never violate that rule." Kalina suggested to him.
“I am giving you permission,” Zaire said quietly. “We are engaged, I am your fiancé.”
"Slow down." Kalina said, as she put her hand out, and showed a stop motion with her hand. There was a lot of information to process. She needed to confirm his wild story.
“Sorry,” Zaire said a little sheepishly. “It has been such a little span of time from being told to my telling you.”
"Then maybe you should take time to allow this to sink in." Kalina said, as she took another 2 to 3 sips from her drink. She practically gulped it down. She motioned for the waiter, to refill her glass.
“You are right,” Zaire conceded with a nod. He sat quietly for a bit and then spoke. “I knew this would come one day just not while I was meeting the first officer.”
"That does not seem right, I think before you start declaring this union, we confirm this first. Don't you agree?" Kalina asked, as she was trying to get her head around the idea.
“You mean contact our parents?” Zaire murmured. “I can get a hold of mine but I have a feeling I already know what they are going to say.”
"Okay you do that, and I will do the same, we can meet up later on." Kalina said, as she wanted to drop the topic of marriage. "Let's finish the lunch, for the moment drop the marriage conversation, and find out who we both are." Kalina asked him, hoping he would agree.
“That is a good plan,” Zaire replied. He picked up his fork. “So where shall we start?” He didn’t want this to sound like he was reciting his biography.
"So you’re from Betazed?" Kalina simply started out, as the scene starts to fade away. She wanted to get to him, just encase this was true.
A joint post by;
Ensign Kalina Solwick
Control Flight Officer, USS Pioneer
Ensign Zaire Bryne
Science Officer, USS Pioneer
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