Diplomatic Meal

Posted on Wed Nov 20, 2019 @ 3:18am by Commander Cullen Walker

1,352 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Nibiru
Location: Mess Kitchen

ON:

Xander just removed the pot from the stove and set it aside. Within seconds the chime told him that his cake was ready. This was what he liked, he loved working on food it always made everything better and with the recent two months of just doing diplomatic talks he was glad to be cooking. There was something about a meal that was made from scratch that could not be beaten.

As he placed the cake to cool he decided to ice the bottom layer but first he wanted to check the mess. He'd directed the staff to make some changes and now it was lunch time so he would take the opportunity to look around and mark anything that needed to be re-done.

Walker didn't make noise when he walked despite his size. He approached the counter and sat down. He watched the Diplomatic Chef and Baker work.

Xander, being part Vulcan and part Betazoid sensed him. Without turning around from taking measurements with his eyes he said, "Welcome. We're technically not open but I can and will prepare something." He moved a table three inches to the left and then turned. He walked over to the counter and after washing his hands he returned. "The uniform and rank tell me that you are the new XO. Welcome."

Walker grinned, "That's what they tell me." He was a quarter Vulcan ,from his mother's side, with traces over other forms of Vulcanoid from his father's side. "I am not here to eat. I was here to check on the progress, efficiency, and the efficacy of the Maintenance crews installing equipment into this area." Crews were stretched thin, he had to get a few here from the station to install equipment here.

"All is well and I've even started baking." As if to prove the point he pulled the cooled section of the cake and then started icing it. "Sure I can't tempt you with cake?"

Walker grinned, "I can always be tempted by cake."

Just as Walker finished speaking the door opened and T'Mira walked in and looked at the two men. "Apologies. I thought I was needed."

Xander gave a nod. "You were. I invited you to try some chocolate cake."

T'Mira just studied the man. "I thought this was important."

"Chocolate is always important." Xander cut two pieces of cake and slid one in front of the commander and held one up. "It's chocolate with raspberry filling and a buttercream icing."

T'Mira looked from one to the other. "Is this an order?"

Xander smiled, "Well I do have diplomatic status so yes."

She sighed and sat next to the XO and accepted her plate. Xander went back to the kitchen to grab some drinks.

T'Mira turned to the XO and studied him. Her conversation with her mother's half sister had taken an unexpected turn. She studied him further oblivious to the fact that she was staring.

Walker grinned and looked at Xander, "If we are involving cake, then it is a brief social call. I am taking a break." His eyes never moved, "Your conversation with your aunt. You know the one who has pointed ears and ridges on her head?"

T'Mira raised an eyebrow. "I believe the term is half Klingon and half Vulcan. Yes. I will have a report for you in the information that is helpful to us by end of day on what Mara said." Her mind drifted back to the conversation. It was...interesting. T'Mira was still processing it.

Walker grinned, "I think the diplomat has already figured it out or has inklings. Even with me thinking about 20th and 21st century music." That was a defense against Telepathic Intrusion. "How is my mother?"

"She seemed fine." She looked at him. "We are related." She studied him. "I am unsure as to the protocols in this situation. Do we shake hands?"

Walker looked at her, "It depends on the Culture. Humans hug. I am not a hugger. It doesn't change anything. It let's you know why I was on your support team." He grinned. "You were good enough that we didn't have to save you, just occasionally set a distraction for you."

"I see. How long have you known?"

Walker looked at her, "I went to a Vulcan school. When you I was 7, I failed an assignment because I wasn't detailed enough. I have known about you, since the day you were born. I figured out who you were specifically after the third time I was assigned as Intelligence Support."

"Fascinating."

Xander had moved away back into the main room to give them some time. Knowing T'Mira over these last few months she would need to decompress and take all this in. He had gathered, from their interaction, that she was not very close to her family.

Back at the bar the cake was already half eaten. T'Mira held back a sigh. "I left Vulcan as soon as I could to study at the Academy. I did not, I admit, keep in touch with family much. I met Mara a couple of times when I was a child but only via coms." She did not have the most stellar of childhoods. She wasn't good as the social interaction with regular people and learning she had a cousin aboard...well at this point she needed time to think about it and analyze and decompress.

Walker looked at her, "When I went to the Vulcan School as a kid, they focused on my Vulcan Family. They didn't really care about my human family or Klingon family in that grade. If the teachers were the same, they probably focused on your Vulcan family as well. Klingons taught me how to recognize Houses, allies and enemies. My human family was unique. We take wives and husbands based on who increases the strength of our family. I am not hurt by you not knowing me, I understand the culture involved. On top of that, we worked jobs where if our enemies find out about our family, and they will hurt us through our family. We don't work those jobs anymore. It is like finding out you have extra assets."

She gave a nod. "I do not speak to anyone from my family. It has been a long time." She said, and a long time till she did speak with them. Her aunt was a surprise. If it wasn't for her work she wouldn't have agreed to the call. T'Mira didn't know how to feel about this anymore. She stood. "I should go. I do have some work to tend to."

Xander, who'd been listening incognito watched her go. "Don't feel bad. She seems like such a mystery." Xander spoke with pure admiration in his voice. Over the past weeks he'd gotten to know her little by little. It was like peeling an onion.

Walker looked at her, "Dismissed." He looked at the Chef, "My grandfather was on the station looking for a half Betazoid half Vulcan Chef Diplomat to talk BBQ."

Xander raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry?"

Walker looked at him, "Did a former Admiral who looked Irish and from Texas find you to talk about BBQ?" He thought for a moment, "He is kind of an asshole. So, there is a possibility he made that up so he could go liaise with some woman."

"I have not spoken with anyone yet but there was a message on my system titled BBQ. I shall endeavour to look at it quickly then. Getting this place running was my first goal... that got pushed back thanks to Starfleet duty."

Walker looked at him, "He is unique. When I was a kid, my brothers, sisters, and cousins would go to the house. We would find a scavenger hunt. He called it training. I was an adult before we found out he was having activities with the widow down the road and keeping us busy. Part of me thought he was doing that." He laughed.

"Fascinating." Xander said.

Walker grinned, "I love Vulcans. Such a way with words."

"Ineed," Xander finished off.

OFF:

 

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