Breakfast Wars: Coffee vs Tea
Posted on Wed Feb 22nd, 2017 @ 7:19pm by Lieutenant JG Jai & Ensign Soraya Xel
Mission:
Refined Relations
Location: Vesta, Deck 12, Crew Mess (Aft)
Timeline: MD 03
1947 words - 3.9 OF Standard Post Measure
A starship was a self-enclosed city.
Despite the way that the decks stacked people on top of one another, it was less like living in an apartment and more akin to living in neighborhoods. The cluster of quarters that were shoehorned into this section on the port side, or that section on the starboard, took on a culture and identity of their own.
As the ship's families and civilians occupied upper portions of the saucer section, there were names associated with those areas of the ship that invoked the memory of life on Earth. Those residing near the VIP quarters were referred to as living in 'Beverly Hills' whereas those closer to the arboretum spoke of living in 'Central Park.'
Jai's quarters were on Deck Ten, Section Eight. An enclave set aside for single, junior officers - the catchall identity of Starfleet's ubiquitous ensigns and lieutenants. It was known for small, cramped accommodations that were frequented by the engineers and operations staff by virtue of its proximity to the engineering decks. As such, his neighborhood was known as the ghetto.
Further beyond, descending toward and then past engineering were the projects and the basement. Both of which had rather negative associations with them, but for a handful of quarters surrounding the medical facilities - down on Deck Sixteen - which, for a reason that the Tibetan boy had yet to ascertain, were referred to as the Upper East Side.
Even with the added layers of neighborhood identity, a sense of community could be fleeting. Life on a starship could be lonely, which was why the designers took steps to introduce opportunities for socializing. There were forward and aft lounges, and each had its own identity. One was apt to find families and children in the forward lounge, which created a markedly different tone than the aft lounge occupied by off-duty engineers. The same was true for the various public dining opportunities.
The people mulling into the crews mess were getting breakfast. Even though time was an artificial concept on a starship, the duty rotation of the Vesta had reached the point where the overnight shift would be turning over to the day shift. In that dynamic, Jai was actually in the former category. There were dark shadows under his eyes, illustrating his exhaustion. He'd discarded his uniform coat at some point, wearing instead a now well worn and wrinkled white lab coat over the distinctive blue-teal shirt. The collar was open more than regulation normally permitted.
It had been a long night. Not entirely uneventful. A minor fall had supplied him with about an hour's distraction, before he'd resumed the mind-numbing task of reviewing current patient files, checking pharmaceutical inventories, and reading up on the latest issue published by the Federation Academy of Applied Pediatrics.
Spoiler alert, it had been a rather interesting piece on best practices in Tellarite adolescent medicine.
He had no idea whether the information would ever be useful - were there even any Tellarite families aboard the Vesta? - but it had been well written, researched, and presented in any case. Not surprising. The author had been Betazoid physician Tiran Amaen, who was also one of the professors at Starfleet Medical Academy.
But, in any case, his shift had ended early when a restless doctor had reported for work ahead of schedule.
Walking away from Sickbay and going to sleep, as wonderful as that thought was to imagine, was not at all realistic for him. So he had fallen into a habit of taking a walk and getting breakfast in either the forward or the aft lounge, before returning to his quarters in the ghetto for sleep.
Today, he'd set off without much aforethought and wound up in the aft lounge. The teal shirt a contrast to what seemed a sea of mustard gold. If he noticed at all, it didn't show in how the small, bald-headed child ambled along to the replicator.
"Computer, I'd like po cha and some balep, please." After he'd spoken, the replicator had uttered a series of bleeps and clicks, before the serving tray illuminated and a plate of unleavened, pan-fried bread and a cup of salted Tibetan butter tea had materialized.
Lifting the tray up, the small Buddhist boy peered around for an open spot in which to sit and enjoy his breakfast.
Soraya had claimed one of the small tables near the windows. Aft view was always a bit odd if you were used to looking at the main viewscreen; it just looked like you were flying backwards. Soraya took a long drink from her coffee mug as she stared out the window. Replicator coffee was still a poor substitute for the real thing. When she was at the Academy, on Earth, she had gotten hooked on real coffee. But this... well, she might as well have just loaded up a hypospray with caffeine and saved herself the trouble. She looked back down at her PADD and thumbed through the night shift's notes, as she let out a slightly audible yawn.
This was a busy time for the lounge. Passing between the tables, the Tibetan boy noticed a table with open space, and a solitary Trill woman gazing out the window.
Pausing there, the boy asked, "May I join you?"
Soraya looked over and... down towards the source of the voice. A young boy, in appearance, at least aside from the uniform. "Sure," she nodded, rearranging the table's contents to make sure there was some room. Her plate had a droli, a Bajoran biscuit on it, though she hadn't yet actually tried it. It had been listed as a recommended item on the replicator's menu screen.
Holding the tray steady, the child gave a slight bow. "Thejay che" he uttered, almost autonomously. The universal translator on his uniform and hers would have likely translated the statement into the more familiar English 'thanks' or perhaps the more formal 'thank you.' Though, being that the person he was speaking to was not human, part of him wondered if the Tibetan would be interpreted and heard in the Trill language instead.
Taking a seat, the boy set the tray down and reached immediately for the tea cup. Cradling the warm butter tea in both hands, he held it close to his face as he breathed in the familiar aroma. Replicated po cha wasn't exactly authentic. Jai remembered monks using actual tea churns to work the concentrated pu-erh brewed tea together with yak butter to make the distinctive Tibetan drink. But, it was close enough to suit.
Plus, if there were any yaks on the Vesta - and he sincerely hoped that there wasn't - Jai certainly wasn't going out to milk a yak. Much less make butter. In that respect, the present century was vastly simpler than the past. And yet with a wealth of complexities that were unique to it.
"I'm Jai," the boy offered, glancing from the window to the young woman who now shared a table with him.
"Soraya Xel," she replied. "I like your... markings," she stated after a moment, unsure exactly the best way to refer to them, having no idea what purpose the large tattoo served, if it was, in fact, even a tattoo. She thought the comment seemed awkward, she grabbed her biscuit and took a bite of it. The replicator menu wasn't lying, it was a pretty decent choice, in retrospect.
Truth be told, most people never mentioned his tattoos. Smiling, the boy chirped, "Thanks," as he took another sip of his tea. Then, lowering the cup, asked, "You're in... engineering division?"
She was wearing gold, so that was a shot in the dark. But he figured he had a fifty-fifty shot with that one. She didn't really have a 'cop' vibe going on. If there was such a thing.
"Operations", she replied, "Close enough. What about you?"
"Life sciences," the boy responded, giving the official name for what everyone else more aptly termed the Medical Department. He supposed, though, that 'life sciences' probably had a much more exploratory theme going on. No one really associated doctors with boldly going to the final frontier. About the only place people thought doctors boldly went was coffee shops and operating rooms.
"So you're a doctor, then, I take it?" she asked, "I was a doctor once. Less technology though. Less Starfleet, really. What's your specialty?" She sipped her coffee, the caffeine was finally starting to take a noticeable effect. Lora preferred tea over coffee too. Soraya briefly wondered if there was a correlation there. All the engineers she knew tended towards coffee.
Once. Coming from a Trill, that was a statement which invited instant curiosity. "Pediatrics and emergency med," the boy supplied, in answer to her question to him. All Starfleet doctors were general practitioners by nature, but Jai's residencies had focused on those two areas of medicine. Which made his posting to the Vesta seem to make sense, as the ship carried minor family members in addition to the usual crew.
Soraya noted the irony of someone appearing so... youthful specializing in pediatrics, but stifled the temptation to comment. She just made an understanding nod at his answer.
Cradling his tea cup between both palms, the boy looked over at the brunette and asked, "So... you're joined? How many lives have experienced?" While Jai was long-lived, he still only had his own experiences to look back upon. To be an entirely different person, in entirely times and circumstances, seemed a remarkable concept. Truly, as old as he was, he wasn't certain he could imagine what it must be like.
Soraya pondered the question for a moment, seeming to count in her head, before coming back with "Five. Pretty sure it's five." Technically, six, including herself? She was pretty sure she remembered dying five times. Deaths were a pretty useful counting method, they tended to stick in her memory pretty heavily.
Five lifetimes. That was truly incredible. "That's amazing," the boy opined aloud. The next question came to mind, but the boy was a little uncertain just how to pose it. "So, five lifetimes... was Starfleet..." he began, before pausing as he tried to think of how to construct the question.
"I hope this isn't rude to ask, but was Starfleet your idea. Or your other idea? Or both of your ideas?" the boy inquired finally. Then blinked as he mulled over what he'd just asked. "Did that make any sense?"
Soraya smiled, she'd been asked questions like this all her life. Or lives. "I was in Starfleet before I was joined," she stated, "But... it isn't really like that. I'm just me, but me includes... more now. It takes a little bit of getting used to. Takes time to figure out who you are after you're joined."
Tipping back his cup, the boy emptied his tea. As he lowered the cup back down, the child uttered, "I can't imagine." The very idea was impressive. And unfathomable.
Glancing over at the waning amount of liquid in her cup, the boy remarked, "I'm going to get some more tea," as he started to get up from the table. Extending a hand outward, he added, "Can I refresh yours while I'm up?"
What was she drinking anyway? It looked dark.
"Sure. Coffee. Black," she stated.
The boy nodded, accepting the mug and making his way off toward the replicators. He'd stopped in for something to eat before bed, and hoped that he might have made a new friend among the crew.
New ship. New friend!
