Dinner (Backpost)

Posted on Wed Sep 15th, 2010 @ 10:08am by Lieutenant JG Nava & Lieutenant Commander Karma Sinclair

1,078 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Peace, or Something Like It
Location: The Rib Joint-Promenade Starbase Typhon
Timeline: 1830 hours

On

Nava walked into the Rib Joint at 1825 hours and waited for Sinclair. She was wearing her uniform, having decided to not return to her quarters and change. She needed to get used to people looking at her strangely when they saw the diplomatic purple. She was proud of what she had accomplished and smiled slightly at the smells that swept over her.

"Sorry I'm late," Karma said as he walked up to stand beside her. "I had a couple things to take care of at the last minute."

Nava smiled "No problem. Things always crop up." She said "I hope that this place lives up to what I've heard. It does smell good." She said "Shall we find a table?" She looked at Karma "Are we ready for departure?" She asked as they were seated at a table and handed menus. She looked at the menu and realized she was going to have a difficult time deciding what to have.

"Everything is almost ready," Karma said as he scanned the menu. "Everything looks so good. I haven't had ribs in a long time."

"I think I will try the brisket. I've never had it before and it sound unique." She looked back at Karma "I'm glad things are almost ready to go. This may be the last restaurant meal we have for a while." She said lightly, noticing the looks that she was getting from people walking around her.

"I'm in the mood for a big sloppy rack of barbecue ribs," Karma said with a smile. He looked at Nava and said, "We should try to get some of this food sent to the ship and put in storage. I'm sure there are others that would enjoy it once in a while once we leave the base."

Nava thought for a moment "That sounds like a good idea. Before we leave this evening, we'll see what we can do about that." She said "I think that when we are in the middle of a mission, having a Bar B Que might be the thing to boost morale." She said with a smile "I know food always makes me feel better." She looked at the waiter "I'll have a glass of Lemonade." She said "And an order of brisket." She looked at Karma "What are mashed potatoes?" She asked looking at the menu, there were many things on it that she had not heard of.

"Potatoes are a vegetable that we had on Earth," Karma replied, after ordering ribs and a raspberry tea. "You boil the things until they get soft then mash them to a pulp to make mashed potatoes. They're quite good."

Nava nodded "I'll try some mashed potatoes as well." She said as she took another drink of her tea "How long have you been in Star Fleet?" She asked her dinner companion as she took in the surroundings and the other diners quietly.

"Almost twelve years," Karma replied. Some days it felt like much longer and other days it felt much shorter. "What about you?" he asked.

Nava smiled "About 6 years." She said "I graduated from the Academy and spent two years in the Diplomatic Corps, working at Star Fleet Headquarters." Nava took another drink "So far I'm enjoying it. I'm looking forward to seeing what I can learn out here."

"I have to admit, you intrigue me," Karma said to her. "What made you break from tradition and join Starfleet?"

Nava laughed "Honestly? It was a challenge from a school friend. They didn't believe that I would leave Ferengar, much less Father's profitable business to join Star Fleet. Me being hard headed, I took the challenge and joined after finishing school." She said "For my parents, they believe I joined Star Fleet to explore the galaxy and open trade with other species." She took another bite of her dinner "Exploring the galaxy was truthful, if trade routes open that is a bonus."

"I have a different approach to negotiations. Each party is looking to make some sort of profit, be it land, people, or resources. The trick is finding the balance and making all sides happy without causing harm to anyone." She was silent for a moment "Because I am Ferengi, I attempt to use the rules of acquisition when dealing with parties. It's a matter of give and take and profit." She looked back at Karma "I don't take them to the extreme that most Ferengi do, they are a guideline and sometimes a starting point for the negotiations."

Karma watched her as she talked and was surprised to see that she was telling the truth. It was very unusual to hear a Ferengi talk like that and he was impressed. "I look forward to hearing more sometime," he said to her. "You are very intriguing."

Nava grinned "Thank you Commander. I have found that many of my associates have described me as intriguing. They don't understand why I would be a diplomat." She took a bite of the brisket that had arrived "I find that life is a business proposition, you have to make the right deals in order to be successful and you have to take a gamble, some gambles pay off, some don't." She looked at Karma "I like to take risks, but won't do so if it puts others in danger. I will take a wild gamble if I am reasonably sure that the ends justify the means." She chewed thoughtfully for a moment "I dislike some of the business practices that my fellow Ferengi follow. You have to give the customer and honest option or you lose them as a customer. The same with diplomacy, if you are dishonest, you lose."

"I agree with you and I'm glad to hear you say that," he said to her. "How do you like the food?"

Nava smiled "It's excellent." She said "I find that I really like the brisket. It's tangy." She said "I am thinking that we will definitely need to have a bar b que on board at some point." She said with a toothy grin.

"I'll place an order for the meat before we leave," Karma said with a smile. "Which should be soon," he added, glancing at the chronometer on the wall.

Nava nodded "Yes, we do need to head back. Thank you for a wonderful evening." She said sincerely.

:OFF:

Lt (jg) Nava
CDO
USS Calypso

Lieutenant Commander Karma Sinclair
Executive Officer
USS Calypso

 

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