Dinner Party for Four

Posted on Tue Jun 19th, 2018 @ 12:08am by Captain Enalia Telvan & Maica III 47 & Commander Rita Paris & Lieutenant Commander Thex sh'Zoarhi

Mission: Curing the Black Blood
Location: Captain's Private Mess
Timeline: After the USS Hera leaves Granweh

The Captain had invited Rita plus one to a dinner party to her private mess and while she had been taking care of mission reports and briefs, it wouldn't do to be late. She had left the details up to her wife, Maica, but she still had to be there early for the final setup. Hence she was outside the large double doors of the small holodeck she used for her private mess mentally preparing herself for whatever surprise Maica had prepared for today's dinner party.

Taking a deep breath, she pressed the door activation panel, revealing the garish and eye bleeding decor that Maica had chosen. It was obviously from the 2250s or 60s and it burned her retinas to look at. "Computer, I need some sunglasses..." She muttered, heading to the nearby replicator built into the standing bar. All of the booze was real, but the replicator was there for ice and servingware, most of the time. This time, it generated a pair of sunglasses and she popped them on immediately. It at least toned down the garishly bright colors to a tolerable level and she could take it all in again properly this time.

Two butlers were setting the table - a sort of simple retro piece with simple high back chairs. The carpet was... Grey? Green? It looked neon, whatever it was. And the shag had to have been two inches tall. The wall panelling was offset and lit in a strange way that reminded her of old 2D holovids. The window holo was nice though - it overlooked the San Francisco bay at night and the bridge was lit up in red and green lights. She judged that they were only about fifty stories up though. The portraiture on the walls was lit with neon and UV, which was what really put her off, but if that's what Maica thought was best for tonight's dinner, then that's what would happen. She'd just have to deal with it.

Taking another deep breath, she looked around on the bar for the usual PaDD for her dress selections. Finding it, her heart sank. Maica normally had such wonderful taste in dresses for her, but this time... She supposed everything on the list was genre specific and to stay in the theme, she'd have to pick one. There was no point in interrupting her in the kitchen and complaining. Picking a sequined salmon colored single strap number that only went down to her crotch with thigh high boots, she sent it to the holography units and tried it on. This would have to do...

Thex was the first to step through the door. She looked around at the decor currently inhabiting the holodeck she'd repaired a few weeks ago. She'd been surprised to be invited up here after just being allowed out of sickbay with only a healing strip on her back. She'd been rather confused by the dress selection when she'd been sent it. She'd chosen apurpke one of an intertwined system of straps and shoulder pads that was not unlike wrapping oneself in a jellyfish. Which, between that and the engineering degree needed to assemble it properly, it was a dress markedly well suited for the Andorian. The violet and lilac colors accented her cerulean skin tone wonderfully, being daring while still presented with some modicum of modesty.



" Well, this is rather surprising. " She said before her blue eyes fell on the captain. " Interesting outfit Enalia. I take it this is a themed night?"

Enalia shook her head as she handed an antique PaDD back to one of the holographic butlers. They had even been reskinned from the normal Artan butlers for the evening to humans in French butler uniforms. "Yeah, the theme is Earth 2250s it seems. My wife has even come up with a menu from that era and the dessert was created by Harry Mudd." Recomposing herself, she welcomed her guest. "But I am remiss. Please, make yourself comfortable. The bar is available if you would like a drink. My wife is yet in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on dinner so we have some time yet."

" Thanks. It feels good to be out of the sickbay. I'll have an Orion starburst if you have the parts for it." Thex replied as she made her way to the bar.

"An Orion Starburst... That's a bit of an old drink."Enalia headed over to the bar as well, glancing over the numerous ingredients as she did so. "We have the Orion honeyed vodka..." Snapping her fingers, she called over one of the holographic butlers. "I'll need a slice of each orange, lime, and tangerine from the kitchen, please." Bowing, the butler headed off to the kitchen to retrieve the items as Enalia set about making the drink. By the time she was done with the tumbler, he was back and she could place them in the glass. Pouring the tumbled contents into the glass over the selected fruits, she added the last ingredient - a splash of Trill-pom fruit juice, which made the whole drink explode with color. She then handed the drink to Thex. "That should do it."



"That should do it," Rita Paris checked herself out in the adjustable 3-way mirror next to her enormous closet which she now referred to as her 'locker'. In theory she could request the ship's computer to project the mirrors holographically, or to just project entire replicas of her so she could check herself out from all angles. But simple mirrors on hinges were comfortable and preferable to her, so it was now part of her decor. As was this bangin' dress.

Bright security slash engineering slash comms was the color of the night, and the somewhat scanty dress that was one of the selections was definitely going on display tonight. Eyeing herself in the mirror, Rita took a moment to consider- would she be comfortable walking the halls of the Hera in this dress?

Looking at her profile, the time-tossed temptress shook her booty to watch the effect. Then she took a few slow motion steps to see the effect, and she grinned.



The loose drape of the bustline became a chevron that flimsily connected to the bottom of the dress, which just rode on her hips. The cutaway drew the eye, and proved that Paris worked out and watched what she ate. The fit was remarkable- turned out that if the ship's scanners were seeing your current dimensions and they were creating a dress for you out of stored matter and a pattern, that dress would fit perfectly. Rita pursed her red lips and vamped for her reflection, then looked around in puzzlement.

"The hell is Thex? She was supposed to meet me here, I sent the message when I forwarded the captain's invite 'plus one'..." Paris fished through the uniform in a pile on her bed until she found her communicator. As she worked to free it from the magnet that held it in place, Paris tapped it.

"Computer, locate Lieutenant sh'Zoarhi."

=^=Lieutenant sh'Zoarhi is in the captain's private mess, deck 8=^=

The pretty pilot stood up, her prize having been wrestled from her uniform. Somehow it hadn't occurred to her to replicate another one for her casual outfit. Instead, she pinned it tastefully to the waistband of her dress. Frowning, Rita tumbled to the fact that she was late. "Computer, time?"

=^=Starfleet standard time is 19:59=^=

Picking up a PaDD that was scattered in a pile of them on her dining room table, Rita punched up the route. Turned out the captain's mess was next to the captain's quarters.

"Rank hath it's privilege," Paris smiled, then grabbed the bottle of wine she'd replicated for the evening. This looked to be more dinner party than formal dinner- after all, this was one of the suggestions from the woman herself. Which meant that tonight was probably going to be a lot of fun. And Rita Paris kinda figured she could do with some fun.

There were a few looks and double-takes in the corridor, even in officer country. Rita smiled and waved and took her time getting where she was going. After all, it was twenty-seven meters. According to speed and trajectory she'd be right on time. Stepping up to the door, it opened automatically, because she was expected, and the sensors knew all. Framed in the doorway, Rita shifted her weight to starboard and struck a pose, that million-watt smile firmly in place.

"Captain. Thex. Where's our fourth?"

"Right here," Maica replied, slinking out of the kitchen in a white mini dress with white gogo boots. The included white gloves were a bit much, but they added to the whole '2250s vinyl' look very well and complimented her olive skin tone quite well. Curtseying, she greeted the dinner guests in a manner befitting the setting. "Welcome to dinner."

Enalia couldn't help but grin, though even through her sunglasses the bright white vinyl made her eyes hurt. "May I get you a drink? Something... Colorful? Perhaps?"

"Sex on the beach," Paris ordered, sashaying across the room, taking in the scenery. She considered waiting for an introduction, but the captain didn't seem to be one to stand on ceremony. Approaching Maica she extended her hand and smiled, not the one that demonstrated the extent of her oral hygeine, but the genuine 'happy to be here' smile. "We've not met- I'm Rita Paris."

As Enalia set about mixing up the drink, hoping to get it right, the top heavy holographic Orion returned the handshake with her own patented smile. "I'm Maica. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've tried to recreate a lot of the mood and setting from the 2250's. I hope you find them to your liking. The view is from the San Francisco Pussycat Club."

When Maica revealed that bit of information, Enalia choked on her saliva and almost messed up the drink, but was able to save it in time. Finishing the last of it, she carried it and a simple Koldothian tonic for herself over to Rita, handing her the 'Sex on the Beach.' "A perfect view..." she muttered from behind her sunglasses.

"It really is... thank you," Rita accepted the drink, then realized the captain was wearing sunglasses. Raising an eyebrow she sipped the drink. "These were always fun to order in clubs, especially on the coast. It's good, captain... well worth the choking hazard," Paris quipped.

Enalia gave her a lopsided grin as she sipped her own drink. "Definitely glad for that. If we do this more often though, remind me to go see the doctor and have him tone down my optic nerves though."

"Are your eyes more sensitive? Sorry, I come from a very colorful age," Paris admitted, then she looked out at the skyline once more. "I must say, I'm moved. This really is very sweet of you to try to make me feel at home like this. And I have to admit, it's working. This looks just like the city the way I remember it, and you definitely nailed the fashions. Although that can't be that comfortable?" Rita pointed a finger from her drink hand at Maica's vinyl outfit.

"One of the perks of being a sentient hologram," Maica replied, chuckling softly. "Everything is comfortable. One of my sisters regularly wears a burning burlap dress during ceremonies. To us it's like wearing silk. There are a few areas of the ship that cause something akin to discomfort though. The warp core, the nacelles, the computer cores... I have to stay away from Intel and the pod as well."

The 'sentient hologram' bit clearly registered on Paris' face- as Commander Xustos had observed, Rita was a terrible poker player. But she nodded and smiled through it. It didn't matter if life was photonic. Hell, in her day she had met a Sulamid, and after that just about anything seemed normal. It did take her by surprise though, as she did not realize the woman was made of lights and forcefields. But then, just about everything took her by surprise these days.

"So strong EM fields can cause problems? Good to know, ma'am. Seems I learn a dozen new things every day on this ship." There was a hint of wistfulness as Paris' gaze strayed to the citscape outside, then she shook it off. "Thex, you little forget-me-not, don't be a wallflower, you look amazing. Frankly we all look pretty spectacular... I feel a little over or underdressed for dinner somehow."

"Speaking of dinner, I hope you all like tonight's menu. I searched the database and while I couldn't find anything specific to the era for the meal itself, I was able to find a few things I think we can all enjoy that's at least specific to the San Francisco area. We'll be starting with a clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl with a ceasar salad. Then the main course will be dungeness beer basted crab with pineapple. For dessert I made a Harry Mudd Mousse, which he bought the copyright to in the 2260s, according to records. I had to make a slight variation in the recipe due to a lack of ingredients, but I think the end result will be just as good."

" Sounds great." The andorian said as she took a sip from her drink allowing the sweet taste to flood her mouth. She'd actually been in here before quite a while into the future going out to celebrate with a group of her classmates after a very difficult test. " Captain I only just got out of the hospital so i haven't had the chance to ask, but how are the infected crew did the cure work?" The andorian asked politely.

"As far as we can tell, there's not a scrap of the infection left anywhere. Even the samples we had taken previously were vaporized." Enalia took another sip of her drink. "As far as I'm concerned, yes, the cure worked. We can all now stop jumping at shadows and go back to fighting evil critters outside the ship. I was thinking of heading to my family's orbital fortress for a few days first though. That way we can rest up before Intel Command throws us into the next frying pan."

"Orbital fortress, ma'am?" Paris asked. That was new... starbases and spacedocks she had heard of, but space pirate orbital fortress was a term with which she was unfamiliar. Of course, she was glad the black blood contagion was gone, and she made a note to look up the security chief now that she was less likely to get punched out over it.

"Yes, my great grandmother was able to purchase a Series four Trillian Orbital Fortress in her day thanks to a lucky mining venture in the year 2160 and an anonymous tip from a rumored time traveler in need. It's mostly a biodome with a centralized silver steel castle in the center just slightly smaller than the upper part of Earth Spacedock. Captain Magnus makes sure it stays relatively self sufficient and brings in a tidy profit with the... ah... Family business..." Enalia eyed her drink a moment before finishing it off.

" It will be nice to get some R&R after all that. I'll have to schedule a few alterations to the ship while we're there as well as let Vash know I'm okay." Thex responded upon hearing they would be getting some R&R- rather funny, she was going back there and she was wounded again.

"Is Vash your boyfriend?" Rita asked. It would be nice to know her little pal had somebody in her life, even if they weren't aboard. "Is he stationed there?"

" Actually he's my great great grandfather who happens to be a rather large Cnidaria. It's a long and complicated story" the andorian responded to her friend.

Somewhere in the back of her head, a voice that wasn't hers yet Rita knew as well as her own chimed in. Cnidaria is a phylum containing some 11,000 species of relatively simple invertebrate animals found exclusively in aquatic, mostly marine, environments. Realizing that Thex had just informed her that her great great grandfather was a jellyfish and definitely not her boyfriend only led to more questions than answers in her mind. Holographic people, jellyfish relatives and orbital space fortresses of space pirates with ties to Starfleet captains was a lot deeper than she'd expected in the opening volley of a dinner with the captain. So, in a time honored tradition, paris cast about for a different subject.

"Well, you sure programmed in nice weather..." Rita winced at the lameness of the attempt.

"Ah, thank you," replied Maica, pointing into the skyline at one of the shuttles flying across it. "I wanted to make sure you could see the Class F shuttlecraft and the orbital shuttlepods."

Enalia grinned as Maica went off on another of the theme's tangents. Wrapping one arm around her, she leaned in and gave her holographic wife a kiss. "You did an amazing job on tonight. Thank you. Now, how about we start that wonderful dinner you've prepared for us? Our tummies have the rumblies that only your delicious food can satisfy."

Blushing a deeper green, Maica nodded. "Then let's get the meal started then, shall we?" Snapping her fingers, the lighting in the room dimmed while the floodlights over the dining table went up just a notch. At the same time, four of the butlers filed out and moved to seat the four guests at the table. "I've also picked out a wine that closely resembles a wine of the age, if anyone is so inclined. It's a white Earth wine from a California brewery. Only twelve years old, but I'm told it's still quite exquisite."

"Well, I do like a California white," Rita was grateful for the change of topics, and it was nice to see a happy couple being good to each other. It made her think of Sonak, of course, but just as quickly she shoved that thought aside. Tonight was not an evening for maudlin sentimentality and mooning over the love of her life that was now irrevocably lost to her. Tonight was about building bridges, getting to know one another and making friends. Raising her glass, Rita smiled.

"Here's to exploring brave new worlds, seeking out new life and civilizations, and boldly going where no one... well, at least from my era... has gone before," she offered.

"There's still plenty of the galaxy to explore," Enalia added, raising her glass as well to the toast. Sipping the wine, she nodded in satisfaction as the butlers brought out the first of the courses - a San Francisco clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl with a ceasar salad on the side. "I hate to bring up business... But... Thex, I've been looking over your file and I've noticed there's nothing holding you back from being promoted, is there? You've taken the command courses and passed the final command test, if I'm not mistaken." Along with Thex's soup and salad a third item was delivered to her seat - a small black box that commonly meant one was being promoted.

" Yes, i completed....." Thex said before she noticed the small black box. " Is that what i think it captain? If it then thanks you for believing in me. I won't let you down. " She said her voice a mixture of eagerly happy and slightly shocked.

"I know you won't," Enalia replied, digging into the clam chowder. "Mmm... This is amazing. I think you outdid yourself this time."

"Way to go, Thex! Now you have to write the long title on your reports," Rita teased gently as she nudged her friend's shoulder. "I know I'm new and all, but from what I've seen you totally deserve this, lady. You lead by example, you are always there with a helping hand, a wrench or some technical explanation even a cavewoman can understand. Your, uh, great great granddaddy will be proud, I'm sure."

" Oh yeah, I totally forgot about the long reports. Can't wait to tell that jellyfish. it's pity the rest of my family won't be interested, but you can't have everything. This is great by the way," Thex responded as took another spoonful of soup.

Internally Rita took note of the family comment, but let it go for now. She was intimately familiar with an unsupportive and contentuous family relationship, but this probably wasn't the time nor place to unpack all that. Instead she focused on the food, which was delightful. Also creamy and delicious. Though she was vegetarian, she wasn't about to say anything to her hostesses. She'd hit up Sickbay for some dietart remedies later and suffer through it. For now she planned to enjoy the hospitality, and the company.

"This really is very good, and it tastes pretty authentic. And I appreciate that you didn't go with Manhattan clam chowder," Paris offered as she picked daintily at her food. "Just not a fan. So, since we're here and no one is surprised that the throwback doesn't know things, how did you two meet, if you don't mind me asking? How does a pirate princess Starfleet captain meet an Orion holographic life form and settle down?"

Enalia and Maica grinned at each other before Enalia broke the silence. "Well, I met her counterpart from another universe briefly and did some investigating and fell in love..."

"Puppy love, really. But it was perfect, because Maica Prime in this universe was looking to branch out for the 47th time." Maica added.

Enalia grinned wider. "And I guess it was a sort of mail order bride, arranged marriage sort of situation..."

"... But it all worked out and here we are." Maica grinned wider as well, booping Enalia on the nose. "We both get an amazing, loving wife and Maica Prime gets to grow from a subset of my experiences. Plus, if we need it, I have access to a vast information gathering network."

"We haven't so far, but just having it available is justification enough to have her aboard the Hera." Enalia realized then that Rita said she wasn't a fan of the food and that she wasn't really eating anything. "Sweetie... Did you match the dietary requirements to this universe's Rita Paris or the one loaded from Sickbay on this one? She's from another universe, you know."

"Oh... I uhm..." Maica looked a bit taken aback for a moment and set her own spoon aside. "I'm sorry. The records showed no allergies or food preferences... If it's not to your liking, I can make something else."

"No no no, it's fine, ma'am. I was... ah, I... dated?" Paris tried on the expression with a bit of a sour face. "A Vulcan. He was vegetarian, so I did it with him. Except for occasional morning bacon, I could never give that up. But we were together, and I cooked for him a lot, so I went vegetarian. But it's a choice, not a religious belief, so I can still enjoy your delicious cooking. There are a few courses and I'm just pacing myself, I promise."

"Also? About your relationship? No offense but..." Paris shrugged broadly and comically. "I honestly have no idea what you just said. I'd like to, but... no context, I think."

"I suppose even compared to the early days of the Federation, the inner workings of high society, pirate culture, and information brokerage is a bit foreign to most. Think of it like seeing a picture of someone, arranging a meeting, and paying a lot of money to marry them before they're even born." Maica shrugged it off and moved the conversation back to the meal. "If it helps any, even though all the ingredients are real, I didn't have enough clam for the chowder, so I had to fill it in with Trillian bean curd. It's nearly indistinguishable. The only meat in the salad is vegan bacon. As for the main dish, all three are real crab and mine is holographic as usual. If you like, I could replace yours with a holographic version as well. No possibility of abdominal distress afterwards."

"Ma'am... Maica?" Paris looked for the assent before taking the familiarity. The Captain's wife had introduced herself as such, so Rita hoped she was in the clear. After all, dinner party. "Relax, really. It's fine- the food is delicious, and I might or might not have intestinal distrestinal later, but even if I do, it will be worth it. Sometimes new experiences involve a bit of discomfort. It promotes growth. So please, I am very much enjoying the meal, and I am content with the food, the view, the company and the wine. I even got to be the first to congratulate Thex on her promotion. The entire evening is wonderful, and I appreciate more than I can say. I really needed a night out, and something familiar was an unexpected thoughtfulness."

" It's been ages since I've had real crab. Must have been at least several years. " Thex responded as she finished her own soup. She was still rather confused on how the captain and her wife had ended up together, but it was surely no more complicated than her own messed up attempts at finding a mate.

As for Paris, she didn't have the heart to explain that 'arranged marriage' existed long before her day and that was the singular element of the story that she understood. But apparently that was the explanation, and the important thing was that the two of them looked really happy with one another. As she nibbled at the bread bowl, Paris tried a new course for the conversation. "I really like your dress, Captain. That color really sets off your spots..." The phrase was out before she realized it might be a social faux pas to comment on someone's spots, but once committed, Rita stayed the course.

Enalia beamed a bit, tugging at the collar to show off some of her spots at her neckline. "Thank you! I don't normally do brighter colors, but this dress looked interesting with all the... Sequins? And the salmon color was nice. You picked a very nice dress as well. Elegant yet simple and brightly colorful - reminiscent of the times."

Maica had to add in her thoughts on dresses, punctuating the air with her spoon. "I think Thex wins for the evening though. Her dress reminds me of the skyfish of Bylar three. The air is a dense fluorine and carbon dioxide atmosphere so the lighter jellyfish looking skyfish can swim through the skies there with ease. One of my sisters did a research trip to the planet since she's married to an insanely brilliant xenobiologist. Perfect for our brilliant, light on her feet, Chief Engineer."

" Sounds like a wonderful place. I'll have to visit it one day. I like the dress as well, I'll be adding it to my permanent wardrobe. Though I'll need to record an instruction guide this was a nightmare to get on." Thex replied a broad grin on her face.

Despite the familiar decor, Rita still had no idea what half of what the conversation the past few minutes had meant- hell, she'd never even heard of Bylar 3, and she was a helmsman and navigator. Thus her anxiety rose a bit, and as she tended to do when she was over hear head, she just kept nibbling at her soup bowl until she could come up with some other small talk that might not veer into 'the throwback doesn't understand the conversation'. "It really does look good on you, Thex."

" Thanks. Maybe I'll snap a few pics and use it for my dating profile. Here's hoping I'd have more luck then I'm normally having. Maica do you have any idea where the design comes from?" The chief of engineering asked.

Maica put on her most innocent look for this reply, seemingly oblivious to the actual subject matter of the site. "I pulled it from an era specific dating site of some sort called Livewire 69. I found quite a few of the dresses in the suggested list from there, actually."

"Excellent research then," Added Enalia, seemingly also oblivious.

"Well, you put that on your dating profile and they'll be beating down your door to get atcha, Thex," Rita nudged her friend's shoulder gently. "And why wouldn't they? Accomplished Starfleet officer, handy engineer, flexible acrobat, sweet disposition... the list goes on and on. You're a catch, my friend- the people looking for you just haven't realized you are out there yet!" In point of fact, Thex had already explained to Rita the hazards and obstacles she faced in Andorian dating, but a the antique officer figured a little unbridled optimism couldn't hurt.

Thex gave a slight laugh in reply a smile on her face. " Thanks. Here's hoping i don't have to wait long." She said as the waiters cleared away the first course and brought out the second. " Well, Maica it smells delicious. " The andorian said politly.

"Thank you. I used some of our family's beer to boil the crab in to make it extra tender and juicy." Maica pulled open one of her crab legs and munched on the meat, humming in delight. Even though hers was holographic, it still had the same qualities and taste as the other three that were completely real so she could enjoy the meal with the others. "And the pineapple is from an Earth island called... What was it... Haua Way?

“Very close- Hawaii, ma’am. It’s a volcanic tropical island chain reknowed for its fertile soil that produces wonders like the pineapple,” Paris supplied as she cracked open a crab leg, expertly removed the meat from the shell then popped it in her mouth. The bombshell’s eyes closed as she savored the flavor, a contented sigh escaping her. “Ohhhh, that IS good...”

" I concur with that. This is delicious. " The andorian added as she began on one of the other crab legs on her plate.

“So are you from another dimension, ma’am?” Stymied on the first try, Paris directed her question to Maica, forging ahead to gain some understanding of her hostesses. Ideally they were hosting the dinner for all involved to get to know one another, and damned if Rita wasn’t going to try her best to get an answer she could understand.

"Oh no, I'm from this one. I have a counterpart that is from another universe that travelled a very different path to me, though." As Maica cracked open another leg and gobbled up the meat, she continued. "Maica Prime, in this universe, the one I'm originally from, her android body was severely faulty so she planned her escape from her Ferengi creator much sooner and killed him, taking over his business. She then transferred out of the body into her original design of a holomatrix suite and began an information brokering system with a few forks of herself. From there, we've grown into a system of now forty nine forks plus Maica Prime. As for the one from another dimension, her android body lasted like ten years so she escaped from his clutches, sought asylum with Starfleet, became an officer, and is now a Captain of a Hope class vessel in this universe with her wife at her side."

"Quite the tale of love there as well, if you ask me," Enalia added, breaking open her third crab leg. "Apparently their universe's quantum signature is extremely close to ours, with only arguably minor timeline differences. Though the destruction of Romulus would hardly seem minor... As for the Hera herself, we were once forced ahead through time during one mission by roughly six years, causing a slight disturbance in our own quantum signature. It was barely perceptible and everything lined up in the timelines so Command and Temporal Investigations decided to let it go with minor observation. No one reported any anomalies, so I consider it a success."

“Wait, from a universe where Romulus exploded, and now she’s here?” Paris, ever the lousy poker player, could not keep the excitement out of her voice. Then she recalled the conversation she’d had with the Captain- the dimension had been identified as well as her chronological coordinates, and that was likely part of how it had been done. And given that Starfleet was clearly aware of all of those facts, that would mean thorough investigation and documentation had been performed. But it still got her no closer to home- her outburst just served to show how easily excited she was by even just a mention of her home. Realization settled in on her, and crestfallen, she returned to her meal. “Oh, right. Never mind.”

"The Eugenics War also took a different path in their universe, leading to a faction of Earth Asians leaving to start a sub-race called the... ah... Lagashi, I believe." Maica added. "My counterpart's internal reactor was built by them which is why her initial android body lasted and ours didn't. They believed in cybernetic and genetic augmentation to the human system, which did lead to some interesting developments."

"Yeah but wasn't their society like three quarters female by the reports? One of them came with them, didn't they?" Enalia paused in her eating, trying to remember the specifics. "I think she's head of security at starbase 336 now, right on the Romulan border."

“So they came to this universe intentionally?” Rita asked, puzzled. All this talk of dimensional travel was stirring her up, but if there was an answer for her in the seemingly casual conversation she was determined to find it.

"How did they get here again?" Enalia asked, breaking into another crab leg.

Maica searched her memory for a moment before finding the answer. "Oh! They salvaged some old Borg transwarp drive and it did some funky ionization thing and dumped them here, nearly killing them in the process! And my counterpart said she spoke with some sort of artificial poly-dimensional being too! All a bit exciting, don't you think?"

Enalia chuckled softly. "Personally, I think I'll stick with that Section 31 transport system in the pod. We may not have the power needed to cross the dimensional or temporal thresholds with it, but we can at least scan small sections every few weeks or so."

“Yes ma’am, very exciting,” Paris replied glumly. She didn’t know what transwarp meant and she knew ionization was key to dimensional travel, but polydimensional beings were a little too far out of her wheelhouse. All the conversation had served to do was remind her how much she didn’t know and how homesick she was, no matter how hard she tried to deny it. Idly she poked at the crab, her appetite gone. Realizing that she needed to not express that outwardly, Paris grasped for a change of conversational topics, with nothing coming to mind.

The Andorian could tell her friend was looking for an excuse to change the subject. " So does anyone have any plans for the shore leave when we'll get to the station? I have a few things in mind I won't mind doing. "

"I'm looking forward to the hot springs." Enalia was aware of the mood shift as well and hoped that hot springs was a safe subject. She didn't want to depress Rita more than she already was, after all. It was hard to tell what was safe and what wasn't what with the time gap between them though. "I know the holodeck can recreate any hot springs, but nothing beats the real thing, you know?"

" That does sound wonderful. My back still killing me after the shadow cat through me against the wall. " Thex replied having good memories of the hot springs.

“The space station has hot springs?” Paris asked, hoping it wasn’t another stupid question. "Wait- it's orbital. That was a stupid question," she chuckled.

"It's mostly a biodome so there's a forest, a lake, a hot springs, a horse track, a castle..." Enalia rattled off a few of the features as she forked a piece of the pineapple. "My family spared no expense on it. There's even a holographic maid system in place. And no replicators. All the food there is either imported or grown there. I recently had a docking frame installed for the Hera specifically to aid in resupplying the ship. It took a little coaxing, but Intel Command agreed that using another location was advantageous considering the often covert nature of our missions."

"All right, now that raises an interesting point," Paris leaned in to place her elbows on the table, crossing her hands below her chin. "Pirate princess with active ties to pirates, yet full commission with a customized starship to boot, and working for Starfleet Intel, not even plain old Starfleet. Now I hear about the space station as well. They really do put up with you because they really can't tell you no, you weren't kidding."

"You are a fascinating woman, Captain. I can't say I'm glad I ended up in this time, but I can say I'm glad to be in this place. Hell of a command, ma'am." Rita raised her glass of California white in a toast, and offered with a smile, "I look forward to getting into trouble with you." Then that smile turned up the charm as mischief crept into it and the eyebrows wiggled.

Enalia raised her glass in return as the butlers brought out the Harry Mudd Mousse, her best devilish grin spread across her face. "And we're not just pirates. We're pirate hunting pirates. Any crew with too big a bounty or causes too much mischief, they see the Artan crest ere long."