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Lunch On The Promenade

Posted on Wed Feb 20th, 2019 @ 10:35am by Lieutenant Commander Thex sh'Zoarhi & Commander Rita Paris

Mission: Recovery Trek
Location: DS9 promenade
Timeline: 2396

Thex had been busy over the last few days putting the ship back together from both the Norse weapons and the damage done by the Valkyries. She'd been up for most of those days, but now with the Hera safely docked in DS9 the blue engineer had time to put her feet up and get some rest. Right now she was having a very large lunch on the promenade with a table overlooking the busy Bajoran wormhole.

She smiled as the USS Shanghai passed overhead heading away from the station before it could power up its warp engines and begin it's next journey. Despite all the battles with gods and monsters everything seemed to be going well.

Her blue eyes noted a familiar face in the crowd passing by. " Hello, Rita." She said politely to her human friend from another time.

Striding across the promenade, Rita Paris turned heads. Partially it was her outdated antique uniform, which made her look like she was in costume for a play or holo. Partially it was her form and figure- Rita was built like a schoolboy’s fantasy come to life, and she had a dazzling smile that could light up a room. Partially it was the confidence with which she carried herself- tall and regal, she moved as if she were the reason the universe was here and she knew that it revolved around her.

The woman was neither that vain nor egotistical, but she carried herself that way, and people tended to react to it.

Striding over to the table where Thex was seated, Paris paused to watch the Bajoran wormhole open like some great cosmic flower and blossom forth with celestial light. “That is just absolutely breathtaking… I don’t think I will ever get used to the sight,” Rita purred, enchanted by the cosmic phenomenon.

“So what can I do you for, Chief Engineer?" Refocusing on the Andorian engineer, the grinning human girl raised an eyebrow slightly and cocked her head in curiosity.

"How about get yourself something to eat. It's been a while since we sat down and took a meal together." The andorian said as she gave her friend a smile. "I take it to you like DS9? Certainly no place like it in the galaxy."

“It’s very interesting,” Rita admitted as she took a seat opposite Thex. “The wormhole is remarkably beautiful, one of the most breathtaking things I’ve ever seen. And the station itself is so different than what I’m used to in Starfleet engineering. Of course, it’s no Starbase Yorktown, but what is?”

"Well, DS9's hull was originally Cardassian in origin, though she's been upgraded so many times, her interior is mostly Federation. She was the Federation's rock in the Dominion War and the gateway to a whole new quadrant." Thex said looking at the wormhole as it contracted.

"Wow... oh, so the Dominion invaded from the gamma quadrant, okay, I get it. Quite the crossroads in history, and Bajor at the center of it. They have a religion, right? They worship beings who live in the wormhole, celestial prophets or something?" Rita Paris' grip of history was tenuous at best for anything resembling current events, so clearly she'd read a Fedepedia entry at some point as she had a very vague idea of the local history.

"So I've heard from the reports of the DS9 station staff and a few Bajorans I've met. From the Federation report, the prophets are non-corporeal extra-dimensional entities." Thex responded as the wormhole opened again in the background.

"Mmmm. Well, they have a temple up here, so if I am that interested I can go ask more, I suppose," Rita observed, watching the scintillating colors of the wormhole. "So you have any business to tend to while we're here?"

A grin spread over the andorians face at that question. "Oh yes i have several crates of andorian ale to collect along with some outfits for a particular event. " The andorian replied with a wink to her human friend.

"Well, that sounds exciting! Have you set a date yet?" Rita grinned, cheered by seeing her bashful blue buddy be so smitten.

" The Anear holy day of shining light. It's still a while from now, so we have time to plan everything." Thex explained the grin still on her face.

"Awww, that's a great idea! It sounds like a lovely day for a... bonding," Rita had of course begun to say wedding, but remembered not every culture called the pairing of individuals together as a 'wedding'.

" It sure does. We've have everything prepared already including the dresses. Just need to wait for the day in question. " The andorian replied the happiness evident in her voice.

“That’s great, I am so happy for you, Thex. So when is that day, anyway? And is it customary to give gifts to the betrothed couple?” Rita, ignorant of Andorian bonding rituals, hoped she wasn’t being rude in asking.

" Five days from now and gifts are only given at the full quad ceremony. " the andorian explained before she continued. " Thank you for agreeing to be my witness Rita. It means a lot to me and Tathaa. "

Five days? Glad I asked, Rita thought to herself. “It’s the very least that I can do, Thex. You were there for me and Sonak, so the least I can do is stand witness for you and your gal. Soooo is there a dress code or anything I ought to know? Remember, the Earth girl is well traveled but not good at alien customs. I don’t want to accidentally create a scene or an incident here.”

" For the partners and their witnesses yes. Don't worry we've picked out some nice simple dresses so you don't have to worry about putting on some alien monstrosity that needs a holovid video to explain." the andorian said with a chuckle. " Everyone else it's formal wear though blue and white is considered lucky to wear."

“Well, that’s a relief. Sonak looks good in blue and I can wear white, that’s easy enough,” Rita chuckled. “So no gifts, white and blue dress code, just stand and witness. Easy peasy.”

" Well you as my witness will have to state the love I hold for Tathaa is true and hand me the locket called a Shapla. Then you'll need to cut a lock of my hair and hand it to me. I know my people have a very off bonding ceremony." Thex said laughing to herself slightly.

“Eh, my people exchange vows and rings and have all sorts of superstitions. Nothing weird about rituals- they lend us structure, connect us to the past and bring those traditions with us into the future. I’m a fan of traditions,” Rita explained. After all, she was a very old-fashioned girl.

"Indeed you do, Rita. It what makes you a unique and charming friend. Are the old phaser and communicator still working?" the andorian asked politely.

“Flatterer,” Rita grinned. “The phaser works great, and converting the handle to be more battery power has come in handy on more than one occasion, as I’ve replaced the battery in the field once already after some wide beam stuns. As for the communicator, I have been through a few now, but they work great. And I appreciate they look like my old command delta, as well as my phaser being the old type 2 model. Turns out my Security gals seem to favor them as well. They claim they are easier to hold and aim, which was my perspective as well. I at least know where the basic functions are on a dustbuster, but I definitely prefer my old phaser pistol to be certain.”

The andorian grinned at her friend. " Glad it's working out for you. The engineer who designed them contacted m with a new blueprint for a replicator built into the old style food unit. Would you like me to install one in your quarters?"

That earned her a musical laugh. "I may be old-fashioned, but I'm not THAT old-fashioned. If I still carried a tricorder on away missions I might ask for a classic update of one of those. But these days either someone better qualified is doing the scanning or I have it all on a heads-up display, so no real need. But I'll keep the modern replicator, thanks. It's surprisingly handy the be able to make darn near anything you want out of the ship's matter stores, rather than everything just being replicated into somewhat bland food."

Thex laughed along with her friend who's laugh was contagious. "I'll see what I can do about the tricorder. Was the food really as bland as they say in the records?"

"UGH. Fleet food was the WORST," Rita laughed, recounting her service over a century earlier. "There were so many dietary restrictions built into the darn things that everything was bland, low sodium, gluten-free, fat free and mostly flavor free. Even Sonak seasoned his food from time to time, and if you've ever had Plomeek soup you know what Vulcan tastebuds consider a delicacy..."

"I ate a bowl of that for a dare once. I thought it was someone dishwater at first." Thex said remember her time at the academy. "I'm glad the replicator had came into being before I came into the universe. Means I can get all my food just how i like it."

"It is pretty bland..." Rita trailed off as the wormhole closed again, winking out of sight as if it had never existed. "That is just a glorious sight. I can see why the Bajorans worship it and the beings who live inside it. How could you not? I heard there was a Starfleet officer who was chosen as their ambassador to it a few decades back?"

"Yeah, Captain Sisko," Thex said as she ate another dish of her plate. "He vanished around the end of the dominion war, and the files are classified beyond my level to access. Pity... I'd have like to have met him. We'd probably not be here if not for him."

"Guess I'll read up on him then," Rita sighed, a bit disappointed she couldn't get more of the history lesson in person, but as with everything else for the officer 130 years out of step, she could always read about it on Fedepedia. "Well, I should probably get back. Got a few duties to tend to today. Have you decided where you are going to be holding your ceremony?

"The Hera's shuttle bay. Big enough for all the crew if they want to be there, we can have the stars and the wormhole as a backdrop, it has the holo records and projectors for recording everything and it's part of home," the andorian explained.

"Then you really should go speak to Maica. I robbed her of throwing an epic bash when Sonak and I got married, so this would mean a lot to her if you two would let her do your event planning. Because she is DYING to do a big shuttle bay wedding," Rita advised.

"I'll have a word. I'm sure she can throw something together," the andorian replied with a grin on her face.


 

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