A Ferengi Feast

Posted on Thu Sep 27th, 2012 @ 9:14am by Captain Elsie Halliwell & Captain Alexsa Kendrick & Commander Cailean Fox, M.D. & Captain T'mpest Michaels & Lieutenant Cedric Shepherd & Lieutenant Commander Dylan Blake & Lieutenant Jimmy Cooper & Lieutenant JG Marcus Augusta PHD & Lieutenant JG Lucy Carter & Anaia Viel (Halliwell)

2,309 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Sowing the Seeds
Location: USS Dubai
Timeline: Mission Day 3, 1700 hrs

ON:

As the blue hue dissipated about the Ranger's officers on the pads of the USS Dubai's transporters, Elsie's first impression was one of dated luxury. The beige and blue decorations, to her mind, were soothing and a great step up from her Miranda days but it now seemed to posses a tired yet welcoming environment. Her eyes fell on Jenner as he stepped forward to greet them.

The small Ferengi which stood crookedly behind his Captain scurried forward. 'I'll show them with their 'Ferengi shouldn't be in the federation' attitude' he thought. Then he put up his brightest smile, faced their visited, and with a slightly crackling, slightly nasal tone he said, "Yes, please, this way. I've worked all afternoon on a meal you'd trade your ears for!" To illustrate this, he stuck a finger in his ear, picked out a particularly nasty piece of ear-excretion, and slung it so it sticked to the nearby doorpost.

Captain Jenner inwardly cringed and could only bury his forehead in his hand known collectively as the face-palm maneouver. His newly appointed helmsman for this mission was not his first choice but he was assured the tiny Ferengi was the best one available. He could not agree. Instead he rested his hand on the Ferengi's shoulder and gently guided him back to the group before greeting his guests himself, "Captain Halliwell, welcome aboard." He started as Halliwell stepped down from the pad, the other seven officers rounding out behind her. Jenner had cleaned up so to speak, clean shaven, his eyes a little more bright than they appeared on the view screen earlier; even his smile was more welcoming. "May I present my first officer, Commander S'Von, and of course the rest of my senior staff who I'm sure you'll get to know."

Elsie nodded politely but reservedly to the gaggle of officers stood behind the pair as her face relaxed from utter and unreserved disgust in reaction to the initial greeting, and then her gaze fell to the commander and then finally to Jenner. Taking his hand, her small, jagged smile widened as she shook as she then offered her hand to S'Von. "It's a pleasure to be welcomed by you all," she managed, stepping back and then twisting to present her own motley crew. "Commander Michaels, my own First Officer, and a collection of my senior staff."

Perhaps it was a primitive reaction to such a display of disgusting behaviour on the part of the Ferengi, but something in the air didn't seem to settle right with Halliwell as she shot a concealed and concerned look to her own commander.

T'mpest returned her gaze, her outward expression calm. Inside, she shared Halliwell's concern. The ship felt odd, but she wasn't quite sure why. It was like having a noise you couldn't place but knew it didn't belong. It was a puzzle she looked forward to solving.

"A pleasure." S'Von said simply as he made a quick shake of Halliwell's hand.

Elsie also caught the eye of Lieutenant Shepherd. The big man was obviously alert--not aggressive, but watchful.

A touch bewildered why he was present instead of scrubbing every inch of the lower decks until they glistened Lieutenant Blake followed the small group off the transporter pad with a simple smile and polite nod.

Jenner inhaled sharply through his nose, and went on since the air was getting a little stale from no-one talking. Besides, this was his ship. "Well, since introductions are over," he said with a slight smile, "shall we get right up to the board room as I don't know about anyone else but I'm starved, or would you prefer a tour?"

"I can recommend the food," the small Ferengi Helmsman cackled, "I've made it myself!"

Going off the Ferengi's recent behavior, the comment didn't bode well for the night's meal. T'mpest eyed him coolly, choosing to maintain an air of Vulcan aloofness. Most species chose to ignore Vulcans, which suited her at the moment. It gave her the opportunity to pay close attention to the others as they conversed.

Feeling his jaw tighten at the off hand commend from the Ferengi who's globule of earwax like substance clung to the doorway like an adhesive. Quite suddenly Blake wasn't feeling hungry anymore.

Elsie emphatically patted her slip of a stomach and grinned a little too enthusiastically for her usual stoic demeanour but something inside of her alligned itself with Jenner at the need of shattering such a stagnant atmosphere. She nodded to him and smiled as she, her officers in tow, glided passed his suggestive outstretched arm across the room and out into the corridor.

The conversation on the way to the boardroom seemed just as forced and uncomfortable as was initially anticipated by Halliwell and the Ranger crew but before anyone knew it, they were seated about a wide table, Jenner at its head.

The silence was deafening as the plates were laid out in front of the assembled officers, and apart from a few uncomfortable coughs you could hear a Belzoidian flea sneeze. "Well, with the data transfer underway, you and your staff must have a lot of questions." Jenner offered to get the conversation going.

"Yes, yes, eat and talk!" As some kind of game show host, Fer ran around with plates, nodded, and did his best to show his best.

"I do have a question, sir," Shepherd spoke up. "Have you encountered any life out here so far?"

"Um..." Jenner started, "Well..." he continued but that's all he really managed to get out.

"Have you found signs of ancient habitation?" T'mpest pressed next.

He'd asked for questions but there was something about the tone that made Jenner feel now that he was under the Spanish inquisition and should have a bright light shining in his face. As such he paused for longer than he intended, something not lost on many people around the room including the Dubai's chief science officer, a Betazoid Lieutenant by the name of Rinn.

"To date we've catalogued twelve planetoids which are capable of supporting life, but life on those worlds is relatively unremarkable."

"Far be it for me to contradict our science officer," S'Von started with a look to Rinn which bordered on annoyance, "For the most part the area is lifeless, and although there are a few exceptions to suggest pockets of civilisation, the results have been inconclusive as to the extent or level of advancement, if any. Cracked and decaying building remnants are about all we've come across, with some low level life forms."

Kendrick listened on with intent. What the Vulcan was suggesting was that the area held very little life or civilisation, a remarkable turnaround from the stories passed down from her mother--granted, themselves almost hearsay but nevertheless, it was something that did not quite ring true. She glanced over at Jenner, his face now clean cut again, but like a blank canvas. She needed to talk to him again, in private, she thought.

He was lying. T'mpest was sure of it. The awkwardness, the hesitation, the deception. Why? What was out here they were trying to conceal?

Elsie played with a morsel on her plate with her silver fork; pushing it quietly from one side of the colossal expanse to the other, and tried not to let the disgust she felt well up in her belly display on her face. She winced, caught herself doing so and then attempted to turn it into an uncomfortable smile.
Breaking her concentration from the green slop that now had lost its original shape and oozed precariously close to the edges of her plate, she switched attention to Jenner. "Do you have a proposed area you wish the Ranger to assist with? Or should we look at where you've already mapped and come up with a counter course to complete the rest?"

Jenner's confidence and tongue returned at that moment, "We came into the sector from the Romulan border side and we were working our way around the side closest to the core, to eventually end up coming around the Cardassian side and back out toward Earth for some much needed shoreleave. Despite being here a while, we've only mapped about fifty-three percent and the brass want things sped up a little, which is why they sent you." He took a breath and a begrudging bite before, "Perhaps if you started with here, and worked your way around to the Cardassian border and back down and out toward Federation space and Earth, we might be able to get things done in about six weeks. Unless the science teams can come up with a better plan."

Rinn silently took the napkin from his lap and dropped it on the table beside his plate. He said nothing, but said it loud and clear.

Suddenly, Fer stood between the captains, and the small Ferengi faced Captain Halliwell and added "oh yes, but you should navigate through the astroids in sector K, you wouldn't wanna miss it!" He stretched out his arms pretending to be a spacecraft, and buzzed and whirred off, only to come back and ask "Can I get you more whine? Heeheehee!"

"Asteroids...?" Alex said almost to herself, her mouth getting the better of her reflexes to curb it, her mind darted back to the knowledge of what happened to her homeland. Suddenly realising all eyes were on her, she simply asked, "Where is Sector K?"

It was all Jenner could think, Oh don't encourage him...

"Well, Sector..." Fer clicked excitedly before T'mpest cut him off.

"Perhaps we should have a look at the data you've provided," T'mpest said, using the opportunity to push her plate aside. She'd tried a bite of it, for courtesy's sake, but it was quite awful. "I'm an archaeologist and I've taken an interest in this sector of space. I've read some intriguing articles about the area and I'm eager to see what you've found so far and continue exploring the area. Sector K and its asteroids can wait until we're through here -- providing we have time. Our mission specifications do not include sightseeing, I'm afraid." She picked up her wine glass and pretended to examine its contents as she paid close attention to how their hosts reacted to her words. She would like to have a word with their science officer and Jimmy. Perhaps the three of them could discuss the region more thoroughly?

There was a slight pause as people waited for someone to make the call before Jenner replied with a nervous smile, "Of course." before leaning back at his seat and sipping at his own glass, leaving another lingering silence in the air.

"Mon capitan," Fer now sported a mock French accent, "I'm afraid I must leave our guests for now." He put the back of his hand against his front lobe as if fainting, then added "Feel free to tell them about the monster, they should be aware of that much! Hee-hee-hee!" Cackling of laughter, the small Ferengi turned a cartwheel towards the door and disappeared.

"The monster?" T'mpest asked Jenner. Perhaps now they would get to the bottom of what was making everyone on the ship so uncomfortable.

"You must forgive my helmsman's overactive imagination, Commander Michaels." Jenner said attempting to put their mind's at ease with a simple word. "We keep seeing a sensor blip on the monitors but as yet haven't been able to identify what, or even where it is. When we first arrived in the sector, Mister Fer thought that we were being followed by an ion storm... thankfully it turned out to be a globule of ear wax that had been smeared across the lateral sensor display." He took a deep breath before moving the evening along, "So, who's up for dessert? I think that I can safely say it'll be safer than Mister Fer's main course, whatever that was." Jenner said as he placed his own empty fork back on his plate.

Famished, Elsie perked up at the departure of the Ferengi and the suggestion of a Fer-less course, but couldn't quite contain her bewilderment as to how someone that delirious with insanity could be allowed pilot such a massive vessel, but she did consciously note how his odd behaviour somehow jigsawed itself with what she had already seen of Jenner's crew. However, with her stomach now gurgling she put that thought to the back of her mind. Sliding her plate way out in front of her, she smiled and nodded to Jenner. "That would be highly welcomed," she said, a genuine smile on her face. "And after that, we could really get down to business and formulate a trajectory for both vessels to cover more ground."

T'mpest wasn't convinced. Everyone on this ship was acting oddly. What she wanted to find out was if there really was something out here or if the crew had simply spent too much time out in space and needed a long vacation. "Did Mr. Fer prepare dessert as well?"

"Fear not, Commander. I'll make sure it's straight from the replicator." Jenner replied.

At that point, the communicator chirped. "Captain," the disconnected voice of Lieutenant Jimmy Cooper came through, "I wanted to let you all know that we have completed the transfer of data from the Dubai to the Ranger, and we're standing by for further updates or orders."

Elsie wiped her mouth delicately with a napkin and then tapped her combadge. "Understood," she replied, pushing her plate a little further into the table again, expectantly inviting dessert. "We'll return in an hour. Prepare the database in Astrometrics, Lieutenant. I'll join you straight from here. Halliwell out."

OFF:

 

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