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Holodeck - Dinner in the Snow (Tag Tello)

Posted July 4, 2021, 10:14 p.m. by Commander Tello Anaar (Executive Officer) (D Grisham)

Posted by Captain Jennifer Wallace (Commanding Officer) in Holodeck - Dinner in the Snow (Tag Tello)

Posted by Commander Tello Anaar (Executive Officer) in Holodeck - Dinner in the Snow (Tag Tello)

Jennifer paced around the small room, checking to make sure the food was cooking well. She hoped that this went well. Ghubari had said that doing so had been a tradition of hers, helping her get to know her XOs and vice versa. She hoped the woman didn’t mind her stealing the little tradition. The holodeck was made up in the facsimile of her childhood home, a cozy cottage-type building, one and a half stories with the upper story being more of an exposed loft than an actual story. The main room was large and included a kitchen and dining area on one end as well as a cozy fireplace and sofas on the other end. The front door had been replaced with the holodeck arch. The back of the room, under the loft, was where the fireplace was, and a door on one side of the fireplace led to the parent’s bedroom while a door on the other side led to the bathroom. The loft was where she and her siblings slept.

Jennifer adjusted her glasses and checked on the food once again, resisting the urge to pace anymore. Tello would be here soon. she had sent out the invitation, hadn’t she?

Wallace, CO

The XO entered the holodeck and took an appreciative look around. “Captain. Thank you for the dinner invitation. This is really nice—somewhere from your childhood?” The basics looked familiar, she’d seen enough photo vids and had visited Earth a few times. It was different than her own days as a child because she’d grown up on Betazed, but the two worlds shared a lot.

—Anaar, XO

“My childhood home on Parvok 3,” Jennifer stepped over, a spring in her step. “Thank you for coming. You can have a seat at the dining table,” she gestured to an old looking table that had clearly been hand crafted from wood. In fact, much of the furniture in the building seemed to be hand crafted, and there was little evidence of modern technology. A small computer terminal sat against one of the walls, but that seemed to be all.

She rushed back over to the wood stove and checked on the food, grinning as she saw that the timing had been almost perfect. On went the heavy oven mitts, and out came the casserole dish. “I’ve been perfecting this recipe since childhood, and I didn’t want the replicator messing it up,” she said with a small grin to Tello. There was a small mess of dishes in the sink. The joy of cooking in the holodeck was how little clean-up there actually was.

“Now, it’s been a few weeks since the last time I asked you this question, and last time it was a little too early to tell. How are you settling into the Athena?” She asked as she stepped over to the table, which was practically in the middle of the kitchen.

Wallace, CO

The first officer took a seat at the table and watched Wallace as she dashed around with the final preparations of the meal. The casserole smelled wonderful and elicited a response from Tello’s stomach. “I’m settling in fine. Everyone has been very professional and accommodating so there haven’t been any issues yet. How about you? Are the crew responding to you properly as the Captain now?”

—Anaar, XO

There was a strong scent of cheese coming from the dish as the lid came off, and a quick glance would reveal a simple macaroni and cheese, with chunks of sausage mixed in. “Ah. I forgot to ask whether you’re a vegetarian,” Jennifer realized with a start. She smiled sheepishly, pulling cups from a cupboard and cartons of milk and orange juice from the fridge. “Something to drink? I can get water if you prefer.”

She finally sat down. There was an odd energy in the woman when she was here in the kitchen. A vibrancy that she seemed to lack out there on the bridge. Perhaps it was the reminder of childhood, or maybe it was just the fact that Jennifer found joy and comfort in cooking.

“As for your question, I’m still not sure. I think I’m settling into the role well enough, which is part of the importance for me. You know, being comfortable in your job? Well, never can be too comfortable with a job like this, but you know what I mean. The crew seems to have accepted me surprisingly easily… I’m pleased with that.”

Wallace, CO

As Tello didn’t care for milk or orange juice, “Water would be fine, thank you. It must be somewhat of a relief to know the crew are accepting you as their trusted leader. Sometimes everyone gets used to you in a single spot and the transition can be more difficult than it should be. It’s almost simpler to step in from another posting and be new to everyone at once.” Like me, she thought.

—Anaar, XO

“It might help that I was only XO of the Athena for about three weeks, during station time, and Ghubari was gone for most of that time. The senior staff got used to me being kinda in charge before I was actually in charge,” Jennifer replied, pouring Tello’s drink, then finally settling in her seat.

She served herself a big spoonful of mac and cheese, then started to eat. “This fantasy planet we’re flying towards is the first mission I’ve been on.”

Wallace, CO

“The first mission you’ve been on…with this crew? Me too, what a coincidence.” Tello smiled as she took her first bite. “Oooo, this is so good! Between the food and the room, I feel cozy and very comfortable.”

“With this crew, and as Captain, yes,” Jenn let out a small laugh. “My post on the Equinox was quiet, but it wasn’t that quiet.” To be honest, Jenn still missed her old crew. She’d been with them for 6 years and they’d become like family. She ate some more of her meal, nodding along with Tello’s comment about the setting and meal giving off a cozy and comfortable feeling. “That’s the intention,” she spoke through half a mouthful of elbow pasta and cheese sauce.

They continued to eat and drink in silence until, “This might be impertinent of me, but do you have a family? Husband or children?”

—Anaar, XO

The question that followed the protracted silence caught Jenn off-guard. She hadn’t expected it. “Ah, no,” she shook her head. “But I’ve got siblings and they have kids. And I guess I was, in a way, the team mom on the Equinox, so if you count my former crew as children (which I honestly did sometimes) then I could say yes?” She laughed, looking into her bowl for a moment. “But overall, no. Never really met anyone who I felt a deep enough connection to. Dated a few times in the Academy. They were lovely guys and gals, but it never really clicked.”

She thought back to her early days. “I guess Shess is the closest to a life partner I ever got, but blue-boy is gay and very much not into me, so romance wasn’t really an option,” she laughed. “I got a best friend instead, which one might argue is much better.”

Wallace, CO

Tello swallowed a mouthful of food. “You know, I believe a best friend can get you through anything life throws in your direction. However, a mate is often times a part of the big problem, so that same thought doesn’t necessarily work if you apply it to them. I don’t have a significant other, either.” She blotted her mouth and then took a drink of water.

“I came close once, but he wasn’t interested in a long distance relationship. In Star Fleet, that’s almost a given.”

—Anaar, XO


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