Post # 6 Someone Say Dinner

Posted on Mon Jul 22nd, 2024 @ 6:09pm by Captain Jamie O'Connell & Lieutenant Commander Angel Devroe & Lieutenant Maria SanChez & Lieutenant JG Johan Albo & Lieutenant JG Yesrin Jen & Lieutenant JG Sayvek
Edited on on Mon Jul 22nd, 2024 @ 6:22pm

Mission: USS PEEL Flirting with the Unknown
Location: Various
Timeline: Current

::ON::

{Deck 1-Ready Room}

Captain O'Connell sat as his desk going over a few things before the Peel departed from M-69; one of which he would need some assistance with to make happen. Tapping his Comm "Commander Devroe, please come to the Ready Room" he ordered then finished off the padd and closed the screen then placing it in his right thigh pocket.

Seeing the door open Angel knocked on the door jam then walked in " You wanted to see me Captain" she inquired with a smile. "Yes, please have a seat Number One, there is something I wanted to run by you" Jamie replied.

Taking a seat Angel listened as Jamie began "Since we have two fairly new Crew I was thinking of having a Senior Staff dinner to give everyone a chance to get acquainted. I was thinking of having it while in-route to Boroth in the Captain's Mess since it's large enough and it really doesn't get used all that much. Thoughts?"

"I think that's a great idea and it would give the newer Crew a chance to get to know their peers" Angel replied "So what would you like me to do to get ready for this event."

Jamie grinned "Glad you asked. If you could let all the Senior Staff know then I will take care of the food since I'll have the time; none of that replicator food for my Staff. Please let everyone know it will be tomorrow night at eighteen hundred. Casual civilian attire and ranks are to be left at the door" was the explanation.

"I can certainly take care of the invites and I'll let everyone know today so they have plenty of notice. Also I'll take command of the Ship so you can have plenty of time to prep the meal, if you wish" Angel replied happy to help out.

"Thank you Angel, that'll be a big help" Jamie answered with a smile as he stood "But right now we should be getting underway" as Angel stood also and the two Officers left the Ready Room.

{Bridge}

The Captain and First Officer walked over to conn and grabbed their appropriate seats as Jamie looked towards Comms "Lieutenant please open a ship wide if you please" Jamie ordered then moments later he received the nod "This is the Captain. We'll be getting underway in a few moments going to the Cabral Sector to Boroth. This will be our first covert mission so stay on your toes and be ready for anything. This is the best Crew in Star Fleet so I'm confident everything will go as it should. Captain out."

O'Connell stood as he wanted to walk around the Bridge while he began initiating orders "Helm set a course for the Cabral Sector, specifically the planet Boroth...full impulse until we clear the outer markers then warp eight." "Aye Captain.....course laid in......going to full impulse" Helm replied.

"Science make sure we don't encounter any phenomenon that would be problematic" Jamie instructed.

" Scanning, indications negative at this time." Sayvek replied.

Then looking to Tactical "Keep me posted if you see anything out of the ordinary." "Ops keep the ship's resources where they're needed" were the Captain's orders. Both Stations replied with "Aye Captain."

"Captain we've cleared the outer markers....going to warp eight now" Helm stated as the View Screen became a streak of white passing by the Ship.

Taking his seat, Jamie inquired "Helm what's our ETA look like." Checking his readouts Helm then turned facing the Captain "Barring any unforeseen circumstances we should arrive in two days time about late afternoon."

"Thank you Helm....steady as she goes" Jamie replied. Now they would let the hours pass as everyone performed their duties admirably.

[Next Afternoon]

Commander Devroe had just finished looking over some reports on her padd and placed it back into her seat compartment. Turning to the Captain "Everyone has been notified of the dinner this evening as per your request Captain. Most of them signified they would be present" she commented "So if you want to get dinner underway I'll assume Command so you have plenty of time to work your culinary magic."

"Yes, thank you Number One, I'll take you up on your offer" Jamie replied with a grin "You have the Conn then" as he stood and left for his quarters and his Kitchen.

{Deck 2-Captain's Quarters}

After a quick shower Jamie dressed in civilian attire for the dinner when he realized about the only member of the Crew having seen the Captain in something other than a uniform was Angel. It would be good for his Senior Staff to see one another out of uniform for a change.

Going to the Kitchen Jamie wanted to make something delicious, easy to prepare, and filling....he knew just what to make for the occasion. Grabbing a large pot, Jamie grabbed four pounds of 80/20 ground beef and cooked it on medium heat until it was just done. Draining off the grease he placed it back on the plasma stove and emptied two large containers of chili beans into the pot followed by two large containers of diced tomatoes. When that has cooked for several minutes he added chili seasoning to taste making sure it wasn't too spicy for those who didn't like heat in their food. This simmered on the stove for the next couple of hours.

After a couple of hours, about seventeen hundred, Jamie heard the door chime go off "Come in" he stated as the door swooshed open and Angel came walking in "Need some help" she inquired with a smile.

"Sure, I can always use a helping hand" he replied with a grin while noticing she looked as lovely as ever in civilian attire "If you want to grab bowls, plates, and cutlery for everyone that would be a big help and place them on the bottom of that hostess cart over by my desk. Oh ya, make sure you gab plenty of napkins since we're having chili for dinner."

Angel grinned "I thought that's what I was smelling and boy does that smell good. You're making me hungry" she replied as she gathered the requested items and place them on the cart.

Jamie grabbed two big bags of dipping style tortillas and about a pound and a half of shredded cheddar cheese to go on top of the chili which would get all nice and melty. By this time it was about twenty minutes before eighteen hundred was the two Officers pushed the cart towards the Captain's Mess Hall to get things setup before the rest of the Senior Officers showed up.

{Captain's Mess}

It was almost eighteen hundred when an employee from the Lounge arrived with a ice chest filled with assorted beers to go with dinner "Thank you Ensign you can well that over there against the wall please" Jamie directed. "There you go Captain; let me know when you want that retrieved." "Thank you I will."

Angel looked at the cooler than at Jamie as he commented "What? You can't have Chili without a couple of beers to go with it" as he chuckled at her expression.

"No I suppose not" she replied noticing his male point of view.

Just then everyone started coming in groups as the Captain announced "Welcome everyone. For this gathering please leave your ranks at the door.....first names only please. Dinner will be served as soon as everyone arrives so in the meantime there is a cooler with assorted beers so please help yourselves."

Shortly most everyone was there as Jamie gave instructions "There is a pot of homemade chili so please help yourselves; I thought you might like something other than replicated food for a change. Your bowls are on the table along with your cutlery. Also for those who like more heat there are a couple of different hot sauces on the table you may add to your liking. Also there is shredded cheddar cheese to go on top and dipping style tortilla chips for dipping in your chili if you so choose. Please everyone enjoy your meal."

Soon all the Officers sat with a piping hot shot bowl of chili in front of them as everyone began to enjoy their meal. Maria spoke up "Captain.....I mean Jamie...old habits are hard to break. If you don't my asking who made the Chili; this is delicious" she commented with a smile.

Jamie grinned "I did. For those of you who have never been in my quarters I have a small kitchen setup. I do like to cook from time to time" he replied then Angle added "Jamie is quite the accomplished cook; other than being a Captain of course."

The officers sat talking with one another; even those who normally didn't have any reason to interact which made Jamie feel good since this was the whole reason for this gathering. After dinner Yesrin spoke up "Jamie what would you like us to do with our dirty dishes and by the way that was a fabulous meal. Simple but filling."

Jamie smiled "Thank you Yesrin for saying so. If you all would start a stack of plates, bowls, and cutlery on the bottom of this cart I would appreciate it very much and please feel free to grab another beverage" he instructed. Everyone got up and did as instructed then began walking around talking with each other.

Jamie walked over to one of the newer Crew "Yesrin you excited about your upcoming Op" he inquired.

"Yes I am. It'll give me a chance to show my worth aboard Ship" she replied with a smile.

"Your worth has never been in question; I'm just glad you're able to do what you do best. Have you had a chance to meet with Ensign Barot yet since she'll be piloting the Shuttle you'll be transported to the surface in."

"Not yet Jamie, that is on my to do list for tomorrow. I thought It would be good to get to know each other a little before the Op starts" Yesrin replied.

Angel walked by Yesrin on her way over to speak with Sayvek as Yesrin sensed Jen "Wow, now that's a hottie!!" "Behave Jen.....don't embarrass me." "Sorry but she really is something to behold."

Walking over to Sayvek "How are you....enjoying yourself? As one Science person to another it's nice to still have you aboard" Angel commented with a smile "Ready for this Mission?"

" More so understandably curious. " Sayvek replied.

Maria walked over to Jamie "This is really nice having the chance to just talk to my peers without being on duty" she stated with a grin, not to mention the awesome food."

"Yes this is nice for a change. I may have to implement this every so often and maybe I can squeeze all of you into my quarters where the Kitchen is located" then he paused "Maria not to talk shop, but I was wondering how is Security getting along with the marines."

"Both departments work together quite well and may I add Captain John Hunt is great to work with" Maria answered with sincerity.

"That's great to hear" then he paused thinking a moment "I was toying with the idea of including John in the Senior Staff since he does head up the Marines. What do you think Maria."

Maria was both surprised and happy the Captain was asking her opinion "I think that's a great idea. That way he could hear things first hand and not just from me; although he does consider me as in charge even though we are about the same rank."

Jamie smiled "It's settled then and I will speak to Captain Hunt sometime tomorrow" then he paused "Of course I'll run it by Angel beforehand like I do most everything that has to do with the Ship" he explained "But I'm sure she'll be fine with it."

Everyone stood and chatted with one another for the next few hours enjoying this time of social gathering when Jamie realized it was getting kind of late "If I could have your attention for a moment" as the room became very quiet "I would like to thank all of you for a great evening and conversation. It is getting rather late so we'll call it an evening and I hope to do this again in the future."

Angel spoke up "Thank you Jamie for a great meal and yes I think we'd all like to do this again in the future" she stated as the entire room agreed. Soon everyone filed out of the Mess as Jamie finished getting things together to take back to his quarters. Walking over "Jamie Let me give you a hand back at your place. I mean it's the least I can do after such a great evening."

"And I'll take you up on your offer" Jamie replied with a grin "Like my Granny used to say 'Many hands make light work'."

{Captain's Quarters}

Arriving back home Angel and Jamie made short work of getting things cleaned up and reclaimed from dinner. What little Chili was left Jamie package it up and handed it to Angel "Here why don't you take this back to your quarters, you can have it for dinner one night."

She had a surprised look on her face as she inquired "You sure? I don't want to take something that you can have yourself."

Jamie smiled "No that's fine; I think I've had enough Chili for awhile. Otherwise I wouldn't have offered it to you" he replied happy to be getting rid of the leftovers.

"Thank you Jamie, that's very considerate of you" Angel stated "I think the dinner went well and everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves" then she paused "I did try and strike up a conversation with Sayvek but that was short lived."

Jamie laughed "Don't take it personally Angel. In my experience Vulcans aren't known for being too chatty; usually they give a concise answer then move on" he explained.

"I guess you're correct in that assumption. I mean you can't really change the way someone's culture affects their personality" she replied with a grin "Although Yesrin seemed to have opened up somewhat which was nice to see."

"Yes, it would seem so and I felt like she was enjoying herself meeting the rest of the Senior Staff" Jamie commented figuring now was as good a time as any to ask "And while we're on the subject I was thinking of including the Marine Captain as part of the Senior Staff since he is their C.O. So what do you think."

After a brief moment of thought "I think that's a great idea and maybe it'll make them feel more part of the Crew since we are small in numbers" she replied.

"Excellent! It's settled then" Jamie stated "So would you like to do the honors or should I" he queried.

"I think it would be a very good gesture for the Captain to inform the Marine C.O." she replied with a grin.

"I can do that, probably before we reach Boroth would be best just in case the Marines are needed" Jamie replied happy to be the one heading to Marine Country.

"And on that note I'll be heading out; I think we both could use some much needed sleep" Angel commented starting to feel the effects of the day.

Jamie grinned "I think I'm right there with you. Thanks for all your help making this dinner such a success; I don't think I could have done it without you as with most everything else" he commented with sincerity.

"You are very welcome. I do enjoy our free time together and I like seeing the Captain as just a normal person occasionally" she commented with a smile.

"Careful, you might just get to know the real Jamie O'Connell" he replied with a grin.

Angel smiled "To late, I already have" she replied "Anyway I should be going. Sleep well Jamie" as she turned to leave his quarters.

"You as well Angel" watching her leave to go back home.

::OFF::

Senior Officers
USS Peel
NCC-71015