Station #42: Step One Under Way

Posted on Tue Oct 29th, 2024 @ 1:04am by Taavis {SF Capt. Ret.} {UFP Intel Agent}

Mission: FINAL JUDGEMENT
Location: Free trader vessel
Timeline: Current

ON:

Taavis entered the galley aboard the freighter she was hitching a ride on. The smells of hand cooked foods, as well as some replicated ones, was a combination of odors that made one half of her want to vomit, and the other half look for a plate. Not sure how the captain of this garbage barge programmed his replicators, Taavis went over and tapped a key to get it online. Once it activated she could see a smear of some form of viscous material. Not sure if it was food or body fluids she was careful not to touch it. Carefully she tapped the menu key and the list came up, maybe a dozen items to be selected from, and only one of them was from Earth. The rest were sludge dishes from around the quadrant. Nutritious and somewhat healthy, they were not the best flavors for broths and porridge. The Earth dish was a tuna casserole. ~Uhmmm...no~ she thought to herself. Giving up on that idea Taavis turned and walked over to the small cooking area where there was boiling, frying and baking going on. Several lifeless animals were present, being prepped for the various dishes they would be added to.

Again, not much selection. Taavis walked slowly around the makeshift counter, one side a glass counter with food items within to be scrutinized by the customers. Wearing her black leatheris body suit/cat suit, her various knife hilts on display along with her dual phase pistols. She could feel some of the stares her backside was attracting from behind her but paid it no mind. Grungy admirers were never an option. But, as she was thinking these things her eyes caught sight of something she could definitely eat inside the case. "Excuse me."

A heavyset woman came over, herself a paragon of lack of bathing and hygiene, stopping on the other side of the counter. "What can I do ya fer, missy?"

"How fresh are those Ferengi grubs?" Taavis asked.

"They been in there since this mornin'." The woman said. "Our engineer be Ferengi, and he raises dem grubs fer the crew."

Taavis gave a grin. "Sounds perfect. I'll take the entire batch. Could you fry them up in an Earth butter sauce for me? I'm willing to pay." Reaching into one of her belt pouches, Taavis pulled forth a handful of latinum strips. She counted them out to twenty. "Twenty strips, if you cook them as I asked."

"Dammit! We be fresh outta Earth butter. Lemme think." The woman got into a pose of thought, rubbing her chin as her face scrunched up so hard it looked like she was in pain. Taavis was surprised when she did not smell any smoke, or see smoke rising from her ears. "Ah!" The woman came back to the world quite forcefully. "We has Risan butter. The kind they put on them fancy scones out dat way. But, it's more aspensive, miss."

Scrunching her face a bit, showing that she was following what the woman was saying, but was suspicious of her, Taavis spoke up. "Really? So, why would Earth butter run out first when you have Risan butter to tickle the taste buds of customers? Are you trying to cheat me?" Her eyes hardened as her gaze drilled into the gaze of the fat woman. "How much extra?"

The woman realized she had overstepped, trying to fool a person who could see through deception. Bloody Vulcans, she thought to herself. "Just five more strips, Love. Swear."

"All the time," said Taavis in regards to the word swear. That made the woman look confused as she dug out five more strips and handed them over with the other twenty. "If it tastes like a targ's ass when I get it, I will come for a refund. Believe me, you don't want that." Half turning to look around behind her at the assortment of tables, seeing the leering eyes still on her body, Taavis spotted a lone table over in a shadowed part of the galley, not under direct lighting and away from the others. "I'll be at that table," she pointed to it. "You will deliver it. If the food and service are good it may earn you a gratuity." She walked away and went to her chosen table, looking at the seats of each chair and seeing they were clean before she sat down with her back to a bulkhead and her eyes able to watch the room.

Not letting her eyes rest on anyone in particular, Taavis had her eyes casually looking around the compartment, using her peripheral vision to spot any appreciable threats that may come her way. Her hearing picked up a few conversations she could actually hear, while others were mumbled and she was not able to discern what was said. So far, no one was staring at her too hard, though the occasional salacious set of eyes would run over her form. Dressing like this was a distraction, of course. Males who thought with their groins were easily distracted by such sights. That was always an advantage. However, as grungy as these men were most looked to be smart enough to realize that messing with a Vulcan could end very badly for them. The nerve pinch and the sheer physical strength were enough to deter the foolhardy in most cases.

The woman waddled over with a tray, delivering two plates of steaming grubs. One was how she ordered them, the grubs cooked in a butter sauce. The other was grubs that had been breaded and given a quick deep fry. There was a tangy sauce in a smaller bowl, a red sauce. The eating utensils were clean and shiny, thankfully.

"Here ya be, missy." The woman set her tray down and then transferred the bowls to the table in front of Taavis. She also set a mug of amber liquid with the meal. "Home made mead. My huzbin, Klemyul, made the breaded grubs fer ya. And, fer orderin' all ya have, he provided his mead. Any-ting else, Miss Taavis?"

Taavis arched an eyebrow at the woman. "You know me?"

"Not I, no." She half turned and motioned back to a large, burly Orion male. "My huzbin Klemyul know ya well, miss. Sez ya know a lass name of Billi."

"I do, indeed." Taavis reached into her belt pouch again and brought forth a palm full of strips, handing them over. "Whatever is there is yours. Tell Klemyul thank you for his generosity, that it will not be forgotten. As for you, thank you for being a great hostess."

The woman beamed with pride. It was obvious that whatever her husband had told her was probably some grandiose tale. She wondered if Klemyul was from Billi's clan, and if so, how helpful he might be in future endeavors. "Your name, Madam?"

"I'm Jozi. Klemyul's wife."

Yes, you said that, thought Taavis as she kept up her poker face. "I'm hungry. We can talk later."

"Oh, so sorry, Miss Taavis. I'll leave ya be." Jozi scampered off.

Taavis, still aware of her surroundings, began to eat her meal and sip the mead, which was actually pretty good. A bit of tweaking in the way it was made and she could market this stuff. Money was money, after all. As she ate Taavis caught Klemyul giving her subtle hints about talking elsewhere, later. She gave a subtle nodding of her head, he returned it, and then they went back to what they were doing.

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