Cultural Exchange (Part 1 of 3)

Posted on 06 Jun 2012 @ 2:09pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Captain Jonathan Holliday & Lieutenant JG Kestra Orexil & Ensign Im'er Mor'an & Ambassador Si'tar Del'an & Ansen Pawlak

3,427 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo - Observation Lounge
Timeline: MD 05 - 1930 hrs

[ON]

With a final check in the mirror, Lirha looked herself over one last time as she prepared to head out for dinner. She wore a tight and rather revealing black dress which was open in the back and kept together by only a few straps of material around the neck. Her straight black hair was let down and fell loosely across her shoulders, giving way to a collage of body art which adorned the captain's green skin. Taking a step back, she smiled at herself in approval. Though the upcoming event was technically a formal dinner, Lirha considered it more of a cultural exchange so she had opened up the dress code for the evening. It was a welcome change from the monotonous Starfleet uniform she had to constantly wear. She grabbed her communicator from her desk and clipped it to the fabric on her chest, then left her quarters and headed for the observation lounge.

The room was only a few paces down the corridor on Deck 2, and Lirha was the first to arrive. Normally arranged for briefings, the observation lounge had been rearranged by several of the operations personnel to accommodate the evening's dinner. The large discussion table had been replaced by a smaller dining room table which was clad in white cloth, and silver cutlery was set at each seating position. Walking around to the far side of the table, the captain crossed her green arms as she stared out into the stars.

Here was one of the few times Mor'an got to share her culture with her crewmates. She got to wear her traditional robes that she rarely got to wear since serving in Starfleet. The floor-length robe she chose for the evening was a deep, almost blood red fabric that contrasted her porcelain skin and jet hair that cascaded down her back. Along the seams of her robe were the trademark embroidery of her Order that matched the sheath of the dagger that hung on her hip. Around her neck she wore a cord from which hung a multi-fasceted stone of a deep, shimmering black. The one item of her costume was the out of place was her comm badge that sat discreetly on her chest, barely viable amongst the eloquent, gold embroidery.

Mor'an entered the lounge and greeted her captain with a silent hand movement, as she usually did, before speaking. "I have been looking forward to this dinner for quite some time," she said, her blue eyes bright.

"Good evening, Cadet." Lirha replied, smiling as she watched the young woman's unique hand gesture. "I must admit, so have I." she answered, "It's always nice to get out of our uniforms and into a more casual environment...if only for an hour." she added with a small grin.

John didn't always agree with being dragged into any kind of formal dinners or meet-and-greets like this, and today was no different. Sadly though, this was not his command, and he was as obliged to follow orders as any other member of the crew would be, regardless of his personal feelings. Having already taken the time to head to his quarters to freshen up, the XO had gone with the more formal dress uniform rather than civillian clothing, or his standard duty attire. He was never one for wearing regular clothing unless he really had to, something about the uniform made him feel a little more secure in himself than just a suit or a tuxedo.

The walk to the observation lounge didn't take long, and as the doors opened he was delighted to see that he was neither the first, nor the last one there, having already been beaten by his CO and the young cadet that was studying beneath his wing.

"Good evening ma'am. Cadet." He acknowledged the two of them, nodding slightly to each in turn as he approached the table, taking note of the rather different arrangement when compared to just a standard crew briefing.

"Hello, Commander." Lirha replied with friendly eyes, noticing that he had chosen to wear his Starfleet dress uniform.

Mor'an greeted the XO in the same manner she had the captain -- silently.

Kestra was still smiling as she entered, the image of her graveshift team's eyes agog still fresh in her mind. She never forgot how impressionable other species were, but she made an effort to not allow the reactions of aliens to change her ways. She was a Betazoid, of the Thirteenth House, and proud of that fact. Especially so, tonight. Her gown was held up by soft gauzy fabric that embraced the curve of her toned shoulders, a shimmering lengthy expanse that rippled as she moved like a waterfall at midnight, fluttering around the sides of her torso where it just barely concealed her chest and often rippled to reveal the smooth, hard expanse of her abdomen before pouring down to the floor around her bare feet and leaving the entirely of her back exposed from the slope of her neck to the base of her spine. The dress was the latest fashion on Betazed, designed to coax and tease the imagination without outright revelation. Though nudity was utterly comfortable to her people, they had learned over the years the pleasure to be gained from putting off the inevitable. Her thick dreadlocks were wound into a crown around her head and woven with a dark ribbon of the same color as the gown and she wore no jewelry. "Good evening, Captain," she murmured, still amused, "Commander. Cadet."

The Orion captain looked over as the chief tactical officer approached and took notice of her revealing appearance. "Hello, Miss Orexil." she replied with a small smile.

"Lieutenant," Mor'an said in greeting, inclining her head towards her superior.

"Nice to see you Lieutenant, the more the merrier at these events I always find" the XO acknowledged.

Del'an was the last one to arrive, a few minutes later than would be expected, sweeping in with the same poise and surety that she always accompanied her and made every slight movement meaningful.

She was arrayed in robes of opalescent fabric with warm hues of red-orange. A silver diadem rested in her hair, with a diamond suspended over her brow. A band of gold rested over her collar and over the hollow at the center of her collar bone sat an opal. A dagger in a graven silver sheath hung from a chain of the same metal. The warm but light colors of her attire made a stark contrast to her hair, flowing down her back like liquid obsidian, held loosely together but three silver bands set with what looked like mother-of-pearl, the same alien material that wrapped around her slender vulcanic ears.

Though she was the last to arrive, there was a distinct sense from the way she looked at everyone, though not disdainfully, that they were all early. The epitome of being fashionably late. Perfectly silent, even as she moved, Del'an made her way over to the captain.

Lirha turned as a figure approached out of the corner of her eye and she took sight of the Ta'rkan elder. Though, in Lirha's opinion, someone who looked as youthful as her should be hard pressed to be called an elder. The captain took notice of her elaborate dress and jewelry as she came closer, then smiled in greeting. "Good evening." she said in a well-mannered fashion.

Del'an's eyes came to rest upon Lirha and she tilted her chin up, drawing her hand across her chest and extending it partway, palm down, towards the captain. "Good evening," she replied with the tone of one not accustomed with such greetings, though her voice lost none of its elegance. She turned slightly to look at Mor'an and initiated the traditional Tarkannan greeting.

Mor'an returned the gesture to her mentor. "I know you," she said formally, looking Del'an in the eye. This was one of those times when she was in awe of her mentor, despite the fact that she had been practically raised by the older woman. Del'an had a silent way about her that Mor'an not only admired, but also hoped to one day achieve.

Kestra inclined her head towards Del'an; both Tarkannan women were resplendent. As formal greetings went around, she lifted her hand and duplicated the gesture Del'an had given on their first meeting; the same one Mor'an gave now.

With all invited guests now present, the captain moved to the head of the table and looked back, motioning for everyone to take a seat. She had made special culinary arrangements for the evening with the ship's head chef and was rather hungry. After she sat down, she took the napkin on her plate and folded it delicately before placing it on her lap.

Del'an followed the captain and sat down to her left, though it seemed more like she did so because it was the most accessible seat than for any reason related to station.

Mor'an stepped forward and took the empty seat next to Del'an. She needed her mentor's strong presence at times like this -- formal dinners were out of her league.

Kestra took her place across from Mor'an, leaving the seat by the Captain's right open for Holliday. She was unsure exactly what her place was at this meal, but it wasn't for her to second-guess her captain. Good food, good company, and a chance to wear something other than her uniform; those were good enough reasons.

Following the example given by his Captain, John headed round to the vacant seat on her right hand side and settled himself in, picking up the cloth napkin set beside his plate and depositing in his lap before looking around to see the rest of the group taking up a similar position. He wasn't exactly thrilled about being roped into this situation, but he was determined to make the best he could out of it.

Ansen peered through the doorway for the fourth time and found they'd finally taken their seats. So much pomp and circumstance, he smiled. And so many pretty people. They could have been a vid ad for cultural diversity back on Earth. And he was pleased beyond reason that the captain had brought him in to parallel their cultures in the dinner they were about to receive. He'd researched extensively in the previous days, practiced his techniques until they were exacting. Now came the test.

Stepping out into the room, he made his way around the table, setting the first course down in front of each attendant. "For the first course, you have Paddlefish caviar on a crisp salmon skin; a skewer of adoros bulbette, Bilikian fig, and mussels with a rosemary-cucumber kimchi and an orion whiskey-blood orange chutney; and finally Jalaad bay mollusks with Sorrel sauce. And to accompany that, Argyle Betazed Brut, circa stardate 2360."

Del'an looked at the man. "Seafood, some of it?" she asked the man, "That is well-chosen." Though he probably didn't know it, Arun R'Lantha was a largely pelagic planet and seafood was the most common item found in any Tarkannan home.

Ansen smiled as he moved around the table, pouring the champagne into the flutes. He knew that the Tarkannan woman was an emissary of some kind and that the younger Tarkannan was a member of the crew. A cadet. Beyond that, he didn't know who she was except that she was elegant and serene. And approved of his offerings. "Thank you," he told her as he finished filling the glasses. "Enjoy."

"Thank you, Mister Pawlak, this looks lovely." the captain replied, then glanced around the table, happy to see everyone settling in and looking forward to the meal. Lirha let the seafood aroma of the first course seep into her nostrils and her mouth became wet as she thought about taking her first bite. Ansen, the young chef who came aboard at Starbase 234, had certainly made excellent preparations and she was pleased to have his culinary skills aboard. Lifting her champagne flute in the air, she spoke. "First, a toast." she said.

Del'an's hand floated forward at Lirha's words and her delicate fingers lifted the glass to the height of her eyes and held it there. She looked through it at those across from her. She sat upright in her chair, her arm extended to form the curve that held her glass in the air, and took on a profound look reminiscent of a priestess preparing a sacrifice.

"To us," Mor'an said, raising her glass, "And to all proud members of Starfleet, regardless of their culture and upbringing."

"To Starfleet. And to new friends." Lirha added with a warm smile as she looked around the table, then toasted her glass and took a long sip of champagne.

Kestra raised her glass, smiling and serenely silent.

Looking down at the collection of food items in front of him, John's distaste for formal occasions seemed to lessen somewhat. He was certainly a fan of excellent food, and from the look of it, their chef had not failed to meet the required standards. Acknowledging the call for a toast from his CO, the Commander picked up his glass and raised it accordingly.

"And to the ties that bind us" he added on.

Del'an brought the glass to her lips and drank. When she had finished she set teh glass carefully back in its place. Her piercing blue eyes went to Lirha and there was a hint of approval in her features.

The captain smiled to herself as she looked over at Del'an. She appeared to be very comfortable in her surroundings for someone so unaccustomed to Starfleet life. "Do you drink much alcohol on your homeworld?" Lirha asked her. The Orion found she was rather curious about Ta'rkan drinking customs and wondered if such a disciplined people would bother themselves with the unhealthy indulgence of such a drink.

"We have many drinks like these," the tarkannan woman replied. As she explained everything, her voice maintained a soft, almost musical tone to it which made it a pleasure to listen to. "They are used often for ceremonial purposes, or drinks offered up. Some of what you would call 'the best spirits' are made by orders that believe such drinks to be meant only for offering up. A few of the orders highest members are allowed to ensure its quality but this is all. Of course, we understand that no mortal sustenance is needed to sustain the divine, but it is part of our tradition and even other orders will not drink the sacred drinks of orders such as Orl'ran, it would be disrespectful." she paused and gestured to the drink in her glass, "This is not Ta'rkan, so we may drink as we please. A member of Or'lan might not even touch synthale."

Listening as the conversation began to flow between the mouthfulls of beverage and the forkfulls of food, John stayed relatively silent. He had not had much of an encounter with the older Ta'rkan, and as for the cadet, well he was of the opinion that he would rather take her to the torpedo tubes and discuss correct loading and firing procedures than set through too many of these dinners. For now, he just took a drink from his glass, and continued to listen.

Mor'an looked down at her plate, relieved to see fish. It was a substance that she grew up on and the only meat she truly enjoyed. While she ate, she watched Ansen go back and forth into the kitchen and back out to the lounge. He was one of the few crew members she had not officially met. She knew he was the younger brother of Marek Pawlak in Operations, but beyond that she knew nothing about him.

"Tell me," Del'an asked, though to who was unclear, "what manner of customs and rituals do the people of the Federation carry together?"

"The Federation... covers quite a wide range of customs and rituals, ma'am" John began, placing his glass back onto the table, and patting his lips with the napkin on his lap before continuing any further. The XO was quite a fan of cultural phenomena, that is, when he wasn't figuring out the best way to improve phaser efficiency, or sparring on the holodeck.

"Each planet has its own unique set of beliefs and customs, and the Federation as a whole moves to respect and support those customs, regardless of its stance amongst other worlds. If you mean specifically Federation-wide events, then there are events such as First Contact Day, which commemorates our meeting with the Vulcans several hundred years ago, or Federation Day which celebrates the founding of this organization"

Kestra's lips twitched into a small smile as she met Del'an's eyes. She wondered how many times Del'an would try to get a straight answer about 'Federation beliefs and customs'. Sipping from the sparkling Brut, she enjoyed the tingling flavor of the beverage from her home world. "We have wines - dessert wines," she began, "that the holy orders produce on Betazed as offerings for libation to the gods, but we still sell those wines to visitors to our world and across the Federation. Are the products of the order of Or'lan similar, or are they not released at all for mortal consumption?"

"It would be sacrilegious," Del'an replied simply. "I do not believe I would drink the sacred wine of Betazed, even if its cultivators allowed such a thing. It would not be right for me to do so when I would not do the same myself."

Kestra lifted her brows. "If we did not want others to take and enjoy the waters of our gods, we would not offer them. Every time a glass of Mendissia Fire is raised, regardless of where in the universe or by whom, the Great Fire burns brighter everywhere. Our guardians learn new paths throughout the stars. The Fates glean more threads for their tapestries." She smiled. "It helps to brighten the spirits of those who consume it, and therefore brightens the Spirit of All. Then again, we try to accomplish that with all our vintages." She lifted the Brut, "Blessings of peace and harmony be upon you."

"If that is its purpose," Del'an said, "then perhaps that is a different matter."

Ansen slipped around the table as unobtrusively as possible, taking the empty plates away and pouring the next wine course, a light, dry Domaine Serene Chardonnay. When that was done, he placed small plates of puffed pastry filled with boletus and oscoid with a whipped herb butter.

Del'an addressed the first officer as the second course was served. "Commander, you are the only one here from Earth," she noted, "I find it fascinating that your kind has led the Federation since its founding."

Looking around the table, it actually took the fact being pointed out to John for him to notice that he was indeed the only human currently at the table. He had been amongst multicultural crews for so long that he saw his shipmates instead of just assorted species. He tried not to frown at the mention of him being the only Earthling here; the XO was a proud Martian colonists and was staunchly against being referred to as being from Earth regardless of his species.

"Actually ma'am, I was born on Mars, or Sol IV as its otherwise known, I only went to Earth when I attended the Academy. Whilst its true that Earth was an important founding member of the Federation, I personally do not believe it would never have formed if we hadn't originally brought the other founders together. Somewhere, somehow, people would have banded together in the same way."

"In the same way?" Del'an repeated, sipping her drink. "Perhaps... but I have come to know some of your history in the beginning of the Federation, such as the war between the Andorians and Vulcans. Such a founding explains much about the history of your people. Earth was a stone, Commander, and the ripples wash over the Alpha Quadrant from then until now and into the future."

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

CMDR Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

Lt Cmdr Jonathan Holliday
Executive Officer
USS Galileo

LTJG Kestra Orexil
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Galileo

Ansen Pawlak (pNPC Lilou Peers)
Chef
USS Galileo

Si'tar Del'an
VIP
played by Chauncey William Remington III

Cadet Senior Grade Im'er Mor'an
Red Squad Intern
USS Galileo

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