Chopsticks

Posted on 02 Apr 2013 @ 11:06pm by Amril & Lieutenant Kiri Cho
Edited on on 04 Apr 2013 @ 12:17pm

3,616 words; about a 18 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo - Mess Hall
Timeline: MD-01: 1250 hours

[ON]

It was a place full of people. That should make it safe shouldn't it? No one was going to hurt her and no one was going to do anything mean. At least she hoped so, in her head though she felt they all knew. What had happened, how it had affected her. Sitting with a bowl of egg fried rice mixed with finely chopped vegetables she didn't eat it as much as push it round the bowl.

Amril walked through the mess hall with a tray of food in his hands. Spotting the target of his lunch session sitting alone, he made his way to the small table and stopped behind the free chair across from her.

"May I join you, ensign?" he asked, giving her a smile.

Looking up Kiri considered the man. She had been a child during the Dominion war and knew that Vorta weren't the dangerous ones. At least not where you could see them and watch them. Whatever someone else said she still didn't trust him and didn't like how he had been given his own department. There was also the fact that he had forgotten her rank, "I'm a Lieutenant Junior Grade sir." She made no move to resist him sitting near her.

"Ah, of course," he said, glancing at her pips more closely. "That is what happens when I rely on my memory of the roster for ranks. Vorta do not have good eyesight either. Congratulations on your promotion." He took the liberty of sitting down, even though she did not explicitly invite him, and picked up his fork and knife. Why he was eating a pepperoni pizza with a fork and knife was anybody's guess.

"Thank you," Kiri gathered a small amount of rice and popped it into her mouth. It would be rude not to talk to him, "How are you finding the ship?"

"Oh, I've found it quite by accident already," he said, misunderstanding her and perhaps sounding unintentionally humorous, "I was in stasis, so really the ship found me... in the nebula. Ah, is the story of my arrival common knowledge?"

"Yes, it almost destroyed the ship," She answered, not sure if it was a joke or not. Did Vorta make jokes?

"Oh, yes, I suppose that would be very noticeable." He paused to watch her eating, then, a moment later, pointed to her chopsticks and asked, "What are those?"

"These?" Kiri lifted up her hand as he pointed at it, "Chopsticks," More of an explanation wasn't needed as she saw it. He had already seen her eat with them.

"Why don't you use a fork?" He held up his own utensil to show her. "It seems that doing so would be easier."

"To appreciate the meal," Kiri felt it was a slightly rude question, " If efficiency was key then wouldn't a funnel be used?" Forks were used for shovelling food all mixed together, Chinese and Asian cooking wasn't designed to be eaten that way.

"I don't know..." Amril replied, regarding the chopsticks. It was inefficient, yet it helped her appreciate the meal. "It is a cultural custom, then?"

"Yes, quite a large number of Human cultures use them," Kiri settled down slightly, weren't Vorta meant to know lots about different cultures though?

"I would like to learn how to use them," he said suddenly, smiling and setting his fork down beside his largely uneaten pizza.

"I can show you," She looked at what was on his plate, "But you can't really eat pizza with them."

"Well, what would you suggest for a beginner?"

"Sushi, or Jiaozi are easy to eat," Kiri looked up at him slightly confused, "What sort of things do you like to eat?" Other than being immune to poisons she had no real idea if they ate meat. Well he was eating meat now but was that the same for fish?

"I might as well try both," Amril decided, "the more experience I have the better my understanding will be."

Kiri looked slightly confused, they weren't exactly something that mixed but he wasn't to know that. She was about to say something but he had already stood up.

The vorta stood up and walked back to the replicator. He spoke to it conversationally and tapped a few buttons, but as she watched she realized he was having some sort of trouble with it. For a few seconds Kiri watched before going to his side, "Would you like some help?" He had managed to get the pizza but this was something he seemed to be struggling with.

"It would seem" he said, "that there are several types of the food item you named. It will not just give me 'plain sushi.' "

"I don't think there is a such a thing," Kiri motioned towards the replicator, "May I?"

He stepped aside and gestured for her to take over. "Please do," he said.

Kiri cleared the menu and then spoke in a quiet voice to the computer, "Small Hosomaki, Futomaki platter with two sets of chop sticks, mixed varieties. Small bottle of soy sauce and two dipping saucers." A small tray with six small Hosomaki and two larger Futomaki appeared along with the assorted condiments. Ginger, horseradish, wasabi and the soy. Picking it up she smiled an carried it back to the table, "Is it okay if we start with these?" Each little circle of rice was wrapped in seaweed of green or yellow, inside mixtures of vegetables fish all looked very brightly coloured.

"It is quite fine," he assured her with an amused tone, "I do not know the difference." Sitting down, he pushed the plate of pizza aside and studied the food on the plate she carried. "Well then, what do I do?"

Taking one of the pairs of chopsticks she made sure he could see. Her thumb looping under the bottom stick which rested against her middle finger. The top slid against her index finger. "The bottom one doesn't move, then you can pinch things with the top," Showing him she picked up a small piece of sushi, "Okay?"

He picked up his own set of chopsticks while he watched her carefully. It took him a moment, but he adjusted them until they mimicked her own hold. "There," he said, "not very difficult at all."

Nodding her head she smiled very slightly, "Good," Popping he small bell pepper sushi into her mouth. It didn't take much chewing and she bowed her head slightly, "What do you like to eat?"

"Oh, anything interesting," he said, watching her carefully as she tried to eat. Confidently, he reached out towards the plate, hand moving smoothly, chopsticks neatly grabbing the edges of one of the sushi as he had seen her do, and finally, sending the piece of seaweed-wrapped rice flying towards Kiri.

"I'm terribly sorry, Lieutenant," Amril said with a look of surprise, "It seems I underestimated the difficulty of this skill." He looked down at his hand. The chopsticks were crossed over one another, skewed out of place. He started to rearrange them with his free hand.

"It's okay," She managed a small smile as she twisted her hand around to pinch the errant sushi with the other end of her chopsticks. Nimbly she placed it back on the tray, "You don't have to use very much force to hold it there."

He tried again, attempting to pick up another piece of sushi correctly, but it slid around on the plate and he seemed to lack the dexterity in his fingers to manipulate the chopsticks. "Does it often take a lot of effort?" he asked, frowning at the sushi but undauntingly attempting the feat again.

"It can take a while but normally not more than a few minutes," She watching him and started to wonder if her new sister was going through the same thing. Was she learning how to eat with chopsticks and getting used to new food? Or was she eating with a fork? "If you like there are training chopsticks that are easier to use."

"Oh?" he asked, "If they are different from these, I am not sure they would be helpful, I do not want to be reliant on something even for a short while. I will keep trying"

He was right there but they made it easier to grasp the basics, "That's okay," What else could she say? He was one of the first people to really show and active interest in her culture other than

He kept trying, and after several minutes had gone by, Amril was able to get a grip on the sushi and pick it up. He managed to manipulate the sticks without losing his grip on them. He was still a bit awkward about it, but seemed to find his progress acceptable.

"I must say," he told her, "they are absolutely fascinating devices. I will keep practicing with them."

"That's good, I'm glad you like them," Kiri managed a small smile and dropped her guard very slightly. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all, she could hardly trust him though.

He continued to practice while he talked to her. "What do you think of the Galileo, Lieutenant?"

"It has one of the best sensor systems in the Federation and some of the best science labs," She had worked to get here for years and she had gotten it first try. Now she got her life's dream she was struggling to make it real.

"You enjoy that, I'm sure?" Amril suggested, looking up at her. "I've observed that scientists are quite interested in their technology."

"Most people in Starfleet are," Kiri smiled and licked her lip very slightly, "We depend on it in space."

"I suppose that is true," he agreed thoughtfully, staring over her shoulder briefly before bringing his attention back to Kiri. "tell me something about yourself, Lieutenant," he said all of a sudden, making an attempt at the social interaction he had observed and learned was called "small talk."

Her eyebrows thinning slightly Kiri looked slightly perplexed about her? Well what would he want to know, what was she comfortable with him knowing? Looking into her bowl she considered for a moment, "I am twenty two years old?"

"Ah, fascinating. I could not tell you how old I am. I suppose I would have to calculate it. We keep track of time differently in the Dominion."

"How?" Kiri looked at him with curiosity, she hadn't heard anything about the Dominion keeping time.

"Oh, it's a complicated system based on the position of stars I don't know how to identify to you. It is designed to provide an accurate and universal system of temporal measurement throughout the Dominion. It is much more efficient than the non-standardized systems you use in the Federation. On Bajor, for instance, it is the same time no matter where on the planet you are. That same time applies to Cardassia, Earth, all starships."

"How do you account for the speed of light in that case?" To her this was the most interesting thing he had said so far. All Federation ships shared the same time and it carried over to most planets at least at some level.

"That's why we use the system that we do," Amril explained. "The actual position of the stars does not change even if local time appears to. That principle is much the same as the Federation's stardates, but more precise."

"So, your time changes depending on where you are, radiating from a certain point?" Kiri was slightly confused but felt she was getting an understanding. The stars did move though, and light from the gamma quadrant took thousands of years to reach Earth unaided. The image in her head was looking like a complex series of rings around a central point.

"No, it stays constant. If a Jem'Hadar ship were to attack the Galileo right now, the time on that ship would be exactly the same as the time everywhere on a Dominion planet on the other side of the wormhole, or on any planet in the Dominion, no matter what part of the planet you are on. There is only one time in the Dominion."

"GMT, or Federation Standard Time is the same, but planets also have their own time, because they rotate at different speeds and distances," Kiri turned her eyes back to her food, "Why did you make it an attack? Don't Vorta have research ships?"

"A research vessel would not be here..." Amril explained, sounding like he thought that was obvious.

"Why not?" Kiri found it odd, "We aren't at war any more, we barely even have contact outside of trade with member worlds."

"I have not read the history of the war... and I was in stasis when it ended, but I believe the Dominion is not allowed into this area of space." He smiled slightly, "Does it make a difference to you? If my example seems more suitable with a research vessel, I will say it is a research vessel. But the example is no longer relevant."

"It just seemed a strange metaphor," Or a rather aggressive one from someone she wasn't so sure should be wearing the same uniform as her, "It might be a good idea not to use ones that involve attacking the ship, unless it directly applies."

"It was a perfectly realistic metaphor," Amril replied, and someone who didn't know what vorta were like might almost think he was insulted by the idea of a badly arranged metaphor. He looked back down at the sushi on his plate and the mess he had made of it while trying to eat with chopsticks. "These are fascinating utensils and I think I will continue to practice using them. What did you say they were called? Chop Sticks?"

"Yes," Kiri nodded and regarded him with another look, "What I meant was that people might not like insinuation that the ship could be attacked by the Jem'Hadar. A less aggressive metaphor might cause less tension."

"It might," Amril agreed, "I will take your advice into consideration."

"Thank you," Kiri took another mouthful of rice, chewing on it for a while before speaking up again, "What have you been doing in your free time?"

"Reading," came the reply, "I have found many fascinating ideas in the Federation's literature, and reading has helped me better understand the Federation."

"Is there anything in particular you found interesting?" History was hardly Kiri's strong suit but she knew enough to get by, it was something else to talk about at least.

Amril gave up picking "I quite enjoyed the book about that ancient ruler... Machiavelli?"

"His work, the Prince?" Kiri hadn't read it but had heard of it at least, "I don't think it was a real Prince."

"Yes, that's the one," he said with a smile. "Your Federation does not seem to follow his teachings, however. But I know very little about your leaders. I would be very interested in meeting them."

"That might be difficult," Kiri wasn't really sure of his situation but even she would find it hard to meet a leader of the Federation, "You might be able to interact with holographic versions of their personalities though, if you had questions."

"Really?" he asked, surprised, "On your holodecks? You keep holograms of your leaders? Do they make decisions for you?" That seemed a very strange idea, taking orders from a hologram.

"No," Kiri shook her head, "There are holograms of lots of important people, but they are just holograms. They try to act like the real thing though, which suits what you wanted?"

"Well..." Amril mused aloud, "If they only somewhat like the real people it is not the same as meeting them, and if they are just like your leaders, why would you not have your ships keep them online and take orders from them? It would ensure that your leaders decisions are carried out."

"Our leaders are not perfect, they don't know everything and aren't always right. They are just holograms though, they don't think for themselves. They just predict what might be thought when it comes to unknown situations. If the computer could command a ship then there would be no need for a crew," There were indeed ships with no crew but they weren't very flexible or adaptable.

"Perhaps..." Amril conceded, glancing thoughtfully at the last piece of sushi on his plate.

"Have you tried many cultures food?" Kiri noticed where he was looking and felt that was easier to discuss rather than politics.

"No," Amril admitted, leaning forward as he continued speaking, "but I've tried many things your replicator produces. It is a fascinating device."

"What do Vorta normally eat?" It was a question she had never really considered before and she didn't have a clue if they even had much of a culture. She had never read about one which was odd considering she knew about most other major races to at least an extent.

"Oh, anything," came the reply, "We do not have much of a taste for food. Though we are partial to some of our native berries and fruits. I haven't found anything here in the Federation quite like what I eat. It's all so... decorative, and colorful. Why is that?"

"Presentation is part of the experience, it can trick some species brains into thinking it tastes better," Kiri felt it was at least true for humans and Trill. Klingons maybe not but that was why their food tended to be rather, slopped. "If you cook something for yourself, I find you want it to look nice to show your effort."

"I would not be a very good cook then," he said, "without being able to distinguish aesthetics, I cannot make food that 'looks nice.' In fact, without a developed sense of taste I would not know if it was enjoyable to your kind at all."

"I see," That did appear to make it a rather hard challenge, "Is it not something you think you can learn?" Even if he didn't have a sense of what looked nice, wouldn't it be possible to mimic other people's ideas?

"I've given that some thought," Amril said, "It may be possible for me to learn what beauty is, but I am not sure if that would work. In order to fully understand it, I cannot copy what others do, I must identify what it is that makes something beautiful and see if I can recognize it myself."

It wasn't something Kiri knew that much on or even thought that much about before, "Are there any things you find pleasing in appearance?" He must at least have preferences for colour he found easier to see, smooth edges or sharp.

"No..." Amril said, "that would be aesthetics. I never feel emotions evoked by hearing or seeing anything."

That was beyond her comprehension, almost everything evoked an emotion from her in some way. Kiri actually started to feel rather sorry for him, how could he exist? "I don't really know what I can do to help," That made her feel guilty, she should be able to do at least something.

"Oh, that's quite all right, Lieutenant," Amril was quick to assure her with a smile, "I am quite happy without being able to tell what you consider pleasing to the eye. I do have emotions."

"I, um, I didn't think that you didn't, it is just something outside of what I have experienced," It hadn't been a bad meal, she had actually found him rather easy to talk to. There were so many questions and to her answers tended to come naturally, a lot of social constraints fell away. Smiling slightly she thought again about who he was, "This is nice, to talk like this."

"Oh, certainly," Amril agreed, "I enjoy learning about the crew. All of you are fascinating individuals. Not like the Dominion at all."

"Are other Vorta not like you then?" Having never met one before and really, rather unlikely to meet another Kiri didn't really know if it mattered. He didn't like them enough that he would leave but she had left her home too, one filled with people she loved.

"Oh well... that depends on what you mean..."

"Are they not, fascinating individuals?" She didn't really know what he meant so wasn't really sure how to elaborate, this small talk thing was hard.

"Oh, I suppose there are... but I never really paid attention. I spent most of my time trying to escape once I decided to do so. Before that, I was dedicated to my work."

Not so very different from herself then, not that she wanted to focus on it too much. Finishing the last of her meal she set down her chop sticks, "I see, I don't know if I'll ever meet another Vorta though."

"It seems unlikely," Amril agreed, "considering the Treaty of Bajor. But not entirely impossible." His eyes followed the movements of her chopsticks and then he looked at her. "Well, I quite enjoyed this meal, Lieutenant, thank you very much."

"I have as well," Thinking hard for a moment that he was actually a Vorta, "Would you like to have another in the future?"

"Why, of course." Amril smiled and started to stand. "Until then, Lieutenant. Thank you for the chopsticks lesson."

"Thank you for talking with me," Kiri picked up her tray, "Good luck with everything and if you have any questions, you can come find me."

"Of course."

[OFF]

Lieutenant Amril
Chief Operations Officer
USS Galileo
played by Psylus Anon

Lieutenant (JG) Kiri Cho
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

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