Questions and Dinner

Posted on Thu Dec 14th, 2023 @ 4:49pm by Captain Mira Rodale & Commander Kevin Lance
Edited on on Fri Dec 15th, 2023 @ 12:08am

Mission: CSI: Chuck Norris
Location: USS Chuck Norris
Timeline: Present

on:
{USS Chuck Norris, Barracks}

It had been a very long day, and all Mira really wanted to do was grab a burger, have a drink, and crawl under the covers. Too bad she had to deal with Sheris.

The man had insisted on taking over dinner plans. The original idea was just to eat in the mess hall, but NO! Now they had to dress up? What the crap. She had refused to have dinner in her quarters or his she should say. How was Rodriguez supposed to keep an eye on things if they weren't in the mess hall? That had really put a wrinkle in her safety plans.

What to wear? hmm uniform, uniform, sweats, leggings, and one dress. She frowned.

Since coming back to Starfleet, she had not gone shopping for civilian clothing. All she had was one silky dress in the color of her eyes, dark blue. Dressing quickly so the others in the room could use the shower. She looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was a gift, It had spaghetti straps and was just above her knees. She had to admit it did show off her figure without being too revealing.

Mira came out of the bathroom, still not knowing what to do with her long curls. It got really quiet in the room when she stepped out. Then, one of the guys whistled loudly, making her laugh.

"Hair up or down?" She asked, unsure.
Just about everyone said down, so she went with that and her normal no makeup.

"Guess you won't be back tonight," one of the guys said, laughing

Mira's eyes widen "Oh I better be. He gets dinner, and that's all."

Mira nodded and then slipped on dark blue high heels before walking out to meet with Sheris.

The look on Sheris face almost had her turning around and leaving.

Sheris' eyes lit up when Mira walked around the corner. He knew she was beautiful, but out of uniform, she was amazing. The spots that ran down the side of her face also ran down her neck and chest. He could also see the spots ran down her legs too. Taking her hand, he kisses it. "You look amazing."

She nodded “Thank you”. As he brought her hand to his mouth, all she could think was if he bit her, she was so going to punch him!

Her eyes darted to the ensign. "Good evening, Larry." He would be just outside the room if she needed him, and he was seeing that she made it back to her new quarters alone.

Rodriguez stiffened as Sheris escorted Mira into the quarters that he had been assigned. Although the quarters belonged to her, Mira barely recognized the interior. The weapon rack had been covered over with a tapestry depicting an Andorian foursome in what could charitably be called a friendly embrace. The usual harsh lighting was subdued to allow the light from the candelabra on the table that dominated the small room to send dancing shadows across the walls. The table itself was set with china and silverware that Mira was fairly certain wasn't part of the ship's mess equipment. Sheris had certainly pulled out all the stops in hope of wooing her.

Sheris held out a chair for Mira, which she accepted with all of the grace that the situation demanded. "Would you care for some wine," he asked, and he snapped his fingers.

Before she could respond, Lieutenant Lance stepped into the room from the adjacent bedroom carrying a silver tray with a bottle and two champagne flutes. He was wearing a steward's jacket that was ridiculously tight and wore an expression of weary patience.

"Your Captain," Sheris explained, "was kind enough to lend me the services of his steward. What was your name again?"

"Jones," Kevin replied, fixing Mira's eyes meaningfully, "Crewman Thomas Jones."

"Oh, of course," Sheris replied insincerely.

Kevin had been in the Captain’s Ready Room when the request from Delegate Sheris for the loan of the Captain’s Steward had come through. Captain Intermezzo had been about to point out that he did not have a steward when Kevin pointed out that it might be a good idea to have someone else in the room. The Captain knew that Mira could handle herself but conceded that having Kevin close at hand would be safer, especially for the Andorian.

Mira didn't know whether to be shocked at Kevin's presence in what was usually her bedroom or to laugh out loud at the comical visage of him dressed as a steward.

She settled for nodding her head in thanks at Lance. Him just being there had settled her nerves.

How had the captain found out about the dinner or had he. Had Rodriguez talking Lance in it being a steward? Whatever had happened, she was grateful.

Sheris handed her a champagne flute. Then, he took one for himself. Mira looked at the drink with some suspicion, but since Lance had dealt with the food, she figured it wasn't druged.

Just as she was about to take a sip, Sheris said a toast. "To a glorious and rememberable evening."

Mira raised an eyebrow. "Dinner. It's going to be dinner, Sheris. I agree to dinner. "

She took a sip of the drink, sealing that promise. It was a good wine but she knew nothing about it. Mira was a blood wine or whiskey drinker. This fancy stuff was lost on her.

Sheris frowned slightly but nodded. " You really do look amazing in blue." His fingers played on her hand.

Mira blinked at the compliment, then used the excuse to reach for a beadstick to break contact with his hand. She gave a diplomatic smile. The last time they had eaten, it had all been about dealing with his people. What was she to talk about now? " What do you know about the Suliban?"

He gave her a smirk. "You don't handle complements well, do you?"

Mira blinked. Jetta had told her it was one of her tell signs that she was stalling for time to think.

He laughed. "All the years you were mated, he never showered you with compliments. You should be getting them often." Sheris reached for her chair and pulled it closer to his. Mira squeaked in surprise then his hands started to trace the spots running down her neck. "No hands," Mira told him.

Kevin approached the table with a pair of bowls filled with a steaming green liquid with chunks of some sort of meat and vegetables. He unceremoniously dropped the first bowl in front of the delegate before gentle setting the second in front of Mira. The liquid in the delegate’s bowl sloshed over the side and nearly splattered on the Andorian. “Be careful, you fool,” he admonished, “The scrin in this ohbare soup were gathered in the traditional way. You have no idea the effort involved in collecting them!”

Having worked for a week in a Bajo village on Earth, fishing in the “traditional way” Kevin was certain that he had a much better idea of the efforts to catch the scrin than did the delegate. “Sorry, sir. I will endeavor to be more considerate,” he replied. As he moved away from the table, he thought that he caught a small smile on Mira’s face.

Sheris lowered his head slightly and closed his eyes to compose himself, then looked up at Mira.

"Well then, since I can't use my hands, I would be happy to taste." he leaned forward, but Mira stood up "No that has nothing to do with dinner."

Sheris smiled. "You know my rules. If I can't touch you, then you have to touch me."

Mira looked worried. "No touching." she was staying firm with that rule.

Sheris laughed, "Then how am I going to feed you?"

Mira frowned. "I am able to feed myself." she told him while he laughed.

"The replicator will scarcely do credit to the meal, but without a proper Andorian chef, at least the providing the raw ingredients will allow it to keep much of the proper taste." Sheris took a spoonful of the soup from his bowl and held the spoon out for Mira to taste. "Open wide," he smiled.

Mira's hand settled on the cutlery, her fingers wrapped around the knife. How much trouble could she get in for stabbing him. Not in a major organ but his hand. Yes, that would be very satisfying. She blinked a few times, trying to get that image out of her head. No, she could get through this evening. She leaned in to let him put the spoon in her mouth. She was very tempted to bite down on the spoon, but that would be childish.

Sheris smiled, "I am glad that you like the taste." He took a spoonful for himself and continued, "Scrin is associated with romantic emotions. Terrans would call it an 'aphrodisiac'. Consuming a bowl of ohbare soup puts one well on the path to a mutually satisfactory joining."

Kevin froze momentarily at hearing the delegate's speech. If he weren't a diplomat, Kevin thought, I'd break every bone in his body.

"Andorians need soup for that to happen? Good to know. Klingins only need a little growl, and they are quite happy to play. I found human males to be just as accommodating. Risans, I only need to wink."

"Bah, the Klingons know nothing of romance," Sheris replied dismissively.

Mira almost chuckled. She had just put down his race for needing soup to get things moving and said three other races had no problem romancing their woman without drugging them, and all he could just say the Klingon knew nothing of romance?

Mira took a spoon and fed herself. She doubted the soup would do anything to her, and if it did well, she would just go to the gym.

Kevin kept an eye on Sheris as he pondered the meaning behind Mira's statement about finding human males accommodating. The delegate was too close to the executive officer, and she was doing a good job of masking the tension in her body as the two consumed the soup. Presently, it was time for the second course, a salad of blue leaves, nuts, and terran tomatoes liberally dusted with a red powdery substance.

Hoping to help by focusing the conversation back on the ship's current situation, Kevin thought back to the term that the maintenance chief had used. When he remembered it, he addressed Mira as he was clearing the soup bowl, "Scuttlebutt amongst the crew is that the intruders are able to camouflage themselves."

Sheris looked up sharply at Kevin, "What was that?"

"Sorry, sir," Kevin replied innocently, "The Captain enjoys a bit of conversation with his meals."

Mira pushed her bowl away. Darn, she wanted a burger. "That is true he does, and the Suliban are really not very pleasant to deal with. it's why I asked you earlier if you knew anything about them. " she said it sweetly, hoping he would tell whatever he knew.

Sheris smiles, "Well that is right. I should probably just take you back to the Andorian ship to keep you safe after all you were injured recently."

"That is so not going to happen. We are in the middle of an investigation." She stabbed the fork into the salad with far too much force . Claiming down, she took a bite. The blue leaves from Betazed were one of her favorites. As she ate, she felt Sheris hand on her bare leg and slapped it. Looking down she frowned "Oh I thought that was my cat."

Kevin reassessed his previous thought. Regardless of Sheris' diplomatic status, he was going to break every bone in and outside of the Andorian's body.

"Since you won't allow me to touch you," Sheris commented smoothly, "Let's play a game of Twenty Questions. You ask me a question and I will answer truthfully. Then I ask you a question and you must answer truthfully in return. We continued playing until we both bore of the game or we end up in there." With a jerk of his head he indicated the bedroom. Kevin clenched his fists behind the delegate's back but said nothing.

Looking at the bed Mira frowned "That is never going to happen but I will play the game until we are done eating
"Have you ever been or are you know part of the Imperial Guard?"
Sheris had not expected her to ask that question "Yes. Now my turn why were mated to a Klingon?"

Mira had been worried about what he would ask, but that one was easy. " Kolar was interested in me long before I was in him. I was stationed on sb10 when we first met, and I think I had only graduated four or five months earlier, so it was my first post. I was a communication officer. " She smirked." He was a captain, and his comm office asked to dock. After I gave approval, his officer hadn't closed comm, so I overheard a few very rude remarks, and I answered in klingon, putting them in their places. Kolar was very impressed and came to meet me. I will admit things started very slow, but one day then his ship was off base. We were attacked, and seven women were taken by the Orions. I was one of them. To make a long story short he got us all back and proved he was worthy. He rocked my world. " Mira finished.

"That was more of an answer 'how' than 'why'," Sheris pointed put, "but I will accept it this time."

"My turn why are you really on this ship?" she smiled

Sheris smiled in return, "I am following orders. In case you hadn't noticed, Interrogative pronouns are very important. For instance, who on this ship are you most attracted to?"

"On this ship? Right now?" Mira asked. At his nod she looked around the room Lance wasn't in the room but Rodriguez was still listening "Our ship's Chief Flight Control Officer but I am not with him. I will be spending my night with a male named Vaytoc." Why was her head spinning?

Sheris looked surprised "This Vulcan ......" he almost growled "This Vaytoc shares your bed?"

Mira laughed well he did have pointed ears. "He keeps me warm and safe at night and I happen to love his pointed ears."
"Do you have any intention of harming the ship?"

"No, I don't have any intention of harming the ship," Sheris' slight emphasis on the final word left some doubt as to whether he intended to harm something besides the ship. "If you are attracted to someone else, why do you sleep with this Vaytoc fellow?"

"Because sometimes we are attracted to people who don't notice us." Mira frowned. Did that make sense? "I mean......" what did she mean?

Sheris knew the moment the wine had hit Mira. She went to reach for her glass and missed it. Then she blinked a few times as if she were trying to clear her vision. She tried to reach for her drink again, but this time, He put it in her hand. Sheris carefully closed her fingers around it with a smile playing on his lips. "I had thought you would be all over me by now, but it looks like the wine did the job, not the soup."

When a giggle slipped from her lip, Mira covered her lips with her fingers . Why had she thought a wine having a job was funny?

"You can leave crewman." Sheris ordered as he pulled Mira onto his lap.

Mira was trying to figure out how she got in Sheris' arms when the door opened. Larry was standing there. " Sorry, commander, but the captain has ordered you to his Readyroom. "

Mira nodded "Ok " She said meekly, trying to get up.

Sheris tightened his arms around her "She will report in a little while.....I will get her some coffee for her."

Suddenly, Kevin was looming over Sheris. From the delegate's lap, Mira could not contain her mirth. "You look so ridiculous," she said and another giggle escaped her lips."

Kevin's face flushed and his jaw clenched. Through gritted teeth he managed to say, "The Captain has ordered one of his officers to report to him. There is no cause for delay, lest of all for coffee."

The Andorian leaned back from the sudden intrusion into his person space but the chair back prevented him from putting much distance between himself and the hulking human. "I am certain that your Captain will understand and forgive the lapse when he is informed that the executive officer is attending to my needs," Sheris reasoned smoothly with only a hint of fear in his voice.

"You have no authority here, Delegate," Kevin replied flatly, "The Captain's orders will be followed." He leaned in further and scooped up Mira in one arm. It was much less graceful than he had intended, with the Commander's body limp and Sheri holding tightly.

With his free hand, Kevin pushed against the delegate's shoulder, threatening to toppled him over in his chair. Sheris relinquished his grip on Mira as he frantically reached to steady himself.

Securing Mira in both arms, Kevin turned towards the door to the corridor. "Come along Commander," he said soothingly, "I am certain that I can scare up a Raktajino in the Captain's Ready Room."

Mira giggled "Ok......ah what did he say about weeds?" Mira snuggled against Lance. Feeling so warm she could fall asleep.

:off

Lieutenant Commander Mira Rodale
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

and

Lieutenant Kevin Lance
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Chuck Norris