A Meal to Remember

Posted on 18 Oct 2016 @ 2:58pm by Commodore Harvey Geisler & Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler & Master Chief Petty Officer Mila Rasputin & Ensign Aidan Crehan

6,492 words; about a 32 minute read

Mission: Click Three Times
Location: Talon's
Timeline: MD 8 || 1800 Hours

It had taken some finagling and a bit of juggling, wheedling, bribing and cajoling, but Mila had arranged for a dinner for four at Talon's that was suitable for royalty. She had requested Beef Stroganoff with Medovukha which she had supplied from her own supplies to drink and Pirog pie for dessert. Finally, she sat down at her terminal and composed a message to the Captain, Joey and Aidan.

I am seeking the pleasure of having dinner with the three most important people in my life at Talon's at eighteen hundred hours. Come as casual as you are liking for it will be just the four of us.

Mila

After she sent the message, she dressed in a purple cocktail dress with a broad silver brocade patterned belt and a pair of purple kitten heels, then put her hair up in a bun and headed for the lounge.

Aidan remembered that they had talked about dinner earlier, but he was sure until the message from Mila beeped through. He smiled as he read it and thought about what he would wear. Granted she said as casual as he liked, but still.... After a few minutes of perusing his wardrobe Aidan settled on a pair of grey slacks, a black polo shirt, and some rather dressy shoes. This was as casual as he wanted to get at dinner with Mila and her friends. Aidan took another look at his hair and ran his hand through it. There. He headed out of his shared room and towards the nearest turbolift that would take him to Talons.

Joey stood in her quarters packing up some of her things when the message came through. She didn't plan on taking any of it right away, but wanted to have it ready for when the time came. The two dogs weren't too far away from her playing with the new toys she replicated for them, so they'd be occupied for a while to come. They'd already been fed and given water, so she was free to commence her packing until she read Mila's message. This was definitely going to be an interesting evening, but one she thought the four of them would enjoy.

After a quick sonic shower, she moved into her bedroom and opened the closet to pull out her favorite little black dress along with a pair of strappy black heels. Shucking the towel off to the side, Joey began getting dressed. The dress she chose accented her body in all the right ways, hugging her upper curves and making her already long legs look as though they went on for miles. Her heels only added to that. Once she had those on and added a pair of hoop earrings, she was just about to ready to go. With her hair in a mass of curls at the end, she made her way out to meet up with everyone at Talons.

Mila stood up as Joey came in and smile. "You are looking very pretty, Joey," she told her taller brunette sestra. "I am calling for casual and everyone is showing up looking like they are being ready for royal reception." She winked at her and gestured towards the table. "Harvey is being late, but what else is new for busiest man on ship?"

"He is the Captain of a starship afterall," Joey said, moving over to the table and leaning in to press a kiss to the Yeoman's cheek with a smile. "It looks like I'm the first one to arrive, so I wouldn't say he's too late. I haven't had the chance to talk to him since my shift ended, so he could still be on duty."

Aidan walked into Talons and stood just inside the doors after they closed. He looked around the room, searching for Mila. A few seconds later, his eyes fell on her and he smiled. She looked beautiful in her purple dress. In that moment, he felt over-dressed, but quickly brushed it away. This was casual for him. Well, casual for an evening meal that the Captain was going to be at. He walked up to the table and said, "Good evening, ladies. May say that you both look wonderful this evening." He briefly turned his attention to Mila, "And you look lovely, as well." He pulled a chair out and sat down next to Mila.

"Aidan!" Mile exclaimed as he came in and her eyes lit up as a wide smile crossed her features. She leaned down and placed a kiss to his lips before sitting down next to him. "You are to be looking very handsome as always," she said before she looked at Joey. "Please, sit. I am certain Harvey will be here soon."

"It's good to see you, Aidan, and thank you," Joey said with a smile just before she settled down at the table and crossed her legs. "As for Harvey... like I said, he could still be on duty. Being a Captain means he's always on call, and has to drop whatever he's doing if he's needed. This could have been one of those moments. If he's able to make it, he will."

"You are welcome, Joey," replied the El-Aurian. "Indeed. The job of a Captain makes him available at all times. So, were you able to complete the things that you still had to to finish after dinner?"

"I did. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be," the taller of the two women replied. "Things are moving along fairly well, but I won't be completely satisfied until we have everyone from the Cochrane back. That's going to take some doing, but I have faith in out\r abilities to get the job done. Did you get the image I sent you?"

Aidan smiled and dipped his head. "Good, I am glad to hear that you completed your work. And yes, I did receive the image. There will be no issues with painting it. As a matter of fact," he turned to Mila, "it might be a good opportunity for you to meet my holographic teacher if you would like. And to observe. It would not bother me at all."

"Are you being certain?" Mila asked as she motioned for the waiter to bring over the Medovukha, a honey-based alcoholic beverage very similar to mead and pour three glasses. "I would not wish to be breaking your concentration."

"I am certain," he replied. "It would not be breaking my concentration at all. Besides, I believe that Van Gogh would not mind meeting the inspiration behind my first painting." He smiled at her as he watched the waiter fill his glass up with the golden liquid.

Mila blushed, then lifted her glass once the others had their glasses filled. "I am proposing toast," she said. "To living, to loving and to health."

Joey reached out to grab her glass once it was filled and lifted it with a smile. "I'll drink to that," she said, bringing it to her lips to take a sip before she set it back down.

---

Harvey sighed, entering his quarters after a late inspection. It was barely two days after the incident with the Valdore and the ship still didn't physically look better than when they'd arrived in this universe. "Under the hood" as the mechanics of old would say, the Black Hawk was running better than yesterday. There was still much work to do, and hopefully they'd be much further along by the time they reached the space station.

His thoughts were quickly put aside as the doors swished closed behind him. His couch and desk sported a few items that were not his own. In fact, he quickly recognized them as belonging to Joey. She was certainly making quick work of moving in, a process which he saw her start as he embarked on his tour. Under normal circumstances, he would have offered to help, but duty had already called.

"Joey?" he called out, stepping further into the room and realizing how quiet his quarters were. Perhaps she had gone back to her quarters for another load.

He moved to the desk, and checked his message. Noticing one from Mila, Harvey's eyes suddenly widened. The three most important people? he thought. Him, Joey, and...

That's right. She was seeing one of the cadets. Well, this would be interesting. If the rumor mill wasn't moving now, it would be after tonight. As much as he didn't want to go out in public, he knew it was important to Mila, and subsequently to everyone else. With the terminal's chronometer showing after 1800 hours already, Harvey slipped back into the bedroom to change.

---

Not long afterwards, Harvey entered Talons, sporting a pair of khaki pants and a blue collared shirt which was untucked at the waist. It didn't take him long to spot the reserved table, nor the more formally dressed occupants. Feeling underdressed, Harvey fought a frown as he approached the empty chair. "Good evening everyone," he said, smiling at the three of them, though when he looked at Joey, his smile grew ever so slightly.

Joey smiled when she heard his voice, her heartbeat quickening a bit when she finally turned to look up at him. "Hi," she said, getting to her feet so she could lean in to press a kiss to his cheek. To anyone who may have noticed, it could have appeared to have been a simple gesture between friends. Not only that, but she didn't want him to be uncomfortable, either. "I'm glad you were able to make it."

Mila came to her feet with a smile and watched Joey kiss Harvey's cheek and saw the look on her face. "I am thanking you for coming on short notice, Harvey," she said. "You are being just in time for drinks before meal is coming. I am hoping you are liking honey mead." She indicated Aidan as she moved by his side. "This is being my boyfriend, Aidan Crehan."

Harvey nearly blushed at the kiss, the thought of being in public with a significant other still very uncomfortable thought with him. It wasn't that he was embarrassed by any means, but rather that he hadn't done anything like this in years, save for that one night with Jayla a month ago on New Risa. "I wouldn't have missed it," he told Joey.

To the Cadet, Harvey offered a simple nod. "Mister Crehan," he said, his habits quickly retaking control. Sometimes, it was nearly impossible to stop years of practice. Harvey immediately regretted it, quickly offering a visible wince and stretching out a hand for a shake.

Aidan patted Mila's hand before he stood. "Captain," he said. Then the El-Aurian grinned at Harvey's visible wince and took the man's hand to shake it. "I might be well over one-hundred seventy years your senior, but you do not need to call me 'Mister Crehan.' Aidan will suffice."

While the two men made their introductions, Joey settled back down and reached for her glass to take another sip of her drink. She planned to make Harvey as comfortable as possible considering they'd never been out in public together like they were now, and the last things she wanted was for scuttlebutt to run rampant on the ship. For her, though, it didn't matter if anyone knew, but for his sake, she'd keep it quiet. The people who needed to know already knew, and that was enough.

"You don't look a day over one hundred, Mi... Aiden," Harvey replied with a smile, the forced joke meaning to make himself feel less awkward. He sat down at the table next to Joey. His drink remained on the table for now. As stressed as his day was, he'd rather settle at the table before taking his first sip.

Mila settled back down in her chair and looked at the three people that she had invited and a warm feeling came over her. "This. This is what is needed," she said. "Is like port in storm and we are putting aside all concern for moment and simply enjoying being ourselves, da? Is rare when such occasions are possible, so I am saying that we are to be treating it like gift it is."

"You're right, Mila," Joey said, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. She thought back to the moment she told Harvey about the crew needing downtime among the bad times. Without it, everyone would snap, then the crew of the Cochrane would be doomed as well as the crew on the Black Hawk. This was what they all needed. "So, I talked to Mila earlier, but left out one specific. I thought I'd let you be the one to tell her about it." She looked toward Harvey.

Harvey gave her a quizzical look, wondering what all she had told her sestra. "That could be one of many things," he replied. Maybe he would have that drink after all, reaching forward for the provided beverage and taking a small sip.

"We can hold off on talking about anything like that for a while," she said, choosing to forgo the personal side of things altogether.

Mila looked between her two friends and frowned before she took a deep drink of her Medovukha before she motioned to the waiter to bring their main course. A large steaming bowl of Beef Stroganoff was brought to the table with four smaller serving bowls. She glanced at Aidan and another glance at Joey and Harvey and a part of her wanted to ask more, but decided it wasn't a good time. "Then let us eat and enjoy first," she said as she began to serve the others.

"I don't mind talking," Harvey said, more disappointed that Joey was suddenly downcast rather than his own potential exposure. "I just don't know what was said. There were the roses, and then we were fighting."

"She knows I love you," Joey said, looking toward Harvey. Now that she thought about it, there was a lot she didn't tell Mila, but he covered a great deal of it. "As for the fighting, it wasn't like you're probably thinking. We were working on hand-to-hand combat."

"For training purposes," Harvey quickly added. "It's been a while since I've had to punch someone, but I wanted to make sure I could hold my own on the Away Mission." He took a sip and set the drink back on the table. "That looks great," he said, trying to change the subject to the bowl of stroganoff.

Aidan had been listening to the whole exchange and enjoying his honey mead. He smiled as Mila had served them their stroganoff. "Please," he said, "let us leave work and away missions in our quarters with our uniforms." He watched as Mila sat back down from serving them and leaned over. He didn't care if it was in front of the Captain or not. "Thank you, Mila," he said, and placed a kiss on her lips...for a few seconds. After pulling away, he kept his arm around her. "So," turning his attention towards Harvey, "how many different worlds have you spent time on in your career?"

Mila shivered when Aidan kissed her and happily returned it before she slipped an arm around him and reached for her honey mead with her free hand while she waited to hear what Harvey had in respond to his question. She favored her boyfriend...her man...with a loving look before she took a sip of her drink.

"I've lost track," Harvey instantly replied as he took in the aroma of the freshly served meal in front of him. A free hand slipped under the table and found Joey's hand and gently clutched it. He wasn't sure if that was her 'eating' hand, but he'd find out definitively soon enough. "Since being in the Gamma Quadrant for the last nine months, I've only stepped foot on New Bajor and New Risa. I hope to change that one day. I can't imagine the worlds and things that you've seen."

Joey smiled when Harvey took her hand under the table. She gave his a gentle squeeze and reached for her fork with her left hand. Though she was right handed, years of training allowed her the ability to use both. "You're both pretty lucky. Most of my career has been spent in conference rooms or offices," she said. "This is actually my first time serving on a starship with the exception of my senior year at the academy."

Mila shivered at the mention of New Risa and fought off a wave of guilt at what she had done in sickbay. She took a bite of the food and looked at Harvey and Joey. "Is an experience to be treasured, da?" she asked. "In eleven years, I have been only on three ships, but each chance I was having, I would spend a moment on planet. I think I have seen fourteen at this point in career and am looking forward to seeing more." She paused to take a drink of her honey mead. "As for you, Joey, are you not going to planets to be in conference rooms or officers?"

"Yes, but there was never any time to see anything. My time was spent making sure those I was assigned to protect stayed safe. Often times, it was an around the clock job. Assassins don't care if their mark is sleeping or not. In fact... a target that was sleeping was easier to take out. I spent a lot of sleepless nights when I was a Close Protection Officer. It's a position that isn't for everyone," Joey answered, thinking back to that part of her life. Part of her missed it, but it wasn't for the lack of action. She'd definitely seen more than her share on board the ship. What she missed most were all the individuals she got to meet. "The only planet I've ever really got to see was Earth. I've been to many places there."

"It's been years since I've seen Earth," Harvey said, before taking his first bite of the stroganoff. The moment the beefy sauce and noodles hit his tongue, Harvey's eyes lit up. "Your cooking gets better with each meal, Mila," Harvey offered.

Mila gave a demure smile. "I am thanking you, Harvey," she said. "Is worth time and effort in order to make very best for such wonderful people. I am hoping other dishes have been good instead of being merely passing," she couldn't help but tease.

"The soup you made when I was in sickbay was amazing," Joey commented.

"Thank you, sestra," Mila said with a smile before she looked at Aidan and back to Harvey. "Harvey, I am having question. Is it being possible for me and Aidan to be moving in together?"

Harvey had another bite of the stroganoff as Mila asked the question. His first thought went to regulations, knowing that Mila was a non-comm while Aiden was weeks away from his commission as an ensign. His mind instantly reminded him that Joey was just starting to move in with him. While they were both officers, there were still levels of separation between the two. Harvey had moved past that all the first day he'd met Joey.

"Where to?" Harvey asked, knowing both of their quarters were both substandard for a couple. Cadets bunked two to a room, but they were just a single room with a head. And Mila's quarters weren't that much more spacious either.

"Couldn't they move into my quarters? Aidan will be a junior officer in roughly a month, so he'd have to move anyway," Joey pointed out. And considering he was already on deck five would make the move a bit easier. Mila's move would be harder, but she'd help her out when the time came. "I don't think anyone would have an issue with that."

Mila started to speak before Joey made her suggestion and she smiled. "I would not be presuming to be moving to officer quarters," she said softly. "Perhaps family or civilian quarters would be better so there are not being troubles."

"Joey's old cabin is a pretty good size," Harvey offered. "Besides, with things as they currently are, we have several quarters that are still depressurized after hull breaches and the like. I don't see any reason why you both can't move into there after Joey is out."

Mila blinked. "Is she not using her quarters or are you talking about the quarters on deck five she is moving from?"

Harvey looked up in surprise. Glancing at Joey, and then Mila, he thought this was perhaps one of the things Joey had yet to mention to her. This certainly made for an awkward moment. "I, uh, I asked Joey this morning to move in. With me." He flashed a smile, a nervous one at that, as he squeezed Joey's hand and reached for his honey mead.

Joey returned the gentle squeeze and offered him a reassuring smile. She knew he'd rather be tucked away in the privacy of his quarters, but he was here with them stepping out of his comfort zone yet again. He was steadily moving forward, and she was so proud of him. Harvey deserved every ounce of happiness that came his way. "And I said yes, so my quarters will be opening up soon."

Mila squealed and blushed at the same time at her own exclamation. "Congratulations!" she said. "I am being very happy for both of you! It is truly being wonderful news." She raised her glass. "Zazdarovje!" which the universal translator interpreted as 'To your health!'

Aidan, who had been true to his people the entire time, had been listening to the conversations and enjoying the stroganoff. When the announcement came and Mila raised her glass, he raised his as well. "Congratulations to the both of you," he said, and took a drink.

Joey opened her mouth to say something just as another woman approached the table. She was a pretty gorgeous woman with jet black hair and green eyes, but what stood out most about her was the fact she was quite drunk. With a smile and a slight stumble, she crouched down a bit and put an arm around Harvey's shoulders. "Want to dance, hot stuff?" she asked, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Presently, she was suffering from tunnel vision and the Captain was in her crosshairs.

Joey took a deep breath and let it out slowly, mentally counting to ten. The last thing she wanted was to draw more attention to them considering Harvey was already out of his comfort zone. She looked to the woman and fought the urge to mop the floor with her face. It took a lot of willpower on her part, but even she didn't know what would happen if this continued. "You're barking up the wrong tree."

Stunned and surprised were words that were inadequate to describe how Harvey was feeling. "Excuse me?" Harvey asked, doing his best to collect his exposure. Switching to his authoritative voice, he reached up to remove her arm from his shoulders. "I'm having dinner with some friends, miss."

Mila glared at the drunk woman who was brazen enough to put an arm around Harvey's shoulder and kiss his cheek and at Joey's apparent casual reply, even though she knew her sestra was very well trained in how to hurt someone. "Indanahway suka bluut," she said in a cold voice, the translator interpreting it as F*** off, slut. "We are having dinner and are not needing station whore offering bad diseases. Be leaving us."

The woman blinked when Harvey removed her arm from his shoulders, then turned toward Mila. She reached out grab what was left of the nearest drink to her and tossed it in the Russian woman's face with a curse of her own. Thankfully, it happened to be Joey's, which didn't have more than a couple sips left inside of it. No one was going to speak to her in such a manner, and she was bordering on enraged.

That was more than enough for Joey. She let go of Harvey's hand under the table and rose to her feet, making her way toward the woman. What she didn't expect was to be swung on like she was, and had the acting Chief been a couple inches closer, the fist coming her way would have definitely connected with her face. Now she was angry. Using the woman's own momentum against her, Joey grabbed the wrist of the arm she'd used to throw the punch and spun her around just as she'd twisted the arm behind her back. She wasn't done yet, though.

In case the drunken woman chose to continue fighting, Joey placed a hand against the back of her neck and forced her down on the table next to the one she and the others were sitting at. Her advances were unwanted, and now she was causing a scene by spouting curses and calling Joey every hateful name in the book. Thankfully, the Security officer didn't seem at all phased by it. "Mila... you went to a lot of trouble to make this happen, and we are going to salvage what's left of our evening. Go ahead and get cleaned up. I'll see you all in a few minutes. Once I've gotten her to the brig, I will be returning." With that, she forced the woman upright again, then made her way out of Talons with her.

Mila regretted her outburst as soon as it left her mouth and the after effects of it left a sour feel in her stomach. She blotted her face with a napkin and looked anywhere except at Aidan, the Captain and Joey as her sestra led the woman from the lounge. Once her face was cleaned, she came to her feet. "I am apologizing profusely," she said quietly, again without looking at anyone. "Please...enjoy rest of meal." She swallowed back tears, turned and headed out of the lounge with her head hanging low.

As soon as the liquid hit Mila's face, Aidan was out of his chair. But before he could even get around the table, take her arm, and lead her away, Joey had subdued her. He simply moved back to his chair and stood behind it, watching Joey leave the lounge with the woman. He was about to take his seat when Mila rose from hers. "Mila," he said. But she was already heading out. He didn't want to leave the Captain at the table by himself, but Mila needed him. "Sir," he said, reverting back to formalities, "if you will excuse me, I must catch her before she leaves. I am certain that you understand."

Harvey, still taken aback by the sudden turn of events, merely nodded to Aiden. "I understand all too well."

"Thank you very much, Captain." He smiled and nodded his head.

Aidan then fast-walked to catch Mila. "Mila," he called out. "Wait a moment." He caught up to her and placed a hand on her back. "Mila, please, just a moment is all I ask."

Mila froze when she heard Aidan and felt his hand on her back, but she didn't turn around. "Is being my fault," she said. "I am losing my temper when I should have been letting Harvey or Joey handle such things. Now woman is in brig and meal is disaster."

"Mila," he said softly, "it is no fault of yours. That drunken woman probably would have thrown it in Harvey's face for removing her hand had she not thrown it in yours. It was obvious that she was not thinking clearly and you had nothing to do with that." He paused a moment to rub her back. "I am not telling you to come back to the meal nor am I telling you to leave. But know that whatever you choose, I will go with you. Even if it means that Harvey must wait by himself until we or Joey return. He may be the Captain, but you are my girlfriend."

Mila sighed and turned around to look up at him. "Still, I was not helping situation," she said. "However, you are being right. Come. Let us be going back to table so I can continue to feel foolish."

"Mila Anastasiya Rasputin, do not beat yourself with this," said Aidan. "You are not foolish and I do not want you going back feeling as such. I want you going back feeling like Mila. If you need to take a few minutes, I understand and I have a feeling that Harvey will, too. Please, don't go back because of something I said. Go back because you want to. I only said that to let you know that I would go with you wherever you choose to go, no matter who is at the table."

"Do not be Mila Anastasiya me, Aidan Rowan," she said with a snort. "I am not beating myself up, but was it not I who stirred pot?" She shook her head. "I'm going back because I am wishing to go back. If it were not so, even you would not have stopped me." She reached for his hand and headed back towards the table.

Aidan grinned as she took his hand and lead him back to the table. He didn't say a word; there was no need to. This was Mila. "My Rasputin," he said, low enough so that no one could hear but her.

Joey walked back into Talons after passed the unruly woman off to a couple of Security officers she came across on her way back to Security. A large part of her was thankful for that so she was able to join the others once again. She made her way over to the table and settled down. "That's been taken care of," she said, crossing her long legs once again. "Are you two okay?" She looked from Mila, then to Harvey.

"Da. it will be fine," Mila said as she reached for the bottle of honey colored mead and filled everyone's glasses again. "As soon as we are all emptying this bottle of Medovukha."

Harvey frowned, thinking of the woman. Though the experience had been unsettling, he knew that the woman was just an example of the crew's current mental state. He'd been warned, and he'd always known, that this crew was ready to crack. He felt helpless as there was nothing more he could do until they were back in their universe. "Yes," he said, picking up his full glass. "It will be fine."

"It will be," Joey said, giving him a reassuring smile, then looked toward Mila. She knew the Russian woman had a protective streak in her a mile wide when it came to those she cared about, and no one could fault her for that. She certainly didn't. "I'm glad you're okay, too, Mila. Now... why don't we get back to enjoying ourselves?"

"Agreed," Harvey said, placing his glass back onto the table. "So, moving in together?" he asked the couple on the other side of the table. "Sounds like you two are getting serious."

"Da," Mila said with a smile as she reached for one of Aidan's hands and gave a squeeze. "As serious as you are to be getting with Joey."

"We're taking things one day at a time, but we both find ourselves not wanting to be away from the other for too long," Joey said as refilled her drink. Once she set the bottle aside she brought her glass to her lips to take a sip. "I should have my things out in a couple of days, then the two of you will be able to move right on in."

"Thank you, Joey," said Aidan. "And yes, we are getting serious. He squeezed her hand as well. "I think," he said grinning, "that it will be interesting trying to explain to my roommate why I'm packing my things and moving into junior officers quarters early." Yes, explaining the entire situation to Quinn would be more that interesting.

"I wouldn't worry about that," Harvey said after a bite of the stroganoff. "If it's one thing I know, this life is filled with unusual circumstances. Sometimes it's best to stop asking why and just... go with the flow. I know firsthand it's easier said than done." He looked over to Joey and cracked a smile. "But when you do, there are no regrets."

"So that is being a yes, da?" Mila asked Harvey with a sly smile.

Harvey looked back to Mila. "Yes to what?" he asked, wondering what question he seemingly missed. If it were to her comparison of how serious things had been with Aidan and her to him and Joey, he'd seen it only as a statement and not a question.

"Is being question related to your observation that Aidan and I are getting serious as we are moving in together when you are announcing that you and Joey are moving in together," Mila said. "Is serious, da?"

"It is becoming serious," Harvey said. He looked to Aidan, thinking the man could relate very well to his situation. Harvey couldn't imagine the lives Aidan had seen started and snuffed out during his own lifetime. That was, Harvey thought, conversation for another day, when he knew the El Aurian better.

Mila smiled and took a sip of her Medovukha, her hazel eyes sparkling with happiness and a certain amount of mirth. "I am being happy for you both," she said. "Now come, let us eat, drink and be merry!"

Joey picked up her drink again and took a sip of it. She had to wonder what kind of control Mila had over Harvey to get him to say things like that. Then again... the Russian Yeoman had a lot of control over his professional life, and one false step meant complete chaos. Though, now she wondered if Mila would ever really do anything like that. "And we're happy for you two as well."

Aidan caught Harvey's glance and smiled. "And we are happy for the both of you, as well." He took took a drink of his Medovukha and prepared another bit of stroganoff. "Is the Black Hawk your first Command?" he asked Harvey.

Harvey grinned at the question, not because he was excited by the subject change, but by the inherit irony. Placing his recently emptied fork beside his plate, he coyly remarked, "Now, I thought we were leaving matters of duty in our quarters with the uniform." The irony didn't stop him from answering the question. "She is my first indeed. I think the Black Hawk and I are going on ten months now. I must say I wasn't excited about taking a command, but I don't think I'd ever want to be anything else but a Captain now."

Aidan started laughing. "Well, I guess I deserved that one. You would think that the one with the long memory could have remembered that." He laughed some more and then took a few breaths. "Then congratulations. I had never thought of commanding a starship before. Perhaps someday."

"Usually," Harvey said, "I tell cadets to, uh, be patient and take their time. Somehow, telling that to you seems out of place. But, I would suggest it only if you can find the balance between making the hard calls, navigating personality conflicts, with all kinds of exploration in between. It's not for everyone, and, well, I'm still learning not just how to be a captain, but really who I am these days. That's certainly the biggest challenge."

Mila listened as she ate a few bites of stroganoff and took another sip of her mead. "Is not work related, but I am hearing of certain cadet who is running like dilithium bunny and is getting recent promotion for such," she said. "Is that one marked for future exploration in terms of command?"

"And duty has conquered the table yet again," Harvey remarked, picking up another bite of the stroganoff. He could confirm the story, after all, he'd been the one to promote her, but that would only continue the current train of thoughts. "Perhaps we should stick to that earlier vow. What's something you two enjoy doing?"

Aidan swallowed his bite of stroganoff, followed by a drink of the delicious mead. "We like to swim," he said to Harvey. "And I've recently started teaching Mila to shuttle surf. That was an even in and of itself. But we had lots of fun."

Mila gave a fond smile. "Shuttle surfing," she said and cast a look at Aidan that was loaded with memories. "Is where we had our first kiss when I am falling into water and he is jumping in after me." She looked at Joey and Harvey. "Where was yours?"

Joey finished off her mead and settled her glass back down, then folded her hands on her lap. She didn't want to drink to the point of stumbling around, so that was her last one. "Well... there hasn't been a lot of time for it lately, but I've been teaching Harvey how to surf, hula dance, and we've been working on hula hooping. It's pretty amazing that he's such a great sport," she said, turning her attention over to Harvey with a smile.

"She's being nice," Harvey remarked. "I can't hula to save my life. I just hope it never comes to that."

"You're just starting out. You'll get better," Joey said with a smile, reaching for his hand under the table again to give it a gentle squeeze. "As for our first kiss... that happened in Security before I went over to the Chimera . I'll definitely remember that for the rest of my life."

Mila smiled as she remembered the day Harvey had told her, but not where. She finished off her stroganoff and leaned back. "We are to be making new memories together more often," she said. "For now, I am being stuffed. I am hoping everyone enjoyed and am looking forward to next time."

"I certainly have," Harvey said with a smile, wondering when they could even do such a dinner again. There was so much to do and so little time to do it all in. But, for now, the best thing to do would to enjoy the moments when they came. He raised his nearly empty glass and declared, "Until the next time."

 

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