Tuesdays are for Wine

Posted on Thu Jan 18th, 2024 @ 6:15pm by Ensign Gianna Djokovic & Ensign Helle Leed

1,207 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Prelude to Rebirth
Location: Crew Lounge 1, Deck 2
Timeline: Unspecified Tuesday

Hoping to attract interested crew with the allure of some fun, cultural gastronomic education, the main crew lounge had been transformed for the evening into an inviting space for a quiet evening wine tasting. The subdued illumination allowed the crew to mingle and appreciate the rich hues of the three wine selections set up along a long, polished bar that showcased the three wines -- Vulcan Sunset Reserve, Andorian Frost Blanc, and Rigelian Nebula Rose. The bottles were displayed like prized artifacts, each accompanied by a concise description of their planetary origins.

Cadet Gianna Djokovic wasn't quite sure where to start with the selection, but as her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, she eventually made her way to the first station. "I've never been very knowledgeable about wines," she confessed to the man who poured her a glass of the Sunset Reserve.

From her observation corner, Helle watched Gia at the bar. She had been watching people for one full glass of Andorian Frostwine, not sure why she kept to herself until then. Her heart seemed to beat faster with each step closer to the yeoman until it was either racing or stopped. Helle wasn't sure which.

"Yeoman Djokovic? Hi, I'm Helle. We haven't met in person before." Helle held out her hand, sloshing a bit of Frostwine onto the floor. She quickly switched the goblet to her other hand and tried again, her face heating quickly.

Gia's brows were raised when she turned toward her name, but she quickly relaxed them as she took the science officer's hand and gave it a nice handshake. "Ensign Leed, of course," she smiled warmly at the slightly clumsy introduction, something she could see herself doing. She knew most of the people aboard the Firebird, even the new ones from their files. "You know, I'm actually not a Yeoman," she blushed, "Third year cadet. But the roster spot fit, I guess." She cradled the sunset-colored stemless glass between her fingers. "Is that the Andorian?" she asked, indicating the glass in Helle's hand. "Is it better than the Vulcan one? I'm finding this one a little... bitter, maybe?"

"Sorry, I'm still learning everyone's names and ranks and they get jumbled in my head." Helle looked closer at Gia's drink. "That's a pretty bold wine you have there if you're not much into wine. I like this. Frostwine or Frost Blanc. Cool with a hint of sweetness. An easy sipping wine," she said, taking another sip while her eyes never left Gia's face.

"You're fine," Gia rebuffed the apology with a friendly wink. "It's not my first assignment here, so I have an unfair advantage," she explained as she abandoned the nearly-full glass on the counter, to be forgotten. "And... your father is Commander Leed, right? I don't know him too well, but he's so highly regarded."

Someone came around with a small tray of Rigelian Nebula Rosé in tall, fluted glasses, explaining something about passionfruit and guava and floral undertones. Gia happily nabbed a glass.

"Ooh, good choice. I think I'll join you." She snatched a glass a little too quickly and wiped drops of the wine off her sleeve. "That's my dad, all right, and he's pretty great. Although it's hard to separate myself from him in some ways." Helle quickly took a drink.

"He's always shared amazing stories about this crew, though. I think he likes it here more than he would admit."

"It might be nice, though, to have a relationship like that with your father?" Gia mused before taking a sip of her new drink. It was smooth and delicate on the tongue and caused her to smile a bit in surprise at the contrast to the previous sampling.

She looked up at Helle and smirked, "I imagine you'll have your own stories in no time at all. Things never stay quiet for long on this ship."

"See, that's what I was telling my friends back at the Academy! Sure, the crew was mothballed for all kinds of insubordination..." Helle coughed as she tried to gasp and swallow wine at the same time. "I mean, I think you had so many tough decisions and did the best you could."

Her face felt like it could have fried an egg on it. Not daring to look at Gia, she coughed the roughness from her throat, and then sipped wine. The slight sweetness cooled her a little. "I think this crew is too good to not be involved in things. They must have changed you in lots of ways, right?"

"I suppose so," Gia hadn't quite thought through the impact the Firebird's crew had had on her as a person but it could not be denied. She would not be where she was without them. "But I think I disagree that this crew is 'too good' not to be involved. There's something special here--- not skill or intellect or...whatever you might call it. It's not the importance of the mission. It's the bond, like family. It's standing up for what you believe in and standing next to someone else who believes in the same thing. I think it's special."

"You said it better. My dad's stories are like complex wines." Helle gestured at the wine left in Gia's first wine glass. "The Vulcan Sunset Reserve is grown in volcanic soil, with high day temperatures and cold nights. It's mixed with specific berries and blooms of the nearby Fireblossoms shrub.

Dad talks of people who are diverse, adaptable, and resilient. Who work in ways that combine strengths and weaknesses so the whole is greater than just people doing their jobs. I think that's what drew me here. Even if we just resupply the quadrant for a year, I want to be part of that." Helle grew embarrassed quiet again, adding. "I almost came with my dad a couple years ago. I wonder who I would be if I'd been here. Like you."

Gia flushed red a bit at the direction of the conversation back to herself. She allowed a flip of her hair to fall across her face. "I don't believe in torturing yourself by examining your past decisions with a microscope. No regrets, only lessons. You're supposed to be here now, and that's what matters." She put her free hand on Helle's arm, patting twice reassuringly. "And now you have at least one friend aboard."

Helle nodded quickly, clamping her mouth shut. Maybe it was the atmosphere, the conversation, or empty space where a close friend should be except they were too busy to respond to her last messages. She pushed the ends of her fingernails into her left palm to keep her mind in the now.

"To friends and the future," said Helle, raising her glass to Gia. "Complex, layered, and better together."

"And always with agreeable undertones," Gia added as she mirrored Helle's pose with a satisfied smirk. "Cheers."

END

Ensign Helle Leed (NPC by Leed)
Biologist
USS Firebird NCC-88298


Cadet Junior Grade Gianna Djokovic (NPC by Woodhouse)
Cadet / Security Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

 

RSS Feed

Comments (1)