Dinner Date (Part I)

Posted on 11/10/2020 @ 5:35pm by Lieutenant Commander Kiernan Gallagher VII & Lieutenant Oskar Ruseka MD
Edited on on 03/02/2021 @ 6:25pm

Mission: Sum of our Experiences
Location: Gallagher/Ruseka Quarters
Timeline: Day 0 at 1930

Kiernan Gallagher picked up the steaming platter of pasta with marinara sauce with two hot pads from the replicator slot. He set the platter in the middle of the table and slid into the chair that was opposite Oskar Ruseka. The table was set nicely with ceramic plates, wine glasses, and two lit candles. A bowl of salad and a basket of Italian bread completed their meal. Otis had found a spot in the bedroom and claimed it as his own, so the two officers had the main area of the quarters to themselves.

This situation was new for Kiernan, he had never lived with someone other than family, a roommate, or a colleague before. For the first time in his life, he would be sharing a space with a person he was romantically involved with, and that had been a bit daunting but exciting as well. Over the past few months the two would have sleepovers, but nothing was permanent until now. Now the shared the space that was designated for senior officers, a space that was slightly larger than crew quarters. They enjoyed a nice view of space from the large view ports that adorned the port side bulkhead. Dark grey, Starfleet issue crates were still stacked, ready to be unpacked.

Before he began to replicate dinner, he removed his uniform jacket, kicked off his uniform boots and stayed in his stocking feet, his uniform trousers and black uniform under-tee. He now sat in the chair, his legs drawn up to sit cross-legged.

"I hope you like the sauce," Kiernan said. "It is my mother's recipe, despite being Irish she could make a mean marinara sauce."

They had gone from serving on the USS Nightingale together as perfect strangers who were lucky enough to have an encounter with one another in an arboretum to becoming friends and colleagues to being bold enough, daring enough, and trusting enough in one another to explore a relationship. On the Nightingale, it had been the simplicity of the occasional date, making dinner arrangements in the mess, and from time to time coordinating sleepovers when their duty rotations permitted it. Now, their lives were coming together and they placed themselves on the journey not as two individuals, but as a couple: two men and one adorable pug.

Oskar was not going to let Kiernan slip from his grip, but he was certain that he was not going to stand in the young man's way of taking a position as Chief Science Officer. The posting aboard the USS Crazy Horse was an opportunity to propel Kiernan's Starfleet career and gain him valuable experience. Oskar was fortunate enough to be able to join his partner albeit it came with a small cost, but not one that mattered. It took Oskar out of laboratory sciences and back into Sickbay. In a way, it was career advancement for Oskar as well; Assistant Chief Medical Officer was not without its prestige.

The grey-haired man chuckled at Kiernan's sense of humor. "My compliments to your mother," Oskar replied. He had not met Kiernan's family yet. It was something that would inevitably happen, however, the two were still youthfully exploring their relationship together. His parents are older than me, but undoubtedly not by too much Oskar mused. There was an age difference between him and the Chief Science Officer, but it was not a problem for either of them. Oskar was a hair or two more than a decade older than Kiernan, not old enough to be his father, but certainly old enough to be turning into a matured silver fox while Kiernan was still a spry wide-eyed red fox.

"If her cooking skills are anything like yours, I am certainly in for a treat," added Oskar jovially. "This sauce is delicious. It has the perfect balance to it, it's not too acidic either, and I get the seasonings and the robust notes from it." The medical officer smirked. "Reminds me of the few months I spent 'backpacking' through Italy...avoided the public transporters as much as possible."

Kiernan stabbed some lettuce with his fork and slipped the greens into his mouth. The dressing was a bit tangy, but he enjoyed it. After he chewed, he continued the conversation. "When I was in sixth grade, my class was taken to Rome for a field trip. I remember tripping over a piece of uneven cobblestone and scraping my knee," he said, his eyes rolling at his own klutzyness. "It took months for my classmates to forget that." He picked up a piece of the bread and dunked it into the rich, red sauce. "I have always wanted to explore the Alps, but who knows when that will happen."

Oskar shrugged "Never if you keep putting it off, Kiernan" replied Oskar. "At some point, you and I are going to earn us some shore leave, and if you have always wanted to explore the Alps, then we should make it so" added the Assistant Chief Medical Officer. "As someone who has a good decade and some on you, I can offer you some small bit of advice...chase dreams and seize opportunities. There are experiences that just need to be had."

Kiernan knew Oskar had a point, but starship assignments were very different than planetside assignments. But Oskar knew these realities, so it wasn't even worth repeating his thoughts. It was times like this that he missed earth and all that the beautiful blue and green globe had to offer. But the vast unknown was just as appealing and so warping to areas of the galaxy that had yet to be explored held much more appeal to him. He took the bite of bread and chewed quickly before he spoke once again.

"You are absolutely right, dreams are worth chasing," he said. "I suppose I have to start thinking about these things now that I am moving along in my career. All I've ever really done was go from academics to fleet assignments. The last time I really took a real breather was when I was assigned to Vallaria Two." He paused as he thought fondly back to that assignment, he had truly discovered himself during that time.

"Ah, now that is a pleasurable and nostalgic look if I have ever seen one," replied Oskar. "Vallaria II, you said?" added the medical officer as he thought about the world in question, trying to spark some mental connection. "Hmm," uttered Oskar with a curious glance at Kiernan. "Valo II, Vagra II, I know those. I do not think I know Vallaria II. Is it a Federation world?"

“You’ve gotten quite good at reading me like a book,” Kiernan replied, a small smirk forming on his lips. He set down his fork and gave his full attention to Oskar.

“Vallaria Two was not a Federation world, nor will it ever be a candidate for one. It is a small, uninhabited world that was just beyond the Federation’s southern border. I had done my graduate school training placement there, and once I got my doctorate, I was offered a spot on the science team as the lead geologist. I was lucky to get the placement, it was a unique planet in a lot of ways and to this day, it still is part of my research repertoire.”

A shy smile graced his lips, and his cheeks colored a pale blush. He picked up his fork and began to push around the spaghetti noodles. “I experienced a lot of firsts on that planet.”

"Oh?" countered Oskar with a smirk of his own. "Now, that definitely sounds like some stimulating sciencing and exhausting exploration. Was the planet well explored Vallaria Two, or was it an unearthing of something new?"


A post by:

Lieutenant Kiernan M. Gallager VII, PhD
Chief Science Officer
USS Crazy Horse

and

Dr. Oskar Ruseka, MD
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Crazy Horse