S3 - M4: Revival

[Serena King]

[Promenade - Katra Station]

Hrafn watched, amused.

"You need to join the Amateur Thespians Group we have here, Ms. King.  But good to know about the uniform... you'd put me to shame otherwise.  That said you'll normally find me slumming it in my teal and lab coat, and I don't think my lab coats have seen an iron in... well they don't, period. It's time I could utilise better doing an experiment.  I don't think many people are going to care when I'm potentially changing the Universe for the better!"

"As for Tidu... he'll occasionally come out with what I call a 'Scott-ism' but normally it's just over-excited at being let loose with something Engineer related, and then something just sort of 'clicks' inside him and you'd think he was a mini Mr. O'Brien... minus the Irish twang of course!  Totally serious about the work and there to learn. He's desperate to get all his Junior Cadet badges!  Tell you what, I'm arranging an informal dinner for old friends and new, if you like come along to that and meet the children.  Nerys is more Scientifically minded but she 'needs' the badges for Engineering too.  For her however it's more crossing them off a list, the only ones she's remotely interested in are Science, Medical, and some of the more 'fun' ones like cooking... which she approaches so seriously you'd think they were scientific experiments!  I don't have a date or time yet but if you're interested I'll ping you details later... you can bring your friend, Ensign..?"

She turned to Drake and said "Sorry, another new face..."

[Ensign Gideon "Gryphon/Griff" Drake | Promenade | Katra Station]

Gideon double-taked when he heard the news of a newly included starship to the station. The Starship Seleya. Fitting...Katra Station, Starship Seleya...fitting when it came to Vulcans. Griff was especially interested to hear that the ship was the fastest and most tactically able...oh, he was so interested in being at the helm of that thing. Depended on how big it was.

He saw the refreshment table and noticed the steady line. Much as he'd replicate anything good later, he knew that the good stuff will be taken up and gone. He made for the table and came back over to chat with the ginger Trill and Serena...

Serena snuck a pig in a blanket from Gideon's plate. Disengaging herself while Gideon and Hrafn were talking, she grabbed a plate and an assortment of foods, but decided not to be too greedy and left it half empty for the others. She dropped a replacement pig in a blanket onto his plate as she turned back to Hrafn. "A uniform is... Simply a thing, it's an object. The person inside is what counts." She nodded and gestured around the room. "As the old saying goes, Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations."

Serena adopted a thoughtful, but somber attitude. "Bring the children along. As long as they behave reasonably and don't interfere with duties, I'll do what I can. Might just need some motivation in another direction."

[Gideon Drake]

Serena snuck a pig in a blanket from Gideon's plate. Disengaging herself while Gideon and Hrafn were talking, she grabbed a plate and an assortment of foods, but decided not to be too greedy and left it half empty for the others. She dropped a replacement pig in a blanket onto his plate as she turned back to Hrafn. "A uniform is... Simply a thing, it's an object. The person inside is what counts." She nodded and gestured around the room. "As the old saying goes, Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations."

Serena adopted a thoughtful, but somber attitude. "Bring the children along. As long as they behave reasonably and don't interfere with duties, I'll do what I can. Might just need some motivation in another direction."

[Ensign Gideon "Gryphon/Griff" Drake | Promenade | Katra Station]

Griff had noticed Serena sneak a pig in a blanket off his plate, but he didn't make any objections. This girl seemed to like him in order to do that. It looked like a tease.

"Hm...so, ma'am," he said with interest, "you've got children? Are they all ginger like you?"

When Serena came back over and snuck in replacement pig in a blanket, Griff winked at her, but just only slightly, knowing full well they were in public.

[Kirok]

[Ensign Gideon "Gryphon/Griff" Drake | Promenade | Katra Station]

Griff had noticed Serena sneak a pig in a blanket off his plate, but he didn't make any objections. This girl seemed to like him in order to do that. It looked like a tease.

"Hm...so, ma'am," he said with interest, "you've got children? Are they all ginger like you?"

When Serena came back over and snuck in replacement pig in a blanket, Griff winked at her, but just only slightly, knowing full well they were in public.

[Promenade]

"I see you guys found the line for my favorite food" EQ said to the small gathering near the pigs n blankets table.  He placed a few on his plate, with ketchup of course.  "Oh how I've missed you" he proclaimed before gobbling them down.

In the back ground, music could be hear.  A live band played soft but elegant music.  "Wonder if they take requests" Kimball asked before returning to the table for round 2.

[Eli Ferris]

< Katra Station / OCC - EQ>

Sirol had asked a question and the XB finally answered.  "I'm in Ops.  We 'met' at Kirok's first briefing here.  I was in the back, so you might not have seen me.  Name's EQ Kimball" the XB rattled off in a friendly manner.

"Thanks for you assistance with the UT.  Languages isn't really my thing.  I barely speak standard English good" he added with a slight smirk.

[Promenade - Zex]

-//-Thank you, Sirol.  I am ready to receive him.  Send him on down-\\- the Deltan replied.

< Katra Station / OCC  - Kirok>

The Captain emerged from the Ready Room.  He noticed that there were still some people in the OCC who he expected to see at the ceremony.

He wandered over to them.  "EQ, Sirol.  I was hoping to speak to you both earlier.  But I would very much like it if you would both join me on the stage during the ceremony.  I know this is late notice, but could you both log out of your stations and come with me?" Kirok said to the pair.

Eli looked up from his station, continuously monitoring the ins and outs. He had failed to really register the upcoming ceremony. He had been so focused on bringing the station back online, on being fully functional, that the decorum had slipped his mind. But, as department head, his attendance would be required. So, he logged off of his station, and picked up a PADD to reframilzarize himself with the visitors. He was sad for a moment that he couldn't pick Zex's brain. The diplomatic officer was worth her weight in pure latinum the way she navigated the various species the station had encountered.

But, that was neither here nor there. He had to get ready and put on his whites. Which was not the best part of the event. Hopefully there would be food.

***Present time| Promenade***
Eli stood in the ceremony, taking in Kirok's speech, as well as the guest speakers. It was a beautiful moment of reflection that, in spite of the destruction and pain and difficulty, there was also resilience, capability and growth. It was a bitter sweet moment and Eli gave himself a moment's pause to reflect on a lot that had happened, between Katra, Mars, and some many other events he didn't want to recall. But, the emotions came, unbidden, and there were a few tears that escaped before his duty face returned.

Once the speeches were done he meandered over to the food table, eager to settle the disquiet in his stomach.

[Sirol]

[OOC:
@ Kirok, Hrafn: I'll wrap up the events before the ceremony to not have two time settings at once.
I hope that's okay with you guys.]

< Katra Station / OCC >

Once Kirok had explained her purpose on the stage, Sirol was almost even a tad disappointed that she was of no practical help, but merely of representative nature.
But then again, if being representative was beneficial for the morale, Sirol was more than willing to do her part.
The conversation with Hrafn preparing her for this ceremony had been both, a fair piece of useful information as well as another good piece of socialisation. She had enjoyed their conversation, and already made a mental note to check for a sufficient date where both of them would be free. She was - after all - curious to meet that ominous old friend of Hrafn, just as she was curious to learn about her peers and their circle in general.
Plus, Hrafn had mentioned cooking as a science experiment, and Sirol was still not done yet with her experimenting regarding sweet flavours"¦

Hrafns next words though had let the scientist baffled.
Not just had She given Sirol access to all of her files regarding the Karemma, which was - as a matter of fact - a treasure in itself, but also had she mentioned suggesting her as her assistant.
Having worked as a division head herself, Sirol understood what it meant, and she could not help but feel flattered and surprised.

The choice of Hrafns words"¦
"˜Our brains could be interconnected'...
"˜We think so similarly'...
"˜I trust you'...
Sirol had not been able to immediately form a proper response.
Instead she had taken a bow towards her superior and stated that she felt honoured by both, Hrafn's company, as well as her opinion of Sirol...

______________________________

< Katra Station / Promenade >

As Kirok began to elaborate on Katra's new satellite ship, Sirol tilted her head a little.
The currently fastest ship available?
She had to wonder as to whether that included a variation of the experimental slipstream drive she had witnessed on the Discovery.
She was no propulsion specialist, but appreciated any new invention and already made a mental note to look into the details regarding the Seleyah later.

As Kirok mentioned McCutcheon, Sirol paused for a second, trying to remember where she had heard that name before.
Short name. Four syllables. Civilian. Human"¦
Slowly she could recall his face"¦ It was the AI specialist she had talked to the day she, Zex and Eydis had visited the Brauhaus.
The day before the explosion"¦
And even now her memory regarding a few things was still hazy"¦

EQ stood beside Sirol and the EMH.  He looked forward and stood at attention like he was trained to do.  But his eye were scanning the area for the food and beverages that had been set up for the party.

He looked from table to table.  Finally he found what he was looking for.  "Thank the gods, there are pigs n blankets at 3 oclock" he uttered.

As Kimball next to her spoke, his words made Sirol turn around and give him a confused stare.
A pig in a blanket?

In an awkward tone of trying to find out whether or not she had in fact heard right, the scientist whispered towards Kimball:
"œIs this special Federation humour? To my knowledge they are gala uniforms"¦
I have read about some people calling security personnel pigs - Which I do not appreciate by the way - however"¦ I do not understand this joke..."

A few seconds later though she could hear a somewhat related sort of confusion from Ensign Jimrec, followed by the consumption of a delicacy which Sirol concluded must have been said Pig.
Strange, but certainly remarkable to wrap food into both: More food and a metaphor...

Her eyes loosely followed Kimball as he socialised with Ensign Jimrec, then bounced over to Hrafn, who was in a conversation with two new faces, one of them resembling the man from the docking saucer"¦
Eventually the groups around her merged and mixed and people would reach out towards one another...
Suddenly she could sense - almost even taste - a sting, like a spike of sadness, yet he second Sirol had noticed the oddity, it already seemed to vanish again among the flood of everyone else...
Eventually the people near her seemed to almost collectively decide to loosely swarm the table with the food...

Sirol was tempted to do the same, but for now, she was still with her Captain on the stage, yet once she was dismissed, she decided that she would walk straight to the first person with no conversation partner and start talking to them...

[Promenade]

As if on que, Kirok was ready to deliver the last part of his speech.  He had always been told to leave the best for last.  And he hoped that this part, though vailed and carefully worded, conveyed the hidden message across the universe.

"Finally, I find it acceptable that the Karta crew is as diverse as it can possibly be.  We have Romulans, XBs, and holograms on staff and who work here as civilians" Kirok said.  He turned to indicate Sirol, EQ, and the EMH.

Kirok turned back to the reporters.  "There are, of course, representative from hundreds of other planets.  And from as far away as Earth.

My point being that the Katra is ready to welcome anyone in search of a home. The disenfranchised, those who no longer have a home to return to, the huddled masses who are tired and poor.  As long as said person comes with the purpose of contributing to our community and building a brighter future.

So come to the Katra.  Let us give you a home.  An safety from persecutions" he said.

Then he was silent for a moment.  He looked around the room and felt that his message had landed appropriately.  So he ended by raising his right hand and parting his fingers.  "Long life and peace" he finished.

Sirol calmly and quietly followed Kirok's speech further, still stranding straight by his side, her arms folded behind her back, yet her eyes fleeting over the masses.

His words were soothing and well chosen: Both, for the occasion as well as the general situation Katra and its inhabitants found themself in.
And even fitting to Sirol herself.

Alone, disenfranchised, with no home to return to"¦
That was her indeed.
She took a deep breath, and once he concluded his speech, once again did a bow towards him, then, as things began to calm down a little, slowly walked down the stage and began to look through the room.

As she had decided before, Sirol would try and get out of her metaphorical comfort zone today, and pass on the good influence she had received from Xiiv and Zex earlier:

Her eyes loosely scanned the room, trying to find someone who had no conversation partner yet, ready and willing to say "˜Hello' and reach out.

[Kirok]

Eli looked up from his station, continuously monitoring the ins and outs. He had failed to really register the upcoming ceremony. He had been so focused on bringing the station back online, on being fully functional, that the decorum had slipped his mind. But, as department head, his attendance would be required. So, he logged off of his station, and picked up a PADD to reframilzarize himself with the visitors. He was sad for a moment that he couldn't pick Zex's brain. The diplomatic officer was worth her weight in pure latinum the way she navigated the various species the station had encountered.

But, that was neither here nor there. He had to get ready and put on his whites. Which was not the best part of the event. Hopefully there would be food.

***Present time| Promenade***
Eli stood in the ceremony, taking in Kirok's speech, as well as the guest speakers. It was a beautiful moment of reflection that, in spite of the destruction and pain and difficulty, there was also resilience, capability and growth. It was a bitter sweet moment and Eli gave himself a moment's pause to reflect on a lot that had happened, between Katra, Mars, and some many other events he didn't want to recall. But, the emotions came, unbidden, and there were a few tears that escaped before his duty face returned.

Once the speeches were done he meandered over to the food table, eager to settle the disquiet in his stomach.

[Promenade]

After Kirok finished his speech, he took a few questions from the press.  That done, he also turned to the food tables.  But his tastes were always a bit more bland than those of his fellow station mates.

So he headed over to the seafood table.  Shrimp and sushi were laid out.  As well as caviar.

"Care to join me, Mr. Ferris?" the half Vulcan asked before picking up a clean plate.  He filled it with items from all 3 offerings.  Then sat at a nearby table.

"Its a food.  You should try one.  They are best with ketchup" the XB said.

"Hi.  Have you eaten yet?  I can't decide what I want first" she said with while looking at the dessert table.

[Ser Conley]

Eli looked up from his station, continuously monitoring the ins and outs. He had failed to really register the upcoming ceremony. He had been so focused on bringing the station back online, on being fully functional, that the decorum had slipped his mind. But, as department head, his attendance would be required. So, he logged off of his station, and picked up a PADD to reframilzarize himself with the visitors. He was sad for a moment that he couldn't pick Zex's brain. The diplomatic officer was worth her weight in pure latinum the way she navigated the various species the station had encountered.

But, that was neither here nor there. He had to get ready and put on his whites. Which was not the best part of the event. Hopefully there would be food.

***Present time| Promenade***
Eli stood in the ceremony, taking in Kirok's speech, as well as the guest speakers. It was a beautiful moment of reflection that, in spite of the destruction and pain and difficulty, there was also resilience, capability and growth. It was a bitter sweet moment and Eli gave himself a moment's pause to reflect on a lot that had happened, between Katra, Mars, and some many other events he didn't want to recall. But, the emotions came, unbidden, and there were a few tears that escaped before his duty face returned.

Once the speeches were done he meandered over to the food table, eager to settle the disquiet in his stomach.

[Promenade]

After Kirok finished his speech, he took a few questions from the press.  That done, he also turned to the food tables.  But his tastes were always a bit more bland than those of his fellow station mates.

So he headed over to the seafood table.  Shrimp and sushi were laid out.  As well as caviar.

"Care to join me, Mr. Ferris?" the half Vulcan asked before picking up a clean plate.  He filled it with items from all 3 offerings.  Then sat at a nearby table.

Ser stood in the back, and watched Kirok's speech.   It was good, Ser found he was look forward to the future out here on the other side of know space.  When the speech ended, the food came out and Ser swallowed back the drool in his mouth.   Grabbing a plate, Ser made his way down the tables getting a little bit of everything.  Soon having a small pile of food nearly half a foot high.  when he saw the sushi he made a bee line.

"Oh Captain, great speech."

[Kyan Mackenzie]

:: Promenade | The reception ::

Kyan tugged at the oppressive collar of his new dress whites. No matter how many times he left them at his last duty assignment, the quartermaster was more than happy to replicate him a new set. And no matter who said quartermaster was, they always made the collar too tight. If he were prone to conspiracy theories... which he wasn't, any more than needs be anyhow, he'd have Katra's Supply Chief in an interrogation room right now, instead of being at this party full of old people. None of whom, he noticed with some sadness, were telling ANY good stories at all. He'd been wandering the room, keeping a weather eye on all the guests... just in case one happened to be a terrorist or Zhat Vash operative... or having a decent conversation.

None were though. The closest thing to interesting going on here was the Brit pilot trying to talk to Ensign King from engineering. He probably fancied her, Kyan figured. He wasn't an old grup yet, so he was still in that whole "shag anything with a pulse" phase that they went through before they got middle aged and generally tedious. In his own opinion, Human grups were fun between the ages of twenty five and thirty, and then useless until their hair changed colors and they got to be oldsters. Oldsters, in his experience, were the best. They were too tired to make you behave, AND they gave out candy. Always had it on em! And they liked to tell stories, at which they were always much better than younger grups, who were usually terrible at it. Kyan, being of Celtic descent, appreciated a well told story, true or not.

As he was pondering the phases of "adulthood", he noticed the Kai standing by herself. Her aids must be off getting her a drink or some food or something, which was another benefit of old age -- People would just get you things and were wont to excuse certain behaviors, like farting in public. In fact, Kyan had a theory about why old people were generally skinnier than those on the cusp of old age. He believed that once grups reached a certain age, they got so uptight about everything, that they just stopped letting them go in public, or even in private too, and all that trapped air made them fat... like the Admiral back at SFI. Of course when he got to be too old to care, he'd probably blast off like a rocket.

Kyan couldn't stop himself from giggling at the thought of the fat admiral lifting off his chair and hitting his head on the ceiling. After a moment his thoughts returned to they Kai, who was still standing alone whilst everyone else mingled, at the food, and had their boring conversations. He had the notion of going to talk to her... more in hopes of some Bajoran candy or a good story than in engaging her in conversation about the station, New Bajor, or any "official" thing. Having never met a Kai before, he wasn't quite sure of the rules surrounding Bajoran religious officials though.

But then again he thought, since when did something as unimportant as "rules" hold sway over what Kyan Mackenzie did or didn't!? And with that, he walked over to her and made his introduction.

"Merry Met your majesty!" Kyan offered jovially. "I'm Kyan Mackenzie, from Cestus III the now, but originally from what the Federation types are after calling "Miri's Planet"."

The elderly Bajoran was confused for a brief moment at who was speaking to her, until she looked down. Her eyes got that twinkly "grandmother" look when she looked at Kyan. "Greetings child." she offered with a smile in return. "Although I think you have me mistaken for a queen. Kai's are called "Eminence", not majesty. And my name is Niall."

Kyan nodded. "Sure and I'll be remembering that... your eminance." he replied."I saw you standing over here by yourself, and figured that you might like someone to talk to the now, since it is supposed to be a party after all, though not a good one if its me yer askin."

"Well it's a diplomatic party." she replied. "They're usually full of political talk and that sort of thing. Are your parents here?"

Kyan shook his head. "Nope. They're dead."

She was taken aback, but was a seasoned enough politician to not let it make her awkward. "My apologies child, and I'm sorry. Were they assigned to the station?"

"Nae, they shuffled off with the rest of the grups on my planet more than four hundred years ago now." Kyan replied casually. "And me adopted parents, which was from Cestus III been gone for going on a hundred year too so they have."

The confusion was evident on the Kai's face. "But that would make you... "

"Four Hundred and thirty eight years old." Kyan grinned impishly. "Or ten if it's yer eyes ye be believing most."

"The prophets work in mysterious ways." Kai Niall almost whispered. "May I read your Pagh?"

Kyan wasn't sure what she was talking about, but she seemed nice enough, so he simply nodded. Nial reached down and grabbed the ancient boy's ear, closing her eyes and tilting her head back slightly. it was only slightly discomfiting to have someone grab your ear like she was, but it wasn't like when the grups used to do it, usually pulling him somewhere against his protests. A few moments later she let go and opened her eyes again.

"Your Pagh is strong child..." Niall offered, "... and so young for one who has seen so many years. I would.."

Niall was interrupted by one of her aides just then, who whispered something in her ear. When he'd finished, she turned back to him. "I must go now child and speak to the ambassador, may I come and speak with you again soon?"

"Sure." Kyan nodded. "Its here on the station I'll be for a while."

Niall gave him a warm look. "Walk with the Prophets child." she said, squeezing his shoulder slightly.

Kyan offered a slight bow in return. "And you too your m... err.. Emminance." he replied.

She then turned, shepherded by her aides and walked away. Kyan scanned the room and saw that there were still a crowd of people over at the food tables, including that British Ensign and Ensign King. There was also Kal and EQ, as well as Sirrol, who was an interesting person. She presented to him as someone who was more than what she looked to be. What that might be was something that he was interesting in finding out.

It was with that in mind....and his stomach's current state of emptiness, that we ambled over to the table and looked over everything. "Good spread this." he chirped. "What do you lot suggest?"

[Don Damien Addams]

[Katra]

"You seem to be a party animal, Qball!" Kal said.
He had taken one and looked at it. He took a bite, chewed it. It was okay.

Off to the side the identical brothers was watching people to mingle. They even caught the individual who was from Miri's planet. How did they know? They felt it. They had to observe the Kai reaction and they both end up giggling among them.

"I am hungry," Shazham said to Cazham. "I get you something I be right back." He left his brother and that when he had gotten close to their brother Kal. Kal had no care in the world cause he had no idea who they are. To Kal they were part of the counselors with Kai and her groupies.

[Sirol]

      Kovnin     &     Arrhae

< Katra Station / Promenade >

Today had been one of those not-so-good days for Administrator Kovnin.
He called himself lucky that he and his granddaughter had arrived early enough to catch a seat at one of the front tables, since standing for the duration of the entire ceremony was out of the question for the elderly Romulan.

By his side sat his granddaughter Arrhae, curiously looking through the room, catching the gaze of the guests and gathered envoys, while having her arms tightly wrapped around the little remote controlled T'varo class model ship.
Of course she had to bring it"¦. Ever since that dang Engineer had it replicated for her, it had become her most treasured toy, so Kovnin eventually agreed to her bringing it to the ceremony as long as she did not let it fly in here"¦

Unlike him, she seemed to pay only little attention to Captain Kirok's speech.
After all, most of his speech was way above both, understanding and interest level of a five year old. Instead she looked at the new faces, with her eyes eventually coming to a halt on the Kai.
Just like her grandfather, she seemed to not be able to walk properly, except for, that she had assistants to push and carry her everywhere. Which Arrhae - in her childlike naÁ¯ve mindset - considered "˜pretty cool'...

As the speech was over, Kovnin dropped his outer robe onto the lean of his chair to "˜mark' it, then forced himself back onto his legs to say hello to the new Commander.
It had been over two months now since Kovnin was the last member of the Romulan Embassy's staff to keep the place running, and - at least for now - relay messages and appointments...
Two months since Ambassador Jarok and his"¦ Slightly shady"¦ Assistant had left the station, yet Arrhae was still faithfully wearing his orange ambassadorial sash.
Every single day"¦ He could tell that the child had treasured the Ambassador's gift, which also had been the reason Kovnin did not even try to convince her to not wear it - even though the child was no ambassador"¦

Slightly hunched over, the old Administrator slowly made his way to the table with the food.
With his granddaughter on one hand, he nodded towards a few food items that looked like they could be appealing to the child.
"œ...What do you think of the cake, would you like to try some, dearie?"

Arrae curiously peeked over the corner of the table.
All of it looked delicious! Truth was, she had no idea yet whether and what she wanted to eat.
"œDunno"¦" She began absent-mindedly, while inhaling the aroma around her. "œI think I'm not really hungry yet."
No, instead she was actually bored and felt like she was about to explode with curiosity.
So many aliens! So many people! Once again her eyes came to a rest on the Kai.
Arrhae did not yet know much about Bajoran culture, yet she understood that she was an important and respected person.
Much like Ambassador Jarok back then, or Senator Sirol back in the Beta quadrant, and even his daughter Sirol here on Katra. She even got to stay on the stage with the Captain!

To Arrhae's surprise, she saw the Kai speaking with another child.
She did not understand what the Bajoran spoke, but she sounded friendly, and - even better - another child!

"œAlright." Kovnin responded. "œBut my leg is not doing so well, so you if you want desserts later you might have to get them yourself."
"œOkay." She simply responded, then pointed at the Kai and her company, giving her grandfather her biggest possible smile.
"œCan I go play with the other kid?"

Kovnin - who still had not been able to decide what food to try for himself yet - quickly glanced over to the "˜boy' speaking to the Kai.
He was at least one head taller than Arrhae and for some odd reason wore a uniform too...
Of course Kovnin understood that being the only child on a diplomatic ceremony could be boring and exhausting, so he gave her a quick nod.
"œAlright. But no running in here, no fighting, and no nasty language."

"œOkay!" Arrhae eagerly nodded, then scampered through the masses around the table towards the supposed child.
The Kai at this point sadly was about to leave, but she at least managed to catch the boy.
Pulling on his sleeve to catch his attention, she looked up to him [Kyan], and admired his uniform.
"œHi! Cool jacket! You wanna play Colour-Shape-Element?!"

Once Kovnin lost sight of Arrhae, he decided to pick some of the finger food, put it in a little bowl and return to his table as he eventually spotted Captain Kirok.
Giving Kirok a quick nod, the Romulan signalled him that he actually would like to talk to him - once the Captain was free"¦

______________________________________________________

Sirol

< Katra Station / Promenade >

"Its a food.  You should try one.  They are best with ketchup" the XB said.

Sirol tilted her head, then hesitantly nodded at Kimball.
"œThat proves my observation, conclusion and theory..."
She began, then leaned over and reached out to try one.
Cautiously nibbling on it she raised an eyebrow.
Truth was, it was"¦ Rich, but she could not yet tell whether she liked it or not.
This required more tests!...

"Hi.  Have you eaten yet?  I can't decide what I want first" she said with while looking at the dessert table.

She had still been looking for people with no conversation partner as one of those actually found her.
As she heard Zex's voice, she turned around and did a polite hailing bow towards her.
"œI am"¦ Working on it.
This here is a Pig in a Blanket. I am assessing it as we speak..."
Once more she took a little nibble.
At least her body did not resist, so"¦ There was potential here.
Looking back at the Diplomatics Officer Sirol tilted her head.
"œI have not made a decision as to what to eat either.
How about we assemble a plate with tiny bits of everything and systematically try them to find out what we like the most?"

[Kirok]

Ser stood in the back, and watched Kirok's speech.   It was good, Ser found he was look forward to the future out here on the other side of know space.  When the speech ended, the food came out and Ser swallowed back the drool in his mouth.   Grabbing a plate, Ser made his way down the tables getting a little bit of everything.  Soon having a small pile of food nearly half a foot high.  when he saw the sushi he made a bee line.

"Oh Captain, great speech."

[Promenade]

"Thank you, Mr. Conley.  Please come join us for food and beverage" Kirok said.  He indicated the table he intended to sit with Ferris at.

Zex smiled when Sirol suggesting get a bit of everything.  "I totally agree.  One small bit of all the different foods.  But I'm saving room for dessert" she said.

"You've tried the pigs n blankets.  Off to the seafood table next?  Or dessert?" she asked her roomie.

[Eli Ferris]

Lt. Eli Ferris| Katra Station|Promenade

Eli was mulling over the food choices and he heard Sirol and Zex discussing elements of it. He had been feeling morose, though his face was not always the most expressive. Right now, he was feeling a need for food, but also possibly needing company.

"Jolan tru, Ensign. Hello Ensign." Eli said by way of greeting, Sirol then to Zex. "Quite the array of food. What have you found to be looking good?" He had added only a few items to his plate and was looking from the two to the tables.

[Sirol]

< Katra Station / Promenade >

Zex smiled when Sirol suggesting get a bit of everything.  "I totally agree.  One small bit of all the different foods.  But I'm saving room for dessert" she said.

"You've tried the pigs n blankets.  Off to the seafood table next?  Or dessert?" she asked her roomie.

Sirol gave Zex a calm nod and looked over to the seafood table.
To her, - someone who originated from a planet with no oceans per se, and no naturally occurring liquid water in general - pretty much anything maritime always felt oddly exotic - the food included.
Sirol could not remember ever having tried a larger variety of seafood - not even during her periods on Romulus - therefore she was quite curious and eager to expand her taste palette.

"œWe do not have a deadline, correct?"
She was almost certain the answer would be "˜no', but then again, this was her first Federation ceremony, so she was mentally prepared for surprises.
"œWe could try some of the rich foods in the same manner: Collections of little portion sizes, and then wait a little bit until we have more space and appetite for dessert.
By that we could try as much as possible"¦"

Sie looked at the empty plate in her hands, then at Zex again, giving her a friendly, inviting gesture, quietly encouraging her to pick what she would deem interesting first.

Lt. Eli Ferris| Katra Station|Promenade

Eli was mulling over the food choices and he heard Sirol and Zex discussing elements of it. He had been feeling morose, though his face was not always the most expressive. Right now, he was feeling a need for food, but also possibly needing company.

"Jolan tru, Ensign. Hello Ensign." Eli said by way of greeting, Sirol then to Zex. "Quite the array of food. What have you found to be looking good?" He had added only a few items to his plate and was looking from the two to the tables.

As she heard the familiar voice, Sirol turned around and spotted Lieutenant Ferris.
Curious how causality had them never meet one another during the last months, and today it was already the second time for them to cross paths.
"œJolan Tru, Lieutenant." She returned his greeting in a polite manner, accompanied by a little bow towards him.
There was something about him that felt almost even out of place; in a way she had noticed before... During the speech"¦
She could not yet pinpoint it, but the subtle aura of his mood almost even felt like a low level gravity source, pulling her perception in...

Tilting her head, the scientist looked forth and back between him and Ensign Zex, then down onto the table in front of her.
"œI do not know the names of most of these yet"¦
But as for "˜looking good', I think, these ones here certainly stick out to me"¦"
She pointed at an arrangement of Narutomaki slices, which - with their distinct flower shape and spiral pattern - were the most unique looking food item Sirol spotted among the seafoods.
And the unique and outstanding was both, her vocation and an open challenge alike...
"œ...How about you?" She then added, assuming him as a long(er) term resident most likely to be more familiar with most of those specialties.

[Kirok]

[Promenade - Zex]

"Oh, hay, Eli" she said to the Chief FCO.  "I'm like sweets.  So I think I will like the most" she said.

"Sirol and I, though, are sampling everything first.  A bite of this a bite of that.  The trial and error method" she added with a smile.

"Do you want to join us in our quest?  A 3rd person actually with help us decide which way to go if there is disagreement in our tastes.  What do you think?" the Deltan asked, looking from Sirol to Eli.

[Sirol]

< Katra Station / Promenade >

At Zex's remark that she liked sweets, Sirol internally smirked.
She had noticed the Diplomatics Officers fondness of sweets during their first meeting in the Brauhaus Gamma already, and seeing her relishing these sorts of tastes was both, exotic and insightful to the scientist.
As someone who was mostly used to rich and spicy flavours, Sirol appreciated Zex's preferences, as they meant that Sirol could lean about many new flavours through Zex.

Towards Zex's invite towards Lieutenant Ferris, Sirol mirrored Zex's smile, and once more nodded towards him.
"œI second that. Maybe you have some recommendations for us?"
Or maybe you would just like to sit with us? She internally added, wondering as to what was going in within him.
She paused for a moment, then looked at Zex again, and almost even squeezed out a smirk.
"œMaybe we could expose him to Strawberry Milkshake in return, what do you think?"