Start of a Beautiful Friendship

Posted on Tue Jun 21st, 2016 @ 12:57am by Captain Rueben Gregnol
Edited on on Sat Jun 25th, 2016 @ 10:52pm

Mission: Mission 1 - Bridges
Location: Hydroponics Bay, Deck 20
Timeline: MD22 1429 Hrs
820 words - 1.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Vines were the new arrivals to the Hydroponics Bay. They twisted and turned above the crops below, their lime-green tendrils offering little to contribute beyond the added aesthetic. Weaving in and out of the crops to ensure there was little intermingling was a peppy, hummy Trill, who scrutinized every corner of the bay to ensure there were few issues between the plants.

"Hm." She placed her hands on her hips, squinting at the soil as if it had offended her family, her symbiote, and all of the symbiote's former iterations. "... I'll have to make do."

She took a few steps over to the communication console on the wall, squinting at that as well, before pressing a button. "Hellooo? Rueben was it? Could I get you to come to the Hydroponics Bay please? I've got something to show you."

Rueben yawned, he had just gotten out of the shower when the call came through. "Sure..." He murmured not at all sure as to what someone would want with him in the hydroponics bay. It wasn't like it was used. The new Captain begrudgingly pulled on clean clothes and made his way down. He stopped dead as he took in the former bare toom "What... What did you do?"

Surprised by the question, the young Trill turned to point at each of the crops. "We've got tomatoes from Earth, a breed of lettuce from Bolarus XII, rare spice plants from Trill, which were bio-engineered for growth in space travel, and the other crops here are seedlings from various other cultures. I know we've got old-timey replicators on the ship, but sometimes it's good to get fresh food- oh! I almost forgot." She pointed to the vines hanging all over. "These are hops. Most of them are from Earth, as Earth has the best soil, but I've been cross-breeding them with other edible flora for beer brewing purposes."

"Not enough replicators at all." He hadn't wanted to rely on the replicators in the slightest. He smiled as he took in the reconditioned bay. "You've done really good."

"... Tch, where are my manners? Gone with the rest of the useless goods in the bay, I suppose." She held out a hand, as she had done with many of the others she had met on the ship. "Humili Planita, but you can call me Humili. Beer Crafter and self-proclaimed 'cook who won't burn down your ship.'"

"You my dear might be my new best friend," He murmured softly as he bent to look at the tomatoes. He hadn't had a fresh cooked meal in years.

"I'm not a good one," Humili added, holding a hand up, "But your little pilot friend told me you didn't have one yet, and rep-tech's only as good as the ship's imagination. So... you're stuck with what I can do, at least until someone else gets brave enough-and so long as there are pots and pans around. I didn't come with those. Just the plants and the hops." She gestured toward the produce behind her, where items for a microbrew set-up were strewn about. "Not sure where to put that, B', but I was hoping to discuss that with you while we talked about me staying for a longer time than a few minutes. Food and beer are great for bartering, yeah?"

Rueben looked up and shrugged, he didn’t care if she could make something as simple as an omelette he would be extremely happy. He missed freshly cooked food; he missed the scent and smell of it. His stomach growled in response to his longing thoughts. He looked up as she motioned to a micro brew. “Interesting, what were you thinking of making?” He wondered what kind of alcohol she could create.

The answer to Rueben's question was simple, and yet Humili managed to answer in the most complex of manners. "A combination of Romulan ale mixed with Trill lambic-style and Betazoid sour. Terrans are notorious for their Scottish styles, but I've yet to meld a perfect combination together in my kegs. It might be the water I'm using - to put it simply, beer. I've been attempting to create a concoction that will appease even the most finicky of palettes. It is a difficult task, but I'm up for it!"

"If you can do something sweet as well you have a deal!" He proposed thinking of his enjoyment of Betazeed Nectar. He knew he normally surprised people by enjoying something sweet but he had exquisite taste.

"Sweet's easy!" She had multiple brew concoctions hiding in her conjoined mind, most of which from the collaboratively-working symbiote, who quite liked the idea of mashing things in beer randalls and seeing what came out. "It looks like this is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship!"

---

Humili Planita
Beer Crafter
SS Mary Rose
[NPC - Mahone]

Rueben Gregnol
Captain
SS Mary Rose