#56 Past Traumas/Present Worries pt. 2

Posted on Thu Mar 23rd, 2023 @ 12:49am by Lieutenant Onak Qa'tok & Chief Petty Officer Jennifer Lacewell Ms.
Edited on on Fri Mar 24th, 2023 @ 1:40am

Mission: Vanished
Location: Mess Hall
Timeline: Current

~On~

Onak had arrived in the mess hall at 18:00 on the dot and was pleased to see Chief Lacewell standing at-ease across from the entrance.

Impressed with her punctuality and decorum, he caught her eye and motioned her toward the replicator.

"Good evening sir." she greeted him.

"As you were Chief." he said, indicating she should relax. "We are off-duty so I suggest we do away with the formalities for the moment." He held out his hand toward the replicator, indicating she should go first.

Jennifer gave a slight smile and stepped up. "Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and creamed corn please. Oh! and a root beer please!"

Onak thought her amusing to be so polite to a machine. Her meal arrived, she picked up her tray and stepped back.

"Four Maine lobsters, six corn on the cob, one half loaf garlic bread, one cup garlic butter...extra garlic." At the very last second he added "Please." and gave a nod toward Jennifer.

Jennifer gave him a quizzical look and smiled more broadly than she intended to.

Onak picked up his tray and turned, indicating a table against the back wall. They walked over, placed their trays on the table and sat down. "I always sit facing the door Chief, with the wall behind me. You would do well to do the same." he advised.

Jennifer nodded attentively. "Why is that Sir?" she asked.

Onak grasped a lobster in his two meaty hands and ripped it apart. "You must limit an enemy's angle of attack. It is much easier to defend yourself when you know where the enemy will come from, and where he cannot come from." He said seriously. "And by the way Chief, we are off duty, so you do not have to address me as Sir. Onak will be fine."

"Alright Sir...Onak...and you may address me as Jenny, or Jen."

"Very good." He shoved a huge piece of lobster in his mouth and quickly devoured it, following it up with three of the corn on the cob, two slices of garlic bread and a long pull on the cup of garlic butter.

"JEEZ!" Jenny said, astonished. Mesmerized by what she was witnessing. Onak ripped a second lobster apart and quickly devoured it as well. Then another, and more corn, and more garlic butter.

"Motherfuc...." Jenny shouted, seeming to forget where she was.

Onak stopped grunting and chewing as he noticed not only Jenny staring at him, but many others in the mess hall as well.
Knowing he should be embarrassed by human standards but not feeling embarrassed in the least, he swallowed hard and let out a deafening belch.

"Pardon me." he said insincerely.

Jenny was still staring at him, mouth and eyes open wide.

"You're not eating?" he asked her, wiping butter from his beard.

"HUh?" She suddenly came back to the moment. "Oh...uh...no...yeah...ok." She picked up her fork and snagged a corner off the meatloaf and raised it to her mouth very self consciously, knowing that many in the mess hall were still staring at Onak, and by association, her.

Onak picked up on her trepidation. "Look away!" he shouted to those in the mess hall.

"Oh God!" Jenny groaned and tried to make herself as small as possible.

Onak was confused. "Why are you laying on the table like that?" he asked very loudly.

Jenny whispered between clenched teeth. "You're embarrassing me!" she hissed.

"How am I embarrassing you Jenny?" he said without lowering his voice again.

"Say it louder, I don't think they heard you in the rec room!" she retorted.

Onak was more confused. "What are you on about girl?!"

Jenny was mortified. "You eat like a Mugato and everybody saw you! Now I can't eat because they'll stare at me too, but no! You had to draw even more attention to me! Most of these people are human and humans can't look away from a train wreck, no matter how hard they try! Thanks a lot...Sir!" she vented. "My career is over!" she thought.

"I fail to see what a train has to do with any of this Jennifer." He answered defensively, until he remembered. He had heard that expression before, at the academy.

"I'll tender my resignation in the morning sir." she said as she stood, preparing to leave.

"Onak stood as well and placed a hand on her arm. "You will not."

"But I disrespected you in public Sir. I'm subject to a bad conduct discharge if I don't."

"You showed me you have the heart of a warrior Chief. A undisciplined warrior lacking confidence, but a warrior none the less. You may think you disrespected me but you actually showed great respect. You showed me the fire in your heart."

Jennifer was shocked. She had been sure she had thrown her career away but instead she was being praised by the very man that she had insulted.

They both sat back down. "Now, finish your meal...Jen." he said kindly.

She looked around and saw that no one was looking this time. She began to eat and although her food had begun to cool, she enjoyed it gratefully.

"I need to tell you something Onak." she said between bites. She was actually happy that they had had their little dustup. It diffused the apprehension she had had leading up to this conversation.

Onak was silent, but indicated he was listening.

"I was on a freighter in the Pentath system when I was a child. We were attacked and boarded by a Klingon raiding party. They roughed most of us up and stole our cargo and practically everything else. I was just a child so they pretty much left me alone but I was terrified and when I saw you in the turbolift...well...the memories came flooding back. I was that terrified little girl all over again for a few minutes."

She reached out and put a hand on his forearm. "You've been nothing but kind and I want to apologize to you for treating you like that. You didn't deserve that." she smiled and gave his arm a squeeze.

Onak squeezed her hand. "If you will let me Jennifer, I can help you to never be terrified again. If you wish it, I will train you to where even a Klingon warrior will fear you."

"I think I'd like that." she said, and then turned to her food and devoured it enthusiastically.



~Off