The Morning After (Part 1)
Posted on Fri Oct 8th, 2021 @ 2:17pm by Lieutenant JG Nozomi Kusuda 'Gemini' & Captain Taiga Aisaka & Commander Alora Knight & Lieutenant Commander Marcus Decius 'Gladius' & Major Chiyo Shimada & Lieutenant Jasad Yuvek & Lieutenant Commander Ryuuji Takasu & Lieutenant Iowa Riverside 'Grey Ghost' & Captain Elizabeth F. "Liz" Beurling & Lieutenant JG Silica Tetsuhiko 'Twin-Tails' & Lieutenant Fubuki Kuchikukan 'Snowflake' & Chief Warrant Officer Karuta Roromiya & Alice Shimada
Edited on on Sat Oct 9th, 2021 @ 11:19am
1,161 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission:
Operation Romulus Return
Location: USS Tokyo (NCC-91101), Mess Hall, Deck 5
Timeline: 0615 hours
The main mess hall had opened early that morning after the unexpected drill during the early hours. Both replicator and fresh food service had been opened for the crew of the ship. Many of the Tokyos crew had decided to take some time that morning before their shifts to get some breakfast and well deserved coffee.
The mess hall catered for everyone available and was classed as a communal area for all crewmembers to enjoy. Today the fresh food included bacon sandwiches and also fresh eggs that had been loaded on at Utopia Planetia as well as several continental pastries and cereals, coffees and teas
Chiyo went and collected Alice from their quarters and brought her down to the mess hall, since Alice had a couple more hours until school was scheduled to start for the day. The mess hall was just one deck down from the Shimada family quarters, and as Chiyo hadn't been yelled at for having Alice with her in the mess hall, it was safe for the single mother Marine CO to assume that the mess hall wasn't a 'restricted area.'
Chiyo and Alice entered the mess hall and strode up to the replicator with Alice to order their breakfast, with Chiyo planning on ordering waffles. Of course, replicated waffles weren't going to taste nearly as good as the Waffle House she had brought on board before they left, but it hadn't taken long for her marine stomach to readjust to replicated food.
A couple tables within sight of the door, Iowa had been searching for a place to sit when she saw a plate piled high with bacon on it. She shouldn't have been surprised when she saw that the pilot occupying the table was Nozomi.
"Ain't you had enough?" She asked sarcastically, not noticing Chiyo and Alice entering as she spoke.
"It's too early in the morning for Horumonyaki," Nozomi retorted with a playful smirk. "But rest assured, you're hardly the first person to make that comment."
She craned her neck and noticed a certain someone was missing from the mess hall.
"Where's Mika?" she inquired.
"She down eatin' her food in the pilots' mess." Iowa explained with a shrug. "To each their own, I say..."
"Hi, Nozomi!" Came a shout from the direction of the replicator.
It was Alice, clearly surprised to see Nozomi eating in the regular mess hall.
"Sweetie, get your food first, and then you can go over and talk to Kusuda." Chiyo said.
"Right..." Alice said, turning towards the replicator.
"Captain!" Came a voice that caught Chiyo's attention.
It was Liz, motioning for Chiyo and Alice to come join her.
"Well, sweetie; it's your choice:" Chiyo said. "You can either go talk to Kusuda or join mommy and Auntie Liz."
Iowa had turned in the direction of the shout, and turned back to Nozomi; a sly grin on her face:
"You really do have a way with children, don't you, Kusuda?" She said.
Nozomi chuckled. "Back when I was working in the entertainment industry, our primary demographic was seven- to sixteen-year old girls," she explained. "You could say I'm a natural."
"Well, best of luck with that one..." Iowa responded, eyeing an empty table not too far away.
Shifting her attention over to Alice, Nozomi smiled and patted the seat next to her.
"Hey, Kiddo; why don't you have a seat?" she insisted. "That training exercise might have rattled you, huh?"
"You get used to it;" Alice said plainly as she sat down. "With mom's line of work, you half come to expect it."
"And why don't you join us, Iowa?" Nozomi continued, turning back to Iowa. "Unless, of course, this is your way of saying you're not very good with kids."
"I wouldn't necessarily say that..." Iowa responded, getting up to join Nozomi and Alice. "It's just that I ain't necessarily family-friendly material."
"Do your worst..." Alice muttered. "I've been around Marines my whole life...
"Alice, I'd like you to meet Lieutenant Iowa Riverside," Nozomi explained as Iowa drew up a seat. "Iowa, why don't you tell Alice here how old you are?"
"You mean like the Riverside Sisters from Earth's World War II?" Alice asked. "I wasn't aware they were still around and kicking?"
"Well, just me at the moment;" Iowa said. "Two of my sisters are dead, and the third one's still on ice. She'll probably still be that way when I die, lest they figure out a way to preserve me again."
"Hmm... I don't believe I've heard about this before," Nozomi remarked, her voice dropping to a melancholic whisper. "My sincerest condolences, by the way; I can't imagine what it must be like to wake up one day and find all your friends and family are... well, gone..."
"Don't worry about it, hon:" Iowa responded. "With my upbringing, I've come to expect it."
A look of pity resonated in Nozomi's eyes for a brief moment or two, but given that everyone was still somewhat rattled from the whole training exercise, she decided now was not the time to be pressing the matter.
"Well, this took a turn for the depressing," she chuckled, trying to lighten the mood a little as she shifted her attention over to Alice. "Hey, Alice, hon; how about you let Lieutenant Riverside in on your little hobby? I bet she'd love to hear about it!"
"What? No!" Alice whined.
"If your little hobby is that satanic ritual I kept hearin' about on my last activation, I'll take a hard pass." Iowa said.
"Tabletop RPGs are not satanic!" Alice responded.
The doors of the mess hall opened and in walked Captain Aisaka, side by side with Commander Takasu. Taiga looked rather tired, dark circles under her eyes,obviously last nights drill and lack of sleep in recent days didn't reflect well on her.
"I should have asked the damn computer to only do drills during day shift times" she sighed in a slightly frustrated tone. "Plus, we'd only just got to sleep..." she looked up at Ryuuji. "At least you're satisfied huh..."
"Oh come on Taiga, don't be like that..." he said as they approached the replicator.
Taiga huffed as she began tapping the buttons on the replicator with a bit of force. "Damn thing. They can never get these right!" She said as her order replicated. "I bet this porridge, or excuse for porridge tastes crappy as always".
"You're just passed because you didn't get much sleep and have an empty belly" Ryuuji stated as he tapped in his own food suggestion. "In more ways than one..." he whispered causing Taiga to blush bright red.
"Shut up. Let's just eat, maybe I'll feel better after this!" Taiga snapped at him as they took their seats at the far end of the mess hall.
To be continued...
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