Intruder in the galley

Posted on Wed Apr 14th, 2021 @ 12:22am by Captain Elijah Rutherford

Mission: A Day In The Life
Location: Captain's Galley
1616 words - 3.2 OF Standard Post Measure

Jasmine on the exploration of the Majestic, went to see what the Captain's galley was like. She wanted to do some cooking, and well why not in the galley? Humming to herself while she brought out pans and bowls to put together a meal for her husband, Jasmine was liking the well stocked kitchen. She set to making her husband's favorite meal, Fried Chicken with all the fixings. Mashed potatoes, a salad, with her famous vinaigrette.. maybe a mixed berry pie. Her kids at the moment were being tended to and she felt like cooking. The dark haired woman proceeded to mix and stir the ingredients for the salad dressing.

Patrick froze as he walked into the mess hall, watching the shadow move inside the kitchen. He gasped, his PADD sliding from his grasp as he rushed forward. "Who's in there!" he yelled out, "get out of my kitchen, right now!" Everyone knew not to touch his kitchen, everyone knew, so who was this intruder who thought he or she had a right to touch his instruments?

Jasmine paused in her brisk stirring with a whisk, hearing someone yelling. "Oh hello, I am Jasmine. " her voice rather calm. "Can I ask, who you are?" returning to her whisking. Feeling that the mixture was just right she put it in an appropriate container.

"And how is this kitchen yours?"

"Stop that!" Patrick was almost panicking as the woman continued. "This is my galley, I'm the chef here." He gestured around before patting his own chest. "My space, no-one comes here without my consent. I don't want others in my kitchen." He was so close to losing it it didn't even registered that she'd asked his name. "Please.. just leave. Don't touch anything else."

"You are the chef here of this magnificent kitchen? I have never seen anything so glorious, well except my kitchen I had at home. Please once again, what is your name?" Jasmine quietly said, with a smile. "I was making a dinner for my husband, he's the Captain you know. Have you met him yet?"

"Patrick O'Malley and my fiancé built it for me, so I could properly serve Captain Saulitis..." he frowned, faltering. "Wait what...your husband is the captain? How's that possible, where's Captain Saulitis?" Had he really missed that much in the past days? How come he hadn't been notified?

"Well, we've been here at the station. I wanted to explore and, I am sorry that you hadn't been notified of the change. You see, well. Hmnn maybe my husband needs to talk with you. " She sighed looking at the food she had started to prepare. "I really want to cook a dinner for my husband. May I finish and then I will get someone to make my own kitchen for me to cook for him. A romantic dinner.." she went silent looking at Patrick.

"I'm sure Murph would do that.." The young man was visibly shaking. "Cooking for the captain is my job though.... and official functions and on the side I cook for the crew." Was she going to take that away from him now? If she wanted to cook, and her husband was the captain, there was nothing he could do to stop her from using his galley was there? The very idea frightened him, and made him nervous. If she was taking over, what purpose did he have here?

"Um, Patrick?" Jasmine noticing the signs of anxiety. "This is your kitchen, and I won't take it from you. I think you can understand the need to cook for a loved one right? I'm in a new place, a new home. I've got kids I tend to, at the moment, they are in child care and I just wanted to fix him something special to eat. Things are changing, and who knows what is going to happen , when the ship goes on its next mission. And this was supposed to be a surprise for him. " She looked around at the kitchen, then back to Patrick.

He nodded slowly. Yes he could understand the need to cook for a loved one. "I..." He faltered, swallowing a few times. "I don't like strangers in my kitchen. I understand but... you need your own kitchen. You should ask Murph, he'll do it. He understands too." He smiled carefully, but still making no attempt to let her finish. "What were you making. You sit there..." He pointed to the other side of the counter, "and I'll finish." So much for preparations for the next meals.

Jasmine looked at Patrick, she knew how he felt but also didn't want him to finish her meal for Elijah. "No.. never mind, I am going to go someplace else. I think you know how it feels if someone else takes away something you started to make for the one you loved. I can't let you take over what I was fixing. It won't taste the same instead it will taste like ashes. It was supposed to be a meal he and I would share. I wouldn't be able to eat it if you took over. And that wouldn't be right would it? I didn't know I wouldn't be allowed to cook here. Otherwise I wouldn't have come here to.. this kitchen. " She felt tears well up. "Just never mind. You can pour out the salad dressing if you want." Jasmine looked around, it was a lovely kitchen but.. she couldn't use it.

He knew how it felt, sort of, because someone had intruded into his domain. He could see the woman's distress but he wasn't going to budge. It'd been bad enough to have Tox run the kitchen when he'd been injured and she'd been feeding the crew all kinds of weird mixes. Looking at her, he bit his lip and shook his head. "I don't have any salad planned for the next meal. You should take it."

She gulped slightly, wondering just why, Patrick's reaction to her was affecting her so. Jasmine nodded, and carefully moved to get the container with the salad dressing in it. She then started moving away, then paused looking at Patrick. "Have another question for you. Is there possibly a chance of us being friends or are we going be having a bit of a problem? "

"I have no issue with you personally..." The young man's expression softened a little, though the anxiety didn't quite leave his face. "Just with people using my galley. It's all I have, it's all I'm useful for. If I don't have that, I have nothing. There's nothing else I can do, it's the only thing I'm good at."

Jasmine gave a bit of a nod. "Okay, I do understand that. I do plan on cooking for my husband, but I am not going to say I will cook all of his meals. Think we could work out a schedule so that I can have the pleasure of cooking or him, in my own kitchen." adding that for his assurance. "but not take away what you are used to doing. And maybe, do some cooking together, not in this phenomenal kitchen. If you are comfortable in doing so. Besides. I am also interested in tasting what you can cook. Just not tonight. "

Patrick nodded. "I'll provide meals as he's on duty, you can do when he's off duty." That seemed reasonable. "And together...on the holodeck?"

Jasmine's dark blue eyes lit up, when Patrick made his offer. "That works out for me." and to his offer for cooking on the holodeck "Oh! That would be fantastic! Um... would you object to my giving you an elated embrace?" smiling in a friendly manner.

Patrick shook his head. "No I don't object. I'm sure my fiancé wouldn't get jealous of a lady giving me a hug." He offered a careful smile, seemingly considering something. "Maybe...you could cater for us?"

Her eyes widened, her mouth forming an 'O' and then gave a quiet squeal not wanting to hurt his eardrums and giving him an embrace. "I would be delighted, but we'll have to figure out what you'd like to eat for the reception. When will you two get married. And did you say you were engaged to... Who is your fiancé?"

"Lieutenant Commander Angus Murphy," Patrick answered proudly, "he proposed while we were on the station, just before a Klingon 'killed' him and he disappeared." He paused. "We don't have a date yet... We've not really had a chance to further discuss it."

"Well congratulations, I am looking forward to the event." Jasmine said. "And hopefully you can get things moved to where you and Murphy can have the ceremony. "

"It might be a while... in all honesty I was very surprised he did because I didn't think we were ready yet." Patrick paused, realizing he shouldn't tell her too much, not without Murph present anyway. "But I'll let you know."

"Very well and I will, keep your information about you and your loved one to myself, as it is for you to announce and no others." Jasmine brightly, happy that she and Patrick will not be at odds with one another.

Patrick just nodded, his attention already shifting to the next meal prep. It was going to be busy as usual and he still had so much to do.

"I shall see you around, and thank you, Patrick." giving him a quick embrace and then left quickly so as to not get in his way.

Patrick gave a soft sigh of relief, quickly going back to work and trying to shake that feeling of dread that had threatened to wash over him.