Lunch with Cara

Posted on 05/04/2022 @ 10:51pm by Master Sergeant Robert Schiano & Civilian Michael Taggart & Captain Cara Letsul

3,569 words; about a 18 minute read

Mission: Mini Mission: When The Cat's Away
Location: Throneroom/White Stag
Timeline: MD003 1200

It was nigh unto noon and Cara had just caught up on her paper work at least for the first part of the day. She gazed around her office, and rose to leave her desk, when a note she had placed there caught her eye. Picking it up she realized what it was. It was a reminder of needing to go check on the Kingsmen. With Jack and Brina being gone on their mission, that left Sergeant Robert Schiano in charge. Cara thought of messaging him that she was coming to see him, then decided to go instead.

Minutes later, Cara arrived in Marine Country, stepping inside once more. She had been there to assign Baaru a place to call her own. Just not had gone to see Schiano. Cara smiled slightly, when she stepped inside, memories flowing through her mind of another place where the Marines thrived and worked with station security. Where she made good friends with Marines, one especially her best friend Brina and also K'rang.

She stood there and then shouted out, "Sergeant Schiano, are you here?" Cara's voice ringing through the air.

Robert had just sent half the unit on training. They were to run laps around the deck for the next hour. He stepped through the door into the general lounge space that made up a connector for all the rooms that made up the Throneroom. "And I betta not see any of youze slow down. You stop runnin when youze are dead or when I say so whichever comes first."

He turned from his shout and found Commander Letsul looking toward him and calling his name. He crossed the room to her and came to attention. "Commanda welcome to da Throneroom. Is there somethin I can do youze for?"

Cara gave a smile then said, "At ease Sergeant." having to crane her neck upwards to see his eyes. "Would you come have lunch with me? And if you are so inclined, would you let your people go have their lunch as well?" one dark eyebrow rising emphasizing her question.

Robert looked perplexed for the moment at both requests. Then he smiled. "Doze guys are Sigma Batallion... They got the late schedule. They get to sleep in, have a long late breakfast, so they get their lunch late. It is the equivalent of what the Air Corps calls Ready Fighters. Dis way we have a Batallion ready in case something breaks out. They go on lunch after their laps, in an hour. As for me, uhhh yeah I guess I can do lunch."

"Well then, in that case, since you certainly do know what your people can do I'll leave it to your judgement. As for lunch where would you like to go eat at? I'm buying. I have heard there is a great place to eat named The White Stag Pub. How does that sound to you?"

"Oh da White Stag is great. I have been there a couple of times. The food is good and the drinks are better. Mickey is one hell of a barkeep. It's no Italian Food but it is good." Robert added with a chuckle

"Well if you want Italian food, we can find another place. Its your choice though." a twinkle in her eyes. "Shall we?" as she headed out of the Throneroom. "Back when I served on the USS King George V, I used to go to the Tun Tavern, it was the Marines hangout and it had really good food. It was patterned after the old colonial Tun Tavern back in Philadelphia, the supposed birth place of the Marines back in 1775. Brina used to invite me there off and on to get a bite to eat."

"Dat sounds like one hell of a place. Da White Stag will do nicely. It is going to be good to get some pub food. And like I said Mickey is a hoot." Schiano paused as he fell in step with Cara. "When I was growin up dere was somethin about food and Sunday. I mean that was the day that the whole family came together. There was Sunday pasta, which was pasta with all the leftover meat from the week and fresh sauce that had been simmering all day. Nothing has beaten that, and nuttin ever will. So Italian food is somthin that I am very picky about."

"I do not blame you, and that sounds so good." Cara's mouth watering at that thought. "Its been a long time since I've made something like that." She said cheerily. When she stepped into the White Stag, Cara looked around "this is really really great." looking up at Schiano.

"Oy! Raise yer glasses ya dirty heathens. The top of the station arrives. When the cats away the mice will play. Lets hope that Commander Letsul is a Lioness. Three cheers." Mickey Taggart called from the bar and as was custom his loyal patrons raised their glasses and honored the toast. Some even rose from their chairs and gave three cheers.

Schiano leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Seems like your famous round these parts."

Cara was startled at the greeting she received, quite unexpected then she smiled, "I'm famous, guess I need to wear my personal cloaking device so as to not be noticed." giving a little wink. " then she raised a hand "I greet thee patrons of this fine establishment, and you as well Mickey. You've got something here that smells tasty. Have you any suggestions? Definitely something that has meat included. Myself and my lunch partner are very hungry."

"Huzzah" "Everyone bless the landlord..." Could be heard coming from the voices of the patrons after Cara spoke. It seemed that the old charm of the White Stag rubbed off and made people speak in old english.

"Well Cara... an yes I call ye by yer first name. We don use ranks in my place. Here we are are family." Mickey's Scottish accented voice rang through. "An don't think I have fergotten about ye Meatball. Oh ya yer boss Jack is in here a lot and has told me all about yer lot. For the two of you I have bee stings as special drink of the house. Dis is apple cider and mead mixed together in delicious beverage. Fer food, we serve simple Scottish fare. Today I would recommend the haggis or scotched eggs."

Schiano had never been Scotland on Earth although he had wanted to go for some time. As such he had no idea what the food that Taggart mentioned even was. For the moment he pondered what to get as he hoped Cara would make the first move in the food department.

Cara contemplated on the choices then she laughed. "Well if ye've got mutton stew that would be good but, I could have a bit of both, Scotch Eggs and Haggis." her stomach actually growled loudly. "And some of the fine drink you suggested. This lass is rather famished." grinning.

"Well den may I suggest a bit of all of dat for both of you. Along with some nice fresh baked crusty bread." Mickey replied with a smile.

"Yeah, that sound great. Some water as well please." Schiano said. The Marine was conditioned to have water at every meal. Mickey nodded with a smile and headed off to fill the orders. There was a moment of silent pause as Robert was not sure what to say or how to act. As the senior NCO in the unit he rarely had cause to talk to the station brass, let alone have lunch with them. "Well Commander it seems that all is well aboard Poseidon. It is good to have some downtime especially with so many people off on mission. Speaking of... have youze heard from dem?"

"Bring over a pitcher of lemon water as well if you don't mind Mickey?" Cara requested then turned her attention to Schiano. "And call me Cara, the ranks have been left at the door. What do you wish me to call you, Meatball or... Robert." a quiet smile appearing. "As for the other staff. Yes, I've heard from them. Received a message from them when Portillo and Kyle returned to the station. Everything is going well. Kyle and Portillo had been called away to another assignment, and had delivered the message before they caught the next transport out."

When she asked Schiano what she should call him he almost blushed. He looked at her sheepishly as something within him wanted her to call him something that almost no one called him. "Youze can call me Bobby. It is good that the mission is progressing nicely, that should see dem home soon. Den again I guess they could come home whenever they wanted..." He chuckled.

Cara gave a soft chuckle. "I like the name, Bobby. Therefore I shall call you Bobby." She gazed at him for a moment or two, taking in the strength of the man as well as his gentleness. "You know something Bobby, I like you. You're a good man."

The feeling that washed over Robert was one of uncertainty. Usually when people spoke like that to him it was because they needed something. "Thanks, I try my best. I have not spent too much time being this close to the Fleet. Is it normal to have changes in personnel this often? In the Corps it is more like you join an unit and there you are for your career. You bond, a family..."

Cara eased back in her chair, "I know that feeling of family and comradeship, at times though, that family unit you have woven together ends up unraveling." she spoke with a tone of experience. "As for the personnel changes, it has been an unprecedented amount that has happened. This station has had quite the shake up these past few months. I've seen it on both sides. That of being a civilian and now also that of being back in a command capacity." a look of weariness flitted across her features then it disappeared.

"Dats what I am sayin though. It is not like that in the Corps. Most units stay together. Once you trust someone to carry you back from the gates of hell you don't go looking to send em off somewheres. But you're right you never know where your path is going to take you. When I joined up I never thought I would be in charge of a unit ever." Robert said with a little more introspection than most were used to seeing from him.

"You know, actually the ties that I have forged, those family members are coming back together so to speak. Brina for one, she and I have gone through thick and thin, along with her husband, Nicholas. Then there is T'ra who served under my command where I used to be in charge of that station. K'doc Valadorn, our new Chief of Security, I know his cousin, K'rang. A right honorable Klingon Marine. Quite the sense of humor, and a fine person to have around for backup." she grinned, "It is interesting to have things like this happen. And Bobby, I am very glad you are in charge of the unit. Life tends to throw a curveball or two, like for me, I hadn't thought I'd be in a command position once more." she leaned in and whispered. "At least I am not an Admiral anymore. I am happy for that."

"Too much paperwork for that job..." Schiano smiled in response to her comment about being an Admiral. "I have been with Jacko ever since we were called Ghost Angels. Dat was the birth of the Kingsmen and after a number of missions and battles here we are." He lowered his voice before speaking again. "Are they really time travelling? I mean dat is really something that is hard to believe."

Cara's eyes darted about just to make certain that there wasn't anyone listening, then again, one couldn't be certain at all. She focused on Bobby, "There are things that just can't be spoken about. No matter how quiet someone may try to be. There are those who have rather sharp ears."

Cara looked up as the drinks and food were brought over. "This looks and smells amazing." she remarked.

Schiano knew when someone told him to clam up, albeit Cara seemed to do it nicer than most. As the food and drinks were laid out his eyes widened for a moment. "Yeah this will do nicely. Looks great... Thanks..." He said to the woman who brought the items. "Dig in and enjoy..." He said as he served himself some of the food.

Cara grinned then did as Bobby said, she dug in. She was famished, and Cara wasn't afraid to eat. The woman did keep herself active, she wasn't one who just sat at her desk, she seemed to be on the move quite a bit. After a few bites, she took a drink and then spoke to Bobby. "What do you like to do on your days off, when you get them?"

Schiano cocked his head for moment as if he had been asked a question that no one had ever asked him. "Me... I like to get away from all of dis. All da technology, and politics, everything. I ride... just me and a horse and the wide open space. Helps clear my head and there is nothing better."

"Going horse back riding, there is something about that, that is relaxing. I have done some riding, enjoyed it very much. Especially beneath the blue sky in the country, hearing the birds singing in the trees. One thing I also like to do is go sailing. That is peaceful a well." Cara remarked. A distant gaze could be seen as she thought of the last time she had sailed upon an actual body of water, let alone in the holosuite.

"So you're da sea and I'm da land..." Robert said with a broad smile. "...I am not one for the water, but I can see your point about the peacefulness of it all. The water always had a mystery around it for me, too mysterious sometimes if you ask me."

" I actually am more of the ride in the country or go camping sort of woman. It wasn't until later, I got into sailing. A bit of history there, Brina she was into sailing, and the XO of the ship I used to serve on, he was into it as well. They were the ones who got me into it." She went back to eating, just enjoying the food and eating with Bobby. She paused and looked at Bobby, "You know, you are good company when eating a meal." flashing a smile.

"Thanks... It is rare that I get to socialize with someone not in the Corps. But for a fleeter you are good company as well." Robert said with a smile. "You and Songbird are friends, now that is something I didn't know."

Cara chuckled, "Yes, we've been friends for quite sometime now, been through a lot together. Guess you could say, we're more like sisters from another mother and father." she leaned back in her chair picking up her drink. "In fact I'm the Godmother to her kids. She has quite the lively boys there. Triplets, they are certainly going to be taller than I am, and maybe taller than she is. They will probably be taking after their dad, in height." a drink from her cup, then she said, "I am going to have to stop by and go see them and their dad. They are probably wondering why Auntie Cara hasn't stopped by yet."

Robert masked his shock about Brina's family with a few bites of food. He had not realized that she had children or anything of the sort. Schiano took for granted that most Marines were unmarried with no kids, the nature of their work was easier in that situation. However, no that he knew her family was here and she was off on a dangerous mission. He took a mental note to make sure that he stopped in to see her family while she was away. "A Marine with kiddos is something new. Most of the Kingsmen are single with little to no families. I know Jacko's wedding is coming up and I am sure there will be little feet after that. Just something we all have to get used to in the new Corps as it were. I will have to make sure I go introduce myself to Songbird's husband and children. Make sure they know they have an extended family now."

"I think you will find the family rather interesting. Brina's husband used to be my CO on the USS King George V. And it was Songbird's boys who encouraged her to get back into the marines, besides her husband." she chuckled, "Quite a bit of history to be honest. And I am sure they would be very happy to meet you." her thought jumped to another person. "And there is a new Security Chief by the name of Lieutenant K'doc Valadorn. I know his cousin K'rang Valadorn who is now teaching at the academy. He's a marine."

"The Imperial Klingon Marines are a force to be reckoned with. I am sure anyone who is or was a member is someone that can protect this station anytime..." Robert said with a tone of respect and a smile on his face. He did find it interesting that the station was seeing a larger Marine presence. Not just with the Starfleet Marines but with all types of Marines, it was rather gratifying.

Cara nodded, "Indeed, I wouldn't put it past them to be ready to defend the station in case of an attack." she looked down at her plate noting that most of her food was gone, then looked up at Bobby, "Looks like our lunch is almost done, you know if you want to just have a chat with me sometime, you can just give me a call. Or we can do some riding in the holo deck. I know its not the same as being outdoors but got to keep the skills up to par right?"

Robert popped the last piece of his food in his mouth then finished his drink. "You know dat is not a bad idea. Perhaps as soon as we have some time off we can go riding. There are some trails that I am itching to try. The next time we have some shore leave there are some nice trails on Bajor that I have explored during my last assignment."

"That sounds like a grand idea. Hopefully you won't get ribbed if you go somewhere with me though." giving a teasing smile. "A ride though on Bajor. " she thought for a moment, "Its been way too long since I've been there. And I don't recall though if I've done some riding there." there was a wistful tone to her voice. "It seems way too long, even though I did do some riding at my grand parents place. That was rather lovely, on a country road in France, on my Grandfather's property. He owns a vineyard."

"I have never been to France. All I knows is dat Italy has the better wine. As to Bajor I worked with the Marines on Empok Nor before I came over to Poseidon, so I have some friends there. If we wind up going...." Robert paused as he contemplated what she had said. "Heh, if people wanna tease let em, I don really give a shite..." He said with a smile and an aire of nonchalance.

At his answer, Cara practically beamed. "I am glad to hear that you don't mind. There are those who do and would mind. I don't care what they'd say either." reaching out and placing her hand upon Bobby's, and giving it a light squeeze. "Thanks for coming to lunch with me, and as for wines, my grandfather has a wine that can compare to Italy's. And I do love both." she pulled her hand back and rose from the table. "I'll settle the bill with Mickey and then I'll be on my way."

Cara walked over to where Mickey was and paid the bill adding a tip. "Mickey, the food and drink was superb and I'll be coming back again. Thank you ever so much."

She then turned to those in the White Stag, "Fare thee well my good people, it was an honor dining with ye." and then left. Her thoughts were pleasant ones, she liked the White Stag, Mickey and also Bobby. It most certainly was a pleasant lunch.

"Happy trails lass..." Mickey said as he led the group of patrons in saying goodbye.

Robert stood up and made his way to the door shortly on the heels of Cara. He was a simple man who did not need much and was socially awkward. However, he knew that in this moment he made a friend outside of the Corps. There was something about that which made him feel better than he had felt in some time.

---

Commander Cara Letsul
Poseidon Operations Commander
Chief Counselor

Master Sergeant Robert "Meatball" Schiano
First Sergeant, The Kingsmen
Poseidon Station

Michael "Mickey" Taggart
Owner, What Stag Pub
Poseidon Station

 

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