Something's Cooking in Science

Posted on 08 May 2019 @ 2:57am by Petty Officer 1st Class Heinu Reteif & Petra Varelli Ph.D.
Edited on on 11 May 2019 @ 4:04pm

1,577 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 17 - Crystal of Life
Location: USS Galileo-A - Science Lab
Timeline: MD -15, 1731 hrs

[ON]

Most of the time Starfleet frowned on cooking inside a scientific lab, especially when it was for eating. After all, delicate experiments could suffer from the process. Heinu's botany lab, on the other hand, was organized for just that. In addition to the vines, stalks, and overwhelming greenery that filled almost every shelf and hung over the edges of several counters Heinu had a small kitchen setup. It wasn't anything super fancy. All it really had was a dehydrator, induction burners, and a few other necessities.

Heinu crouched, head inside one of the deep cabinets. He was looking for a rare spice he'd ground a few months earlier. He didn't think he'd run out, but it would make the perfect addition to the dish he was cooking.

Petra walked into the lab, following her nose. "Heinu? I know you're in here. I can smell your cooking half a deck away."

A lightly accented voice made its muffled way out of the cupboard, "I'm over here." As Petra rounded the plant-covered lab table, all she could see of Heinu was his bottom sticking into the air as he was up to his shoulders in the cupboard digging for a specific spice jar among hundreds.

"I'd recognize that bum anywhere," she teased.

As the lanky botanist extricated himself from the spice shelves, he stretched and smiled. "Petra," he said with all of the enthusiasm a soul could want. He had a small spice-jar in either hand as he wrapped his arms around the woman. "You came at just the right time. I'm making Lonjar."

Petra groaned. "Perfect. I am definitely in the mood for your Lonjar. Can I help? Well, besides help eat it, that is."

Heinu laughed. "Well, I hope you will help me eat it. I don't think a dish with this many calories is good for one person. Why don't you gather a few cannis malor leaves. One or two should be good. You know which plant that is, right?" He took a pinch of each of the spices he had and dropped it into the oil at the bottom of the pan. Then, after a moment's consideration, added a dash more of the second.

"That many calories aren't good for half a dozen people, but I'm not sharing." She grinned. "Yes. I'll grab them."

She went into the lab with the herbs and picked several leaves. "Here you go." She set them down on the counter.

Heinu plucked them off of the counter top and rubbed them together, bruising them. He breathed in deeply as he held them up to his nose. "Oh, perfect!" He tossed the leaves into the simmering pan. The room filled with a spicy, almost cloying aroma. "Stir this for a second. I'm going to get the flour."

Petra nodded and stepped up so she could stir. It was a nice change from stirring chemicals.

Heinu moved to a corner cupboard to pull out a large container filled with un-bleached flour. "How have you been today?"

"Actually, I'm getting back to normal, which is a good thing. How about you? How are you settling in to science on the Galileo?"

"Oh, come on," Heinu said, and rolled his eyes. "You have visited my lab almost every day for the last month. You know better than anyone that I am a little frustrated with the incessant push to publish papers, not just aboard Galileo but also in the scientific community as a whole. You know that I love how much space I've been given to experiment and work on personal projects during the trip. And finally you know that I love having a beautiful friend to share Lonjar and other delectable treats with." He said all of that while measuring, sifting, and preparing a combination of flour and salt. Every gesture sent a small puff or spatter of flour across the workspace.

"Well, yes." She grinned. "But it doesn't hurt to ask. Marisa is only allowing everyone the opportunity to do research and publish. As she's an academic, I don't blame her. But some of the others do tend to put too much weight on what they've published where." She frowned. "I've even been told my work isn't as good as theirs because I'm a civilian. Like they think that makes a difference." Then she shook her head and smiled. "But I know better, and I think some of them are too full of themselves. At least I don't have to work with them very often. The fuddy-duddies don't think very highly of archaeology and anthropology." She sniffed appreciatively. "Visiting your lab for food is not quite the same as talking about work. Have you considered publishing a cookbook? You could do a lot better than Miles with his theoretical research. I proved him wrong on a fundamental point and now he won't speak to me. A bonus, as far as I'm concerned."

"Hmm," Heinu mused, "a cookbook could be a good idea. Except it means I'd have to start measuring things and keeping track. Normally I just drop ingredients in until it looks right." He swirled the bowl of flour and spices around and tossed in another dash of a dried spice without more than a cursory glance at the bottle.

"You managed to shut Miles up, though?" Heinu asked. "I didn't think that anything short gagging him would actually stop him from talking."

"He forgot about asymmetry. And that subatomic particles don't always act rationally. I found an old paper by a Romulan scientist that dispproved his theory and he looked like he was going to burst a blood vessel and stormed out of the lab."

As Petra spoke Heinu added some liquor to the powdery mixture and proceeded to mix it until it made a smooth batter. Then he dropped small gobs into the hot oil. He flipped the first batch, revealing a perfectly browned fried dumpling.

"Perfect. Again." She grinned. "You know what? I have some wine in my lab. Let me get it." She checked the time. "Or is it too early?"

"No," Heinu said enthusiastically, "neither of us are on duty and wine would go really well with this." He wasn't much of a drinker, but there was no denying that sometimes a drink that complimented a meal really rounded out the experience.

Petra grinned. "Great! Be right back."

She returned several minutes later with a bottle of wine and two glasses. "Let the feast begin."

Heinu grinned, "Perfect. Heinu replicated a couple of plates and flatware and dished up generous portions for both of them. Then, when he turned to place them on the island bench behind him he realized he hadn't moved the bag of potting soil or the spade and pH kit he'd been using earlier. He propped the plates precariously on the edge of the surface and hefted the bag onto the floor before simply shoving everything else into the cramped space between pots.

"There we have it," Heinu said with satisfaction. "Have a seat and enjoy!" He suited his own words and sat on a stool, grabbed his fork and dug in.

Petra carefully sat down, making sure she kept one hand on the plate. After the first bite, her eyes closed. "Oh, that's excellent. You've outdone yourself, Heinu." She took another bite just to make sure it was as good as she first thought. It was.

"Thank you," he said and rested his long-fingered hand on her forearm, giving it a small, grateful squeeze. "Other than shoving Miles' nose in his own crap, what's been new?"

Petra grinned. "Not much. It's been really slow. I'm spending my time recreating historic corpses just for something to look at."

Heinu shook his head. "I love you, Petra, but you have some really strange hobbies. I know you're an anthropologist and all, but what's so fascinating about a long-dead corpse?"

"The forensics," she said. "Looking at the body to find out how the person died, or why. That's fascinating. The bones tell the story, once you get to them." She grinned."And yes, it's morbid, but I love it."

Heinu shrugged. "To each their own, I guess. At least we share this passion." He gestured to their rapidly emptying plates. "I was wondering," he tread carefully, not to compromise a friendship, "how would you feel about a night out in the holodeck. Maybe visit some of the more exotic and romantic virtual places in the galaxy?"

A slow smile spread across Petra's face. "Heinu, I'd like that very much." It had been a while since she visited any exotic or romantic places, and the thought of visiting them with him was very appealing. She hoped he had more in mind than just enjoying some exotic cuisine.

Heinu smiled widely. "I'll plan something special." It wasn't long before the pair had finished off the meal. "I'll clean up," Heinu offered, taking both plates back to the replicator for recycling.

"I look forward to it." She poured the last of the wine into the two glasses and handed one to Heinu. "Shall we toast to the future?"

"Of course," he said, lifting the glass in one hand. "To the future, and more delicious meals and excellent company."

"To the future," she said. "And more delicious adventures."

[OFF]

--

PO1 Heinu Reteif
Botanist
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Ghoc]

Petra Varelli, Ph.D.
Forensic Anthropologist
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Sandoval]

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