(OOC: Was planning on keeping up a regular thing similar to Enterprise where the captain hosts dinners or breakfasts and so on with members of the crew in order to get to know them and have a chat. I figure the XO will be a daily invite to the meals, and Maya would be a good first invitee being the only non-human member of the crew - at least so far. I was originally going to start this before I got Cayne's resignation, but I figure we should still go ahead with it anyway, and I can just NPC him. Sound good?)

| May 14th, 2155
| Captain's Mess, Discovery NX-04, At Warp
| 1800hrs

Christina was the first into the captain's dining room, having politely nodded and spoken with a few of the crew members who were eating in the main mess next door on her way through. She still had the feeling that it would be a little strange to have a dining room all to herself, though she knew that it was a Starfleet tradition - even the smaller ships in the fleet had a separate area for the captain to eat, and it was the usual place for any ship's guests to dine when formal dinners were arranged. She had been a regular occupant of the room on the Saratoga, as part of the tradition of the dining room was for the captain to share evening meals with their first officer, but it had always still been Captain Brody's dining room.

For the room's inaugural meal, she had continued with tradition and invited Commander Cayne to join her, and had also decided to invite Doctor Maya as well. She hoped to build a working relationship with each of her officers onboard in the months and years to come, and a good start to that was sharing a meal with them. Doctor Maya was the only non-human onboard, and so would likely be the most distant crew member for her to try and bridge that gap with; she was - as the doctor herself might have said - the logical first invitee.

Commander Cayne entered only a few minutes after the captain had settled herself into her seat, and nodded in greeting to her. "Captain." The table had obviously been set for three, and he moved to take the place on the far side of the table, with his back facing the stars. He had already eaten his first meal aboard the ship, having slept onboard since his arrival three days ago, but this was the first he had seen the inside of the captain's own private dining room.

"Commander," Curtis replied, allowing her thoughts to settle back in the here and now. "I hope you're hungry. I hear that Chef has decided on going all-out for our first meal in here."

"Famished," the commander lied. He had a reasonable appetite, but he wouldn't have described himself as starving just yet.

[tag Maya]

Nudge

OOC: Was planning on keeping up a regular thing similar to Enterprise where the captain hosts dinners or breakfasts and so on with members of the crew in order to get to know them and have a chat. I figure the XO will be a daily invite to the meals, and Maya would be a good first invitee being the only non-human member of the crew - at least so far. I was originally going to start this before I got Cayne's resignation, but I figure we should still go ahead with it anyway, and I can just NPC him. Sound good?)

OOC Maya: Certainly, but I wish you'd have moved his write up to the NPC file instead of deleting him. I generally review the description of the other character during the 'meet and greet' scenes.

| May 14th, 2155
| Captain's Mess, Discovery NX-04, At Warp
| 1800hrs

Christina was the first into the captain's dining room, having politely nodded and spoken with a few of the crew members who were eating in the main mess next door on her way through. She still had the feeling that it would be a little strange to have a dining room all to herself, though she knew that it was a Starfleet tradition - even the smaller ships in the fleet had a separate area for the captain to eat, and it was the usual place for any ship's guests to dine when formal dinners were arranged. She had been a regular occupant of the room on the Saratoga, as part of the tradition of the dining room was for the captain to share evening meals with their first officer, but it had always still been Captain Brody's dining room.

For the room's inaugural meal, she had continued with tradition and invited Commander Cayne to join her, and had also decided to invite Doctor Maya as well. She hoped to build a working relationship with each of her officers onboard in the months and years to come, and a good start to that was sharing a meal with them. Doctor Maya was the only non-human onboard, and so would likely be the most distant crew member for her to try and bridge that gap with; she was - as the doctor herself might have said - the logical first invitee.

Commander Cayne entered only a few minutes after the captain had settled herself into her seat, and nodded in greeting to her. "Captain." The table had obviously been set for three, and he moved to take the place on the far side of the table, with his back facing the stars. He had already eaten his first meal aboard the ship, having slept onboard since his arrival three days ago, but this was the first he had seen the inside of the captain's own private dining room.

"Commander," Curtis replied, allowing her thoughts to settle back in the here and now. "I hope you're hungry. I hear that Chef has decided on going all-out for our first meal in here."

"Famished," her executive officer lied. He had a reasonable appetite, but he wouldn't have described himself as starving just yet.

Just then the door chimed.

[tag]

The door slid open to reveal the Discovery's only extraterrestrial crewmember Doctor Maya of Vulcan. The slender woman was dressed in a flowing white gown that barely covered her shoulders. "Good evening Captain," she greeted in a calm musical voice. "I trust I am not late?"

[tag

(OOC: The bio is still on the site, but it's listed as an inactive character - unfortunately the mods I made to the site skin to get the manifest to display how I wanted it broke the functionality of being able to switch to see the inactive character lists - it didn't seem important enough to try and fix that. You can still get the bio at http://discovery.ussiapetus.net/index.p ... aracter/17

I'm at work at the moment so can't do a full tag, but wanted to make that link available to you. Will fill in my tag when I get home)

(OOC: Bio links have been added to the start of each of the character's discussion threads so that they're readily available, even when the character has been marked inactive.)

| May 14th, 2155
| Captain's Mess, Discovery NX-04, At Warp
| 1800hrs

Christina was the first into the captain's dining room, having politely nodded and spoken with a few of the crew members who were eating in the main mess next door on her way through. She still had the feeling that it would be a little strange to have a dining room all to herself, though she knew that it was a Starfleet tradition - even the smaller ships in the fleet had a separate area for the captain to eat, and it was the usual place for any ship's guests to dine when formal dinners were arranged. She had been a regular occupant of the room on the Saratoga, as part of the tradition of the dining room was for the captain to share evening meals with their first officer, but it had always still been Captain Brody's dining room.

For the room's inaugural meal, she had continued with tradition and invited Commander Cayne to join her, and had also decided to invite Doctor Maya as well. She hoped to build a working relationship with each of her officers onboard in the months and years to come, and a good start to that was sharing a meal with them. Doctor Maya was the only non-human onboard, and so would likely be the most distant crew member for her to try and bridge that gap with; she was - as the doctor herself might have said - the logical first invitee.

Commander Cayne entered only a few minutes after the captain had settled herself into her seat, and nodded in greeting to her. "Captain." The table had obviously been set for three, and he moved to take the place on the far side of the table, with his back facing the stars. He had already eaten his first meal aboard the ship, having slept onboard since his arrival three days ago, but this was the first he had seen the inside of the captain's own private dining room.

"Commander," Curtis replied, allowing her thoughts to settle back in the here and now. "I hope you're hungry. I hear that Chef has decided on going all-out for our first meal in here."

"Famished," her executive officer lied. He had a reasonable appetite, but he wouldn't have described himself as starving just yet.

Just then the door chimed.

"Come in!" the captain called.

The door slid open to reveal the Discovery's only extraterrestrial crewmember Doctor Maya of Vulcan. The slender woman was dressed in a flowing white gown that barely covered her shoulders. "Good evening Captain," she greeted in a calm musical voice. "I trust I am not late?"

"Not at all, doctor," Curtis answered, gesturing towards the seat on the opposite side of the table from her own. "Please, take a seat." As she lowered herself down into her seat, she heard the door behind her open as Chef's two assistants came in bearing their meals. "Ah, what do we have here?"

Curtis' meal was relatively simple to look at, but Christina knew that in no way implied that its taste would be similarly plain. A thick slab of rump steak took up the majority of the plate, cooked medium-rare; brown on the outside, with defined lines on the top as a result of the grill, but still pink and juicy in the middle. Almost as satellites to the star of the steak were five new potatoes, half a grilled tomato, a grilled mushroom and assorted salads.

Cayne's meal was along similar lines; a shaped dish sat atop his plate, full of the contents of one of Chef's chicken and mushroom pies, with a lid of crispy pastry. On the plate next to the dish was a healthy portion of thick fries and salad.

[tag]
(OOC: Getting kinda hungry writing that...)

OOC: Thanks.

| May 14th, 2155
| Captain's Mess, Discovery NX-04, At Warp
| 1800hrs

Christina was the first into the captain's dining room, having politely nodded and spoken with a few of the crew members who were eating in the main mess next door on her way through. She still had the feeling that it would be a little strange to have a dining room all to herself, though she knew that it was a Starfleet tradition - even the smaller ships in the fleet had a separate area for the captain to eat, and it was the usual place for any ship's guests to dine when formal dinners were arranged. She had been a regular occupant of the room on the Saratoga, as part of the tradition of the dining room was for the captain to share evening meals with their first officer, but it had always still been Captain Brody's dining room.

For the room's inaugural meal, she had continued with tradition and invited Commander Cayne to join her, and had also decided to invite Doctor Maya as well. She hoped to build a working relationship with each of her officers onboard in the months and years to come, and a good start to that was sharing a meal with them. Doctor Maya was the only non-human onboard, and so would likely be the most distant crew member for her to try and bridge that gap with; she was - as the doctor herself might have said - the logical first invitee.

Commander Cayne entered only a few minutes after the captain had settled herself into her seat, and nodded in greeting to her. "Captain." The table had obviously been set for three, and he moved to take the place on the far side of the table, with his back facing the stars. He had already eaten his first meal aboard the ship, having slept onboard since his arrival three days ago, but this was the first he had seen the inside of the captain's own private dining room.

"Commander," Curtis replied, allowing her thoughts to settle back in the here and now. "I hope you're hungry. I hear that Chef has decided on going all-out for our first meal in here."

"Famished," her executive officer lied. He had a reasonable appetite, but he wouldn't have described himself as starving just yet.

Just then the door chimed.

"Come in!" the captain called.

The door slid open to reveal the Discovery's only extraterrestrial crewmember Doctor Maya of Vulcan. The slender woman was dressed in a flowing white gown that barely covered her shoulders. "Good evening Captain," she greeted in a calm musical voice. "I trust I am not late?"

"Not at all, doctor," Curtis answered, gesturing towards the seat on the opposite side of the table from her own. "Please, take a seat." As she lowered herself down into her seat, she heard the door behind her open as Chef's two assistants came in bearing their meals. "Ah, what do we have here?"

Curtis' meal was relatively simple to look at, but Christina knew that in no way implied that its taste would be similarly plain. A thick slab of rump steak took up the majority of the plate, cooked medium-rare; brown on the outside, with defined lines on the top as a result of the grill, but still pink and juicy in the middle. Almost as satellites to the star of the steak were five new potatoes, half a grilled tomato, a grilled mushroom and assorted salads.

Cayne's meal was along similar lines; a shaped dish sat atop his plate, full of the contents of one of Chef's chicken and mushroom pies, with a lid of crispy pastry. On the plate next to the dish was a healthy portion of thick fries and salad.

Speaking of salad, that was what Maya was having along with a hot bowl of fried rice and a bowl of what looked suspiciously like kung pao chicken without any chicken. The greenblooded physician nodded and stood before her meal. When Cayne gallantly pushed her chair in Curtis could tell that her executive officer was a whole foot taller than the little Vulcan.

"Thank you for inviting me," Maya said while picking up a pair of chopsticks. "It is indeed an honor to sit at the captain's table."

[tag]
(OOC: Getting kinda hungry writing that...)
(OOC: Never RP too close to mealtime...)

| May 14th, 2155
| Captain's Mess, Discovery NX-04, At Warp
| 1800hrs

Christina was the first into the captain's dining room, having politely nodded and spoken with a few of the crew members who were eating in the main mess next door on her way through. She still had the feeling that it would be a little strange to have a dining room all to herself, though she knew that it was a Starfleet tradition - even the smaller ships in the fleet had a separate area for the captain to eat, and it was the usual place for any ship's guests to dine when formal dinners were arranged. She had been a regular occupant of the room on the Saratoga, as part of the tradition of the dining room was for the captain to share evening meals with their first officer, but it had always still been Captain Brody's dining room.

For the room's inaugural meal, she had continued with tradition and invited Commander Cayne to join her, and had also decided to invite Doctor Maya as well. She hoped to build a working relationship with each of her officers onboard in the months and years to come, and a good start to that was sharing a meal with them. Doctor Maya was the only non-human onboard, and so would likely be the most distant crew member for her to try and bridge that gap with; she was - as the doctor herself might have said - the logical first invitee.

Commander Cayne entered only a few minutes after the captain had settled herself into her seat, and nodded in greeting to her. "Captain." The table had obviously been set for three, and he moved to take the place on the far side of the table, with his back facing the stars. He had already eaten his first meal aboard the ship, having slept onboard since his arrival three days ago, but this was the first he had seen the inside of the captain's own private dining room.

"Commander," Curtis replied, allowing her thoughts to settle back in the here and now. "I hope you're hungry. I hear that Chef has decided on going all-out for our first meal in here."

"Famished," her executive officer lied. He had a reasonable appetite, but he wouldn't have described himself as starving just yet.

Just then the door chimed.

"Come in!" the captain called.

The door slid open to reveal the Discovery's only extraterrestrial crewmember Doctor Maya of Vulcan. The slender woman was dressed in a flowing white gown that barely covered her shoulders. "Good evening Captain," she greeted in a calm musical voice. "I trust I am not late?"

"Not at all, doctor," Curtis answered, gesturing towards the seat on the opposite side of the table from her own. "Please, take a seat." As she lowered herself down into her seat, she heard the door behind her open as Chef's two assistants came in bearing their meals. "Ah, what do we have here?"

Curtis' meal was relatively simple to look at, but Christina knew that in no way implied that its taste would be similarly plain. A thick slab of rump steak took up the majority of the plate, cooked medium-rare; brown on the outside, with defined lines on the top as a result of the grill, but still pink and juicy in the middle. Almost as satellites to the star of the steak were five new potatoes, half a grilled tomato, a grilled mushroom and assorted salads.

Cayne's meal was along similar lines; a shaped dish sat atop his plate, full of the contents of one of Chef's chicken and mushroom pies, with a lid of crispy pastry. On the plate next to the dish was a healthy portion of thick fries and salad.

Speaking of salad, that was what Maya was having along with a hot bowl of fried rice and a bowl of what looked suspiciously like kung pao chicken without any chicken. The greenblooded physician nodded and stood before her meal. When Cayne gallantly pushed her chair in Curtis could tell that her executive officer was a whole foot taller than the little Vulcan.

"Thank you, crewmen," Curtis said as Chef's two assistance made their way out of the dining room.

"Thank you for inviting me," Maya said while picking up a pair of chopsticks. "It is indeed an honor to sit at the captain's table."

"Not at all, Doctor," Curtis responded. "I find I agree with Captain Archer's assertion that on missions such as Discovery's, it's important to get to know your crew on a personal level, as well as a professional one. We're likely to spend a great deal of time together, and I think that sharing meals together every now and then helps to ease things along."

[tag]

| May 14th, 2155
| Captain's Mess, Discovery NX-04, At Warp
| 1800hrs

Christina was the first into the captain's dining room, having politely nodded and spoken with a few of the crew members who were eating in the main mess next door on her way through. She still had the feeling that it would be a little strange to have a dining room all to herself, though she knew that it was a Starfleet tradition - even the smaller ships in the fleet had a separate area for the captain to eat, and it was the usual place for any ship's guests to dine when formal dinners were arranged. She had been a regular occupant of the room on the Saratoga, as part of the tradition of the dining room was for the captain to share evening meals with their first officer, but it had always still been Captain Brody's dining room.

For the room's inaugural meal, she had continued with tradition and invited Commander Cayne to join her, and had also decided to invite Doctor Maya as well. She hoped to build a working relationship with each of her officers onboard in the months and years to come, and a good start to that was sharing a meal with them. Doctor Maya was the only non-human onboard, and so would likely be the most distant crew member for her to try and bridge that gap with; she was - as the doctor herself might have said - the logical first invitee.

Commander Cayne entered only a few minutes after the captain had settled herself into her seat, and nodded in greeting to her. "Captain." The table had obviously been set for three, and he moved to take the place on the far side of the table, with his back facing the stars. He had already eaten his first meal aboard the ship, having slept onboard since his arrival three days ago, but this was the first he had seen the inside of the captain's own private dining room.

"Commander," Curtis replied, allowing her thoughts to settle back in the here and now. "I hope you're hungry. I hear that Chef has decided on going all-out for our first meal in here."

"Famished," her executive officer lied. He had a reasonable appetite, but he wouldn't have described himself as starving just yet.

Just then the door chimed.

"Come in!" the captain called.

The door slid open to reveal the Discovery's only extraterrestrial crewmember Doctor Maya of Vulcan. The slender woman was dressed in a flowing white gown that barely covered her shoulders. "Good evening Captain," she greeted in a calm musical voice. "I trust I am not late?"

"Not at all, doctor," Curtis answered, gesturing towards the seat on the opposite side of the table from her own. "Please, take a seat." As she lowered herself down into her seat, she heard the door behind her open as Chef's two assistants came in bearing their meals. "Ah, what do we have here?"

Curtis' meal was relatively simple to look at, but Christina knew that in no way implied that its taste would be similarly plain. A thick slab of rump steak took up the majority of the plate, cooked medium-rare; brown on the outside, with defined lines on the top as a result of the grill, but still pink and juicy in the middle. Almost as satellites to the star of the steak were five new potatoes, half a grilled tomato, a grilled mushroom and assorted salads.

Cayne's meal was along similar lines; a shaped dish sat atop his plate, full of the contents of one of Chef's chicken and mushroom pies, with a lid of crispy pastry. On the plate next to the dish was a healthy portion of thick fries and salad.

Speaking of salad, that was what Maya was having along with a hot bowl of fried rice and a bowl of what looked suspiciously like kung pao chicken without any chicken. The greenblooded physician nodded and stood before her meal. When Cayne gallantly pushed her chair in Curtis could tell that her executive officer was a whole foot taller than the little Vulcan.

"Thank you, crewmen," Curtis said as Chef's two assistance made their way out of the dining room.

"Thank you for inviting me," Maya said while picking up a pair of chopsticks. "It is indeed an honor to sit at the captain's table."

"Not at all, Doctor," Curtis responded. "I find I agree with Captain Archer's assertion that on missions such as Discovery's, it's important to get to know your crew on a personal level, as well as a professional one. We're likely to spend a great deal of time together, and I think that sharing meals together every now and then helps to ease things along."

"I agree," the little Vulcan nodded serenely. "For all intents and purposes, we are all family now."

[tag]

| May 14th, 2155
| Captain's Mess, Discovery NX-04, At Warp
| 1800hrs

Christina was the first into the captain's dining room, having politely nodded and spoken with a few of the crew members who were eating in the main mess next door on her way through. She still had the feeling that it would be a little strange to have a dining room all to herself, though she knew that it was a Starfleet tradition - even the smaller ships in the fleet had a separate area for the captain to eat, and it was the usual place for any ship's guests to dine when formal dinners were arranged. She had been a regular occupant of the room on the Saratoga, as part of the tradition of the dining room was for the captain to share evening meals with their first officer, but it had always still been Captain Brody's dining room.

For the room's inaugural meal, she had continued with tradition and invited Commander Cayne to join her, and had also decided to invite Doctor Maya as well. She hoped to build a working relationship with each of her officers onboard in the months and years to come, and a good start to that was sharing a meal with them. Doctor Maya was the only non-human onboard, and so would likely be the most distant crew member for her to try and bridge that gap with; she was - as the doctor herself might have said - the logical first invitee.

Commander Cayne entered only a few minutes after the captain had settled herself into her seat, and nodded in greeting to her. "Captain." The table had obviously been set for three, and he moved to take the place on the far side of the table, with his back facing the stars. He had already eaten his first meal aboard the ship, having slept onboard since his arrival three days ago, but this was the first he had seen the inside of the captain's own private dining room.

"Commander," Curtis replied, allowing her thoughts to settle back in the here and now. "I hope you're hungry. I hear that Chef has decided on going all-out for our first meal in here."

"Famished," her executive officer lied. He had a reasonable appetite, but he wouldn't have described himself as starving just yet.

Just then the door chimed.

"Come in!" the captain called.

The door slid open to reveal the Discovery's only extraterrestrial crewmember Doctor Maya of Vulcan. The slender woman was dressed in a flowing white gown that barely covered her shoulders. "Good evening Captain," she greeted in a calm musical voice. "I trust I am not late?"

"Not at all, doctor," Curtis answered, gesturing towards the seat on the opposite side of the table from her own. "Please, take a seat." As she lowered herself down into her seat, she heard the door behind her open as Chef's two assistants came in bearing their meals. "Ah, what do we have here?"

Curtis' meal was relatively simple to look at, but Christina knew that in no way implied that its taste would be similarly plain. A thick slab of rump steak took up the majority of the plate, cooked medium-rare; brown on the outside, with defined lines on the top as a result of the grill, but still pink and juicy in the middle. Almost as satellites to the star of the steak were five new potatoes, half a grilled tomato, a grilled mushroom and assorted salads.

Cayne's meal was along similar lines; a shaped dish sat atop his plate, full of the contents of one of Chef's chicken and mushroom pies, with a lid of crispy pastry. On the plate next to the dish was a healthy portion of thick fries and salad.

Speaking of salad, that was what Maya was having along with a hot bowl of fried rice and a bowl of what looked suspiciously like kung pao chicken without any chicken. The greenblooded physician nodded and stood before her meal. When Cayne gallantly pushed her chair in Curtis could tell that her executive officer was a whole foot taller than the little Vulcan.

"Thank you, crewmen," Curtis said as Chef's two assistance made their way out of the dining room.

"Thank you for inviting me," Maya said while picking up a pair of chopsticks. "It is indeed an honor to sit at the captain's table."

"Not at all, Doctor," Curtis responded. "I find I agree with Captain Archer's assertion that on missions such as Discovery's, it's important to get to know your crew on a personal level, as well as a professional one. We're likely to spend a great deal of time together, and I think that sharing meals together every now and then helps to ease things along."

"I agree," the little Vulcan nodded serenely. "For all intents and purposes, we are all family now."

"I like that," Curtis said, tilting her head as she considered that. The doctor was right; the crew would be living together aboard Discovery potentially for years to come. They may not be linked by blood, but they would have to look upon each other as family if they were to get along for such a long period of time; and potentially rely on each other for their very lives. She couldn't help but let her thoughts stray to the ship's first task; one that had a definite risk of life to it. Raising her glass of wine from the table, she tried to pull her thoughts back to the here and now with a toast. "To family."

"To family," Cayne agreed, raising his own glass.

[tag]

"So, Doctor; what part of Vulcan is it you're from?" Cayne asked, as he began to tuck into his meal. He'd had a look through the Starfleet records of most of the ship's crew as its first officer, but he hadn't had chance to read up on the doctor considering her late arrival to the ship.

[tag]

| May 14th, 2155
| Captain's Mess, Discovery NX-04, At Warp
| 1800hrs

Christina was the first into the captain's dining room, having politely nodded and spoken with a few of the crew members who were eating in the main mess next door on her way through. She still had the feeling that it would be a little strange to have a dining room all to herself, though she knew that it was a Starfleet tradition - even the smaller ships in the fleet had a separate area for the captain to eat, and it was the usual place for any ship's guests to dine when formal dinners were arranged. She had been a regular occupant of the room on the Saratoga, as part of the tradition of the dining room was for the captain to share evening meals with their first officer, but it had always still been Captain Brody's dining room.

For the room's inaugural meal, she had continued with tradition and invited Commander Cayne to join her, and had also decided to invite Doctor Maya as well. She hoped to build a working relationship with each of her officers onboard in the months and years to come, and a good start to that was sharing a meal with them. Doctor Maya was the only non-human onboard, and so would likely be the most distant crew member for her to try and bridge that gap with; she was - as the doctor herself might have said - the logical first invitee.

Commander Cayne entered only a few minutes after the captain had settled herself into her seat, and nodded in greeting to her. "Captain." The table had obviously been set for three, and he moved to take the place on the far side of the table, with his back facing the stars. He had already eaten his first meal aboard the ship, having slept onboard since his arrival three days ago, but this was the first he had seen the inside of the captain's own private dining room.

"Commander," Curtis replied, allowing her thoughts to settle back in the here and now. "I hope you're hungry. I hear that Chef has decided on going all-out for our first meal in here."

"Famished," her executive officer lied. He had a reasonable appetite, but he wouldn't have described himself as starving just yet.

Just then the door chimed.

"Come in!" the captain called.

The door slid open to reveal the Discovery's only extraterrestrial crewmember, Doctor Maya of Vulcan. The slender woman was dressed in a flowing white gown that barely covered her shoulders. "Good evening Captain," she greeted in a calm musical voice. "I trust I am not late?"

"Not at all, doctor," Curtis answered, gesturing towards the seat on the opposite side of the table from her own. "Please, take a seat." As she lowered herself down into her seat, she heard the door behind her open as Chef's two assistants came in bearing their meals. "Ah, what do we have here?"

Curtis' meal was relatively simple to look at, but Christina knew that in no way implied that its taste would be similarly plain. A thick slab of rump steak took up the majority of the plate, cooked medium-rare; brown on the outside, with defined lines on the top as a result of the grill, but still pink and juicy in the middle. Almost as satellites to the star of the steak were five new potatoes, half a grilled tomato, a grilled mushroom and assorted salads.

Cayne's meal was along similar lines; a shaped dish sat atop his plate, full of the contents of one of Chef's chicken and mushroom pies, with a lid of crispy pastry. On the plate next to the dish was a healthy portion of thick fries and salad.

Speaking of salad, that was what Maya was having along with a hot bowl of fried rice and a bowl of what looked suspiciously like kung pao chicken without any chicken. The greenblooded physician nodded and stood before her meal. When Cayne gallantly pushed her chair in Curtis could tell that her executive officer was a whole foot taller than the little Vulcan.

"Thank you, crewmen," Curtis said as Chef's two assistance made their way out of the dining room.

"Thank you for inviting me," Maya said while picking up a pair of chopsticks. "It is indeed an honor to sit at the captain's table."

"Not at all, Doctor," Curtis responded. "I find I agree with Captain Archer's assertion that on missions such as Discovery's, it's important to get to know your crew on a personal level, as well as a professional one. We're likely to spend a great deal of time together, and I think that sharing meals together every now and then helps to ease things along."

"I agree," the little Vulcan nodded serenely. "For all intents and purposes, we are all family now."

"I like that," Curtis said, tilting her head as she considered that. The doctor was right; the crew would be living together aboard Discovery potentially for years to come. They may not be linked by blood, but they would have to look upon each other as family if they were to get along for such a long period of time; and potentially rely on each other for their very lives. She couldn't help but let her thoughts stray to the ship's first task; one that had a definite risk of life to it. Raising her glass of wine from the table, she tried to pull her thoughts back to the here and now with a toast. "To family."

"To family," Cayne agreed, raising his own glass.

"To family," Maya repeated stiffly as she mimicked Cayne's actions.

"So, Doctor; what part of Vulcan is it you're from?" Cayne asked, as he began to tuck into his meal. He'd had a look through the Starfleet records of most of the ship's crew as its first officer, but he hadn't had chance to read up on the doctor considering her late arrival to the ship.

"The Eithnir Province," she replied as she picked up her chopsticks and her bowl of meatless kung pao. “I must confess that it is a bit of a backward and traditional region. I suppose that every world must have them. I wasn’t born in the actual city, but in the rural village of Ní Bhraonáin. I suppose you could I grew up in the doonies,” she said before she used her chopsticks to shovel spiced vegetables into her mouth, although what she meant by ‘doonies’ was anybody’s guess.