Body Armour and Breakfast Sausages

Posted on Tue Mar 2nd, 2021 @ 3:48am by Ensign Elegy Nascimento & Crewman Finn Jones

Mission: Mission 4 - Eden
Location: Deck E - Mess Hall
Timeline: Day 160
Tags: Monthly Challenge
1216 words - 2.4 OF Standard Post Measure

Finn looked around the mess hall and frowned at the lack of space for the quiet little breakfast he wanted. It was undeniably busy for a ship with three watches and people who should be spread across them all. He spotted a pair of officers sat there talking away and bowed his head that, that was the only space and he wandered over. “Do you mind if I sit here Sirs?” he wondered.

Luca looked up from his bagel and coffee. "Suit yourself, there isn't a lot of space around here after all." He looked at the badge on the crewman's uniform. "So what is it you do Crewman Jones?"

Finn was surprised that someone did not know him and found himself smiling just a little at the fact he had finally found the one person on board who seemed more oblivious to who the crew were than the science officer he was sat with. “I work in hydroponics. I keep the plants alive and stop them from eating each other.” The young man shrugged. It was simple work but he liked it apart from when the plants tried to each him.

From the next chair over, Elegy Nascimento swallowed the bite of the egg he had been chewing. He smirked at what Finn had said and he shook his head briefly. Tilting his gaze towards Luca, Elegy said, "He's being too humble. Crewman Jones, here," --and Elegy waggled his fork in Finn's direction-- "Literally saved my life at Christmas. He's the greatest flower-wrangler you'll ever meet."

Luca nodded slowly. "So you deal with the carnivorous plants only then?" he asked looking from Finn to Nascimento. "You wandered into the area that says danger man eating plants after an experiment?" he asked dryly before returning to his coffee.

"I did not use to and we do not have signs. It is expected scientists know not to wander into those sections." Finn admitted liking the other man's humour. It was a match for a Vulcan's it seemed. "And you are being too humble as well Sir. You were a very good cheerleader and moral support to us flower wranglers." He did not look up from his cup of tea as he said it.

While Finn's eyes were on the down, Elegy looked right at him, when he said, "Cheerleading is my speciality. Those were my favourite electives at STC." There was a sardonic edge to Elegy's words, which were otherwise earnest. When Finn didn't look up, Elegy took a couple more bites of his eggs and washed it down with some iced coffee. "The Weeper plant should reach maturity in another week or so, and the hydroponics bay will be safe to visit again. Until then, we'll need to keep borrowing body armour from the armoury."

Finn grinned. "We appreciate the armour department lending them." The Weeper plant was taking great pleasure in creeping up on unsuspecting people so it had made it impossible to enter without access now after the last crewman from Engineering came to check the light fixtures.

Luca shook his head as he chuckled internally. "I have seen some 9f that armour, the marks are proving a pain to get rid of, but I guess it beats the med-bay visits."

"Or the galley!" Elegy added, amid a loud guffaw that erupted from deep within. He took another sip of his coffee and then he used the glass to gesture at Finn. "He was afraid the weeper would chew him up," Elegy said, grinning at Finn madly, "and spit him into a Finn pie. Thankfully... it didn't happen. Just left some nicks and scratches on the body armour. The whole crew is much better with Finn in it."

“I am a delicious delicacy for some people.” Was all Finn muttered half into his coffee as he tried to get into the breakfast that he had chosen. He was thankful for the armour that he had been given even if he was glum about the extra heat that it caused. It made him sluggish and slower to respond but it did protect part of him that he needed and liked where they were. It was just unbelievable that they had picked that plant over any other one that could have beenchosen. Why couldn't they have gone for a nice rose bush or sunflower?

Luca all but face palmed. "Look I do not need the image of you as a stuffed pig in my head alright."

"Finn pie please Sir. Not enough fat on my body to be a stuffed pig I am afraid." Finn said savouring the coffee that would wake him up more. It was just nice to enjoy the little things in life sometimes and having coffee again was certainly one of those things.

Luca shook his head slowly. "Does it matter?"

Downing a sip of iced coffee, Elegy was quick to swallow before he snickered at Luca's retort. "What does an exciting shift in the armoury look like these days?" Elegy asked, digging for gossip. Offhandedly, he remarked, "If we're wearing body armour in the science labs, maybe you're analyzing Vrav blood samples?"

Finn pouted just a little at the retort from Luca. Yes, it did matter to him and his pathetic excuse for self-worth at the moment but he shrugged. He was not going to declare that right there and then so settled for just sipping on his black coffee and looking at the Armoury Officer in interested. It had to more exciting than his routine.

Luca looked up at Jones. "Question Crewman?" He asked before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Nope, not from me. Just waiting to hear if you are analyzing the Vrav blood samples as we've got the armour, Sir." He said looking at first Luca then Elegy. He was the conversationalist, not the man who thrived on being alone with the plants where no one else decided to tread.

Feeling Finn's eyes on him, Elegy finished slurping at his iced coffee. "Yeah, what he said," Elegy remarked lightly. "What does a good day in the armoury look like," Elegy asked, genuinely curious about an arm of Starfleet he'd never looked at too closely, "especially now we're not being hunted by the Vrav?"

Luca smiled and shrugged. "To be honest we keep things quiet considering the arms we store could destroy the ship. There is lots of training, and the occasional investigation, but I don't recall anything as exciting as your recount."

Elegy responded to Luca's expression with a bemused smile of his own and a chuckle. He only broke it up to eat some more of his eggs. "Isn't that why why we all Starfleet in the first place?" Elegy asked rhetorically amid another laugh "Looking for the quiet life?"

Finn had been looking for something quiet but he was sure he would not change anything that he had done so far other than having his roommates back. He missed them and he knew it was survivors guilt as he should have been on duty with them but it hurt. He offered a smile to both men, it was an interesting breakfast for sure. He had not been looking for the company but it was nice to have.