Dinner for Two

Lindsy found Zedd in his ready room late that afternoon. He was leaning back in the captain's chair with something pulled up on the console, but he looked up when she stopped in the doorway.

"Got a minute?"

"Sure." He gestured at the chair across the desk. "What's up?"

She leaned against the doorframe instead of coming in. "We've been going pretty hard since I came aboard. Routes, diagnostics, the parts situation." She crossed her arms. "I was thinking we take a break. Dinner tonight, officers mess on Deck 2. I make a decent Rigellian stew if the replicator cooperates."

Zedd looked at her for a second. "You're asking me to dinner?"

"I suppose I am," she replied.

He leaned forward and closed out whatever was on his screen. "1900 then?"

"That works for me."

"Alrighty then." He was already reaching for his jacket. "I'll be there."

Lindsy nodded and left.

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The officers' mess on Deck 2 was small, four tables, chairs that had seen better days, one viewport along the far bulkhead. Someone had spec'd the overhead lighting in warm amber instead of the usual white and Lindsy had never minded it. New Ferenginar turned slowly below.

She got there first and got the stew going, Rigellian vegetables, extra herbs, flatbread on the side. Two mugs of spiced tea on the table by the viewport. She'd changed out of her coveralls into a loose tunic and pants before he arrived.

Zedd came in and had a look around. "It smells good in here."

"Good, sit down then," she said and went back to what she was doing.

He dropped into the chair and picked up the mug she'd left out for him. Turned it in his hands, sniffed it, then took a sip. "What's in this?"

"Spiced tea," she called back from the stove.

She brought the stew over a minute later and set a bowl down in front of him and went back for her own. He was already digging in by the time she sat down. He chewed it over and then pointed at the bowl with his spoon. "Okay I'll admit it, you really weren't kidding about that stew."

"I don't usually kid about food," she said and sat down across from him with a smile.

They ate and the ship hummed along quietly around them. After a few minutes Zedd said, "I've had navigators who were better on paper. Not a lot who could actually talk to people. And cook like this."

Lindsy glanced up at him. "Is that a compliment?"

"I'm trying for it to be one," he replied, grinning at her.

"You should work on it," she teased back.

He laughed at that. "I'll make a note of that." He tore off some flatbread. "How long were you on freighters?"

"Eight years, give or take," she said and took a spoonful of her stew.

"Did you ever stay anywhere long?"

"Not really." She refilled her tea. "What about you?"

"Nope." He shrugged. "Bounced around a lot. One partnership that went bad, a couple of crews that didn't last. This ship's the first thing I've owned clean in a while. No debts, nobody I answer to."

"How's that feel?" She liked that about it, no one breathing down their necks.

He thought about it for a moment. "Quiet. Which is nice for a change."

Lindsy nodded and left it there.

A few more minutes passed and Zedd finished up his stew. She noticed but didn't say anything just yet.

"Why'd you take this posting?" he asked. "You could've had something steadier."

"Steady bored me," she said and pulled her flatbread apart. "I wanted a crew that was building something."

"And?"

She looked at him. "Ask me again in six months."

He smiled at that. "Fair enough."

The two of them kept talking for a while, trading quips back and forth, getting a better read on each other.

The bowls had been empty for a while now and the tea was going cool.

"You know," Lindsy said, "for a pirate captain you clean up alright."

Zedd raised an eyebrow at that. "Alright?"

"Reasonably well," she said.

"That's a terrible thing to say," he replied, laughing at her.

He leaned back in his chair. "The stew was excellent by the way. It's the first meal I've sat down for in weeks without someone needing something from me." He paused. "Better?"

"A little bit," she said.

"Good." He glanced over at her bowl. "Are you gonna finish that?"

"I'm done with it," she said.

He reached over with his spoon and she slid the bowl toward him without a word.

Neither of them brought up leaving. The viewport held the planet's slow turn and that was enough for now.