Family Recipes

Posted on Mon Jan 9th, 2023 @ 10:20pm by Sublieutenant Renee Hernandez & Uhlan Ezra Perez

1,341 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Chapter VI: Racing the Storm
Location: Mess Hall, Ourainavassa

"And, finally, here's the mess hall." For the past hour or so, Perez had shown their counterpart, Shizune, around Ourainavassa, or at least the non-sensitive areas. Now, they had reached the final destination of the tour.

"Quite the impressive ship you have here, Hansha", Shizune said with a genuine smile. "And it seems you really have made a home for yourself here."

Perez simply nodded and led Shizune through the doors to the mess hall, which was starting to get busier as the day shift came off duty. However, nobody was sat at the bar, and the Uhlan quickly directed their visitor to the stools there. "Hey, Quartermaster!," Perez called out. "You there? Got someone I'd like you to meet!"

Renee peeked out of the kitchen and rolled her eyes sarcastically, "How many times do I have to tell you... I'm a chef first and quartermaster because you people think a former Section 31 operative would be a great choice to replace a Ferengi to manage our supplies and money." She had to chuckle at the thought herself as she wiped her hands and went over to Perez with a friendly smile, "So who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"

Perez chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, but you seem to be handling it just fine either way. You remember those Japanese recipes I gave you? You wouldn't have any ready to go, some ramen or curry or something?"

Shizune shook her head. "Rude. You were asked who you're bringing into the mess hall, and you haven't even bothered introducing me. Typical Hansha" She turned to Renee, and bowed slightly in her seat. "Nakai Shizune, proprietor of the tea house Shanghai in Osaka, programmer and hacker here to help out with the mission. Captain Mannerheim thought it wise to have some special measures in place should the Terrans decide to become a problem."

With a laugh, Perez punched Shizune in the shoulder. "Oh come on, Shi. I'm sure she would have seen the resemblance." With Perez' short, white hair and black field uniform contrasting Shizune's long black hair and elegant grey suit, the resemblance was difficult to notice at all, however - except for the identical, bright ice blue eyes.

"With eyes like those, it'd be hard to not think you're related," Renee pointed out, "And I do have some curry cooking, if you don't mind waiting a few more minutes." She took the time to look at the newcomer. A proprietor of a tea house... and hacker.... she chuckled to herself. That is definitely no less strange than how she ended up the chef and quartermaster on this ship with her assassin ex fiance as the XO. "So, how long have you been aboard?"

Shizune's eyes brightened at the mention of curry. "Oh, you have some katsukare in the works? That I will definitely have to try. And yes, we are related, in a way, I suppose."

Perez shook their head. "Now you're the one not answering questions, Shi." They turned to Renée. "She's been staying on Drozana for the past few days, I invited her over for a tour of the ship when I ran into her in the bazaar. As for who Shi is, I'm sure you remember the photo I showed you when I was here with the Lynn twins and Major Rogers, just after I joined the crew. This right here is what I might have looked like if the Terrans hadn't turned me into a lab animal. Well, the hair would probably still be short."

Renee chuckled, "I'll bring out the curry as soon as it's done. That's how I can tell you're related. Perez lights up like a Christmas tree whenever I have some made fresh." She looked closer at Shizune, "I thought you looked a little familiar. I'm glad you're here. Sounds like we need all the help we can get. What has Perez told you about what we're up to?"

Both Shizune and Perez burst out in simultanous laughter, pefore looking at each other and shaking their heads. "And here I thought that Shi and I were immune to that one. You know, the synchronised thinking."

Shizune chuckled. "Well, we are mirror images of one another, after all. Hansha hasn't told me much that I didn't know from the Captain already. Trying to evacuate civilians from Romulus before the 'nova, right? Captain Mannerheim expects her own crew to become a problem in that plan, that's why she hired me to try to build a remote backdoor into their systems."

Renee nodded, "That is definitely prudent... there's far too much at stake to not take every precaution. What are your plans when this is all said and done? Should I be making more curry regularly?" She smiled at the two of them, in a lonely universe it never hurts to have more friends and family.

"There is a teahouse that needs my attention," Shizune replied with a shrug. "I've left it in the hands of my staff, and I expect there to be a lot of chaos to clean up when I get back. Anyone from this crew is welcome any time you find yourself near Osaka, of course." She sniffed the air hungrily. "Speaking of curry, is it ready yet? I'm starving."

"I'll hold you to that," Renee said as she checked on the kitchen. "I can only hope that I've done these recipes right by you," she called out as she brought out their meals. "OK, what do you think?"

With Renee and Perez looking on expectantly, Shizune took a spoonful of the curry sauce, giving off the best impression of an expert, before taking her chopsticks and sampling the meat. She looked at Perez. "So, you say you gave her your family's recipes, yes?"

Perez simply nodded. "I'm not much of a cook, as you've noticed. Thought they'd be in better hands."

Shizune nodded, and took another slice of meat. "Tell me, Hansha, have you found this universe's food a little lacking in heat?"

Perez raised an eyebrow. "Yes, actually, why do you ask?"

"Oh, just an assumption," Shizune replied with a smile. "It's obvious that, unless the chef made some alterations to the recipe, this is a little bit higher on heat than my version of the family recipe." Her smile turned into a smirk. "I like it, I might make the same alteration from now on. This is excellent, Renee."

Renee grinned proudly as she eyed Perez mockingly, "Family recipes are pretty sacred in my book, I'd never alter them without approval or fully disclosing that I did. So.... for someone that's not much of a cook... this is actually Perez's recipe with the added heat. I'm glad you enjoy it, but the credit definitely goes to this one."

Perez shook their head. "I never touched the recipes, beyond trying to make some of them myself and really not getting the best results. This is how my mother always made it. I can give you the recipes, too, if you want, Shi."

Shizune beamed happily. "Traditional recipes from another universe? How could I say no?"

"That sounds like an excellent business opportunity.... a restaurant that specializes in recipes not just from around the galaxy, but also from across universes..." Renee pondered. "Maybe after we save the day that will be my next venture..."

Perez chuckled. "I happen to know someone with quite a bit of experience running a restaurant, you know." They nudged Shizune in the side.

"Hansha is definitely not wrong there," Shizune added, laughing. "How about, when this is all over, we all sit down and come up with a plan?"

A plan... Renee thought to herself. There was once a time where she had enough hope for the future to do that. She looked at the young faces in front of her, jaded in their own ways, but they don't need her weariness. She smiled at them, "Sounds like a plan."

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