Coffee Break

Posted on 22 Nov 2025 @ 1:37pm by Lieutenant JG Zhivise Silatuyok & Crewman Apprentice Unknown 'Weirdo'

1,086 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Unity
Location: Unity Station

Until now, Zhiv had never set foot on a station outside of the Sol system, as all of her assignments had been within the Sol system. So, for her, this was again exhilarating and also weirdly exhausting as there were so many ''new things' to experience, like different kinds of coffee.

"....mmm what is good," she said as she got to the front of the line, and was a bit overwhelmed with the menu.

"The Relen lattes are smooth, and very luscious, and the Kanar mochas are well, they have a unique taste to them," the person working the front said with a small smile.

"Um, let's go with the Relen lattes, with honey, oh, and for here," Zhiv said before going to find a table or booth to sit at.

When he saw a familiar face looking around, somewhat uncertainly, the crewman with the unruly hair and sea-coloured eyes raised his hand and waved at her. "Hi, Zhiv! Care to join me?" On his table, there was a row of small cups, surrounded by various equally small dishes, and some PADDs.

"Oh! Wow, you have been busy," Zhiv said, looking at all the PaDDs as she took a seat, before looking up and into his eyes, those mysterious, calming eyes.

"Oh, just doing a bit of light reading," he replied with a grin. "Well, except for this one. I'm doing a coffee tasting, rating them on various aspects. It's exciting to compare them." He gestured to the row of cups.

"Oh! You are also a coffee lover?" Zhiv said with a big grin on her face, "Which one do you like out of these four?"

"Absolutely!" His face lit up, and he went off, talking with enthusiasm. "Actually, I was just making notes about that. It depends on the time of day for me. This one here-" he pointed at the second cup on the left, "would be an excellent one to start the day with. Strong, sweet, and it works perfectly with most breakfasts. This one is nice for afternoons." He indicated the one furthest to the right. "It's a bit more mellow, still strong enough to carry you through the rest of the afternoon. This one here," the one next to it, "is the perfect after-dinner cup, robust, with just a hint of chocolate and nutmeg. And this one," pointing to the one on the left, "is great as a nightcap. Very smooth and creamy, with hints of honey, it carries you right off to sleep. Well, for most people, that is. Great for winding down, at any rate."

He tapped the PADD while he talked and ended with a flourish and a satisfied nod. "There. Done."

"Wow, that is impressive," Zhiv said with a smirk, glad that he had found a nice afternoon coffee, as that was one of her favorite cups of coffee, outside of the first one of the day. "I may have to get some of those beans, or at least get them added to the replicator," Zhiv added.

"Ma'am, here is your Relen lattes," the waitress said as she set it down onto the table.

"Thank you," Zhiv said as she took the first sip, finding it lovely and silky.

"Well, you can still enjoy the real stuff while we're here," he grinned. "So, what have you been up to lately?"

"A little bit of work helped Commander Harva with a task flying a workerbee to get some scans of the hull of the Odin, looking for any damage," Zhiv said, still feeling that high from flying; it didn't matter to her, flying was flying.

"Oh, nice! I'm sure he appreciates that. Not often you get the chance to get out there, I take it?" He lifted a hand to draw the attention of the waitress.

"What has light reading been for you?" Zhiv asked, having a funny feeling that other people's idea of light is not his.

"Hm? Oh, this is a shuttle maintenance guide, fascinating." He lifted one of the PADDs. "This one… alright, maybe this one is a little trickier, but that's because there isn't a proper translation yet, it's a Sal'kiiran document, sagas and legends from the various subtypes. A fascinating read; I'm trying to correct the translation, but it's proving very challenging. I've downloaded a couple of dictionaries on this PADD here."

Ziv couldn't help but chuckle. "This is light reading, this seems like work," she added. "Well, minus the shuttle maintenance guide, but again, being a pilot always found those interesting," she said.

"Nah, just a hobby." He grinned back. "Though, now that you're here, that reminds me… I plan to obtain a shuttle pilot's licence at some point, but for that, I also need to accumulate actual flying hours, outside of simulations, under the guidance of a licensed pilot. Would you be up for some of them, by any chance?"

Zhiv was a bit nervous about letting him fly, but what could it hurt, besides the shuttle and them? "I think we can make that happen," Zhiv said with a smile, "...um, have you done any simulator work?"

The wild curls danced around his head as he nodded. "Oh yes. But I already know that simulators are quite different from the real thing. It wouldn't be the first time that someone performs excellently in the simulator and completely freezes once they're actually out in space. Kind of a psychological thing, I've read. Starships are huge; it's easy to forget they're flying in space. Shuttles, though, really hammer home the fact that there's only a thin layer of metal between you and the vacuum of space. Not everyone can handle that." He grinned. "I think I'll be fine on that account, though."

"Alright, I'll see what I can do, gonna need command's permission, but I am sure they'll obligie," Zhiv said with a smirk.

"Awesome!" He quickly stacked the PADDs and tucked them away into some hidden pocket. "Just let me know when and where, and I'll be there. Lots of thanks!"

"I will," Zhiv said with a smile as she continued to sip on her coffee, "and you are welcome," she said, watching him fill all the pockets, and there were so many pockets which causeed her to chuckle.

"As usual, it was a pleasure and a delight to talk with you," the man says once he's finished storing the PADDs and gives her a neat bow. "See you soon!" And with a smile and a quick wave he is gone.

 

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