The Big Chill

Posted on Sun Jan 25th, 2026 @ 1:16am by Commander Aleshanee & Technical Sergeant Decker & Technician Tahlina Yanez-Tahli & Senior Technician Jaime Mallory

2,120 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: A New Dawn
Location: Mess
Timeline: Takes place a few days before the log "Combat Bonding"

Aleshanee didn't know how to cook, but luckily, Decker did. He learned while serving, and luckily, Deep Space Nine had everything one would need to make a fresh meal, including Bajoran Spring wine. The one thing that Aleshanee could do, not necessarily well, but setting a table, "right, this looks good, right?"

"Looks fine, they'll love it," Decker said with a soft smile, but there was that thing, that thing that all special operators had, that nagging in the back of their head when things are going too well, but Decker pushed that aside. This was important, and he needed to be present for it.

The scent of something freshly cooked and surprisingly pleasant drifted through the corridor before Jaime even stepped into the small mess. She paused just inside the doorway, one hand still resting on the frame as she took in the scene: Aleshanee standing over a carefully set table, and Decker nearby, looking just a little too serious for someone about to share a meal.

A smile tugged at Jaime’s lips. "Well, this looks... civilized," she said lightly, her tone teasing but warm. "I was half-expecting ration packs and a deck of cards."

Tahlina walked in, "like the good ol' days," she said with a smile. There were just a few people who saw her smile, and all of them were here right now.

"Tahlina!" Aleshanee said with a smile, knowing these things were not her favorite, "I am glad you made it," which was odd to say, since she was part of the crew regardless of what happened.

Decker smirked as he tossed a pack of cards to Jaime, "After dinner, yeah?"

Jaime caught the deck one-handed with an easy flick of her wrist, the motion smooth enough to suggest she’d done it more than a few times before. "After dinner," she echoed with a grin, slipping the cards into the pocket of her jacket. "But fair warning; I’m way better when there’s actual food in me."

Her gaze slid to Tahlina, the teasing softening into something warmer. "Hey, you. Good to see you out of your hidey-hole." It carried no edge, just a gentle comfort toward someone who seemed as if she had been part of her life for years.

Then she looked over at the table: the real plates, the careful arrangement, the wine, and her expression shifted into something quieter, appreciative without being sentimental. "This looks nice," she said to both Aleshanee and Decker. "Really nice." She took a seat, settling in as she belonged there, not out of confidence, but out of comfort with them.

"Guess even a groundhog needs to poke their head out every so often," Tahlina said as she walked over to Jaime to hug her. Again, it was Jaime and Aleshanee who'll get this kind of connection.

Jaime let out a soft breath of amusement as familiar arms wrapped around her from behind, her smile widening instantly. She reached up to rest a hand on Tahlina’s forearm in an easy, instinctive gesture; the kind that only existed between people who’d been part of each other’s lives for what felt like a very long time. "See? Knew you could be social if properly bribed," she murmured, her tone warm enough that the tease barely counted as one.

"Everyone grab a drink, we have about 20 to 30 minutes before dinner will be ready," Decker said, knowing that this time was necessary, especially for this group to be able to catch up.

Jaime gave a short, knowing nod. "Alright," she said, easing forward to free herself from the hug. "You don’t have to tell me twice." She stood, smoothing her hands along her thighs before heading toward the counter. Over her shoulder, she added with a faint grin, "Anyone want something while I’m already playing bartender?"

Tahlina let out a soft chuckle as she let go of Jaime and watched her walk to the counter, "You know my drink," which, for her, was beer, always has been, and honestly will always be.

Aleshanee looked up, "We got stuff for a gin and tonic?"

Jaime reached the counter and pulled open the small cabinet above it, scanning the bottles and mixers with the practiced air of someone who’d been in this mess hall far too often. Tahlina’s answer earned a small half-laugh over Jaime’s shoulder. "Yeah, I know yours," she said, already grabbing a chilled bottle from the replicator-cooler. "One day I’m going to hand you a glass of water just to see if you notice."

She set the beer on the counter behind her, then glanced back toward Aleshanee with a raised brow. "Gin and tonic? Since when are we getting fancy?" A quick look at the shelf answered her own question, and she reached up for the gin, tapping the side of the bottle with her fingertip in mild approval. "Looks like someone stocked us up."

She pulled out the tonic next, lining everything in a neat row. "Alright, one beer and one gin and tonic. Anybody else before I start shaking things I probably shouldn’t?"

"Another beer," Decker called out as he was finishing up some of the prep.

"You know, I am a commander now, I need to keep up appearances, right?" she asked with a chuckle.

Jaime paused with her hand on a bottle, as Aleshanee’s comment drew her attention back to the table. She raised an eyebrow, wearing a small, amused smile. "Keep up appearances?" she echoed, then slid the bottle of beer onto the counter with a practiced flick towards Decker. "On the Ada Lovelace?”

She turned back and picked up the gin bottle again, shaking her head fondly as she started assembling the drink. "If anyone’s judging your choice of beverage, they probably haven’t met the rest of us."

There was a warmth beneath the teasing; the kind that said she respected Aleshanee, rank or not.

She dropped a lime wedge into the glass and gave it a gentle stir. "Besides, a commander who can set a table and drink something green in a glass? Pretty sure that counts as distinguished around here."

She set the gin and tonic aside and tapped the rim lightly. "Alright, fancy drink for the fancy one, beer for the usual suspects. Anything else before I start charging for labor?"

Aleshanee chcukled slightly as she walked over to get her drink, "....oh, this is lovely," Aleshanee said, smiling at Jaime, "and I think everyone has a drink," she said as she took a seat, "so one rule tonight, no shop talk, yeah," Aleshanee said, looking around the room.

"I think that is a lovely idea, now I also feel like we are free to discuss the new crew, as I believe we have met them all," Decker added with a soft smile.

At the mention of no shop talk, Jaime let out a quiet laugh. “Thank the Prophets,” she had murmured, referring to the no shop talk rule, as she took her seat. She settled comfortably, tucking one leg beneath her, and then looked between the others with an amused spark in her lavender eyes. Decker’s suggestion had earned a lifted brow.

“Discussing the new crew isn’t shop talk?” she asked, the teasing unmistakable but gentle. “Interesting loophole you found there, Decker.” She lifted her glass again, this time in a mock-formal toast. “Alright then. New crew it is. We did meet everyone… and I’ve already got theories.”

"You know us SpecOps guys, always trying to find that loophole," he said with a chuckle, taking a sip of his beer and trying to knock it down in one.

Tahina noticed what Decker did, and to be fair, the two of them have gone toe to toe with drinking in the past, but this was not the place for that, so she also took it slow. "The doc, what do we all think?" Tahlina blurted out.

"I was wrong. He is someone I haven't seen yet," Jaime responded, sounding disappointed. "But I will in the morning; you can be sure of that." She looked around at the others. "So, what's he like?"

"Humph, pompous," Decker said quickly, maybe a little too quickly.

"Arrogant," Tahlina said.

"Yes, to both of those, but his medical skills, and his main goal is to keep us safe," Aleshanee said, looking at Decker, and Tahlina giving them a look of 'be careful of what or how you say things,' "....so keep an open mind, yeah?"

Jaime lifted her glass slightly in acknowledgment of Aleshanee’s look, her expression softening. "Fair," she said easily. "I can work with pompous and arrogant if the hands are steady and the priorities are straight."

Decker smirked and chuckled as he went back to checking his dishes, "mmm, almost time," he called back. "So, how is everyone enjoying Deep Space Nine?" Decker is actually curious, as he knew he was the only one who had spent time on DS9 that he knew of.

Jaime took a thoughtful sip of her drink before answering. "I did a little shopping earlier," she continued casually. "Picked up a deck of cards for Ben. His own this time, so I can finally teach him how to shuffle properly."

She turned then, glancing back toward Decker with a faint grin. "Haven’t made it to the bar yet, though…" Her gaze drifted from person to person, lingering just long enough to suggest the invitation without stating it outright. "Maybe later tonight."

Tahlina looked around, "hit Quarks a few times, something is different about it, or maybe it is not wartime anymore," she said, knowing that was an odd thing to say, but it was true.

Jaime considered Tahlina’s words for a moment, her expression thoughtful rather than dismissive. "No… you’re not wrong," she said quietly. "It does feel different." She lifted her glass slightly, eyes unfocusing as if picturing the promenade as it had once been. "Less edge. Less waiting for the next shoe to drop." A faint smile touched her lips. "Maybe that’s what peace looks like when you’re not used to it."

With the talk of war and how things felt different, Decker tensed up slightly, "...hey, you good?" Aleshanee asked, walking over to him. She could always tell. Now, figuring out what to do to help him was still being worked out on both sides, as neither really knew how to help.

"I'm good, go be with them," he said, also knowing that this group meant more to her than it did to him; he was just lucky to know them.

Jaime felt the shift before she fully registered it: a subtle tightening in the room. Her gaze lifted just enough to catch Decker’s posture change and Aleshanee moving closer to him, the exchange brief but heavy with unspoken weight. She didn’t stare. She never did. Instead, she let her attention soften, instinctively giving the moment space. The empathy came and went like a quiet undercurrent; not something to act on, just something to acknowledge.

Jaime took a slow sip of her drink, grounding herself in the present, and then let her focus drift back to the table. Whatever that moment was, it belonged to them.

Tahlina also picked it up, but differently, more of a sensing how the air shifted in the mess. Nothing is necessarily bad, just different. {Shit,} Tahlina thought, "...has anyone been home since the end of the war?" Tahlina asked, hoping it was a lighter topic, but quickly realized it might not be.

"Home’s a complicated word after a war," Jaime said quietly, not pointed at anyone in particular. Her tone was gentle, offering an exit rather than a push.

Aleshanee nodded; home was an odd word, and hell was a concept after war, especially a war that saw massive damage to many of their homeworlds. "I had hoped that we could stop by Panora before we get our first assignment. I would have loved to show off my uncle's ranch to you all," Aleshanee said with a small smirk. "But, maybe for our first RnR, yeah?"

"First RnR," Jaime agreed softly, then a smile spread across her face. "Let’s make it happen."

"Alright, alright," Decker said, bringing over food, "it is what everyone came here for," he said, chuckling, as he placed the last dish down. The mess became silent as they all started to enjoy the meal, and again, being around people who were family, and for the first time in a long time, feeling like there wasn't gonna be a threat to interrupt this.

 

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