Other People Date Too, Ya Know

Posted on Sun Dec 14th, 2025 @ 11:12pm by Lieutenant JG Kally Kellerman & Captain Calypso Skyie

Mission: Lower Decks
Location: Holodeck 3
Timeline: Concurrent with 5 Nights at Henry's

Kally had gathered her equipment and materials and set up shop in Holodeck 3. She'd sent word to Cally with a time to meet, and now, even completely prepared, she was nervous.

As the chime sounded, she called out, "Enter!" and turned to face the arch as it opened, allowing its passenger access.

Cally stretched as she walked through the door into the holodeck. It hadn't been a surprise that Kally had set up a meeting time for something, but this had been different than most. Holodeck 3, for one, they didn't do much on the holodecks most of the time, and a note saying to dress casual. It had piqued her interest, but still had taken her a few minutes to decide what she would wear. So she ended up dressing in a version of a tennis outfit, the blouse with short sleeves and the skirt ending a couple inches above her knees, hair tied back in a ponytail.

Kally held her arms out to show off the kitchen behind her. It was a large, comfy-looking room, like the kitchen of an old-fashioned farmhouse. "Hey!" she said, her smile unusually nervous. "I've been doing some thinking, and I realized...we haven't been on a proper date. So, I thought I'd show you the kitchen I learned to cook in, and make us dinner."

The confusion in Cally's face was obvious as she thought about it for a few seconds, "You know what? You're right!" She pronounced, "Not before we became something of an item and certainly haven't had the time since." She approached Kally and wrapped her into a hug with a kiss on top of it, "The last date I was on was... A week or so after I got Chimera and a few days after meeting my first Exec, with the guy in question." She shook her head, "The Four only know that was probably a mistake, getting that involved with him, but he was injured in the same incident I got shot in and.." She mimed a flight away, "Haven't heard from him since."

"His loss, my gain," Kally said, hugging her tightly before kissing her back much of her nervousness melting. "I've got everything in the oven, so I hope you're hungry."

"Hungry?" Cally grinned widely, "I could eat half a cow if you managed to get it all cooked and on the table." She sniffed appreciatively at the smells going on in the kitchen, "One thing is for sure, it does smell wonderful!"

The table in the kitchen looked like it was one large slab of pine, smoothed and polished. Two place settings had already been laid out along with a bottle of chilled white wine. I the center was a large disk of redwood with intricate carvings on it. Kally reached over and pulled up one side of the disk, lifting it like a handle and pulling up, turning the disk into a layered bowl. She pulled some rolls out of a warmer and set them in the bowl, then opened the upper oven, pulling out two small skillets with garlic butter and shrimp, bringing them over and setting them down on the table. She sat down in one chair, motioning for Cally to do the same.

"Shrimp scampi?" Calypso said, wiping the corner of her mouth with the back of a hand as she smoothed her skirt while seating herself, "Clearly someone knows how to show a girl a good time." She reached out, then hesitated for a moment before she got a nod from Kally, then picked up a fork and speared one of the shrimp, dragging it through the butter to get as much as possible onto the mollusk before lifting it quickly to her mouth and reaching for a roll, tearing a piece of it off and dipping it in the garlic butter before eating it too, "Mmmmm...."

"My mother's theory is that you cannot have enough garlic," Kally said, making similarly satisfied sounds. "A large part of her herb garden included garlic plants so she would never run out of the real stuff. Papa actually gave her a bouquet of garlic flowers on her birthday once."

"Your mother is right. Garlic is like good company, there's never enough of it. Of course, most people aren't a big fan of being kissed by someone who eats a lot of it, but it's not a problem if both do it, right?" Cally grinned as she sopped another piece of roll in the garlic butter before throwing another shrimp in her mouth, "Ever had steak tips in a garlic butter glaze with sauteed onions mashed potatoes and vegetables? Marinated and cooked properly, they melt in the mouth."

"Oh that sounds good," Kally said. "But I'll see your steak tips and raise you roasted garlic and potato pizza." Kally popped another shrimp in her mouth and chewed, thinking back. "Mother was in rare form that day. Katie and I couldn't get enough. It was in the crust, the sauce, and put on as a topping. It was so good. After Katie and I went to bed, we were just cuddled up breathing in garlic all night." She gave a laugh. "Showered and cleaned up twice and couldn't escape it."

"If you're half as good as she is with this, I may have to meet her at some point." Cally mentioned, taking the last shrimp of the skillet and munching on it as well, "Even if only to compare and then tell her that you have outdone her."

"The entree won't be quite as garlic-centered, but still included, and still delicious," Kally said, smiling. She stood up and cleared their plates, moving to the oven and pulling out a tray with more shrimp, sausage, potatoes and rolls of corn, all covered in butter. She scraped it into a large bowl, bringing it over and setting it down between them, giving Cally a bowl for herself and taking one as well. She put a large serving spoon in the shrimp boil bowl and sat back down. "Help yourself," she said, smiling.

This most certainly wasn't a combination of ingredients that Cally had seen before, but it didn't mean she wasn't about to dive in, scooping up a spoon and a half to make sure she got some of everything that was involved in it. As she bit into the first piece of sausage, she was blown away by how juicy the butter made it. "If only I knew how to cook well... I've been spoiled by replicators, never really found the knack for doing it all myself."

"Mama made sure Katie and I both learned the basics," Kally said, filling her own bowl and grabbing some bread. "I'm the better cook, Katie's the better baker." She took a bite and sighed happily. "Not my biggest vice, obviously, but a good meal does put a smile on my face." She smiled as she chewed. "Papa taught us about the farm, although Katie preferred helping him repair equipment, and we both enjoyed watching him carve. His woodshop was magical. He could take the ugliest pieces of wood and turn them into works of art." She smiled at the memory. "He built most of the furniture in the house, actually. I never caught onto it, but I was good at fixing splinters and cuts that we'd get while we were in there."

"Whereas me, I got to be good at the three 'F's. Flying, Fearlessness and Fucking." Cally gave a slight chuckle, "I never had anything really to live for after my brother died during the Dominion War. My parents were fine, are fine still, but we don't keep in touch much at all. They're both archaeologists and tend to get buried in their work, sometimes literally." She chewed on a bit of sausage for a few seconds, "My sister Elysia? If we ever get back to Earth, I could introduce you to her. She's a doctor just like you, but on Starbase McKinley, a bit more formal in her presentation and demeanor, though."

Kally made a face. "Formal, hm? I don't know....not sure I want all that 'professionalism' rubbing off on me." She gave Cally a smile, but it was a bit sad. She always had an urge to hug Cally hard when the other woman mentioned her past. There was too much pain and loss there for any one person, in Kally's opinion. She knew she couldn't just magically make it all go away, but she wished she could. At the very least, she could keep showing her support. "And I've only seen two out of three of those F's but based on those two I can assume you're a damn good flier too." She grinned wider and reached over, squeezing Cally's hand.

"I used to be, that's for sure." Cally agreed, squeezing back, "But age got to me and slowed the reflexes, so I can't fly in combat anymore, not that I was one of the aces of the Fleet in the first place. Hell, they only accepted me into fighters because we lost so many pilots during the War. That's all behind me, though, so nothing to worry about. Other than them, it's just Michelle down in the lounge, my niece. She's a real hoot, you know, apparently enough like me but actually professional about things. An actual registered courtesan, if you haven't met her yet."

"I have, briefly," Kally said. "She hooked me up with some genuine coffee, not replicated, to charm Jadizon with. I haven't seen her for her courtesan skills, although if I'd known about that I'd have sent Espersen her way." She shook her head. "He needs someone to relax him."

"You're a bit late for that." Cally raised her wine glass in salute to Kally, "I'm not sure that either of them know that I know, but she models for him and his drawing. I've actually seen one of his drawings and he's pretty darned good. I can't say if they've done anything else besides modeling, but Michelle does appear to be fond of him. Of course, she seems to be fond of a lot of people on board, really personable. Besides, she's made some sort of arrangement where she's not charging anyone from Starfleet for her services, which, by the way, doesn't mean sexual services all the time."

"I know," she said, giving Cally a look. "But, for the record, I did mean sex." She shook her head and sipped her wine. "He needs someone to validate his emotions, his masculinity, and remind him he has capacity for connection. He's on a ship with over two hundred people, and he still looks alone. I can count on one hand the number of times he looked content when I saw him. And putting aside the general mood boost, physical perks and emotional layers sex offers...." she paused and glanced at Cally, giving a small smile and blushing. "Sorry. Didn't mean to launch into Chief Sex Therapist talk."

"I'm sure that if you mentioned this to her, she could make that happen." Calypso chuckled, "Shelly isn't a shy one and I highly doubt that Alex would turn her away if she pressed the issue. She has an 'in' with him already in any case, how hard would it be to take the last step of seduction? I think I'm out of the Exec-seducing business anyways, unless you became my second in command, at least?"

"Oh, now there is a thought," Kally said, chewing thoughtfully. "I've never really thought about command. I've kind of been content in my own little kingdom in Sickbay." She got an evil grin and glanced at Cally. "But I bet we'd make a wicked team. The Beauties of the Beta Quadrant," she said, grinning and bobbing her eyebrows.

“That’s it, I’m going to mutiny against the Captain of this ship and install you where Alex is!” Cally laughed, “We’ll find a competent Second Officer to make sure everything works right while you and I relax in a hot tub half the day, then come out to take all the credit from whatever mission we happen to be on!” She ‘pondered’ for a moment, "Jenna? She’s got a good head on her shoulders and a responsibility streak a mile wide, uniform of EVERY day is swimwear!”

Kally laughed. "I love the idea," she said. "Of course, there is the minor issue that you can't mutiny against the Captain, because you are the captain." She grinned. "And given what you and I wore the last time we went swimming, I think an all-nude crew could be rather interesting." She snickered and leaned over, kissing Cally. "But I love the way you think."

“We should do a costume day, that’s for sure.” Cally beamed at the kiss, “Let everyone go to duty wearing whatever they’d like.” She mused, “Something to keep spirits up and everyone’s brain juices flowing!” She paused for a second, “Hell, anyone who gets nervous about their physical? What if you got them to come in by helping pander to a fantasy or just by doing anything needed to make things comfortable for them?” Cally loved when she could let her hair down like this, Kally was someone she could bounce ideas off of, not that she couldn’t with others, but Kally wouldn’t judge at all.

"So business as usual then," Kally grinned. "I've been exhaustingly looking after the crew's mood when they come in my sickbay. Or my office. Or wherever." She gave a laugh. "More ship-wide activity wouldn't be bad for team building though," she thought. "I'll have to have the girls over more often. You know...for team building." She smiled at Cally. "And, you know you're welcome to our hangouts, yes? Socializing with your crew isn't the end of the world."

"I know, but I don't want to get in the way of any of the fun you girls are having." Cally smile warmly back, "I'm not sure any of them would really be into me, after all I'm 'the old lady', not just the Captain, but I'm not sure you've noticed, but I'm a fair bit older than you."

"It's so hard to tell when our clothes are off," Kally teased. "And yes, I'm well aware how old you are. If being older bothered me, neither you nor Jadizon would be so important in my life." She put a hand on Cally's cheek. "As far as the girls are concerned, you're one of us and welcome to come join us for a drink or whatever any time. Clear?"

Calypso nuzzled her cheek into Kally’s hand, “I may take you up on that, then.” She chuckled, “They won’t mind? I mean, I don’t know them all that well yet. You know, so many crew, not really enough time to get to know everyone as well as I usually like to.”

"Cal, out here? We're all we have. Our families, other friends, everyone we rely on, they're not on board, going through this with us. Well, you and I can't quite say that, but you get my point," she said. "I remember Professor C'Taran's lecture about command and professional distance and all that, but I never agreed with it. We're all behind you...or on top of you, or under you, or whatever you want us to be." She giggled and kissed her again. "But really...don't feel you can't 'walk among your people,' okay?"

"As you well know, I don't usually have to walk among them, I let them come to me for some 'perfectly good reason' or another." Cally gave a wide grin, "But I get what you're saying, and I'll try to remember to do it."

Kally grinned back and moved to straddle Cally's lap. "Good," she said, kissing Cally gently. "Besides," she said as the broke apart, "imagine how much more they'll come to you if you go to them?" She giggled and kissed Cally again.

Cally's arms went to their natural position around Kally's waist and hugged her tightly, "You know, I think I like this whole going out on a date thing," She rested her head against the other's chest, "Relaxing."

"I agree," Kally said, holding Cally tight. She sat there in silence for a few minutes, just feeling their heartbeats and breathing together before leaning back a bit to look Cally in the eye. "So...dessert, my quarters?"

“Of course, even if the bed is bigger in mine. Whatcha thinking we should have? Cake? Pies?” Her eyes almost glowed in delight.

Kally grinned. "How does whipped cream and chocolate sauce sound?"

“Ooooo, that sounds good!” Calypso pondered for a few moments, “What kind of ice cream?”

"Who said anything about ice cream?" Kally said, grinning wickedly and kissing her.