Fran stood there, in the converted main officer’s mess of Agamemnon, clearly a bit taken aback by the extent to which the space had been transformed in such a small amount of time. There was Federation swag, tastefully combining Rosvakaar identifiers. Flags and even the window treatments had been meticulously thought out in size and placement.

She watched her Executive Officer now, who was flying back and forth, rearranging decor placements and directing other officers on where the tables should go. Fran had, of course, taken him up on his offer to take the primary lead on setup for their initial diplomatic engagements with the Rosvakaar, which were set for nearly immediately after they arrived at the Tysla system.

“You’ve done an acceptable job here, Commander.” Fran finally announced herself and closed a bit of distance between her and Cadun.

Cadun had frankly been his most comfortable these past hours on Agamemnon, since his arrival on the ship only recently. He thrived on making sure every detail was as perfect as possible. He had been glad the Captain had approved his request to temporarily convert the main mess into the reception area for their upcoming diplomatic engagement. The Agamemnon had some formal diplomatic areas, but it didn’t offer the same view as this room, nor the same space.

A finer detail in the dossier of information they had on the Rosvakaar was that culturally, they preferred to see their food being prepared, and in formal receptions, food was a central component. Cadun believed it was likely related to the scarcity on their own homeworld and to the cultural belief that food is a sign of wealth and security.

“Oh… Captain.” Cadun jumped in place a bit when he heard Fran’s voice. “Thank you.”

“I have to say. You have a fine eye for the details, Commander.” Fran complimented further as she continued to take in the way the space had been put together.

“I wish I could take credit for it, Captain. Illum Kir, a prior host of mine, was a renowned event planner on Trill. I was never this meticulous in putting together an event prior to my joining. Illum gets the credit for this.” Cadun explained as he stood back for a moment, himself and seemed surprised at just how well it had come together so far. Even after three years of being joined with the Kir symbiot, it still surprised him how his own skills had evolved as a result of multiple centuries of memories and applied skills.

Fran could only imagine the complexities of a consciousness joining that of a being with centuries of lifetimes. She had always found Trill culture fascinating in a way, because of that. Cadun was not the first joined-Trill she had served with, in fact, she had been friends and colleagues with a joined-Trill during the Dominion war. A friend she had sadly lost among many others over her many years in the fleet.

Fran never tucked those thoughts away, though. In fact, she used that running tally of loss as an opportunity to reflect on her own gratitude for still being here. Many of those she served with never got the opportunity to make it to their own center chairs. She did. Her face remained flatly affected as she moved to the large viewport and leaned into the frame of the window.

“Well. It’s still you who put this together. Well done.” She validated Cadun’s work. “How’s the menu coming along?”

“That has been a bit more interesting.” Cadun followed and joined her. He turned his back to the window view and folded his arms. He had never been fond of the warp view, a direct path to needing an antiemetic. “The Rosvakaar are mainly carnivorous. They also place a high value on seeing their food cooked. One of the reasons I thought this venue would be more appropriate. The staff are going to be cooking an assortment of meats fresh in the open kitchen.”

“Well. No one can say we didn’t give this our best shot.” Fran continued to gaze out the window. She was genuinely impressed by her Executive Officer’s attention to detail and acknowledged, privately within herself, that she had perhaps been a bit too quick to judge him.

“You think we have a chance at convincing the Rosvakaar to reconsider their plans with this Ark that they have built?” Cadun asked, curious what his Captain’s opinion was on their chances.

“We’ve been given a difficult ask, Commander. I’m not entirely sure it isn’t a mission impossible of sorts. If the Rosvakaar truly intend to abandon their world, the consequences would be felt far beyond the Tysla system…”

Fran turned around and gestured to the room, “With this set-up, though. I’d say our chances are better than zero…”

“Better than zero.. I’ll take it.” Cadun replied

“You’ve got four hours until we arrive in the Tysla system. Another two before our guests arrive for this event. I suggest you get some quick shut-eye, Commander. You’ve earned it.” Fran stiffened up her posture some and gave Cadun a nod before she broke away.