I've been to the Theatre Lounge; I'd call it more of a Presentation Lounge really but it's perfect. It's a lovely room, big enough to put on a performance to an audience of about thirty people. It has two entry doors, one at each end of the room. The one I'm interested in is at the 'stage' end. You walk through the doors, there's an area about three metres wide and then a series of three wide steps to bring you down to floor level. I've tracked down the furniture I need and requisitioned some plant displays too. I suspect the Dirrians love plants judging by the number of green spaces they have in their cities and I want to make them feel really comfortable.
Personnel is another issue altogether. I felt a bit weird asking the computer to provide me with a list of crewmembers that were less than 1.5 metres tall, but I've found my transporter guy!
Ensign Luke Brightman is a chirpy man with a condition known as 'dwarfism'. It's very unusual in this day and age, where genetic manipulation can correct these conditions during pregnancy, but Ensign Brightman tells me that his parents were colonists on a small outpost near the Cardassian border. When the Cardassian Wars came along, the outpost was taken and his parents imprisoned. Against all the odds, he was conceived and born. He amazes me though. Many would term his condition as an abnormality or a disability, but it's neither! After all, a Klingon isn't disabled because of his brow ridges. It's just the way he was born and he's more than capable of doing his job. He was delighted to help me when I explained what I needed and not a bit offended as to the reason why I had selected him.
I've also had a rethink about the greeting party. The Captain's reaction when I mentioned an all female party made me reconsider. I don't want the Dirrians to think we are a ship dominated by one sex or another, so I need to make sure I have a balance. I've also decided that I'm not going to clear the corridors during their visit. The Dirrians know we are not a petite race so, to a certain extent, they must take us as we are and I'd like them to see our diversity. I must ask about a staff briefing though, so that if any crew do come across the Dirrian party, they step back and give them some space.
Food is next on the agenda. Like all starships these days, the Drakonia doesn't have a galley. We have an area we call the Galley, but it's really just a posh canteen with replicators where you can sit and eat. The officers rarely use it but crewmen and ensigns do, especially the unmarried ones, otherwise you'd always eat alone, and it's perfect for the lunchtime break.
I have nothing to suggest in the way of Dirrian dishes so am going to go with the sort of things that Traeth liked to eat and what he told me about with regard to their eating habits. He wouldn't eat cooked food, or meat of any kind; the Dirrians only consume fruit and vegetables. The preparation and presentation is incredibly important though. Working on the basis that I'm not qualified to operate a toaster, I'd like to put out a ship wide request asking any crewmembers that have any menu suggestions or food preparation skills to come forward. I just need to clear that with the Captain at the meeting, which is where I'm off to now.
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