The Garden - Melissa Scott [50]
"Thank you," Janeway said, and wondered if the serving bowl had been made for Revek. She took a spoonful, setting it beside the main stew, and the bowl rose again as she returned the spoon. It headed to Revek, who helped himself more liberally.
"There's wine as well," Revek went on, "but it's potent."
He nodded to a tall glass that stood by her place, filled with a pale gold liquid that released faint bubbles to the night air. Janeway took a careful sip, and couldn't keep her eyebrows from lifting. The- wine-looked innocuous enough, more like terrestrial champagne than anything, but it had the alcoholic bite of a well-aged whiskey. She set the glass down, resolving to drink very little, and a slim, vaguely bird-shaped machine tipped forward, replacing the small amount she had drunk. It tilted back with a soft click of metal on metal, and the legs retracted slightly, stabilizing it on the tabletop. It was an ingenious design, she thought, and a clever piece of engineering,
but, if it kept refilling the glasses as they were emptied, it would also insure that the Kirse's guests were, if not actually drunk, at least suffering from diminished judgment by the end of the meal. Not a nice trick, she thought, all her earlier wariness rushing back, and she glanced at the other tables. Tuvok and Chakotay were both experienced officers, and Chako-tay's service with the Maquis would only have reinforced the need for caution. Kim, on the other hand, was both young and inexperienced, fresh from the Academy, and she wondered if there was some way she could warn him without offending the Kirse. As she watched, the ensign tasted the wine, and in spite of herself she couldn't help smiling at the shocked expression on his face. He swallowed manfully, however, and managed to smile in response to the Kirse's-Night-Whispers, she thought-murmured question. He would be all right, she thought, and turned her attention back to her own table.
There were four more courses, all of a similar style, thick stews or what seemed to be sauteed vegetables served over a delicate, pearl-like grain that tasted a bit like homemade bread, and by the end she found herself agreeing with Revek. The flavors were a little bland to a human palate; the red grains did add a much-needed bite to the rich service. There was no meat, or nothing that she recognized as animal protein, though she guessed that some of the heavier-tasting vegetables would prove to be protein-rich legumes. The tree-cheese that Revek had mentioned earlier, and which reappeared at the center of another delicate pastry, would probably also be a good protein source, she added silently. The Kirse world seemed to have everything Voyager needed-if they could just strike a trade agreement.
She took another sip of the so-called wine, its
harshness something of a relief after the delicacy of the food, and glanced cautiously at Adamant. So far, the Kirse leader had proved unwilling to discuss trading, and she had not wanted to press the matter, unsure of Kirse etiquette. They had talked instead of star patterns-Adamant was apparently something of an amateur astronomer, if she had understood his elliptical references correctly-and he had pointed out both a brilliant blue-white point that was a nearby nebula, a star nursery, and the streak of light that was one of the orbiting stations. There was no moon, and when she expressed surprise, he had questioned her on the functions and appearance of lunar bodies. All the while, she had been aware of Revek watching her, and the other members of the away team, always with a look that said, smugly, that he knew more than he was telling.
"A very pleasant meal, Captain," Adamant said, and Janeway dragged her attention back to him. "Shall we walk a bit before the sweet?"
"Certainly." Janeway stood with him, aware that the rest of the away team was copying her, the other Kirse rising with Adamant, and Revek grinned at