Today's Special by Darrel W. Beach May, 1997 Chapter 1 The galley of the starship Voyager appeared at first glance the very model of still and quiet. The evening meal had come and gone, and in similar fashion did the stalwart, if hapless crewmen that drove the Intrepid class vessel through the inky black of unknown space. With the sterile white lights and the chairs tucked neatly under the dining tables, the room bore an uncanny resemblance to the austere spaces of Sickbay. Had anyone actually been in the room, they would have marvelled at the absolute silence. That is, until the calamitous explosion of clattering burst forth from the kitchen. Neelix chided himself for his carelessness, despite the cumbersome number of containers he carried in. It was just an excuse to alleviate himself of frustration, garnered by the day's events. Once again there were complaints about the quality of the food he'd prepared; many a tray had been left behind practically untouched or unceremoniously dumped into the reclamator unit. He felt aggrieved in response to their rudeness and cruel humour about his abilities to cook. Their problem was that their palates had grown too soft , unused to anything that didn't come from a replicator. They reminded him too much of the neighbour's children he grew up with on Talax - the fussiest, most spoiled brats he ever knew. For a brief moment, Neelix contemplated hanging up his apron for good, and let them discover for themselves how much they needed his erstwhile contribution. But Kes' image visited him like a spectre of conscience, speaking of how ashamed he should be for turning his back on those who had given them a reprieve in life. In his heart, Neelix knew his conscience was right; Captain Janeway had been more than gracious in allowing them to stay, when he and the Ocampa girl would have otherwise most certainly ended up doddering through space like a pair of galactic vagabonds, scavenging a meagre and troubled existence. No, he owed the captain too much to start behaving inconsiderate now. By a sudden flash of inspiration he thought of the perfect course of action. A mere four days ago they had stopped by an uninhabited yet fertile planet to investigate Ensign Kim's long-range scans of trace dilithium deposits. What they found was less than encouraging: the samples mined out were too unrefined to be of much use, even after running it through Lt. Torres' makeshift processor. However, the stop did not prove to be altogether unproductive; they were able to farm out some useful metal ores, and Neelix managed to augment their food supply with a variety of new produce and roughage. He hadn't planned on dipping into the new stock just yet, as he preferred to use up the older supplies before they spoiled, but at the moment he felt it necessary, so as to improve the crew's morale, to prepare a menu that everyone would truly appreciate. Taking a quick trip down to the cargo bay, Neelix sorted through the large selection of newly acquired foods to experiment with: swamp lettuce, valley tomatoes, spiny mushrooms, Polbog spring moss, mocret, wild stem-weeds, various tubers and roots. He also gathered a garvola plant, a real bonus acquisition from the excursion. Garvola was known to be one of the more sought after herbs in the quadrant, reputed for its unique bouquet and flavour. If anything could turn the officers back into his favour, the garvola would be the vehicle. Thus it had come to be that Neelix trotted back from the cargo bay to the mess hall, clearly carrying too many containers to handle securely. Picking up the fallen vessel and rebuffing the reflective metal surface, Neelix stacked it with the others and decided to call it an evening. The sooner he retired, the quicker morning would arrive, and he was anxious to try out the many recipes that were spinning about in his head. By now the scene was familiar to those who wandered in for the morning course: a plethora of unknown dishes either sizzling in pans or simmering in pots, dispersing a cacophonous combination of aromas throughout the mess hall. In the centre of it all was the bustling, bubbly Talaxian dispensing hot meals and pleasant conversation amid his ministrations in the kitchen. Neelix had been up and at work since four in the morning, nearly too anxious to have obtained any sleep during the night. The nervous energy had been put to good use, however; in addition to preparing the breakfast menu, he busied himself by getting a head start on the new recipes. A few strands of mocret, a few handfuls of spiny mushrooms and Sorbosian eel meat, a few other ingredients and some spices - the makings of an exotic Sorbosian gumbo. He could toss up a salad using the lettuce, tomatoes, a few radishes and the spring moss. The garvola herbs were being dried out under a filament and wouldn't be ready for use until lunch, but they would be the perfect seasoning for the salad dressing. Today's lunch was going to blow them all away. Neelix was just about done mixing the garvola salad dressing when the first signs of the lunch crowd began to trickle into the mess hall. The Sorbosian gumbo was simmering contentedly away on a hot plate, casting off a thick musky odour. "Ah, Mr. Carey! A pleasure to see you, as always!" "Hello, Neelix," the engineer replied politely. He sniffed the air with interest. "Something back there smells good; what's on the menu?" The chef grinned from ear to ear. "I'm so glad you asked, Mr. Carey. Come on back here and let me show you." Carey hesitated. An invitation into Neelix's kitchen was a clear indication that something was up, but it would be rude to reject his request. Neelix led him over to the simmering pot. "Oh, I think you're going to enjoy this, lieutenant. I've prepared a few new dishes I'm confident that the crew will absolutely love, but just to be sure I was hoping you could try them out and give me your opinion on them." A spark of fear flashed in the lieutenant's eyes for a moment. Fortunately, Neelix wasn't looking at him at the time; Carey managed to cover up the expression. One always had to be wary when Neelix came up with something new. He was getting better, mind you, but there was always a sense of dread when it came to being Neelix's culinary guinea pig. Neelix held up a big spoon in front of him, pointing out the new entree. "This is the Sorbosian gumbo, made with my choicest cuts of Sorbosian eel. I think the spiny mushrooms and the mocret compliment the black tubers very well, and the spik basil and sea salt add a bit of character." Carey swirled the spoon around in the gumbo and scooped out a portion. He wasn't sure quite what to make of it when he shoved the spoon into his mouth: the meat definitely had a woody flavour to it, but it was offset well by the other ingredients. The tubers had a faintly sweet savour, and the seasonings added a bit of spice to the mix, but somehow it didn't seem quite right. "It's not bad," he said at last. "Maybe a little bland, though - I thought gumbos were supposed to be very spicy dishes." Neelix filed that note away for future reference and directed the engineer to the salad. "Now you can't go wrong with a salad, as my mother used to say. This salad is made up of fresh swamp lettuce, Polbog spring moss, and stem-weeds, garnished with diced valley tomatoes and radishes for texture. And for dressing, a light solution made with garvola herbs, tessok egg yolks, Ollan brine water, and a few other secret ingredients." The engineer lifted the fork with trepidation. However, he was shocked by the incredible burst of flavour that greeted his taste buds. "This - this is unbelievable, Neelix! I mean, it's absolutely wonderful! I've never tasted anything quite like this before. I can't quite put my finger on it, though." The Talaxian grinned mirthfully. "Ah - that would probably be the garvola. I feel very fortunate that we even managed to find some. It's a herb widely known for it's unique and tantalizing savour, but it's not a common find in this sector. Garvola plants are also an extremely valuable commodity in the trade markets, so we can use them for barter if we're in need for other supplies or materials." "I can see why," said a euphoric Lt. Carey, a slightly glassy look in his eyes. "It seems to make the food come alive in my mouth - there's really no adequate way to describe what I'm experiencing." Neelix folded his arms over his chest in a fait accompli, the smile on his face growing broader by the moment. It was the reaction he was anticipating since last night, and he fully expected it to be a precursor of things to come. There would be only one thing left to do before the lunch rush hit: grabbing the jar of herbs, Neelix dispensed three heaping teaspoons into the bit pot of gumbo, hoping that would be enough to really spice up the works. If it were possible, it could be said that his expectations were exceeded. Every person that came in raved about lunch, and not one person complained about either the salad or the gumbo. ... "Neelix, this is incredible! You've really outdone yourself!" "Why, thank you, B'Elanna." ... "This is really good, Neelix. What did you say this was?" "It's Sorbosian gumbo. Might I interest you in another helping, Mr. Kim?" ... "This has to be the best thing I've ever tasted! Got any more?" ... "I'll say it again, Neelix: Unbelievable!" ... "Incredible, Neelix! Simply incredible!" ... "For once, Neelix, I can't complain." "Coming from you, Tom, I'll take that as a real compliment." Probably for the first time since he became the ship's cook, there were no leftovers to be found.