Guide
Rated: G
Category: Quadruple Drabble. Rok. Holo-Janeway.
Time Frame: Season One.
Spoilers: None.
Summary: Exploration can be overwhelming. It helps to have a good guide.
Note: Written for the Thirty Days of Prodigy prompt of "exploration."
Rok didn't mind the Nutri-Goop.
Really.
Sure, it was bland. But she liked bland.
More than that, though, it was easy.
And easy suited her just fine.
She had to make enough choices in her life without worrying about what to eat.
Still, she wanted to be brave. She wanted to try other things.
And so she ordered Dal's favorite – and it was disgusting.
Likewise, she didn't like Gwyn's or Jankom's, though they weren't quite so bad.
Murf and Zero, of course, were no help.
So she ordered her Goop more often than not. She didn't know what else to do.
It was Janeway who saved the day.
It was a perfectly normal day, except for the fact that Janeway walked with Rok to the mess hall. Rok was excited about something new she had learned, and Janeway was listening attentively.
They hardly realized when they arrived in front of the replicator until it chimed its small "ready" noise, requesting an order.
Rok sighed.
"What is it?" asked Janeway.
"I want something other than Nutri-Goop, but I don't know what to order. I tried the things the others get, and I don't like any of them."
Janeway raised a holographic eyebrow.
"May I?" she asked, gesturing to the machine.
Rok nodded.
"Computer, a selection of Brikar staples and delicacies, please."
A moment later, several types of foods materialized on a platter.
Rok's eyes widened.
"I don't know what any of this is!"
Janeway put a hand on Rok's big shoulder.
"Of course not," she said gently. "They're from your people. Your home."
"What?"
"You're a Brikar, Rok. Of course your body doesn't care for Vau N'Akat or Tellarite foods. Try this. See how it goes."
Rok looked a little sad, but nodded and took the plate to a table.
It took her a moment, but then she hesitantly tried the green leafy thing.
She didn't like it and she looked at Janeway skeptically.
"Try another,' encouraged Janeway.
Rok gamely did as she was told. She tried the brown, chewy stuff.
After a moment, she looked up in surprise.
"This is good!" she squealed.
Janeway beamed.
"Excellent! Now try something else!"
Rok excitedly did just that. She tried everything on the plate, which was a not-inconsiderable selection.
All in all, she liked about half of it, with two things standing out as favorites.
And the rest, as they say, is history.