Cate took a moment to break away in order to scoop herself out a gratuitous amount of chili into one of the small galley's provided bowls.  She salivated and realized she'd have to hold herself back from licking her bowl in front of the others when finished, something that had been considered a compliment to the chef on the cargo ship.  Her bright eyes darted up momentarily, wondering if the beautiful Beta Zoid could hear what had just ran through her mind, quite embarrassing.  Dismissing the notion she hopped over to the replicator quickly and asked for a large plate of corn bread.  She just loved corn bread with her chili and was nearly giddy at this point.  Setting the plate down in a central location, so that all who wanted a piece could enjoy, Cate situated herself once more and dug into the heavenly chili.  "Mmmmm yeah," she mumbled under her breath in a clearly euphoric manner as she spooned it in, eyes closed and lost to all but her sense of taste and smell.<br/><br/>Lost, that is, until she heard McGalleon talking about how powerful he'd made the<em>McNair</em>.  Her eyes immediately popped open and followed the data pad he held in his hand trying anxiously to get a sneak peek, without looking like that's what she was doing, just in case there happened to be any information she hadn't seen before.  MacReady seemed genuinely impressed, bowled over really, and it thrilled Cate to no end, knowing that she was going to get to wield that power.  A physical chill ran through her and she supped at her chili happily.  It occurred to her that she had not introduced herself to the commander, which was incredibly rude, though it would probably be far ruder to introduce herself with a mouth full of chili whilst he was speaking to the Lieutenant.  Thus, she would wait, and eat ... and drink, and just enjoy taking in the company of her fellow crew members.