Checking In

Posted on 18 Mar 2013 @ 6:47pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Anera

2,923 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 2, Anera's Quarters
Timeline: MD 04 - 2015 hrs

[ON]

Standing outside of Anera's quarters, Lirha tapped the chime on the door's keypad. It had been quite an eventful day so far, and her bridge shift had been busier than normal. Progress and discovery reports to Starfleet Command had occupied most of her time, especially those concerning the Calamarain, but now the captain had other things on her mind. She had found her initial meeting with the Deltan to be quite pleasing, and now she wanted to check up on her and any potential progress she might be making with her students. Clasping her hands behind her back in a professional manner, Lirha patiently waited and hoped that Anera was inside her room.

"Come in!"

As the doors opened, the VIP quarters were revealed... Massive colorful pillows littered the sofa and floor, their embroidery in gold and silver winking in the low lights of the room. The walls were hung with tapestries and quilts, changing the dynamic of the space from utilitarian and also creating a warmer effect in the room. The clean, clear table had its chairs removed to one wall of the room and those had been stacked enigmatically into a kind of pyramid, while the table itself had been covered with a large soft pad the color of coral from end to end, strapped into place at various points with long ropes of ribbon and colored hemp ropes. Long strings bedecked with paper flowers and birds hung down from the ceiling at random intervals.

At the wall near the bedroom door, sun-tanned toes climbed up a silk and velvet tapestry revealing the Deltan's presence as she emerged from a folded up version of a headstand, stretched - upside down and vertically - and then tipped her feet back to the floor and righted herself. She wore broad, embroidered silken pants made of a single piece of cloth that had been wrapped around her, a flimsy dark red tunic, and gave a wink to Lirha as she crossed to a pile of cloth on the cluttered table by the sofa to retrieve her headscarf and expertly cover her head. "Be welcome. Have a seat. Can I get you anything?"

As the door swished open, Lirha slowly stepped into Anera's quarters and looked around in surprise. In less than a day, Galileo's newest crew member had managed to turn her rather bland and standard quarters into an elaborate mesh of colorful fabric and decorations. The Orion stopped to look around, craning her head all around the room while she took in the unique sight. The room felt warm, cozy and comfortable, and barely resembled anything else on the ship. Wow... she thought to herself with a small smile.

Hearing Anera's voice, Lirha walked further into the room and glanced down the hallway where she spotted a very unusual sight. The Deltan was upside down in some strange sort of yoga-esque position, and Lirha curiously watched as she gracefully turned herself over and got back to her feet. "Hi..." she said in a soft voice, catching a glimpse of Anera's hairless head before she was able to cover it. The captain thought she looked cute without her head covered, but declined to comment or ask the purpose of the veil. At least, for now.

Doing as she was instructed, Lirha made her way over to the nearby couch and took a seat. "No, I am fine, thank you." she answered politely, declining the woman's offer. "I must say...I love what you have done with your quarters." she added, still glancing around the room.

"You said to make myself at home," Anera laughed, pouring a cup of herbal tea from a ceramic pot. "At least, I think you did. Maybe it was just a feeling. Either way, I did my best." She folded to a pillow on the floor and rested her cup on her knee. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"Oh...well," Lirha began, absentmindedly curling a long lock of dark hair around her finger and playing with it, "I came to see how you were settling in. Hopefully everything is going well? I assume you met our young crew members today?" she asked.

Anera inclined her head. "Your sister, yes, and Thanis Rothgra. Quite bright, the both of them, though neither seem very excited about the idea of continuing their educational studies on board; I believe they thought they were finished when joined the crew here. We'll find a way to make the coursework interesting. I've yet to hear from Ms Blake or to meet her daughter, but I assume that will happen when they're both ready. All things in their own time."

"Yes...all in good time." the captain replied with a slight smile. She knew Nesh could be difficult to deal with at times, and sincerely hoped that she wouldn't give Anera any trouble during her schooling. "I am not sure if my sister told you, but...she is an artist. Very private about her work but she is talented, I admit."

"She mentioned she's got an exam coming up for a particular art institute," Anera nodded. "I'm hoping to give her opportunities to explore a wide range of mediums to expand her options for how she chooses to express herself. And hopefully to show her the benefit of other types of knowledge and how they'll help her to deepen her artistic experience. She seems quite skeptical of math," she added with an insouciant grin. "You shouldn't worry about her. She's a lovely young lady. Full of sparks and direct in her speech. She'll do well for herself."

Feeling humbled by the compliment, Lirha smiled again, although this time it was a bit forced. "Unfortunately, I do worry about her." she admitted to the Deltan with a soft sigh, her eyes falling to the carpet. "She got herself into a bit of trouble recently back in San Francisco...our mother was not pleased. So...I offered for her to come live with me aboard Galileo. I am hoping that I don't end up regretting the decision. She is my sister and I love her dearly, but she has never had an interest in Starfleet until recently."

"Do you think she does, now?" Anera inquired, without implication.

Lirha paused long and hard to consider the question. Although she and Nesh were close, they still seemed worlds apart at times. Because of her Starfleet lifestyle, Lirha had been absent most of Nesh's teenage years (often a source of resentment), and she unfortunately did not know her sister as well as she would like to. "I...I am not sure." she answered quietly, her green eyes looking back up into Anera's. "I think part of her acceptance of my offer was the chance to get away from Earth and our mother for a while. But..." she shook her head, "I cannot say for certain."

"She's young, still, in her heart. I don't see any need to rush her. And there's nothing stopping her from changing her mind about what she wants to do from day to day, or year to year. There's nothing stopping any of us." Anera rested her hand on Lirha's knee. "All you can do is love her and let her grow into the woman she'll become."

Anera's touch on Lirha's leg sent a surprising flood of comforting emotions through the Orion, and she stared into the Deltan's pale blue eyes for a long moment. Searching, wondering, hoping that she was everything she appeared to be. Her advice was sound, and Lirha slowly nodded in reply. "I think you are right." she finally said as her thoughts began to turn from Nesh to the woman next to her. "You mentioned that you have a sister of your own?" she curiously wondered.

"Three sisters," Anera chuckled. "And four brothers. My brother Pik is Thanis' age, straddling the splitting plates of child and man; it can be a tricky navigation."

"That is quite a large family." Lirha replied with a light laugh, wondering what it must be like to have so many siblings. "Are any of your sisters near Nesh's age?"

"Elene is fourteen and Vria is ten," Anera said, pride in her voice. "Chales is only a couple years younger than I. She and my twin Asa are looking after my daughter at home." She paused. "But it wasn't so long ago, really, that I was sixteen and wishfully wondering what the course of my life might be. Where I'd go. What I'd do. I haven't forgotten what that was like quite yet."

Lirha smiled again as she recalled her own memories of her youth. Indeed, she was quite ambitious at that age, and it wasn't long after that she finally set her sights on a career in Starfleet. "I think we all still have that little girl inside of us who wants to figure out the meaning of life." she said with a bit of levity in her voice, then paused for a brief moment to change the subject back to siblings. "So...you have a twin? A brother, at that. Must be interesting?"

"He's wonderful," Anera hummed happily, taking a sip of her tea. "I miss him every day. All of them. I miss them all. But for now my life is a travelling one and I enjoy it."

"Yes...me too." the captain agreed, then let out another sigh and leaned back into the cushions of the couch. She glanced around again at all the decorations and tapestries in the room, noting to herself how they felt so homely and comfortable. "So...a Deltan traveling the stars... It seems you and I have a bit in common. Coming from different worlds and finding ourselves together on a starship, the only ones of our species..." her voice trailed off.

"You've got Nesh," Anera reminded her with a small grin. "And there are other Deltans in Starfleet. Just... encumbered by regulations. I suppose you are, too. Do you find it restrictive?"

Lirha looked down at Anera with a curious look. "Regulations?" she asked, not sure what the Deltan meant.

"Mm," Anera nodded. "All the Deltans I've met in Starfleet - they take oaths of celibacy in order to be on active duty. Because of the pheromones, the empathy..." She smiled a little sadly, "Restrictions on their nature - not for safety, but because of fear and misunderstandings. You're not troubled by these?"

"Oh." the captain replied as she realized what Anera meant. "Well...I am required to take pheromone suppressants like all Orions in Starfleet, but I suppose I am used to it by now. Ever since my days at the Academy, I have been required to have weekly injections so that I do not influence crew members around me. And Nesh now has to do the same." she explained, then paused to think about her feelings on the matter. "I suppose it is a necessity but I would much rather not take them and be able to be myself. But, I do not think such a compromise exists for Orions." she added with a sad smile. "And you? Have you taken your oath? What exactly do you mean by 'fear and misunderstandings'?" she wondered.

"I'm not in Starfleet," Anera said with a shrug. "And I see no need to do so. Nor do I think I could ever sever such a large part of my experience. To teach is to learn is to love." She sipped from her tea again and then balanced the small ceramic cup on her knee, folding her hands in her lap. "The way it has been explained to me - the origin of the Deltan oath... that other races may fear us because they fear the emotions they hold within them, at bay. Ours is a culture of sharing," she explained with a smile. "Honesty on all fronts. With ourselves. With others. There is no deception in Deltan physiology. We are what we are. We feel what we feel. And I feel badly for my brothers and sisters in Starfleet who shutter themselves away from their own needs - comfort and contact and desire and love... But that is their choice. Not mine. I use a juice to dampen the pheromones for the sake of those around me, but to shut them down completely..." She shook her head, "You are braver than I to do so."

Lirha's eyes fell back to the carpet and she suddenly felt self-conscious. She had never given much thought to Starfleet's treatment of Orions, and instead had always viewed her pheromone suppressants as an uncompromising necessity. But to have Anera, a Deltan, explaining what her inner-most feeling had been telling her since puberty, was...well, she didn't know how to describe the feeling.

"I suppose I have never thought of it that way." Lirha admitted. "I, too, believe that physical relationships are very important in life, and my culture indulges themselves frequently. However, I find that I get emotionally attached to my lovers, which is difficult for me as an Orion and a Starfleet captain. A conflict of interest, of sorts."

"A lover is for emotional attachment. Why else would 'love' be in the word?" Anera shook her head. "We can't give up ourselves for the sake of those around us. Even if it hurts when they go; coming and going. That's a part of life's cycle. But to be what you are in the moments you're in... that's all any of us can do." She smiled. "At least, that's how I see it. And probably why I've never felt inclined to don a uniform," she added with a laugh.

The captain's thoughts turned to Maenad, and she recalled the pain and hurt that she had experienced after being romantically rejected by the tall science chief. She was wise enough to know that there was some degree of risk in all relationships, but that one had stung especially hard. Looking back up at Anera, she spoke in a quiet voice. "So...you believe that a person should act on their romantic feelings and not suppress them? Regardless of the risk?" she asked, wondering if she understood Anera properly.

"I believe that feelings should be used as a guide," Anera said thoughtfully. "They cannot always be acted upon. If they're not reciprocated, for instance, to act is to invade. But to feel what one feels... to not suppress that. Yes. I think that's important. Especially so for Deltans. Love is our language more than any other. To suppress it is to silence us." She studied Lirha quietly for a moment, "Even pain, when it is forged in love, can be healing. It tells you that you've touched something beautiful and leaves a mark to remember it by."

Lirha looked at Anera for a very long moment, her gaze drifting over the woman's facial features and hidden body. She was a beautiful young Deltan whom she found very interesting, and her life's views tickled Lirha's brain. "Humans tend to judge first and ask questions later." she stated, making a subtle implication of her past troubles with relationships in Starfleet.

"Many people do; not only humans. The unfamiliar can be scary," Anera pressed her lips together. "There are things you're scared of too. Fears are like habits; hard to overcome. It takes time and practice to move past them. But you will, if you want to. And so will they."

"Yes, I suppose you are right." Lirha replied, then leaned her head back against the couch and closed her eyes for a brief moment. "I have had to face many of my fears recently. It was a terrible experience to say the least, one which I never hope to repeat, but am unfortunately prepared for."

Anera rested her fingers on the lip of her tea cup, watching Lirha intently. The woman seemed in great need of relaxation and Anera was happy to let her sit and rest undisturbed. Her words might have been oblique, but her emotions were not. The Deltan had no intention of picking at wounds that were just now beginning to scab over. "Shall I light some incense and help you to relax?"

The captain opened her eyes again and looked back at Anera with a small yet appreciative smile. "That is very generous of you." she answered, then slowly sat up straight on the couch to take a deep breath and collect her thoughts. "Sadly I have a a bit of administrative work to finish back in my quarters. And I have been looking forward to a fresh-cooked meal in the mess hall all day. Perhaps later tonight? If your offer still stands?"

Anera bowed her head, "Of course."

Standing slowly from the couch, Lirha cast another long look at the Deltan, one which betrayed a degree of personal longing and her own desire for companionship. "If you like...you can join me for dinner in an hour?" she offered.

"Certainly," Anera looked up. "Late dinner?"

"Yes." the captain replied with a smirk. "I can never seem to stay on schedule, for some reason." she added, then stretched her arms and walked towards the door. Turning over her shoulder as the door hissed open, she briefly glanced back over her shoulder. "See you soon." she said, then departed out into the hallway and back to her quarters.

[OFF]

--

CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

Anera
Teacher
USS Galileo
(pNPC Lilou Peers)

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