New Arrival

Posted on 01 May 2013 @ 6:06pm by Petty Officer 1st Class Victarion Jaqen & Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm

1,848 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 1, Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: MD 06 - 0815 hrs

[ON]

Having stepped off the USS Venture and onto the USS Galileo felt almost like someone had pushed Victarion from one airlock into subspace. The whole feeling of the ship was different. It sent a shiver through him and he couldn't decide if it was a good feeling or a bad one. Or just nerves. He sighed, his blue eyes taking everything in as he walked to what was the Captain's Ready Room. He felt the need to report in. He was the Yeoman after all, he had a duty to serve his CO well.

He managed to make his way there unnoticed, ringing the chime as he glanced over his shoulder. Perhaps he should have sent a message beforehand, yet it seemed like it was almost too late now. And he wanted to start working right away, to get used to what the new CO expected of him.

At the sound of the door chime, Lirha stifled a yawn with the back of her hand and sat up straight in her desk's chair. She was tired, it was early, and she had not eaten yet. And now someone wanted to talk to her. Normally such a situation would have caused her to be grumpy, but she was simply more fatigued than anything else. The last few days of heavy exploration had taken their toll on her, and she looked forward to taking a much-needed break after they completed their system survey.

"Enter." she called out in a soft voice, then turned her eyes towards the door to see who required her attention.

Victarion walked in, meeting her eyes before giving her a warm smile. "Captain Saalm...I'm Petty Officer 2nd Class Victarion Jaqen...your new Yeoman?" he wasn't expecting her to know who he was, he just hoped she wasn't put off by him just...coming in.

Lirha noticed the red-collared man when he entered the room, then gave him a forced yet polite smile when he introduced himself. He was of about average stature with dark hair and startling blue eyes, and she quickly recognized him from the portrait on his Starfleet file which she had skimmed over the previous day. "Ah yes, welcome aboard Mister Jaqen." she cordially replied, then motioned towards a nearby chair indicating for him to sit. "Please, have a seat. I have been expecting you. I trust your journey over here from Venture was uneventful?"

"It was," he admitted as he sat down, watching her with a small smile. "I know this must be a very inconvenient time, and I apologise. I just wanted to...get stuck in." He spent a moment watching her. She was quite beautiful, even for an Orion. And he knew of the adventures she had led the Galileo on so far, if only from the basic reports he had been allowed to read.

"It is no problem at all." Lirha said with a light shake of her head to dismiss the notion that she was being disturbed. "So...you are our new yeoman? Tell me a little about yourself." she asked, hoping the man could give her a bit of insight into his previous assignments. The information was no doubt contained in his personnel file which was only a PADD away, but she preferred to hear his own version of his history.

He smiled at that, relaxing. Somehow, he found it nice she wanted to speak to him at all. "I'm Argelian," he said, to start it off. It was a good place to start. "I served on the HG Wells, and later on the USS Charleston. Despite my species, I am a good organiser..." he laughed softly, shaking his head. "Only the gods know why or how, but I am."

"Ah yes, the Charleston." Lirha replied with a nod. She was familiar with most ships in Starfleet and had previously met a few other crew members over the years who had served aboard that same vessel. "Can you tell me about your time on board?"

"I served the Captain well," he said and frowned, looking down. "I...this transfer was a mutual agreement. On shoreleave there was an issue and...I did not act in the way expected of me. I believe I let the Captain down."

Lirha raised an eyebrow, curious to hear more about the situation the man had hinted at. "Would you mind elaborating on that?" she asked, not wanting to push the issue but also to make sure that she knew as much important information as possible about her new yeoman.

Victarion met her eyes before swallowing, nervously. "My...people, they are pacifists. I have passed my training, but I believe in...myself, as a person, being non-violent. I was with the Captain as he made a...social call, for an exchange for something he wanted against something someone else wanted. There was a disagreement and the man the Captain was speaking to drew a knife. I..." he looked away, taking a sharp breath. "Rather than using my phaser, I threw myself between them."

"And were you stabbed?" she asked with some concern in her voice. "Was that cause for discipline?" she continued, not exactly sure what to make of the situation without enough information. Lirha certainly did not want to judge a person without knowing all of the facts first.

He met her eyes and nodded, holding her eyes. "Yes," he said softly. "And...it wasn't discipline, he was disappointed that I had made that decision. But it wasn't a choice. It was my beliefs. It...would be like asking a Vulcan not to think rationally."

Lirha looked him straight in the eyes for several long moments in an attempt to understand more about his sentiments and personality. As a former communications and intelligence officer, she was very skilled at reading body language and inflections, yet it was still a difficult task especially with new crew members whom she had never previously interacted with.

"So...he was disappointed that you followed you core values...and instead of shooting a person, you took the brunt of the blow yourself...to protect him?" she asked, still with a bit of confusion. In her opinion, that type of action demonstrated an unwavering sense of loyalty and should not have been punished, personally or professionally.

He watched her before nodding gently, watching a deeper breath. "I suppose you can say I did," he said and smiled gently. "Where I am from, we...abhor violence. We prefer...pleasure."

Lirha smirked and nodded, familiar with the customs and lifestyles of Argelians. There were several other Federation cultures which shared many of those same principals, and she, too, was not very fond of violence. Unlike her XO, Lirha preferred to use her mouth as a weapon, not necessarily a phaser. "I understand." she answered simply. "But I must wonder...was your former captain not aware of your personal ethics when he accepted your assignment on Charleston?" she asked.

"I suppose he did not investigate," he said as he held Saalm's eyes, giving a small smile. "Most people do not take me for anything except human, because of my appearance. And I rarely correct people."

"It must be nice to be able to blend in when needed." Lirha mused, although the story which she had just been told was far from ideal, and that same ability had seemingly backfired on the petty officer. "So...besides this unfortunate incident, did you enjoy your time aboard Charleston?" she continued after a brief moment of pause.

"I enjoyed it," he said with a firm nod, taking a deeper breath. "Made good friends in different departments. I believe in being hands on...so I tend to go to the departments and receive reports in person unless they are classified."

"That is good to hear." the captain replied, "I prefer crew members who take the initiative rather than do the bare minimum which is asked of them." she agreed. "As for Galileo, will this be your first time aboard a Nova Class vessel?"

"Yes," he said quickly, with a nod and a smile. "It will be quite something, from what I hear. Novas have a decent reputation."

Lirha couldn't help but grin at the compliment. "They are becoming more and more useful with the Federation's focus shifting away from military efforts and back towards exploration and research." she explained. "However, it is important to remember that serving aboard a Nova Class starship is a much different experience than serving on some of the larger, more capable starships in the fleet. Galileo has a very small crew who are close-knit, and she is small enough that certain amenities and facilities are not present on board."

He smiled warmly, leaning forward a bit. "I am all for being close-knit. In fact, I see it as what any ship should be. A family, a community. We don't just serve the Federation and the Fleet, but each other."

The captain returned her new yeoman's smile with a small one of her own. "I could not agree more." she said, then leaded back in her chair and crossed her legs beneath the desk. "Well Mister Jaquen, I am happy to have you aboard our ship. Do you have any questions for me before you officially go on duty?" she asked, wanting to afford the man an opportunity to inquire about anything which might be on his mind.

"No, Captain," he said and smiled warmly. "I'll catch up with the reports. I have to go to sickbay at some point for a checkup as well. But I can do that after my shift."

"Yes, of course. In the meantime," Lirha paused to open one of her desk's drawers and retrieve a set of PADDs, after which she put all five of them on the table and pushed them towards Jaquen, "These need to be uploaded to Starfleet Command and I am a bit busy at the moment. They contain information about all of our findings so far." she explained with a small grin, realizing that she was putting the man to work literally as soon as he came on board.

Victarion smiled warmly as he stood and took them. "It will be my pleasure, Captain," he said, meaning it as he met her eyes. "I shall go and do it right away. Is there anything else I can do for you now?"

Lirha shook her head. "No, that is everything for now. When you get a free moment, please report in to Commander Holliday as well. I am sure he will be grateful to meet you and have your assistance with administrative duties." she said, then stood from her desk and gave him a curt nod. "You are dismissed, Mister Jaqen. Welcome aboard Galileo." she said in friendly spirits.

"Thank you, Captain...I look forward to serve here," Jaqen said before leaving with the padds, smiling.

[OFF]

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CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

PO2 Victarion Jaqen
Yeoman
USS Galileo

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