Another New Face

Posted on 14 Jun 2013 @ 2:16am by Lieutenant JG Jacrux

4,083 words; about a 20 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 4, M. Panne's Office
Timeline: MD10 - 0930 hours

[ON]

Maenad Panne was sitting on her office sofa reading a criticism of her most recent paper, which she had presented at a conference on Vulcan about a month ago. It was harsh. It was more than harsh, actually; it was scathing. Maenad was never partial to criticism, either, and she read the response from her PADD with rushing blood and a pounding heart. She craned her neck outward as she held the review in front of her, her eyes wide and her lips tight. What made it more upsetting was that the critique was from a Doctor Paul Yuill, a professor and colleague for whom she had a lot of respect. It was more than just a slap in the face, it was like she'd been punched in the mouth.

The chime at her door reminded her that she'd been spending too much time on this. She had yet another new arrival to welcome from the Venture, but for this one she was unprepared. She couldn't even remember the ensign's name, and she hadn't looked over his file beyond seeing its title. Actually, she realised, she didn't even know whether it was a male or female, or a human or not. Maenad tossed her PADD onto the coffee table in exchange for the personnel file, and crossed her legs. Her tights creased against her calf, which she straightened before raising her frustrated green eyes to the doorway. "Come in," she called more impatiently than she'd intended. One of her skeletal hands touched the hair by her temple as the newest addition to the science department came inside.

Jac whistled a bit of a tune to himself as he waited for permission to enter the office. It was Bajoran, he thought, one of their innumerable religious chants. This one spoke of new beginnings and a hope for the future through the story of a poor child entering the service of the church for the first time. Jac supposed there were a few parallels to the beginning of a new chapter in his own life, but really, he only liked the song because it was catchy.

The song finished with a quiet flourish, and Jac entered the room to stand at attention in front of the desk. "Ensign Jacrux, reporting for duty, ma'm," he said promptly with a bit of a grin.

It seemed like the CSO could use whatever energy Jac could provide. The words that had greeted him were impatiently spoken; the face that presented to him, blank, full of harsh angles and lines drawn by stress. Jac broadened and softened his smile, inserting the welcoming the other lacked, as if he was the one to give the woman permission to be at ease instead of the other way around.

So, thought Maenad, it was man. A young man, too. And he looked Romulan, maybe a human hybrid? She couldn't immediately tell. Ensign Jacrux. She glanced down at her PADD to make sure she had the spelling right, then she stood. The formalities always bothered her; they were scientists, not marines. She didn't care what the protocol said; everyone was supposed to be at ease in her presence. "At ease," she said softly. "You don't need to be uptight in my office, Mister Jacrux," she told him. "Please," she gestured to the empty chair beside her sofa, "come and have a seat, and tell me a bit about yourself." As he neared she offered her hand to him and introduced herself. "Maenad Panne," she told him with a bow of her head.

Jac's posture relaxed slightly as he took a seat in the chair, though his back was still straight as he leaned into the chair, crossing his left arm over his chest to the artificial right, which he used in a few slight gestures when he did speak, the light glinting slightly off the dark, polished biometal.

"Please, call me Jac," he began with a negligent wave of his hand and a crooked grin filled with false modesty, "And there's not much to say. I'm a new face, ready to offer my expertise on this excellent expedition--I'll admit, I bet I still smell Academy-fresh--my first post could be done by a Terran child, who would have found it much more interesting than I." Jac shook his head to dispel a bit of the lingering frustration. "I requested a transfer, ended up on a beautiful Galaxy-class ship--" he abruptly broke off and leaned in towards Maenad.

"I think there, you can pick up the story. What is the Galileo's tale? Where do we fit in?" Jac was putting his 'knack' to full use. He leaned forward in obvious interest, his idle fidgeting stilled to watch Maenad with his head tilted slightly to the side and one arched eyebrow cocked in question--a rapt audience by any measure.

"Well," Maenad said to him, "I don't really know. This is the ship's second assignment since its commission, and I came aboard after its return to dock. Before that, I was a professor of genetics, micropaleontology, and archaeology, with special attention to Vulcan." Maenad chose to leave out her previous assignments, probably because she was not a particularly good storyteller; this was the first time anyone had ever asked her to give the Galileo's story, which she found exceptionally difficult. Because she never complained downwards, she didn't talk about the dread she had for their mission, how useless and how unappreciated she felt, and how lately she was unhappy about her entire life.

"Really? That sounds fascinating, considering my own interests," Jac folded his hands and rested his chin on top of them, urging more from his superior, "I think I remember you from the Academy. What do you think, is leading a Science Department easier than keeping a group of Cadets on task?" He chuckled at his own joke. "I bet what we're working on is a bit more exciting than what was covered in the Academy," Jac tried to urge more from the close mouthed Maenad.

Maenad awkwardly grinned; she was not expecting someone this at ease. She held her crossed leg by the shin and reclined a little in her seat. Her eyes went over him curiously, and, after a few seconds, she knitted her brows. "It's hard to say," she admitted. "This assignment has become rather monotonous," she said honestly, but she was more furious with it than bored. Their research was not going to the scientific community; they were here to determine the system's mineral value, so it could be mined and exploited by fat-cat capitalists. Maenad, and her science department, were the ones who were doing all the surveying, and their reports, which she was finding difficult to complete, would ultimately find themselves going from the captain's to whatever evil mining company's board of directors.

"Although," she tilted her head, looking off somewhere just past him, "I have seen some impressive sights, and have had experiences that I will remember for the rest of my life." Maenad was referring, unbeknownst to Jacrux, to her and Liyar's survey of Rojar III, and she spoke with a gentle fondness.

Entire worlds of scientific knowledge untouched by anyone in the Federation did not seem to Jac to be monotonous, but then again, maybe the Lieutenant was burned out, or immune to the wonders of the galaxy. Jac hoped that never happened to him. Then again, many rumors had reached Jac's ears about the earlier events of the mission. A funeral did not a monotonous mission make.

But Jac did not mention the funeral. He was more interested in whatever his superior called impressive and memorable. "Oh? What sort of sights? I am eager to take part in the making of memories." Maenad's thoughts seemed more personal, and therefore more interesting, to Jac.

She met the young man's eyes, herself looking rather blank. She smiled; Maenad had never met anyone quite like him. Unsure whether she appreciated his questions or not, she slowly blinked while trying to figure out where to start; she was supposed to be the one asking all the questions, wasn't she? Maenad smirked. She wouldn't tell him about the shuttle crash that put her into surgery. She would tell him instead about the trip to the moons of Rojar VI, where she went with Liyar.

"Around the sixth planet's moon," she said, "we explored the satellite designated R14. It was a class P world that was so cold that we wore our environmental suits. We climbed to a ridge in the mountain range we landed in, and sat on the edge of the highest cliff I've ever seen as the sun set on us." It was one of the most romantic moments of her life, and her smirk had changed into a lovely smile as she remembered how frightened she was of falling over the edge. She shrugged it off, though, and changed one crossed leg for the other. "It doesn't sound as beautiful as it was. I can't do it justice," she looked at her dangling foot, silently laughing at herself.

The sudden change from 'I' to 'we' was very telling in Jac's mind. Of course away missions were not solo endeavors, but the Lieutenant had earlier said that she had singularly seen sights, not she in a group. Human pronouns were a tricky thing, but Jac suspected this was not a case of Maenad using the so-called 'royal we.' The woman's shift in demeanor was also very interesting. When Jac had arrived, Maenad sounded irritated. Now, with a simple memory, she seemed relaxed and almost amused.

However, Jac couldn't come out and directly ask his commanding officer who brought such warmth to her words. "It sounds like a beautiful sight. I grew up in a mountanous clime. I realize much has been organized already, but I hope there is still an opportunity for me to see some of the survey sites first hand. Who should I talk to for a first-hand account of the surface?"

"Well," Maenad sighed, "I think all the surveying has been done. You would talk to myself or the assistant chief, Miss Kiri Cho, about getting on one of the teams," she was thinking aloud rather than answering his question. "The last of the surveys are in progress now," she looked at him sympathetically. "But, that is not to say that we won't be back. I will make sure you get the opportunity if it comes up," she promised. "Tell me about where you're from," she said, tilting her head slightly. "You said it was mountainous?"

"That is unfortunate. I will consult the assistant chief as soon as possible. I bet there is plenty of information to catalogue," Jac nodded and grimaced slightly. He'd been hoping to get some land time, to get to see the rumored ruins of an ancient civilization for himself. Sitting in front of a screen and going through second hand information was exactly what he'd been trying to avoid by signing on with Starfleet.

Jac accepted the reversal of roles with grace, withdrawing to answer the question aimed his direction. "We call it Kator. Imagine, mountains stabbing into the atmosphere, seemingly reaching for the molten surface of the planet it orbits. Khret'ael rule the sky--I believe Terrans would call them eagles, but many times the size and fearless of the lightning that constantly barrages the mountainsides, searching for openings in the scaled surface to reach the highly-charged crust that floated on veritable oceans of precious molten metals, metals we tirelessly extracted and used to eek out a simple existence among the titans that rose overhead."

The hybrid paused his near-poetic description of his birthplace to give a wry chuckle. "I seem to have gotten away from the question. Yes, it had mountains," Jac summarized in one succinct sentence. "What about your travels? Have you ever seen anything similar to the Rojar system?"

Maenad shrugged. She hadn't been impressed with the system itself, it was the experience that she enjoyed. The system, to her, was not very unique compared to anywhere else, except for the two M class moons. "Well," she frowned, "yes and no. I have never seen an M class moon in orbit of a gas giant before." She had almost become lunch for a pack of wolves while exploring one of them, but that could have happened anywhere. Still, the experience was new, so she decided to tell him about it.

"My away team was exploring one of the two M classes, when a pack of six-legged wolves attacked us," she said as if it were no big deal. Like it happened all the time, she went on to describe them. "They were a pale pink, white bellied, and probably about double the size of an average-sized wolf." She smiled, remembering, "If it weren't for Mister Kiwosk and Liyar's excellent shooting, I might have been a temporary solution to their appetites." Maenad shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Although, I doubt that I would have been very good," with a downward curl of her lips, she was referencing the lack of meat on her bones. "One of them died, unfortunately. But, it's in the morgue for study, so at least we're putting use to its death."

Jac's pout grew deeper as Maenad revealed more details about the moons. He'd missed so much fun. If only he'd arrived a week earlier. "Sounds like a thrai," he muttered to himself, giving a chuckle and adding, "Aside from the pink, and I bet it has fewer teeth."

His smile took a predatory cast at the Lieutenant's comment humoring her thin build. Jac's eyes swept her up and down, briefly, keen-eyed as any raptor, then he was back to his usual restrained amusement. "I have only been around you for moments, but I assure you, I do not want you to be made into a snack, however unfilling," Jac chuckled good-naturedly at his words. The past few moments with the CSo had been quite amusing, and Jac wasn't done with her yet.

"Thank you," Maenad silently laughed. She glanced at the PADD on her table without actually reading it. "So, how long have you been out of the academy?" she asked.

"Six, eight months or so? It felt like six years," Jac shook his head at the memory of his earlier posting, "What about you? Both as a student and an instructor."

"Me?" she asked. Maenad had to think, now. She had never gone to the academy like most people had. "I didn't think I would be in Starfleet until only a few years ago," she told him. "If you want the story," she said slowly, but then after realising that he did, she continued. "I went to McGill University in Quebec, and graduated when I was twenty-two. I earned my Master's at the same school when I was almost twenty-four. I had my PhD by twenty-seven, and began teaching immediately." She shook her head, smiling. She liked talking about herself, but usually it took several drinks. "A year later, I was offered a job at Starfleet Academy, where I've taught ever since. I had to take basic classes through the summers, while I served as a junior science officer on the USS Crane, Ocean, and Zebra, before coming here." The details of the immense life difficulties and clashes she had had with basically everyone on all of those ships were best left unsaid. "It's why I'm a lieutenant junior grade," she said simply.

Jac always wanted the story. The name of her university and the human locations meant little, though the number of years spent in training was impressive, at least in Jac's knowledge of human education. The number of ships was interesting, considering the Lieutenant didn't feel old enough to have more than a few years of experience on ships, and that experience balanced between being an Academy instructor. The higher-ups must have some confidence in her leadership abilities.

"Junior science officer to chief of the entire department, that is a bit of a leap," Jac pointed out, "Congratulations."

Maenad couldn't tell if she was being made fun of, so she hesitated a few seconds before replying. "Yes," she agreed. "Well, I was an assistant chief before becoming a chief," she explained. "So you are an archaeologist?" she changed the subject. "Have you done any field work yet?"

"Yes, though I favor cross-cultural studies, no matter how speculative some may find it," Jac grimaced a bit, obviously remembering some comments. "The Naiad was tasked with uncovering remnants of a possibly warp-capable society dating back to before the Sundering. It was an exercise in futility," here Jac grimaced again. So many man hours for nothing. "The remnants were on an asteroid; the lack of atmosphere destroyed anything but the barest imprints. But I did gain a familiarity with standard field techniques."

Her interest was perked, now. That was a period Maenad had studied extensively. "I have always found the so-called Romulan Way fascinating," she told him. "Did you find out where this supposed ancient warp society came from?"

One of Maenad's comments hit a nerve. Jac's spine straightened, held up by needles of injured pride and pricked honor. "There is nothing 'so-called' about the Way of D'era," the snappish reply came before Jac stopped himself and reigned in his tone, returning to amused, though with a hint of superiority.

"The geologists suspect the asteroid originated in the Kelvas system asteroid belt until it was jarred free by some sort of impact," Jac shook his head, "It is unknown whether the Cardassians have uncovered similar findings in that sector."

Maenad noted his defensiveness with barely a flinch. Her expression was a stoic as a Vulcan's, but for the very subtle widening of her eyes. She had always found that enthusiastic people usually a had temperamental side to them; Jacrux's brief loss of character told her a lot about him. Vulcanoids, especially hybrids, were more prone to loss of emotional control than others, and sometimes violently. Making a note to watch for it in the future, Maenad thought to herself that she hadn't meant her comments in a derogatory way. Not in the mood to revisit it, or to start a debate, she decided to say nothing but remain silent for a moment. Sometimes, and Maenad was expert at it, silence said more than words.

Moving on from that train of thought, Maenad knew a fair bit about archaeological findings in Cardassian space; the undercover mission to Cardassia she had led a little more than a year ago surfaced on the edge of her mind, but she wasn't allowed to talk about it. "The Cardassians, unfortunately, are stuck in the past," was all she could scowl.

Silence could speak entire conversations, bu Jac didn't want to give the Lieutenant an opportunity to concentrate on him for too long. The conversation should focus on her, and her stories, while Jac listened and soaked it all in.

"Oh? What are your dealings with the Cardassians?" Jac leaned forward in interest. Whether it be personal dealings or merely a shade of a larger prejudice, Jac was curious about her motivations.

"They don't like me very much," she said. Unaware that she might be coming across as mildly discriminatory, she made no attempt to clarify that she meant the Cardassian government and not the people.

The brief answer failed to satisfy Jac's curiosity. "Why is that? You seem likable." Something occurred to the Ensign. When had she had the opportunity to encounter Cardassians? With her long academic background on Earth, it would have had to have been a recent occurance. Most curious.

"Well, thank you," she smiled. "I think I'm a fairly likable person too." Maenad sighed to answer his question as well as she could, without going into unwanted territory. "They don't like me because I did some minor research on Bajor, gave a conference there, and the implications of my origins of life theory has Cardassians and Bajorans as being genetically related. You can imagine why Cardassians don't like my work from there," she grinned.

"Ah, that theory," Jac shook his head in amusement, "That must have raised some debate on the planet." Those foolish Cardassians. Genetic relations that ancient meant little to nothing.

Maenad shrugged. "Who else have you met on board?" she asked after a moment.

"Technically most of the crew. I attended the funeral the other day," Jac elaborated, "I don't recall seeing you there?" His tone prompted an explanation.

"I was there," Maenad quickly corrected him. Stone's funeral was two days ago, just about. She narrowed her eyes, wondering now how long he had been here. "When did you get here, then? What did you do yesterday?"

"I arrived that day. Yesterday I attended my required appointments and reset my routine in preparation for Alpha shift." Jac was unapologetic for the time it took him to meet with the department head.

"And you passed everything?" she verified. There was still something about him that she couldn't quite place.

"I did," Jac tilted his head quizzically, "Is there a problem?"

Maenad frowned, not understanding. "Not at all," she said, trying to sound reassuring. She was only asking because it was her responsibility to know that her department was taken care of. "Why?"

"I figured you would have gotten a report if the answer was negative." Jac tapped the fingers of his left hand against the cloth covered metal of his right forearm. "Are there any questions remaining questions?"

Through narrowed eyes, Maenad kept her eyes on him. She felt uncomfortable. "I was going to ask how you're adjusting, if you like your quarters, and whether you had any further questions," she told him. "But, if you don't, then you're free to go, if you like."

"Do you want me to go?" Jac pressed forward, catching on to the other's slight unease. What had caused the change? He'd had Maenad spilling her stories only moments before.

"No," she said, trying to ease things. She didn't understand the young man's sudden defensiveness. Maenad clenched her jaw before continuing. "Not unless you have more to ask me about your position."

"You have yet to tell me specifics about my position," Jac reminded his superior gracefully, "Is there anything specific I should concentrate on with the limited time ahead of me?"

"I haven't forgotten," she snipped, her tone becoming sharp. He'd asked her if she had more questions, like he wanted to leave and do something else, then asked her if she wanted him to leave. Maenad's head was swimming, now. She couldn't tell if she had done something strange, like she was prone to do, or if he was somehow loose. Whatever expression she'd had disappeared, and she became as forthright as a judge. "For administrative and scheduling concerns, your immediate superior is Miss Kiri Cho. Because you are assigned to Alpha shift, my rotation, you will report to me for your daily orders. You say that you passed your appointments, if that does not include a psychological and medical evaluation, they must be done before you report for duty. I would like you to report tomorrow morning at 0800, and I will brief you on some finds that have been brought back from some of the moons, at which I would like you to take closer look," delivered Maenad's pointed words.

This had been a most telling interview. Jac filed the supplied name to the section of his mind for identities that mattered. It seemed the science department was led by women. Maybe Miss Cho would give Jac more to look at than Maenad. She was too tall for his tastes.

"Understood," Jac nodded and stood, professional as he'd ever been during their conversation. "Thank you for an enlightening and interesting set of stories. I look forward to getting to work."

"You're welcome," she replied easily. Maenad stood with him and walked him to the door. She offered him her hand. "Welcome aboard," she smiled.

Jac looked at the hand and took it carefully in his metallic grip. He inclined his head to acknowledge the words. "I will report in tomorrow morning as instructed," he repeated the orders before taking his leave.

OFF:

Lieutenant (JG) Maenad Panne
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

Ensign Jacrux
Anthropologist
USS Galileo

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