A Future Among the Stars

Posted on 15 Dec 2013 @ 1:27pm by Giada Basile M.D., Ph.D. & Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Captain Jonathan Holliday

922 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Episode 04 - Exodus
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 1, Ready Room
Timeline: MD09 - 1030 hrs

[ON]

The turbolift to the bridge opened and Giada stepped onto the bridge.

"Permission to enter the bridge?" she asked, while glancing around curiously with her hands in the pockets of her lab coat.

The XO's duty shift had begun early this morning, with Galileo so badly damaged it was all hands on deck, and as such his place was on the Bridge. The Captain had retreated to her Ready Room an hour or so ago to begin tackling her own mountain of paperwork, leaving the XO in charge of a rather unfamiliar Alpha shift. Hearing a voice behind him the Commander snapped round in his chair, trying to identify the civilian stood at the turbolift doors.

"This area is off limits to civilians. What are you doing here?"

Giada's head turned immediately to face the XO. She smiled, despite the stern greeting. "I'm looking for the Captain, sir. I have some paperwork for her," she said and held up a PADD. "It's signed by Lieutenant Pendleton, and I need to ask her authorization as well."

John took a moment to look the civilian up and down, trying to gain a measure of her identity before proceeding. She certainly didn't look like someone who would pose a threat to the Captain, and the XO was happy to let her pass this time.

"Captain Saalm to the Bridge." The Commander announced, waiting for his green-skinned CO to emerge from her office.

The ready room door swished open and out popped Lirha's head. She looked around for a short moment then sighted her XO standing next to the molecular biologist she had seen in sickbay two days ago. Straightening her form-fitting uniform with a tug on the waist, she slowly walked out onto the bridge and stopped in front of them. "Commander. Doctor," she addressed each.

"Ma'am. Sorry to disturb you but you were requested by name by the Doctor here. "

John replied, nodding to his CO as she arrived on the scene, not entirely sure why exactly she would want to be dealing with such minor paperwork during this mission.

"No problem at all," she replied to Holliday before turning to Basile and giving her a friendly smile. "What may I assist you with, doctor?" she curiously inquired. It was strange to see a civilian scientist on the bridge during normal operating procedures which made her wonder if there was a sense of urgency in the request.

"Sorry for bothering you, Captain. Lieutenant Pendleton said I should talk to you about this... It just didn't seem right to send in a message," she said and handed the Captain a PADD. "I asked the Lieutenant for his permission to apply to Starfleet Medical, and for a recommendation to train onboard the Galileo. He said yes, and told me to speak with you next."

Lirha took the PADD from Basile but didn't read it quite yet. This was no doubt a matter which would benefit from a bit of privacy, and standing in the middle of the bridge was a less than ideal area for such a conversation to take place. "I will be happy to discuss it with you in my office." She motioned towards her ready room with her hand, then thanked her XO before turning on her heels and leading the dark-haired woman into the room.

Giada smiled her thanks to Commander Holliday and followed the Orion woman to the ready room. Inside the pockets of her lab coat, she rubbed the slight sweat from her hands.

"Please have a seat," Lirha said to Basile after the door swished closed, then walked around her desk to the opposite side and took a seat. She leaned back casually in the chair and crossed her legs, then placed the PADD she had been given gently down on the table. "So...you wish to join Starfleet? Starfleet Medical, specifically?"

"I do, Captain," Giada confirmed as she took her seat. "I've thought about it before, and I think now it's time."

"I see," Lirha replied with a light and neutral tone of voice. She reached up to push a stray lock of hair back behind her ear then glanced down at the PADD Basile had given her. "May I ask why?" She wasn't necessarily opposed to the idea, but wanted to hear first-hand from the civilian scientist what exactly her reasons were.

"I left medicine for the lab because I saw new mountains to climb, but I've climbed them now... And there's nowhere to go," Giada said. "I gave up a lot to become a surgeon; an engagement, friends, years of my life... Being back in a sickbay for the last week brought me back to why I did it. I want to go back into practice."

Lirha watched Basile explain her motives, then slowly nodded in understanding when she had finished speaking. "I can certainly sympathize with wanting to be involved in a department which better suits your interests," she remarked. The captain had gone through a similar situation earlier in her career which had prompted a move from Operations to Intelligence, a much preferred position in her mind.

"Are you aware of the process involved with transferring to Starfleet Medical? You would, of course, no longer be a civilian, which is usually a significant lifestyle change for most people," Lirha added.

[TRUNCATED]

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CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

CMDR Jonathan Holliday
Executive Officer
USS Galileo

Giada Basile M.D., Ph.D.
Civilian Scientist
USS Galileo
[PNPC - Vess]

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