Reporting In

Posted on 24 Oct 2014 @ 4:17pm by Lieutenant JG Kalos Jang Ph.D. & Commander Scarlet Blake
Edited on on 24 Oct 2014 @ 5:59pm

1,143 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 2: XO's Office
Timeline: MD 08: 0900 Hours

ON:

Kal was on the Galileo long enough to stow his things before he had to report in with the XO. His trip from Earth had been surprisingly fast, but mind-numbingly boring all the same. He'd part used the time on the ship bringing him most of the way to the starbase to read up on the Galileo. His boss back at Starfleet Academy had told him it was a science vessel, the kind of place where he could work on research and development, even maybe test things out in the field. The next week, as he flew out here, Kal started working on ideas, things he could do with a little autonomy to pursue research of his own, free from the mandates of the program he'd worked in at Starfleet Academy.

He still doubted they'd ever provide him a fresh brain, but he could hope.

The field. Kal imagined getting his boots planetside somewhere, seeing things that nobody on his entire planet had ever even dreamed of seeing. Kal was so excited to get started that he didn't even check to see who his roommate was. He grabbed a PADD with some of his research ideas (just in case), pocketed a bag of hard candy from his bag (because candy soothed nerves) and made straight to his meeting with the XO, sharp. If Kal were being honest, he found the whole check-in procedure a bit of a waste of time, but if it got him in his lab faster, then he'd bite the bullet.

"Come in..." Blake called out, glancing up from tidying her desk. The amount of PADDs that had been scattered left right and centre had not been appreciated. Now that things were back under control, there was no excuse for it anymore. "Lieutenant Jang, yes?"

"That's me--crap," Kal said as he walked in, and immediately stepped on a PADD that had somehow fallen on the floor. He winced, bent down and picked it up. The screen bore a boot mark, but no cracks at least. Kal wiped the screen off on the arm of his uniform jacket and extended it out to her as he said, "Sorry. Uh...They told me to check in with you first thing, Commander."

" 'They' would be right," Blake assured, taking the PADD with a half smile before stashing it safely with the rest before he could destroy it. "Come and take a seat and you can tell me about yourself, Lieutenant."

Kal sat down, still carrying his own PADD containing his research ideas. He wasn't sure what kind of background in the sciences the Commander had, so he decided to give it an easy pitch. "Okay. Well. I have a PhD in nanoengineering, awarded from the Daystrom Institute, graduated with honors. I minored in robotics, but that's more like a hobby. I built this little dog thing once that spoke Vulcan...that's beside the point. I've been attached to Starfleet Academy's nanotechnology R&D department for the last few years. Here is a list of what I hope to work on. I've been banging it around for a while." He handed the PADD over to Blake. "At the Academy, I had mandates I had to work towards, projects that had priority according to the brass, but I've been brainstorming in my own time. I hope I can pursue some of these here. I've looked at military applications, science, medical, engineering, operations. I'm going to change the world as you know it, Commander." He sat back and cleared his throat. That last bit had gotten away from him.

Blake watched him with surprise at the last, but also with a small smile. Confidence. It was nice to see. And hope too. But with the credentials to back it up. She nodded as she looked over the PADD he'd given her, skimming over it with a soft chuckle. "You're ambitious," she nodded before meeting his eyes. "The great thing about Galileo is that we can support the talent in our Science department. You should discuss your ideas with your Department Head."

Kal said, "I intend to." Blake didn't seem put off by his thoughts, which encouraged him. "I think, given a certain amount of autonomy, I can spearhead some serious advancements in the field. I've been working on these applications since Daystrom, and I've never had the chance to really pursue them. I wanted to get out in the field so I could start testing some theories, and also because Earth is...fantastically boring. No offence meant. But this is where I think I can really do the best work of my career."

Scarlet chuckled softly at the words, waving a dismissive hand. "No offence taken, I assure you. This is what we're here for. We explore, we discover, and occasionally we have no choice but to fight...but under it all, we're a science specialist ship. We encourage our research projects as much as our active tasks."

"I am very glad to hear it, Commander." Kal wondered briefly if he should ask what his chances were for getting a fresh brain, but decided against it. Morales had told him it was weird, and he didn't want to make the wrong impression. "I won't disappoint. I've spent more than fifteen years trying to get in a position like, doing this work, and you can be sure I'm going to take advantage of it now."

"That's what I like to here," she assured, nodding with approval as she rested back in her seat with a small smile. "Is there anything you'd like to know or ask?"

"Just point me towards the nearest lab, Commander," Kal said. "I don't need shore leave; I've been on shore the last five years. I'm ready to work."

"Good, well, in that case you'll need to report in to your chief, Lieutenant Stace, and also get yourself seen by a doctor and then a counsellor. Then, you'll be clear for duty," she assured with a small smile at his eagerness.

Right. Doctors and counselors and...everything that was required for joining a ship. "Of course," Kal said, masking his frustration. Procedure was procedure, no matter how damned inconvenient it was. An organization as big as Starfleet lived on procedure. "I'll get right to all of that, Commander. Thanks for your help."

"No problem," Scarlet assured, just as keen to get their new staff up and going as they were to get stuck in. "If there's nothing else, you're free to go."

There was nothing else. Kal could hopefully knock out all of his other requirements in the next day and get right to work. He was up and gone as soon as he had permission, looking for the science department.

OFF:

CMDR Scarlet Blake
First Officer
USS Galileo

&

Lieutenant JG Kalos Jang
Nanoengineer
USS Galileo

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