Eager Young Ensigns

Posted on 29 Oct 2014 @ 1:53pm by Lieutenant JG Cyrin Xanth & Commander Norvi Stace
Edited on on 30 Oct 2014 @ 1:44pm

3,630 words; about a 18 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 4: CSO's Office
Timeline: MD08 1600hrs

[ ON ]

Ensign Xanth had hoped to catch Lieutenant Stace on the ship at some point but things had been hectic with shore leave and transfer of supplies on board, his appointment in Sickbay and getting things squared away with the Quartermaster, and of course the fiasco at the club with the Security officers. Finally he'd managed to get a brief appointment with the Chief Science Officer.

He tapped at the door panel to announce himself and rocked on his heels. Cyrin was excited to get started and had already enjoyed a month's shore leave before the vessel had arrived. Maybe there would be some data from whatever mission they'd just returned from, he hoped, or a project he could volunteer for. Just remember to make a good impression, he reminded himself for the hundredth time, and don't stutter.

"Come in!" came Stace's generic reply as she was sat on the carpeted decked flooring of her office, replicator components in hand, and the wiring pulled out of the wall. She wiped the smudge from her cheek but only seemed to worsen it. She looked up to the door a made an effort to smile as her visitor entered. "Ah, Ensign Xanth. I was wondering when I was going to get to meet you! Come in, please."

She folded her legs beneath her and hoisted herself up from the floor. "I'd shake your hand but they're a little dirty."

"Thank you sir," he replied as he stepped inside the office. "I don't mind. Getting dirty I mean." Cyrin eyed the replicator pieces on the floor and raised an eyebrow, an unconscious gesture he'd picked up at his last posting, and wondered if there was a shortage of engineering personnel to take care of it. He was pleased though at the thought about working for a Trill, as he hadn't seen his own kind in a few years now.

"It's refreshing to have another Joined Trill on board," Stace said, walking over to her desk and offering the adjacent seat to him. "With the Fleet so vast and so few of us about, it seems fortuitous for us both to be serving not only on the same small ship, but in the same department." Stace's eyes beamed at the prospect of getting to know another like herself, one that had opted to explore the galaxies in a tin can like herself. "So, tell me a bit about yourself, Cyrin. I'm not sure I've heard of the Xanth Symbiont before."

For some internal reason, Norvi felt comfortable using Cyrin's first name. If she thought a little more about it, it might have had something to do with the over dominant presence of the Symbiont once joined. But she was also comfortable to have the favour returned.

It was very odd, but Stace was actually the first person to mention his status as a joined Trill. Cyrin supposed that most of the people he met assumed he was not, as they were rare enough. To have two in the crew would probably not have occurred to them. Besides, he thought, looking at how easy and posed Stace was, he didn't have that sort of composure.

"This is my first time Joined," he said in that odd dual meaning that only a fellow Trill would understand. Cyrin spoke both as the host and the symbiont, and there was certainly a level of deference to his tone for someone who had lifetimes of experiences. The Xanth symbiont inside was young, this was it's first time bonded, born with another while the Stace symbiont was already making a name for itself. It was intimidating to say the least so his tone remained highly respectful, "I've n-not accomplished m-much. I earned degrees in astronomy and physics during my Initiate program and s-s-served a year and half on the Vulcan science vessel Se'lok."

"How do you class that as not accomplishing much?" Stace asked with a furrowed, caring brow. "That sounds like a lot for someone your age." She flashed him a smile and folded her arms in a relaxed, comfortable manner, leaning backwards in her chair. "There's plenty of time to experience what the universe has to offer. This is my second time in Starfleet and I still haven't tired of it. And you have lifetimes ahead of you to determine which direction you want to take. I have to be honest, starting in Starfleet is probably one of the better foundations you could have made for yourself and the Symbiont."

It was nice to see someone she could identify with, and yet still with a thirst and a lust for life. The inexperience of someone just starting out on a path that would take them beyond lifetimes was endearing and exciting for her.

While obviously uncomfortable talking about his own achievements, Cyrin was impressed that she understood so well right from the start. The only thing he'd been sure of after the Joining was that he had a need to start to explore and experience as much as he could. He wanted to learn and see things no one else ever had before, or immerse himself in an alien culture mysterious and ancient. That drive for experience had catapulted his desire to join Starfleet, but it was his own accomplishments that had gotten Cyrin this far even if he didn't see it.

"I love being in Starfleet," he said earnestly, nodding his head and relaxing some, "Even if all I did was act as a lab assistant. You must have had a hand in approving my transfer request, and I really look forward to the responsibility and the opportunity." Talking about the job was easier. Having someone who might understand the confusion he was going through might be good too, but Cyrin wasn't about to ask about that having just met Stace. "We didn't see much in the Mutara Sector on the Se'lok, mostly mundane gravimetric studies and nebular mapping. I bet you get to see so much more on a Nova Class! Specialty labs, dedicated planetary and astrometric sensor package, back up deflector array..." He was obviously quite pleased to be on board, and his grey eyes grew a little wistful as he imagined the things he might see.

"You'll get to experience everything you've dreamed of in the Fleet. There are so many opportunities if you apply yourself." It was nice to talk so candidly about progression. And in truth, Norvi did know what the youth was going through. The amalgam of two distinct personalities jostling for dominance, and a lesser, quieter acceptance of what emerged. Stace had gone through this several times over and had emerged each time like a butterfly. Distinct yet familiar. Her own return to Starfleet had raised a few tuts from the Symbiosis Commission but she weathered these stoically.

"When I announced my decision to come back to the Fleet it wasn't met with the best of responses. The Commission want you to experience everything you can. To grow and delve beyond the murky periphery of past memories. And I just didn't think I'd outgrown the exploration of the universe as Starfleet sees it. And that's why I'm back here. I'm no longer a captain, but leading a science department of one of the most advanced ships in the Fleet meets my needs. It meets both Norvi's and Stace's idea of the undiscovered."

She hadn't mentioned it, no Joined Trill liked to, but Cyrin understood that making waves with the Symbiosis Commission was something that they all tried to avoid. There was so much at stake if one decided to go against their wishes and he'd heard all about the necessity of letting the symbiont experience new things. For Cyrin it was easier, everything he experienced was new. He'd not thought that for Stace things might have been more complicated.

"You were a captain with a previous host?" he asked, genuinely intrigued. That would be an experience to be sure, though he hoped that didn't mean Stace was hard on her Science staff here on the Galileo.

Stace scrunched up her nose in her usual fashion and nodded small, little nods. With the run-in with Stark and the counselling sessions she had recently undertaken, the subject was fresh on her mind. But with her striving the same path her previous host did, these types of conversations were long from over. "Captain Janel Stace, yes." Stace admitted with a coy smile. "It seems to give me a perspective of service that not everyone gets a chance to experience. Not that I would trade that in for the world but it can make certain relationships awkward."

Stace had seemed to have warmed quickly to Xanth. His optimistic youth beaming from his face was a gentle reminder of her own starting out. "I haven't met any of my previous crew yet, and I doubt I will in the near future. But that is always something you have to think about: You're someone different, they're someone older. People move on and put you to bed only to have you re-emerge. It can be unsettling."

Though he understood what Stace was getting at, he'd gone through the same Initiate classes and been told what to expect, Cyrin didn't really know what it was like yet. To him, most everybody seemed older and wiser, and that might be the case until Xanth moved on to the next host. Still, it didn't dampen his enthusiasm much. If anything, after hearing Stace speak he wanted to impress her more than ever now.

"I hope I'll be a good officer someday," he began. "Maybe a captain too, but I know that I have a lot of work to do." Cyrin shifted a little awkwardly in his seat; with his issues he knew that someday just might mean the next host too. "I hope I don't disappoint you taking on the astrophysicist position at least."

Stace feigned a smile. "I'm sure that you won't, Ensign." She lowered her head and then looked up to him through the wispy strands of hair that had come loose from its grip at the back. "A captaincy is a good ideal to strive for. Especially in Starfleet. And I'm sure that rising through the ranks with reinforce your own self-belief." She paused for a breath and then realised that she was giving her subordinate a kind of pep talk that she never would have delivered as her previous host, Janel. He was more of the thinking that if you didn't cut it, you were shipped out to a less prestigious posting.

"You've been selected for this team by both myself and Captain Holliday because of your record. Because you already are a good officer. We just want to help you nurture that thinking into something wonderful. Something that can push the boundaries of Science and the Fleet beyond what it already is. We might be a little ship, but we're one of the best. And you're part of that now."

The young man swelled at the confidence she expressed in him. It had been a long time since he'd heard compliments as anything other than "adequate" or "acceptable", Vulcans being like they were. Cyrin wanted to live up to those expectations she and the captain had of him, wanted to desperately. "Thank you, Lieutenant," he said softly though his voice shook with restrained emotion. "I'll try to be the best officer I can be."

"Good, then you should get yourself settled on board and meet some of the other crew. Have you had the opportunity to yet?"

"Yes sir, I have," he replied. Though some of those meetings had been more difficult than others. In his short stay on the station during shore leave, Cyrin had successfully knocked one of the ship's new security officers to the ground, gotten drunk and embarrassed himself in front of others, been approached by an Andorian who wanted far more than Cyrin could possibly offer, and started a friendship with the quartermaster that had left him feeling awkward and questioning things. At least Doctor Mott had been very nice, the ensign had gotten along with him splendidly. "Everyone's been really...nice."

"Nice?" Stace jerked with a bit of a scoff. She chuckled with amusement and straightened up in her chair. Scrunching her nose up, her eyebrow shot to the ceiling with glee. "That's one way of putting it." She cast her thoughts through the eclectic ensemble she'd just served with and then shook her head at the Trill. "They are a nice bunch. But you'll need to hold your own. On a ship this small it's easy to get trampled on by the personalities forging forth in their own lives. Just keep a head on your shoulders and know that if you need anything, then I'm here. You'll be grand."

The male flushed at her reaction to his statement, as if she knew that he'd given a loaded answer. No need for him to bring up personal problems to her, and certainly no need to mention things like Keval's offer or the way he'd reacted around Ellsworth. He would try to make sure that such things didn't interfere with the job he was here to do. As for dealing with those issues, he'd figure out what to do eventually he hoped.

"H-hold my own, r-right," he replied, looking hardly confident about it. "I appreciate the advice, sir."

Stace smiled and then squinted her eyes at him fondly. "Once more with feeling, eh, Ensign?" she remarked, nodding her head.

Cyrin took a deep breath and did so so, "Yes sir. I'll do my best." It sounded slightly more confident than before at least. A strange mixture, excited to get to work and prove himself but obviously not having much faith in being able to do so.

Stace nodded to him with a warmth in her face. "My door is always open to you, Ensign. For anything. Now," she then said, standing up and brushing down her uniform, "can I get you a drink?"

As soon as she began to stand, Cyrin popped up out of his seat, "I-I-I'd like that." He really would too, and would enjoy it even more if he didn't feel like he was an Initiate again. Norvi Stace was formidable to him, having several lifetimes behind her already, and he'd learned like most Trill to have great respect for such people while he'd been growing up. For right now though, his eyes had grown worried as he wondered what exactly he was going to talk about.

"Uh...your replicator seems to uh...l-left a sm-smudge," he tried to point out unobtrusively the fact that Stace had been speaking to him this whole time with a smear on her cheek from where she'd been attempting to fix the machine. Better to tell her now than to let her take him wherever they would be headed; there could be people around, and he definitely knew to look out for the boss.

"Oh, gosh!" she exclaimed, attempting to wipe it away but failing miserably. She raised her hand to her cheek and smeared it further to her chin. "Has it gone?" To Xanth's head shake, she shrugged her shoulders and resigned herself to the fact that she had looked like a builder on their first meeting. "Well, there's either this cold and stale coffee that the mess made me this morning. My replicator being what it is. But, since we're both technically not on duty, I have a bottle of Welsh scotch laying about the place..." She allowed the question to hang in the air with an expectant grin.

Stace knew exactly where the scotch was. Bottom drawer of her desk hidden beneath a stack of padds. Although she didn't want to appear like a lush and so knew that she'd have to feign a treasure hunt before she found it if the Trill accepted.

For a moment, Cyrin's stomach decided it wanted to do some backflips with the thought of drinking again but he forced the feeling down, "Uh, I don't think I've heard of Welsh scotch before...is that a colony world?" Okay, so he'd be careful and not get drunk. It wouldn't do for his new commanding officer to think he had a problem. He didn't, not really, but he had discovered he didn't have that high of a tolerance recently.

"It's an old country from the Sol sector. Earth before it united." She went to the opposite side of the room and pulled open a cupboard. "Now, where is it?" she mumbled, pretending to look in another. She then walked back to her desk, proceeded to rifle through the first two drawers before she came to where she knew it had been all along. "Ah! And what would you know! Two tumblers. I think they were left over from the meeting I have with Lieutenant Kohl. He likes to drink his water out of crystal."

She placed the glasses on the desk with one hand, uncorked the bottle, and poured two fingers for them both. "Bottoms up!" she said.

Cyrin had intended to drink cautiously, but found himself following along with the drink. Mere seconds after he'd poured the scotch down his throat, his eyes bulged and he started to cough. Cyrin safely managed to get the glass back onto the desk. "Wow," he croaked out. "That's uh ...wow." He cast about in his mind for something easy to discuss. "I am curious about what specialty you have in the sciences, Lieutenant. With a ship like Galileo I bet you have a chance to see all sorts of fascinating things outside your expertise?"

"Botany, as it happens," Stace replied with a smile, tossing back her own scotch with one glug. The warmth slid down her throat as she swallowed and then she smiled, placing the crystal down on the desk again. "But when you start working your way up through commanding a science department, especially on a science-specific vessel, you tend to have to be more general. A finger in as many pies as you can, so to speak. What sparked your interest in the sciences?"

"My parents," he admitted without hesitation. Botany? He'd have to see what might be going on in the botany lab on board the Galileo sometime. "They insisted that I study science as part of qualifying as an Initiate." Cyrin didn't mean that he didn't love science because of that, he did love it, but that was the reason why he'd started learning when all he wanted to do was play soccer. He'd specialized in physics and astronomy himself once he'd been pushed there, and was like many others who had been driven into the program by the urgings and expectations of their parents. "But I still like it."

"I'm glad that you do," Stace replied, a note of serious jest in her voice as she widened her eyes. "The Gally is a ship where you can indulge your scientific curiosities to their fullest," she added, her face now warming. "Provided that you have the spare time off-duty. Have you been assigned your quarters?"

"I look forward to it, really," he said, though wondered about this talk about not having some free time from his duties. Cyrin was very happy to spend hours glued to the sensors studying some previously unknown phenomena that had shown up in space, but he did need some free time. He loved science, but it wasn't his passion. At the question about his quarters, Cyrin blushed brilliantly. "I uh, m-met the qu-quartermaster and he g-g-gave me my room assignment, yes," he said, struggling to maintain his composure. That young man made him feel all sorts of uncomfortable, like he'd never felt before. It hadn't been even Ellsworth's fault either, the man had been nothing more than kind and friendly towards him.

Noticing Cyrin stumble over his words, Norvi detected a sense unease about her question but couldn't quite work out whether it was due to who he was roomed with or the question itself. She decided not to pursue the line of enquiry and so deflected away from it. "Anyway, I'm sure that you have plenty to get on with, Ensign. Just remember that if you need anything, my door is always open. Both as a fellow Trill and your head of department."

Cyrin breathed an obvious sigh of relief that he wasn't going to be asked any further questions in that area, as he wasn't even sure of the answers himself. Ellsworth was a friend. He could tell that the conversation had drawn to a close, and stood up to his full height and offered a grin, "Thank you, Lieutenant. I'll remember that. And thank you for the nice welcome. I won't let you down."

Her mischievous twinkle in her green eyes betrayed her jest, but she smiled through it and cocked e finger at him. "You'd better not, Ensign. I'm counting on you." And with that he left her to her solitude.

It had been a funny mission, and a learning curve for everyone. It was nice to talk to someone who knew her job but hadn't experienced what they had just gone through. A fresh pair of eyes and experiences that weren't tainted by Lyshan or Cardassians and tribbles. She sighed and her mouth upturned into a subtle smile to herself. She was content with her life, with her experiences. But Xanth's youthful outlook invigorated her. This was certainly going to be a interesting and excited next mission.

OFF:

Lieutenant Norvi Stace
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

AND

Ensign Cyrin Xanth
Astrophysicist
USS Galileo

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