Master of Olympia

Posted on 23 Feb 2015 @ 11:08pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Lieutenant JG Zane Neptune

1,403 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 2, Mess Hall
Timeline: MD 39 - 1240 hrs

[ON]

PADD in hand while sitting in the ship's deserted mess hall, Lirha quietly picked up a piece of crunchy lettuce from her replicated salad bowl and popped it into her mouth. She chewed on the fresh iceberg leaf then looked back down at her slim reading device and began to continue browsing the recent construction reports currently taking place on the ship's exterior. It had been a quiet couple of days ever since returning back to Starbase 84 from shore leave, and with most of the crew except the senior officers still enjoying their R&R time, Galileo had been a very quiet place. Only the occasional sounds of the deflector dish installation revealed any sort of actual work, and the commodore found the lack of activity to be strangely eerie.

When Zane walked in for his post workout meal, he had not expected there to be anyone specific in the galley but he certainly wasn't expecting the commodore. He quickly scanned the rest of the room and didn't see a single other person in the room, which he felt was an odd thing for the middle of the day.

At least she's eating healthy, Zane thought. He couldn't help himself.

He strode over to the replicator and ordered up a cooked chicken breast on a bed of plain white rice. The replicator could really do anything he wanted, taste-wise, but he liked the idea of sticking to what bodybuilders have been known for eating for a long time. He retrieved the tray and made his way directly over to the only occupied table.

"Do you mind having some company?"

The commodore looked up from her PADD with mild surprise. Not only at the fact she'd thought she was alone in the mess hall, but also at the large, sweaty man who was now standing in front of her. "Please," she replied with a polite smile while extending her green hand out to the vacant chair across from her.

She took a second look at her visitor, noticing his tank top revealed an extremely chiseled physique and muscular appearance. She couldn't determine if he had any hair or not since the beanie on his head concealed whatever was beneath it, but he looked to be a middle-aged man and his dark goatee seemed to add a level of maturity to his features.

"I am Commodore Saalm, and you are...?" she asked after briefly introducing herself. She didn't recognize the man and without his Starfleet uniform on, wondered if he was perhaps a member of the starbase's engineering team or a new Galileo recruit.

"Lieutenant Zane Neptune, ma'am. It's nice to meet you. I just finished a workout and needed my protein before I hit the rack. I'm Gamma Shift." Zane stuffed a bite of chicken and rice into his mouth because he realized he was rambling. Adrenaline was working because he literally just came from the holodeck.

Lirha looked the man over once more and raised her eyebrows with an amused expression. "Pleased to meet you as well, Mister Neptune. I assume you work out often? I have never seen a Human quite so...large," she replied with a light voice of intrigue. His large muscles showed veins in places she never knew existed.

"I'm a three time Mr. Olympia," Zane said, making sure no food was in his mouth when he did. "I couldn't keep up with the kids these days, so I joined Starfleet. I'm something of a astronomy nut."

"Mister Olympia..." the commodore muttered to herself as she attempted to recall the familiar name. "Is that bodybuilding?" She might have caught a glimpse of it a couple times on the galactic feeds during her youth, but it was had been so long ago and she didn't want to confuse it with another sort of competition.

"The highest level, yes, ma'am. I still workout at the level I was when I was competing. It helps me think." He found himself wondering if he was bothering the senior ranking individual on the ship or if there was genuine interest in the company.

"Well...I suppose it is good that we recently installed a gym on the lower decks," she mused out loud. When the proposal had first been brought before she, she'd briefly questioned whether or not a dedicated workout room was a necessity aboard a ship primarily full of scientists...and now, looking at the man in front of her, she was beginning to see that it had indeed been a prudent decision.

Zane stopped chewing for a moment and then finished. "There's a physical gym on board? Not a holodeck?" He'd been using the holodeck exclusively because he'd assumed there was nothing tangible available. The Academy had one but there was room for that, too.

Lirha nodded with a small smile. "Indeed. Down on Deck 7, I believe. The crew installed it during our last shore leave along with a neighboring 'recreational facility'. We call it Callisto and it is quite a popular bar. Our COB even installed a small brewery with local craft beers, and there are several lounge areas and a small kitchen," she explained.

"I will definitely have to check that out when I get a spare moment. Any chance to see something other than holodeck images is a bonus."

The commodore reached down into her bowl and fetched a crouton, then brought it up to lips and popped it into her mouth. "Will this be your first time serving aboard a Nova-class?" she inquired in between crunchy chews.

"Yes, ma'am. It will actually be my first time serving on a starship at all. I went straight from learning at the Academy to teaching. I'm a bit of an astronomy prodigy, I guess. Or at least I managed to pick up what I needed to in order to seem like I was." Zane shoveled in another couple of fork fulls of food.

"Oh? First time aboard a starship?" Lirha remembered her first posting very well. There had no doubt been a few growing pains during the first couple months, but once she'd settled in, she fell in love the adventure. "Are you excited? Nervous?" she asked with a genuinely curious expression played across her features.

"More excited, I suppose. Something new, something different. There isn't any fun in being stuck on a single planet all the time."

Nodding in agreement while taking a bite from another crouton, she couldn't say she blamed him for that sentiment. "I think you will find most people who serve aboard starships feel the same way. I certainly do. It is the reason I enlisted in Starfleet, after all. To get to experience travel, exploration, and different cultures."

"What did you do before?" Zane asked. "I mean, what field of work do you come from, if I can ask, Commodore?"

"I started my career as a young Operations officer fresh from the Academy. A communications specialist, to be exact," she began to explain. "I was raised aboard my family's trade vessel and was already speaking six different languages by the time I was ten. And Starfleet always has a need for linguists and communications specialists, so I suppose I fit naturally into the role." She pause for a short moment to ponder her past a bit further.

"Eventually I was transferred to Starfleet Intelligence. Apparently my knowledge of various cultures and their customs made me a prime candidate to authenticate our intel gathering, and so I served in that department for three and a half years before being transferred to Command."

Lirha's commbadge suddenly chirped and interrupted her from her conversation. "This is Saalm," she answered with a tap on the small metallic device.

"Ma'am, your assistance is requested on the bridge for a systems check," replied the voice of one of the starbase's engineering consultants who had been supervising the ongoing deflector installation from the dock.

"On my way," she casually replied, then gave an apologetic smile to the large man in front of her. "Well, it seems duty calls. It was nice to meet you, Mister Neptune. I am sure I will see you around soon," she said before collecting her plate and cutlery and rising from her seat to depart.

[OFF]

--

CDRE Lirha Saalm
Mission Advisor
USS Galileo

LTJG Zane Neptune
Science Officer
USS Galileo

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