New challenges...

Posted on 30 Jan 2018 @ 9:53pm by Lieutenant Tuula Voutilainen M.D. & Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm

1,986 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: Rigel II - Avondale Production Facility Administrative Complex
Timeline: MD 101, 0830 hrs

[ON]

Slightly apprehensive about the upcoming interview, Tuula rolled into the office at Starfleet HQ that the new captain of the Galileo-A was using. She knew very well that her first application, so she made sure that her uniform was spotless. Her hair was uncharacteristically conservative; dyed a dark, almost-black blue with just a few teal highlights, parted to conceal her undercut and ear piercings. She had spend a long time getting her makeup just perfect, with her heavy, smoky eyeshadow, dark eyeliner, and silver lipstick.

After arriving, she was directed into a waiting room to wait for her interviewer. There were paintings on the wall; the usual sort of starscapes and nebulae that were practically Starfleet-issue in these sort of offices. After gazing off into one of the banal pieces of artwork for a few minutes, she heard someone approach.

Inside the administrative complex of Starfleet's Avondale Production Facility, a light flurry of activity could be heard buzzing throughout the corridors and office chambers. Days often started early, and with construction crews operating 24/7, the fine distinction between morning and evening was often blurred. As new arrivals filtered in and out, support personnel maintained a steady watch on all operations, including the yeomen who helped maintain the daily functions of the administrative wing.

One such red-collared junior officer approached the medical lieutenant and quickly helped get her processed. "Lieutenant Voutilainen?" the young man called out with a PADD in his hand while he looked around the waiting room. Spotting what he presumed to be the woman in question, he approached and motioned for her to follow him. "It's time for your 0830 interview. Please follow me."

"Thank you," replied Tuula, releasing the brakes on her chair and pushing herself forward. As she followed behind the yeoman, she took a deep breath, knowing how important first impressions could be.

The yeoman proceeded to open a nearby door that led to a longer corridor, and fell in step next to the wheelchair-bound woman. "The captain will see you now. Good luck, sir." He stopped in front of the designated door then stepped to the side to allow Tuula to enter.

Once the door swished open and the standard drab interior of a Starfleet administrative office was revealed, the aroma of warm hot chocolate filled the room and a steaming mug lay situated on the main desk. The chair's occupant was turned around with her back to the door, and only the sight of shoulder-length black hair and a Starfleet uniform could be seen.

"Ma'am?" called out Tuula, pushing herself forward as the yeoman retreated back into the corridor. Her voice was a touch softer than normal, as she was careful not to come on too strong. "I'm Doctor Voutilainen; I'm here for my interview."

At the sound of the Human woman's voice, a large targ pup poked his head around from behind the desk to gaze at the familiar person. "Hello, Tuula," said the captain in the chair who now turned to reveal herself to the doctor. The Orion's green skin was tanned to an olive complexion, a result of her time recently spent in the sun at an Australian rehab facility. Saalm looked well enough, though the four brass rank pips on her collar were a new addition to her appearance.

"Lirha?" asked Tuula, surprised at the identity of the captain. She must have gotten out early for good behaviour; Tuula hadn't kept in touch while the former Admiral was locked up in Australia. Her shock didn't last long, however; for as soon as she saw the targ she was filled with excitement. "Snuffles!" she exclaimed, holding out her hands as the dog-like creature bounded towards her and hopped into her lap. "I missed you," she added as she pet him softly.

Snuffles had grown over the last three months and was now the size of a large earth dog. He occupied the entirety of Tuula's lap with frizzy patches of his hairy coat dangling off the side of her legs. "Call me 'captain'," the Orion corrected. Although it was good to see the woman who'd once cared for her targ -- and ship personnel -- the reason for their meeting was important and official in nature. "Come closer and tell me why you applied for this posting."

Tuula carefully pushed herself closer, trying to balance holding onto Snuffles and propelling herself forward. "I wanted another starship assignment, and when I saw the name Galileo pop up, I thought it was a good omen." She glanced down at Snuffles for a moment, making him purr as she scratched his collar. "I didn't realize that it would have the same Captain, but--"

A sudden realization hit Tuula as she spoke. "Wait, why did you reject my first application?"

Saalm frowned and looked upon the other woman with curiosity. "You don't know? I thought you were familiar with deep space deployments...?" Or maybe not? Perhaps it was her first time applying for such a posting.

Tuula's eyes narrowed. "I'm not sure..." she started, before trailing off, thoroughly confused as to what Lirha could possibly have been getting at.

"All initial applicants for this posting are turned down except those few select personnel the Design Bureau sends to me," Saalm briefly explained. "This is a volunteer assignment to the far corners of Federation space, after all -- and I expect anyone who's fit for such a posting to show a certain level of forwardness and determination."

"When have you ever known me not to be full of forwardness and determination?" countered Tuula as she gave Snuffles a little scratch under the collar, causing him to emanate a soft, satisfied growl.

That was a good question, Saalm pondered for a fleeting second. "Never, actually. And I see that those traits have brought you back here, to me," the captain replied. "Relax, Tuula. I'm not here to judge your work ethic. But I'm the commander and you have to go through the same approval process as everyone else."

"Fair enough," replied Tuula in a casual tone. "So, I'm guessing you have a list of standardized questions on that PADD, as per standard recruitment procedure?" she asked, leaning forward in the direction of the notes on Lirha's desk.

"No, I have my own. Captain's discretion," the Orion replied, wiggling the slim silver device in her hand. "Mostly I want to know if this is really what you want, to be away from Earth for the next three years. And your sister, Janna? She does not want to join you?" Saalm realized as she spoke that she hadn't seen an application from the other twin.

"Jaana is off at her dream job; she got a research position in San Francisco," explained Tuula. She was happy for her sister; Jaana had had some rough times lately, and Tuula felt that she deserved such an opportunity. "The way I see it," she continued, "who knows what sort of fascinating medical mysteries lie out in deep space. If I'm lucky, I might even get a chance to be the first to study the anatomy of a new species!"

The junior doctor's enthusiasm never ceased to catch the captain by surprise every now and again. "Yes, you might. We'll no doubt be studying and cataloging new lifeforms very soon." Saalm entered a few notes into her PADD before continuing. "Have you ever been on a voyage this long, Tuula? So far away from your homeworld?"

"Not yet," she explained, beginning her sentence in a cautious tone, not wanting to sabotage her chances. "Hmmmm, I suppose we'll be pretty far from the nearest tattoo shop in case I want to touch up some of my ink..." Shaking her head for a moment, she turned back towards Lirha. "No, I'm ready for whatever new challenges are out there."

"New challenges..." repeated the captain to herself, "such as conforming to Starfleet's dress code?" She couldn't help but give the woman a subtle reminder of her unorthodox appearance.

"What?" asked Tuula, inquisitively. "Oh, my hair?" she added, brushing a bit of it aside. "I made sure that my highlights matched the black and teal of my uniform. Along with my makeup."

"Yes, well... What is the Human saying? 'Sometimes less is more'?" Or something along those lines, Saalm presumed. Makeup and hair styling was largely absent in Orion culture and she'd never understood the propensity to hide one's face behind paint.

"Oh, of course," replied Tuula with a wave of the hand. "That's something we learned in med school; sometimes it's best to not over-medicate a patient and let the body heal itself." She paused for a moment, seeing that Lirha was a little confused as she trailed off. "What were we talking about again?"

Saalm breathed out through her nose with a mix of mild frustration and affinity for the medical officer she'd come to know, trust, and mildly view as her nemesis all at the same time. "Your appearance, Tuula. Clean it up," she clarified succinctly. "You're an attractive woman, you don't need to hide it behind body styling. The same goes for Raven."

"I think Raven is old enough to decide what clothes are included with her holographic avatar," countered Tuula. The comments on her appearance were not unexpected, but when it came to Raven, some sort of matronly instinct to defend her young kicked in. "I mean, we did program her with a number of alternate avatars, representing half the sentient specieses in the quadrant. Including Orion."

As what always seemed to happen when discussing something involving one of the doctor's passions, the conversation started to turn into a debate over the leeway of protocol. Saalm just let out a sigh and shook her head. "Yes, well. Just make sure her subroutines know to present herself in proper Starfleet attire while on duty. The yard engineers should have finished integrating her program into the ship's holographic database, but I'd like you to assist them and make sure she's operational."

Tuula nodded along, unsure if she would be more of a help or a hindrance when it came to any sort of engineering matters. "So, I guess that means I got the job then," she replied, an effort to make what had been implied at least somewhat official.

"Yes, Tuula, you 'have the job'," grinned the Orion captain with a shake of her head. "I wouldn't have brought you all the way here to the Rigel system just to waste your time." Reaching down into one of the bottom drawers in her desk, Saalm retrieved a blue and silver-trimmed key card for medical personnel to use. "Here is your access card while we're still docked at Avondale. It will allow you into your quarters and all authorized areas, including sickbay."

Tugging on the bottom of her gray uniform jacket, the captain then stood and extended a green hand to the doctor with a satisfied smile. "Welcome aboard Galileo-A, lieutenant."

"It's a pleasure to serve, Adm-- Captain," replied Tuula, slipping up slightly as she returned Lirha's handshake. With Snuffles returning to his food bowl and Lirha undoubtedly having many more interviews to get through, she figured it was about time to get herself settled into her new home for the next three years.

"One more thing," she asked before leaving the office. "Do you know of any good tattoo places around here? If we're going to be away for a while, I should probably freshen up some of my ink."

"No. I don't. And that would be a waste of shipyard resources, doctor," the captain sternly answered. "Afterall, I'm sure you can find something more productive to do with your free time to help get the starship ready for departure. Consider that an order."

[OFF]

--

CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo-A

Lieutenant Tuula Voutilainen
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo-A

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