Take Your Protein Pills And Put Your Helmet On

Posted on 14 Jan 2018 @ 6:00pm by Petty Officer 3rd Class Constantin Vansen & Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm

2,933 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: Rigel II - Avondale Production Facility Administrative Complex
Timeline: MD 101, 1109 hrs

[ON]

Petty Officer 3rd Class Constantin Vansen sat outside the room with a slight frown on his face. He hadn't had time to cut his hair. It annoyed him. So he had tied it down to keep it regulation and out of his face. He had shaven though. And the uniform was crisp and clean and the boots shiny. And he had showered. So really, when it came to presenting himself, he had done what he could, physically.

Even so, he was nervous. He was rubbing his hands together, the long fingers squeezing at his wrists occasionally. He had taken his meds this morning, the new formula worked well and his body was used to it. He just...why was he so nervous.

Oh yeah, because I am desperate to go away for a bit.

The thought came through quickly before he let out a soft breath. Damn. He was transparent. He was desperate. He hoped that it wouldn't show. He bet it did though. Not much he could do about that. So honesty would be his weapon. Why he'd be good. Why he wanted it. Why he wanted the Galileo out of all the ships.

The small waiting room within the upper ward of Avondale Shipyards' administrative complex was quietly vacant except for a couple personnel. Across the hall near the corridor, however, yard workers, dock engineers, and Starfleet personnel scurried by with all variety of PADDs and engineering equipment clutched in their hands.

The door across from where the petty officer was sitting suddenly swished open, and out stepped a junior yeoman who quickly looked around before his gaze settled on Vansen. "Petty Officer Vansen?" he called.

"That's me," Vansen stood and pulled down the jacket, walking over to the junior yeoman. He gave a nod before looking back, towards the people working. He smiled to himself, unable to stop it. "Isn't it beautiful though?" he chuckled and looked back at the yeoman, giving a quick nod almost to say he was ready. Nervous. But ready.

Huh? What's beautiful? thought the now-confused yeoman who gave a forced smile accompanied by darting eyes as he scurried out of the way and towards his task. "Okay.."

"Sorry...I am nervous," Constantin admitted quietly before he took a breath, moving to the doors.

When the door to the captain's office parted, a loud guttural bark graced the room and echoed loudly inside the confines of the office. Snuffles, the captain's adolescent targ, was situated right next to the desk and stared at the new intruder with a dripping wet snout and inquisitive dark beady eyes.

Constantin stepped inside carefully at the sound of the bark and looked around for the animal, his eyes going to the targ. He couldn't stop his smile at seeing the beast...because he liked animals. But he remembered seconds later that he was here for an interview and he looked up, straightening. "Petty Officer 3rd Class Constantin Vansen," he introduced himself.

Situated behind her desk in a large office chair was Captain Lirha Saalm. A full-blooded Orion from the southern coast of Rigel VIII's northern continent, her normally-emerald skin color contained a heavy dose of olive tint to it; evidence of her time recently spent under the Australian sun at Perth's rehabilitation facility.

When the petty officer entered, she pointed to the vacant chair across from the desk then introduced herself. "Hello, petty officer. Take a seat. I'm Captain Saalm, commander of Galileo-A."

"Thank you, Captain," Vansen said and took a seat, watching the woman loosely before he smiled gently. "And thank you for taking the time to see me. I...apologise if I got a bit over the top on my applications." He held his hands out to the side in a shrug of apology.

"I suppose it can be forgiven, just this one time," she replied with a bit of dry humor. She'd picked up a little of the habit during her stay in the penal colony as a means to guard her true intentions, and she'd found it strangely satisfying.

Reaching for her PADD, she pulled up his information on the handheld display then looked back up at him. "Tell me about yourself, Mister Vansen. What brings you to Galileo?"

Vansen looked at the Orion woman for a long moment before he smiled. "You're going on a long mission. A long time away from everything and everyone, into the darkness itself. I want to come along. I...like being out in space. I love it, actually. And I love ships. I want to be out there as long as possible. And yes the Galileo has the longest tour out of available postings, but it also has a reputation as a ship where anything can happen. Really anything. I want to be part of that too."

"Yes...it will be a long time before we return," she acknowledged, grateful that the heart of the matter had just been approached. Her eyes then lowered to the PADD which contained his personnel file. He'd been in the fleet for seven years and was still a junior petty officer. She quickly wondered why.

"Tell me about your previous postings. Five years on the Nash and two on the Carolina?"

Constantin nodded to affirm what she had said before he looked down at his folded hands. “After I finished my training I got posted to the Nash. First posting for me, but…also the first time I had been on a ship with a full crew. I had to learn how to interact with everyone. So…I did as I was told. No heroics. Just…doing my job, learning what I could. It was strange being on a fully functioning ship, with a full crew and all.” He met her eyes with a weak smile. “I learned a lot there, but I flew under the radar a bit. I…have a medical condition. Back then it was a bit worse, so I was barred from away teams.” Which he knew was a quick way to be ignored, if you never showed up on any Captain’s list of potentials.

“Anyway,” he continued, shaking his head. “I was transferred to the Caroline in the end. Older, more sluggish ship. Bits breaking off now and then, nothing special. We did what we could. I was happy with it. Once, we replicated glue to repair the Captain’s chair. He never noticed…luckily!” he sat back at the memory, the smile still on his lips. “We kept her together enough for her to be repaired. Before my tour ended, we were scanning an asteroid belt and it seemed stable enough to enter it. We were wrong, of course. Bits of asteroids had ripped themselves up in the magnetic fields and once we entered we got hit. It broke our shields and went through the hull, we lost life support and gravity in the cargo deck. So my team went in to repair it.” His eyes were distant as he told, clearly remembering the details. “It was so dark. No air, no weight. Like being out there in the cold vacuum. We had suited up, taken our kit, but most people never don a suit or go into zero g after their training. Some got queasy. Some couldn’t come with it. I…” he paused and met her eyes, focusing again. “I grew up in it. I spent my youth floating. It doesn’t bother me. So I…took charge, somewhat. I disengaged the magnetic boots and just…floated there. And we repaired the hull. Enough to get the systems back online and limp back. We lost…some crew. But it could have been a lot worse. It can always be a lot worse.” Constantin took a deep breath before he grinned. “So yeah, I am not…the guns blazing type. But I am good at repairing things. I’ll always find a way, even if it isn’t in a manual.”

"I see," replied Saalm while she took notes on her PADD after he'd finished speaking. "And when nothing needs repairing? What are you good at then?" she wondered out loud, secretly hopeful that her brand new starship would need a minimal amount of maintenance and that the man's skillset was a bit more diverse.

Vansen looked at her for a moment before he smiled weakly. "On a PADD, not much. But I am a decent navigator and pilot. I'm also decent at just doing the Operations job. I've been told I am not bad at training people. I learn quickly too and I want the chance to learn more. Not just Operations stuff, but...anything," he let out a shaky breath before he looked down. "I want to get the skills and knowledge to advance within Starfleet."

"A noble goal," the captain agreed. Life in Starfleet naturally became more rewarding as a person progressed through the ranks and earned more on-the-job responsibility. "Where do you envision yourself in your career five years from now?"

"A proper NCO," Constantin said with a quick grin, chuckling softly. "Or at least team leader, with people under me." He searched her eyes, the smile fading and he swallowed. "More duties and responsibilities than I got now. More interactions with the crew, being trusted more."

"Do you wish to become an officer eventually?" Saalm followed up, wondering if the man had aspirations for a field commission one day. It was always better to know such things in advance, she felt.

"Who doesn't?" Constantin smiled before he gave a small shrug, unsure on how best to say it. "But I don't think I got the background suited for it. I'd like to, of course, but I am realistic. Until I have learned what most learn as kids, I can't be an officer. I'll be happy to do what I can to be the best man I can be."

The captain entered some notes on her PADD then set it down and looked back up at him. "That is all we can ask from each other in the end," she agreed before moving on to the subject of a more personal nature. "Are you close with your parents? Being an only child must have formed a strong family bond between all of you...and you were born on-ship with them, yes?" she asked, looking through his early records.

"Yes...I was," he said as he held her eyes before he looked down. "My father died years ago and my mother is...well, I don't know where she is. I don't think it matters anyway now. They were always my Captain and my Second in Command rather than my parents."

Saalm typed several notes into her PADD in his personnel file. "I, too, was born aboard my family's trade vessel," she revealed, looking back up to him. "I'm sure our experiences differ but...even when I worked for them, they were still my family. I sense that you feel Starfleet vessels are like families as well, for better or worse?" she wondered out loud.

"If anything, yes," he said before he let out a soft breath. "Look. My parents...were my parents. And I love them. But since I was taken into the Federation's care, I've realised that a lot of the things they did were wrong. I don't blame them, but it doesn't change the facts. All I am I owe to them. But...it doesn't mean I don't wish some things were different. Maybe their ship could have had gravity, that would have been nice..." he gave a weak smile at the last.

The captain took more notes and now focused on the mention of gravity which helped transition the conversation to the next important line of questioning. "Your medical records show you struggle in one-G environments without medical aid. Because of low bone-density?" she read off his medical report.

He nodded before he looked down. "Yes. Without the medication it's like...the gravity is actually crushing me. Trouble breathing, sluggish movements...you get the picture. My bones have improved over the years, I don't break them as easily anymore. Always good, right? Don't want a shaky ship and then your Operations enlisted is out for the count with a broken wrist. But yes, without the medication I am not as good as everyone else."

Saalm looked down back at her PADD and typed in more notes. "Has your disability ever affected your performance in the past?" She looked back up. "Have you been relieved from duty or been restricted from away missions on high-gravity worlds?"

"I've not been on an away team before," he admitted as he looked at her. "My Chiefs...always found it best not to bring me along, even for worlds where the gravity would be less than on the ship." He might as well be honest. Even if he suspected he was damning himself.

Leaning back slightly at the revelation, Saalm began to wonder if the petty officer's medical condition would be a hindrance. "Are you medically cleared for operational duty in Starfleet? Or are you LDA?"

"Medically cleared," he said as he held her eyes. "Should be on the file, Doctor Wylde signed me off. I have never been on LDA. I suppose I...my Chiefs so far have been cautious."

"Mm.." she mumbled to herself while taking additional notes in her tablet. Then the captain looked back up and into the man's eyes while pushing the PADD aside. "Mister Vansen, just so we're clear...you are requesting a dangerous assignment to the farthest reaches of Federation space, seven months' warp from Earth. Should we run into trouble out there...there is no help for us. We are on our own." She continued to look at him with intense green eyes which conveyed the severity of what he was requesting.

Constantin watched her before he held his hands out to the side, palms up in a spacesuit shrug. "As long as there is still air, there is hope," he simply said before he smiled. "I still request it, with the risks."

Saalm looked back down at her notepad and keyed in some final notations to add to her official personnel report to HQ. So far, his interview had gone smoothly and she was beginning to see why he wanted to avoid the planet-side lifestyle and join the crew. She shared similar sentiments with him, but she also needed to do her due diligence.

"Very well then, Mister Vansen. You have ambition and I like that," she privately revealed. "I remember my first assignment out of the Academy and hoping not to be put on a patrol ship. The boredom was my biggest fear," she said, then added, "Do you have any questions for me before I assign you?"

Constantin watched her for a long moment before he smiled, his eyes warm. "I just want your assurance that I won't be bored," he said, but it was clearly said jokingly. "No ma'am. No questions. I look forward to it and I tend to take things as they come."

"Good." The captain entered a few final details into her PADD then placed it down and retrieved another one. "Report to the Delta complex for boarding in 24 hours, berth zero-one-nine," she instructed. "Did you bring all your belongings with you?" she double-checked.

Constantin's smile widened to a proper grin before he nodded. "Yes, ma'am. All one duffle bag. All ready to go. Thank you...I appreciate this opportunity more than I can express," he admitted, a bit lost for words.

The Orion opened one of the drawers below her desk and began to sift through it to find the appropriate item. While she did, she glanced back up at at the petty officer wish a mischievous glint in her light green eyes. "Don't thank me just yet," she chuckled to him. They could all be destroyed by a gamma ray burst seconds after departing on their mission, and all their ambitions would be turned to stellar vapor. "The journey is as much the adventure as the discovery."

Saalm continued to dig through her drawer until she found the correct set of access keycards. She retrieved a gold one -- designated for Security, Operations, and Engineering personnel -- and placed it next to her PADD while she filed the final set of paperwork. The PADD chirped in confirmation after the captain scanned the keycard to the slim device, and then she handed it to him. "Welcome to Galileo-A, Mister Vansen. This is your access card for the ship while we're still docked. You'll need it for yard clearance and to move about the ship as long as we're in drydock." She stood from her chair and extended her green hand for him to shake.

He took her hand with a grin, taking a deeper breath. "I won't let you down," he said softly, searching her eyes for a long moment before he swallowed. "Promise." He let go of her hand before it got weird and chuckled.

"I know you won't petty officer," the captain replied with a knowing look in her light green eyes. "Welcome to Galileo-A. Serve her with honor."

"There is no other way, ma'am," Constantin said with warmth and meaning. He was looking forward to this.


[OFF]

--

CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo-A

&

Petty Officer 3rd Class Constantin Vansen
Operations Officer
USS Galileo-A

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