Finally Meeting with the New XO

Posted on 12 Oct 2018 @ 9:30am by Commander Scarlet Blake & Commander Marisa Wyatt
Edited on on 12 Oct 2018 @ 12:57pm

1,214 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Episode 17 - Crystal of Life
Location: USS Galileo-A - XO's Office
Timeline: MD -178, 1400

[ON]

Although Marisa had worked with Blake on the Schofield, she really hadn't talked with the other woman. She had no excuse, except that she'd been a little too preoccupied with science. But now that they were en route and things had settled down for a bit, she took the opportunity to track down her new First Officer while she was in her office.

"Come in!" Blake called out, her body stretched as she tucked a couple of old fashioned books on a high shelf. She turned to the woman with clear Vulcan heritage, dusting her hands off against each other as she caught her breath. "Lieutenant Sandoval..."

Marisa gave the woman a half-bow. "Commander Blake. Not everyone appreciates real books," she said, noting what the Commander had been doing when she walked in.

"They were gifts," Scarlet admitted with a half smile, turning slightly so she could look at them as she set her hands on her hips. "From a man who said that anything worth reading was worth preserving in ink on paper, so you can hold them."

"A wise man," the scientist replied. "I tend to collect books myself."

"Maybe I'll give it a go one day," Blake shook her head with a half smile, reaching for her cup but feeling instantly that the liquid inside had gone cold. "What can I do for you, Lieutenant?"

"I simply wanted to chat for a minute, if you have the time. Even though we were both on the Schofield, we never really had a chance to say anything."

Blake gave a glance to the time, tugging her jacket slightly as she nodded. "Yes, I have time," she assured with a faint smile, moving to set the teapot to brew, motioning for her to take a seat. "And I can always make time for someone if needed," she assured firmly, taking in the half-Vulcan for a moment. She knew her as a colleague of course, and had read her record, but she didn't know much about her on a personal level. "What's on your mind?"

"We're going to be working together for the next three years," Marisa said after she took her seat. "I'd like to start off on a good footing."

The turn of phrase caught Blake's attention, making the corner of her mouth pull into a small smile before she could stop it. "Is there a reason we should start off on a bad one?" she said wryly as she set the tea tray on the desk for them, arching an eyebrow as she met her eyes, her expression softening the jest. "I have been pleased with your work so far."

"No reason. I don't expect there to be any problems, but I don't want to appear to be avoiding you, either." She chuckled softly. "I'm glad you're pleased with my work. I was fascinated with the information we gathered on the Schofield and spent most of my time going over data." She was still studying the data on the pyramid.

Blake let out a slight breath at that, her eyes cast downwards as she retook her seat. What could have happened to all those people still left a somewhat bitter taste. The prime directive was a hard taskmaster. "It's just a shame things had to go that far in order to retrieve the information," she said quietly.

"It worked out well. The pyramid is talking to the device in the sun, a science team is going to be observing the people of Pleione, and I get to help analyze and decrypt the ancient language." She couldn't help smiling. "So from my point of view, it was a success. Although I hope that, in time, the people will develop into a race that can join the Federation. Or at least become space worthy so they can migrate to a new home if it becomes necessary."

Blake shook off the sense of bad feeling over the dilemma of the Prime Directive, giving the other woman a firm nod as she straightened up to help bring her back to the present. "You're right of course. All's well that ends well, so they say," she said lightly, leaning to pour them both tea. "You have a wonderful opportunity here. A science vessel, all the way out..."

Marisa grinned. "I know. It's an incredible opportunity. I'm excited to see what's out there."

"Do you have any plans for your own research yet?" Blake asked with interest, taking one of the cups as she leant back in her chair, crossing her legs as she met her eyes. She was by no means a scientist herself, but she wanted to be sure that the scientists they had were fulfilled.

Marisa took the other cup. "I have permission to continue working on the race that built the pyramid," Marisa said. She couldn't help smiling as she was excited about the opportunity. "And I'm helping Doctor Peter Helsing analyze data from one of his archaeological sites. Ensign Derani and I spent a short time there and investigated an underground compound."

"Good," Blake nodded briskly as she wrapped her hand around her cup to feel the warmth from it. "If you ever need assistance with resources for you or your team's projects, just let me know and I'll see what I can do. We have a lot of expertise in the science department. I'm looking forward to seeing it at work."

"Thank you," Marisa said. "I'm pleased with the depth in the department." She took a sip of the tea. "How do you like being XO on the Galileo-A?"

Scarlet took a deep breath as she sat back and looked around the office, as if taking the whole ship into consideration. "I like it," she said firmly, with a brisk nod to cement the comment. "There's been too much turbulence in our lifetime. The chance to support exploration and discovery? It's a worthwhile job."

Marisa thought about all that happened since Kreanus. "I agree. There's a lot of hope in exploration."

"It's important we let that flourish out here," Blake smiled softly at that, nodding gently as she glanced down to her hands. It wasn't something she could make happen herself, but she could support those who did. "Was there anything in particular you wanted to ask or I can help you with?"

"Not at the moment." Marisa smiled. "But I'm sure there will be something before we arrive at our destination. It's a new ship and something is bound to go wrong."

"I like your optimism," Scarlet chuckled softly as she sat back, shaking her head with amusement. "Well if there's nothing else, I won't keep you any longer."

"Thank you for your time, and for the tea." Marisa bowed and then cleaned up her tea things before she left the office.

Scarlet watched her leave with a small smile to herself. The woman had a confident, calm air about her. It was what they needed in that department. The ship's mission revolved so intensely around Science that they needed a chief who could handle that pressure. She got the impression that Sandoval would enjoy that challenge.

[OFF]

--

CDR Scarlet Blake
First Officer
USS Galileo-A

Lieutenant Marisa Sandoval
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo-A

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