Unexpected Visitor

Posted on 16 Mar 2012 @ 1:45am by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Ambassador Si'tar Del'an & Ensign Im'er Mor'an

2,259 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 00 - Pre-Deployment
Location: USS Galileo, Deck 1, Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: MD 06 - 1515 hrs

[ON]

With less than twelve hours before launch, Lirha sat in her ready room aboard the Galileo and looked over the final status reports and updated itinerary items. She had been hard at work all day and was now scrambling to take care of several last-minute issues which had arisen. She pushed her dark hair out of her face and let out a frustrated sigh as she attempted to calm her nerves.

Without warning, the door chimed. "Enter." Lirha called out, then quickly paused the document she was currently reading on her console. She looked up with curiosity to see who had interrupted her work.

The doors swished open to reveal a hooded form framed by the entrance to the ready room. It moved into the room with a grace and fluidity unsurpassed, but no introduction. As the figure moved closer, delicate hands appeared from the folds of the robes and as she stepped into the light her face was revealed.

She had the bearing of one who was ancient, mirrored in the wisdom of her emerald eyes and the strength in her mature features. But she was not worn by the ravishes of time, her skin as smooth as a maid's, pale as a Earth's moon, and she lacked any sign of weariness. One would be hard pressed to guess her true age, rather it was easier to say she was ageless. Stray locks of dark, auburn hair framed features as her eyes gazed upon Lirha with an intensity that was almost tangible. Her lips bore neither smile nor frown. Upon her brow rested a fine line, a set of cranial ridges rising from the bridge of her nose and sweeping up only to curve back towards one another and then split in two just below her hairline. A similar ridge gave her chin a striking appearance.

Her robes were a deep amethyst color and shimmered in the light, revealing wisps of periwinkle, cobalt, and turquoise within its depths. They clung loosely to her womanly form, cinched just above the waist with golden links from which hung a ruby dagger sheath with an elegant golden hilt hinting at the quality of the gently curving blade within. Upon her brow rested a very small by very lustrous ruby, ensconced in gold and hanging from a slender chain.

Pausing directly in front of the desk, the woman made a complicated motion with her hand. She raised her first and middle finger together to touch the center of her forehead, then with slow, elegant motions twisted her hand down and around, raising it again in front of her before lowering it. She looked like she might at any moment begin to dance. Silence passed between them for a few moment before she spoke, her voice rich, soft, but powerful. "You are the one called captain. I know you."

Lirha sat in stunned silence as she stared at the alien woman, trying to make sense of who, what, how, and why she was in her ready room. It took the captain several moments before she recognized the familiar-looking cranial ridges on the woman's face, and she finally identified them as being similar to Cadet Mor'an's, the young Red Squad trainee whom she had recently met.

The captain slowly got to her feet and looked the woman up and down, taking note of her strange movements and elegant robes, her eyes finally settling on the curved blade attached to her hip. With a tense and cautious posture, the Orion quickly glanced at her desk's drawer which housed the nearest hand phaser. The Tarkannan woman's presence was unsettling and left many unanswered questions, the most pertinent of which was how she managed to get aboard the ship without Lirha's knowledge.

"Yes, I am the captain of this vessel." Lirha said in a firm tone, staring into the woman's eyes. "Who are you and how did you get aboard this ship without my authorization?" she asked in an authoritative tone.

Del'an saw how the Orion woman's gaze wandered, sensed the tenseness in her voice and bearing. She allowed a thin smile to grace her lips and spoke in a soothing, if somewhat bemused tone. "There is no need for you to fear me, Captain. I have been a liaison between the Ta'rkan and the Federation since your First Contact; Starfleet knows me. I am Si'tar Del'an, Daughter of Si'lani, Fa'iel of the Order of Ban'kina. I am here to see Mor'an, for she is my student."

"I see." Lirha replied with a still-cautious gaze. "I'm Commander Lirha Saalm. You said you know me?" she asked curiously, temporarily ignoring the woman's request for Mor'an. "How is that possible if we have never met?"

"It is a recognition, a greeting," Del'an explained, "I know you are. To understand someone, that is different. I may never know you well enough to understand you."

Lirha nodded in understanding of the cultural differences and offered the woman a small smile. "It is nice to meet you Si'tar Del'an, Daughter of Si'lani, Fa'iel of the Order of Ban'kina." she said, unsure of how to formally address the woman. "You know, you could have sent me a communique regarding your visit and I would have been happy to make arrangements for you. As it is, we are all in a bit of a rush preparing for our departure. I believe Cadet Mor'an is currently aboard and I would be happy to summon her for you." Lirha said, then motioned towards the replicator along the wall. "May I offer you a drink while you wait?" she asked.

"You need not concern yourself with me," the woman replied, raising a hand up and drawing it in to her chest. "I wish to accompany you on your first mission, now that Mor'an is to be away from the Academy for an extended period. Please, summon her."

The captain blinked several times at the woman's unexpected request to join the crew, then paused for a moment before tapping her commbadge. "Cadet Mor'an, please report to my ready room." she said, then motioned to an empty chair across from her desk. "Please, have a seat while you wait." she said to Del'an. "I'm sorry, you've caught me a bit off guard...did you say you wish to join us on our mission?"

"As an observer," the Tarkannan woman replied with a smile.

Lirha scratched her chin as she considered Del'an's proposal. "And what...or who, exactly, would you be observing?" she asked. "Mor'an?"

"Yes. As well as your ship."

"My ship?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and a tilt of her head. "I apologize if I don't understand, but if you are the Ta'rkan's liaison to the Federation, surely you are familiar with our starship operations?". Lirha wasn't quite sure what was so special about the Galileo to warrant a foreign observer aboard for the mission.

Upon receiving the unexpected request of her presence in the captain's ready room, Mor'an immediately made her way there, intrigued at what the captain might have to say to her. She hit the door chime and, after hearing the captain call for her to enter, Mor'an breezed into the ready room.

Upon seeing her mentor standing before her, Mor'an touched her fingertips to her forehead and twisted her hand out in greeting. Del'an, ignoring the captain's questions for the time being, turned to her student and made the same gesture. They touched fingertips and then stepped back. "What brings you aboard the Galileo?" Mor'an asked, forgetting to greet Lirha.

The captain stood from her chair and cleared her throat to interject into the conversation. "Your mentor and I were actually just discussing that. Please, have a seat, Cadet." she said to Mor'an and motioned to a nearby empty chair. Lirha returned to her seat and leaned back as her eyes darted back and forth between both Tarkannan women, waiting for some sort of explanation to manifest itself.

"Now that you have moved to a new level of your Starfleet training," Del'an explained, "I have come to see you. Not only that," she smiled fondly, "I will be accompanying you for your first mission."

Mor'an did not know whether to be overjoyed at her mentor's presence or afraid of her coming scrutiny. "The entire mission?" she repeated in a neutral voice. "I never would have expected you to accompany me on a Starfleet mission."

"Not as your mentor," the elder woman reminded her, "that is Starfleet's place when you wear that uniform, and mine when you wear your robes, only to see how much you have become." Only then did she turn to the captain. "You asked me why I wish to see your ship. It is not because I have an interest in technology. I have never been on a Starfleet mission, we Ta'rkan have little interest in outside affairs. Only with Mor'an's entrance to Starfleet do we have a reason to know what transpires on your ships."

The Orion captain sat silently as she considered the woman's proposal. The Galileo was equipped with ample space to house up to ten civilian VIPs, and diplomatic duties weren't necessarily unheard of for Nova Class starships. Lirha wasn't opposed to the idea, just more so confused at the manner in which is was presented. "Have you spoken with Starfleet Command regarding the matter?" she asked Del'an, then turned to Mor'an. "And what are your feelings on this?"

"If your superiors need to know who is on your ship," Del'an said, "you may inform them of my presence." She did not seem to have much regard for protocol.

"I am very pleased that Del'an is here," Mor'an said in reply to the captain's question, "She will be a tremendous help to me."

"Well," Lirha began as she held her hands open, then clasped them back in her lap, "I suppose I don't have any objections to your visit either." she said to Del'an with a smile. "I will inform Starfleet of your presence and take care of the required paperwork. In the meantime, are there any special arrangements which you require while you are on board?" she asked, wanting to provide the Tarkannan woman with the best possible hospitality.

"Anything you provide me with will be sufficient. However, I would appreciate private quarters. Size and quality is of far less concern than solitude."

"Of course," the captain replied with a nod, "I currently have several vacant VIP quarters which are rather spacious and well-equipped, and should provide you with a great deal of privacy." she said, then paused as a possible concern crossed her mind. "I'm curious, have you spent much time around Humans before?"

"No," Del'an replied, "very little. Still, Mor'an is the only Ta'rkan who has spent more time with them. When we must interact with the Federation, I am among those called upon to serve."

"They are a very pleasant race," Mor'an offered, "Though they are more concerned with physical needs and possessions than they are with sharpening their minds."

Lirha grinned at Mor'an's description, wondering if either of them had spent much time around Orions. Humans paled in comparison to the hedonistic tendencies of her green-skinned species. "Yes, Humans are quite materialistic, but more importantly, they are some of the most curious beings I have even encountered. I'm pretty sure many of them have never seen a Ta'rkan before, so please don't be offended if they stare or ask questions. It is simply their way of understanding something unknown to them." she said.

"I do not take offense at curiosity," Del'an said with a smile. "Now, captain, I will let you return to your duties." She glanced at Mor'an, "I will speak with you this evening." She turned and made her way towards the door.

"I look forward to it." Lirha genuinely replied as the elder Ta'rkan woman moved towards the door. "In the meantime, I will contact Operations and see to it that your quarters are arranged." she said as she picked up a PADD and hastily typed up a memo to the department chief.

Del'an paused outside the door as it opened and nodded in her head in consent. Then she was gone.

The captain turned back towards the cadet with a curious expression on her face. "Are you sure you're okay with this? I'm not familiar with Ta'rkan customs so I will trust your judgement on the matter." she said to Mor'an.

"De'lan knows what is best," Mor'an said, "It is not my place to say otherwise. If she is here, then it is for a very good reason."

"Very well. In that case, I look forward to spending time with both of you and learning more about your culture." she said with a small smile. "I have nothing else for you at the moment, Cadet. You're dismissed, unless you wish to speak to me about something?" she asked, giving Mor'an one final chance to share any of her thoughts, opinions, or reservations.

"No, ma'am," Mor'an replied, "Nothing comes to mind." She stood and waited for the captain's response before leaving.

"I'll see you on the bridge in a few hours then." Lirha replied with a nod, and waited for the cadet to depart after having already dismissed her.

[OFF]

--

CMDR Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

Cadet Senior Grade Im'er Mor'an
Red Squad Intern
USS Galileo

Si'tar Del'an
played by Chauncey William Remington III
USS Galileo

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