The Road Ahead

Posted on 11 Sep 2014 @ 6:19pm by Crewman Corealina Vipsania & Commander Scarlet Blake

1,398 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 06 - Legend of Souls
Location: USS Galileo: Deck 2 - First Officer's Office
Timeline: MD08 - 1000

ON:

Crewman Corealina Vipsania tugged at her uniform sleeves for a moment before touching her hair. She had put it up, out of the way. As a newly graduated nurse on her first ship, she knew this was a big deal. Meeting the XO. All in all, she was settling. More importantly, her daughter was settling.

She took a deeper breath to centre herself, moving through to the office to ring the chime and only entering when she heard a voice and the doors slid open. The woman behind the desk had dark hair...looked human. A pretty human too. "Commander?" she asked, bowing her head with a smile. But not too much. Starfleet females didn't like a show of submission from another woman. It had taken Lina awhile to realise it, but she had understood it eventually. She moved forward, her hands folded in front of her. "I am Nurse Corealina Vipsania. Reporting for duty."

Scarlet instantly recognised her as she looked up. Her features were unique and she'd seen her picture amongst the many new crew personnel files she'd looked over. Frankly, she was pleased for a distraction from what had happened in the mine, her throbbing headache and the tribbles that were just bloody everywhere. "Commander Blake. Come on in and take a seat," she motioned her to the desk, pulling up her file on the computer. "You are fresh from the Academy, yes?"

Lina smiled gently, bowing her head before moving to take a seat. "Yes...yes I am, Commander Blake," she said, her hands folded, palms together in her lap. She held the woman's eyes for a moment before looking down. "This is my first posting, but I have healed before."

"Why don't you tell me about it," Scarlet nodded, looking to her with interest. She didn't know much about where Lina was from...well....virtually nothing in truth.

Lina smiled at that, nodding as she considered how to best approach it. "I was of the clerical caste on my home world. The women, we are healers...tenders. We tend to the sick and dying," she said as she watched Scarlet. "So when I came to the Federation, it was...natural. To go into nursing. And welcomed."

"But you also have clerical skills?" Scarlet asked with interest, her finger tapping absently against the desk in thought.

"Yes," she nodded, bowing her head slightly as she chuckled. "Yes, I have clerical skills too. I scored relatively well on my tests." She watched Scarlet, closely. "I am familiar with the paperwork that goes with my position too. And doctors who...give their paperwork to nurses too."

Scarlet chuckled softly, nodding as she looked down to the hand that had been tapping. "Always useful. I was wondering if you had considered training further in management. In regards to management in Sickbay of course."

Lina was surprised by the question, watching Blake before smiling gently. "No...no, I had not considered it. Would that be a possibility for me?" she asked, intrigued to say the least.

"There are possibilities for everyone," Scarlet assured, always eager to encourage people to develop their career and training. "You can study while you serve, if you have the time and energy. I was just thinking, with your previous skills, it would be a shame not to put the two together and do some training in something that combines them, even if it's just something like ward management to start."

"I would like that. I...am very good at managing others," Lina said, with no hint of irony either...it was true. She was good at it. "And it will secure my position too and enhance my chances of a successful career."

"Exactly," Scarlet smiled softly, nodding with approval at the attitude. "Have a look at what's on offer once you're settled. You can either go to your department chief or arrange a meeting with me to get it organised," she assured her. "One of the great parts of my job is helping the crew progress their career," she admitted.

Lina watched her eyes, taking them in before tilting her head with interest. "You create your own future here," she said, her voice soft. "It makes for strong, empowered women."

Scarlet smiled widely at the way she put it, nodding as she leant forward a little on the desk to her. "And I am only too pleased to keep that going."

"Good," Lina nodded as she held her eyes before smiling warmly. "I am still learning the...ways. But I will make sure my daughter has all the social skills of the Federation to do well."

"Yes, your daughter...." Scarlet looked to her file, glancing over the information. "You know we have no childcare facilities?"

"She is old enough to take care of herself. She is not fond of the Federation schools, so I teach her when I am off duty," Lina said easily, with a small smile. "It is the way I was raised...being taught by my elders."

Scarlet nodded with understanding, sitting back as she watched her. "This is a ship of good people. There are some people here though who were effected by the Dominion War. I don't anticipate any problems with the good people we have, but if you should encounter any....problems, regarding your daughter's half Cardassian heritage, you bring it straight to me."

A small smile curled over Lina's lips and she looked down, bowing her head. "Of course," she said, sweetly. After a few selected words from herself, of course. She had never been shy at telling adults and children where they could stick their opinions of her daughter's heritage.

Scarlet caught the look, and as a mother, and with the same wryness as the other woman, she picked up on the feeling behind it. She gave a small, amused smile, arching an eyebrow but just nodding with understanding. "Is there anything you'd like to ask?"

Lina considered it for a moment before smiling gently. "Do you have anywhere you think my daughter might like to see? Or more, that she can?" She wanted to make sure she did not make anyone uncomfortable with taking a child to the departments to show her the ship. "Once the tribble issue has been solved and we are back to normal, of course," she added quickly.

"Well, there's the arboretum," Scarlet suggested before chuckling and shaking her head. "My daughter likes it there, I get taken to look at the ducks and trees at least once a week."

"I will try that," she said, with a small nod. "She has never been around ducks before. Neither have I. I will...try not to encourage her to hunt them..." she added, playfully.

Scarlet couldn't help a slight laugh at the words; they were certainly a new angle to 'feeding the ducks'. "Of course, there's a holodeck too. You could show her places you haven't had a chance to visit yet."

"I think that is a good idea," Lina nodded, a small smile on her lips. "And she can meet the...people."

Scarlet nodded gently with a small smile, feeling for her. A woman, by herself, bringing up a girl of mixed heritage, neither of which were hers, and one of which she was living in but was hostile towards the other. It was something of a unique case. "Well, if you need anything, let me know," she didn't have to tell her it would be tough as a working single mother, she'd already been doing it. But with such a unique case of mixed heritage, she wanted her to know she could come and see her if anything was difficult.

"I will...thank you," Lina said and stood, her eyes gentle before she bowed her hair and offered her hand to her. Woman to woman. "I do appreciate the offer. You should meet my daughter some day. She is...such a spirit."

"I don't doubt that...." Scarlet chuckled softly, taking the hand firmly, her eyes shining knowingly as she stood. "Good luck, Nurse."

"Thank you," Lina nodded and searched her eyes, taking a slow breath. "May all the gods of the universe favour you and your line." She smiled quickly and bowed before leaving, with a small smile remaining on her lips.

OFF:

CMDR Scarlet Blake
First Officer
USS Galileo

&

CN Corealina Vipsania
Nurse
USS Galileo
[PNPC Rice]

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