New Horizons

Posted on 07 Jul 2012 @ 8:39am by Commander Scarlet Blake & Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm

1,856 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo - Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: Mission Day 07 - 18:30

ON:

Scarlet paused outside of the doors to the Ready Room, clearing her throat. Right or wrong; first impressions counted. She straightened her uniform and brushed it down before finally reaching to press the chime.

She'd moved around quite a lot during her time in the regular Fleet, especially considering the relatively short amount of time she'd been in it. Meeting new Captains held just as much anxiety though, despite the fact she should probably be used to it.

Perhaps it went back to her marine days, but she was always aware of her uniform being spotless and making the right impression. Either way, there was always an element of risk when meeting the CO for the first time.

Inside her office, Lirha stared at a huge stack of PADDs on her desk. They were a combination of the latest requisition orders, personnel transfers, and intelligence reports, and the captain was feeling quite overwhelmed by all of the matters which now required her attention. There wasn't much time left to complete Sienna's transfer, and she quickly decided that it would do no good to procrastinate any further. Just as she began to get to work, the door chime echoed softly throughout the room. With a sigh, Lirha leaned back in her chair and rubbed her forehead. "Enter." she called out quietly, then looked towards the door to see who was outside.

Scarlet moved in with an almost crisp step, straightening to attention in the formal way that had become habit while she had been a marine. "Ensign Scarlet Blake, Counsellor, reporting for duty, Ma'am," she said firmly, but her eyes caught sight of the huge amount of work on the desk. "I can return later if it is inconvenient, Ma'am," she added quickly with a slight frown.

The captain watched as a blue-collared woman walked in, stood at attention, and introduced herself. She was tall and slender with attractive features, Lirha thought, and she her appearance was very crisp and professional. Another scientist? she wondered. She shook her head to dismiss the notion that the ensign was interrupting her. "Please, have a seat." she said with a motion of her hand to the neaby chair. "I'm afraid I'm always somewhat preoccupied." she said with a small smile, then sat up straightly in her seat to view the woman more closely.

Scarlet gave a half smile at that as she moved to sit down lightly in the chair, watching her in return, but she managed to keep her curiosity to herself. "I can only imagine, Ma'am" she replied lightly. Indeed, not all officers got to experience the rigours of command for themselves, and those who did had to wait through years of experience to do so. "I have not been aboard long, Ma'am," she assured.

Lirha nodded in reply, grateful that the new officer in front of her had taken the initiative to seek out and report to her senior-most superior. "Thank you for coming to see me on such short notice. I apologize for the state of my ship...we are in the middle of a rather complex personnel and equipment transfer." she said, giving a brief explanation for the busy and crowded nature of Galileo at the current moment. "Your orders?" she asked, waiting for Scarlet to present the PADD which contained her assignment details from Starfleet.

"Of course," Scarlet tilted forward with a small smile as she pulled the padd from her belt, offering it over. "And from what I've seen, she's a colourful ship. I've never been on this class before," she said with genuine curiosity regarding the ship.

The captain reached out with her green hand and took the PADD from the ensign. With her elbows rested on the desk, she quickly scanned through Scarlet's service record and transfer orders. Another counselor?, she thought to herself as she read the woman's bio. It was a bit of a surprise for such a small ship, as there were already three counselors aboard and now a new fourth had been assigned to her. Did Starfleet feel that her crew was crazy? Or mentally unstable? "Yes..." she muttered quietly, still in thought, then finally looked up into Scarlet's blue eyes. "She's the newest Nova Class in the fleet, a bit cramped at the moment but nothing as confined as a Defiant." she replied, then looked back down at the PADD. Interesting...a former Marine, she noticed, ...and a child? Clearing her throat, she looked back at Scarlet and continued, "So what brings you to Galileo?" she asked, wondering the exact reasons behind the counselor's transfer.

"I think the powers that be may have felt that a science ship was a safer bet for a small family unit, as tiny as we are," Scarlet admitted, but with a wry smile. "Trust me though, I know that there is no such guarantee on a serving ship, no matter what the mission briefs, Ma'am. I didn't make the request, they sent me the orders to transfer. Although, I must admit, I like what I have seen of the ship, I am pleased they did," she added quickly, but also honestly, and that was clear to see in her eyes. She glanced down, shaking her head lightly as she chuckled at herself. "I am not exactly gifted scientifically, Ma'am. However, I do have experience out in the field, working with, how should I put it, personnel who aren't always forthcoming with how they feel? You get used to that in the marines."

Lirha liked what she heard as she listened to Scarlet's brief explanation. It was honest, and she appreciated when people took the time to be truthful with her. "I understand." she said with a nod, then placed the PADD down on her desk and leaned back, folding her hands in her lap. "Well, from what I have been hearing about some of the scientists we have recently taken on board, your skills might become useful rather soon." she said with a small smile. "Tell me about your daughter." she asked, curious to know more about Galileo's first child resident. The counselor had been right, of course, science ships were generally a safer posting than some of the larger destroyers and cruisers in the fleet, but Nova Class ships were still a far cry from the more spacious and accommodating Nebula or Daystrom Classes. And, considering the volatile nature of their current mission, Lirha had a few concerns in the back of her head about bringing a child aboard at the current moment.

"Oh," Scarlet smiled with surprise at the question, taking a breath as she thought what to say about her. "Well, her name is Lily. She's four years old, although I think she's convinced she's an adult, like most children I suppose," she shook her head with a half smile at that. "She likes her lessons, but I think it's still a novelty to her, a game. Wait a few years and I'm sure she'll change her mind. She's an only child, content to occupy herself and make her own games or read or watch something quietly if she knows I'm busy. I think I'm lucky there," she took a breath, realising that she may have made her sound rather lonesome and introverted. "She can be a chatty one though. Since she's been born, I've either been retraining or working, so even at her age she's used to a Starfleet life."

Lirha listened intently as Scarlet spoke, feeling a small smile creep onto her lips at the affectionate manner in which the mother spoke of her daughter. A four-year-old was an awfully young child to have on board, and Lirha knew from experience with her younger sister, Nesh, that they could sometimes be a handful. But if she was an only child and had grown up aboard starships, at least she was used to the confined and sometimes hectic lifestyle. "She sounds lovely, I would very much like to meet her sometime soon." the captain replied. "We unfortunately do not have any teachers on the manifest, but I'm sure there are at least a few personnel on board who would be willing to take on the job." she added with warm eyes. Lily was the first child to step foot on Galileo during her maiden voyage, and Starfleet had not yet assigned her any crewmen from the Department of Family Services.

"I'll be eager to find out. I've even had an offer for babysitting," she replied with a soft laugh, briefly forgetting she was talking to the Captain with the way that the other woman spoke and smiled. She cleared her throat at that, adding a "Ma'am," delicately with a smile.

The captain held her gaze for a moment, smiling slightly more at the formality directed towards her. She remained silent as she shifted herself in her chair to a more comfortable position. "Well, if you ever have trouble finding a sitter for Lily, and I happen to be off duty...please feel free to bring her by my quarters. I would love to spend some time with her." she finally said, then paused for a brief moment before continuing. "Do you have any questions for me about your assignment or the ship?" she asked, giving the new counselor a chance to inquire about anything that might be on her mind.

Scarlet was more than surprised at the generous offer, and she smiled with it as it took a moment to regather her thoughts after that. "I don't think there's anything, Ma'am. The majority of my consideration will be on the crew members, and I will get to meet them and work with them before long, I'm sure."

"Yes, I'm sure you will." Lirha replied with a knowing look, "Especially on a vessel of this size, you will find yourself running into people rather quickly." she said with a hint of amusement to her voice. "Well," she began as she tapped a few notes into Scarlet's PADD then pressed her thumb into the ID box to sign off on the transfer, "I'm happy to have you aboard, Ensign." she said as she offered the PADD back to the blue-collared woman. "Welcome to Galileo."

"Thank you, Ma'am," Scarlet said quickly, standing to attention for a moment before taking the padd. She relaxed before giving a smile and a nod to the Captain. It was already obvious that the Galileo had a lot to offer.

The captain smiled back and returned the nod, then leaned back in her chair. "Dismissed." she said softly.

Scarlet made her way out of the room, letting out a soft breath. It felt as if it had gone well. She hoped it had. She liked what she'd seen of the ship so far. They even seemed okay with Lily. She smiled warmly at that thought. Perhaps they could stay settled for a while here.

[OFF]

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CMDR Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

Ensign Scarlet Blake
Counsellor
USS Galileo

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