An Orion Walks into a Bar with a Cardassian...

Posted on 22 Jul 2016 @ 11:13pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Lieutenant JG Eelim Galan

1,752 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Episode 11 - Divinum Mundi
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 3, Corridor
Timeline: MD 19 - 1800

[ON]

Lirha paused halfway down the winding corridor of Deck 3 to place her rucksack on the ground and open it. In one hand she held a bundle of paracord, and in the other an assortment isolinear chips and gelpacks for use with local computer systems. In an effort to preserve some of Galileo's replicator power due the already-heavy usage of the systems, she had gone to the cargo bay to procure the items from her starship's backup stores. It had taken about fifteen minutes of rummaging through various containers, but she had found a small latinum mine of valuable equipment that would make the colonists lives a bit easier during these initial days.

Her plan had been to wait until late afternoon to deliver them, and now she found herself a bit behind schedule and scrambling to keep her self-promised 1830 time slot. Her large backpack was almost stuffed to the limit and it took her several long moments to pull items out and reconfigure the insides to make room for all of her supplies.

Eelim had had the mother of all headaches when he'd woken up. After a good shower, food, and a meditation to ease his headache the memories of the previous night and what he'd said to his Department CO and the fact that she was from Kendra province where his father served came flooding back.

He'd been drunk as a skunk when she'd left him. She'd helped him back to his quarters and he'd passed out asking her to sing him a lullaby? Could he be anymore embarrassed? He groaned just thinking. Lucky he had the day off, night off, as it were to nurse his headache, pride, and to come up with an apology for being drunk in her presents. Plus to morn a dear friend.

He was strolling through the ship when he saw a green young woman struggling with her pack. Was that.....was that an Orion? He'd seen them from a distance but never met one. He hesitated a moment the his chivalry gene kicked in. "Ma'am can I help you with that?" He hadn't seen her rank yet.

A light shake of her head sent her short locks of dark hair bobbing across the tops of her shoulders. "No, thank you. I am fine," she answered with a light air of authority in her voice. She hadn't bothered to look up and was preoccupied with solving the tetris-like puzzle within her rucksack. For some reason, however, she did a bit of a mental double-take when she realized that she was not able to identify the man's voice. She was familiar with almost all of Galileo's and had conversed with most of them, and now curiosity got the best of her.

She glanced up and took in a rather odd sight -- a tall and broad-shouldered Cardassian man in a gold-collared uniform. Lirha could count the number of Cardassians she's seen serving in Starfleet on one hand, and she instantly became intrigued. "Oh," she mumbled to herself before giving him a small and polite smile. "I do not believe we have met before. Are you a new arrival?"

Eelim then noticed the rank. He dropped the PADD he'd been holding and did an awkward salute. "Eelim. Ensig...Junior Grade Lieutenant Eelim Galan....suffering from foot in mouth syndrome." He'd never met an Orion up close. "I'm a security officer. I came on just before the colony ship met up with us. Ma'am." He made a mental note never, ever, ever to drink again.

A small, amused smirk played across her gold lips when she noticed him become flustered. "At ease, Mister Galan." She reached down and picked up his PADD before standing to offer it back to him. "And welcome aboard. I trust you have had some time to settle in, then? Have you met many of the crew?"

"It's been great ma'am." He accepted the PADD hoping she didn't look at it and find out his little secret. He loved Romance novels. "Everyone's been great. Even got an offer of dissection." He grinned. "Sort of." Then realized he'd been too relaxed. Darn alcohol was still not out of his system.

Lirha peered at him and narrowed her eyes inquisitively. "...Did you say dissection?" The conversation -- brief as it was so far -- was becoming a bit strange. "That would not have come from one of our doctors in sickbay, would it?"

He grinned. "Not how it was meant. All in the name of science and in good fun. So far everyone has been great. A lot more accepting of a Cardassian then on my other ships." He didn't want the Admiral to say anything. Specially cause he liked said doctor. He could see them being friends.

He pointed to her back. "Are you sure I can't help you ma'am?"

"Call me captain, Mister Galan," she half winked before looking back down at her pack with a shake of her head. "I will be fine. I had been a while since I last packed for an expedition," she admitted while giving her slightly-bulging belly a subtle rub. "But if you insist...you can escort me to the colony site. That is...if you are feeling up to an EVA assignment?" She looked back up at him and stared into his deep brown eyes with the knowledge of a senior commander who could interpret more than he was trying to hide.

"Sure. I don't mind at all." That gave him time to plan what he was going to say to the department CO. He noticed her belly for the first time. "Oh! No way you're carrying that." He grabbed the pack. "Um...sir..ma'am...captain...Admiral..Boss...Still got foot in mouth." He smiled awkwardly.

"Again...call me captain, lieutenant," she repeated for the second time. She hoped his nerves would become calm sooner rather than later -- otherwise, he would be no good to her on an EVA mission. "Do you need a sedative from sickbay, perhaps?" she mused out-loud.

He sighed. "No ma'am. It's just well I'm not used to the social aspect of things...Captains usually take one look at me then weigh my Cardassian-ness against Bajoran officers and those who were in war or have issues with Cardassia and then I'm shoved in a drawer out of the way. I think that you're first CO to actually talk to me.." He shrugged. "It'll take getting used to...and I've never seen an Orion up close." He blushed, his neck ridges and the spoon like indentation on his forehead turning bright red. "I am good at my job. Promise."

His explanation made sense. In a way, it was somewhat similar to Lirha's own experiences in Starfleet when she first enrolled in the Academy. She was one of only a handful of her kind at the San Fransisco campus and had spent much more time being stereotyped than she had being treated as just another officer.

"I think many of us non-Humans can relate to your experience. Well...maybe not Vulcans who never seem to care. Just like your government, the Orion Empire is not a chartered member of the UFP. Most Orions do not find Starfleet to be an appealing career choice when there is wealth and luxury to be found in the private sector of the galactic economy," she tried to explain.

"Exactly." He smiled. "Vulcans care more then they let on. They're just too proud to show it. It's a sign of weakness to them and they don't want to look week but say something to hit a nerve and a calm, rational Vulcan will knock a tooth loose." He chuckled. "Sorry one of my roomies at the Academy was a Vulcan we had words...both lost teeth that day, best friends now." He was giving her way too much information but he couldn't help it. "So what are we up to with this pack of stuff?"

Lirha glanced down at her rucksack then back up at him. Was it not obvious? "This is my expedition pack," she answered with a blink of her light green eyes. "Supplies and tools for an on-world trek to the colony site as well as an operations toolkit for any repairs I might be able to assist with," she elaborated.

"And you insist on going." He asked wearily. She was pregnant. He wasn't brass so he had no right...awww hell. "Even tough Starfleet regulations say that you should stay here. For your safety."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at being semi-lectured about regulations from a junior officer. "If everyone in this fleet constantly followed regulations, little would get done, no?"

He sighed. "Well then." He grabbed the pack. "Permission to speak freely ma'am."

She waved her lithe green hand in a gesture for him to continue.

"I am sticking to you like glue. I don't mean to be one of those....Alpha male rejects who won't let a girl get her hands dirty but the fact is your my CO and that," He pointed to her tummy. "Is a baby and I will do what needs to be done to protect my CO and little baby CO."

The Orion couldn't help but offer a small smile at the security officer's protectiveness. It was refreshing and a humble gesture, she thought. "Actually..." she put a hand on her bulge, "They are two babies," she winked, "although I am not sure how many Orion commanders Starfleet can tolerate." She lightly laughed at her own joke before returning to the matter at hand. "If that is the case, then lead the way," she instructed as the tidied up the last of the objects in her bag and harnessed it over her shoulders.

He smiled. "Okay so Baby CO and Baby XO. I stand corrected."

She smirked and shook her head. "Do not push your luck, Mister Galan," she half-teased. It wasn't necessarily something she wanted for both of her children, only one perhaps.

He chuckled. When they did get suited up and ready he brought every precautionary thing he could find. "Okay weapons, water, food, CO, suites, dooohickies for thingabonbs for the fixing. We're good."

"I assume you know your way down to lower airlock? After you," Lirha commanded.

"Yes ma'am." Galan trotted happy to the airlock.

[OFF]

--

RADM Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

Lt. JG Eelim Galan
Security Tactical Officer
USS Galileo

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