And so another one reports in

Posted on 18 Oct 2012 @ 12:42pm by Lieutenant Commander Amynta Markos & Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm

1,352 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 02 - Resupply
Location: USS Galileo - Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: MD 03 - 1000 hrs

[ON]

With her legs delicately crossed, Lirha leaned back in her plush chair and let out a long, relaxing breath. Her green hand reached for the mug on the desk in front of her, then she brought it to her lips and took a swig of her warm chocolate drink. In front of her was a stack of PADDs laying unorganized on the table, and she selected one at random and began to sift through her backed up administrative duties.

It was always a bit peculiar meeting your CO. At least, Amynta always found it a mixture between unsettling and just welcoming. She had finally gotten onboard the Galileo. As much as she liked travelling, the wait for her new ship had been a gruelling experience the moment things did not go to planned. Still. She rang the chime, checking herself slowly over. Hair, tied up, soft curls falling down. Uniform, spotless, with skirt. Stockings with a back-seam, even if she had found that a better combination with court shoes rather than with the boots. Her makeup was light eyeshadow and eyeliner and a soft, almost coral lipstick. Perhaps it was that she wished to make a good impression?

The chime echoed softly throughout the room causing Lirha to place her PADD and mug back down on the table and turn her attention towards the door. "Enter." she called out as she brushed a stray lock of dark hair from her eyes, curious to know who was outside.

Amynta entered, watching the woman as she walked to the desk. "Captain," she said, her voice gentle, a neutral draw placing her as a colonist. "I'm Lt. jg Amynta Markos, the new Intelligence Officer. Just reporting in," she offered her padd, which now seemed a bit redunant with the mess of the other padds.

At first, Lirha mistook the new crew member as Lieutenant Coleman. Their appearances at first glance were very similar; tall, blonde, blue eyes, gray-collared uniform...so much so that she did a quick double take. But the second the lieutenant began speaking, the differences were noticeable. Unlike Evelyn's soft and soothing voice, this woman's was more neutral...more matter-of-fact sounding. And her facial features were a bit different, more striking yet equally as attractive, Lirha thought. "Hello, lieutenant." she replied in a friendly voice, giving her a small smile. She motioned with her hand towards a nearby seat, then took the PADD from her hand. "Please, have a seat."

Amynta nodded and sat down, watching her as she crossed her legs. "Thank you, Captain," she said as she held her eyes. She took in the Orion quickly, her height, weight...her skintone, the way she wore her hair. She looked good...but that was just her observations.

Lirha watched the junior officer take a seat, then began to browse through the information on the PADD in her hands. Besides containing the details of Amynta's transfer orders, it also had a full profile and service record available. "I must say, I wasn't expecting another intelligence officer." she commented as she skimmed the PADD, then gently set it down on the table and turned her green eyes towards the blonde. "Tell me a little about yourself, Miss Markos." she asked curiously, preferring to hear about Amynta's recent life from her own mouth, not a Starfleet file.

Amynta smiled gently as she held her eyes, taking a breath. "I've done pretty much every job in the department. I've been in the fleet for...oh, over ten years now. I was most recently stationed on the USS New York."

The captain nodded. "She's a good ship," she commented with approval, "Several of my colleagues have had the distinction of serving aboard New York as well." she paused for a moment to push another stray lock back behind her ear, "So what brings you to Galileo?" she asked, wondering the reasons behind the woman's transfer.

Amynta smiled at that before looking down. "I suppose they want to make sure I do not get bored," she finally met her eyes again and gave a small shrug, arching an eyebrow. "I was just transferred out of the blue, Captain."

"Well, I'm sure Starfleet has their reasons...whether or not we're privy to them is the fun part, I suppose." Lirha responded with a bit of sarcasm and a glint to her green eyes. "Will this be your first time aboard a Nova Class?" she asked.

"Yes, it will," she said and relaxed, slightly leaned forward, her body language open to the other woman. She felt comfortable with the Captain and it showed. "I have had a read up on the layout, to prevent me from getting lost."

"Yes, I would imagine that getting lost on such a small ship would be...a little embarrassing." the captain mused, then continued with a dismissive wave of her hand. "It should not take you long to become accustomed to our deck layout, it's rather..." she paused to think of the Earth expression, "Straight-forward, once you get used to it. But I must warn you, we lack many of the amenities and facilities of larger starships." she added.

She watched her for a long moment, nodding at it. "I'll find a way around it. I am sure. To be honest, I suspect my work will mostly be focused on whatever threats might want to lift scientific information from the Galileo...am I correct?"

Lirha shrugged, uncertain of the answer. "To be honest, lieutenant, the reasons behind the deployment of intelligence officers are sometimes above my knowledge. I was an intel chief myself before I was reassigned as a commanding officer, and I often feel that I knew more about Starfleet operations then as opposed to now." she explained with a small smile. "But I don't think a Nova Class would have been assigned two intelligence officers if Starfleet didn't have a rather specific reason for it." she added, using her best guess. She wished she could tell the gray-collared woman more about her new assignment, but Lirha wasn't privy to that information. At least, not for now.

Amynta frowned as she considered it for a moment, shaking her head. "Or, it is a pleasant place to put someone that the Fleet has no idea what to do with," she said and smiled gently. "I suppose time will tell. Regardless, I hope do to well here and serve you and the crew to the best of my abilities."

"I think you'll fit in well." she agreed, "Lieutenant Coleman is your department chief and she's...well...very competent, to say the least. She's an El-Aurian." she explained with a bit of a wry smile. "And I think she'll be happy to have someone else to work with, I feel that it's been a bit of a strain on her recently with being the only intelligence officer aboard."

Amynta smiled gently, nodding. "I suppose it would be. After all, you didn't come where we were expecting you. Is that a habit?"

The captain chuckled lightly. "We had a rather special set of circumstances which unfortunately forced us off course. Starfleet is a bit unpredictable by nature, so I can't make any promises." she explained.

Amynta's eyes warmed and she nodded, the smile growing. "Well, such is the way of Starfleet and her ships. At least the stars guided you here. And I am honoured to serve."

"Well, I'm glad to have you aboard." Lirha replied. "Do you have any more questions for me?" she asked, affording the woman a chance to inquire further about anything which might be on her mind.

"Not yet...but trust me..." she smiled as she leant closer, holding Lirha's eyes. "I shall seek you out for more questions when I think of any."

"Very well then. You're dismissed, lieutenant. Welcome aboard Galileo." Lirha said with a nod.

"Thank you, Captain," Amynta stood and gave the other woman a warm smile before leaving.

[OFF]

--

CMDR Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

&

Lt. jg Amynta Markos
Intelligence Officer
USS Galileo

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