A Home From Home

Posted on 03 Dec 2018 @ 3:08pm by Commander Scarlet Blake & Chief Warrant Officer 3 Azra Ghoc
Edited on on 07 Jan 2019 @ 1:45pm

2,212 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 17 - Crystal of Life
Location: USS Galileo-A - Callisto Bar and Lounge
Timeline: MD -179, 2107hrs

[ON]

Light pulsed gently across the darkened dining area of the Callisto Bar & Lounge as Galileo was at warp. It had been a long several days, and Azra's fingers still smarted from the sheer number of times she'd stuck herself with a needle. The cool condensation from the glass in her hands was soothing.

The bar was just as busy as usual, and the lights were dimmed for ambiance. There were open seats at most tables, but Azra's was the only one that didn't have at least two people gathered around it. That was okay though.

Over at the bar, Scarlet Blake was nodding her thanks for the drink she was handed, taking a moment to lean in and take the scent. She didn't have long to herself, but it didn't mean she couldn't make the most of it. She glanced around for a seat, her gaze falling on Azra for a brief moment. Cardassian. That...was going to take a little getting used to.

Azra noticed the ship's executive officer looking in her direction and waved. "Have a seat, Commander. I've got the coziest corner of the lounge over here."

Scarlet lifted a hand in acknowledgement, making her way over to her as she tried a sip of her drink. Sweet but spiced...like many good things in life. "Betazoid's Dream," she motioned with the glass before setting it down. "So I'm told. One of their mocktails."

"I've never tried one," Azra said. "How are you handling your sudden promotion?" Although Azra had access to many of the details of even her superior officers' service records, she hadn't read up much on the Commander's career. She had no idea that the woman sitting across from her had already been the XO of the previous Galileo.

"Well, once my head stopped spinning from the million and one things that I needed to catch up on at the last moment..." Scarlet began with a meaningful look to her, chuckling. "...I decided that the office is rather nice and that this is a great ship to have the honour of being First Officer for," she lifted her glass slightly with that, almost in a toast. "How are you finding her?"

"Galileo," Azra said, "is a beautiful ship. Far newer than any other ship I've served aboard. I've really enjoyed my time here so far. I'm a bit surprised you managed to find time to relax in the lounge, to be honest. I thought the command staff would be up to their eyes."

Scarlet chuckled softly at the observation, nodding in recognition of what she said before sipping her drink. "I was in need of a slight break to clear my mind. The ship is starting to find her rhythm now, the motion is smoothing out."

"That's good to hear," Azra said, then brought up the next thing on her mind, "other than getting a drink in the lounge, what do you like to do in what little free time you have?"

"I don't really have any," Blake replied honestly, shrugging slightly at the truth of it. "When I'm not working and training I have Lily to take care of. These moments are few and far between," she chuckled, looking to Azra for a long moment, studying her features. "What about you?" she asked with genuine interest. She couldn't help but wonder what someone of Cardassian heritage made out of Federation life.

Azra smiled and looked down at the table briefly. "I have too many hobbies, and too little time. It's one of the reasons I haven't really tried to become an officer or advance beyond bosun. I like my free time too much." She took a small sip, and continued, "I work hard, and efficiently, but when I have my free shift I make sure to use it."

"Is Lily your daughter?" Azra asked, hoping she had guessed correctly. It was always better to guess daughter than cat or pet targ. Most people wouldn't be offended by mistaking a pet for a child. Mistaking them the other way around was simply not good.

"Yes, she's here on the ship," Scarlet smiled gently at talking about her, looking down into her drink. "She's only young so she takes a lot of...energy," she chuckled softly at the chosen word. "But she's used to life on a ship. I think she actually prefers it."

"Honestly," Azra said, "I don't think I can imagine growing up on a ship. I mean, yeah, I've lived aboard a ship for well over a decade. For me, I can't imagine growing up outside Istanbul. Different walks of life, I guess."

"Istanbul?" Scarlet repeated with a half smile, trying to place it but not really able to. Having grown up on ships and bases herself, Earth wasn't really a familiar 'home' to her. "I don't know it," she had to admit, but her tone asked her to tell her more.

"It's one of the eclectic cities on Earth, not to mention one of the oldest," Azra said. She was proud of her home. With the ubiquity of transporter technology, she'd been all over Earth, but Istanbul was still home. "It's sandwiched between the Mediterranean and Black Seas. It has some of the best food on Earth, and there's nowhere better to have a childhood, as far as I'm concerned."

Blake watched her as she spoke, unable to help but wonder what it must have been like for a woman with cardassian heritage to grow up on Earth. Especially considering her age. "I'll have to visit next time I'm there," she finally replied, softly. "I've not seen all that much of Earth really. I guess there's so much to see out here."

"There really is," Azra said, "Starfleet is full of explorers, but we really know so little about many of the worlds we discover. Scientists are still discovering things about Earth that we never realized before. Even the worlds we've already discovered, the species and cultures we know about could take millennia of study to understand. Does thinking about that ever overwhelm you? It overwhelms me sometimes."

Scarlet had to chuckle softly at that, looking down for a long moment, wondering how best to answer the question. She decided honesty was the best option. "To be honest, they're not things I spend a lot of time thinking about. Not enough, actually. It's not how my mind works. You need something done, I'll find a way to do it. If there's a problem, I'll find a solution. If we're in trouble, I'll use every breath left to fight a way out. Facts, reality, surviving, that's how I think. The big concepts? The big ideas? The whys? I guess my place is making sure that the people who can look at those questions are safe and able to do it."

Azra's mouth turned down in a brief, confused frown. "That's not really a mindset I understand," she said, "I mean, I get the idea. I just think that considering the big picture makes all of the other stuff worthwhile. Otherwise it'd just be gruntwork. At least, that's how I see it."

"Well, someone has to do it," Scarlet gave a slight chuckle, shrugging gently as she took a sip of her drink. "It may as well be me," she added, but with a hint of humour in her voice that time.

"Fair enough," Azra said. She was only barely realizing what she had said could have been taken as insulting, but it seemed that her XO wasn't offended. "Commander, were you aware that there are specific protocols for minors aboard a Starfleet vessel during an emergency?"

A small smile pulled at Blake's lips as she watched her with interest. Her interest stemmed mostly from wondering on the depth of knowledge Ghoc had. She liked thorough and well prepared crew. "There are indeed. Many of my postings adopted their own procedures though. Especially smaller ships like this; we have to make use of what we have. Luckily, Lily's used to it by now. And Starfleet are accommodating to us. Staying in the marines wouldn't have even been an option," she shook her head with a half smile at that. There were days that she missed that life...but now, it was over anyway. The Marines had been disbanded. It felt....so final.

"Good," Azra said, "I should have guessed you'd be aware of them, but I've found that since most Starfleet officers don't have children aboard, they tend to overlook the procedures. Bosun's included." Blake's off-hand comment regarding the Marines had been interesting. It wasn't something Azra would have guessed about the woman sitting across from her. She didn't look like what Azra had come to expect from marines, and she certainly didn't appear to have the bravado.

"What kinds of adjustments to the standard protocols do you think would make the most sense for Galileo?" Azra asked.

"It depends what the emergency is," Blake shook her head with a slight frown, tapping her finger to her glass. "In the past, the Chaplain has taken care of her and other civilians. Also, Wylde's boy, he's a dependant but...older. He's been good with her too. I'd rather not rely on the EBH," she shook her head with honesty, arching an eyebrow. "It could malfunction."

"EBH?" Azra asked. She knew about the EMH, and this sounded similar, but she'd never heard of it before.

"Emergency Babysitting Hologram," Blake's lips quirked with amusement at the concept of it. "It was developed on the Galileo a little while ago, because we had a few dependants. It was a feat of design to be proud of, but...I don't know...I've never fully trusted it though," she admitted with a half shrug. "Call me old fashioned."

"You're old fashioned," Azra said. It was a pronouncement of good judgement. "Although the EMH is an exceptional resource, with a proven track record, it makes it a bit too easy for Starfleet to reduce the number of medical personnel aboard. Having a babysitting hologram can be useful, but I think it takes something away from the people who could benefit most."

Scarlet gave a small smile at the response; it wasn't often she'd heard a reaction like that. Most people were enthusiastic to embrace technology, and of course it absolutely had its place...she just wasn't convinced that place was looking after her daughter. "We should be careful, next thing you know we'll be replaced by holograms..." she teased.

"Or the hyper-intelligent, bio-engineered tribbles I've heard about," Azra said, "honestly, I don't think the problem is us being replaced, it's that we're being isolated from other real people. As good as holodeck simulations are, I don't think they can replace actual people."

"Agreed," Scarlet nodded gently, watching her with interest at the observation. She had never quite shaken off the psych in her. She had to wonder if isolation was something Azra was attuned to, considering her race and where she lived and served. "There's real life people here too though. Good people," she said firmly, but also reassuringly.

"There are," Azra acknowledged, "I'm only just getting to know everyone, but they're all exceptional, even by Starfleet standards." She shrugged, "I just worry that there aren't enough of us. Even having one or two people unable to work per department could nearly cripple our ability to function efficiently. Engineering is in even worse straits, not having any senior officers aboard."

Scarlet was silent for a long moment. She wouldn't lie, it concerned her slightly too. "Medical is going to be key," she nodded slowly, tapping the side of her glass lightly with her fingertips. "The crew has been selected carefully for both reliability and overall ability. We will need that robustness," she said, her tone indicating she was agreeing with her as she met her eyes.

"Yes," Azra said with a nod, "let's just hope some additional personnel are waiting for us at our destination." She leaned back. "I'm absolutely exhausted. It's been wonderful chatting with you. Please let me know if I can help you, personally or professionally. I'm happy to assist."

"Same," Scarlet replied softly, finding that she meant it. The war might have been years ago, but for those who had seen it first hand, it wasn't always easy to forget. Finding people like Azra helped to put things back into perspective. "And you know where to find me if you need anything. And, by that, I mean my office, not...here..."

Azra leaned forward on the back of her chair. "Hopefully we see each other here relatively often. At least then you're getting some time away from all of the pressing responsibilities. Don't forget to catch your breath once in a while."

Scarlet lifted her hand to her head, swiping two fingers towards her in a casual, mock salute. "Received and understood..." she assured with a small smile of amusement.

Azra half waved behind her. Yes, she was beginning to get the feeling she would like life aboard Galileo, even if it would have its challenges.

[OFF]

--

CWO3 Azra Ghoc
Boatswain
USS Galileo-A

CDR Scarlet Blake
First Officer
USS Galileo-A

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