Posted by Captain Emmeline Davis (Commanding Officer) in Check In - Cadet Caelian Weir Reporting for Duty

Posted by Cadet Caelian Weir (Engineer) in Check In - Cadet Caelian Weir Reporting for Duty
Caelian swallowed hard as the heat and humidity in the office engulfed him. It was almost suffocating! Had there been a malfunction in environmental control? No, there hadn’t been any temperature variation out in the hall, so it had to have been local to the office itself. He held his attention firmly, hands curling into soft fists. He could feel his body leaping to life, struggling to adjust to the drastic change in environment. It wasn’t the worst he’d experienced, but it certainly was… awkward. The last thing he wanted for a first impression was for his commanding officer to find him wheezing and sweat-soaked. He would at least bear up under it for a few moments just in case…

A blast of cacophonous sound shattered his thoughts, followed by a horrendous screeching. Instinctively he ducked his head and clenched his jaw, flooding his ears with blood in an attempt to block the worst of it out. Had all the automated systems in the office gone haywire?! Not only that, but the office of the Chief Engineer! Could this be a test of some sort? A prank, perhaps, or some kind of tradition aboard the Challenger? His father had told him tales of methods employed to greet fresh cadets. Hazings, he had called them. Nothing such as this, though, and it baffled him.

He caught a flicker of motion just before a saurian creature lumbered from the depths of a closet, arms poised comically at his side and back hunched. Caelian blinked as his mind processed the Starfleet uniform and the pips on his—hopefully it was a he, Caelian had never encountered a creature like this directly—on his collar. Was this the chief?! He watched, stunned, as the saurian plodded ponderously across the room to his desk and devoured a length of celery, pantomiming a roar just as another thunderous blast rattled the office. It was an act!

As Caelian considered how to proceed—would it be rude to clap and interrupt? would it be rude not to applaud?—the chief blinked pointedly at him and popped fully upright. He could hear the saurian’s jaw working to grind the last of the unfortunate vegetable into paste and swallowed. Was he smiling? Caelian silently hoped he was not being considered for the main course. Obviously Starfleet would never allow officers into their ranks who were prone to—

“Computer, end program,” the chief rumbled. The music fell away immediately. “You’re… ten minutes early.”

Caelian blinked again. Was that an embarrassed tone to the chief’s voice? He’d always been able to intuit mood by tone, but new encounters always provided difficulty. He opened his mouth to apologize for the interruption, but the saurian continued.

“Well, since you’re already here take a seat.” The chief made a sound that could have been a growl or a chuckle as he spun the chair behind his desk around and sat. “We can bask in this overwhelming aura of embarrassment and shame together.”

Caelian nodded his thanks and moved to the seat opposite the chief. He set his travel bag next to the chair and did his best not to plop down on the cushion. He could feel drops of sweat dew his spine, and he silently hoped that it was not soaking through his uniform. Man alive, it was so sticky in here! His hands on his knees, Caelian waited for the saurian to continue.

The chief leaned forward slightly, inquisitively. “How was the trip? Never the biggest fan of bright lighting. Warp fields aren’t the kindest on nocturnal creatures’ eyes.”

Caelian could related. A childhood illness had almost robbed him of his sight. Thanks to the timely aid of Starfleet medicine, he was able to recover most of his sight. The corrections, however, had not come in time and Caelian was left with a painful aversion to bright lights. It was useful for tunnels and crawlspaces, so Caelian had learned not to complain. He offered the chief what he hoped would be a commiseratory smile. A violet flash winked from the corona of his corneas. The smile faded a bit when the chief licked his own eyeball. It was difficult not to shudder.

“As you have noticed, its a bit of a tropical jungle in here,” the saurian continued. “After you’ve had a moment to take a load off, I’d like to administer an evaluation. Don’t worry, its not going to determine if you are cleaning out holodeck filtration systems or anything like that; however, an engineer is required to keep calm under pressure. Often you will be expected to make a Monet, but are offered colored pencils to make it happen. Also, in an unrealistic time frame. When you’re ready I’ll issue you a single field kit and your instructions.”

Caelian nodded. “Thank you, sir. I came here immediately upon arrival, so I haven’t had a chance to find my quarters. To be honest, sir, I could do with a quick respite and something to eat. It’s… a little uncomfortable in here.”

He snapped his mouth shut immediately, swallowing hard. The heat must have gotten to him more than he’d imagined! Had he insulted a superior officer? His father had drilled into his head the importance of honesty and knowing one’s limitations, but his mother had also trained him to possess a bit of tact. He threw his hands up in an apologetic gesture.

“N-Not that it’s uncomfortable in here for you, sir,” he stammered. “It is, of course, your office, sir. I simply meant…”

Caelian reigned his embarrassment in, took a deep breath, and gave the chief a wry grin. “I’m sorry, sir. I’m a bit nervous. As I said, sir, I could use with a bit of refreshing. However, if your test is designed to test my performance while under stress, I’d like to start immediately. Given my current… condition… I believe it would only enhance the chief’s evaluation of my abilities.”

OOC (Out of Character): Just popping in to say amazing first post!

Sarah, CO

“Quite the contrary, your evaluation will be to troubleshoot the climate control from the access panel behind you… you have seven minutes.” Zenzgii slid back in his chair and reached under his desk to pull out an engineering field kit. Setting the kit on his desk in front of Caelian the Saurian waited patiently. “Time is ticking…”

Zenzgii, CE

(ooc) The way that you incorporated my previous posting is nicely done; however, it also presents a double edged sword. Given not all writers have the same level of talent, this particular usage removes an easy point to snip the thread. While we are all here to share in the concept of bringing a story to life, keep in mind that we are also all at different skill levels. What i’d like to see in your next post is a good snipping, the trick to it is finding a place to shorten the writing while at the same time leaving enough material that the premise of the story isn’t lost on others who can only pop in once every seven days. When removing writing for the posting add a <snip> to use as a place marker.