Posted Aug. 9, 2020, 9:44 p.m. by Lieutenant Junior Grade Aili McMorran (Chief Science Officer) (Jamie Moore)
Posted by Cadet Matthew Riley (Scientist) in CSO’s Office: Cadet Matthew Riley Reporting for Duty
Matthew waited for the turbolift, reviewing his orders on the PADD for the fifth time and fingering a coin with the other. Sighing, he dropped the PADD to his side and tossed the coin into the air. He stared at the doors, willing them to open, and caught the coin, flipping it again. He fumbled it as an officer joined him waiting on the lift. Ducking his head he avoided eye contact and picked up the coin from the carpeted floor. The doors finally opened.Matthew followed the officer on, pausing as the other man requested his destination. Matthew checked his PADD for his deck, and signaled the lift. Both stood in silence.
Matthew again rubbed his thumb across the medallion in his hand, embossed with the Starfleet delta on one side and the UFP crest on the other - a gift shop trinket he had picked up years ago, something that always helped him focus.
“There’s no need to be nervous, cadet.”
Matthew started at the other man’s voice interrupting his brief reverie.
“The senior staff here are some of the best,” the other man continued, looking at him. “This your first cruise?”
Matthew shook his head. “Third,” he admitted, pocketing the coin. “First day jitters never stop, though.”
The other man grinned. “Never do. So last outing before graduation. Congratulations, cadet. You’ll do fine.” The door hissed open, and the officer exited, and Matthew realized he hadn’t even noticed the man’s rank.
The lift continued. Alone again, Matthew leaned against the wall. Deep breaths, he thought, then straightened. He wondered, not for the first time and not for the last, whether he should have gone for academia and research. He realized he was stroking the coin in his pocket again. No, he thought as the doors opened. No. This… this is it.
Ten meters down the hall he flipped the coin and pocketed it, pressing the chime on the door panel to announce himself.
“Come in!” came a cry from beyond. The doors parted to reveal the primary science lab, its whites and greys gleaming with cleanliness. Worksurfaces intended for scientific equipment and apparatus lay bare, give or take a handful of PaDDs scattered here and there. Instead, what drew Matthew’s attention was a red haired woman garbed in dark, slim fitting sportswear, mid karate kick against a featureless humanoid target. “You don’t need to ring the buzzer you silly thing!” she exclaimed, her often suppressed Scottish tones fully exposed, as her opponent stumbled backwords into a central, oval shaped workstation. As it collided with the surface it shattered into digital oblivion, revealing itself as a holographic fiction.
The young woman grabbed a wet towel from behind her and began patting at her face as she turned to the door. “So”, she began but cut herself off as soon as she lowered the towel from her eyes. Her cheeks began flushing without delay. “Oh! I… You’re not…” Desperately, she began folding loose curls behind her ears in an impossible attempt to appear professional. “Are you… Cadet Riley? I am so sorry. I think I somehow mixed up my days…”
Lt. J.G. Aili McMorran - CSO
OOC: (Out of character) Welcome (back)! Brilliant first post! You obviously know what you’re doing and I look forward to writing with you! :)
One note for now: we (nowadays!) sign off our posts with a ‘signature’. You can see mine above. Yours would look something like ‘Cadet Riley - Science’. So long as it contains your character name and indicates their position, it does the job and you can format it however you please!
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me by email (or through the contact form on the site) or indeed through Discord. This thread is also a good place to discuss any initial questions OOC! Once again, welcome!
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