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XO's Office: A Meeting of the Minds

Posted April 8, 2022, 10:53 p.m. by Commander Nivor Rhansi (Executive Officer) (Nathan Miller)

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade T’Mara Michaels (Chief Science Officer) in XO’s Office: A Meeting of the Minds

Posted by Commander Nivor Rhansi (Executive Officer) in XO’s Office: A Meeting of the Minds

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade T’Mara Michaels (Chief Science Officer) in XO’s Office: A Meeting of the Minds
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻

<snip>

Nivor dropped the PADD and stood, his back aching from the time spent leaning over the desk.

“Come in,” he called out, coming around the desk. He didn’t have the large, sweeping ready room a captain would have, just a small office with a desk, two chairs, a replicator, and a plant. Perhaps I should decorate, he mused as the doors parted.

His Barzan heritage was immediately noticeable in his ridged brow and the breathers he wore attached to each cheek and hooked into the corners of his mouth. His blond hair was shaggy, if neatly cut, and his green eyes stood out as almost unnatural. He was only slightly taller than the Vulcan was, so they were nearly eye to eye as he approached and extended his hand.

“Lieutenant Michaels,” he greeted, the corners of his mouth quirking slightly in a smile. “Thanks for coming. I wanted to touch base with all of the department heads before we set out.”

He gestured to a chair with his offhand “Please, have a seat. Would you like something from the replicator?”

XO Rhansi

T’Mara nodded as she moved to the indicated chair and sat down. “Thank you, Commander. I would enjoy a cup of hot tea. Earl Grey with honey,” she said. She interlaced her fingers as she studied Rhansi. “I know that your home-world’s atmosphere is considered toxic to most species that have evolved in predominantly oxygen-nitrogen atmospheres but I do not know what specific compounds your race requires from your breathers. Would it be inappropriate for me to ask about that?”

=/\= LtJg T’Mara Michaels, Chief Science Officer

OOC: You just had to ask, didn’t you? lol

IC:

“Earl grey tea, hot, with honey on the side,” he requested from the replicator. He carried the steaming mug and the jar of honey and spoon to T’Mara on a small tray, handing it to her. He sat in the other chair on that side of the desk, crossing his feet at the ankles.

“It’s not an unusual question,” he remarked, touching one of the breathers. “We actually breathe a little bit of oxygen, but the process of absorption is very different. It’s a two stage process which first involves the absorption of methane and carbon monoxide, and then the absorption of oxygen. The oxygen is used solely by the respiratory system; the methane and carbon monoxide are circulated and broken down and used to provide energy by various organs. The carbon attaches to our blood cells very well, and is what makes it black.”

He paused briefly, studying the Vulcan. “That’s an interesting first question, Lieutenant. Do you start all conversations with a discussion of bodily processes?” The corners of his mouth again quirked around the breathers.

XO Rhansi

“Only on days of the week that have a ‘t’ in the name,” T’Mara said. She accepted the tea and stirred in a small spoonful of the honey. She took a sip. As she expected, the ship’s replicators were functioning within acceptable parameters. “The understanding of the physiological requirements of the crew members and especially critical command individuals seems a logical prerequisite to my position. If, for example, you were a hydrogen sulfide or a hydrogen cyanide breather, additional operational precautions would be necessary. However, placing such individuals on a crew of predominantly oxygen-nitrogen breathers would be an illogical and unnecessary risk.”

Research on the steps of a methane, carbon monoxide respiratory cycle could be another day.

=/\= LtJg T’Mara Michaels, Chief Science Officer

OOC: Every part of that was made up lol

IC: He paused halfway into his seat, slowly descending the rest of the way. “I am unfamiliar with Vulcan days of the week,” he admitted, “so I am unsure how much of a joke this is.” He chuckled. “I am fully comfortable in an oxygen atmosphere with my breathers. I tend to keep the sleeping area of my quarters at Barzan normal atmosphere, with an atmospheric forcefield separating it from the living area. Occasional holodeck excursions, that sort of thing,” he explained.

He studied her briefly, eyes watching her drink the tea. “I have interacted with many Vulcans, but you were raised on Earth, for most of your life. How…” he paused, changing the question. “Which culture do you identify with most?”

XO Rhansi

“My blood, my biology is fully Vulcan,” T’Mara said as she placed the tea cup back on the saucer and both back on the XO’s desk. “My parents were both fully Human and though they did their best to raise me as a Vulcan, it would be illogical to assume a high level of success. I have been told, for example, that I speak the Vulcan language about as well as any off-worlder. If your actual question is how to deal with me…”

She paused. What would be the best answer? How would you define the best answer? She thought about smiling at him. That was an expression that frequently disconcerted humans because of their assumptions concerning how Vulcans acted and reacted. “Perhaps the simplest way to approach me would be to treat me as a human with an measurably excessive fascination with Vulcan culture and language.”

She did venture a half smile.

“And you, Commander? Beyond the intuitively obvious Starfleet protocol, how should I deal with you?”

=/\= LtJg T’Mara Michaels, Chief Science Officer

He cracked a half smile himself in return. “Less ‘how to deal with you’ and more ‘how do you like to be dealt with,’ Lieutenant,” he answered her. “We’re going to be working together for some time, and I like to treat my officers well; and how they’d like to be treated. I won’t know that unless I ask.” He paused, considering the rest of her answer. “That’s an interesting description, and one I will keep in mind. Don’t let people’s… conceptions of you impact how you feel - how you want - to act. That’s a trap I’ve fallen into as well.”

He took a deep breath across his breathers, mind moving to the next question - it was an obvious followup to her question… and one he’d never considered before.

“Deal with me like a fellow scientist,” he responded after a moment, eyes on the wall. “I felt so strongly in the work I was doing I left my home and family behind.” He shrugged. “I am a man without a home, really; or my home is where Starfleet tells me to go next..” He cut his eyes to her. “But don’t feel badly for me - I chose this and enjoy the life I lead.”

XO Rhansi


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