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Cultural Perspectives

Posted Jan. 17, 2022, 9:22 p.m. by Civilian Revna Freya McKenzie (Diplomatic Attache) (Jennifer Ward)

Posted by Commander Shedda Mal’athar (Executive Officer) in Cultural Perspectives

Posted by Civilian Revna Freya McKenzie (Diplomatic Attache) in Cultural Perspectives

Posted by Commander Shedda Mal’athar (Executive Officer) in Cultural Perspectives
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

As the music came to a sudden close, Revna was bombarded by a slew of questions about who Bill Millin and Lord Lovat were and what was D-Day and the Norman Shore. Revna scoffed, “Do I look like a school teacher to you? No I do not, that’s my sister. You want to know, the details are in the ship’s computer. Go read.” There was grumbling about work and commitments and the myriad excuses of young crew members that would rather socialize than research. Revna looked at Cmdr. Mal’athar and grinned, and to the chagrin of those assembled they both said, “That’s what buffer time is for.”

McKenzie, DA (With Special thanks to The Real McKenzies)

The science officer looked with wide eyes around at the others. The question clear on his face how does the XO and a Civilian know about Buffer time? Shedda shook her head, “You know, I was a junior officer at one time.” The security officer piped up, “But how do you know what it is, Mrs McKenzie.” The woman glanced at Shedda and grinned. Shedda turned to the security officer, “Seems to me that maybe you don’t know the people on board as well as you should. It’s security’s job to know who is on the ship, why, and for what purpose, and to run background checks.” Shedda wasn’t a teacher either, but she was a mentor. “I will tell you this much, Mrs. McKenzie wasn’t always with the diplomatic corp. Now, buffer time kept me sane during those hard tasks and crazy encounters. The trick though,” Shedda looked at the old fashioned clock on the wall, “is not to abuse it.” Several of the gathered crew members glanced at the clock, some knew how to read a 12 hour clock, some did not. The ones that could, about half took off before they were late, dragging some with them. Others waited asking McKenzie all kinds of questions.

Revna answered a few questions, like the name of the song and the original artist. The only songs Revna played for others were covers that Mike had done and sent her. The originals, and there were a few, were just for her. She answered a few questions about herself, like where she was born and what her degree was in. She wouldn’t tell them anything from before. Telling them the Cmdr was correct and they should do their due diligence. Revna knew that the senior staff was aware and as long as the CO and COS had approved her, most wouldn’t ask or question, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t. Revna called a firm end to the gathering when they started asking questions about Mike. She smiled and shook her head and gently ushured them out the door. “But, but when is he coming to visit you?!” Revna stood in the doorway of her office and laughed softly. “Won’t matter. I’m not telling and I promise if he comes to Manhattan to visit me, I’m not letting him out of my quarters.”

Shedda watched McKenzie with interest. This was a woman who would be the face of the Federation to anyone they encountered. Her and Cochrane. She had an easy calm about her. Shedda had always found diplomats to be high strung. They could force a calm voice, and be incredibly still and their expression almost unreadable, but there was always stiffness and tension about them. This woman had none of that, but she was secure on the ship. Shedda had read up on Mrs McKenzie and she was unique. She’d even watched some of the security footage of McKenzie. Shedda was sure the woman would be calm under pressure.

Revna walked over to the replicator ordering a black tea and something else. The something else she handed to Cmdr Mal’athar with a grin. Mal’athar’s favorite Kicking Horse Decaff Dark Roast coffee. “Gossip travels fast,” was all she said as she turned back and took a small pot off the shelf over her desk. “And I have to thank you for bringing this with you. It was in that tote of deliveries.” Revna lifted the lid and twirled the honey dipper in the pot and then allowed it to drip into her tea. Mike knew she preferred her black tea with honey, and sent real honey to surprise her.

Shedda took a mug of a drink that McKenzie gave her and sipped at it, smiled and welcomed herself to a seat in the woman’s office. “So Mrs. McKenzie, tell me, are you feeling useful here on Manhattan?”

Mal’athar, XO

Revna sat across from the commander, two hands wrapped around the warmth of the cup and blew across it before taking a tentative sip. “I feel my position serves a purpose, and in that I feel useful. On a daily basis though I feel rather....useless. Serving dinners and playing nice with strangers is certainly interesting. I love meeting new people, learning about their cultures, engaging in conversation. I have spent most of my initial time with the diplomatic corp studying. I am certainly more used to being in the thick of things. As a counselor I spent a lot of time in my office, but not....isolated. I’m sure it will all even out. I mean I guess I’m not really alone…this little gathering repeats several times a week. The number of times Ops and Eng officers stop by to fix problems that I never reported and don’t have, is rather comical.”

McKenzie, DA

Shedda mused as she sipped her coffee. “Ah but that’s not really having company is it? They are here because of your husband, not for you, but because of his fame. Which you seem to have a handle on the ‘fans’. It is kind of you to share with them though.”

“Why all the way out here though? Your file says you are very close to your family and they are mostly still on Earth. With your credentials you could go anywhere.” Shedda was curious because she knew why she wanted to be all the way out here, and the weekly reveal of her husband’s music told her a few interesting things about the woman. She adored and was proud of her husband but was fiercely protective of him. Revna having refused to answer any personal questions about him. And looking around her office and the decor told Shedda she was proud of heritage. And her ability to weed through the gossip and provide Shedda with her preferred coffee, unlike some entitled chiefs onboard, showed a thoughtful, shrewd, kind person.

Mal’athar, XO


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