Posted by Captain Dante Knight (Commanding Officer) in Pre-Sim: Arrival to the Saracen

Posted by Lieutenant Elmira O’Shea (Chief Tactical Officer) in Pre-Sim: Arrival to the Saracen

Posted by Lieutenant Elmira O’Shea (Chief Tactical Officer) in Pre-Sim: Arrival to the Saracen
Posted by… suppressed (8) by the Post Ghost! 👻

Snip

“As soon as you docked? These people sure have their priorities set straight,” With the frivolity accenting her airy voice, it was difficult to tell whether she was razzing or speaking with complete honesty. Although, Elmira preferred that level of mystery to her words. Her name might be a secret seldom guarded, but her speech was a fortress few had access to understanding. “Do you have a favourite renovation?”

“Oh yeah” Than said without needing to think about it. “There is a small holosuite built into a downstairs section to the lounge, it has a program of a bar running permanently, and the bar has some very unique features.” He turned his head and looked at her, and while he grinned widely his eyes held a glint that spoke of fun and a relaxed yet possibly mischievous desire to be at that bar. “I doubt we have time to check it out properly before you need to check in, but it’s not going anywhere.”

As they passed through the shuttlebay doors, the distinctive hiss of their movement filling her ears, Elmira considered the ship before them. “How long have you been assigned to the Saracen?” She inquired.

O’Shea
Incoming CTO

More crew passed them as they walked down the corridor to the nearby turbolift, giving a moment of quiet before Than could answer. “A few months” he told her, “I came on board with the Captain when we were diverted from returning to the Broadsword, his old Command to search for the Saracen. She was trapped in a Temporal Anomaly over Earth right before world war three was to begin. After the Away Team prevented an assassination somehow we returned to our own time, but a Temporal effect meant the engines seemed to have run for 40,000 hours non stop, meaning total replacement and a 10 year service was due for her. Captain Knight was assigned permanently to this ship, and I received orders to the same.”

Elmira listened, even if it seemed she as dozing off, staring into the corridor’s abyss before her. It had always been a matter to fascination for the young Betazoid; Time. Its fluid albeit hapzardly flow intrigued her imagination, but not enough for her to have ever considered pursuing an education in the flow of time and its anomalies. “It truly is incredible, how time morphs and changes, without any of us truly comprehending it.” Elmira observed, a light about those obsidian eyes. “Too bad that Captian Knight lost his previous command, but at least he seems to have found a better one.”

“The Broadsword?” Than confirmed the name, “She is an excellent little ship but a bit older now. Still, she’s reliable and never lets you down. I was assigned to her for two years before this, I went to a training seminar on the Station the Captain was heading to on Leave so we caught a shuttle together with a few others. That’s how I ended up with him here.”

“And you, I’m almost glad for your temporal escapades; we wouldn’t have met if not for them.” She teased, a grin taking full control of her expression.

“You know, until a few moments ago when you stepped off that shuttle I wasn’t too sure myself If I had found a better one. I missed the Broadsword, she was tough, reliable and familiar.” He looked at her as they walked and his eyes lingered on hers and her grin before he continued “Now, since you stepped off the shuttle I think I might have something else to think about other than work.” He looked away quickly as the turbo-lift came up, but his grin stayed in place and he ran a hand through his short hair not for any other reason than to give his free hand something to do after his cheeky little flirt.

Opening her mouth to say something in return, she was cut off by him glancing away. Huffing, softly in indignation, she bit the inside of her cheek, offering a playful glare in his direction, before returning her attention to walking, before she ran into another person or the wall, whichever came first. Little did she know, his words had managed to elicit a faint blush upon her cheeks. Alas, she would never admit to that one.

They stopped outside a turbo lift and in seconds, were inside with the doors closing. Than turned to Elmira “So what do you do? I mean your Command Division obviously and Bridge Crew, but what makes you get out of bed in the morning?

Ensign Osedi
Engineering

Turning to stand with her back to the wall behind them, Elmira rested one of her slim hands against her hip. Tilting her head towards Than, she hummed, considering his question. “Me? Normally the thought of black coffee never being more than a hundred feet away,” Elmira spoke sarcastically, but there was a level of dry humor infiltrating her tone.

“You know it’s much better when you’re still in bed when you get it” Than replied, using a level of sarcasm that matched her own this time and leaning casually on the wall beside her, now not taking his eyes from her as they had a chance to stand and speak, his own eyes showing that he was enjoying the relaxed banter the two of them had struck up. “That generally means you can relax longer and don’t have to rush for work, well, along with the idea that someone got it for you. Beats getting out of bed for your coffee any day.”

“Smart idea, but you see, there is a bit of a problem,” Elmira shifted between glancing up to better meet his height and resting her neck from the strain, but each time she returned her gaze to him, that glitter in her eyes never changed. “Someone has to get it for you, and that means relying on people, or having to deal with people so early in the morning..” It was obvious she was joking with him, “Alas, it would be a nice twist, to have more time to– what’s that word you used? Oh, yes. Relax.”

“Honestly, though. I’m a tactical officer, so eight times out of ten, we’re up long before we need to be. Personally, I’m usually too busy reading through recent studies or new ship classes and their weaponry capabilities, but some are a tad more intelligent and get the paperwork out of the way before shift,” Elmira glanced at him, a smirk in her eyes. “That is much too boring for me.”

Than laughed softly at her admission, adjusted her kit under his arm then relaxed further against the wall and tilted his head towards hers more, in the way that a friend tells you something important or teases you, “I’m glad you said that, you don’t seem like the kind of person to enjoy sitting down reading tech manuals in your down time over a black coffee, i’m guessing no sugar just pure coffee? Well, I think that with your affection for the black gold the Captain is going to like you.”

“You’re absolutely correct. Any additives take away from the natural flavour of the coffee and that is where all the brilliance comes from,” Elmira winked, teasingly. “The Captain’s a fan of black? This man gets better every passing minute,” She joked, despite the underlying respect she held for their superior officer. “What about you? Are you a black coffee drinker? Or do you stick to the sugar and cream?” She watched him, as if trying to predict what his answer would be.

For a second, she studied Than, having listened to his voice and its own idiosyncracies. To her, he seemed knowledgeable, aware of his surroundings. This conscientiousness, if one called it that, was a welcome trait, as she found a man with intellect was far more worth the time, than a man with money or charm. Not to say the Trill didn’t have charm, though. Albeit, she wasn’t sure of that one.

“What about you, Than? It’s no secret that you’re an engineer. Though, what makes you tick in the morning?” She questioned, in reciprocation. “Is it the thought of being beside the warp core within the following hours?” She guessed, a clear facetiousness to her voice, even if her exrpession had receded back to its original calm.

Lt. O’Shea
CTO

“What makes you think I’m an Engineer?” Than asked, the doors sliding open as he did so put he didn’t move, just looked at her with his grin. “I cleaned my nails this morning and even shaved! What gave it away? Was it my Eau de Cologne Warpe Core?” He said in what would pass as an accent of French origin from Earth.

“It must be! Or maybe it was the way you were oogling at those shuttlecrafts, as if regretting you never took one to homecoming.” Elmira mused, gesturing for him to step from the turbolift first, out of simple consideration.

His grin didn’t change, but his eyebrows did raise. “You didn’t take a shuttle to homecoming?” He asked her, a feigned look of shock on his face. “Let me tell you, it was quite the entrance.”

“In truth, I hate being assigned to the Warp Core” he said honestly, this time moving and stepping out of the Turbolift and then motioning with his head the way they should go. “I need to be active, going places and fixing things. Doing maintenance on an external sensor array or fixing somebodies replicator so they can have their morning coffee” he flashed a grin at the woman beside him, still being drawn every time to her eyes or the curve of her jaw where it met her neck, the shape of her mouth as she spoke.

“Being stationary is the bane of all existence; forced to stand in one spot to scan a system or converse with a higher up. I couldn’t imagine having to be assigned to the warp core, simply standing there.. watching, observing as scans generally read the same outcome.” Elmira shook her head in something akin to sympathy, she would have never been able to stay in one place for too long, it seemed like utter torture. Raising her attention back to him, her eyes always lingered on his lips, before meeting the depths of his eyes.

She kept reverting between expressions of seriousness and then a friendly, teasing smile or grin before slipping back to her calm state. Than felt it was something about her or in her past that caused her to present herself like that, but he noticed that her voice seldom changed it’s inflection. Her voice, he thought would be the key to really understanding what she was saying, along with her eyes. A person’s face could present many things but a persons eyes were like a window to their soul. Than felt he rather wanted to learn the key to unlocking that window, she was an interesting person to him and he wanted to know more, but also felt that it was only fair that she know a little about him too.

“What I really like and work towards is the work of a field Engineer” he told her, “I love being on a Starship, and it lets me go places where I can do so much for people. I can fix a schools generator or replicator, build houses for people displaced by a disaster, teach kids to use their hands and minds to solve a problem by working together to build something better.” He shrugged as he came to a stop at a Junction and looked straight into her eyes with a soft smile, “I can fix an EPS grid and balance matter/antimatter without blinking an eye, but the things I remember most are when we give other people the tools to build themselves a better future. That’s why I’m out here and why I get up in the morning.”

“Oh, and coffee as well, but I like it with a little hazelnut shot.” He told her as an afterthought, almost but bit his lip as he said it. Taking out the PaDD at his hip, Than looked down and worked a few things across the screen, and moments later had their destination. “I have your quarters, this way” he said looking up from the PaDD to her. Elmira’s Quarters were only a few junctions away.

Ensign Osedi
Engineering

Elmira considered his response for a moment, unable to hide the smile that had begun tugging at the corners of her mouth. She had always respected someone who was willing to give up their own time to help others, someone who wanted to teach others, rather than indulge themselves in the riches of their business or their jobs. She felt a person’s willingness to lend a hand, told more about them than words could ever say. It gave way to their integrity, to their compassion and their loyalty to the people around him, rather than just themselves. And that, she believed, spoke louder than any resume ever could.

“That is beautiful Than,” Her voice softened for the first time since she had spoken to him. It carried itself at a quieter decibel, almost properly reflecting the Betazoid in her veins. “And I completely agree with you. There is nothing like giving someone the tools to help themselves. As the old Earth saying goes: ‘Give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, feed him for life.’ Giving to people and helping people is always much more fun than taking from them.” She hummed, “But besides the point,” She didn’t want to give away too much about herself. “You have a way better reason to get out of bed in the morning than I do.”

He smiled gently at her words, and tone. He seemed to have found a clink in the armor. Where she had smiled and laughed before, her tone had hardly changed from the sass and what he had recognized as good natured snark. Now, her tone had most definitely changed as he spoke about what made him most happy in his job. It seemed that the two of them had some things in common after all.

Nodding, Elmira walked after him, watching a few of the people that passed them. She wondered what this ship would prove to be, both as a vessel and as a family, but if there were more people like Than, she suspected she wouldn’t be disappointed.

Lt. O’Shea
CTO

“On a daily basis, not really” Than said to her, “mostly it’s the same. Wake up, go to shift and do maintenance on something, watch something else for a while.” They came to a stop outside a door, but the Trill kept his eyes only on Elmira and her obsidian black orbs so she knew that she had his full attention. “Now what would make every morning worth getting out of bed for, would be to get that coffee for someone so they can stay in bed for a little longer.” His grin was wide and genuine, and very obviously directed at her “That would be my perfect reason to get out of bed every morning.”

To have his full attention was a luxury she did not yet realized the beauty behind. Despite their pause beside the door she could only assume to be her quarters, she felt more drawn to speaking to Than as opposed to exploring the residence she had seen akin rooms several times before. He was an authentic person, a man whose smile begged intrigue, his gaze ever complex and yet somehow simple. “It would be the best reason,” She smiled, imagining such a vision in her head. Elmira was a woman who had been around, but never had she experienced something so innocent, so pure as spending the morning in bed with someone whose heart meant the universe to her.

His smile was almost impossible not to reciprocate. Elmira had never been known for her ability to express a smile, at least not one of genuine truth. Although, she managed a small one in return.

Taking her kit from under his arm he placed it on the ground between them. “This is your room, I can wait here so you can get your gear stowed before I show you Ten Forward.” He didn’t want to rush her, seeing your quarters for the first time was always a special experience on a new ship. Not only that, but Than wanted to see her quarters for the first time, if she would invite him back of course, when she had had time to decorate it and put her personal touches on it. He had seen enough empty quarters to know what they all looked like, and he always found that taking notice of how a person made a space theirs told him much about them. Of course Than had learned a lot from this short discussion already. Elmira could laugh and smile, and had attitude buried in her tone and words but often chose to appear far more stern and severe than he thought she really was. He was attracted to her for sure, her smile lit up the whole conversation and her eyes made him not want to look away although he found that when she smiled, laughed, his eyes drew down to the shape of her mouth .

He shifted slightly and leaned on the wall beside her door, looking at her with his slight smile, and content to wait until she was ready. “Who knows, they might not have fixed something in there and you might need an Engineer hanging around.”

Ensign Osedi
Engineering

Elmira glanced towards the door beside her, raising an eyebrow. She wondered how different these quarters could be from the many she had seen before. Each ship, as unique as its name, had an internal design idiosyncratic to its class. The Saracen was the first of its class she had been assigned to, thus making this the first quarters she would see. Although, she was no engineer, and the experience was not nearly so pivotal a moment for her, as it might have been for someone whose heart bore the schematics of their vessel. Elmira spent very little time in her quarters, often times too busy to bother dwelling within them. But that didn’t have her escaping the childish joys of putting her own twist to the room.

“Thank you, I won’t be long.” She promised, with every intention to stick to those words. Watching as the doors parted before her, she chuckled, “Maybe you’re right. And if you are, I’m going to be seeing a lot more of you.. not that I would mind.” She teased, slipping into the quarters.

As soon as she crossed the threshold, the kit returned to her hands, she felt the gust of wind that indicated those doors had shut behind her. For a single moment, she didn’t move, taking in the compact room around her; a room that would become her small corner of nothing, for as long as she was welcome aboard the Saracen. Taking a step forwards, she surveyed the room for her bed, leisurely meandering into the small section, where she relieved her shoulders of the weight her kit possessed. Even without anything significant, it bore enough weight for her diminutive figure to take quick notice to. Leaving it on the bed, she pulled her hair from its tight grasp, running slim fingers through her ginger locks.

Releasing a soft sigh, the contents of her stress slowly melting away, she closed her eyes. In every effort to organize herself and what she needed to get done, she spun in a slow circle, endeavouring to focus. Check in with the Captain.. medical bay; physical evaluation.. counselor’s office; psychological evaluation.. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she paused, shrugging her shoulders. Elmira had never cared much for schedules, but the facade of one did help releive anxiety. For right now, though, she was more concerned about her brief time with Than… Than, who she was still keeping waiting.

Turning back to her kit, she found her brush, sloppily running it through her hair, which she pulled back into a bun. Straightening wrinkles from her uniform, she adjusted her collar, satisfied by the simple change in her appearance. After all, she needed to appear presentable for her checkins. Casting a glance back at her kit, which lay open upon her bed, she waved a hand of dismissal. As if dismissing her problems, for the time being, she headed for the door, slipping past it.

“Ready?” She asked, glacing about for Than, a sheepish grin gracing her features.

Lt. O’Shea
CTO