Welcome On board

Posted on Thu Jun 16th, 2022 @ 4:47pm by Lieutenant Xavier Leiko & Lieutenant Myra Sh'rillil

Mission: Shore Leave
Location: Operations Office
1280 words - 2.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Xavier was happy the past few missions were over, they had definitely taken their toll on the young Betazoid. He needed this moment, this time, for a chance to breathe and work out what was going on with his telepathic and empathic senses. He knew the more he worried, the more he felt disconnected from himself, and the best thing to do would be not to worry about it at all. But that was like telling someone not to worry that they were suddenly missing an arm; at least that was how it felt to him.

He wanted to blast through the growing pile of paperwork and reports so that he could at least enjoy some of his shore leave, which was why he was currently in his office, drinking another cup of coffee, slowly resisting the urge to throw his desk through the window that showed the beautiful green and blue orb of the planet below. Was the window mocking him? Before he could ponder on this further, his door chime went off, causing him to look up. HE really hoped it was Tey, he could do with a little mayhem right about now.

"Come in," Xavier said, his hopes high.

Myra stepped through the door and stopped short of having it close on her backside. Looking around she couldn’t restrain a small shake of her head at the state of the office. “Ensign Sh’rillil reporting for duty sir..?” The statement sounded more like a question than an actual fact. Her right hand shot up, fingertips brushing the two full pips on her collar as a smile creeped up on her lips.

“I mean… hum.” A nervous and amused laugh escaped her. “I’ll just..” She held up her hand to the man, one finger up in a recognizable motion to wait for a moment as she stepped outside the office, waited for the doors to close, and hit the chime once more. There was more than one way to make a first impression. This was certainly one of them.

Xavier's disappointment quickly turned to confusion and then slight amusement. He wasn't quite sure what was going on but he was willing to roll with it. "Enter," he said, as he leaned back in his chair, his arms folded across his chest.

The Andorian stepped through the door once more and stopped, giving her superior a large smile and half a salute. "Lieutenant Sh'rillil reporting for duty." Nothing in her demeanor betrayed the sillyness of her previous action. She seemed to radiate pride, if anything. "Heard you were the man to see for a job on this ship." There was a pause as she looked around the room. "Sir."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Lieutenant," Xavier replied, unable to fully remove the smirk from his face. Not really sure what had happened when the Andorian had first entered the room, her entire attitude now was completely professional. "As you seemed to have already guessed I'm Xavier Leiko, chief of operations and if it's an Ops job you're after I believe I should be able to sort something out," he said with a grin.

“That’s what it says on my transfer orders.” She smiled pleasantly and offered the man a slow bow. “And what I was hoping for.” While she was thankful for the opportunity to learn a plethora of different skill sets as it had been ‘offered’ on the Yerelak, it would be nice to work where she’d applied for to begin with. She looked around the room some more, antennae leaning forward. “Will you be needing some help with any of this? You seem a little crowded.” She offered a sly, if genuine, grin.

"You're eager, I like that," Xavier said. He too looked around at the mountain of work on his desk, his shoulders slumped a little, paperwork was not his forte. "As much as I would love some help with this, it's mostly mission reports, system reports, system checks, et cetera. Life as a department head is a busy one. Don't worry, I'll have plenty of jobs for you too, what did you say your speciality was?"

Myra stared at him for a moment, unsure. “Well, right out of the academy I’d have said Systems Engineering. Still true. But I’ve been in enough different places, I’m not sure what it really is at this point.” Should she mention her second major? Was it relevant? Maybe if she worked with the science department it would be worth mentioning. That also felt a little rambly. “So, we’ll say a well rounded Systems Engineer.” She grinned and shrugged lightly.

“To be honest, I’ll be happy doing whatever you need. I just love to be useful.” The Andorian half bowed and half nodded. “Don’t be afraid to share me if needed. I’ve done quite a few jobs in other departments.” She looked at the window and the view outside. Smile widening. “Will be nice to set foot planetside again. It's been a while.” She turned her head back towards Leiko. “So what do I call you? Chief? Boss? L-T? Your highness?” She giggled.

"There's no chance of me sharing a talented officer like yourself with the likes of Keating," he said with a smile. "No, for now, you're stuck with me I'm afraid." Xavier laughed at the question. "My mother would love you to call me your highness I'm sure, but I'm a bit more humble. Sir or Lieutenant will be fine when we are on duty, but since we're not and this is an informal chat, you can call me Xavier. What about you? I know that Andorians normally have different names they use in different situations, which do you prefer?" His mind couldn't help but think of Ari and the variety of names he used in different settings.

Myra tilted her head to the right, smile permanently attached to her lips. “That would be a very typical Andorian custom to follow, yes. But I was born and raised on earth, so typical european customs are my usual go to.” She took a few steps towards him and offered a hand. “I’d give you the bise, but outside of home, it seems to make people uncomfortable.” She giggled, her eyes crinkling with playfulness.

"I dated an Andorian for many years," Xavier said as he grasped the outstretched arm, "so your customs don't bother me as it does with others. However, if you're happy with Myra, then that works for me." He let go of the shake and took a slight step back. "The crew is currently on shore leave, this is an excellent time to spend some informal time with them, get to know them before the real work begins."

Nodding, Myra glanced back through the window at the planet below. “I agree. It will be nice to go planetside a bit.” She bowed her head slightly towards him. “And get to know my fellow officers.” She started towards the door, stopping and turning back towards her superior as she reached it. “I may be premature in my assessment, but if you are any indication of the people who serve under you, I do believe I will enjoy working here considerably.”

Xavier smiled as he watched the Andorian exit the room, it was always nice having someone new on board and he could tell that she was going to make waves among the crew. My very own Teyo he thought to himself with a smile. Looking back at the work on his desk, he gave a heavy sigh and went straight back to it.