Make It Stick

Posted on Sat Jun 11th, 2022 @ 12:10am by Lieutenant Alexis Ryan & Commander N'Garzi Zora

Mission: Shore Leave
Location: XO Office
Timeline: Shoreleave
2100 words - 4.2 OF Standard Post Measure

Tardiness was one of Alex’s least favourite traits.

Not, if she was pushed to be fair, that the Athena’s arrival was remarkably outside any projected window. Estimates were called such for a reason and there was plenty of wiggle room remaining in the timeframe she’d been provided with, but her own transport had disembarked ahead of schedule and therein lay the problem. Idleness was also not a strong contender for preference and whilst there was plenty to do, none of it involved the priorities of an officer moving from special assignment back to ship-based deployment. The sporting precinct had provided some distraction, and she’d already scoped out a litany of mediocre restaurants that served just the right proportion of grease to salt, but none of that had prevented the Lieutenant from being the first sight to confront the hangar staff once the ship was properly docked and secured for boarding.

So she’d been a little impatient with them. She hadn’t spent additional time streamlining her documentation for junior staff to take half an hour to figure out what her official billet was.

Minor frustrations aside, the ship itself was a welcome sight. In the time it had taken her to move with her immediate belongings to her new lodgings, Alexis had lovingly catalogued most of the familiar features, having spent the last few months refitting the Fleet’s newest Prometheus-class monstrosity. She had a soft-spot for the warship model, an admiration that had played into the details of her reassignment. Reputedly, Athena was a little rough with her Science Chiefs. Alexis could understand why; the cruiser was easily misunderstood by those who couldn't look beyond the constraints of their petri dishes. She knew what these systems were capable of, however, and saw no immediate issue with offering the bulkhead a reassuring pat as the doors to her quarters closed behind her.

Stagnation formed the trifecta of current unacceptable threats and, thus, entrusting that the bulk of her belongings would eventually turn up in the right quarters, and slipping into her uniform for the first time in days, Alexis had emerged in the final throes of tying her hair back in its typical high ponytail and had finished sticking pins into the braid wrapped around its base by the time she entered the turbolift. “Computer, please let Commander Zora know Lieutenant Ryan is enroute to receive security clearance.”

Zora was in her office trying to compile her mission report for Starfleet Command. She was an experienced officer and usually had no issues writing these, however, this last mission hadn't exactly been run of the mill. How do you start a report when firstly, you weren't meant to be on the mission in the first place, secondly they had lost an officer and a civilian in the line of duty, and thirdly they had stumbled across a conspiracy that she still couldn't fathom or even begin to get her head around. She stared at her latest draft, version number four, read it and then deleted the entire thing.

Rising from her seat, she stretched and longingly thought of her yoga mat awaiting her in her quarters. Since coming onboard the Athena she hadn't had a real chance to unwind and knowing that she just had this to finish before she could enjoy some shore leave was only prolonging the pain. She walked over to the replicator and ordered herself another cup of tea; Vulcan herbal tea this time. She knew she needed something stronger but was determined to stay focused until the job was done. She had just settled back into her seat when she heard the chime of her door. "Enter."

Whether she would ever be inclined to attempt to hide it, there was a particular finesse to the way that Alexis moved that immediately betrayed her predisposition towards militant precaution. Far from the boundless enthusiasm of an expectant explorer's zeal, she stood her ground as the doors opened and first ran a full scope of what was within visual range before she committed to crossing the threshold. The evaluative hesitancy took all but a second or two but there was economy to the Lieutenant's movements that also appeared particularly contained. Intentional, as if she'd personally gift-wrapped a version of herself to suit the situation.

And yet, she stood to attention with a relaxed grace that didn't seemed destined to provoke a hernia. Respectful but not excessively rigid. "Lieutenant Ryan, sir. Hopefully you're expecting me."

"I am Lieutenant," Zora said with a smile. She was more happy with the distraction than anything else, though meeting a new department head was always on top of her list. "Please take a seat-" she indicated to one of the plush seats in front of her desk, "-may I get you a drink?"

As much as an extended conversation had been easy to predict, Alexis took a moment to marshal her impatience. Under ordinary circumstances, the social aspects of the job weren't immediately objectionable but there had been enough foreshadowing about this appointment for the Lieutenant to harbour considerable curiosity for the state of affairs she was about to inherit. The desire to access the Department's current operational status was distracting.

She took the seat, however, and the bait to ensure she waited long enough for proper scrutiny. "I'll take black coffee, no sugar."

Zora fetched the requested beverage and placed it in front of the woman. Sitting down again, she sipped from her own cup and allowed the aroma to fill her nostrils before placing it back onto the desk. "Tell me Lieutenant, how are you finding the Athena so far?"

It took a moment for Alexis to pick up the coffee, since the simple act became an acceptance of an elongated conversation that went well-beyond the simple transfer of security codes. Resigned to the discussion, without being wholly displeased about the fact, the Lieutenant took a sip and considered her response.

"I think I woke your hangar staff up," she eventually replied, her tone dry but not without humour. "But aside from being able to report that several turbolifts appear to function as intended, there hasn't been a lot of time to form much of an opinion." Alex lifted her eyes to the ceiling. "The ship herself is impressive. I'm looking forward to getting to know her."

"She's a fine ship with a finer crew," Zora said as she allowed herself to take in the beauty of the Prometheus-class vessel. "It's very different from the ships I'm accustomed to serving on, but I managed to fit right in, as I'm sure you will do too." She picked up the cup again and cradled it gently in two hands, allowing the warmth of the ceramic to fill her palms. She took a long and purposeful sip, right before placing the cup back on the desk and looking the woman in the eyes.

"I'm sure by now you have heard that this ship has a reputation with science officers?" Zora asked, gauging Ryan's actions carefully.

The understatement of the question evoked a soft huff from Athena's latest sacrificial lamb. "It was very much part of the position preamble," Ryan reassured, her smile wry. "So much so that I was informed in no-uncertain terms that my deployment here was a very specific attempt to plug a leaking hole. Sciences aboard a warship aren't for everyone," Alex acknowledged. "Athena gets a head-start by being a personal favourite when it comes to her systems layout and operation, though. I've recently worked on outfitting her newest sibling."

Zora smiled, appreciating the young woman's candour. "You're right, this assignment isn't for everyone, but with your, colourful background, I actually think you're going to fit in rather nicely. I would be interested to hear what upgrades you think can be made to the Athena's systems, as I'm sure Lieutenants Zade, Leiko, and Keating will be too."

For a moment longer than was possible to deny, Ryan sat in silence to process the intended implication of 'colourful'. It certainly wasn't an adjective one chose unless there was something specific that warranted attention. Faint amusement accompanied raised eyebrows as the Lieutenant finally observed, "Not a description of my service record that I've heard before and I've heard a few variations."

"Well not many science chiefs have a marine training background," Zora said with a smile. She finished the rest of the tea in her cup before she continued. "I didn't intend to cause offence," she added, wondering what Ryan had thought she had meant by the comment?

"None taken," Alex reassured, a single hand held palm up to halt that line of thinking in its tracks. "I've certainly heard worse and, even then, possibly not without some justification. I'm an unusual candidate," the Lieutenant conceded. "I was under the impression that was somewhat of the point of my assignment though so I suppose it works out."

"Agree," Zora said. "However, it's just as important that you spend some time building bridges with the rest of the crew, especially the senior officers, something I feel may be a greater challenge for you," she said, using her instincts to get a feel for the red-headed lady. "In fact," a smile crept across the El-Aurian's face, some may say: a wicked one, "some of them are playing a game of Stellager soon. I think you should join them."

To Ryan's credit, she didn't flinch, though there was an elongated silence as she attempted to absorb what seemed more like a veiled order than a suggestion. "Judging by the standard of the tournament so far," she eventually replied, having watched several matches whilst she waited for the Athena to arrive, "it seems like an excellent opportunity to gauge the crew's combat readiness, at the very least."

"That's not your department, Lieutenant," Zora replied, a little more bluntly than she had intended. "Lieutenant Zade is more than capable of seeing to the crew's combat readiness, your mission is simple; make friends, have fun, and restore faith in the science department. Understood?"

It took the conditioning of years of training for Alexis to keep her expression in check. Her sense of humour didn't always hit the mark, it certainly wasn't the first time someone had opted to take her far more literally than she'd intended, but the prevalence of misunderstanding from the past didn't go a long way to curbing the prickle of her hackles now. So that's the way it's going to be then. Ryan had lost count of the number of people who assumed her military background dominated her work ethic.

"Understood."

"Good," Zora said as a smile crept across her face. She sat back in her seat, clearly more relaxed and ready to move on. "Who knows, you may even enjoy yourself, at the very least make a few new friends?"

Having been spoken down to once more than she was inclined to find comfortable, Alex withheld any response other than a nod and changed tact back to the reason for her visit. "If you're able to grant my security clearance, I'll make crew introductions a priority."

"Of course," Zora said as she pulled her computer terminal towards her. She pressed a few buttons and activated the Lieutenant's file that was already running on the screen. "Done. If there's anything you need, my door is always open." She gave a slight nod of her head.

For a moment, Alex glanced down into the coffee she'd barely touched. There was, she knew, more to be said because there always was. About her service record, her upbringing, the blip that marred an otherwise decent ascent through Starfleet's collaborative estimation. She had next to no desire to be the one to bring any of it up, however, and thus took a conciliatory swig of the drink before placing it down on the table and slowly rising to her feet.

"I'll forward you a report on the department's preliminary status once I find my desk and undoubtedly dig it out from under the mound of lapsed documentation waiting for me." Ryan smiled faintly. "Thank you for the welcome," she added. "And the coffee."

"Hopefully it won't be as bad as you think," Zora added as the woman left the room. She watched the closed door for a moment wondering just how Ryan would fare on the ship. She gave the briefest of smiles and then returned to her work.