New Girl in Town

Posted on Tue Jul 4th, 2023 @ 2:18pm by Fleet Captain Maxwell Culver & Lieutenant JG Aurora House of Kor & Lieutenant S'Tera & Commander Lorut Vila

3,489 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: Good Will Tour: Mountain Home [Part Two]
Location: Science Department
Timeline: After Meeting the Senate

Vila had met her two co-commanders, and was ready to get to work. The Science office here was a MESS-part of the reason she was sent here. She was often sent to places that needed a strong but caring "mom" type figure to clean it up. She was that, but she was PRETTY sure she was also here because it was far enough out of the way of the main Fleet/flagships that her personality problems would be less of an issue. She only had a few more years until she could retire, hopefully, and she planned to make it if it killed her.

She had called the two main officers under her into the office-S'Tera and Lieutenant JG Aurora. A Caitian and a Klingon. She didn't have a lot of experience working with Caitians but she had plenty of experience with Klingons. There were TWO! at this base. Interesting.

She sat at the table that doubled as their desk, and waited for the two younger women to appear. She hoped they would be on time. She really valued it, and didn't keep others waiting unless it was a true emergency. She shut her files, and tapped her foot against the chair leg. The Bajoran woman preferred to be up, moving around. She didn't like to be idle.

Aurora danced down the corridor, almost bowling several people over before finally reaching the doors and sliding to a stop. Aurora took a minute to straighten herself, then hit the door chime.

S'tera laughed at Aurora. She was so goofy sometimes. "Alright town clown. This is business!" she said as she followed her friend down the corridor and to the door.

"Fine, but if she thinks I'm gonna be straight laced and talk all snooty, she's got another thing coming!" Aurora giggled and stuck out her tongue at her buddy.

"Come in," came Vila's voice. She raised an eyebrow as they came tumbling in, all giggles. "Please, sit down." She said. "So. What do you ladies usually do in a typical day?" Vila asked.

'Well depends. If it's a working day, go out and collect specimens sometimes. Sometimes we're inside studying the specimens, examining them." S'tera said.

Vila nodded. "That's good!! Excellent start. Lieutenant S'tera, you're a Marine Biologist, correct? I would like to see a report on the sealife here. Lieutenant Aurora, you're the Cetacean life specialist? You must be busy here! Who were you reporting to before I came?" She asked. Soon, she'd tell them about the changes she wanted to institute, but she wanted to hear from them exactly what they did in a day, and how she could tie that in. She wasn't here to take over, per se, just fix up things and bring some order to chaos.

"Yes, Ma'am. I was under...well fishfeathers! I've gone and forgotten! Not that they weren't important to me...it's just that right after they were transferred, things kinda got a bit well...bonkers/super awesome all rolled into one!" Aurora hunched her shoulders, trying not to sound QUITE so childish.

"Bonkers?" The Bajoran woman let out a sigh.

"Umm small correction. I do not have a rank, I am a civilian, but yes, I am a Marine Biologist. I'm here working on my Doctorate!"

Vila nodded, and tapped something into her PADD. "My apologies, Miss. That's exciting. Good luck." Vila's own Doctorate was in Xenobiology. She sipped her coffee and waited for Aurora to explain. "And you both were answering to the Captain directly?" She wanted to clarify.

"So so...but since my little Stingray Monster Tango lesson, I've been on a little tighter leash," Aurora chuckled softly.

Vila nodded again. "Alright. Well. From here on out, you will be answering directly to me. I am the new Chief Science Officer. My degrees are in Xenobiology and chemistry from both the University of Bajor and Starfleet. Also, you'll have daily tasks that I'll expect you to complete by the end of your day." She explained. "Do you have any questions for me?"

"Yes, ma'am, I can swing that!

'Well...I reckon where're you from for starters, and what specifically you'd like us to start on?" Aurora asked, curious as to how things were going to be from now on, and excited by the prospect of something new!

"Good one, Aurora. Where do we start?? I will say, I like my work a lot and hope things progress nicely!" S'tera said.

Vila nodded. "Good to hear it. Before here, I was on a starship, the USS Arcadia. I was the Chief Scientist there. I studied at the Bajoran Polytechnic University and Starfleet before that, too. And I'm a member of the Federation's Science Council."

She looked at Aurora. "I want you to keep up with those tasks BUT I may also need you to assist with other things throughout the labs, as well. For example, analyzing soil samples, or blood work from Medical. Plus, I want a daily report from you each, telling me what you did. I also want you to eventually learn the Science console on the Command Deck, as well. Just in case I am somehow incapacitated OR I move on," she paused.

Aurora's jaw dropped.

"The Arcadia!? I've got some friends over there! Do or did you know Coral Waverider or Hope Azaron? They're two of my friends from the Academy! Erm, there I go again. I'll give my best, ma'am," Aurora smiled sheepishly, wishing she was a LITTLE less silly, but also knowing that she was who she was and she was fine in her own skin.

Vila smiled. "Yes, I do. We can chat later about that," she said. "It's nice to know I've moved on to a place where we will have something in common!"

"Essentially, I want us to run like an official Federation science lab. We're the best in the Universe, and we need to behave like it," she said. "That means we're working to discover new things and maintain the lab for each hour we're on shift. I don't mind if you gossip and visit, but you need to also be busy, Okay?" she tried not to sound like a mother.

'That's fine. I think you'll find we are already like that! We are professionals and behave as such. I do not like to waste time in the lab. I think I can speak for Aurora when I say we are dedicated to our work."

Aurora nodded along with what S'Tera said, admiring that she was so...then mentally smacking herself again at trying to compare herself to others.

[They're them and I'm me] Aurora reminded herself.

Vila simply nodded. "Great. We all seem to be on the same page, then. Show me your work spaces! That is a good place to start! Lieutenant Aurora, depending on how well you do for the next few months, I think I might ask to have you cross-trained on the Science Console on the Command center. I don't know how much it'll be used out here, but it's an important skill to know, because you won't be posted here forever," she said, pleased that they all three understood each other.

"Sweet! Right this way, ma'am!" Aurora stood and skipped over to the door...then realized she was acting like a kid again and skidded to a stop with a sheepish face.

Vila closed her eyes for a minute. Was this woman twelve? How on EARTH was she already a Lieutenant Junior Grade?! She paused. "Please try to calm down, Lieutenant." She tried to keep her voice pleasant. She wasn't really upset; her hatred of things extended mostly to Fleet bigwigs and not to underlings, but still. she needed professionalism and teamwork, and they couldn't have that if someone was acting immaturely.

"Please pardon Auroroa's enthusiasm. She loves this kind of work as I do. She's young but very capable! She knows her stuff!"

Vila nodded. She had no doubt; the Fleet would've gotten rid of her already if she wasn't capable. It was, nonetheless, slightly grating to the Bajoran's nerves.

"Please lead the way, ladies," she said, encouragingly. "Can you show me the pools, too, where the Cetaceans are kept?" THAT is something she was looking forward to seeing.

"Yyes, ma'am. Right this way," Aurora took a deep breath to calm her overly excessive nature, and headed out the door down to the pools, where the dolphins were just poking their heads up in the main tank.

S'tera followed Aurora to the cetacean tanks. "Dolphins are awesome beings! Smart as can be and very helpful!"

"Hi guys! How's the water temp?" Aurora asked as she walked over and stroked both rubbery heads.

Vila smiled. Dolphins! Very cool. She stood off to the side a little bit. "How do you communicate with them?" she asked, curiously.

"Well...I can actually just talked to them, but while they're on the ship, we have built in translators...not exactly the same as the UTs, but they perform a similar job, just in a more specific way," Aurora affectionately continued rubbing, then came to a harness.

"Oh for Pete’s sake! They left your harnesses on! What's wrong with these silly..." Aurora hurumphed as she gently removed the harnesses from both dolphins and hung them up on hooks beside the tanks to recharge and dry.

"This is how we keep in contact with them out in the ocean, it's really neat how they can talk to us from at least fifty nautical miles away!" Aurora was talking to the humans, but her attention was on the dolphins, rubbing the places where the harnesses had been, cooing softly to the dolphins when they squeaked in pain.

"Alright, what squid head left their harnesses on!?" Aurora roared when she'd rubbed the redness to pink, turning this way and that to find the culprit, anger causing her fangs to elongate.

Vila watched-she'd let them lead this. CetOps wasn't really in her wheelhouse. She'd taken a basic Cetacean biology class but her interests were in Chemistry. She stepped forward when Aurora seemed distressed. "It's OK. Call up to Medical and have them send down a kit. We'll get them fixed up, and figure out where the problem is. I'll call an all-hands meeting, and we'll make a log. That way, there will be none of this in the future." She didn't care about the dolphins, per se-as she was indifferent-but she DID care about Fleet operations and property, and therefore, stuff like this couldn't be allowed to continue. She also made a note in her PADD to discuss it at the Senior Staff Meeting. They REALLY needed a few more females in command here. Mom types to clean the place up, if you would. Not that she was a mom, but not for lack of trying.

Aurora finally heard the woman's words and let out a sound that was a cross between a growl and a sigh.

"Aurora to Medbay, send up two dolphin skin graft kits please on the double!" Aurora ground out as she held her hands over the gashes.

"S'Tera, please send a note to whomever was on duty last night to report to my office as soon as they begin their next shift. We need to get this under control," she said. "If they push back on you, let me know." She would do it, but her hands were currently underwater, and she couldn't exactly stop the bleeding on the poor animals' neck long enough to do it. "And ask the Captain to come on down, please."

"That's assuming I don't claw them first! Of all the idiotic things to do!" she checked through the log, "Hmm looks like a Lieutenant Marcus Grayson was on duty last night. S'Tera to Lieutenant Grayson. You are to report to Lieutenant Commander Lorut Vila in her office immediately! This is coming straight from her so consider it an order. S'tera to Captain Culver."

Vila chuckled a little, but stood up, wiping her hands carefully on one of the towels close by. "Get them cleaned up, Lieutenant. Thank you, S'Tera. I will be in the office if you need me, waiting for Grayson. Please have your daily log to me by the end of the day," she said. "I appreciate your time today, ladies," she said.

"Of course." S'tera was mad as hell. Grayson should have known better. The dolphins would be ok but the fact they were hurt in the first place made her very angry! "Ohhh, I swear Aurora! I want to tear him limb from limb or maybe just scratch his eyes out!"

Aurora gave a soft snarl in reply, then one of the dolphins squeaked and Aurora's mind snapped back from the darkness.

"No, taking him apart won't solve anything...despite the temporary euforic feeling it would bring. I've lashed out in anger before...it didn't end well," Aurora clamed up and refocused on the dolphins, pushing the thoughts back in to their box in the darkest corner of her mind.

Max entered the cetacean labs, expecting furious hell when he arrived. Seeing S’Tera and Aurora in such a haze of fury, he asked, “Alright ladies, what’s going on?”

S'tera explained the situation. "So they dolphins will be ok but it was sheer negligence that caused them to be hurt. So yeah, I'm very upset over this!"

"The harnesses aren't meant for long term wear. They'll make the dolphins' skin chafe, not to mention the longer they're wet, the faster they'll wear out," Aurora pointed out as an Orderly appeared with the kits. Aurora nodded her thanks as she took the kits and started applying them to the dolphins' backs, singing softly as she did so.

Max pulled off his jacket and tunic, kicked off his boots and yanked off his socks. Jumping in, he hadn’t realized how cold the water would be, but it woke him up a bit more. “Alright, Aurora, toss me a kit,” Max said.

Aurora threw it to him without a word, not really wanting to talk to anyone until her charges were taken care of.

"These guys were MY responsibility...and I failed them," Aurora thought to herself as grief consumed her heart.

Catching it, Max began to apply a thick gel that would sooth the red and raw area around the pectoral fins of his dolphin. It had been weeks and right now, in the water, he couldn’t tell which animal he was working on, but as the gel began to work, the dolphin seemed to become more cooperative.

From his kit, Max pulled out a dermal regenerator that seemed ninety years old, but was brand new. It was designed to treat a wider area than a humanoid species. Moving to the side of the tank, Max accepted a mask and snorkel so he could get under the animal for more than a few seconds at a time.

Aurora stayed under long after she'd finished bandaging her dolphin. It was quiet under there...and she could try and calm down.

From her office, Vila heard the Captain's voice, and hurried out there. "Hello, Captain Culver. Seems we've had a bit of a miscommunication with the dolphin's harnesses. I am waiting on Lieutenant Greyson to report so I can chat with him. What do you think about instituting a check in and check out system so this kind of thing doesn't happen again?" She glanced at the animals.

Max swam to the side of the pool and pulled himself out, his tired muscles rippled with the strain of his wet clothes as they weighed him down. He shivered a moment, thinking twice about jumping into the cold waters of the pool. “It’s your department now, Commander. This is the first time the dolphins have returned to the base, so I expect there will be continued training issues. I’ve already experienced them myself.”

"They'll be okay, right? Cetacean ops isn't my area of expertise." In fact, she had very little experience at all with cetaceans or oceanic life of ANY kind. "I don't think it's necessarily time for Lieutenant Grayson to face serious consequences but definitely a talking to is in order," she said. It was her first official day and she didn't want to be that person, but she knew the seriousness of the offense. Still, most people responded well to conversations.

Max nodded. “I’ve found that the crew responds better to training when they get to interact with it themselves. Lieutenant Aurora and S’Tera can help you identify any crew that need additional training and I’m a badge tap away from support.

“As for these guys,” Max said, looking to the dolphins who both seemed happier already. “I’ll have a veterinarian come down to take a look, but I expect with Aurora’s care and quick thinking that they’ll be fine. Though,” he paused as his teeth chattered and Yeoman Brix handed him a warm towel. “I think you may also want to check their water temperature. It seems very cold, but maybe I should expect that as we are docked in cold waters.”

Aurora finally came up and swam over to the side of the pool, pulling herself up and out with ease.

"The water IS a little cold, even for me, but as you said, sir, it's cause we're in colder waters. Dolphins do like warmer water, but if it's too much warmer than the outside water, then they're system's will get a shock and they'll get sick," Aurora had heard everything that had been said, she'd just not wanted to be above water yet.

Max looked at Aurora. “The others aren’t due back anytime soon, Lieutenant. Bring the temperature up slowly. Cold waters will delay their healing too…

“If it’s all the same though, I’d like to get out of these wet clothes and warmed up.”

Brix took the Captain’s wet towel and handed him another warmed up towel. Max was surprised she was even here, much less attending to towel duty.

Vila nodded. "You have your orders, then. I assume that's Grayson," she said, as a younger man with brown hair came in. "Lieutenant Grayson? Please report to the office. Captain, by your leave? If you want to sit in, you're welcome to. If not, I'll see you later," with that, she turned and headed for the office area.

Figures there'd be a disaster her first day. May the Prophets bless her-she was CLEARLY going to need it. At the doorway, she spoke. "Lieutenant Grayson. Please have a seat," she went to hers. "I need you to remember to take off the dolphins' harnesses at the end of each day. We will be instituting a check in system via PADD, so that it won't happen again. I assume it was just an oversight, correct?" The man nodded his agreement.

"That's okay, mistakes happen, but I do need to make sure that you understand the seriousness of your mistake. To you, they may simply be "just dolphins," but to us as a whole, they are valuable learning tools and crew members. Please try to remember that as you're ending your shift. I understand the want to leave for the day, and head off to your family, or a date, or whatever, but hurting your crew mates, even accidentally, isn't okay. If it happens again, I will need to escalate. We will have an all-hands training on Friday morning. Any questions or remarks?"

The look on her face was more or less to dare him to say anything instead of an invitation to do so. "Good. You're free to go. Perhaps consider apologizing to the ladies on your way out, and pray the Captain doesn't see you," she advised. After he left, she sighed, but turned to the computer to add in a training session.

"You know, Aurora, I want to believe it was just an innocent mistake but I'm still mad! He hurt our dolphin friends So I'll get over it eventually but I hate seeing friends hurt!" S'tera said.

"He'll get a talking to...and if he doesn't learn..." Aurora accepted a towel and buried her face in it to calm herself.

"Sorry, S'tera, I'm just a bit more miffed about it cause they're like my cousins," Aurora smiled apologetically.

After that, Vila exited her office. "Thank you ladies. Lieutenant Grayson understands the gravity of the situation. Please continue your tasks, and I am headed for the labs if you need me. Colonel s'Khev will be in charge later; I am on an assignment as of...now," she said, looking at the chronometer on the wall. Just then, a quivering ball of blue fur appeared. Lieutenant Aukai, she presumed.

She needed some Kanar. Maybe a lot.

 

RSS Feed