Some Kind of Welcome
Posted on Wed Nov 22nd, 2023 @ 8:55am by Fleet Captain Maxwell Culver & Commander Lorut Vila & Lieutenant Roaa
1,088 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
First Contact
Location: Ready Room
Timeline: MD4: 1600 hours
Vila was at the large table in the Ready Room, her head bent over the Science Department reports. She was trying - REALLY trying - to not take over the leadership from Lieutenant S'tera, but sometimes, she forgot she was XO and not the CSciO anymore. She'd been a Science Officer since she was twenty years old, it was all she'd known.
She looked up as Rena escorted the man into the Ready Room. "Hello. Lieutenant Roaa, I presume?" she asked, coolly. "Sit down. I am not sure where the Captain is; I am on duty usually right now. If he's smart, he's approving duty schedules for next week," she said.
She didn't say anything else, she just gave him one of her withering looks. "Sit."
Roaa nodded stiffly and took the indicated seat. He clutched his transfer orders in one forepaw and fought to keep his tail from moving. He was nervous already and now he was doubly so. Not sure if he should speak, he kept his mouth shut and waited to be addressed.
Max entered his office to find Vila perched at his desk, across from a lion in a Starfleet uniform. “Well, someone told me a lion had walked in here a few seconds ago. I should have known Vila would come out on top of that kind of fight anyway…”
“Commander?” Max started. “I believe that’s my chair you’re sitting in and our new Chief Counselor that you’re likely harassing. If your history is any indication."
Max waited as Vila crossed him and gave Max an angry look. He moved around to sit in his chair. “Lieutenant Roaa, our new Head Counselor. If you can fix Commander Lorut, you’ll be worth every hard day of your schooling. I won’t hold it against you if you can’t though, she’s a tough nut.”
Vila shrugged. "So it is," she said. She stood up, though, and moved to the next seat. "I needed to review the reports from the Bird-man down in the Astrometrics lab," she said. She shot him a LOOK as she moved her PADDs and settled in. "I assume so, but he hasn't introduced himself yet."
Whiskers twitching, Roaa watched the interaction between the two officers. It was interesting to say the least how different their relationship was from his previous posting. Clearing his throat, he passed the PADD with his transfer orders on it to Culver, and said, "Lieutenant Roaa reporting in, Captain. I am the new Chief Counselor, yes. I look forward to serving with you both." Taking a breath, he added "Captain Rhodes of the Hera sends her regards and asked me to remind you that you still owe her the barrel of Klingon blood wine, sir".
“Next time she gets out this way with the Hera,” Max responded. “The Beta Quadrant is already proving to be more than we were promised. Ah…but you know what they say about taking promises from Romulans.”
Vila snorted. "You can say that again," she said. They hadn't gotten deep enough in the BQ to be away from Romulan controlled areas, and she was on edge about it anyway, let alone with the addition of a newly-discovered race about whose relationship with the Romulans was still a little hazy. "Nice to meet you, Doctor," she said. Another counselor? Was this Albion?! She really WOULD kill him the next time she saw him in person.
Nodding, Roaa replied "Thank you Commander Lorut. I'm happy to be aboard. I understand I'll be helping out when needed in Sickbay? Should I report in there first or get settled in and set up my office?"
She shrugged. "Report to Sickbay; I believe Doctor Gocx is on duty right now. Doctor Greene has the flu," she said. She turned to Max. "Did I hear that right?" She asked. She'd had had dinner the night before with the Klingon. She suspected he was trying to get in her pants, but she was in no place to date ANYONE yet.
Max smiled, honestly unsure. “Sickbay runs their own schedules, as long as they adhere to Starfleet standards and regulations. So…I can’t say whether Frasier is sick or not. I haven’t had any complaints while or if he’s been out.”
Max leaned across the desk slightly. “You should understand that the last three days have been First Contact galas, diplomatic relations, Science and Engineering. At this point, as long as we’re on track to make our goals, well, then we can roll out another welcome carpet. For now,” Max paused as he pointed at himself, “you’ve got me and the Berengarian dragon over there. Don’t worry, she hasn’t learned to breathed fire yet.” Max smiled at Vila with everything but his eyes.
Vila simply smiled. "I should look into that," she said. "At any rate, if you need help getting settled, Campbell is a good resource. She was the Chief Counselor but I understand she's stepping back to work on more of her education, which is an admirable thing," she said. And worked well in HER favor.
Smiling slightly, Roaa replied "If there isn't anything else, I'll take my leave and report into Sickbay." Standing, he added "It was nice meeting you Captain, Commander, I look forward to my time here on the Intrepid. "
Standing, Max offered his hand. “Don’t forget to make plenty of time for Commander Vila,” Max explained, “both of us are ordered to weekly counseling. I think she’s gonna be a tough dragon to tame.”
Another cold look from her, but she stood, too. "Thanks, Doctor," she said.
Max gave a dazzling smile. “Consider yourself dismissed and welcome, again, to the Intrepid. Ours is an exciting mission, learning about the Beta Quadrant now that the Romulans have granted us limited access.”
“I guess what I’m saying is, be prepared for anything.”
After shaking the captains hand, Roaa said "Thank you again for the welcome. We'll speak again soon. " Turning, he left the room, en route to Sickbay.
Vila shot a LOOK at Captain Culver. "See you," she said. Unless he lost his head before the evening.
“Bye,” Max said with a broad smile and the bat of his eyelashes. She was getting mad pushing his buttons and getting no response. Eventually, though, he was going to have to take care of the ship’s biggest problem, its XO.
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