Newbies

Posted on Mon May 25th, 2015 @ 5:05pm by

1,064 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Mission 87 - Disaster
Location: Promenade
Timeline: Current

Javier had just taken a shower and decided to take a stroll around the station to see what all the fuss was about. He'd heard many things about this place, the size of it being the most talked about.

He had yet to make any friends and wondered how long it would take since in a place so large with many rotating pieces coming in and out on a daily basis, would friendships even be feasible?

By luck, or charm he thought he had already made a few acquaintances with couple of the handsome visitors that had passed through in the last 24 hours. One; a young handsome cadet from Iowa, he'd be in contact later tonight for a get together.

Things were going swell as he waited for his first duty shift and official assignment, which wouldn't come for another few days until the current crisis figured itself out.

All sorts of people passed him by as he made his way to the promenade top level and marvelled at the vast open space that was filled with walking bodies below him. There were few things he enjoyed more than observing people walk by as he studied and analyzed them from head to toe.

" So, you are people watching too?" A voice asked. A short young Japanese-Korean woman stood nearby, gazing out over the promenade like he was. Her hazel eyes looked him over with interest. " You must be new here, as I am."

"Oh, hey, yeah just a habit I've picked up. Occupational habit is more like it." He looked at the strange woman who had approached. "And you are?"

"I am Ensign Hoshizora Nakamura, but you can call me Hoshi if you prefer. What about you, fellow Ensign?”

"Ensign Javier Silva," he said slightly bowing his waist once he recognized the surname being Japanese. "You can call me Javier or Jav if you like," he said winking.

Hoshi beamed in delight and bowed back, eyes sparkling. “ It's good to meet you, Javier Silva. You are new here, right? I could be wrong but... You look as if the surroundings are unfamiliar to you." she grinned. “ If we are both strangers to this place we could look around it together, if you like.” Her face grew slightly doubtful as something occurred to her, and then she blushed. “ I don’t wish to impose, of course! And perhaps I am wrong and you’ve explored this place a thousand times…”

He smiled. She was cute. "Nah, you aren't imposing at all. Please," he said holding out a bent elbow, "Join me."

She took his arm gladly, eyes twinkling. “ There’s more to you than meets the eye, I see. Chivalrous! Not many people care for courtesy and tradition anymore. They’ll be polite, of course...but my family was always very traditional. Gestures like these are unexpected..they make a very good impression...” She pondered for a moment. She looked to the side and smiled. “ I suppose you’re aware of that too.”

"You're quite perceptive, Hoshi," he said looking her up and down. "What's your role here?" He asked.

“ Perceptive? Well, I could say the same of you.” Hoshi replied warmly. “ I am sure it would not surprise you to hear that I am a diplomatic officer. My father was an ambassador and...well, I suppose that it became my life as well. But that is no bad thing, though I once wondered. What about you? I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if you had a rather social job here. You are…” Another glance, a secretive smile only revealing her thoughts through the slight blush in her cheeks, before she looked away. “...undeniably charming, and deliberately so.”

He laughed, "You're too kind with your words Hoshi. A diplomat, huh? That occupation suits you well my dear. I'm sure this station is lucky to have a diplomat such as you." He paused for a second taking in the surroundings as they walked through the promenade passing various species, some Javier had never even seen in person before.

"As for me, to answer your question, I'm in the intel department. My specialty is more of...blending into my surroundings as an infiltrator." He looked at her, "Don't worry, I haven't scrounged up your dirty secrets that all political officers have," he jokingly said to her with a wink.

“ Haha, well that’s a very good thing.” Hoshi grinned. “ An infiltrator? Very interesting.” She remarked. “ So, what led you on this path? Did you always have an interest in intelligence work? It seems a difficult life.”

His eyes looked up thinking about her question. "I'm not sure anything really had an influence on why I chose this type of work. I guess you can say I've always had an interest in other cultures and people, but, I dunno, just something that appeals to me for some odd reason."

They continued on their path which was now lined with some vendors. Javier continued, "It can be difficult, especially at first if you're not prepared for the emotional isolation that the job requires of an individual. But, I was prepared for it and to be honest, looked forward to it once I graduated. I loved it. Good thing about being fresh out of the academy, naïveté and fearlessness," he cracked. "I can't imagine it's too different than being a diplomat considering you must be away from home a lot dealing with the complexities of galaxy politics?"

Hoshi laughed. “ You’re right,” she admitted, and she fell silent for a moment. “ There is something very special about being with the ones who know you best, care for you most, and who you care for most. But that is a specialness I learned later in life. Being a diplomat is a lot like being at home for me,” she smiled with nostalgia. “ The only difference is that the game of pleasing everyone and winning their favor becomes a little harder when simply being a good host is not enough. But that is a challenge I’ve also come to look forward to.” Her eyes caught a glance of a refreshments vendor and lit up.

“ Hmm, iced tea! That sounds like a good idea at the moment. Shall we get some, ‘Jav’?” Hoshi asked him.

He nodded. "What the heck," as he went with her stride by stride towards the vendor.

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