Welcoming the new Chief of Science

Posted on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 @ 1:54pm by Lieutenant Vid-Lotilija & Commander Jonathan Coleman

1,929 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Mission 80 - Outpost
Location: Shuttle Bay 7
Timeline: Before senior staff meeting

On:

Commander Coleman grabbed a fresh uniform from the replicator. Coleman had just been transferred from the Sciences to the Engineering department, as apart of a personal request a few months back. He was excited and nervous all at the same time. Coleman, being El-Aurian, was over two hundred years old and had been in Starfleet for over 150 of those years. When he first was in Starfleet, he served as an Operations officer aboard the USS Constitution, NCC-1700 and missed the days he could work with the ship itself.

But, today, he was meeting the new Chief Science Officer, a Lieutenant Vid-Lotilija. An El-Aurian herself, she was about half a century older than Coleman. He wanted to take a look at her personnel record before meeting her. He wanted to make sure that he would have a good replacement, for which he saw that he was. But, he also noticed that in the last mission at her previous assignment, Starbase 118, she was injured from being out in space for around twenty seconds. Her lungs were burned severely, as well as loosing around 70% of her skin. It was recorded as a holodeck malfunction and Coleman wondered how it was possible for that to happen in the modern days.

As Coleman finished getting dressed and reading the Personnel file for Vid-Lotilija, he headed out of his quarters and onto the nearest turbolift.

"Suttlebay Seven" Coleman said. After a moment, the turbolift started its swift movement towards its destination. After a few minutes, the turbolift halted and opened up. Coleman started towards Shuttlebay Seven, where he would meet the new Chief Science Officer and show her around. When he reached the doors that said Shuttlebay Seven, he entered and saw the shuttle carrying the Lieutenant making its landing on one of the shuttlepads. When it finally landed and the doors opened, he saw a Lieutenant wearing a blue Sciences uniform step out. He walked over to introduce himself.

"Lieutenant Vid-Lotilija I'm hoping. I'm Commander Jonathan Coleman, Chief Engineer for Starbase 400. I was asked to come and show you to your quarters and the Starbase." Coleman said, extending a hand to introduce himself to the Lieutenant.

Though in shuttle for just a few hours, Vid-Lotilija felt stiff and tired. Was it due to injuries or was it something to do with her age. It is hard to get used to not remembering almost a half of your life. In a shuttle Vid-Lotilija had some private time and she spent it, instead of checking the crew of Starbase 400 as planned, her face, her hands... there was nothing on her new skin that would tell her of how old she should feel. She was looking young, too young for her age. Probably in a part due to great job medics did after the injury. Exiting the shuttle she saw young and pretty.... El-Aurian.

'Yes, he is. That's fascinating.' The thought brought a warm and wide smile on her face. "The one and only, Commander." She accepted his hand and chuckled. 'Why are we all so well trained to greet in earthling way?' Still holding his hand. "What are you going to show me first?"

Coleman smiled and said, "Well, a lot to say the least. Let me show you to your quarters first, so you don't get lost of the station." Coleman chuckled before saying, "I got lost my first time on the station, so I know how that feels."

She laughed. “An old Professor during my time in Regulus II Science Academy once taught me one little trick, which saved me from ever being lost. So repeat with me, yellow blinking line is my friend.” She smiled silently, waiting till he realized what she is talking about and when saw in his eyes that he knows what she mean she continued talking. “There’s an old Earth song saying, that I’m empty head, healthy and clean, I would never learn anything in vain.” She shrugged realizing how much was here lost in translation, but proceeded with explanation. “He taught me that learning exactly where something is, when I can spend my time rather learning so many great and much more important things is wasting a time on something computer can always do for me.” She furred her brow. “But seeing my new quarters is still good idea.” She winked playfully. “I’ll follow your lead, Sir!”

Coleman smiled and lead the way. As they headed out of the Shuttlebay, he said, "So, you went to the Regulus II Science Academy too? Was it Professor Alexandra that told you the little saying? I remember going there and having to take a few of his classes before and he had a similar saying to that and I was just wondering if that's something that he said?"

They got to the turbolift and it opened right up for them. Once inside, Coleman said, "Section H1, Level 375." As soon as he finished his sentence, the turbolift started its descent into the bowels of the starbase.

"Oh?" She look at young El-Aurian, barely suppressing laughter. "Or you entered the Academy extremely young or he must have lived forever." Vid-Lotilija couldn't keep laughter any more. Only saving grace was closing of the turbolift doors behind only two of them.

"May I ask, if its not a problem or some kind of secret, what happened to your previous Chief of Science." She leaned her head winking. "Just to have a feeling of what kind of grim destiny is waiting for me here?"

Coleman laughed for a moment. Coleman leaned over a little bit before saying, "Hmmm, I think he mystically combusted into a person wearing a yellow tunic, working in Engineering and leading you to your quarters. Sound like a grim destiny?"

Coleman then winked back before leaning back up straight. But, it did get Coleman thinking about all of the previous Chief Science Officers before himself. The only one that he could remember right off hand was Lt. Ariel Gilmore, for which he has worked with quite awhile.

Still leaned Vid-Lotilija smirked grimly. "You don't have idea, young man. I'm very dangerous woman." Still maintaining Cheshire cat smile. "Glad to know, so if I'll need a help in Labs, I can call you to assist me." Slight wink.

Turbolift stopped and the doors opened. Vid-Lotilija rushed out and stopped, when turned to Coleman she started tapping her leg playfully as asking 'what are you waiting for'. She felt comfortable with Jonathan, more comfortable than with some members of her Family she recently met. Thinking of it erased the smile from her face and all the playfulness. Vid-Lotilija bowed her head somewhat sad and a bit shy because of everything. His voice calling her to follow almost startled her.

Coleman grabbed Vid-Lotilija's shoulder and said, "You alright? You seem a little bit spacey for a moment there. Everything alright with you?"

Coleman walked around in front, to make sure that everything was alright with her and make sure that she wouldn't fall. Coleman had reviewed her record before coming to meet her in the shuttlebay and knew that she had recently just gone some memory loss of sorts and skin graphing for injures, so he wanted to make sure that she wasn't going into any relapse with any previous injury.

"What?" Seeing concern on his face she smiled gently. "I'm not comfortable." She shook her head, realizing how strange that sentence must seem. "Wrong way to say it. Or maybe not so wrong. I'm not comfortable with myself ever since I awoke after the accident. This is the first time that I'm not feeling uncomfortable and it makes me wonder." She sighed thinking of how to form the sentence. "Most of my Family are not of our origin. Not El-Aurians. What if in a way... agh, see I feel comfortable with you, I felt fine with doctors treating me, even that nasty Counselor who was testing and prodding me, constantly accusing of this or that was fine; but my son's wife to be made me feel eerie." She furrowed her brow. "What if forgetting my life on Romulus actually IS a choice? Does that makes sense to you?" She gently nudged him to continue walking.

As they continued to walk down the corridor, Coleman started to pry a little more. "I read the report on the accident a little bit. It said you were exposed to atmosphere for twenty seconds. But, what else happened besides the physical scaring? I think I read that there was some memory loss as well."

"Some, it's an understatement. I lost a memory of almost half of my life. From my personal logs, talking to family and everything I could access, it was not the happiest time for me. So, it is possible that I blocked it and it will reappear against my will only as a part of a nightmares. But again I may be wrong and it may be due to injuries, so it will reappear with time and complete recuperation." They stopped while she was saying it, so she concluded it's because they reached her quarters. She put a finger on the door they stopped by. "Mine?"

Coleman nodded and laughed a little before saying, "Yup, exactly it. As for the whole losing your memory, I'm sorry. I know that it must have been painful to go through something like that. I had a close friend go through it back in the academy, but they were pulled out and saved, but lost their memory. But, you'll be surprised what the mind can do."

"But I have quite a good idea." She said jokingly pressing her thumb for the door lock. Still chuckling she entered a room... and gasped. "This is huge." She had to see everything so rushed from one side of the quarters to another. "Living on a colony I had only a small room in a hut. Later living on Regulus, we had a quarters where I shared a room with my sister and a bathroom with whole family. This is bigger than our whole house on Regulus and at least twice as big as a hut back home."

Coleman smirked and said, "Well, that's one of the many perks of living up on a station like this one. But, I hope that you like your room and everything."

Then, over the comm, there was a call from Admiral Bremer, requiring that everyone come to a senior staff meeting. After the comm closed, Coleman said, "Well, I guess we better head off to the senior staff meeting. I'll have to show you the station and the Endeavor another time, maybe after the mission or something."

"Of course, let's go. Lead the way, this little trip didn't help me to know the station well enough to find the briefing room on my own."

Coleman smiled and they began their journey up to Tactical Operations, where the meeting would be held. Coleman wondered what the meeting could be about because he knew that Vice-Admiral Sisko was aboard and that Bremer would have been meeting with him and his team today, so maybe it had to do something with them.

Coleman seem like knowing something, but since didn't offer to explain Vid-Lotilija refrained from asking, after all she'll find out very soon.

They walked in and waited for the senior staff meeting to begin, wondering what the mission could be about.

Off:

Commander Jonathan Coleman
Chief Engineering Officer
Starbase 400/USS Ark Royal

and

Lieutenant Vid-Lotilija
Chief Science Officer
Starbase 400/USS Endeavor

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