Official Meet

Posted on Tue Aug 17, 2021 @ 4:08am by Captain Larisna Koralova & Lieutenant Rei Yamashi

Mission: Mission 1R - Vigilance Be Our Shield
Location: Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: Prior to M1D1

Large, broad boots walked along the hallways of the ship that was to be her new home for the long run. Large, broad boots brought her every step closer to a new beginning. A new career. Another ship, another set of walls. Another bed. Another duty roster. Another day.

She wore a soft smile on soft features as she waited for the turbolift to bring her to the proper deck. No matter what, no matter where, one of the primary inventions of any society was the means to get from one place to another without actually walking. A thought that amused her while she waited. She knew how the system worked, not too dissimilar from the lifts she had been on previously, as she figured it was a common element and therefore shared common principles. They say 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' but half of her job was taking things apart. A thought to occupy her time until the swish. Starfleet lifts had a swish, but no ding. Dalacari lifts had a ding, but that was because the Dalacari prized convinience. A ding was pleasant to them. They didn't have foot long ears.

Ts'usugi lifts were quiet. Nice, quiet, and efficient. No sensation of movement, just a gentle time to relax before the indicator light pulsed and the door opened. Walk in, wait, walk out. Dull, but it got the job done. Not something she really liked, but the way the floor here hummed took some getting used to. 'It's supposed to' was always the answer, which irked her. Why would it...

And the doors swished open, derailing her train of thought. A few more steps and she'd be at her destination, PaDD with her transfer papers in hand. She had gotten a few looks from the crew hands as she passed them. Let them look, she said to herself with a soft smile, maybe a nod, maybe a gesture to move her hair out from the frame of her face. How would they interpret it? She'd consider it later. The Federation was such a melting pot of emotions and responses. That much, she enjoyed.

Finally, her destination. A quick breath to center herself, a quick mental checklist of the conversation to come, selling points in case they asked for an interview, achievements and detriments, her biggest failure, her greatest accomplishment.

Got it. Ring the bell, Rei. And thus, the rabbitess pressed the announcement chime.

Larisna looked up from the holograms floating around her desk, or rather, through them. With the swipe of a hand, she cleared the desk. They all said the same thing - her shore leave was not going to happen.

"Enter." Larisna said.

The door swished open, like the others. A quick step in and then heels together as the door closed. This was it. This was the moment. Do *not* trip over your feet, for the sake of the Emperor you've had them your whole life.

Rei turned sharp, and walked towards the captain's presence. "Captain, thank you. I'm Rei Yamashi, Assistant engineering chief if you'll have me." she stated, proper introduction and such, while providing her PaDD. Ears perked, stance sharp... there was ex-military in that stance, but that wasn't a marine uniform.

Larisna smiled and stood up, "Welcome aboard the Hornet. Please, be at ease, take a seat. Would you like something to drink?" She said, gesturing first to the chair and then to the wall replicator, but not quite sitting yet in case her guest indicated she did want refreshments.

"Thank you." and with that, Rei relaxed. From the tips of her boots to the tips of her ears she relaxed. The lengthy listening posts bobbed to a casual half-flop, and she took a seat. Crossing her legs knee over knee, she gave a nod, "Oh I'd absolutely love something to drink. Believe it or not, I've grown fond of Terran coffee. Two creams, two sugars please." this was casual to her. Yes, across the desk from her was her captain, her shipmaster, her superior officer... but in this exact moment, Rei was a guest, and Larisna was her hostess. She'd lean in to collect her request once it was conjured from the ether.

Larisna smiled back and stood up, going over to the replicator, returning with a coffee and her own drink, Russian-style tea. The tea had a distinctive smoky aroma to it. She sat down behind her desk.

"I appreciate you accepting the offer to join the Hornet. I'm a bit of at a loss on the specifics of the big picture, but honestly, the more perspectives we have, the better. Is this the first time you've served on a Starfleet vessel?" Larisna asked.

"I'm proud to have been given the opportunity." she replied, "adn yes outside of training cruises and milk runs... I believe is the term... this will be my official first posting. I'm excited to have it be aboard this ship, and I'm looking forward to the tour." a sip of coffee, and the entirety of her form just hummed for a moment. A single sip seemed to wake up her soul. "Speaking of perspectives, we don't have coffee where I'm from. Nothing even close to it. Our neighbors and allies have something like coffee, but I never really experienced it until Starfleet. I had heard of so many things that simply were coffee-esque, or coffee-like... I fell in love with the stuff from the very first sip.'

"And if it's one thing that may be the same no matter what branch we're serving under, there's very rarely a glimpse of the entire big picture. We've all our parts to play, ma'am."

"We're all one big happy family in Starfleet. Even if the Marines and Intelligence act like the moody sibling that keeps saying they'll run away from home." Larisna said with a laugh.

"Frankly, if it wasn't for all the different things I got to try, I'd have retired from Starfleet ages ago. You'd think being half Trill and half Human, I'd have seen enough, but my life changed when I got introduced to hasperat. Bajoran, a wrap with a filling of vegetables normally that is quite spicy. Didn't know until I had one that I rather like spicy foods." She said, "So I completely understand having found coffee. I pace myself, tea like my father got me hooked on is a favorite, but iced coffee is no stranger to me, especially having made it part of what I started my day with while in the Academy."

"Oh. I suppose it would be only fair to ask - is there perhaps something from where you're from that might be a good introduction to try?" Larisna asked, before explaining to not seem completely out in left field, "I'm quite interested in dishes from other cultures, if we had more time, I'd give you the proper introduction to the senior staff with a mixer idea I had when we launched - everyone meets up and brings a dish to share with others. I believe the term is a "potluck". But still, some people think they get to know others through art, I prefer through their cuisine."

Something about what she said perked Rei's curiosity. "Iced?" she questioned. "Iced... coffee? Okay, this is new. I've only ever had it hot." she said with a soft giggle. "Something new for later. So, food. Okay, so since land is a premium in the Empire, most of our meat is actually seafood. Actual, real beef, like land-beef, is a delicacy. So I could share with you one of the most exquisite dishes in all of Ts'usu, and it's less beef than a hamburger. Which, by the way, I enjoy." the captain's casual nature helped Rei relax, and in turn, slip into something a little more casual herself.

"We have a dish back home that's mostly shellfish. The shell is washed and softened so it just peels right off, and that leaves a ton of meat for the meal. Seasoned as preferred, but we do enjoy a few rather potent spices to ensure that our meals never feel bland." she explained. "And naturally, we have an entire moon in the empire devoted to growing tea. Or so they say." a pause, "Though the traditional mass celebration dish is called, and this is a rough translation, the Seven Shells. It's six types of... crab, I think you call them... and then one smaller crustacean for every finger on every hand of every guest, and then the final piece is a grand shellfish. Tradition says it weighs one pound for each guest at your table, but with larger crowds the tradition allows for multiples instead of just needing one colossal shellfish."

Larisna had to laugh a little, "Yes, you can do coffee iced. And that sounds quite interesting. We'll have to compare notes and hopefully if things go to plan, we can arrange another senior staff mixer and potluck."

"I wish circumstances of your arrival were better, I really do. But I think you're going to be a good fit here, regardless." Larisna took a sip of her tea, "I'm not sure what the culture is on Ts'usugi ships, though I'm interested to learn. If you feel that something that we do may be benefited trying things you're more used to, my door remains open at all times. Granted, I may be less than agreeable at 0300, but I also suffer from bouts of insomnia so you never know."

"And for anything else as well. Hopefully you'll get to meet Commander Malloy before too long, as well as Lieutenant Yeserina. Yes, the chain of command exists and I expect it followed, but I also don't believe it to be a shackle either. Starfleet thrives on the exchange of ideas, we don't do ourselves any favors silencing one another in favor of protocol." Larisna said.

"We don't get to choose the circumstances of our postings. We go where we're needed." she offered, a little touch of sage advice. "Generally speaking, Ts'usugi ships have a bit of a colder approach that Federation ships. The shipmaster, our term for a captain, isn't as approachable as Federation captains are. We'd go to the ship's second, or in your case the XO, and through the XO the concerns of the crew... if any... would filter up. The shipmaster generally isn't your friend, they're the authority. Being that high up isn't a responsibility taken lightly, so it's handled very very heavily. The entire mission of a ship is your duty, and pass or fail is your hands. A crew can take the responsibility for their part, but the entire ship lives or dies by the Shipmaster." she explained.

"So us here, sipping drinks, casual conversation, quite different." she said with a nod, "Truth be told, I don't know which works better, but I know the one I prefer. Federation life has me spoiled a little. It's... I don't know if *easier* is the right word, but certainly more casual. Even the strictest Federation captain has nothing on the everyday Ts'usugi shipmaster." a pause, "Though, in regards to the rest of the chain of command, I look forward to meeting them all."

"Some of that is true in Starfleet. And there are many who lead that way as well. Admiral Picard, for example, when he first took command of the Enterprise D was quite distant from his crew. But I tend to follow the examples laid out by Captains like Johnathan Archer or Christopher Pike. Develop bonds with your crew, let them see you as someone worth following regardless of the four pips and the center chair." Larisna explained, "There's some more to it than that. An ancient human text, "The Art of War", tells us "Regard your soldiers as your children and they will follow you into the deepest valleys. Look upon them as your own beloved sons and they will follow you even unto death". I don't intend to march us into the gates of hell, but I'd rather my senior officers know that I didn't just get this job because I've got a box full of medals, a file full of commendations from a now Admiral and whatever else."

"I'm here because I chose to be and I choose to be more than the sum of some gaudy trinkets and the niceties of a man I never saw eye to eye with. So the burden as Shipmaster may still be just as true, moreso in the coming weeks, but we have a fair degree of latitude on how we choose to approach that. It's only as lonely at the top as you allow it." Larisna said, "But I think you'll fit in just fine here and I welcome a fresh view on things. To boot, we're on a new ship. The Hornet was only recently commissioned and while her class was built using established methods, it's still new coming together. So we've got a lot of blank space to write our story on."

Rei gave a nod, her ears flopped just a little. She liked what she had heard. "Whatever story is to be told, I'm honored to be a part of it." she set her coffee down gently, "With your blessing, I'll join the crew. With your permission, I'll meet the rest of the command team." she gave a slight nod to the transfer authorization. "And feel free to ask me any questions. Though bear in mind, there's still some technological and social censorship in effect. There are questions I can't answer because I don't know. There are questions I can't answer because I'm not allowed to. If you ask one or the other, the least I can do is tell you why I don't have an answer." a pause, "Other then that, I'm at your service."

Larisna smiled, "I understand entirely. I'll try to respect that." She said with a nod, "Is there anything else I can answer or otherwise?"

"I thank you." she remained silent for a moment, to give that declaration the weight it deserved before continuing. "Nothing that immediately comes to mind, but if I do have questions that can't be fielded by the chain of command, I'll see about asking at a civil hour." the rabbitess replied.

"Very well. My door remains open as well." Larisna said, "Otherwise, I'll leave you to it."