Reporting In...and In...and In...

Posted on Wed May 4th, 2022 @ 4:16am by Commander Dean House & Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Lieutenant Ashlesha 4827/A & Lieutenant Alison Haldeman

Mission: *CD*

Ashlesha stared at the crates in the middle of her quarters and sighed. Taking the bed apart had been a bit of a chore and putting it back together would be a hassle. But decorating the place was going to be a mixture of fun and, well, bittersweet. But all of that could wait as she had to report in.

She had checked out the personnel roster and saw Ross was her second. She wasn't sure how she would take getting replaced. Ross had more experience on board this ship and now here was Ashlesha, an interloper. The only thing Ashlesha had going for her was she had been a department head for two years. All the same...

She sighed. Well, no putting this off. Gray tapped a comm badge: "Lieutenant Halderman, this is lieutenant Ashlesha. Do you have time to meet face to face?"

Alison was just wrapping up some reports when the call came through. She hadn’t long been stepped up the ladder to Assistant Chief of Ops and was still getting used to the added responsibility. “I do indeed Lieutenant just let me know when and where.”

Where indeed, Ashleesha thought. Someplace neutral...

"There is a crews mess on deck three," Gray replied after a moment's thought, "We can meet there if you like."

“Sounds Good to me” Alison responded. “Let me know when you’re ready and I’ll meet you there.”

"Right now, if you are available," Ashlesha replied, "Or within the hour; I have plenty of reading material regarding the Akira class to catch up on while I wait."

“Now sounds great” Alison acknowledged “I’ll meet you there shortly.”

"See you there," Ashlesha replied.

Green tapped a comm badge, "Computer, location of Commander Savar."

"Acting Captain Savar is in his ready room." The computer replied in it's boring, even monotone.

For good measure Violet tapped a badge, "Computer, location of Commander House."

"Commander House is on the bridge," the computer stated, it's tone equally as monosyllabic as before. Ashlesha thought somebody should really do something about that someday.

Ashlesha Green and Violet headed off for the nearest turbolift while Gray turned to port, she gave a crewman a trio of smiles when he did a double take at what appeared to be triplets exited a set of quarters.

Violet and Green unconsciously tugged at the cuffs, eyes glanced down at her boots to insure they were shiny. Then the pair turned their back to one another, one after the other, with Violent brushing what might have been some imaginary lint off of Green's backside. The turbolift doors opened onto the bridge and she hesitated. Then she stepped out and took a look about to take in her new place of work. Part of her wanted to head directly over to Ops but she refrained and instead Violet headed over to the man-one of the men-she had been looking for, while the other reached the Captain's ready room and touched the door chime.

Hearing the door chime sound, Savar set aside the PaDD he was reviewing and straighten up in his chair. "Enter!" he called out, then waited to see would come through the door.

Ashlesha entered the ready room and took a moment to take the place in. She had half expected to see that Jackson Pollack painting Captain Okomoto had mounted, or the banjo seated in a corner by the rocking chair. But this was a different ship.

And a very different captain.

"Lieutenant Ashlesha reporting for duty," she stated as she approached the desk, attempting to sound more confident than she felt.

Savar studied the young woman, "Please have a seat Lieutenant." He replied politely. "Would you like something from the replicator? If so, help yourself."

"Much appreciated, sir," Alesha replied as she sat, "but I am fine."

She took a moment to take in the ready room. One could learn much from the way a person decorated their personal space, she found. People who visited her quarters probably thought she was obsessed with order; even her model ships were displayed with something akin to mathematical precision...

Savar nodded, "As you wish Lieutenant. Welcome to the Sunfire. " He added. "I believe you will find your posting here rewarding."

"Thank you, sir," Ashlesha, replied as she returned her full attention to the Commander, "Captain Okomoto had said as much. I hope I can live up to both you expectations."

She paused, then added, "I admit I am rather looking forward to getting a look at the slipstream drive; I have read as much as I could about it but that is nothing compared to seeing the real thing up close. Ah, if your Chief Engineer will let me, that is..."

Savar nodded at the statement, "I see no reason that he would not Lieutenant. It is not an unreasonable request."

Ashleesha glanced away once she realized what condition the Operations officer was "suffering" from; she did not want the Commander to think he was the cause of her discomfort. Walking away from the desk, she said, "Commander House says the current Captain is away; is there anything I can do to help you run the ship more smoothly in their absense?"

Savar looked across the desk at Ashleesha, I do not believe so Lieutenant. Captain Kaylen will be rejoining the ship shortly. However, if a need arises for your assistance, I will certainly let you know."

That certainly sounded like a dismissal. Ashleesha replied, "Of course, sir. If there's nothing else I would like to dive in and meet more of my staff

"No, nothing else Lieutenant. However, as I stated should the need arise for your assistance, I will let you know. Also, my door is always open should you feel the need to discuss anything." Savar replied evenly.

With a nod Ashleesha wheeled about and exited the ready room.

House was currently on the Bridge again, as usual. Did that man ever sleep? Probably not, what with some of the rumors going around, that he was either an android, or a vampire.

"Commander House?" Violet inquired politely, "Lieutenant Ashlesha. I wished to introduce myself."

He turned to the voice a moment, giving a moments glance, "And you would be........" Closing one eye a moment, still looking. "Violet?"

She glanced about the bridge. Reluctantly she had to admit it looked more advanced that Bellaphoron's...

Dean turned and glanced over the woman before him, then a side glance to who stepped onto the Bridge, then back to Ashlesha. "Welcome on board, Lieutenant," said as he held his hand out to her. "Interesting dossier, I must say."

Ashleesha Violet accepted the man's hand and shook it briefly. She nodded and replied, "Yes, 'interesting' is an adjective that gets applied to me quite a bit," she smiled slightly, "Especially by Starfleet doctors."

"It fits, you're not the only one. Besides, it's always better to be unique." He gave a light smile, withdrawing his hand.

"I suppose so," Ashlesha replied, "Earlier you called me 'violet'. Strangely enough while there is no appreciable difference between my forms other than eye color people seem to like talking to this one most. It's...weird."

She glanced at the ready room door, "So, what is the captain like?"

"That actually a pretty applicable difference. However, regardless of the three different bodies, each will have different experiences. You may have them, but it's not the same as what you, for this one experiences." Dean gave a light smile. "As for the Captain, that depends. Which one."

Ashlesha was about to correct the Commander on his false assumption regarding her nature, but what he said was distracting.

"What...do you mean by 'which one'?" she asked, "I'm currently sitting with Commander Savar. Is there another Captain I should be aware of?"

Dean leaned a little bit, "Savar is actually the Executive Officer on a normal day. Without being insulting, he's..mostly, well..Vulcan."

"I see," Ashlesha replied, not really seeing at all. Savar certainly acted like he was the Captain. He was, well, quite...captainly. "So...where is the other Captain, then, sir?"

"Rhenora is taking a well deserved leave of absence." Making sure on that and any other questions for more information at the moment, Dean left out the intricate details. "So we had to change it up for a little bit."

"Ah," there wasn't much more to be said about that, "Well, sir, I am meeting lieutenant Haldeman and..."

She cocked her head, an expression of what could be called fascinated horror formed on her face.

"...I see she is pregnant. Unless that is a tumor?" she cocked her head, "Pregnancy is...very strange..."

Dean chuckled a little bit, "That's not a tumor. She is pregnant. Why is that strange?"

"You mean, why is it strange someone would willingly subject themselves to...nine? Yes, nine months of discomfort when a gestation chamber would work just as well. I may have numerous issues with my people but it seems they got that right."

She shrugged, "I should not be talking behind her back like this; she is obviously happy and that is what is most important. I just have to get used to, well..."

She made a motion about her belly with both hands implying a baby bump.

"You'll understand after the baby is born, or so I'm told. Who is the father? Or is it anonymous?"

Ashlesha dropped her hands, "Oh, I have no idea whom impregnated lieutenant Hadleman; it seems terribly impolite to ask her such a thing, don't you think? Or is that a common thing, to brag about whom planted their seed in you?"

Dean gave a curious look a moment, thinking about it, "I don't know that it's a bad thing to ask. Besides the parent(s) should be happy about it. So saying look look! I'm having a baby! isn't uncommon, usually."

"I see," Ashleesha replied. Family units were a mystery to her, and she wondered what it would be like to raise a tiny version of her. It would mostly be messy, she thought.

"The captain is done with me," she informed the commander as Green exited the ready room, "Sir I still have a lot to unpack; my bed alone is going to require three pairs of hands and I am not looking forward to the prospect of sleeping on the floor tonight."

An ensign did a double take as Green entered the turbolift as Violet continued speaking to Dean, "Is there anything specific you think I should focus on over the next few days outside of getting to know my people? I can spare a hand or two if you need help with ship repairs."

Deans head turned a bit to look to Green as she passed, then back to Violet. "Repairs would help, or you could just work on getting settled."

Both Green and Violet smiled as they headed to the turbolift. As the doors swooshed open they said in almost disturbingly perfect unison, "Good thing I can do both!"

Then the doors swooshed shut on the pair.

MESS HALL

Gray had reached the mess hall, the doors opened.

And she froze.

Another reason why she had disliked Deep Space Nine so much were the faces. So many different faces. Even after fifteen years, even after the Academy and all her assignments she could sometimes feel so overwhelmed by the sheer diversity of people. And perhaps this is why Okomoto had pushed her out the door; she had grown too comfortable in her little warp bubble down in Engineering.

She forced a smile on her face, spotted an empty table, and took a seat, glancing about to see if Haldeman had arrived first...

Alison had indeed already arrived, she wasn’t sure who she was looking for but the new arrival that stepped through the door had a look on her face that Alison had seen before. Getting up she walked over to where Ashlesha sat. “Lieutenant Ashlesha?”

Ashlesha had spotted movement out of the corner of her eye and turned her head just as the lieutenant arrived at her table. Smiling gratefully, she stood and said, "Yes. Lieutenant Haldeman, right?" she waved to the seat across from her, "Please join me," in a tone that really did suggest 'please join me'; a request, not a demand. She sat herself and set the PADDs to the side.

Alison offered a warm smile and took a seat, making herself as comfortable as she could be. “Please feel free to call me Alison, it saves the titles.”

Ashlesha struggled to maintain her composure and the only reason Gray's face remained studiously neutral was because the other faces were able to express what she was feeling. That still did not mean a decidedly...pregnant pause...

"Your pardon," Ashlesha said aloud, "I...you see, among my people pregnancy is...non existent. So your...affl..." she cleared her through, "...condition caught me off guard."

She forced a smile, "I apologize. When they said seek out new life forms I should have expected a fetus sooner or later."

Alison offered a smile. “I’m just sorry you had to find out this way, and pregnancy is not an affliction it’s a miracle of life.”

"Oh no!" Ashlesha replied quickly, "No need to apologize! Statistically it was expected I would run into someone pregnant sooner or later."

She smiled self consciously. She would object to the lieutenant's opinion but that would be terribly impolite, "Ah, anyway, I thought it best if we met and discussed our...working relationship. I worked Ops years ago but it has been a while, and while I was a department head in Engineering I realize this new job will come with challenges. I'm not proud, I'll take all the help I can get."

Alison nodded. “By all means! I’m sure Starfleet wouldn’t have assigned you if they didn’t think you could do the job. I’ve only just been moved up to Assistant Chief myself, I’m sure we’ll make a great team.”

Ashlesha nodded happily, "Congratulations!," she hesitated, then said, "There are...things about me you might have heard of. Or not. It is...complicated. But I think that particular issue can be tackled later. Now, Commander House has noted some, ah, personnel changes. And you just celebrated a recent promotion. Is there anything important I should know about immediately? Any personnel issues that might be a problem?"

She paused, then added, "Or do you think it best I start off with a clean PADD and not even worry about that? Just accept everyone at face value and concern myself with the here and now? Or did the prior captain just throw trouble makers out the air lock? Because if that's the way things are done on this ship I'm sure I can adapt. On Bellepheron we used to practice keel hauling; if the captain liked you he would even let you wear a space suit."

“As far as I know there are no problems to be aware of in Ops.” Alison smiled. “I think just starting off as you are is a good idea, I think we’ll make a good team.”

"I certainly hope so," Ashlesha replied with a nod. She hesitated, then leaned in close, "I could not help but notice the ship is, well, missing some pieces. What happened?"

“Ohh it was err... some space monster looking for a juicy meal.” Alison shrugged her shoulders. “It caused havoc with the crew.”

"Space monster," Ashlesha echoed with a slight smile, "Well I confess I have not run into one of those before. What sort of havoc?"

“Ohh it took control of some people, and caused a lot of medical problems.” Alison smiled. “All over and done with now though.”

"Just the mess left after any party," Ashlesha noted wryly, "Well, if you aren't putting half your ship together at least once a month then you know you aren't in Starfleet."

She sighed, "Well, I think I need to check in with the Chief Engineer to see if they need anything from me to expedite repairs. If you can think of anything we might need from Deep Space Nine let me know and I can see what I can do. If they don't have it the Bajorans might.

Ashlesha had a great many questions. How long until the offspring spawned? Who was the sperm doner? Just how uncomfortable was Hadleman's condition? Her eyes widened, "Oh, there is one thing you can do for me, before I forget. I am going to need to extra toilets in my quarters. I can install them, but if you can check stores to see if there are any already fabricated I would appreciate it."

Alison looked at Ashlesha curiously. “I can check but may I ask why you need more toilets?”

"Because I have three bodies," Ashlesha explained. She hesitated and then said with a self conscious smile, "I have a...very strange background. Perhaps I should prepare PADDs and hand them out to people so I don't have to keep explaining it? Anyway, I am not going to into detail regarding my unique biological functions, only to say that having access to three toilets simultaneously will be a great comfort."

Alison nodded. “I’m not going to ask, I will see to it that your request is sorted for you.”

Ashlesha beamed, "Thank you! You just became my favorite person on this ship."

Gray stood and held out her hand even as Violet and Green had reached her quarters. Gray said, "I want to run down to Engineering and see if I can lend a hand," she winked, "And see if I can get a look at that slipstream drive!"

One of the junior officers gave a glance at Gray, but didn't say anything. Just gave Engineering a notification that she was headed down there.