20 Questions

Posted on Sun May 27th, 2018 @ 8:14pm by Commander Mal Xustos & Commander Rita Paris

Mission: Curing the Black Blood
Location: USS Hera, Sickbay, Deck 12
Timeline: Backpost: Prior to Arrival at Granweh

At 0900 the call came over the comms: "Commander Xustos, please report to Sickbay."

Mal was sipping an iced tea in his office when the call came through. Enalia had just briefed him on their new arrival, so he was expecting the call. He drank down the last of his iced tea and, picking up a PaDD, set off for Sick Bay.

Upon entering Sickbay, the first officer was shown by one of the nurses to an occupied biobed, where an unusual sight awaited him. A young woman, a human perhaps in her thirties, was sitting up in the bed, her lower half covered by a sheet. Her upper half was covered by a gold long-sleeved garment with a stylized black outlined neckline and a symbol on her rather prodigious left breast which somewhat resembled the Starfleet insignia on his own uniform, although far simpler with a starburst design inside it.

Those bright blue eyes watched him approach, and a hand came up to sweep the short blonde hair out of her eyes as she smiled at him and extended her hand. The sleeve had one gold braid around it shadowed by one broken braid, and the toothy smile behind it was polished and warm.

"You must be Commander Xustos? I'm Rita Paris. I recently... transferred... in?" The gold-clad mystery smiled a bit uncomfortably at that, as if she were making a private joke. "The Captain seems willing to let me stay aboard and come up to speed with all of this so that I can be something other than an expert in 'how we did it in my day', but she insisted that I interview with you first before I can have access to the ship's computer and start acclimating. Or leave Sickbay, for that matter. So if you have some questions, I will answer all of them to the best of my ability, Commander."

For her part, Paris assumed that the executive officer had already been briefed, and that she wasn't telling him anything he didn't already know. But best to demonstrate an ability to deliver a report, she reasoned.

"Welcome aboard, Commander," Mal said, tapping at a PaDD in his hand. "And yes, I am Commander Mal Xustos. Pleasure to meet you. It seems you've been through a bit of an ordeal. There. I just authorized you for access to the ship's computer so you can catch up on how things work here in 2395. So, how are you feeling?"

For a few seconds the human officer considered the question, taking stock of the first officer visually before settling back onto the bed a bit. "Not great, sir. I'm a bit... marooned here, it seems. Don't get me wrong, considering you apparently plucked me up out of the middle of nowhere and put me back together, I'm grateful. It's just... finding out that I wouldn't be allowed to go back even if you could do it... well, my ship and my captain need me. Except that they got used to me not being around a hundred and twenty-nine years ago now, but..."

The blonde brows furrowed and the woman shook her head. "It wasn't a hundred years ago for me, it was yesterday. And in my head, in my heart, the Exeter still needs me there doing my job, but she's probably decommissioned or a museum and all the people who depended on me are long dead by now. So there's that, sir... to be honest." Paris knew it wasn't the right answer, the Starfleet 'bounce right back and keep on reaching for the stars' answer. But it was a truthful answer, and if she was going to start a relationship with the first officer, she felt it was better it be built on honesty.

Mal nodded.

"Adjusting is going to be difficult, no doubt about that," he said. "Many things have changed since the time you came from and many of the people you knew have likely passed. Keep two things in mind, though. First, any Humans live to be well over 120, so do others. Some, including Vulcans, live to be much older. You may find that some of the people you knew are still with us. When you feel ready, catching up with them might do you some good. Second, there is a Human phrase: The more things change, the more they stay the same. You find many differences. Technology, philosophies, foreign affairs, tactics and strategies, races you've never seen before. Still, somethings are the same. People are, basically, people. Relationships, both personal and professional are largely the same. Music is basically still music, though you'll find styles you've not encountered before. Poetry is poetry, literature is literature, though there may be changes to the genres you're familiar with. I could go on, but my point is this: as important as it is for you to learn what's changed, it is as important to look for aspects of this time that are familiar to you."

In truth, Paris didn't care much for the answer, but the point was well made. While she had lost her entire reality in one dreadful moment, the world of the future would still hold many familiar aspects for her. Starships still fly and they probably still need pilots, unless the computers handle all of that now. Starfleet is still exploring strange new worlds and seeking out new life and new civilizations. It seemed the message of 'that was yesterday, embrace today and look for familiarities' was one she should expect from the first officer, whose job was to keep the starship running efficiently. Give him a politic answer, she thought to herself.

"Well, it looks like the mission is the same even if the faces have changed," Paris replied. Cocking her head slightly in curiosity, she asked a question that had been lingering since she'd come aboard, so to speak. "Are there any humans onboard?"

Mal laughed.

"Plenty," he said. "You've just somehow missed them all so far. I'll arrange quarters for you and when you're ready to get out of Sickbay, someone will escort you to them. If you get lost anywhere in the ship, just tell the computer where you want to go and ask for directions. It will take you there, step by step. What was your job on the Exeter, Commander? From your uniform, I'm guessing helm, navigation, or executive officer."

"Helm and navigation- good call, Commander Xustos. Captain Stuart wanted to experiment with merging the positions, and since I could do both, I've been working at it for a year and a half. We have a proposal coming on the docket at Starfleet Command next..." Paris stopped, then smiled a small piper's smile. Closing her eyes, she took a breath before opening those baby blues once more to continue. "I'll have to see how that proposal went. I was second officer of the USS Exeter, sir. I learned from some of the finest officers in Starfleet. I assume that's a matter of history."

"Actually..." Mal said.

Offering an earnestly concerned expression, Paris clasped her hands in her lap to plead with the executive. "Please tell me you still have pilots and the computer isn't the only one who who directs the ship? And navigators, you have to still have navigators. The Nav panel still has tactical, doesn't it?"

"Helm and Navigation have been combined into Flight Control," Mal said. "Navigation is more automated than it was in your time. Tactical has been combined with Security in most cases, though they are sometimes separated. Starbases have been known to separate them, for example. On this ship, they are combined as is the norm these days."

"I'll be darned, we were right... it did make more sense to do both at the same station, and the fleet listened," Paris smiled wistfully. "Well, Captain... Telvan?" At the nod from the satyr, she continued, "said there were simulators, so I'll get up to speed on your modern systems ASAP, Commander. I'm a fair pilot, and I'd like the chance to prove it. Although I'll bet shield modulations and phaser tactics really have come an awful long way since my day." Paris paused, turning her head a bit and sideyeing the first officer.

"Wait, what does 'actually' mean. Not a matter of history...?"

"I'm not exactly sure of the history of who instigated the idea of combining helm and navigation," Mal said. "But I'm sure you can find that information in our computer. And yes, there are simulators...holodeck programs... ah, yes, holographic technology has made leaps and bounds since your time. I'll have someone from Operations show you how they work and what you can do with them. They can help you learn starship tactics as well as familiarize you with the modern Flight Control console."

"Sounds brilliant, sir. Well, if you've given me computer access and assigned me quarters... permission to check out of Sickbay, Commander? It sounds like I've got a lot of catching up to do, and no time like... well, the future is my present now it seems," Paris beamed that thousand watt smile that tended to get her into more trouble than out of, in her experience. Then the smile faltered a bit as she remembered that eventually through the course of her research she was likely going to have to research the fates of her shipmates aboard the Exeter. But outwardly she worked to keep that smile glued in place, even if her eyes weren't selling it.

"As long as the doctor says it's okay for you to go," Mal said. He tapped into his PaDD. "There. Someone is on their way here to show you to your quarters as soon as the doctor clears you. Welcome aboard and best of luck to you!"

"Thank you. Commander Xustos. I'll be seeing you on the bridge!" Paris replied confidently.

You twenty-fourth century officers are gonna to see how we used to things back in the twenty-third century soon enough, Paris thought to herself. Piloting a starship that could do new Warp 9.90? This was going to be fun...