Mallora Vossti/Securing My Place

((Security Office, Deck 8, USS Gorkon))

Mallora was not exactly new to the Gorkon any longer, but she still had not met the most senior officers of the ship. It was time to change that. Today, she had arranged to meet with the ship's second officer and head of security, Lieutenant Commander Neathler. Her appointment was scheduled for 1200 hours, and as Mallora approached the security office doors, she glanced at the LCARS screen on the corridor wall and saw that it was 1157.

Vossti: oO Early is far better than late. Oo

She took a deep breath, trying to control her nervousness, and stepped inside.

The interior of the security office was not as austere as she had feared. There was a small piece of holographic sculpture on one side, and a number of personnel seated at desks and walking about appearing busy. Mallora had little notion of what they might be doing, but she was sure they were essential to the security of the ship, even while much of the crew was on shore leave.

Vossti:  ::Approaching an ensign at a nearby desk:: Hi, there! I'm Mallora Vossti, and I have an appointment with Commander Neathler at 1200.

Zhang: Of course. She's expecting you.  ::He pointed to another door on the far side of the office.::

Vossti: Thank you.

She flashed a bright smile at him before turning away and heading toward the indicated doors. They slid open with a swish as she stepped through. The Second Officer was sitting behind her own desk, watching Mallora as she entered.

Vossti: Thank you for seeing me, sir. I wanted to check in with you officially, and, you know, answer any questions about my background that you might have.  ::She was doing a good job of keeping up her smile, but it wasn't offsetting her increasing nervousness.::

Samira stood up, the smiling woman in front of her seemed a bit nervous though. She nodded towards one of the two chairs in front of the desk and walked over to the replicator.

Neathler: Have a seat, Ensign.

Vossti:  ::Sitting:: I don't really know how much you might already know about me, sir. But there might be questions about how I got to Starbase 118 in 238906, or, um, what the reprimand in my record means.  ::Her smile melted away; all that remained was her anxiety.::

Neathler: You want something to drink, Ensign Vossti?

Vossti: Um, perhaps just a small glass of lingonberry juice, if you don't mind sir.

She nodded and pushed in the commands in the replicator. Then she waited for the ensign to fill in her own blanks.

Neathler: So how did you get to Starbase 118 nine years ago?

She listened to Mallora as the replicator came to life next to her.

Vossti: Well, sir, I – um, let me start over. My family sometimes rented quarters on Starbase Twelve. We visited there quite often when I was young, and as a teenager, I explored the station pretty thoroughly. I even got to know a few of the members of the Starfleet security team on Starbase Twelve. So when I … felt I was ready to apply to Starfleet Academy, I boarded a small ship that was going to Starbase 118. The crew never learned of my presence aboard their ship as far as I know.

The security chief made no verbal response.

Once the replicator was done, she returned to her desk and put down what the replicator had conjured, on the smooth surface. She sat down and took a sip of the mug, feeling the cool liquid of milk going down as she reached for the PADD, quickly calling up the ensign’s file and read it. She lay down the PADD.

Neathler: I take it the Starbase hasn’t changed much in those nine years, seeing you did your Academy exam there?

Mallora began to relax a bit since the Commander's demeanor was still light and friendly.

Vossti: I didn't note any major changes during that time, sir, but that may be because I spent most of it in the Academy or Medical School. I didn't have a lot of time for much of anything once that part of my schooling started.

Neathler: I can only imagine. Some friendly advice, ensign. Next time you board a ship, let the crew know. If something happens, at least they’ll know to come looking for you if a headcount doesn’t match with their lists.

She turned thoughtful, then took another sip of her milk. She returned her attention to the doctor.

Neathler: You mentioned something about a reprimand?

Vossti: The reprimand is, I'm told, a fairly minor one. I fell asleep in the Medical School library, and the powers that be were upset enough that they made it an official reprimand.

Neathler: For sleeping in the library? ::She raised an eyebrow.:: That must have been a long sleep. Or did they fear any snoring might have woken up the books?

Vossti:  ::embarrassed:: It may have happened more than once, sir. I have scheduled an appointment with Lieutenant Fortune for counseling related to this matter, so I have hopes that the reprimand won't hound me for the rest of my career in Starfleet, sir.

Neathler: I certainly won’t toss you in the brig for sleeping in the library, ensign. Unless, of course, you lock yourself in… somehow, like some. ::She smiled briefly at the other woman, reaching for the PADD.:: But now you’re assigned to a ship and started a new path in your career, make sure to schedule in plenty of sleep. And take advantage of shore leave.

Vossti: That's ... presumably a large part of what I'll be talking with Lieutenant Fortune about, sir.

After making a note on the device, she lay down the PADD on the desk.

Neathler: How are you settling in otherwise? Need any help with anything?

Vossti: Actually, sir, there is another matter that I thought you might be able to help with.

Neathler: Otherwise, don’t hesitate to ask. We’re all here to help you out. ::She paused briefly, remembering the small amount of nervosity she’d noticed with the Betazoid when she walked in.:: We don’t bite. Not even the Klingons, they might grumble a bit but they’re softies. ::She lowered her voice a bit and winked at the other woman.:: Just don’t mention them, I said that.

Vossti:  ::returning the smile:: Thank you very much, sir. I was advised by a doctor oO Me, but she doesn't need to know that ... Oo when I left Starfleet Medical that I should start an excercise routine when I got to my assigned ship.

Samira raised an eyebrow, then grabbed her mug and took another sip.

Neathler: It’s a great way to start the day. Get that energy flowing to keep you going through the day.

Vossti: Some of the crew have mentioned to me that there is a gymnasium of some kind somewhere on the Gorkon, and crew who use it regularly. If true, finding it would be high on my priority list.

The raised eyebrow turned into a frown, she picked up the PADD and checked something.

Neathler: The gym is located on Deck Five, and so is the swimming pool. If you need a training partner, there's always someone in the gym, even at late or early hours.

Vossti: I think I mostly am trying to increase my endurance and general fitness. I don't imagine that I'll be bulking up any muscles, but being able to run or swim a bit more without collapsing from exhaustion is a reasonable goal.

Neathler: As you said before, the best thing is to set up a routine. Even when you don’t feel like it. It doesn’t mean you need to work out every day, it can be every other day, or three times a week, see how it fits your schedule. You could opt for running one day, and the next time go for a swim. We’ll leave the heavy lifting to some of the more muscular persons onboard the ship.

Vossti: The thing is, I don't know if I'll be able to follow through on a routine like that unless I have a workout partner, someone to keep me on track and keep me focused. Do you think you could recommend anyone like that?

A hint of a smile touched the senior officer's eyes as she held her mug.

Neathler: Tell you what, the first time you go to the gym, let me know and I’ll join you. I’ll introduce you to some of our frequent visitors, we’ll see how well you do on the different equipment available and based on all that, it’ll be easier to match you with a training partner with a similar interest. ::She paused briefly.:: How does that sound?

Vossti:  ::releasing a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding:: Honestly, that sounds perfect, sir. I would very much like that.

Neathler: We have a few people who excel at certain sports. I prefer running, Jo is an unbeaten champion in springball, Ayiana is queen of the swimming pool. It’s only a matter of time to find the exercise you prefer and once you figure that out, it’ll be easier to get into that routine.

Vossti: I used to swim a bit when my family visited Risa. It was never a regular thing I did for exercise though because while the Crystal Star had a swimming pool, it was designed for children to play in, not for swimming laps.

Samira finished the last contents of her mug and put it down on the table. Mallora glanced down at her hand and realized that she'd barely sipped her glass of lingonberry juice. She took a quick swig.

Neathler: Or if you want to try out something new, there’s always someone who’s giving some classes in new things. ::She smiled briefly.:: We'll figure it out.

Vossti: I really appreciate your offer, sir. I've met several of the other members of the crew, but mostly in the context of the sickbay and a doctor-patient relationship. That isn't always conducive to forming lasting friendships.

Samira frowned for a moment at the doctor sitting on the other side of the desk before she responded.

Neathler: Don’t let that stop you to become friends with the crew, Ensign. You’re in a position to get to know them, while you distract them with questions about their personal life, meanwhile, ::She grinned.:: giving them a shot with the hypospray. And once they see you show interest in them, they might open up. ::She paused.:: Or won’t be so hesitant if they have to show up for their medical.

Mallora took another sip of her juice.

Vossti: I haven't actually been above deck seven yet. I've spent almost all of my time so far on decks seven and eight. I'm assuming at some point I'll get assigned down to the secondary sickbay on deck eighteen. I'm guessing that most of the enlisted engineering crew get treated there?

Neathler: That depends on the duty roster that Lieutenant Namura makes and how many people she has available to keep both sickbays running. Most people get treated in main sickbay. Enlisted personnel included.

Mallora drained the last of her lingonberry juice and set the glass back on the Commander's desk. She smiled and stood up; Commander Neathler stood as well.

Vossti: Thank you very much, sir. I am glad I was able to meet you and make sure that I didn't have any outstanding warrants for my arrest. oO That's a joke; please get it. Oo And I promise I'll contact you when I am ready to head up to deck five to see that gym and swimming pool.

The doctor’s comment made Samira smile briefly.

Neathler: Be sure you do. I’m looking forward to it.

She gave a nod to the ensign as the doctor walked out of the office. Samira took both the glass and mug and had them recycled. Picking up the PADD, she made a note to do something about the situation in the brig that Jona and Tan had discovered the other day. Something she’d fix tomorrow. For now, she had an appointment with a certain animal to take him for a walk.

Fin