SIM:Ormans First Sim

Ensign Orman - The waiting is the hardest part

((SB185 - Dock))

::It was a big step for the newly-promoted Ensign. Literally a big step; the ramp was misaligned, and Katy stumbled rather awkwardly when stepping out. She managed to recover her balance without falling or twisting any joints, though, which she counted as a win. Exiting the dock, she found the nearest terminal and called up a map of the base. Noting the location of her temporary quarters as well as various public facilities, she hefted her rucksack onto her back and ventured off, feeling rather like an explorer in a strange new land.

((Quarters))

oO Spartan. I'd have to say spartan is the word. Oo

::The guest quarters set aside for low-rank starfleet officers on very short billet weren't much to look at, assuming her room was a typical example. A smallish room (as she should know, given that she had already paced the length of it a good hundred times now) with a bunk, small table, chair, replicator, and computer terminal, plus a door leading to a small but adequate lavatory. She'd already unpacked her meagre possessions, and for the first time in a very long time she had nothing to do now but wait.::

oO Two days. The arrivals board says two days til the Resolution docks. But it also says it's subject to change. So it could be tomorrow. Or in a week. Or... Oo

::Deciding that this line of thought was getting her nowhere, she flopped down onto her bunk with a PADD and started reading. Ship history, crew bios, engineering specs. But her concentration, usually one of her strong points, did not last, and within an hour she was up again, pacing. She considered replicating a snack, but reconsidered.::

oO What I need is social time. If I keep to myself I'm just going to keep going round about with the excitement and the nervousness. My first post! I can't wait to meet everyone... unless no one likes me... but that's just silly, Katy, no one's going to dislike... and here I go again! I need external input. I need... Oo

::Almost without thought, she picked up a palm-sized hexagonal object made of what looked like leaded crystal. She gazed at it for a few seconds, turning it round and round in her hand.::

oO No. I need real people right now. I'll talk to you when I'm settled in on the Resolution. Oo

::Placing the hexagon reverently back down onto the table, she grabbed her PADD and left the room.

((Commercial dome 2, Mezzanine overlooking traders bazaar))

::Katy sat at a table overlooking the bustle of commerce that civilised sentients bring with them everywhere they settle. She sipped distractedly on a glass of fruit juice that a provender had assured her was not from a replicator (and given the quality, she believed it), and pensively people-watched. Sometimes she watched the group dynamic, sometimes the individuals. Either way was better than thinking about how she'd wanted to go socialise, but had chickened out and balked at the last minute.::

VOICE: Wow, you look *really* depressed.

::She turned and saw two young men standing near her, in civillian dress. It was the shorter of the two who had spoken::

ORMAN: Umm... sorry?

YOUNG MAN:  ::with a charming grin:: Nah, no problem. I'm Doug, and this is Peter.  ::he held out his hand:: You just get in?

::Katy shook his hand, then shook the hand of his taller, more nervous-looking companion::

ORMAN: I'm Katy. And yeah, just a few hours ago. Is it obvious?

DOUG: There's a look.

PETER: Sort of a glazed, stranger-in-a-strange-land look.

DOUG: You've got it.

::Despite herself, Katy found she was grinning.::

PETER: We saw you sitting here and figured you were waiting on a transfer and didn't know anyone here.

DOUG: So we thought we'd be the hospitality committee, show you around the base, that sort of thing.

ORMAN: Oh? Well then, what is there around here to do for fun?

::The young men--probably little more than twenty, Katy reflected--mulled this one over. Apparantly their hospitality plans had not extended as far as thinking of what entertainment to show her around to. Feeling a surge of sympathy at their sudden awkwardness, she held up the PADD, bringing up the base map. She pointed at one of the highlighted sections.::

ORMAN: This claims that there's a netball court here... do either of you play?

::Their answering grins reassured Katy that the waiting time wasn't going to be so bad, after all.::

--- Ensign Katy Orman EO, USS Resolution