Settling In

Posted on Fri Jan 26th, 2018 @ 11:14am by Lieutenant Xander Oroyo DSci & Captain Daniel Westphalen

662 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Cloud Surfing
Location: Science Lab 1
Timeline: Before the breakdown

Daniel hadn't had a chance with all the chaos to meet the new crew members that had boarded recently. First on his list to visit was the new chief of science, and the computer indicated that he was in the labs.

He headed for science lab 1, the modular lab designated for mission-focused work. He stepped inside, looking for indication he'd found the right person.

Xander Oroyo was in the main science lab working on his own side project when the captain entered the lab. He was floored and more than a little shocked that the captain would choose this time to visit Xander's lab.

"Sir, how may I help you?" he asked as he looked up from the console he was working at.

"Normally I'd call people up to the ready room, but we got underway so quickly and I'm giving Commander Quinn a chance at the center chair, so I thought I'd come down and see how the labs are treating you," his explanation seemed genuine enough. "I only had a brief opportunity to review your jacket before you came onboard, lieutenant. Quite the storied past, but I'm intrigued at what prompted you to request an assignment here on the Aurora. If you'll permit a captain his curiosity."

Again he was floored by the captain. That was twice in a few minutes. He cleared his throat and said, "Well Captain, I've wanted to work on a science vessel for quite some time now and when I learned that you were in need of a science officer I jumped at the chance. And thankfully, my chance was granted. By you. I wanted to thank you for granting me this opportunity to serve with you."

Daniel offered the Ornaran a smile, shaking his head politely. "No need to thank me. If anything, you're just not aware of the issues inherent to working on such a small vessel. You'll eventually get to know everyone, and suddenly personality conflicts are much more of a concern. Nevertheless, we're glad to have you."

He wandered over to one of the nearby consoles, checking its readouts idly. "Commander Quinn, the first officer, used to be chief of science aboard. She was very particular and admittedly a bit possessive of the laboratory computer systems. If you run into any trouble or have any questions about it, I'd recommend reaching out to her. Especially given that most of her modifications were made by her own hand," he smirked, amused at that apparently.

"You're right, Captain, I have never served on a vessel this small but I think I can handle anything that may or will come my way," Xander said confidently. "Yes I see there are a number of discrepancies in the configuration of some of these readouts and consoles but it's not a problem...yet. And thank you of giving me a scapegoat for any future 'problems' that may occur," he said with an impish grin.

Daniel smirked at that. "Just don't point too hard. She does outrank you, after all. Do you need anything that wasn't set up initially upon your arrival?"

Xander nodded to that comment and gave a smirk of his own. "I need to be setup in the computer as well as need command codes issued to me is all, I believe, Captain."

"I'll arrange with Lieutenant Ozan to set up your command codes. You should have them soon," he said with a nod. "In the meantime, your own level 5 codes should get you library access and any experimental data. We weren't running anything classified."

"Thank you, Captain. You have been a most gracious host and I truly look forward to working with you in the future," Xander said with a nod of his head.

"I do as well," Daniel said with a smile. "Carry on."

The captain nodded to excuse himself and then headed for the door.


OFF

Captain Daniel Westphalen
Commanding Officer
USS Aurora

Lieutenant Xander Oroyo, DSci
Chief Science Officer
USS Aurora

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