Renos Posted February 18, 2017 Posted February 18, 2017 ((USS Blackwell, Deck One, Captain’s Ready Room)) ::The only thing more dazzling than the perfectly white teeth grinning back to Akinor was his hair. As white as the snowcaps of the stunning Eromeva mountain range, it was combed to perfection. He adjusted his collar and cuffs as he groomed himself so he would be ready to face his new crew. After all first impressions were important and you only got once chance to do it right. This would set the tone for how things would be under his command and he wanted to make a good impression upon his crew as much as he was sure they wanted to do the same with him. This would be his second command and he couldn’t have been more excited as was evident from the spirited singing on an upbeat song that matched the joy and excitement in his heart.::Zaekia: Everything is awesome! Everything is cool when you're part of a team, Everything is awesome, when we're living our dream... ((Meanwhile, on the bridge)) ::Morin could not believe his luck. Getting to work on a brand new top of the line medical starship for his cadet cruise and working with real patients for the first time instead of holograms was a dream come true. He was positive he was going to be posted to some far off starbase or installation where he would be doing nothing but waving a dermal regenerator over scrapes and bumps maybe mend a broken bone or two. But here he would be in out in an unsteady region working with some of Starfleet’s finest on a dedicated medical vessel where there would be experts in many fields he could learn from. They would also be a first responder to any medical emergency in the whole of the Expanse from what he read about the region on the trip to DS26 from earth it was more than possible they could be called upon to assist someone. He was excited as he stood before the ready room door of the ship's captain with a huge grin on his blue face. Without hesitation he rang the chime.:: ((Captain’s Ready Room)) ::Captain Akinor Onali Zaekia, a Kalean of only 300 years, was in his prime. His people often lived to 850 years old but the oldest had lived for over a century, reaching the impressive age of 1,003! Akinor wondered what it might be like to live that old. When he thought about ageing, he didn’t think about his body or mind slowing down or growing weak. Many generations of his family were currently in excellent health. To him, it sounded fantastic. He could scarcely imagine all the things he could see and do over such a long time span. It had been a terrible shock to him to learn that most other humanoid species lived nothing near as long as that. He had already lived three times as long as many individuals of a shorter-lived species! Akinor had done much in his life and joining Starfleet had opened up many new doors and catapulted him through them. It was an unusual career path among his kind, and indeed he had the great distinction of being the first Kalean accepted into Starfleet! This was a point of great pride for him. Not to mention, the knowledge he had gained had garnered respect on a personal level for him among his peers and for his order. Being in Starfleet made him stand out in a crowded order and provided a fulfilling career in its own right. That career was once again headed in new and exciting directions!:: ::He heard the door and wondered which of his crew had come to see him. The most likely candidate and the one he was waiting on was his First Officer. They hadn’t worked together before but Commander Rennyn came highly recommended by his direct superior Fleet Captain Renos. If he’d been looking forward to working with the Trill before now, sharing Hasperat with him had only fueled his enthusiasm. He was very much looking forward to another meeting the Trill and hoped they would have a good working relationship. With a last glance in the mirror he pushed a stray white hair off his forehead and faced the door, inviting the visitor in confidently, in a strong clear voice.:: Zaekia: Enter! ::The young Bolian entered, keeping himself standing as straight as possible. He had never met a member of the Captain’s species but knew they were one of the few beside Andorians and his own people that had cobalt based blood. He didn’t know much else about the non-federation member Kaleans but their medical data would be the first thing he looked up after he left this meeting. He had to make sure he would how to help save the man’s life without needing to reference a PADD at the surgical biobed if such an emergency circumstance ever occurred. He realised that he was going to have to do a lot of reading on species not extensively covered by Starfleet Medical Academy.:: Morin: Cadet Morin, reporting for duty sir. Zaekia: Well, well, well! This is a surprise. Blue skin. No spots. You, sir, are not my first officer but you surely do get the prize for most eager crew member. Welcome! ::The young cadet was thrown off. Every officer he had ever interacted with had been quite formal. Granted most of them were also teachers whose job it was to ingrain respect and proper protocol into their student's heads. He kept himself at full attention waiting until he was told to do otherwise.:: Morin: Th..Thank you. Sir. Zaekia: At ease cadet. Relax. I understand you're here to complete your cadet cruise and medical residency. What expectations do you have? Morin: ::Standing at ease.:: Yes, Sir, I am looking forward to working with real patients and getting to learn how to be a Starfleet doctor first hand. I feel really lucky to be here. ::It had been his dedication to his studies that had gotten him placed here but he felt everyone worked hard and there were only so many positions available throughout the fleet for advanced placement. He already knew some his classmates were jealous he had been sent to the Blackwell as they had told him as much quite directly.:: ::The Captain nodded and smiled, he would have loved for an opportunity like this to have been available when he was at Starfleet Medical all those years ago. He couldn’t imagine anything more exciting than having the opportunity to study and learn on the job. Of course, Cadet Morin would not be able to treat any patient without proper supervision, however, the chance to learn on a working Starship like this was incredibly rare and highly sought after. Not only had cadet Morin shown himself to be among the top of his class, he had expressed an interest in the species out in the Par’tha Expanse through the reports and exercises he turned in. Since the Olympic Class medical ship was launching in the region, a golden opportunity had presented itself and he had been delighted to support it.:: Zaekia: You don’t need me to tell you how lucky you are but you can thank me and help yourself by studying hard. There’s no room for complacency here and I have high expectations. I’ve a lifetime of experience in the medical field, that’s 278 years in all, so far, including 80 in which I was a lecturer at two prominent medical schools. If you need any help, advice or guidance about anything I would be delighted to help. ::Akinor might not have taught in a classroom in some time, but one of the things he had always loved was being able to share some of his knowledge to enrich the lives of others. In doing so he elevated others, he elevated his order and himself.:: ::Captain Zaekia was more relaxed with certain protocols and had a more open and friendly demeanour than some commanding officers he had worked with but he stopped short of putting his feet on his desk. The was a healthy amount of perfectionism in him and the reputation he had as someone with high standards was well earned. The bar he’d set for himself was notoriously high and he expected the best from his crew too. He didn’t mind fun and wanted a happy crew but there was a fine line between managing a culture where people could enjoy their work and were more productive as a result, and having things become lazy, slack or carefree. With 5 years of experience commanding the Intrepid Class USS Edinton, he felt he managed to get the balance right. Now a new crew was going to have to adjust to his style and hopefully, there wouldn’t be too many teething issues. He glanced fondly towards there the model of the Intrepid ship sat next to the newest model he had acquired, for this very ship. Then he returned his attention to the Bolian before him, who seemed to be understandably nervous. Meeting superiors for the first time was often nerve-wracking and though he had tried to break the ice with his friendly demeanour, it seemed Morin was unsure about just how much he could relax in this setting.:: Zaekia: You know we’re not so different you and I. I’m not referring to the wonderful complexion we have or the cobalt blood that courses through our veins either, though those are acceptable examples. I come from a medical background myself, you know. My first assignment was to the Starfleet Academy Dreshna Campus on Andoria. Can you imagine? After all those years at Starfleet Academy and Starfleet Medical, only to be assigned to such an installation to care for the new crop of cadets? It rarely got above freezing, even in the summer… in many ways, it was just like being at home! ::Cheerfully:: ::He chuckled fondly at the memories he had of those times. There would be plenty time to swap stories later, for now, he wanted to get to know something of this cadet who was joining them:: Zaekia: Why don’t you tell me about yourself? Morin: Well sir I am from Bolarus, where my family operates an undersea farming business out of our homestead. I enjoy vectorboarding … also springball. ::He stumbled over his words wondering where his confidence went. He hated bringing up the fact he had been orphaned at age eight, as he had so much family he never felt it: and people always reacted to that piece of information of his past with pity.:: Morin: I have an uncle in Starfleet as well whom I’m close to. Zaekia: ::With genuine glee:: Delightful! I like a good holoadventure myself! No family in Starfleet for me. You won’t find another Kalean in Starfleet at all as it stands actually. I’m a unique case. ::Chuckling again:: Was your Uncle your inspiration for joining, or was it something else? ::He was unsure how to act. He was expecting someone firm and rigid like nearly all of his instructors had been at the academy. This Captain Zaekia was open, humorous, and seemingly had genuine interest in learning more about him. He felt a bit intimidated by someone who has practising medicine for hundreds of years and still looked young.:: Morin: He was kinda. I lived with him at an embassy and on a starbase for awhile. I think it was seeing all the aliens working together and all of the heroic acts Starfleet officers did that really made me want to go to the academy. Zaekia: ::In a tone that suggested he had just discovered something extraordinary:: Oooooh! So you want to be a hero! Morin: Well … yes … but not in a run into danger without thinking way. I don’t care if the whole federation knows what I do or if it is just one person oO Or their family. Oo who I helped save who thinks me heroic. ::To the young Bolian, all doctors and medical staff were heroes for caring about others more than themselves. He also, ever since taking basic psychology classes at the academy had begun to wonder if he wanted to save people simply because no one was there to save his parents. He liked to think he would have found biology interesting and still been led to medicine from that interest. He also hoped some of that made sense to the Captain other than ramblings of one who must be to him an incredibly young person.:: Zaekia: I understand. You want to make a difference. Be a force for good! A common goal in those who choose this path. I hope you find your career as rewarding as mine has been to me. Morin: ::Smirking.:: It just might not be quite as long of one. ::He nearly gasped. He had been put into a relaxed mood by the commanding officer’s joviality and had just possibly put his foot in his mouth because of it. What would he do if age is a sensitive topic to Zaekia’s people? Or they may not like to talk about how much longer they live than most other humanoids. They could pity them for living so comparatively short lives, he hoped that was not the case. At least so far he did not get any condescending vibes from the captain’s words.::::Zaekia’s grin matched that of his new blue friend. If this was a joke he could give as good as he got and wondered what the cadet would make of his retort.:: Zaekia: Perhaps but from my point of view it can be difficult having to work with children all of the time. I’ll try to cope. ::Of course, he didn’t regard any of them as children, as his sarcastic tone ought to reveal. He didn’t know how old Morin was but if his best guess was anything like accurate, anyone this age on his world would be barely halfway through their apprentice degree. There would be another 22 years ahead before their education was finished! If members of these short-lived species were to spend as much time in education as the Kaleans did, half their lives would be used up before they truly entered their orders as fully qualified adults! That was to him at least an incredible thought. It was helpful to him to avoid thinking about the age differences, otherwise, it was tempting to see them as children with little experience of the world.:: ::The Cadet let out a short laugh. He felt relieved that the response to his comment was one of humour. He liked this idea of a Captain that would crack jokes, though he was sure it would not be the same with every officer on this ship who was going to be his superior. Which was basically all them as he was a Cadet.:: Morin: I think we know how to change our own diapers so we should not be too much of a worry. Might need burping in the form of a pat on the back from time to time, however. ::He cut himself off here before becoming too relaxed with what he said around the higher ups.:: Zaekia: If you seek my praise you’ll have to be truly astounding. ::As much as it was delivered in a friendly manner, he was careful not to be overly playful about this. He had a reputation for having some of the highest standards in the fleet, nevermind Andaris Task Force. He believed there was a time for having fun and a time for working hard. If hard work was worth rewarding, the end results were more so. What good was it to try endlessly hard but achieve nothing? Those who achieved great things would receive great rewards, while those who achieved nothing could expect nothing in return. He had enjoyed meeting this cadet a great deal and liked that he had a sense of humour and was brave enough to loosen up a little around him. There was potential there. His First Officer would be chiming the door any time and he was sure Morin had other things he wanted to be doing as well - like settling himself in and meeting his new colleagues.:: Zaekia: Well it is a pleasure to meet you Mister Morin and I’m sure I’ve taken up quite a bit of your time already. Is there anything you’d like to ask me before I let you go?Morin: Only who I will I be coordinating with in regards to my distance academy class requirements? My orders did not say specifically and I’d like to meet them as soon as I can as well. Zaekia: That would be my First Officer, Rendal Rennyn. I thought that might have been him at the door funnily enough - or perhaps our new CMO Graeme Cook. ::With a cheeky grin:: Morin: I see, Well I will wait in line to meet him then and go check out my quarters. ::He stood and saluted.:: It was a pleasure to report in and meet you, sir. Zaekia: Yes it was! ::Cheerfully:: Captain Akinor Onali Zaekia - Commanding Officer, USS Blackwell NCC-58999 * Executive Council & Captain's Council Member * Academy Commandant A238805EB0 & Cadet Morin, Medical Trainee, Uss Blackwell, NCC-58999 Simmed by, LtCmdr Brell, First Officer, USS Atlantis, NCC-74682 PotW Co-Facilitator - Publicity Team - Training Team E239109B10
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