Posted by Cadet Taya Lenwa (Security Officer) in Security Office - Taya Lenwa Checking In

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Henry Rodier (Chief of Security) in Security Office - Taya Lenwa Checking In

Posted by Cadet Taya Lenwa (Security Officer) in Security Office - Taya Lenwa Checking In
Posted by… suppressed (6) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Taya sensed the presence of someone standing in front of her.

“I said, can I help you, Cadet?”

“I’m sorry. I was thinking about home.” Taya felt her cheeks warming from embarrassment.

“So, can I help you?”

It seemed the person, a petty officer in gold, was getting annoyed.

“I’m sorry. I’m Cadet Taya Lenwa. I’m here to report for duty.”

“There’s the chief’s office.” The petty officer motioned with a nod of his head. “Welcome aboard.”

“Thank you.” Taya moved to the office, seeing someone seated behind a desk…

Cadet Taya Lenwa - Security

OOC: Awesome job! Let’s get started (and feel free to continue your Reflections post if you want!)

IC:
Chief Henry Rodier was indeed the man behind the desk, seemingly quite busy with some sort of work on his monitor. In reality, of course, he was browsing the latest release of a Federation-sponsored new agency, which he’d been told had a feature on his mother. After finding that feature (the content of which wasn’t of much interest to him beyond the familial connection), he’d gotten lost in the weeds of the news forums, as could be so easy to do when on a somewhat isolated ship.

It was sheer luck, then, that he happened to glance up as Taya approached his office door, which had been left ajar in expectation of her arrival. “Please, come in,” he called, gesturing broadly with his hand from the Cadet to the two reddish cushioned seats in front of his desk. “Cadet Lenwa, I presume?” he added, reaching out his other hand in expectation of a shake.

~ Lt. jr. gr. Rodier - CoS

Taya stepped into the office and letting her travel bag slip to the floor, quickly stood at attention, more an instinct from training, as the chief was being informal. “Yes, sir, Cadet Taya Lenwa.” Noticing his extended hand, she shook it. “I’m proud to be here.” After a few seconds, she remembered he had gestured for her to sit. Doing so, she sat forward in the chair, her posture straight.

Cadet Taya Lenwa - Security

“Nice to meet you, Cadet. I’m Lieutenant Junior Grade Rodier, though I get the feeling you knew that.” He offered a small smile at her posture. “I appreciate the attention. At ease, please. I want you to feel comfortable coming here for help if ever you need it. And you should be proud to be here. How has the Challenger treated you so far?”

~ Lt. jr. gr. Rodier - CoS

“I’ve been here about a half-hour, sir, so the Challenger has been good to me so far.” Taya’s stomach was fluttering, so she appreciated that Rodier was trying to help her feel at ease.

Cadet Taya Lenwa - Security

Henry shook his head very slightly, a mark of disappointment in himself. Should’ve checked her file for when she was landing, he thought. But no matter now. “Of course. I hope she lives up to your expectations of the Fleet. Which brings me to my first real question: why did you join Starfleet? Someone, something, or some combo of the two?”

~ Lt. jr. gr. Rodier - CoS

Taya didn’t expect that question. At the academy, each cadet was asked, but she thought she was past that. She supposed Lieutenant Rodier was simply curious.

“Back home, I didn’t fit in,” said Taya. “My father encouraged me to join, because in Starfleet, he understood I’d find my place, my purpose. He was right.” She hoped that explanation would do.

Cadet Taya Lenwa - Security

Henry gave an appreciate nod as she spoke. “Smart man. I’ve met many a different personality here. I myself felt a bit left out back home - mom always doing that engineery stuff.” A grin, followed by one hand reaching for a cup sitting to his right. “So, Starfleet, all set and good. Why Security? What brought you here?” He brought the cup up to his mouth and took two long sips as she responded.

~ Lt. jr. gr. Rodier - CoS

After years of being examined by doctors and counseled by counselors, Taya didn’t like talking about herself and telling the same story over again. She supposed she couldn’t blame people for being curious about her, but it had become tiresome nonetheless.

“As a result of not fitting in, I occasionally got involved in fights. I decided I’d put those experiences to good use in Starfleet,” said Taya. “Besides, I wasn’t any good in engineering.”

Cadet Taya Lenwa - Security

Henry took care not to react to her comment about getting into fights, though he did pick up the PADD sitting to his left and tap a few keys. “Ah, I feel you there. But perks of being in the senior staff, I can just get some engineers to do stuff for me.” One eye twitched in what could be perceived as a wink.

“Now, I don’t want to make you feel like you’re being put on trial here, I truly just like getting to know my cadets. So you wanted to apply your experiences. Now you’re here. What can you contribute? We’re all on the same team, but what do you think makes you a unique asset?”

~ Lt. jr. gr. Rodier - CoS