Posted by Lieutenant Demil Lis (Chief Science Officer) in Chief Science Officer’s office - cadet Gordon check-in (pre-sim)

Posted by Cadet Louise Gordon (Scientist) in Chief Science Officer’s office - cadet Gordon check-in (pre-sim)

Posted by Lieutenant Demil Lis (Chief Science Officer) in Chief Science Officer’s office - cadet Gordon check-in (pre-sim)
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Louise Gordon walked towards the office of the Chief Science Officer of the USS Challenger with an air of purpose mixed with frustration. She was somewhat excited - if excited was the right word - to finally be onboard the USS Challenger to pursue a different calling and help Starfleet in its mission to explore space and meet new species. However, she was frustrated because her father, once again, had tried to convince her to not pursue this path. “Louise, my darling”, he said earlier today, “Starfleet is a noble cause, for certain, but why abandon your quite successful career to be a mere cadet onboard a starship. There are a number of other careers you could pursue. It is not fitting for a woman of your background.” Despite her father’s attempts, she was even more convinced that she had made the right decision.

Outside the office of the Chief Science Officer, she glanced at her reflection on a deactivated screen. Her uniform was looking a bit dull, but otherwise she approved of her appearance. Regulations were quite clear on appearance. She pressed the chime at the same time as her lips curled into a pleasant smile, waiting for permission to enter the office. Once granted permission, she would enter the room with a stride of confidence, placing her hands in front of her.

Demil sat in his office, typing away at a pile of paperwork that had been building up. While the CSO would much rather be in a lab, working on one or another of his projects, he’d been informed a batch of new cadets, including a new arrival to his department - one Louise Gordon - would be arriving today. So here he sat, making a dent in the never-ending paperwork as he awaited the meeting.
Meetings were not exactly Demil’s favorite. There were far, far too many typical conventions one was supposed to follow in a meeting, including eye contact - a custom he had never really understood. The formality did, however, mean he could essentially follow a script, and those meetings typically meant a new mind to collaborate with. That was something he enjoyed, so he endured the meetings.
As the time in the corner of the console continued to inch on, he switched the information displayed to read up on the new cadet’s file. She was experienced, more so than he was, in fact, with a successful civilian career behind her. He made a mental note to ask about this fact and continued to scan the details. A few minutes into this, the tone of his door chime rang out in the otherwise dead-silent room. He adopted his typical soft, impassive expression and walked around to the front of the desk, folding his hands in front of his lower chest. “Enter.”

“Cadet Louise Gordon reporting for duty, sir.”

Cadet Louise Gordon

He nodded as the human woman stepped into his office. The room was fairly open, with the standard-issue desk tucked away in a corner with a shelf of personal belongings and a small silver conference table along the transparent outer wall. “Welcome aboard, Cadet,” he stated. “You are welcome to have a seat. Would you like any refreshments?”

Louise nodded politely at Demil as he offered her to take a seat. As she gracefully moved towards the designated seat, she said: “A glass of water, thank you.”

After retrieving the requested items, Demil moved to sit opposite Louise, one foot tapping silently under the table. “I am Lieutenant Demil Lis, the Chief Science Officer. Welcome to the Challenger.”

She took a sip of the water when it had been placed in front of her, smiling at her superior officer. “Thank you, sir, I’m glad to be onboard, at long last.” She crossed her legs, tapping her fingers lightly on her leg as she focused on Demil.

He looked towards her, though not directly at her face. “I noted you had a reasonably successful civilian career before you came aboard. What drew you to join Starfleet?”

Lieutenant Demil Lis
CSO

She had anticipated this question. She had been asked about it many times before. Her answer did tend to change, depending on who asked the question.

“I suppose the possibility to make a difference, to further science through the exploration of space and the study of all of its phenomena. That would be the short answer.” She paused for a moment, studying Demil. It seemed to her as if he wasn’t quite listening to her by how he did not make direct eye contact, like there was someone more interesting behind her. He reminded her - just for a moment - of her brother, Gabriel, who had the attention span of a squirrel. There was always something more shiny nearby. She smiled politely, continuing:

“As you might have read in my file, I’m quite new to the field of science, having enrolled in Starfleet Academy at… well, being slightly older than my Human classmates, but I’m looking forward to pulling my weight and learning more under your guidance. I’m proud of my previous career in the Federation judiciary and yes, I suppose it was reasonably successful, but science has always been my true ambition, even if the science of the law can be equally intriguing.”

Louise continued to observe the lieutenant, perhaps wondering if she should have looked him up before accepting the position. However, she would have to get to know him the old-fashioned way.

“… and you, Lieutenant Lis, how long have you served aboard the Challenger?”

Cadet Louise Gordon
“Several months,” he answered. “This sort of post is typically fairly temporary - they try to rotate Academy crewheads out periodically. This has been my first post as the head of a full department during my career.” He glanced to the side, thinking for a moment. “What specific fields are you interested or talented in, within science?” he asked, taking a few notes as the meeting progressed.

Demil Lis, CSO
(OOC: Sorry this one’s a lot shorter! Just don’t have a ton of creative energy this time around!)

“Congratulations on your first posting as head of a full department,” Louise said genuinely and smiled politely. “I have a particular interest in interpreting and understanding data and sensor readings, which was what led me to pursue a specialisation towards astrometrics and stellar cartography.”

She recalled some of her classes in the Academy as particularly challenging. She was not born to be a scientist. Several of the classes had forced her to question whether she had made the right decision when applying to the Academy. It had been a demanding period of her life. At least she experienced some joy when taking classes on sensor operations and stellar cartography.

“I look forward to getting started. I hope you’ve found a suitable station for me aboard the Challenger.” Louise continued, hoping to get information on her upcoming station and assignments.

Cadet Louise Gordon
(OOC: No worries!)