Posted by Cadet Claude Garret (Engineer) in COE’s Office Cadet Garret reporting for Duty
It wasn’t nerves that stalled Claude that morning, and it wasn’t any sense of ill-preparedness or trepidation. It wasn’t even the imposter syndrome that had chased him all the way through university. It was his hair.

He’d spent the last year at the academy living like a nervous prey animal, venturing out of his dorm only for food, labs, and lectures, then scurrying back into the darkness to run simulations and work on his written projects. He’d always been a man that liked to take care of himself, but all the stress of his make-it-or-break-it finals had left him unshaven, malnourished, and pimpled. Claude’s looks had made a decent recovery since graduation, but whatever muscle he’d once used to style his hair had apparently completely atrophied.

Claude stalled again to adjust the look of his hair in the semi-reflective panelling of the computer interface systems that littered the halls of the U.S.S. Challenger. He wanted to come off as plucky and intelligent, but he looked more and more like a slicked back mad scientist with every preen. He’d applied concealer on the dull skin of his under-eyes that morning, but it had given him a kind of plastic-y look that was more unsettling than his usual tired human face. Eventually, and with only five minutes left until the agreed on meeting time, Claude breathed out and gave up.

The Lt. is Bolian, Claude reassured himself, he probably won’t care much about your hair anyway.

The Cadet did a few stretches before he chimed the COE’s office━rolling out his neck and shoulders, then folding his hands behind his back.

The doors slid open to reveal what may at one time had been a Chief Engineer’s office, but now looked like someone had made a critical mistake in one of the Academy’s Engineering labs and blown all the panels off the walls. Bits of wiring and discarded relay infrastructure littered every horizontal surface. It was like someone had stripped the office for parts. It was then there was a sharp curse from somewhere behind the desk.

“Lieutenant Tor?” Claude asked.

A bald, blue head shot up and warm and friendly smile greeted the Cadet. “Oh hi!” the smiling face said.

“Cadet Garret, Sir. I’m reporting for duty.”

“PERFECT!” the face said. “Yep, I’m him. Hey, can you do me a favor? Reach over there and grab that isolinear grounding bracket and hand it to me, will you?” and face disappeared only to be replaced by a blue hand wiggling it’s fingers.

Tor, CE

OOC: That intro was FANTASTIC!!! Well done!
James