USS Challenger
Side sim - Holodeck Meetup Part 3 - DH Edition
Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Tandra Mika (Chief Medical Officer) in Side sim - Holodeck Meetup Part 3 - DH Edition
Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Zenzgii (Chief Engineer) in Side sim - Holodeck Meetup Part 3 - DH Edition
Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Tandra Mika (Chief Medical Officer) in Side sim - Holodeck Meetup Part 3 - DH Edition
Posted by… suppressed (8) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Mika had been planning on having a meet up for all the new department heads for some time. She looked forward to meeting everyone. So, this time the day before, she had sent out an invitation -
To: All Challenger Upper Staff
From: Lt JG Tandra Mika, Chief Medical Officer
Subject: Holodeck Meetup 1600 hours Tomorrow. All Senior Staff Invited, New Department Heads Encouraged to Come -
Message: The event will be held at McCaffrey’s Coffee in the holodeck, so remember your favorite coffees! I can’t wait to meet and get to know you all, and spend time with those I already do.
~ Tandra Mika
To: All Challenger Upper Staff
From: Lt. J.G. Aili McMorran - Chief Science Officer
Subject: Re: Holodeck Meetup 1600 hours Tomorrow. All Senior Staff Invited, New Department Heads Encouraged to Come
Message: Of course. Any excuse to see you sweetie! xx
~ Aili McMorran
At 15:30, she had gone to the Holodeck and prepared the program - an early 21st century coffee shop. The shop was large, with several tables, and a server at the counter to take coffee orders. It also served some food. It was a quieter, upscale coffee shop, with dark wood finishes, and windows looking out on a street in a city, with mountains able to be seen in the background.
None besides perhaps Aili would know it, but it was a popular coffee shop in Mika’s hometown, Denver, Colorado, just up the street from her parent’s shop. She had known the owners. Though, for the hologram, she had used a random set of employees, avoiding using the faces of anyone she actually knew.
At 16:00, when she began expecting others to show up, she was sitting at one of the tables, sort of in the middle of the shop, drinking a tall caramel macchiato with whip cream - one of her favorite coffee drinks. And she just watched the door, waiting for the bell to ring and a familiar face to come through it.
~ Lt JG Mika, CMO
A couple seconds before 16:00, Lieutenant Commander Hilo strolled through the door to the holodeck, a jovial air about him. He grinned when he spotted Mika and head straight for her, hand outstretched for a shake far before he reached her. “Lieutenant Mika!” he exclaimed. “What a splendid idea this was. I was meaning to organize something of the sort myself, but I appreciate your initiative to take over the morale officer duties while I was getting settled.” The risian man sat gracefully in the chair across from her, running a hand through his pushed-back brown hair and stretching as his bronzed face contorted in a yawn. “I don;t usually drink coffee, but in this case I might… these cadets have been running me ragged! How about you, how is the incoming class treating you?” The man was obviously extremely friendly, and seemed genuinely excited to meet her aquaintance.
(Lt. Cmdr. Hilo, Counselor)
Mika had just seen the response from Aili, and she was somewhere between incredibly pleased and incredibly embarrassed. Her face was absolutely beat red and she had smacked her PaDD into the table very quickly just as Hilo walked in. “Hilo! Glad to meet you! Or see you! Or both!” She said, realizing she made absolutely no sense. “Um, anyway..” She said, as he hadn’t mentioned it, and she desperately hoped he hadn’t seen it.
“The class? Oh! Of course, the class! Well, it’s pretty slow, really. I haven’t got many Cadets this time around. But hey, probably better for a first class as CMO, eh?” She said, smiling as she took another sip of her coffee. Her face was still bright red, a feature she couldn’t seem to get control of.
~ Lt JG Mika, CMO
“Nonsense!” Hilo said with a dismissive wave of the hand and a chuckle. “I don’t think anything could truly prepare anyone for being an academy ship department head. It’ll be a sink or swim experience any way you slice it, so best to throw you into the deep end, if you ask me.” He flashed a playful smile. “But I’m glad they’re taking it easy on you, for now.” Hilo glanced at the door. “I hope everyone is able to make it, would be great to have a little bit of bonding time. Who all has RSVPed? I saw that Lieutenant McMorran is coming, she seems like a lovely gal.” His dark eyes flickered away and then back at Mika deviously.
(Lt. Cmdr. Hilo, Counselor)
Mika went from the color of a tomato to the color of a sunburnt lobster in 0.2 seconds. “Y-yeah, she’s coming. I, um, I’m not sure who else is yet.” She said, and then she took a deep breath to calm herself. “I’m hoping everyone can make it. Some of us were Cadets together, and this will be our first meeting as department heads. Others, like you, are new faces I was hoping to get to know better. Good teamwork makes a good ship, and everything… ahaha…” she said, trailing off at the end as Hilo’s words echoed in her head again, the look on his face etched into her vision. Again she found herself a very bright red.
~ Lt JG Mika, CMO
Hilo nodded enthusiastically. “Indeed Lieutenant. I have no doubt that we’ll be a merry crew.” He glanced at the serving counter in the shop. “Excuse me for a moment, I’m going to beat the rush and get a hot chocolate now before the others arrive.” He slid out of the chair and headed to the barista with a friendly smile, hoping to let Mika cool down. Her reaction had told him everything he needed to know, after all. There was no reason to torture the poor woman further.
(Lt. Cmdr. Hilo, Counselor)
Just as Hilo finished his thought about not torturing Mika a voice rang out from the holodeck entrance. “This wasn’t supposed to be a private date was it?” With a cheeky smile and comfortable swagger Challenger’s Chief of Security waltzed into the room. “I would hate to be a third wheel tonight.” He stopped and took in the scene. “Not bad Doc, you picked a good venue.”
Lt. Jg. Joseph Rainns- COS
Mika felt her face go hot and if it were possible, she turned a darker shade of red. “N-no! It’s not a date!” She said, and then, trying to keep her cool, added, “It’s a personal favorite.” At the moment, Rainns was hardly her favorite person. At least Hilo had been nice about it. And she didn’t even know Hilo that well yet! She wished Aili were there - perhaps she could think of a good comeback.
Lt JG Mika, CMO
It was about this time Mika’s distraction arrived, Large black eyes regarded the room as the Viridian Saurian slipped in quietly. Blinking both sets of eyelids he said, “I.. was unaware that humans could change their skin pigment. Can you make any other colors?” With a perpetual smile already evident in his features, it was hard to tell if he was joking or seriously inquiring.
Zenzgii, CE
It was at this point that Mika just dropped her head onto the table with a loud thunk. “No. We can’t.” She said to Zenzgii, without picking up her head. “What is this, Pick-On-Tandra-Day? I’m not even the one who sent that dang email,” She said into the table. She wasn’t really upset - she knew they were just kidding about with her, but she couldn’t help the feeling of Please just let me shrivel up and die, that’d be great, thanks. All the senior staff had seen what was clearly meant to be a personal email - and these were people she hoped to gain the respect of, to be able to work alongside well. Now she felt a bit like a joke.
~ Lt JG Mika, CMO
Rainns smile changed from one of amusement to one of sadness. “Sorry Doc, didn’t mean to put you under that kind of stress, just poking a little fun at you.” He sat down at the table with her. He understood her social anxiety in that moment. He too hated being in the spotlight, especially when it came to his private relationships. “It’s quite sweet actually, you two have something really truly special, and that makes the rest of us happy for you. We joke because even though it may be embarrassing, it’s a reminder to the rest of us of how beautiful you two are.” He stopped talking, he probably sounded fake and artificial, but he meant every word of what he had said. The whole incident had reminded of how he and Sharah would act around each other, a chemistry he sorely missed.
Lt. Jg. Joseph Rainns- COS