USS Endeavour
Cadet Baloyne's Check-In at the CSO’s Office
: : : : : : : : Having yet to meet any of the command staff or his new department head, Yulis Baloyne quietly waited, standing attentively erect, outside of the CO’s office, having just chimed to indicate his request to enter. The traffic of the corridor was light this afternoon, he noticed; with everyone presumably being at their stations, he felt out of place, as if he were perhaps idling. The few personnel that passed him, at most, gave Yulis a brief nod, and at the least, an air of oblivious distraction.
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: : : : : : : : So this was how a Starfleet ship functioned, Yulis thought to himself. A city within itself, each crew member always going somewhere with a purpose, even if that purpose were his or her R&R. Yulis knew that he could hide his excitement well: he was “bred” for service of the highest order, the Baloyne family being a long time provider of steady scientists, science instructors, and administrative personnel at the Academy.
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: : : : : : : : Yet this familiarity with Starfleet did not help him to seize the nervous feeling which he experienced while waiting. Cadet Baloyne had struggled repeatedly whilst at the Academy with his peers throwing accusations of a kind of nepotism in their midst with his presence. Would he encounter the same experience aboard the Endeavour? Yulis though it unlikely, as the Baloyne family were academics - his father urged him to pursue his studies while remaining on Earth - but it still did not help to shake the fear in the back of his mind, nor the butterflies in his stomach at this being his first assignment.
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: : : : : : : : Cadet Yulis Baloyne
: : : : : : : : Scientist
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: : : : : : : Eshrallias was no stranger to the mechanisms and procedures of a Starfleet vessel.
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: : : : : : : For the last several years of her life, she had dedicated herself to the scientific regions that Starfleet had to offer. Perhaps she was not the most amicable of people, nor the most approachable, however her steadfast attitude and compliance to order, was enough to keep her head above the tumultuous waters of the life any officer led. Well aware that a new Cadet has been scheduled to board the Emdeavour, as to complete his training and move on to the fully fledged vessels that manned their protection and science based organization, she sat with her ear listening keenly for any indication of his arrival.
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: : : : : : : The allerting notification of the rather rambunctious chime, met her prepared ears, in which she rose an furrowed eyebrow, as if moenntarily forgetting the possibilities of someone coming to her office. Straightening her stance, she cast a glance towards the metallic barrier that separated her from her visitor, ignoring the colourless image that met her eyes. Attempting to erase any illmanner from her features, she clasped her hands on the table. “Come in!” She called.
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: : : : : : : When the man entered, he would find that the office was quaint, simple. There were no defining features beyond the common place set up of any CSO’s office. Perhaps the most alluring aspect, was a diminutive picture, pixelated by its base being that of a holographic projection. It portrayed only three people, two men and a woman. Regarding its purpose, it quite cryptic. It seemed only a soft nod to the officer’s family. Speaking of the officer, she was a giant situated behind the hard material of her newfound desk. Her eyes maintained an appearance of stern professionalism. It seemed this lieutenant, had no fancy for fun or for games. Yet beyond her insect-like appearance, there was nothing remotely concerning about her, as she waited for the man to enter and speak.
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: : : : : : : Lt. Eshrallias
: : : : : : : CSO
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: : : : : : Upon hearing the voice of his new chief science officer, Yulis stepped into the room almost ceremonially. His steps and the motions that carried them were precise and stiff, making it painfully obvious that he was fresh aboard from the Academy.
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: : : : : : As he entered the room, his only focus was thenceforth appearing composed and not blundering his first official report. Standing at attention, he nodded to the Andorian chief science officer, and announced:
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: : : : : : “Cadet Yulis Baloyne, reporting for duty, Lieutenant.”
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: : : : : “Have a seat, Cadet.”
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: : : : : : In the first few moments upon entering, Yulis tried to observe any characteristics or mannerisms that could be “felt” from his new superior. While Andorians were certainly not known for their warmth or playfulness, Cadet Baloyne detected a steely no-nonsense attitude from Lieutenant Eshrallias. If his first impression was correct, Yulis and Lieutenant Eshrallias would get along just fine. His whole life, Yulis was never known to be one for idle chatter, gossip, or to have a familiarity with any sort of congenial social behaviours. This was primarily because Yulis’ interest and captivation always remained in the stars; the cosmos had been his only passion, and the deeper mechanisms behind its origin were his delight, beyond and “underneath” the observable laws of physics.
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: : : : : : Finally, Yulis allowed his thin, stringy posture to remain professionally at ease before the Lieutenant’s desk (assuming a posture of “parade rest,” as it was known at the Academy ande elsewhere amidst military institutions upon Earth), and listened for her reception.
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: : : : : Cadet Baloyne
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: : : : : OOC: Remember to sign off after each reply! It makes it easier to distinguish between posts.. and can add to formality, haha.
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: : : : : IC:
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: : : : : “Greetings, Cadet. I am Lieutenant Eshrallias,” She got to her feet, offering a scarred hand for him to shake.
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: : : : : Upon such, she lowered herself back to her once idle position behind the dark tinted desk, which she had only just recently claimed, momentarily, her own.
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: : : : : Baloyne’s deductions were far from incorrect. Eshrallias has been raised with strict discipline that came from a family of Imperial Guards, and their husband and wife. She did not understand the nature of lax regulations, or leeway for any specific mistakes. Both from experience as a Cadet, Officer and ‘Military brat,’ she did not allow for any nonsense in her department. Watching as the Cadet approached, her cold eyes studied him, as of scrutinizing both his character and his appearance. She noted his body language, tilting her head minutely to the side, which appeared the only indication of her meticulous observations.
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: : : : : “I understand that you are no stranger to the strict regulations and procedures of Starfleet, or simply military in general?” She spoke regarding his Academy Education, choosing to assume that he understand the directives and rules that their organization required them to abide by. And if he were ignorant or perhaps forgetful of those aspects, well, she wasn’t an officer on an Academy ship to yell at him for it. This was, after all, a realistic classroom.
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: : : : : She wished to know about the Cadet; his aspirations, his training, his experience, so that she may be better fit to assist him to achieve a greater level of it. Only after growing familiar with him, would she move on to reiterating the nature of his assignment to the ship.
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: : : : : Lt. Eshrallias
: : : : : CSO
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: : : : After Lieutenant Eshrallias had greeted him, Yulis allowed himself to relax a little, but certainly not completely. Shaking the lieutenant’s hand briskly, he answered her question in kind:
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: : : : “This is correct, Lieutenant. My family have served Starfleet for over a century, mostly at the location of the Academy on Earth and in the capacity as academics and researchers.” He ended his explanation there, regarding his familiarity with Starfleet and military protocol in general; he would not bore the lieutenant with information such as his father’s discovery of reverse-propulsion dynamics in subspace environments, devising mechanisms that interacted with components in realtime on the quantum level for reducing hull damage to Starfleet medium-class vessels. Not too long ago, his father’s team had taken over research of the same effects for larger vessels and even spaceports, before he retired.
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: : : “I am aware of your family’s discoveries, Cadet. It would seem they are a notable group of people, specifically in the development of science and engineering. However, I do not suspect you wi follow in their footsteps, as of yet. That is judging by your place as a cadet, rather than a fellow researcher.” Eshrallias’ tone gave off an air of consideration. She was not assuming anything, only deducting what she could from the evidence and information provided to her. The Andorian Officer hadn’t known much regarding his family prior to her extended research about them. Her only reasoning for this wasn’t to better understand the cadet she would be training.
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: : : : Yulis hoped that his new commanding officer’s knowledge of his family would happen to be little to none. He had struggled, for the entire length of his time at the Academy, with the pain of ambition in regards to ‘making his own mark,’ and not simply ‘accomplishing’ notable positions reached upon by standing on the shoulders of his father and likewise his fathers before him. As a ‘rich boy’ so often struggles with the desire to be accepted and seen as a common man, so too Yulis had struggled to walk the same path of anyone else who entered the Academy to train to be a Starfleet officer.
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: : : : “These considerations aside,” he continued, “have not swayed my genuine desire to explore the universe, doing so in the vehicle of an institution that I strongly believe in the values of; further, I see it as my duty as a citizen who enjoys the protections offered by Starfleet to contribute, as best as I may, to the efforts of its vessels across the Galaxy for the sake of science and furthering understanding. And this is why I am now here.”
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: : : “You seem quite sure of yourself, Cadet.” The Lieutenant spoke in a leisurely tone, which he would soon find was quite rare. “I understand that your desire to contribute to the scientific society is prominent in your aspirations. However, you must also recall the fact that space is a dangerous and vindictive place. There is far more to your debatable idealism, than simply trying to make a difference. You have to not only have the mind for change, but the physical and mental capability to deal with each and every rigour which is thrown your way by the universe, or by your peers.”
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: : : : Cadet Baloyne’s words would easily allow him to be accused of youthful idealism (although he was almost thirty), but his statements were genuine. He did not waver in his eye contact with his Lieutenant as he spoke, although he hoped his dark eyes would not pierce with the impression of danger or an attempt of intimidation, as his classmates had so often accused him of possessing - as they called it, his unintentional “death glare.”
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: : : : Cadet Baloyne
: : : : Scientist
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: : : Vheris wasn’t not easily intimidated. She struggled with her convergence of emotions, or anything beyond the cool ice of an ill mannered woman. Albeit, it was difficult to shake her core. Perhaps this void emotionalism had its few advantages, regardless of the hundreds of disadvantages. Holding his gaze, she scrutinized his appearance, once more. She could see why people would grow intimidated by the unintentional glare within his dark eyes.
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: : : It took a second, but she soon gathered her words to speak:
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: : : “This assignment will have little to no correlation wit the Academy. This is not a classroom, not as you might perceive it. We will not have you reading from PaDDs about warp theory, or taking written tests about the configuration of Dicarbon tetraflouride, or the negative effect of dihydrogen dioxide, on the human body. Instead, this will be treated as the authentic thing. As if this is a simulation, at the Academy, you will have the same requirements of a Science Ensign.” She explained, “The only difference between here and an actual ship, is this is still an educational environment, meant to train you and give you the experience you need to survive in the scientific field, outside of the comfort of Earth.”
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: : : “Do you have any questions, so far?”
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: : : Lt. Eshrallias
: : : CSO
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: : Yulis Baloyne appreciated the chief science’s officer matter-of-fact tone, whereas some, especially younger human men, would be put off or intimidated by it. Although sitting, he seemed to still maintain that air of poised attention.
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: : “I am quite looking forward to the rigours that space has to offer me, Lieutenant,” he said solemnly. “In fact, these moments are what I have been waiting for for a very, very long time.” The lieutenant’s confirmation of her knowledge of his family’s accomplishments had dampened his mood a little, but he recovered after noticing that this Andorian officer was not going to let it get in the way of her professional judgement.
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: “Then I suspect there is little doubt that you won’t put your full effort into this assignment, albeit momentary, I should hope you recognize the significance of it.” Eshrallias found herself in a position where she both looked forwards to the future, however was also undeniably curious as to how his assignment on the Endeavour would play out. He would be one of the first cadets she assisted. And that thought, as much as she liked to deny it, was thrilling.
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: : “I believe you have answered most questions sufficiently, Lieutenant. I am pleased to be working under an officer as esteemed as yourself.” Yulis was not simply attempting to stroke his superior’s ego: indeed, a few of his classmates back planetside, at least those who were pursuing duties as a science officer, had expressed their envy that Yulis would be assigned to the Endeavour, where the noteworthy Andorian and entire command staff were held in high regard.
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: : Cadet Baloyne
: : Scientist
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: “Esteemed and experiences are two very different things, Cadet.” Eshrallias pointed out, deeming herself to be more along the lines of experience rather than esteemed. After all, she was merely a scientist within a crockpot of them. “Anyways, have you spoken with the Counselor or checked in with a Doctor in the medical bay for your required physical?” She inquired, notably to understand where in the process the young Cadet was.
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: Lt. Eshrallias
: CSO
OOC: Bump.
Trin