Posted by Lieutenant Commander Simon Starr (Executive Officer) in pre-sim - Fayth Reports to command - XO’s Office

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Simon requested the juice from the replicator before walking over to the desk and taking a seat himself, placing the drink in front of Fayth. He put his own cup down after taking a sip and by his question, it was clear which one of the two options were correct. “A lot more people than your previous posting, isn’t Ensign?” he asked with a soft smile.

Lieutenant Commander Simon Starr, XO

Sharah picked up the glass and took a sip. The flavor reminding her of home and her mother making fresh juice when she was a child. The memory making her smile slightly. She took another ship and put the glass down at his question. Don’t be afraid Well, Joseph, she thought, that didn’t mean she still wasn’t nervous. “Yes Sir. A lot more people,” she answered in a slightly subdued tone. There was a lot about this posting that was making her nervous. Though she loved botany and it had always given her a peaceful retreat, she wasn’t sure she had the experience needed to be the resident botanist on a ship this big. But she wouldn’t be here if command hadn’t wanted her for the job, right? And she wasn’t practicing as a doctor, and she felt safe there. It wasn’t that she was pinning to be in sickbay, she hadn’t been out of sickbay more than 2 weeks. Her trepidation about doing well in her new position made her somewhat homesick for the familiar. And Dr. Marshall had said she would help her keep her certifications up, so she wasn’t giving up on being a doctor. In fact in her new position she would still be working as a doctor, just not directly with patients. And the biggest thing making her nervous, was as the XO said, the amount of people on board. With Ashlyn’s help, her closest friend and roommate from Europa, she’d learned to be more comfortable in social situations when it was required. Though she still preferred to be left alone during her down time. She picked up her glass again drinking from it as she tentatively ‘listened’ to the ship’s ocean of noise. “Not as many as at the Academy though.”
En Fayth, Science - Botanist

“Well, the academy is practically a city unto itself,” Starr replied with a smile. A memory of interesting and happy memories from his own time spent there. “So, your field of specialty is Botany, yes?” he asked, having a PaDD on the desk in front of him that he glanced down to every now and again.

Lieutenant Commander Simon Starr, XO

Sharah sipped at the juice in her glass. “Well,” she was unsure how to answer that. Specialty implied focused study and experience. Well she guessed she had that, certainly she did now. “My major at the academy was medicine. I’m a doctor, but I also have a degree in Botany. I’ve done extensive work with medicinal plants. I’ve also been in charge of the arboretums on my last two ships. Though that was extra work and not my primary position. This is my first posting where botany is my primary assignment.”
En Fayth, Science - Botanist

Simon listened to the Ensign as she explained her previous experience. Most of it was already on file, including the transfer from Medical. “Of course, it is likely your duties would also extend beyond botany. So in the fields of science, what other branches have you got knowledge of?” he asked. He asked both to see what Fayth already know and also to see what still needed addressing.

Lieutenant Commander Simon Starr, XO

Sharah had been thinking about that since she received her transfer orders. At the XO’s request she began to list them off, “I certainly don’t have expertise in these fields but simply a working knowledge of them. Chemistry, Meteorology, Biology, biochemistry, microbiology, ecology, Earth or planetary science, and a limited working knowledge of geology as it pertains to botany.” In her opinion it was a very limited list for a science officer. But she was always eager to learn new things, and it would give her something to keep her mind focused.
En Fayth, Science - Botanist

Simon took note of her current skill set and thought for a moment. It was likely Fayth would be in the Arboretum more often than not. Now they just had to wait for the new CSO to arrive. Simon himself only knew the minimum on the scientific side as that wasn’t his main focus on the academy, but did want to find out some more about what her last posting taught her. “So, tell me a bit about the research you did on earth,” he asked looking at the note where she was transferred off the Europa.

Lieutenant Commander Simon Starr, XO

The research Fayth had completed while on Earth was something she was very proud of. And though there were some who didn’t see the significance of it, the review board had. The XO could tell she was very excited to share the information with him. She started to launch into all the minute details and start speed talking, but she took a breath first. She was excited about it, but that didn’t mean she needed to act like a cadet boarding for her first cruise.

“Typical away teams don’t include medical officers. There have to be very specific circumstances for a medical officer to be included. This means that away teams don’t have access to a med kit. There are a number of reasons that away teams get cut off from their ships. Either because their ships will return later because of assignments or totally by accident. When injuries happen in these cases they are without medical aid, and the mortality rate and the risk of permanent injury is exponentially higher than if medical personnel were available. My research worked to fill that gap in order to decrease those numbers.” Fayth is very confident about what she’s talking about, and passionate about it as well.

“The file has been compressed to fit on a scientific tricorder, a piece of equipment that is standard for away teams. The only other equipment possibly needed is a phaser, which is standard on away teams as well. My research involved examining the chemical compositions for known medications for anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, and sedatives that are plant or mineral based. Then compiling a list of all known plants and minerals that fall into those categories. It broke That list down further into the chemical compositions so that, if known plants cannot be found, the tricorder can be used to scan for those chemical compositions in the native flora. Most planetary ecosystems that are class M will have something that meets those chemical compositions. They might look different than what we have on file, but the chances are high that they can be found.” Fayth pauses momentarily to see if the XO had any questions.

“The file also explains how to determine if medication is needed and how to make and administer it. The other half of my research consisted of writing a holodeck program to train personnel on how to use the file and how to make and administer the medications.”
En Fayth, Science - Botanist