Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Fliehr, Charlotte Ashley Elizabeth (Medical Officer) in The Arrival: USS Ark Angel (NCC-98729)

Posted by Captain Alex Becket (Commanding Officer) in The Arrival: USS Ark Angel (NCC-98729)
[Snip]

Charlotte held his gaze for a moment before letting out a quiet laugh, the sound softer now, less guarded than before.
“Well, at least you’re honest about the cockiness,” she replied. “That already puts you ahead of half the pilots I met growing up.”
She pushed herself off the bulkhead and resumed walking beside him through the corridor, though her pace had slowed naturally now that the conversation had shifted into something more personal than professional.
“And for the record, Alex, the uniform isn’t the issue.” Her eyes flicked briefly toward him with a teasing look. “Starfleet tends to make captains look unfairly impressive. That’s practically built into the regulations.”
The humor lingered for a second before her expression softened again into something more thoughtful.
“I understand why you didn’t act on it back then,” she continued. “The Academy has a way of making everything feel like it determines the rest of your life. Careers, reputations, expectations…” She shrugged lightly. “Sometimes people spend so much time trying to become officers that they forget how to just be people.”
Charlotte glanced ahead down the corridor, the low-deck engineering crews occasionally passing them with respectful nods toward the captain.
“But we’re not cadets anymore.” Her voice was calmer now, more direct. “You’re a captain. I’m a lieutenant assigned to your ship. Which admittedly makes things complicated in entirely different ways.”
A small smile returned at the corner of her lips.
“Though I suppose life has a strange sense of timing.”

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Dr. Charlotte Fliehr-Medical
Uss Ark Angel

He chuckled a little bit. “I do agree with that. I just hope I’m not giving you any mixed signals. I mean of course your beautiful as you were back at the academy. But I don’t want you to feel like your uncomfortable with talking about personal stuff while the tour is being given.” He said smiling at her again.

Captain Alex Becket
Commanding Officer
U.S.S. Ark Angel

Charlotte’s expression softened at that, and for the first time since boarding the Ark Angel, there was almost no trace of the polished Starfleet mask she’d been carrying.
“Alex,” she said gently, “if I was uncomfortable, you’d know.”
A faint smile touched her lips as they continued walking side by side through the lower decks.
“You’re being honest with me. There’s a difference between mixed signals and honesty.” She glanced toward him briefly. “And honestly? This entire conversation has been surprisingly refreshing.”
She slowed near an open maintenance junction where a pair of engineers were working inside a wall conduit before lowering her voice slightly once they passed.
“Most captains would’ve buried this kind of conversation under protocol and pretended none of it existed.” Her eyes met his again. “You didn’t.”
Charlotte folded her hands behind her back again, posture relaxed but composed.
“As for the personal side of things…” She gave a small shrug. “I grew up around Starfleet officers my entire life. I know how to separate professional responsibility from private conversation. If that ever changes, I’ll tell you directly.”
A teasing glint returned to her eyes.
“And for the record, since we’re apparently being truthful tonight…” She looked him over for a brief second. “You turned out exactly how seventeen-year-old Charlotte probably imagined you would.”
She let that hang for a moment before continuing down the corridor as though she hadn’t just said it.
“So, Captain,” she added lightly, “are you actually going to show me the ship, or are we spending the whole tour revisiting unresolved Academy tension?”

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Dr. Charlotte Fliehr-Medical
USS ARK ANGEL

He nodded at her and slightly smile. “Very well.” He said. “Let’s go ahead and do this tour. This deck that we’ve been roaming around has only Junior Officers Quarters, Noncommissioned Officers Quarters, shuttle bay 4 support and storage systems, a large tractor emitter and a tractor emitter support system.” He said sort of blushing for a bit.

Captain Alex Becket
Commanding Officer
U.S.S. Ark Angel

Charlotte gave a small, approving nod as he shifted the focus back to the ship.
“Good,” she replied simply. “That’s exactly what I wanted—structure, not nostalgia.”
As he listed the systems, she slowed slightly, looking around the corridor with renewed attention. The warmth from the earlier conversation didn’t disappear, but she compartmentalized it with practiced discipline, the way Starfleet officers were trained to do when duty came first.
“Junior and NCO quarters on a lower deck makes sense,” she said, more professionally now. “Keeps support staff close to operational zones without cluttering primary traffic routes.”
She glanced toward him as he mentioned the tractor emitter systems.
“And a dedicated support lattice for the tractor array on a mid-to-lower deck—efficient placement. Easier maintenance access and better power routing from the secondary EPS conduits.”
Her gaze drifted briefly toward a bulkhead panel as if mentally mapping the ship in real time.
“You’ve got a well-balanced layout here. Whoever designed the Ark Angel understood operational redundancy.”
Then, noticing the slight blush he tried to hide, she tilted her head slightly.
“And you don’t need to do that,” she added quietly. “We can talk like officers and still be human about it. This isn’t a briefing room.”
A faint smirk returned.
“But I’ll admit… I didn’t expect you to still blush after surviving Starfleet Academy.”

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Dr. Charlotte Fliehr-Medical
Uss Ark Angel

“Oh. Sorry I didn’t know I was blushing. Anyways. He we are on another turbolift.” He said stepping into the next turbolift. “After you milady.” He added.

Captain Alex Becket
Commanding Officer
U.S.S. Ark Angel