Posted by Commander Idari Solit (Chief Science Officer) in Side Sim: Commander Idari’s Arrival
=/\= USS Cowpens, Concord-Class Vessel, Crew Lounge =/\=
The party seemed a little bit over the top, but then again, a Concord-class ship was basically halfway under Solit’s authority. It had been an enjoyable five years aboard the Cowpens, even if much of it had involved surveying new planets and star systems for possible colonization within unexplored Federation territory. There was something strange about the fact that, even with all of their technological advances, and with possession of the warp drive for its entire nearly two and a half centuries of existence, there were still plenty of star systems in Federation space that had not been visited. It was confusing, considering that Federation vessels had explored the Gamma and Delta Quadrants. Still, they had technically discovered over five hundred isotopes of seventy known elements, found three new elements that were not native to any known Federation world, catalogued twenty previously unknown pre-warp societies (three of which were on the verge of achieving warp-level travel), made four first contacts when they had ventured outside of Federation space, and had made countless other scientific discoveries.
Solit had gone from Lieutenant to Commander in that time frame, which was somewhat guaranteed for the Chief Science Officer aboard a research vessel. Given that he had designated eight department sub-heads, it was still strange how much work he was leaving behind. Then again, Lieutenant Commander Sta’lan, the Andorian whom Commander Idari had chosen as his replacement, was more than capable of taking up the position. Sta’lan was a skilled woman, and at that moment, they were sharing a deep conversation.
“But to transfer you to a ship like the Asimov? Won’t you be… well, I hate to use entirely human terms, but quite frankly, this one feels appropriate… bored out of your mind?”
Solit’s eyebrow raise, characteristic to Vulcans, always unsettled Sta’lan ever so slightly. The fact that he was lifting a coffee-colored scaled ridge instead of hair, which also compressed the vertical ridge on the right side of his face, and the ridge on his nose, had become familiar, but it had originally been unsettling. When Lieutenant Idari had arrived onboard, he’d caused a bit of a stir - Bajoran, Cardassian, and Vulcan features were somewhat uncomfortable to quite a few people. Solit had become tired of telling his family story by the time he was school age. His father was the child of a female Cardassian who had romanced a male Bajoran slave, then dumped said slave on Ferenginar with a newborn baby. It turned out that Idari’s Bajoran grandfather had “the lobes” for business that some Ferengi didn’t possess, and even though he wasn’t a Ferengi, he had managed to amass a small fortune - and immediately used said fortune to move himself and his son to Alpha Centauri. Meanwhile, his mother was from a more traditional pairing of a Vulcan male and a human female - and had never been to Vulcan once. In spite of the ears and the eyebrows, Solit’s mother had long blonde hair and a sharp sense of humor. She had grown up on Mars, and had therefore grown up with more emotional sensibilities.
When the two met, it was an unlikely pairing; Idari Kenan was raised to be more cool and calculating and was - by nature of his Cardassian biology - capable of being so, while Savani Temin was - contrary to expectations set by many individuals descended from one human parent and one Vulcan parent - hot-headed and given to impulsive decisions. In spite of their proclivities, they formed a bond, married, had three children, and were now living happily on Betazed. For Solit’s part, he had tried to learn as much about all four cultures as he could, and embraced those points which he felt he could accept. In the end, as the youngest child, he had found his brother and sister to be helpful guides in a world which would always see them as oddities. They chose to engage with those who accepted their differences, and so Solit had followed suit.
And yet, in spite of not actually possessing an eyebrow, Commander Idari had somehow inherited that damned eyebrow raise.
“I would not have expected complaints about tedium from you,” Solit finally replied. “We have spent countless hours together waiting for test results due to unknown time frames and the necessity for our continuous presence at experiment staging areas.”
“Yes, but that was about scientific discovery. It was fascinating to catalog the various minor effects that built during our experimentation prior to the final major effect. You’re going to a science post on a ship that’s practically just a bunch of really powerful phasers and torpedo launchers strapped to a hull and a warp core.”
“Recent events involving the Asimov’s previous vessel led Starfleet to reassign me there.”
“Why am I inclined to think that you’re getting put there due to the fact that you’re a quad?”
Solit grinned ever so slightly. “Command did bring up the possible visual messaging that a man born from four different species, one species which was a Federation enemy and rival for many years, would send. If my presence may reassure any Federation members that they are safer remaining in the Federation, then so be it.”
Sta’lan shook her head. “It seems like a frivolous choice born of momentary necessity.”
“Perhaps. But I have been training you to replace me for the past year. I was planning on requesting reassignment next month. I was hoping for San Francisco, but…”
Sta’lan raised her eyes to the ceiling. “To think of what you could have imparted to me with another month of time available to us.”
“For now,” Solit said, motioning to the gathered crowd. “I suppose we should enjoy the festivities. This is being held in my honor, after all.”

And with that cue, the CO of the Cowpens gathered everyone’s attention in order to make a speech.

---

=/\= Spacedock, Two Weeks Later - Brazen-class, USS Asimov, Bridge =/\=
Commander Idari boarded the vessel, which still had the sheen of a ship which had barely been used. It was clearly, however, a vessel which had been rechristened instead of custom manufactured. Rumor was that the Asimov D was originally slated to be the USS Audacious; clearly, that was no longer the case. Compared to the Cowpens, the new USS Asimov was, to put it finely, tiny. Solit’s departmental responsibilities had been downgraded from hundreds to a dozen. All for the sake of keeping up morale among the membership, apparently. But Solit could deal with the challenge. As he stood on the Bridge, it struck him that there were no stations facing away from the view screen. It was a little jarring, but it made a certain amount of sense.
Idari stepped over to the Science console. He knew the functionality wouldn’t be what he was used to, but he hoped that it would still be tolerable. He hoped that, whenever he met other crew members aboard, the close quarters and small crew size would breed comraderie instead of contempt.

~ Commander Idari Solit, CSO

The next turbolift to arrive on the bridge whooshed open. Shortly after, a cheery voice called out as its source approached the science station. “Ah, Commander! I see you’ve come to inspect our new station as well!”

The denobulan man in sciences blue extended a hand and smiled widely as he reached Commander Solit. “Lieutenant Cewa, pleasure to meet you! I figured I should familiarize myself with the setup given that I’ll likely be the one manning it during the night shift or when you’re on an away mission, but I am happy to let you do some poking around first,” Veyn said with a chuckle. “I’ve still got plenty of unpacking to do, after all!”

(Lt. Cewa, Science)