Posted by Civilian Revna Freya McKenzie (Diplomatic Attache) in Cultural Perspectives

Posted by Commander Shedda Mal’athar (Executive Officer) in Cultural Perspectives
The Diplomatic Attaché to the Federation Delta Quadrant Ambassador was one Revna McKenzie. She was a civilian but was considered one of the ship’s senior staff. Shedda knew that she was on board at Cochrane’s request. Or maybe not McKenzie specifically but having a diplomat on board was Cochrane’s idea. She’d read Cochrane’s file and he was an accomplished diplomat and highly experienced in first contact situations. Mrs McKenzie had been quick to respond to Shedda’s request for a meeting.

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To Cmdr Mal’athar, Executive Officer
From: Revna McKenzie, Diplomatic Attaché

I would be happy to meet with you at your convenience. My office is always open and for the time being I have a very open schedule, Cmdr. Please consider this an open invitation.

Revna McKenzie

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Shedda looked at the strange symbol digitally stamped to the memo next to the symbol for the Federation Diplomatic Corp. Shedda didn’t recognize it and assumed it had something to do with McKenzie’s specific ranking within the corp.

She was between meetings and personnel files and bridge duty, and a myriad of other things she had to do, but taking McKenzie at her word, Shedda made her way down Deck 4 to where McKenzie’s office sat in the middle of the VIP quarters next to the diplomatic conference room. As Shedda approached the woman’s office, there was a strange mixture of a gaggle of officers standing outside the woman’s office. Ears all pressed close to the door.

Shedda approached and cleared her throat. “Whatever is going on in there should be better than Real Housewives of Risa.” Not looking at who had joined them, a security chief grinned. “More like Alpha Quadrant’s got Talent.” Shedda grinned, “Really? Is the Attaché going to start singing?”

An engineering jo laughed, “No today is Wed. That means last night she got at least one new song from Big Mike! We’re waiting to hear what it is.” Shedda grinned, Big Mike? That name sounded really familiar....BIG MIKE MCKENZIE! Her dad LOVED him, and Shedda had to admit she did too. “So…Big Mike is her brother or something?” One of the science officers snorted, “NO! Man did you just come on board or something? Big Mike is her husband! He sends her new recordings every week, and if you want to hear it ya gotta be here when she gets to her office.” The science officer turned to look at the newcomer to the group, blinked, slapped the person next to her, he looked then came to attention and cleared his throat. “Cmdr! Sorry ma’....Sir! We’ll be going.”

Shedda chuckled, “It’s alright. Stay around, the chance to hear something new from Big Mike is definitely worth waiting for.”

Mal’athar, XO

Revna was sitting in her office; she’d only been in her office less than 20 minutes. And it was Wed so that meant there was a small gathering outside her door. Mike had sent her another song the night before. Of course she had already listened to it, several times, in her quarters the night before. Mike sent her new songs every week. It made being away from him so much easier.

Revna was rarely alone now. Someone from ops had brought her totes to the office and she’d had the music playing. It was Revna, she always had music playing. But the crewman had recognized Mike’s voice, and then put her together with the music, the vid, and the fact it was at the Eclipse Bar. After that she had no end to visitors all wanting to hear what was playing in her office.

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The crewman heard the song while she’s listening and went all crazy thinking that Big Mike had released a new song. “Hey… is that Big Mike McKenzie?! I didn’t know he had a new album out!?!?!” Revna had called Mike back that same day and accused him of holding out on her. Mike just shrugged at her and said, “You never asked.”

Revna shrugged, he had a point. She never directly asked about his music career. “I did ask. I asked you to tell me something not punk rock and not bartending. This would qualify!!!”

“But I did. I told ya about my childhood. You didn’t ask about now,” and he’d winked at her.

A week later they’d been talking and he asked if she’d adjusted, yet, to being famous by association. All she could do was laugh. “You know I’m never alone now. Everyone keeps sneaking into my office to try and steal copies of the file.”

“You better be alone sometimes, dammit.”

Revna rolled her eyes, barely containing her laughter, “Oh calm down you behemoth. I said my office, not my quarters.”

“Never know with the freaks on the Manhattan. I hear the CO is a weirdo.”

“Eh the CO is nice enough, it’s the chef in the mess that scares me,” Revna’s eyes had danced at him. “But ya know if you’re that worried Mike you’ll just have to come protect me.”

“And here I thought it was you protecting me. Groupies are clever, ya know.”

“Are they now? Well I’ll have to brush up on my target practice then.” And she’d laughed.

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Now, somehow or another, all the junior officers and enlisted crew knew that she got letters from Mike every Tuesday with at least one new song on it. They would gather outside her office in order to try and listen to see what he had sent her. So 20 minutes into her day Revna knew there was a small gathering outside her office. Last week Revna had just let them all in, instead of letting them gather and block the corridor.

Always the counselor, she knew the benefits that small moments like this could have on morale. Revna pulled up her last letter from Mike, selected the audio file and added it to her growing list. “Computer begin playing Mike’s Playlist starting with the newest entry.” Revna walked over to the door triggering it to open. “Alright, get in here. And I don’t want to hear a thing about any of you getting in trouble because you’re supposed to be on duty.” As they all moved in with a grin and glances backwards, Revna looked toward the back of the group and grinned. “Cmdr Mal’athar, welcome to…well I’m not sure what I would call this. Groupie central maybe?”

Drums and then the high whine of the pipes. Then guitar and truly impressive pipe playing started. And then of course the part that Revna waited for, Mike’s voice sounding and surrounding her in the area of her office.

My name is Billy Millin
I braved the Norman Shore
Mortal shells, machine guns
D-Day 1944

Back in forth, I piped away
Many soldiers fell that day
Battle raging all around
And the allies held their ground!

Lord Lovat, my commander, who himself
had stormed the beach
In the greatest sea invasion
In all of history!

He ordered me;
“Bill Millin, play your pipes and take the lead!”
Battle fire all around and I barely heard a sound

Cause my head is filled with music!
In my heart, there’s always a song!
Yes, my head is filled with music!
When I lead those soldiers on!

Piping through the gore and muck the
Germans thought me mad
Screelin’ ‘Highland Laddie’ raising
Courage in the lads!

We took the beach in a dreadful fight!
Kept in fire all through the night!
We finally took the town!
And I barely heard a sound!

Cause my head is filled with music!
In my heart, there’s always a song!
Yes, my head is filled with music!
When I lead those soldiers on!

As the music came to a sudden close, Revna was bombarded by a slew of questions about who Bill Millin and Lord Lovat were and what was D-Day and the Norman Shore. Revna scoffed, “Do I look like a school teacher to you? No I do not, that’s my sister. You want to know, the details are in the ship’s computer. Go read.” There was grumbling about work and commitments and the myriad excuses of young crew members that would rather socialize than research. Revna looked at Cmdr. Mal’athar and grinned, and to the chagrin of those assembled they both said, “That’s what buffer time is for.”

McKenzie, DA (With Special thanks to The Real McKenzies)

The science officer looked with wide eyes around at the others. The question clear on his face how does the XO and a Civilian know about Buffer time? Shedda shook her head, “You know, I was a junior officer at one time.” The security officer piped up, “But how do you know what it is, Mrs McKenzie.” The woman glanced at Shedda and grinned. Shedda turned to the security officer, “Seems to me that maybe you don’t know the people on board as well as you should. It’s security’s job to know who is on the ship, why, and for what purpose, and to run background checks.” Shedda wasn’t a teacher either, but she was a mentor. “I will tell you this much, Mrs. McKenzie wasn’t always with the diplomatic corp. Now, buffer time kept me sane during those hard tasks and crazy encounters. The trick though,” Shedda looked at the old fashioned clock on the wall, “is not to abuse it.” Several of the gathered crew members glanced at the clock, some knew how to read a 12 hour clock, some did not. The ones that could, about half took off before they were late, dragging some with them. Others waited asking McKenzie all kinds of questions.

Shedda watched McKenzie with interest. This was a woman who would be the face of the Federation to anyone they encountered. Her and Cochrane. She had an easy calm about her. Shedda had always found diplomats to be high strung. They could force a calm voice, and be incredibly still and their expression almost unreadable, but there was always stiffness and tension about them. This woman had none of that, but she was secure on the ship. Shedda had read up on Mrs McKenzie and she was unique. She’d even watched some of the security footage of McKenzie. Shedda was sure the woman would be calm under pressure.

Shedda took a mug of a drink that McKenzie gave her and sipped at it, smiled and welcomed herself to a seat in the woman’s office. “So Mrs. McKenzie, tell me, are you feeling useful here on Manhattan?”

Mal’athar, XO