Posted by Fleet Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Event Horizon Station- Ka’sora’s Arrival (Pre-sim)

Posted by Ensign Ka’sora Pru’moa Daveyla (Science Officer) in Event Horizon Station- Ka’sora’s Arrival (Pre-sim)

Posted by Fleet Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Event Horizon Station- Ka’sora’s Arrival (Pre-sim)
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Most ensigns to get to make requests, but given her unusual circumstances and the exceptional distance of her homeworld, Personnel agreed to give her time after graduation to go home to visit, especially given that her family couldn’t make the trip for graduation, and it would likely be years before she saw her family and community again. She didn’t dare think about the circumstances that might mean she may never go home again, but somewhere in the back of her mind, Ka’sora understood that in pursuing this path she accepted the risk that Zahara may become lost to her. Fortunately, she had taken a few steps to ensure that she could manage the homesickness.

Part of those steps were modifications to her dwelling space that not just helped her physically, but provided emotional and psychological benefits. So, these requirements had been sent to the Manhattan ahead of her so that they had time to make the changes before she needed them. The most obvious change was the gravity, which was coincidentally the easiest change. But they had worked out an even better solution for her in that the first meter and a half of her quarters slowly graduated from 1 G to her native 0.915 G. That way, people (including herself) didn’t trip into or out of her dwelling. The other changes were the living walls (two of them- the infrastructure would in be in place and Ka’sora would take care of filling it with plants), and the removal of the bed in favour of a large sling hung from the ceiling. She could sleep in a bed, but it just wasn’t as natural or comfortable, as she discovered at the Academy. After two years, she was eager to sleep in the way she was accustomed.

After two months of travel and waiting at Event Horizon Station, Ka’sora finally received word that the Manhattan was on its way back to base. She had time to pack, but thankfully she hadn’t made herself too at home on the base. What she had done was venture out everyday into the communal spaces. She mingled and observed people, seeking to learn and understand how things worked out here. There was a difference here that she had noticed from her time on Earth at the Academy. These observations were made daily in her personal logs, but she also kept extensive audio and written notes for her work. After all, she was a sociologist and understanding social groups was a core part of her research.

With everything packed, operations took her larger cases over to be delivered to the ship when it arrived and Ka’sora kept two bags with her: a duffle with key essentials, and a tightly woven bag with a traditional nosa print that contained some of her most precious possessions. They were things from home that would help her feel connected to her family and community, and Zahara itself.

Arriving at the airlock, she waited for confirmation that it was safe to proceed and presented her boarding orders. The security officer at the airlock gave her a wide smile. Her tall ears flicked and Ka’sora could almost smell the curiosity off him. “Welcome to the Manhattan, Ensign.”

“Thank you!” she said with her own beaming smile. With a nod, she stepped onto the ship and into her new life. How exciting!

~Ensign Ka’Sora

A voice from further down the passage caused the Security officers at the airlock to snap to attention. “Ensign Ka’sora!” The call came from a human male in the red uniform of Command. His black hair was combed in a tasteful fashion; and it eased the severity of his appearance. As he came closer, the rank on his collar came into view: Fleet Captain. As there was only one Star Fleet officer of that rank in the Delta Quadrant, it was easy to surmise this was the commanding officers of the Manhattan, Fleet Captain Alexander Cochrane. Bright blue eyes connected with the Ensign’s, and he smiled and said “Ensign. Very nice to meet you. I am the commanding officers of the Manhattan, Alexander Cochrane. It is truly an honor to welcome you aboard. I hope your journey was a pleasant one?”

Cochrane, CO

Her gold eyes widened and she wanted to both snap to attention and greet him with her hands at once, both of which were complicated by the bags in hand. The result was that she dropped the standard issue duffel beside her and fumbled to keep the special handwoven bag on the other shoulder. “Elder, er Fleet Captain, Sir,” she said, her heart racing. She wasn’t expecting to meet the her commanding officer so soon, if ever. She was an ensign and though she had met a few different captains thus far, the general expectation she had come away from the academy with was that the lower ranked you were, the less likely you were to meet those at the top of the chain of command on any given assignment. Then again, she could also factor in the obvious caveat: this changed if you were stood out in some obvious way. As the only Zaharan in Starfleet (and the first formally), she did just that.

Ka’sora swallowed and took a deep breath, offering a sheepish smile. “Sorry, you caught me off guard. My journey was…”-she smirked-“long, captain. But interesting. I was on several different ship designs and was on the starbase for awhile, and then well, the wormhole!” Her eyes lit up and even now she had few words to describe exactly how it had made her feel, which was some magical mix of being insignificantly tiny and more apart of the universe than she had every felt. For a Zaharan, that was saying something.

~Ensign Ka’Sora

Cochrane smiled as he approached and looked at the two Security officers. “At ease, lads… you know better than that by now.” and they relaxed their posture and 9 e nodded sheepishly. “Sorry, sir. Still getting used to that is all.” Cochrane smiled again and nodded before looking at the newly arrived Ensign. “You never forget your first time through. And you are never quite the same after.”

Cochrane, CO

She smiled softly and nodded. “There’s a part of me that thinks it might have been what Zaharans in the past felt when they witnessed and learned about technology that to them at the time seemed like magic. Now it’s so common and as a whole we don’t revere the Star Spirits as gods, but that wonder? I can understand it. Makes me understand my own people just a tiny bit more I think,” she said.

Ka’sora glanced around. “I’m not sure what deck we’re on, but I’m supposed to find the quartermaster to get my quarters assignment. They were working on the modifications required but I was told it would still be in standard crew quarters. Could you point me in the right direction?” So far she had been speaking her own language and relying on the universal translator. Ideally, she’d be practicing her Federation Standard, but practicing on the captain seemed like a bad idea.

~Ensign Ka’Sora