“Computer, silence alarm,” Khiryn said groggily.

Despite his general reluctance, he forced himself to open his eyes and climb out of bed. He didn’t reach for coffee as some other officers might. Instead, he made his way directly to the sonic shower.

Once inside, he enjoyed the sensation for a few moments… luxuriating in the relaxing low-frequency vibrations. Once he was suitably clean, he adjusted the dial and turned up the frequency. The sensation was jarring, felt throughout his entire body like nails on a chalkboard. The Akaali withstood the aural assault for as long as he could, then slapped the controls to turn off the sonic shower.

Now fully awake, if not relaxed, Ensign Donivas went about his morning routine. In no time at all, he was back on his way to Deck 13 to check in with the Chief Science Officer.

He’d tried this the day before, but the CSO had been out. While he was waiting, Khiryn had become invested in a side project Lt Rowe had been working on. Time got away from him, a common occurrence when the young academic was working, and before he knew it, he had to run to another check-in appointment.

That project was the main reason he was so tired this morning. He’d stayed up much later than he’d intended, trying to ferret out new insights from the limited data they had available.

Ensign Donivas was a little embarrassed… it wasn’t exactly the first impression he wanted to make on his new department head. He also wondered how Lieutenant Commander Madison would handle a new officer who failed to check in on their first day. His experience with senior academics ran the gamut from overly militant to laissez-faire.

Like a man on a mission, Khiryn entered the General Science Lab again, approached the CSO’s private office, and chimed it to let the occupant know there was a visitor.

Ensign Khiryn Donivas - Science Officer - U.S.S. Athena