Posted by Captain Iphigenia Henao (Captain) in So This Is Mjolnir-Class - CTO Arrival (Tag CO/XO)

Posted by Lieutenant Mown Gworl (Chief Tactical Officer) in So This Is Mjolnir-Class - CTO Arrival (Tag CO/XO)

Posted by Captain Iphigenia Henao (Captain) in So This Is Mjolnir-Class - CTO Arrival (Tag CO/XO)
Posted by… suppressed (9) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Mjolnir-Class.

Mown could not believe it as he approached on the little standard runabout and it docked in the ship.

35 decks, a Type-12 primary shield, and enough phaser banks to make his eyes glaze over. And part of the responsibility for keeping this shiny new toy safe was him, the newly-minted Lieutenant Gworl.

If only the kids back on the mean streets of Ferasa could see him now, his fur neatly combed and his mane gelled back, wearing an immaculate uniform with gleaming hints of yellow.

All Mown carried was a duffle bag and a dusty Feresan drum. He had heard that someone would be there to greet him. He looked around the bay and scrit-scrit-scritched an ear with two delicate claws, jingling his earring.

He knew this was definitely going to be an adventure.

-CTO Mown Gworl

When Lieutenant Gworl stepped off the shuttle, NE Saoir, a Kelpian who usually worked as a transporter operator, greeted him. He was very formal in his stance as he held a PaDD in his hand. His expressionless face was glued to it as he said, “Based on your profile....and the photo,” he held up the PaDD so the screen faced Lieutenant Gworl, displaying his Academy photo, “You must be our new CTO. Certainly there is no mistaking you. Welcome aboard. The XO and the Captain are expecting you in the briefing lounge on deck 23, but first let’s get your bags dropped off in your quarters.”

“Thank you, Ensign” Mown said, a little stiffly. Suddenly his bag felt heavy in his hand. What was he in for with this ARU vessel, anyway? Mown shook aside the imposter syndrome and followed the Kelpian silently, his ears perked alert.

Saoir motioned for the Catian officer to follow him as he began walking. They entered into automated double sliding doors and after walking serveral hundred yards more they reached a lift. A brown skinned Trill woman with two rows of black spots, which lined each side of her face and continued down the side of her neck until they disappeared beneath the collar of her uniform, was waiting by the lift as they approached it. “This is Security Ensign Aza, she will escorting you to your quarters to drop your bags off then to the briefing lounge.” He looked at the Ensign sternly, “There is no time for a tour. Lieutenant Growl is due in the briefing lounge in 15 minutes.”

“Thank you, Ensign,” Mown said to the departing Saoir. “I’m sure we’ll see each other again. Hi, Ensign Aza. Mown. Mown Gworl. “

He couldn’t extend a paw to shake, burdened with bags, so he shrugged as if to acknowledge her.

Aza silently nodded to acknowledge Saoir. The lift opened. Aza held out a hand and said to Gworl, “After you.”

“Thank you!” Mown said. “So, my quarters? Yanno, on my last ship, I had to share a bathroom with three guys. Will it be like that here?”

When they entered the lift Aza tapped on the PaDD she’d been holding in her hand for a moment before she spoke again. “As the CTO of the ship, you will be assigned Department Head quarters. They are pretty nice. You get your own space and you have a replicator.” She smiled then said, “I have never served with Catian before. You guys are scarce in Starfleet. You will have to tell me how you ended up in Starfleet and here on the Leviathan.”

NE Saoir/NE Aza

Mown’s throat was suddenly dried up. Talking about his past made him feel like choking up a hairball, but he had developed a certain way of telling the story.

“Well,” he began, “I grew on on Ferasa. Wild kit, litterless in a mid-size desert city. We lived and fought in the streets, busked for money. One day this old Ferengi guy heard my play my drum, and before long I was in some boarding school paid for by his latinum!

“I am sorry. Seems even though you had a rough start things turned out well. A Ferengi paid for your boarding school?” She shook her head and chuckled at the irony. “I am surprised he didn’t try to sell you as a pet. Or keep you as a slave to earn back the latinum he spent on you. Those Ferengi are all about their profits!”

Mown could feel his cheeks warm and earn flatten from embarrassment. “He calls me a terrible investment, but Norb’s a solid businessman. Maybe the closest thing to a dad I got.”

“Aww, that is sweet. It almost make me want to trust the n3xt Ferengi I meet.” She joked. “No really, that is awesome he took care of you like that. You are lucky.” She gave him a play pat on the shoulder.”

“Now, he wanted me to grow up and be a part of his business, but see, I had other ideas. Joined Starfleet, liked conflict resolution from my days on the street and them pew pew lasers from playing rich kids’ holo games in boarding school.

“How did he take you wanting to join Starfleet instead of work in the business? Are you still in contact with this Ferengi?”

“If we’re in the same sector, sure! I’m still friends with his kids. His granddaughter, Zizi, is my god-daughter.” Mown explained. “If it weren’t for them, I might still be busking on Feresa.”

“Busking?” She said with a raised eyebrow.

“You know, playing music or dancing on the street for some change.” Mown said. “Mostly just harassing tourist or passers-by for some money. Me and my drum. But not for long.”

He gestured to the Feresan drum on his hip.

“Oh…well, too bad I won’t get to hear you play your drum.”

Mown could resist the opportunity to show off a little. He dropped his duffle, squatted, placed the drum between his knees.

His Feresan drum had been with him for as long as he could remember, and though there were many drums amongst the Catian and Feresian peoples, he’d never seen another like it. To a person from Eartg, in shape, it would seem similar to a djembe from Mali in West Africa but smaller, and Mown’s made of a scratched up black wood and fitted with some sort of durable gray drumskin.

He squatted to play it, beating a tentative rhythm at first, but it grew more confident and sustained, like a heartbeat… then petered out.

Aza grinned then began to dance to the beat of the drum. For those few moments she was happy. This was the true personality of Amoni, not Zacharya or Alars. She felt only like herself in that moment and not like those of her symbiont’s personalities. It had been some time since she heard music of any kind and had the opportunity to dance. She started off with a twirl then held her hands high with the PaDD in right one, as her feet moved to the beat of the drum.

Mown put his paws together for the impromptu performance! The security officer was light on her feet, and he could see real talent there, too.

“And we would play in the street like that, you know,” he said, suddenly embarassed, standing and collecting his duffle.

Aza placed the PaDD under her arm then gave a gleeful applause, “Now I dont want to leave. It has been so long since I have danced like that, my friend. You are good. If you ever considered playing professionally you’d make a great living.”

“For a time, that was all I wanted to do. Play music. Then came Norb and school, and well, I sort of chose the Starfleet path,” he said bashful. “I really do appreciate it. It’s not very often I play for anybody other than myself anymore.”

“After the Academy, I ended up on Deep Space 6 in the Romulan neutral Zone for a minute, then had a pretty short but eventful tour as a Security JO on the USS Sasquatch, when I was recruited to this role.”

He finished his recitation as naturally as possible and smiled a big Cheshire cat grin at Aza. “How long have you been aboard?”

-CTO Mown Gworl

Ah I see. So you jumped at the opportunity to join the Leviathan. I don’t think you will regret your decision, although,” she leaned in closer and whispered, “the Captain, is from Earth. Particularly from Texas and she can be can be kind of …kooky.” she laughed at the sound of the word. She heard it from another Starfleet officer who was a Texas native and every since it became apart of her vocabulary. To her it sounded better than calling someone strange or unusual, also it was fun to say. She shrugged, “But I like her. She won’t bother you just as long as you do what your supposed to and don’t do anything you are not supposed to. The XO. A Romulan with typical Romulan mannerisms. They are an interesting combination.”

“At Deep Space 6, we had our share of typical Romulan, but I don’t know if I’ve ever served with a Texan before,” Mown laughed. “So, you been here long, or…”

Aza answered his question with grin to match his own. “I have been aboard the ship two years, however this is my last day. I will be transferring to the USS Memorial. My shuttle leaves in a few hours.”

NE Security Officer Aza

“Ah! Well, it’s a shame and pleasure to meet you before you go,” Mown said. “But I hear great things about the Memorial. Do you know what your first mission aboard will be yet?”

“No mission assignment yet. I decided to transfer because the last mission was kind of scary. I think I will do well on a normal Starfleet ship. Some people might think I am a coward, but I don’t care. The Leviathan and the 13 other ships like it are not for everyone.”

The ominous nature of the ensign’s tone hung in the air.

The lift pulsed to a smooth stop. “Is this us? I’m not 100% on my Mjolnir-Class specs yet–at least those that don’t involve shields, phaser banks, torpedoes, and beams.”

-CTO Mown Gworl

“Yep, this is it. Deck 3. You will be in 333. How about that Deck 3 and Suite 333. I will wait here while you drop you bag off.” She placed her hands behind her back, still clutching her pad in her right hand. Her stance was typical of Security Office standing guard, until she started to rocked back and forth on her feet as she waited by the door of his quarters.

NE Security Officer Aza

“Three has always been my lucky number,” Mown grinned. He swiped his paw over the entry button and the suite illuminated, revealing the full Mjolnir-Class suite of features.

He entered gingerly and placed his duffle and drum down–made a mental note to have his crate of belongings brought up as soon as it came through Cargo.

“Seperate rooms?!” he yowled, only half. “You mean all this is mine?!”

-CTO Mown Gworl

Aza took that as an invition to enter the quarters. She looked around and nodded. “Yeah I am a little jealous you get a whole room. Although we, Ensigns, do have separate bedrooms we do have to share quarters and a bathroom. I am glad you get your own space though. Come now. I have to get you to the briefing room before my shuttle leaves.”

NE Security Officer Aza

“Absolutely! We don’t want to keep you away from bigger things,” Mown said. “Thank you for taking me to my quarters. 333. Now I’ll follow you.”

-CTO Mown Gworl

As they left Lieutenant Gworl’s quarters, they headed to the lift and reentered it. “Deck 23.” Aza said as she grinned at Mown Growl, holding her PaDD. “After this, it’s goodbye my friend. I hope we get to serve together again one day.”

“I do, too!,” Mown said, and he meant it. “I’ve enjoyed our tour together and I sure feel more comfortable than I did when I first came aboard.

“I am glad.”

The lift came to a halt and the doors opened. Aza stepped out and lead Mown through the CIC and into a room that was adjacent to the massive command center and next door to a larger room. In the room a woman, dressed in a red Starfleet uniform, looked like she could be a dark skinned Latina or light-skinned African woman, with jet-black long hair that was cut evenly at the ends, parted in the center of her head and hung over her shoulders all the way to her elbows, sat at the left corner of the rectangle table. A PaDD was placed in front of an empty chair at the head of the table. She looked at them both with her reddish brown mahogany eyes as she smiled, stood, and greeted them.
“Ensign Aza, Lieutenant Gworl you made it.” She quickly glanced at the chronometer on her own PaDD, “A few minutes late, but in any case, welcome, Lieutenant Gworl.”

“Captain!” Mown saluted, trying to not peer around the room to anxiously. He regretted, briefly, his impromptu drumming session. “We dropped by my quarters so I could stow my bag and I take full responsibility.”

His tail and ears lie flat in nervous anticipation.

Iphigenia was impressed when he immediately took responsibility for their tardiness. It was the appropriate to do as the senior officer. He instantly gained some respect from her and she felt he would be a reliable and trustworthy officer as well. “It’s fine all that matters is that you are here now. I hope you like your quarters. Let me know if there is anything you need after you are settled in.”

She looked at Aza then said, “You better get going. Your shuttle will be leaving in a few hours.” Aza nodded and headed for the door. “Wait!” Said Iphigenia, “Come here.” She held her arms wide open and her fingers and their well manicured medium length fingernails, waved Aza back in her direction. Aza smiled, walked over to Iphi and hugged her tightly. “Good luck on the Memorial. I am going to miss you.” Iphigenia whispered to her.
Aza nodded, “I am going to miss being here, but I know I will be better stationed elsewhere.”
Iphigenia nodded. “It’s your decision Amoni. I respect it.”

Mown averted his eyes and checked out the CIC as the two said their goodbyes. He could certainly appreciate how close they were, and was sad to see the NE go, but he also felt like he was intruding on a personal moment and tried to be as unobtrusive as possible. He retracted one claw and then another surreptitiously.

Aza looked at Mown and smiled, “Goodbye, Lieutenant Gworl.”

NE Security Officer Aza/Henao, CO

Mown looked at Officer Aza and smiled. “Officer Aza, it was my pleasure. I wish you all the success aboard the Memorial,” Mown said, saluting her. “I have a feeling you’ll be great.”

“Thank you.” She said as she gave him a final nod and exited the room.

NE Security Officer Aza

He looked at the Captain with sympathy in his eyes. It was never easy to lose a crewman, even if it only was to another ship.

-CTO Mown Gworl

Iphigenia breathed out a loud sigh beforen she said, “Well now, I guess we should get started.” She motioned to the empty chair that had a PaDD in front of it and she took her seat. “Are you hungry, can I get you something to drink before we begin our conversation?”

Henao, CO

“A water would be great,” Mown said. “Thank you, Captain. It’s nice to meet you in person. I am very grateful for the opportunity to be here.”

He felt like he was rambling a little, but he had so many questions! He’d forgotten how disorienting orientation could really be, and it was just the beginning of the day!

He peered around the CIC.

-CTO Mown Gworl