The corridor outside the executive office was quiet, save for the occasional footfall from bridge personnel passing behind her.

Dev stood alone before the sealed door, hands clasped loosely behind her back, posture crisp. She could hear the muted hum of the Ogawa’s systems—an ever-present lullaby of warp field harmonics and environmental control. Familiar. Comforting, in its way.

She took a slow breath. Not out of anxiety—but precision. She wanted to be clear, concise, present. First impressions with an XO tended to shape the tone of an entire tour.

Dev stepped forward and pressed the door chime.

A soft tone rang out—just one—and she waited, expression composed, chin slightly lifted, ready to be summoned in.

A part of her—distant, buried under layers of training—remembered the first time she’d stood outside an office like this, fresh from the Academy, fists clenched too tightly behind her back. Now, the tension had long since worn into habit. Not fear. Just form.

She waited. Still.

Lt. Commander Dev ○●●
Chief Science Officer
U.S.S. Ogawa