T’Aria watched as the turbolift doors peeled open, revealing a young Andorian man with irritable lines carved into his forehead. “Petty Officer,” she nodded and slid into the space beside him. “Deck 4.”

A symphony of soft whirs consumed the silence between them, allowing both to avoid the ails of idle conversation. Miracles manifested in remarkable ways.

Lowering her gaze, T’Aria snagged the PaDD from the crook of her arm and dismissed her lingering notes on Engineering. One department down, four to go. And Science claimed the next slot on her list. T’Aria slid the stylus into her pocket and hoisted her attention to the slowing turbolift. Its doors parted, guiding her into a corridor whose calm posed a stark contrast to Engineering’s innate hubbub. But the stillness was misleading.

T’Aria nodded farewell to the Petty Officer, who seemed relieved to regain his solitude, and ventured into Chernov’s serpentine corridors.

Seconds bled into minutes before she happened across the General Science Lab. And like before, T’Aria chose not to disturb the natural processes. Instead, she slipped inside and found a quiet spot to wait for someone—anyone—to notice her.

– T’Aria, XO