Posted by Lieutenant Selene Kross (Chief Science Officer) in Galley Deck 4

Posted by Lieutenant Dana Anu (Chief Medical Officer) in Galley Deck 4

Posted by Lieutenant Selene Kross (Chief Science Officer) in Galley Deck 4
The Galley/Crew Lounge on Deck 9 was one of the quieter places aboard the USS Sentinel during the afternoon shift. The steady thrum of the ship’s systems provided a familiar background noise, occasionally punctuated by the soft hiss of a food dispenser or the muted footsteps of a crewmember passing through. Beyond the two forward viewing windows, the stars stretched endlessly across the darkness of space, giving the small lounge an almost peaceful atmosphere despite the ship continuing its mission.

Lieutenant Selene Kross had claimed one of the tables nearest the windows.

A steaming cup of tea sat within easy reach of her right hand, its warmth slowly rising into the recycled atmosphere as she worked through a stack of science reports displayed on her padd. Her attention moved methodically from one report to another, blue eyes scanning sensor analyses, stellar cartography updates, and the latest long-range astronomical observations forwarded from the Science Department.

She took a slow sip of tea before returning to the report in front of her.

“Interesting.”

The word was spoken quietly, more to herself than anyone else.

Selene enlarged a set of sensor readings and studied the graphical representation for several seconds. There was nothing immediately alarming in the data, but there were several minor discrepancies that she wanted her department to investigate before they became something more significant. She made a short notation on the padd and flagged the report for follow-up.

Only after several more minutes did she finally decide that she had earned a proper meal.

She set the padd aside and approached the food dispenser. After making her selection, the dispenser hummed softly as the system prepared her meal. A moment later, a plate of chicken parmesan appeared, complete with pasta and a small side of vegetables.

Selene carried the meal back to her table, setting it beside her tea before settling into the chair.

She looked out through the window for a moment.

There was something reassuring about eating while watching the stars pass by. For someone who had spent much of her career studying the universe through sensors, instruments, and scientific databases, there remained something profoundly different about simply looking at it.

She picked up her fork and sampled the chicken parmesan.

“Not bad.”

The comment came with the faintest hint of approval.

She continued eating, taking her time rather than rushing through the meal. Her padd remained beside the plate, however, because Selene Kross had never been particularly good at completely separating herself from her work.

Between bites, she picked it up again.

Another report.

Another set of numbers.

Another mystery waiting somewhere in the darkness beyond the hull.

She reviewed the data while occasionally taking a drink of tea, her expression becoming increasingly thoughtful as she worked through the information. The Sentinel’s science department generated an impressive volume of material, and as Chief Science Officer, Selene considered it her responsibility to understand what was coming across her desk rather than simply approving reports because they looked complete.

She paused with her fork halfway to her mouth and reread one particular section.

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

There was a pattern there.

It was subtle enough that an automated system had classified it as insignificant, but Selene wasn’t convinced. She enlarged the relevant data and compared it against an earlier sensor sweep.

For several moments she simply stared at the two readings.

Then she smiled faintly.

“Well, that’s worth looking into.”

She saved the report and added another note for the Science Department.

Only then did she return her attention to her meal.

The tea had cooled slightly, but it was still warm enough to be enjoyable. Selene took another sip before leaning back in her chair, allowing herself a few quiet moments to simply watch the stars.

For now, the ship was safe.

The reports were under control.

Her meal was still warm.

And somewhere in the vastness ahead of the Sentinel, the universe was undoubtedly hiding another question for her to answer.

Selene Kross, Ph.D., M.D.
Chief Science Officer
Lieutenant, Sciences Division // USS Sentinel
Advanced Cryogenic & Environmental Systems
OOC: I thoroughly enjoyed reading that! :-)
IC:
The door to swished back and a Denobulan woman strode in with big strides, which wasn’t very impressive since she wasn’t very tall. Her eyes were glued to a pad, her fingers flying over it, typing something. Nevertheless she weaved her way past the assorted tables, chairs and other crewmembers as if she was looking up.
A strand of her long auburn hair even fell into her face as she steered herself by some unseen force to the table right next to Selene and sat down.
So close now, Selene would hear that she was mumbling something as she kept flicking back the strand of her hair which promptly fell back down. This happened a couple of times until she set the pad down on the table with a bang, grabbed the affronting strand of hair and glared at it.

Dr Dana Anu, CMO

” I believe this Hair belongs to you Doctor and I do hope that your interrupting my work and meal for a reason.” She replied looking at the CMO with a raised eyebrow.

Ooc: Thank you it was a blast to write as for this one I just woke up.

Selene Kross, Ph.D., M.D.
Chief Science Officer
Lieutenant, Sciences Division // USS Sentinel
Advanced Cryogenic & Environmental Systems

OOC: You must be a morning person :-) IC:

Dana looked up into a set of icy blue eyes, just as piercingly blue as hers were green. She tried to stay serious, but the opening was just too good and if she remembered the crew roster correctly, this was her first meeting with a fellow department head, the CSO, a truly impressive lady with a lot of medical training under her belt. Her file and the way she looked at her now did not suggest a great sense of humor… well, this was a chance to put that assumption to the test.

Dana kept her features even as she took back the strand of hair that had come loose, as if it was an appalling alien artefact found on a first contact planet.

“My apologies Lt. Kross. I am now twice as annoyed by this hair.” she looked at the hair angrily. “First for interrupting not only my, but also your work. I’ve often wondered why most humanoid species have hair. It serves little purpose, is inefficient and needlessly time consuming! Second for putting me into a truly awkward position while making the acquaintance of a fellow department head and indeed colleague…” she looked up again, the anger gone, her piercingly green eyes meeting Selene’s again and one of her eyebrows climbed up slowly, together with one corner of her lips in the hint of a smirk.

“It’s a truly hairy situation.” she said and then she waited. Waited to see with what kind of person she would have to share a deck with and hoped fervently that not all about the Chief of Science was made of ice.

Dr Dana Anu, CMO