Posted by Ensign Laju Eghimea (Security Officer) in Ensign Laju Eghimea, Reporting Sir! (Checking In, Out-Side Lieutenant Forgrave’s office)

Posted by Lieutenant Issac Forgrave (Chief of Security) in Ensign Laju Eghimea, Reporting Sir! (Checking In, Out-Side Lieutenant Forgrave’s office)

Posted by Ensign Laju Eghimea (Security Officer) in Ensign Laju Eghimea, Reporting Sir! (Checking In, Out-Side Lieutenant Forgrave’s office)
Stardate: 2398040.7

The ship was large, far larger than she was used to. Glancing around at this bright and clean ship around her, she felt so small within its vast corridors. It was almost alien to her, but this was going to be her new home for the foreseeable future. She frowned as she drew in a breath through her nose. Even the air aboard a Federation ship smelled clean. Still, she had never seen a ship like this one before. Sure, she had visited Deep Space Nine as a little girl, and saw a large collection of ships there, but none this large. She wondered if it were more like a city in space than a ship. That was the feeling she had as a little girl, and now she was a grown woman and even still she was impressed by the ship.

She half wondered how the Space Guard would fair if they had such large warships under their command. She wondered if they would still need Star Fleet to patrol their region of space if they had such ships like the Viking. She couldn’t help but be filled with pride as the Space Guard would parade such ships before a grateful people of Bajor. The Bajoran Space Guard Fleet was all that remained of the once proud Bajoran Militia. When Bajor joined the Federation, most of the best and brightest cadets went off to join Star Fleet. Her frown held as a wave of bitterness washed over her. She resented them for joining Star Fleet instead of protecting Bajor. Now the defense of Bajor had been left in the hands of loyalists like herself.

‘Who am I to be bitter, now,’ she wondered as she stood waiting to be received by her new Commander. She let out a soft sigh of defeat as she had now joined the ranks of those who had abandoned Bajor and the Militia. ‘No,’ she thought. She hadn’t abandoned Bajor. Instead, she had been exiled to this ship, to Star Fleet. Her frown deepened, her crime, she felt her heart ache, she had survived.

‘No,’ her mind snapped her back to her military protocols. she wouldn’t allow her baggage to embarrass her family, or her settlement. She was Laju, and that meant something.

Ensign Laju stood at ease outside the door to Lieutenant Forgrave’s office. She had arrived only an hour ago, but the ship was so large for her that finding her way here had been more difficult than she had first expected.

She hadn’t been late of course, her orders from Colonel Zadu had her on the next supply ship. He had suggested that she take a few months off, to return home. To heal and recover. She had tried.... She really did. But she couldn’t just sit at home. Not anymore. It took some coaxing, bribing, and downright threatening to get her on the next supply ship to this....the USS Viking.

‘Eghinea,’ the voice echoed in her memories. The past, her past, invaded her world as she closed her eyes and allowed herself a moment to remember him.

‘Yes, Lieutenant’ her own voice echoed in her mind as the scene continued to play out in her memories.

‘You can drop the official talk. We are off duty,’ Breeje said with a smile. ‘Father wants to know if you will be returning home after this patrol,’ the Bajoran officer asked softly. He took two steps from his small desk to his bunk and set down, ‘Eghinea, you are about to be an aunt.’ The small room, his room, was the only single bunked room aboard their small Kendra Class Corvette. And this room belonged to her Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Laju Breeje, who happened to be her brother. For that matter, nearly half of the seventy-five crewmembers were blood related in some manner or fashion.

‘Sir,’ she said holding on to her military tradition. ‘I have trials in less than a month, I have to continue to practice and train,’ she protested.

He laughed, ‘Eghimea, you will pass your trials and if I know father, you will have your own command in a couple of years.’ He waved his hand, ‘now, don’t make me make this an order. Return with me after the patrol and get ready to become an aunt.’ There was that smile she had always hated. That smile that told her that he would have his way.

She rolled her eyes, ‘fine,’ she moved to take a step, ‘I need to return to the bridge,’ she paused then ensured she made her last word clear, ‘Sir.’

Issac sat at his desk, catching up on the endless paperwork that was an inextricable part of his job. He was expecting Ensign Laju, but only had a vague time-frame as opposed to a specific time. But that was fine; it gave him more time and opportunity to review the new officer’s file. So far, he certainly liked what he saw, but it was hard to present a full view in paper (so to speak).

The hissing sound of the door next to her snapped her back to the moment. She felt a hint of chill on her cheek and quickly wiped the tear from her face before snapping to attention. She waited to be called upon by her new commanding officer.

(OOC: I edited in a stardate to flow with the background I just posted)

A soft chime roused Forgrave from his thoughts, and he glanced at the small screen hidden under his desk; revealing the Ensign in question standing at attention outside of his office door. He couldn’t help but grin slightly; Issac tended towards informality, and he couldn’t imagine himself standing at attention outside of a closed door. That thought didn’t color his perception of the woman at all, but it matched well with the perception he had started forming from her file. Smiling, he keyed the door open.

“Come in please.”

Hearing the command, ‘hardly a command voice’, she thought as she turned sharply and entered the office. Her movements were sharped and her stride a steady twelve to the front and six to the rear. She stopped dead center “Ensign Laju Eghimea, reporting as ordered,” she said handing her datapad for him to accept. Her only hope was that he would overlook the fact that her actual reporting date wasn’t for some four months from now.

Before him stood a Bajoran female with short cut brown hair. Lacking her quarters, the moment she stepped off the shuttle, she found a bathroom and changed from her travel clothes to her Dress Uniform. She took extra time to clean up the bast she could in the sink, and to make herself look as best as she could. This was the moment she had spent waiting for since she left Bajor. She wouldn’t embarrass the Star Guard, the Bajoran Military Academy or her family. Even taking a few extra moments to make sure her brass was polished, as well as her standard issue Bajoran Phaser. Though there was one thing missing from her uniform. Despite her best effort, she couldn’t bring herself to place her Star Fleet Medal of Commendation on her uniform. Despite what was said, she knew the truth. She didn’t deserve it. She left it in her lone suitcase along with everything else she brought with her.

Issac stood behind his desk as Eghimea entered, smiling slightly as he waved a hand towards one of the chairs positioned in front of his desk. “Welcome; please feel free ta have a seat. Can I offer ya coffee, or anything else from the replicator?”

Stepping into the Chief’s office, Eghimea would find a space roughly twice as long as it was wide. On the left wall, there was a large shelf, filled with various devices and odds and ends, some in protective casing. Further away from the door on the same wall was a large screen, currently powered down and black. On the wall opposite the door was a larger screen, almost taking up the entire wall with a cutaway view of the Viking showing its current status. On the right wall near the door was an abstract painting with vibrant primary colors. (Genesis, Leonardo Nierman) Further along the wall was a large L-shaped desk, with the short end butted up to the wall and closer to the door. Set into the wall above the short end was a standard replicator. Across from the desk were two simple chairs. On the far end of the right wall away from the door was a narrow metal cabinet; approximately head-high and with closed doors. The security chief himself was a sturdily built, if average-sized man in his early thirties. His hair was cut razor-short; except for a thick, neatly groomed mustache. His accent was distinct; words blending together slightly in a deep southern drawl.

Forgrave, CoS

She stood there at attention with her eyes focused a head of her as he made his kind offer. “Thank you, Sir,” Eghimea said as she moved to the chair to her left and took her seat. Her back straight, and still holding that level of military professionalism that was drilled into her at the Academy.

It had broken her heart when she learned that her class was going to be the last class before the entire facility would be handed over to Star Fleet. Once more, she watched the Bajoran Government slowly dismantling the very organization that had won Bajor’s independence. All that remained of the Militia was the Star Guard, and even they had to be partially funded by families like her own. And yet, here she was, reporting to a man who was a member of the very organization that was destroying her family’s heritage. ‘What a cruel joke,’ she thought of her Colonel Zado’s orders that brought her to this place.

“Thank you,” she said shapely with a slight shake of her head. “But I am fine,” she added. She set there waiting for him to review her orders. She didn’t feel any excitement to be here, but this is where she was ordered to be, and she would serve with pride. But so much more than that, it would keep her mind and dreams occupied with, other things.

Ensign Laju Eghimea

(OOC: Please forgive the edits, I am learning how to “snip” )

(OOC: no worries; it takes a bit to get used to the format and whatnot. ‘Preview’ and ‘edit’ are both worth their weight in gold! With time and practice, you’ll get a good hang of things - if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. And you’ve done a great job of inserting your posts within mine.)
(IC:)
Forgrave took his own seat at the same time, and briefly scanned the orders that she had handed over. It was a formality, but an important one. A moment later, he nodded to himself and signed his authorization before laying the PaDD to the side on his desk. He took another moment to look over the Ensign, considering what little he knew of the woman. It was obvious she had taken time to polish up her appearance; and he thought she seemed a bit nervous - though he wasn’t sure; it was simply a guess based on her rigid posture. The scarring on her right side was impossible to miss, but Issac didn’t let his eyes linger on the burns.
“Yer free ta relax, or be ‘at ease’ if you’d like, Ensign. Y’ain’t on trial here or nothing - I’ll admit I got some questions fer ya, but unless I deeply misread yer file, you got nothing ta worry about today. I’m more interested in gettin’ ta know ya a bit better than what your file permits - what yer goals are, yer thoughts on this posting and all that mess; as well as answer any questions ya got. But fer starters, I ain’t real familiar with Bajoran names; if I pronounce yours wrong, I insist you correct me - I won’t take offense. And on that note, do you have a preference on what ya go by - Laju; Eghimea? Fer myself, Issac or Forgrave are both fine by me. Or Chief, I reckon.” Issac shrugged. “I ain’t picky.” His tone was casual and earnest, and he leaned back slightly in his chair as he waited politely for a reply, taking a sip from a steaming mug of coffee.

“And now that introductions have been started, how are you finding yourself today? You have any issues getting aboard, or finding yer way about? And have you make time to check in with medical and counseling? First day on a new ship is.... well, I always found it ta be a blasted mess. Got no idea where anything is, and everything is new an’ strange.” He shook his head gently at the nostalgia; it had never seemed to get easier, but he had learned to adapt with the repetition of it.

Forgrave, CoS