Posted by Captain John Tiberius Glen (Captain) in Meetings with the Captain - Alt-Sim thread

Rana had seemed to have had an epic ride to the Merrimack. Stored back in back of all sorts of things as if he were a carton of eggs. He now though thanked the pilots and wished them a good day. He then loaded all his clothing and other goods onto an antigrav sledge that he’d purchased. For he had found out early that he liked his comforts more than to stuff them all in a bag. He then took all his belonging and found his cabin easily, for this wasn’t his first time on such a vessel. He looked at himself in a mirror and pulled on his new uniform and brushed the sleeves, making sure that both his uniform and he were perfect. His honey colored face had been scrubbed clean, and his thick black hair was combed straight back He knew that he should go to get cleared by the ships physician first but he had read the orders for the current mission, and he wanted to have everything clear with his CO. Walking across the bridge that first time always bothered him and often embarrassed him. Just come out of the lift a stranger and walk to the CO’s door and buzz it as he did now.

The Captain was busy this morning. He wanted to see his CSO later, but first he needed to speak to a number of crew who were leaving. As Rana came in, he would pass Yeoman Faith Hopkins on his way. She had just informed the Captain that she would be taking up the offer of a place at Starfleet Medical and leaving the ship. She would be catching the shuttle that had brought Rana, and she was also taking Ginger, the ships cat with her. Her life had purpose once again; a new platform from which she can pick herself up from and start afresh. She feels that it doesn’t matter how long it takes her, that she’s going to get there now.

Upon hearing the buzz, the Captain called, “Enter, please!”

As Rana stood in front of the door, he could swear that he could feel the eyes of everyone on the bridge staring at him, evaluating him in some fashion. He was quite relieved when he finally heard Captain Glenn answer from the other side of the door. Rana moved quietly and easily as if he were walking into a museum as he crossed the area between the door and the captain’s desk where he handed over his data to Glenn and came to a stiff posture. His arms folded behind his back, his back ramrod straight and his eyes seeming to view some point above Glenn’s head and beyond that by a few hundred miles at least.” Sir!” Rana began,” Lieutenant Rana Singh reporting for duty sir!”

“Stand easy lieutenant,” Glen said, “there is no formality here. You must be Rana?”

Rana smiled broadly and relaxed immediately. ” Certainly Captain. ” Rana replied. ” I hope you’ll forgive me for breaking protocol and coming to see you first, but I thought that it might save us both a lot of time later. I have read the mission directives and to tell you the truth I have more than a few questions. I just hope your Chief Medical officer isn’t a stickler for detail. ”

“There is no problem. I have set aside the whole of this morning for these meetings with new and departing crew. I like to meet every crewmember, but we will be entering the Expanse very soon, so my time is limited. Obviously, you are a priority to see. I’d very much like to get your handle on this mission. Fire away with your questions, but I was hoping that the CMO would not be called upon too much during this mission. The scientific and engineering conundrums are going to be difficult enough, with us seeing combat too!” Glen replied.

Rana looked down at his shoes for a moment before continuing . He looked toward Glenn and with a face now devoid of the friendly smile that had been earlier he asked Glenn. ” Sir it has not escaped me that there is really precious little in the way of hard core intel in our mission plan. The entire thing boiled down would be go out there and peek about a bit , try not to do something silly and let’s see if there’s a rather large bear in the middle of the expanse where there are a race which may or may not be hostile. The whole thing seems somewhat dicey. As if we’re being kept in the dark for a reason.” Rana then looked Glenn in the eye and said with a steady voice. ” I want you to be assured sir that I will do my job come what may. But I was just wanting to know your thoughts. “

”…But this is our job,” Glen replied. “We usually do go where no one has gone before and have been pretty good at it. Often we are out at the very edges of known space, and rarely do we see Sector 001. This present mission is primarily a mapping exercise, but the element of danger is something we frequently encounter on any of our missions to explore strange new sectors and to seek out new life and make First Contact with new civilizations. There is certainly something deep inside the Expanse, a rather large bear if you want to call it that. We aren’t being kept in the dark though. Nobody knows what’s there… at least nobody in Starfleet knows. Even the Vulcan Star Charts don’t extend this far out.”

Rana looked down leaving his eyes downcast for a moment. He then raised his head and with a crooked smile on his face said to Glenn. ” So, Captain, make use of me somewhere before I go mad with the longing to find out all things and to right and to set all wrongs right!”

Rana Singh Number One

“Danger was never the barometer of an officer’s conduct,” Glen said. “Just follow your training and apply yourself to the job at hand, and together we can continue to save the galaxy together and ignore whatever the headquarters geniuses might assign us to do.”

• Glen, CO

Rana nodded and said then. ” Very well then Captain I shall then go get my physical and find you on the bridge then? ”

Rana Singh Number One