First Meetings
Posted on Fri Jan 21st, 2022 @ 8:58pm by Lieutenant Commander Alyssa Maren
Edited on on Sun Jan 23rd, 2022 @ 2:47pm
1,149 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission:
Episode 12 - Risin' To Risa
Location: Empok Nor
Timeline: MD002 1500 hrs
Alyssa loved the space allotted to arboretums on starbases. It gave them a lot more freedom to create immersive places that let you wander through gardens or woods. She'd even seen one that had a river running through the middle. Empok Nor's was not as fancy, but it had a wide variety of plants and trees to explore. There was too much to see, so she was taking one deck a day. She knew the Pioneer often stopped here, so there would be plenty of time to see everything...eventually. But she still started with her favorite area first.
Claire found herself with some free time. Clark was at a meeting and their son was playing a video game in their temporary quarters. She loved finding a quiet place to just grab some solitude. Things would become busy once they were on board the Pioneer. She didn't think she would have a lot of time like this.
There was nothing like the feel of real trees. Some said Alyssa was just being fanciful, but it always felt different to be around real trees than holographic ones. She walked around a clump of trees to look at the soil, then came out onto another path, right in front of another Starfleet officer. ""I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "I should have checked first."
"I am sorry as well." Claire said with a smile. I was enjoying being here and wasn't watching where I was going." She paused. "I am Claire...Claire Eriksson. It is nice here, isn't it?" Claire liked solitude at times but was glad to have bumped into her.
"It is." She smiled. "I love the arboretum. Especially on a starbase where there's more room. I'm Alyssa. Alyssa Maren. Nice to meet you. Are you stationed here or in transit?"
"I am in transit." Claire said with a smile. "My husband and I have been assigned to the USS Pioneer." She grinned then. "I am excited to get there." She reflected that it had been a while since she had felt that way.
"Really?" Alyssa grinned. "I'm headed to the Pioneer myself. Now it's doubly nice to meet you."
Claire smiled widely. "As am I. It will be nice to know someone on board when we get there." She shook her head. "It's a small world."
"I agree. I won't feel like such a stranger." She smiled back. "Do you and your husband work in the same department?"
“No.” Claire said with a smile. “Clark works out of intelligence.” She grinned. “He isn’t really the operations type.”
"Not many are. Then again, each department attracts its own types. Scientists can be a bit obsessed with their jobs." Alyssa was just as bad, if not worse, than many of them.
"We are usually referred to as geeks." Claire smiled. "Either buried in computer programs or manuals." She shook her head. "There is so much more to us than that."
Alyssa nodded. "Same with most scientists. But some of us do tend to prove the stereotype. I generally make sure I have a couch big enough to sleep on in my office--just in case." She wasn't sure if her new assignment would keep her that busy, but she would still want the option.
"I used to get caught up a lot at work." Claire said with a nod. "It still happens on occasion but having a family changed that."
Alyssa nodded. "I used to have a Capuchin named Mozart. He took a lot of time and attention, but he passed away last year. Now I have plenty of time to get distracted with work. But a family does need your time and attention--and there is more to life than work. Usually."
"I think it's important to balance life." Claire nodded. "Even though we don't want to think about it, there will come a time that we won't be serving out here anymore. It is good to have personal attachments."
"When they work out." Alyssa's last relationship didn't go as well as she hoped. Losing Mozart after that was doubly hard, but this was a new ship and a new start. "I hope to go back to teaching when I get tired of Starfleet. The one good thing about our occupations is we can find work anywhere."
“That is true.” Claire conceded. “It isn’t an easy life but I find the rewards are worth it.”
She nodded. "They really are. We're fortunate. At least, I think so." She loved seeing new systems and old planets. "But there is something to be said for staying planet side." Alyssa grinned. "At least, that's what I hear."
“Each has its advantages and rewards.” Claire conceded. “I think it comes down to what each person wants.”
"Agreed. And where they can thrive." She looked around at the arboretum. "Even though the Pioneer is smaller than other ships I've been on, I'm looking forward to it."
"It is a new start." Claire said with a smile. "I'm one of those officers who likes the move. I mean, I would like to settle into a ship and stay but there are advantages to something new."
Alyssa grinned. "Yes, there are. I'm looking forward to the new opportunity. Having a smaller science department allows for more...creativity." And less paperwork, which meant she could do more herself.
“Meeting new people like we are right now.” Claire added. “And sometimes you work with new species and get the chance to study a new culture.”
"Exactly." Her grin broadened. "Yes. There's definitely that. I'm sure you have your own rewards in Operations." She'd worked with Ops often enough to know that, but each officer brought their own skill set to their department.
"It is why I chose it for my career." Claire said with a smile. "It is very rewarding and it fits my personality well. I learned quickly how to stand my ground."
"That's a necessary skill when you run a department. Too many try to see how far they can push you." Alyssa shook her head and then grinned. "Cleaning petri dishes or making mulch is always useful in science."
Claire grinned. "I'm really glad we bumped into each other." She looked around. "I feel like we will be good friends once we get settled in. "
Alyssa grinned. "Me, too." She'd noticed the other woman looking around. "Go find your family. I'll see you on the Pioneer."
Claire smiled. “I am holding you to that.” She said with a smile. “Come look me up and we can have lunch.” Claire waved as she walked away, she felt good about having made a friend.
A Mission Post by
Lieutenant Alyssa Maren
Chief Science Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Claire Eriksson
Chief Operations Officer, USS Pioneer
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