"Bacon and Eggs"
Previous post the friendly giant's "Report From Higher Up"
-------------------
Stardate: 60304.0745
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Deck 15, 'Black Hole' Crew Lounge, Upper Level
Once everyone had ordered there had been a slight chatter about the chosen meals, the pros and cons of eggs sunny-side-up and what drink went best with French toast. However, after everyone had began eating their chosen meals the conversation had (understandably) ceased and Susan found herself getting less and less comfortable.
She hated silence and would often end up humiliating herself by saying anything to get the conversation going. She was determined to not do that this time. After all, she wanted her new crew to like her didn't she? Nevertheless, she also wanted to know as much about them as possible. And sitting down to breakfast seemed the perfect time. Except that, judging by the lack of conversation, it obviously wasn't.
Swallowing her eggs and hoping to rouse some conversation, Susan looked across the table at Pravat and said, "So, you're the Marine CO?" Susan silently hoped that she'd got it right. She'd read up on so many crew members that for a second she was in doubt, especially when she saw some kind of shadow come over his face.
Pravat swallowed hard, biting down his surprise at the sudden question and burying his internal qualms. He took a deep breath, smiled and nodded, "Yes, that's me."
The flood of relief Susan felt at getting the name right disappeared as soon as she saw that the CSO had stopped eating and was staring at her. "I'm sorry... did I say something..."
"Nothing at all." Pravat smiled again, though somehow he knew that the smile had come out crooked. The last thing he wanted to do was alienate anyone or make them feel uncomfortable. "Why do you ask?"
Susan glanced at the Shillian, who had still not returned to her meal. Finding no help there, Susan shrugged and admitted, "I was just making conversation. It must be an exciting job."
She could have kicked herself. Pravat's face clouded over again. There was obviously something there that he didn't want to talk about. She was a Counselor. She should have picked that up. Before she could apologize, he spoke, "Don't worry. It's not your fault. I'm just..."
"Sensitive." the CSO filled in for him. She received a glare for her efforts and Susan quickly changed the subject.
"Are you telepathic?"
It was the only thing she could think of to ask. And he had seemed to read her mind a few minutes ago. Surprisingly, he nodded, "I am Enaran."
Susan raised her eyebrows, glad for the change of subject. "Enaran... I've never heard..."
Prav shrugged, "Not surprising. We come from the Delta quadrant."
Silence ensued. Susan couldn't think of anything else to ask. Just when the silence was becoming unbearable, Maya dutifully broke it.
The CSO put down the PADD she was holding and pushed all thoughts of the Mind Stone from her mind. She was kind of grateful for the distraction and concerned that Susan would ask Prav too many touchy questions, Maya decided to change the focus of the conversation completely. "So, Ensign Mei. What brings you into the wonderful world of Intel? I mean, I know that you said that you were sent here by Adml. Smith, but what were you doing before that? I mean, before Adml. Smith sent you here? Did you have plans to be a Counselor on some ship travelling the outer boundaries of the Federation, or on a starbase near or on one of the members worlds or even better enjoy a job behind a desk on one of the founding worlds? Did you picture yourself counselling Terrans or Aliens, or did you envision yourself trying to make sense of a never before encountered race that might think in ways that would have been as strange as their appearance?"
Susan blinked at the sudden and seemingly endless barrage of questions, "I... um..."
"It's alright if you don't want to answer." Maya jumped in.
Before Maya could get going again, Susan shook her head, "No, no, you just caught me by surprise, that's all. Actually, I was at the Academy."
Prav raised his eyebrows. "At the Academy?" he looked at Maya, "They sent us one fresh out of the Academy. We should be honoured."
Susan felt her cheeks turn red.
"He doesn't mean it." Maya quickly informed her. "Everyone has to start somewhere, right?"
Susan nodded.
"How is it that you ended up in Intel?" Maya asked
Susan shrugged, looking down at her plate and still slightly embarrassed, "I don't know. I just went for an interview and was offered a job."
Sensing that this line of questioning was getting nowhere, Prav (also curious about the new member of the crew) decided to change tact slightly, "Did you grow up in a Starfleet family?"
Susan nodded, but the usually warm topic was now ice-cold in the pit of her stomach. The fight she had had with her father and his parting words were eating at her. She didn't have to be a veteran to work out that she wouldn't be allowed to contact him from here. Realizing her silence to be rude, Susan elaborated. "Yes, my father is an admiral."
Cottoning on to a possible interesting conversation, Maya asked, "oh, what department is he in?"
Susan shrugged, "I don't know. Work was never one of his favorite conversation topics."
"Interesting..." The Enaran looked at the CSO, "Maybe he was in Intel and you didn't even know it?" Susan laughed at the thought, "No, he's more the paper type than the espionage type, if you know what I mean?"
"Well," Maya was glad to see the ensign smiling, "Someone has to organize all our reports. I mean I only get to see the reports that come from my department, but I can only imagine the amount of data that it given in from every other departments including the Command Logs from our Commanding Officer and Executive Officer. There has to be someone somewhere who goes through it all and makes sense of it."
Prav raised his eyebrows in mock-amazement, "You mean they're not eaten? I thought that it was customary to eat all reports as soon as we received them."
Maya looked at Susan as she said in a serious tone, "no, that's just the communications. The reports are supposed to be sent to Starfleet... or burned. Depending on what's in them."
They all laughed and any tension that had been in the air evaporated. Susan sat back in her chair, at ease.
--------------- 2005 post #087
Tallulah Habib {thabib@eject.co.za}
Ensign Susan Mei
Head Counselor
USS ANUBIS
---------------
"Life is mostly froth and bubble,
Two things stand like stone,
Kindness in another's trouble,
Courage in your own." - Adam Lindsay Gordon
