Jaxom Nadir had only recently transferred to the Valkyrie, and because Saffiya really needed a break from her paperwork (PADDwork?), she decided this was the best opportunity to greet him. Her office was a mess, which was why she decided to familiarise Nadir with the ship’s social space. 

Valhalla was quiet at this time of day, but would surely fill up once the day progressed. 

“Lieutenant, thank you for meeting with me.”, Saffiya smiled as the young man entered. It probably wasn’t the most common approach to greet new crew, but as long as there was time for it, Saffiya was happy to make an effort. 

Jaxom had not expected to meet with an officer in an informal setting such as the ship’s social hub, and he wondered at some of the decorations. He knew of some Viking history, they had been renowned seafarers, with a spirit he had admired in reading their old stories on the computer. Not wanting to appear to be loitering though, he approached Saffiya quickly and stood at attention. “Captain Nassar, the pleasure is mine. Jaxom Nadir, reporting for duty,” he said as he placed the PADD with his transfer information down on the table. 

“I hope the journey here didn’t take you too long, and you got settled as much as it was possible?”, she asked. 

“The journey was a little more roundabout than a ship to ship transfer, but I was told the Valkyrie was in the middle of some important dealings. So I just imagined I was a crate of instruments I needed to get somewhere, and did some logistical juggling. Luckily there is always crates and instruments bouncing around the area, so with a transfer or two I was able to tag along for the ride,” Jaxom replied honestly. He hadn’t wanted to wait for the ship to pass through the station, and as a Quartermaster he knew well how many goods and essentially supplies crisscrossed a sector. He hoped it didn’t sound like bragging or complaining to the Captain, but he also wouldn’t mind if it showed resourcefulness. 

“I had pretty much just tossed my bags on the bed, when your message came to meet you here ma’am. But luckily it doesn’t take much to settle in, I knew to travel light,” Jaxom continued, addressing the second part to her question. 

“That’s fair. I also just arrived, so we have that in common. And as to your comments, yes, the political situation is still volatile, but until further help is officially requested, there isn’t much we can do. So until further notice, we are on shore leave – which is a good time to get acquainted with the ship and the crew. I seem to remember in particular Lieutenant Lorra in Engineering in dire need of someone who can help her through the mess some logistics has left her with.” 

He was surprised to hear that the CO was new to the vessel as well, and he had to clamp down his curious questions about that. There would be time to see what others said about the change, as well as a chance to learn more about Saffiya. Instead he simply nodded and said, “Congratulations on the transfer as well ma’am. I am not surprised to hear the ship is in a period of downtime, if it got as touch and go as it sounds. And I am glad to hear it is, like you said it will give me a chance to get to know the ship and crew a little better. And I can move things around without getting in the way during a crisis,” Jaxom said, knowing that unfortunately the first step of organizing chaos was often creating some extra until you had a place to start.

“Thank you.”, Saffiya nodded at his congratulations, and then added “I can say from my own experience that it’s better to get to know the ship and crew outside of a major emergency”

“I can touch base with Lieutenant Lorra right away ma’am, there would be little reason to put it off any longer. And although bouncing around a cargo shuttle isn’t exactly R&R, it isn’t full duty either. So I am sure there are others who would appreciate the new guy giving them a little break,” Jaxom replied when she mentioned Engineering needing some help. If nothing else, he knew an extra pair of hands would get everyone settled sooner. 

“I think that’s a wonderful idea.”, stated Saffiya, immediately feeling a little stupid saying it because it had – all things considered – been her idea. “But I do hope you have time to grab something to each first. I’m starving.” 

She grinned, activating the holographic menu at the table. Valhalla offered a wide range of snacks and meals for people that were in various levels of imminent starvation, and surely they’s both find something they liked. 

Work could wait a few moments longer.