When transferring to the USS Valkyrie as new Commanding Officer, Saffiya Nassar had decided to do things… differently. Not differently from what Starfleet expected of her, but differently from her first attempt at being a Captain on the Cupertino. This time, she wanted to get to know her crew as much as possible, and greet new officers as they arrived. 

Realistically, that was hardly possible. Even in the short shore leave Starfleet had granted them to get acclimatised to each other, several new people had arrived, and oftentimes the choice had been between meeting them or finishing her PADDwork at a reasonable hour rather than the middle of the night. 

But Saffiya was stubborn. Which clearly showed because she was on her fifth cup of coffee this morning – and once again had set up a meeting with two of her new officers. She already knew Lieutenant JG Silveira from his short assignment on the Cupertino, and was eager to reconnect. He had done an admirable job and she had enjoyed working with him. The other was an entirely new face, but someone she was looking forward to meeting nonetheless. 

Valhalla seemed like the ideal place to start into a day full of… well, not adventure, but work… so that was what she had chosen. 

“Good Morning.”, she smiled as both the Andorian and the Human arrived, getting up from her seat to greet them with a very human handshake. 

Shahr quickly came to attention and saluted his new captain. Then, noticing his captain’s extended hand, he realized his mistake and slowly relaxed. Shahr recognized the gesture from his recent schooling, and shook her hand. “Good morning, sir. Thank you for having me onboard.”

Sil smiled at his companion’s reaction. He was hardly a veteran, but he felt much more at ease than the Ensign at his side did.Taking the PADD on his left hand, Sil stood at ease and nodded to the Captain as he shook her hand.

“Captain, its a pleasure to see you again.” Once they shook hands he offered her his PADD. “My transfer orders, and I thank you for the opportunity to serve in your command, Captain”

“The pleasure is all mine.”, nodded Saffiya. 

Silveira smiled and offered his hand to the Andorian Ensign.

“And nice to meet you Ensign. Vitor Silveira, Tactical, but please call me Sil”

Shahr reached out and shook the second hand. “Ah, and to you Sil. You may call me Shahr.” He paused a moment, then remembered he was still addressing a ranking officer. “Or, I mean, ensign is obviously fine if you prefer. I just meant, well, I’ve found many non-Andorians stumble over my last name.”

Sil smiled and nodded. He had sometimes trouble in pronunciation, but Shahr wasn’t that harder of a name. He shrugged and looked around.

“We are reporting in, but admittedly it isn’t the Bridge. I hope there is a little informality considering our current location.” He smiled at the Captain before turning to Shahr. “I am certain we will have plenty of opportunities for formality. Until then I prefer something simpler and friendlier.”

“It’s very considerate.”, agreed the Captain. “Did both of you already have the opportunity to get shown to your quarters?”

“Yes captain, thank you for asking. When I beamed aboard, the duty chief gave me a quick introduction to the ship, and assigned a petty officer to give me a tour. It’s ah, a significant improvement from the spartan bunk in the barracks I had during my time with the IG.” Shahr took a quick second to think back on his time there. Seemed like just a moment a go, he’d been sitting in his fighter craft, lamenting over his lack of career prospects… And now he was here, on one of Starfleet’s most advanced ships in the fleet. A real battlecruiser… Not that Starfleet liked to refer to their ships that way, Shahr reminded himself.

Sil listened attentively. It looked like Sharh already had experience. That was interesting.

“I only dropped my duffle bag, but they look quite comfortable.”

“I must say, captain, this is an impressive ship. I was just thinking back to the little atmospheric fighter craft I was flying for the Imperial Guard, not two years back. I am honored to have the opportunity to serve here. And, if I may be so bold, I am extremely eager for the opportunity to fly such a beauty. Do you ever take the helm yourself?” Shahr was taking what he believed to be a risk, basically engaging in casual conversation with his commanding officer. But after playing it safe in the IG for the past 8 years, and getting nowhere, Shahr was ready to try a new tactic. He stole a look at the slightly senior tactical officer, to see what he thought of such a ‘bold’ move.

Sil noticed the look in Shahr but he was uncertain of its meaning. Keeping with the small talk he raised his hands defensively.

Silveira: Well, I hope I never get to sit at the Helm. It certainly isn’t my chosen position.

“I personally do not, but if you are interested, I am sure we can set up the opportunity for you to learn.”, the Captain told the Andorian, understanding the enthusiasm. It was an upgrade from what he had described as his last posting, and the Valkyrie was an upgrade for Saffiya, too. She’d love to get her hands on an Engineering-project, but knew that Lorra and Hina would murder her if she did. 

“Oh, consider me very interested, captain. This is, essentially, the exact reason I left the Imperial Guard. I’ve wanted to fly starships my whole life, and, well… I realized I’d never accomplish that dream if I stayed with the Guard.” Shahr closed his mouth then, and found himself wondering how his new commanding officer had so easily gotten him to talk about his wishes. Starfleet is so relaxed…

Sil smiled at their replies. He was tempted to order something. The shuttle replicator was pretty basic, considering the decor of the place it looked like it was able to offer a little meal, as well as drinks.

“I assume this is the ship’s lounge Captain? Unlike Shahr I wasn’t exactly given a tour of the ship.”

“All in good time. And yes, it is. I highly recommend Valhalla to socialise and unwind.” 

She herself was doing so as well, and while it had freaked out the lower decks at first, they seemed to be growing more comfortable around her. 

“Oh, I will definitely check it out sir. The petty officer who gave me the tour could barely contain her excitement when describing it.” Shahr then turned to the tactical officer. “Sil, perhaps I can show you around? The tour is fresh in my mind, it will help me commit the ship’s layout to memory, and we can explore a bit.”

Sil smiled and nodded to Shahr.
 

Silveira: Off course, I would like that Shahr.
 

She waved the Bartender over – a woman called Carla – and ordered a sandwich and her sixth cup of coffee for the day. 

Shahr’s stomach rumbled as he heard the captain order a sandwich. When the bartender turned to face him, Shahr requested his favorite new food he’d tried on Earth: gazpacho. Actually, that wasn’t quite accurate. It was the only local food he’d tried on Earth-he’d lost a bet-and to his surprise, he’d loved it.
 

Sil smiled at the Bartender, giving her a little nod. Knowing the staff was always a good way to get that extra attention. Also she was attractive enough to get his attention and Sil was always keen to make new friends, and more. He raised slightly his eyebrow at Shahr’s request. He wasn’t exactly keen on Paellla, but it was curious that Shahr liked something closer to his homeland.

“I want the same as the Captain, if you please.” His smile widened at the Bartender when he ordered.
 

“I think you will like your quarters.”, she mused. “We have ample space, and while junior officers usually share their quarters with one other officer, it still beats living in a hallway or a communal area. Though….”, she looked at the Andorian. “I do not believe there is another Andorian at your rank, so you have good chances to get quarters for yourself. Though that is Lieutenant Nadir’s area.”

Nadir was their quartermaster, and Saffiya trusted him to make the final decision on it. But that her crew was as comfortable as possible was important to her, and she knew that Andorran’s usually preferred the climate controls set to “freezing cold”. 

“Oh yes sir, actually the lieutenant said something similar in the message he left for me. Of course, I am more than willing to accommodate a room mate. I wouldn’t request any special treatment.” Shahr didn’t want to make a name for himself as the problem-ensign. And yet… “Although I would request maybe not a Cardassian… they seem to enjoy boiling alive, and splitting the difference is very uncomfortable for everyone involved.”

“Well, so I suppose ‘normal temperature’ would be fairest because you’d both be equally uncomfortable.”, Saffiya grinned. “But let’s try for a better solution.”

“I am sure it will be alright. Andorians aren’t the only ones that have a preference over cold temperatures.” Sil smiled and looked between them. “I have to thank you Captain for such warm welcome. I assume we will be launching soon?”

The Captain nodded. “But for now, let’s eat something.” 

Sil nodded and smiled. He would enjoy the break, but had a feeling it wouldn’t last long.