There was a lot that had gone wrong during their last mission, but there were also plenty things that had gone right. And then, there were some things that were entirely unexpected.

One of these things was the arrival of a woman called Nesta, whose story the Captain hadn’t quite managed to piece together as of yet. And so, she simply decided to ask.

She had invited the woman to her Ready Room, and offered a smile once the doors parted at her arrival.

“Thank you for coming.”, Saffiya said, even though no one had ever not come when cited to her office.

Nesta entered the office and looked around. She couldn’t think of a time when she had ever been more nervous than she was right now. She wasn’t quite sure why she was nervous but she was. These people had saved her life and she didn’t want to cause any problems or be a disappointment in any way. She cleared her throat nervously before she spoke.

“Thank you for inviting me. I’m grateful to both you and your crew and I haven’t had a chance to say so yet,” Nesta spoke while not quite meeting the Captain’s eyes.

Saffiya’s expression softened. This wasn’t an officer she was talking to, and while she had, at the beginning of her career, been against the idea of civilians on board, she found herself having relaxed in that aspect.

“I would like to know a little about you.”, she said carefully. “It’s not to judge where you come from, but rather, to find the best way to integrate you into the crew – if you wish to stay, that is.”

“Of course. I completely understand,” Nesta responded a little less nervously. “I’m not sure what all you would like to know but I guess the best place to start is my name. I am Nesta and I come from an Orion vessel. I’ve lived and worked off of that ship most of my life. If you would like more details on that, I’d be happy to share but be warned that we didn’t run the same sort of ship that you have here.”

Nesta hadn’t been on the ship for long but she was enthralled with the atmosphere she had seen around her. Although she had been on a ship for almost her entire life, she had never witnessed this type of friendly and family-like atmosphere. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do when she first arrived but the desire to stay was growing day by day.

“I understand that.”, Saffiya said kindly. “I can imagine how different it has been, and you don’t have to tell me anything you are not comfortable with.”

“Thank you,” Jade spoke softly. “It has been a wild couple of days. I guess the short version of a very long story is that I worked for my brothers scouting out potential targets. Now that I look back, I really never had much a choice. It was just what I was told to do and I always did it. Things have started to change for me recently though and I guess my brothers noticed. I failed them one too many times and now they want to punish me. I was running away from them when I bumped into your crew member. I don’t think I’d have made it without them.”

“And what about your brothers?”, Saffiya inquired. “Will you miss them?”

“If I’m being honest, not really. My two older brothers were awful. I could never do the right thing or say the right thing. I will my miss my brother, Vigo though. He has always shown kindness and stood up for me when no one else did. He stood up for me so that I could run. I hope that he’s okay and that they have not harmed him.” Nesta started feeling herself get emotional and she immediately stood taller and tried to hide it. She was taught that emotion was weakness and she didn’t want the Captain to think she was weak in any way.

“I understand.”, Saffiya nodded. “Well, while you are here, how do you envision your time here? Is there anything you are particularly good at, or would like to get better at? I find that most people adjust better if they have a job to do.”

“I’m honestly still trying to figure that part out. I am honored to be here and would like to help in any way I can. All of my previous experience has been communications of some sort or another. If there is an opportunity for me to help out in that area, please let me know. I’ll be happy to oblige!” Nesta said enthusiastically.

Saffiya thought about that. “Then how would you feel about, on the one side, learning about how Starfleet does things. On the other side, I think working in Valhalla would help you connect to the crew.“ She paused, then explained. „Valhalla is our social hub, and includes a usually well-visited bar.“

“I would be interested in both if I’m answering honestly. I am eager to learn more about Starfleet but I am aware that will take a great deal of time. Valhalla would provide me with the more immediate opportunity to get to know everyone while also contributing.” Nesta spoke more enthusiastically then she had ever before. She was excited and she can’t even recall the last time she had been this excited about something before. “That’s if it’s acceptable of course to consider both.”

“That’s an excellent idea.”, the Captain nodded. “And I already have a first task for you, if you’re up for it.”

“Of course! I’d be up for just about anything, Captain. What did you have in mind?” Nesta inquired.

“One of our crew members is due for a well-deserved promotion. Do you feel comfortable coordinating a celebration in Valhalla?”

“I would be honored! I will say that it has been sometime since I have done anything of that sort but I look forward to giving it my best shot! Thank you for the opportunity and I will get started right away!” Nesta stated enthusiastically. She said her goodbyes to the captain and then started to make her toward Valhalla. She was excited and couldn’t wait to get started. She had a few ideas buzzing through her head and was eager to see them come to life.