Dusty stopped a prescribed distance from the man and stood at attention. “Lieutenant Seth McNeill reporting for duty, sir,” he greeted. “You can call me Dusty if you like, sir, everyone does.”
He was just far enough that Anand wouldn’t have to strain his neck to look up at him, which made it easier to return the newcomer’s smile in earnest. “‘Dusty’? I like it! You can call me Anand. Or ‘Captain’ on occasion, but don’t go overboard.”
He stifled a snort at the unintentional maritime wordplay, then noticed the lieutenant’s posture and added, “Do you need an ‘at ease’?”
Dusty’s expression relaxed into a friendly smile and he loosened his posture into an almost at-ease (though he did instinctively put his hands behind his back in the classic pose). “Ah, no sir- I mean Captain Anand,” he replied. It was indeed reassuring to him that this ship seemed to be more relaxed regarding protocol than he was expecting, more like the Sunset City than he could have hoped for.
He looked at the captain, quickly assessing him out of habit. Anand was smallish but in good physical shape, from what he could tell by his uniform’s fit. A relaxed, sociable ease radiated from him; he was probably fairly popular with the crew. Not that different from his old commander Captain Ari Bousaid, which made Dusty very happy. He felt he was going to fit right in aboard the Babylon.
His assessment done, he returned to the situation at hand. “I, um, I’m supposed to report to a Commander Nevahl Bohkat, I think? Are they here?”
Anand chuckled. “He’s nearby, and eagerly awaiting your arrival. I think. Bohkat is a difficult person to read.”
Despite the ambiguity of the statement, it was all said with an amused glint in his eyes. Anand inclined his head towards the door. “This way.”
Their destination was just around the corner and a short way down the hall on the same deck. Not enough time for even the briefest exchange of small talk. Probably for the best, though. Let the new guy jump right into it
Anand pointed at the door to the holodeck. “He’s waiting in here.”
Wordlessly, he pointed at Dusty’s belongings and gestured for him to hand them over. At Dusty’s confused hesitation over handing his things to the captain, Anand prompted, “This is a tiny ship, I don’t have porters on staff,” and gestured again.
Once Dusty had given in and handed over his bag, Anand offered him a smile again. One of amusement. “Have fun! Maybe!” he said as he escaped down the hall.
Were his eyes deceiving him, or was Anand skipping away down the corridor? Nah, it couldn’t be, not hauling Dusty’s two duffel bags around like that. They were heavy enough that skipping would be difficult, if not impossible. He did hear whistling, though, fading into the distance.
That left Dusty alone in the hall in front of a door, behind which would be the evidently elusive Commander Bohkat. He gave a sidelong look at the door, wondering what room was behind it. A conference room maybe? Security Operations base? Nah, not on a ship this small; this Grissom-class was even tinier than a California-class. Definitely not the bridge. Oh well, there was only one way to find out. With a sigh to steel his resolve, Dusty moved his hand to open the door with the familiar whoosh…
…To find himself standing in the middle of a copse of trees, sunlight filtering through gently-rustling leaves and the soft burbling of a stream nearby. Ah, the holodeck. It seemed Bohkat enjoyed nature. This was good; they had something in common then. Dusty had grown up in San Francisco and practically lived in Presidio Park and at Ocean Beach as a child, so nature was a great balm to his senses. He allowed a small smile to cross his lips. An auspicious beginning indeed!
Venturing into the trees, Dusty carefully moved branches out of the way as he walked over the mossy ground. The stream became marginally louder, and now he could hear some light splashing beneath the burbling of flowing water. Rocks? Or something else?
A shock of long white hair, stark in the calm greenery, peeked through the trees. “Commander Bohkat?” Dusty asked, his voice sounding a little flat through the forest. “Um. Lieutenant Dusty- I mean Seth McNeill, reporting for duty?”
