ON:

[transporter room]

The transporter room had been quiet for some time now, and Ensign Veenak was enjoying a moment of respite from all of the incoming and exiting personnel over the past few hours. Sitting on the transporter pad with a PADD in one hand and a coffee in the other, she was consulting the manifests and wondering which one would be next. Not that she had any preferences, she tried to lie to herself, taking a sip of her coffee… but who knows? Perhaps there might be a dashing young officer who—

…and then came the distinctive chirp of ship’s communications, interrupting her moment of rêverie.

“Bridge to transporter room, come in” said a man’s voice.

Veenak sighed. She knew that meant break time was over.

“Transporter room, Ensign Veenak here” she said, making her way back to the console.

“We’ve got one Lieutenant… Gore… to beam up” the voice came.

“I’m on it” she replied, as she put the coffee mug and PADD on top of the console.

Her hands flew over the commands from muscle memory alone and moments later, in a flash of lights, said ‘Lieutenant Gore’ materialized before her eyes. As a matter of reflex, she made her way around the console and towards the transporter pad to greet the new arrival. Before she had even taken stock of the man, she greeted him with a tired but polite “Welcome aboard sir, you must be Lieutenant Gore?” and an extended hand.

The lieutenant made his way down the two steps of the platform but took a moment to remove a black leather glove from his hand before shaking hers.

The move surprised her a bit, but not as much as the faint electric crackling sensation she felt. If the first shock left her surprised, she all color left her face in terror as she lifted her eyes to meet his. They were terrifying, red, glowing cybernetic eyes. She reeled back a little.

“Indeed” he said in as polite and composed a tone as he could muster, acting as if he had not noticed the look of shock on her face. “And who might you be?” he asked, smiling to try to alleviate the tension somewhat.

“I’m…Veenak” she said in a shaky voice, her gaze avoiding his. She then collected herself and cleared her thoat. “Enseign Veenak, sir. P…Pleased to meet you, sir” she said, trying to return her gaze to her interlocutor.

Lieutenant Gore was an impressive sight. Perhaps some 5’10”, exceptionally fit from the looks of him, with a strong and confident handshake but considerate enough not to crush her hand. He might even have been roguishly handsome once, or maybe he still might be if one could get over the eyes that could probably look right through you and then vaporize your soul with a gaze… With the exception of the gloves, he was wearing the standard duty uniform. He had a duffel bag slung on his shoulder. His hair was tied back with a black ribbon in a way reminiscent of the fashion of earth’s 18th century. He also had a small goatee, and a few pieces of discreet cyber-ware were also visible on his face. Was he a cyborg of some kind? Was… all of him like that?

“Pleased to meet you also, Ensign” he responded in a deep, rich baritone. No robotic voice there.

After a few second of awkward silence, she broke the staring contest by reaching for the for the console, where she had left her things. Intending to grab the PADD and show the Lieutenant where he would find his quarters, she nervously and unthinkingly grabbed the mug of coffee and only realized her mistake once she had taken a sip. She froze in place for a second, the mug still in the air. Maybe his vision is movement-based and he can’t see me anymore, she hoped.

She swallowed hard, put down the mug without a sound, tried a nervous smile as she picked up the PADD and turned to face him.

The humour of the situation did not escape Gore, having been through all this before. He could have pressed the farce a little further by affecting some false irritation, and the thought did cross his mind for a moment, but opted against it.

“You will find the officers quarters on deck 8. A number of them are still vacant. You will get your pick of them” she said, her fingers dancing across the display.

“Thank you, ensign”, he responded coolly, but with a kindly smile. “Please inform the commanding officer of my arrival, and that I will be making myself available to report at his leisure.”

“Yes, sir” she replied.

Giving a quick nod in her direction, Gore took a few steps towards the door. Looking back for a second as the doors opened, he noticed that she was still frozen in place.

He gave a slightly mocking smile and said “Carry on, Ensign Veenak” before making his exit.

OFF

Lieutenant GoreChief Tactical OfficerUSS Cygnus