—- USS Luna, Lunar Base Lounge —-

Lieutenant Sylvia Voosha eased into her seat, the skin exposed by her uniform covered on bruises. She had returned from the planet’s surface along with the rest of the Hazard Team about an hour and a half ago and had spent the intervening time in sick bay getting her formerly broken ribs healed. The Ardandan woman did her best to hide her discomfort as the was joined by her fellow Assistant Chief Officers, as part of a tradition that had apparently been going on well before she had joined the command staff back on the USS Seattle.

Lieutenant William Hume offered her a sympathetic nod as he joined the table. The Assistant Chief of Security had also been down with the Hazard Team and while his ribs had fared better he had a now healed phaser burn on his arm. Yi Zhang from Operations was next, and soon the table began to fill as more joined them. 

The Luna had more groups or at least more Assistant Chiefs than the Seattle had had so things were a bit more crowded.

”How was the away mission?” asked newly appointed Assistant Chief Science Officer Maria Cortez.

Voosha answered, “Fine, but our First Officer just kept tying to fight hand to hand against everyone. We had more people, better weapons and we were better coordinated but he just kept running around grabbing guys and yelling about honor.”

”We should insist he comes to training, we can’t just have a rogue Klingon running around,” Assistant Chief Security Officer Hume said. 

“You tell our Klingon First Officer he needs training he’ll rip your arms off,” Yi Zhang smiled. No one from Operations had had to go down to the planet and thus the whole thing seemed amusing to him. Hume getting mildly hurt was always amusing.

”I can do it, he already hates me,” said Chief Assistant Counsellor Torma.

Hume shook his head, “Let Avila do it. She’s in charge of the Hazard Team and has the Captain’s ear. If anyone can make him train it’s the Captain.”

There was general agreement on that point, as nobody really wanted to earn the ire of the Klingon that had been gifted to the Luna as an XO from the Klingon Defense Force. The consensus was he was a bit of a disaster but not a bad guy, just overly enthusiastic when it came to fighting. He seemed to have fit in well despite coming from a military culture, though the real test of him would come in a week when they set off for their mission and shakedown cruise into Romulan space. Could a Klingon keep it together in the territory of the Romulan Free State? 

“So let’s welcome Lieutenant Junior Grade Torma first of all,” said Yi Zhang and the others offered their congratulations as they raised their glasses. He added “Welcome to the Anaheim, or Seattle, or Luna family.”

Since they had just left Star Base 86 a week ago there was little to talk about. They’d been attacked by three Klingon ships, which their Klingon First Officer had helped them destroy, but the ship had not gotten damaged at all. They all agreed that they were happy with the transfer having mostly come off the Rhode Island-class USS Seattle and this was a superior ship to serve in. Mostly their rooms were larger particularly for those that had come up sleeping in hallways aboard the California-class.

“Where do the bartenders stay?” asked Voosha, nodding to the bar where a small group worked serving drinks. 

“They’re holograms,” Hume said.

”This ship doesn’t have holographic staff,” said Assistant Chief Engineer Vanessa Constable.

Yi Zhang nodded, “They have their own rooms, and they’ve got their own spaces. We have about ten non-Starfleet staff including a stylist and such. Non-holograms too.”

As always the meeting broke up after a bit, nothing was resolved but nothing was really at question either. Most of the decisions were made by the Chiefs who headed the departments and the Assistant Chief mostly just had to figure out how to implement the ideas. This early on the shakedown cruise meant that there was little to nothing to figure out at this point. If anything it was mostly for the social element, evidence that they were not alone. Most of them either had duty or had to sleep. Those that had been on the Hazard team’s away mission were hoping for a few hours of rest and rejuvenation after what had been a much more physical mission than they had planned.

Yi Zhang stayed behind, content to nurse his second beer before turning in for the night for another day as Assistant Chief of Operations. Also left at the table once everyone else had cleared off with a colorful blue drink that matched the teal of her uniform was Torma the Gideon Assistant Chief Counsellor. 

“You good?” Yi Zhang asked.

”I thought I was supposed to ask the deep probing questions as the Counsellor,” joked Torma.

The man smiled, stretched and polished off his been, setting the empty glass on the table before sliding out and standing, “Want anything, I’m going for another.”

”Trill Fizz,” Torma said.

”I’ll assume they know what that is,” Yi Zhang said, though of course the bartenders would, he’d made it a habit of trying to stump them but had been unable to thus far. When he came back he had another glass of his beer and another glass of whatever purple liquid made up the Trill Fizz that Torma was drinking. He set both glasses down on the table and slid back into the booth seating.

”So here to shrink my head,” he asked half-joking and half-serious unsure of how therapy worked beyond his weekly meetings with Chief Counsellor Kolem. 

The joke did not earn a laugh but rather a smile from the woman, “Nah, it’s not professional to do counseling over drinks even synthahol. Besides you’re assigned to Lieutenant Kolem I believe, not me. I just don’t have a lot of friends on board, I just arrived and while I meet with people all day it gets too easy to keep them at a clinical distance.”

Yi Zhang nodded, “I can imagine. Us ops people don’t have so many professional quandaries.”

”Don’t steal your exs underpants I suppose is the only one,” Torma teased.

Yi Zhang smiled, “I’ve never served on a ship with an ex. But yes I guess it’s frowned upon to steal underpants. Ex or not frankly.”

Torma made a face, “I dated the First Officer on my last ship. When that ended it got awkward. I eventually had to transfer to a Star Base where I spent two years.”

”Well I haven’t dated the XO yet. A bit hairy for my taste,” Yi Zhang joked.

”The Captain?” Torma asked.

”Haven’t dated her either,” Yi Zhang said.

”But she’s traditionally attractive to humans,” Torma said.

”And so‘s a lot of people who can’t transfer me to one man listening post,” Yi Zhang said, “Including you.”

”She wouldn’t do that, would she?” Torma asked, surprised.

”Who knows, I doubt it but I make it a habit to avoid dating Admirals and Captains,” he said, jokingly, “Even if they’re all after my hot body.”

Torma nodded, “Well good luck with that.”

”Are you hinting that I should ask you out?” Yi Zhang asked.

”It wouldn’t be much of a hint if I had to come out and say it,” she said.

“What are you doing tomorrow? Want to do a holonovel?” he asked.

She smiled, “Sure thing.“