Star Trek: The Roleplay (Episode 1)

The Icarus finally pushed off from the space station, silently gliding through the void towards the edge of the Solar System.

However, just as the sound of the clamps holding the ship in dock coming off resonated throughout the vessel, Ensign Thekheram's console beeped. On his screen, the words INCOMING HAIL appeared in bright yellow against a black backdrop.

The ship, which had drawn much closer now, didn't look at all familiar. At the academy, he had seen pictures of various spacecraft, and this one definitely did not fit into any category. Its shape was oval, and the best way he could describe the form would be a double convex.

Thekherham was about to send a message to Starbase Security when the words INCOMING HAIL appeared on his screen. Kykherhenha, sitting beside him, nudged his leg with her snout. Maybe you should answer it.

Not yet. "Captain," he said, "someone is hailing us."

According the flight plan, the warp-assisted cruise of the Icarus from Earth to Vulcan was supposed to be nothing more than a pleasant jump through the sector. A few diagnostic tests by Engineering to make sure that the structural integrity of the ship and its power warp core would be conducted, but nothing else had been scheduled until the ship settled in orbit over the planet and took on the full crew, namely the long-awaited presence of her First Officer Aurora Coleman. Until then, Carradine found himself with a true executive officer on the bridge. Starfleet protocol would pass the duties down to the next senior officer on the crew. In this case, Commander Milandeaux Morganth.

Rising from the captain’s chair and tucking down the waistline of the tailored red uniform, Malcolm Carradine allowed a few measured steps to carry him closer to the display at the front of the bridge. Not even minutes out of dock and already their first encounter as a crew, as members of Starfleet aboard the newest vessel in all the Federation. The captain didn’t bother working any more to clean his appearance up for the hail. Malcolm was a broad-shouldered man that looked like he could just as easily belong as a member of a Special Forces ground infiltration unit or a boxer as a Starfleet captain. He had never been one to dress up a situation or sugarcoat a report.

“Shields at the ready, Lt. En’Voy. Not until I give the word. On screen, Ensign,” he spoke with a low confidence to the fur-covered officer before turning back to address the screen once again. “This is Captain Malcolm Carradine of the Starship Icarus. You are in Federation territory, please identify yourself.”

The screen displayed a strange craft that Thekherham thought looked like a double convex pressed together. The shape of a nrherhadel egg, he mused. The ship looked to be about one fifth the size of the Icarus, but the way it just sat there, as if it were checking them out…
He looked at his screen. Something was not right here.

“Captain,” he said, “I can’t seem to raise anyone on the other ship. But I have noticed that we are being scanned.” His paw absently went to caress Kykherhenha’s head, while he waited for the Captain to make his decision about the strange craft.

This interraction was recorded in PM first while we waited for Aipsylon to be approved and does not really need to be read by anyone unless they're curious)

~~~Back on Vulcan~~~

(After Revvik arrived and addressed her as they wait for the shuttle)

Aurora blinked her eyes up at Revvik as he towered over her by a good 4-6 inches. Her braided crown of ebon hair shimmered as she glanced back down to her PADD and searched the crew data base for any Vulcan crew members that were also assigned to the Icarus. And she found it; how in hell did she miss it before?

"Lieutenant Revvik, I pressume.. Communications Specialist, a family history in Starfleet, and a very satisfactory file. I believe it will be somewhat easier to work with you than with the rest of the Terran crew on the Icarus." she commented, her tone as emotionless as any other Vuclan. Part of it was due to her time here and her 'when in Rome' mentality; the other part was due to her difficulty to feel...well, anything still. Sorrik's death had left its scars.

She glanced back up at him, clasping her hands at the small of her back, falling into parade rest. True, she was of a higher rank, but it was a comfortable yet appropriate stance.


Revvik nodded in reply to her Reading off his personnel file. Straitening his back, he brought himself into parade rest as well, he had observed that commanding officers seemed to take offense to one of their subordinates taking a more relaxed stance that they had, even when off duty.

"I assume that you have spent a good portion of your life around Vulcans. That does not mean that I will be easier to work with. It has been my experience that a shared background does not engender a working relationship any more than an extended familiarity, which you have doubtless had with both Vulcans and Humans."

He stood stiffly in front of her awaiting her counterpoint or concession, holding an emotionless cool patience.

She almost felt an urge to smile. "True, but consider this. I am a scientist as well as a commanding officer in Starfleet. Both in the laboratory and in compromising situations on duty, which is preferred? An overly emotional panic which will more than likely endanger if not cost the lives of the crew or the crew doing what is appropriate and necessary to avoid the crisis in the first place? At ease, Lieutenant."

A soft chime came from her PADD and she brought it back around to examine it. A tiny blue light was blinked at the top to indicate a message. She tapped it a couple times to access it and rose a brow, the corner of her mouth pulling up just a tad. "How thoughtful." She quickly closed the message and returned to the crew profiles. "I feel it necessary to warn you. The CMO Lt. Commander Aleria is very well accuainted with the ways of Vulcans. She may ask what you consider to be very personal questions, but they are relevent." She was referring, of course, to Ponn Farr.

He loosened only slightly and brought his feet to a comfortable distance apart, remaining mostly stiff, and leaving his hands clasped behind his back.

"I have considered this many times, and the evidence is plain it is desirable in the position of a science officer, however, it is not if it is a benefit or hindrance in the command of a star-ship. Logic while necessary seems to be only part of what is necessary to make a commendable commanding officer. Such is evident when the service records of Commanding officers are compared and one can find little difference. It would be heavily biased to ask which I prefer since I have spent much of my life here on Vulcan."

He ignored her reaction to the message he assumed to be a personal one, and, of course, appreciated the forewarning of topics that would be discussed with the medical officer, but such things were private and the topic merited no further discussion.

He loosened only slightly and brought his feet to a comfortable distance apart, remaining mostly stiff, and leaving his hands clasped behind his back.

"I have considered this many times, and the evidence is plain it is desirable in the position of a science officer, however, it is not if it is a benefit or hindrance in the command of a star-ship. Logic while necessary seems to be only part of what is necessary to make a commendable commanding officer. Such is evident when the service records of Commanding officers are compared and one can find little difference. It would be heavily biased to ask which I prefer since I have spent much of my life here on Vulcan."

He ignored her reaction to the message he assumed to be a personal one, and, of course, appreciated the forewarning of topics that would be discussed with the medical officer, but such things were private and the topic merited no further discussion.

She made what could be described as an unamused sound that Terrans made and took a seat, tucking her legs neatly under her. "Are you married, Revvik?" She slipped a stylus from her PADD and tapped the screen, returning to Revvik's profile and pulling up the area where she could make personal notes.


He raised an eyebrow at her seemingly abrupt change of posture from formal and stiff to relaxed, He sat down on the front edge of a seat across from Aurora, his back straight . "I am not married." He could not think of a logical reason for asking a question like that. He looked at her more relaxed position and debated with himself over if the question was for personal or professional reasons, eventually reaching no conclusion. He waited a moment to see if She was going to ask him another question.


Aurora made note of it on her PADD. In truth, it HAD been halfway for personal reasons that she had asked. He was the first Vulcan she had seen in her two-year stay that had not a single trait that reminded her of Sorrik. It was almost like a breath of fresh air for her. Because of this, she found herself more inclined to interact with him. Besides, it was always a good idea to be acquainted with one's co-workers. His file outlined his work and education records, but such things rarely said anything about the person themselves. Perhaps it was simply the human part of her trying to peek back out. She was, and always would be, Terran. She had to remember that.

It was difficult to find a logical way to continue the conversation, but she did her best, taking her time with her penmanship-which was still almost illegible to everyone save for Sarah Marks and herself.

"Unmarried, logical to assume you have no children either." She left a moment of silence for him to correct her if she were wrong. If she was, she made note of it.

She ventured what she figured would be a dead-end path. "Logic aside-you're Vulcan, everything you do it logical-, is there any particular reason you chose Communications as your major?"


"That is correct I have no children. I initially elected to enter star-fleet as an engineer. However, while at the academy, I found that I had a high aptitude for language. Several of my professors encouraged me to study it further I did as a matter of course and since my performance in those courses exceeded mine in my engineering courses it was only logical that I would preform better in that field as well."

She made short notes as he spoke, nodding. "Logical, of course." She scrolled back up a bit on his family history. "Your father was a Starfleet officer as well?" A statement more than a question, as it was clearly expressed in his file.

"He was. Permission to speak freely?" *He had come to the conclusion that she was not asking the questions because she wanted to know the answers to him, the logical reason for asking a question of someone you believe will give you an honest response.*

"Granted." She wanted him to speek freely. She found that it was important that the crew be both comfortable enough to at least ask to speak freely while still retaining proper respect for their commanders. She was interested, though, to hear why he had felt the need to request to speak freely before continuing.


What is the purpose of this inquiry. If you believe it is inaccurate I can guarantee it legitimacy."*He stood there in front of her in the same manner he had before, stiff back, blank face.*"If there is some other reason you are asking about the items in there then likely informing me of the reason will expedite the process of gaining meaningful answer. If you would like to simply know more about me it may be more efficient to ask questions not covered by my personnel file.

The corner of her mouth twitched, wanting to pull up into a smirk, but she kept it in check. "For now I will ask you to rest assured there is a logical reason for it and answer my inquiries freely. Of course, if there is information you would like to volunteer, I will have no objections." She sat back a bit, glad she was in pants, and crossed her legs in a more masculine-for a Terran- manner.

"Indeed." Revvik continues to stand there waiting for the next statement. He thought of a number of things he could tell her, but none of them are particularly relevant to the questions she had asked he decided to let her continue to ask question since there was a purpose to them.

"Sit. You are not a cadet up for review." She waited for him to seat himself before continuing. "Your father was also in Starfleet. What did he do?" She tapped her stylus on her screen, pulling up what was available about Revvik's father's service.

Revvik sat on the front edge of his chair, his back straight, with perfect posture. He was just as comfortable standing, but he knew that it made others uncomfortable to sit while others stood."My father was a scientist on Jupiter station. The exact topic of his work was classified, but I know it had something to do with long range sensors."

Aurora matched it with his public file-of course- and nodded. As she expected, but not as she had hoped, she found no signs to indicate his opinion of his father or his father's work. She continued the Q&A casually, half-hoping to be given a question of her own to answer. She covered his mother, his siblings-if he had any-, all his immediate family, anyone he might know on the Icarus. Anything really to get him to talk just shy of asking something completely useless.

Revvik responded to her questions, continuing to answer in a precise efficient manner, with little variation, giving little other than the simple responses as he had been he wold answer her question, occasionally adding a small piece of pertinent information that was not requested, neither asking her question, nor seeming to mind he continued questioning. He had become accustomed to the humans need to fill every moment of silence.

She took various notes on seemingly meaningless subjects, but she was noting his demeanor, his personality. True, all Vulcans followed logic, but they were each as different as the Terrans. When she had all she needed, she thanked him and crossed her legs at her ankles, tapping through varioius information on her PADD silently.

Revvik returned to his PADD as well, and began the task of familiarizing himself with the controls at the communications station, on the unfamiliar galaxy class starship, knowing it would be a few hours yet before the shuttle would arrive.

(end of PM interaction.)

As Aurora waited, tapping on her stylus semi-randomly, her pocket gave off three short vibrations. She reached in and pulled out a small video communicator put the earpiece in her ear, and 'answered'.

"Ah, Sarah."

While the sound was still too muffled for Revvik to make out exactly what was being said, 'Sarah' was speaking loud enough-probably out of excitement- to be heard across the way and it gained a few curious glances from a few Vulcans. Aurora simply closed her eyes and it was safe to conclude the few extra decibles to Sarah's voice were painful.

"Sarah, I am still on Vulcan." Plain, emotionless, but a clear silent 'Sarah, shut the fuck up!' in the way she rose her eyebrows.

The sound quieted down to the point even Revvik couldn't tell the ear piece was emmiting noise. It was a fairly silent conversation that lasted until just before the shuttle arrived and Aurora chose to give her 'I'm listening' gestuculations that Terrans seemed to rely on so heavily as silent nods or various brow-based expressions she'd learned on Vulcan.

"Sarah, while this has been a pleasent conversation, I must delay it until I have settled on the Icarus. I will send you a message at that time. Do take care of yourself."

Finished, she removed the ear piece, set the communicator on silent and slipped both back into her pocket, continuing with her PADD studies.

The image on the screen before the bridge flickered to life in an instant, filling the room with the dark and cramped bridge of a small vessel. Two beings were seated at identical control panels in front of the screen. The first was a tall male humanoid, his facial features marked by a complete lack of hair and a pair of black goggles covering ocular cavities. Pale skin was marked across the scalp with jagged black lines, Carradine unable to make out if the markings were tattoos or some sort of pigmentation inherent in the species. The other, smaller and presumably female, bore much of the same resemblance. Her head, however, was wrapped from the forehead up in a set of cloths that seemed to speak of a ritualistic cultural garb rather than medical attire.

“Captain, we are refugees of the planet Therex IV. Civil war has overrun our nation and the two sides have reached a bloody stalemate. We stole this ship and deserted our post in the hopes of reaching Starfleet to petition for assistance.” The male’s voice was process with a crude translation device, giving the man a metallic voice.

“As you know,” the Captain spoke, “Starfleet doctrine prevents us from interfering in the affairs of non-Federation worlds unless…”

“There is no time for your politics!” The woman burst out, this time surprisingly in a well-trained English voice. “The sides have agreed to funeral rites for ten days. After that, the fighting will begin again. If Starfleet stands idle and does nothing, the blood of millions of innocents will be on your hands.”

Carradine held his ground for a moment, watching the interaction in local dialect between the two before they finally returned to the screen’s attention. “We will await your presence on Therex IV.” With that, the image died and the ship turned away.

Malcolm froze for a moment, allowing the nature of the encounter and the sudden change in perspective to sink in for a moment before he turned back to the crew. There was simply too much to think about now for the maiden voyage of the ship to be the light-hearted occasion he’d hoped for, at least for the senior officer.

“Send a patch message of the conversation to Starfleet Command and then set course for Vulcan. Warp 7. I’ll be in my ready room,” he said, stepping off the bridge with the hastened and frustrated steps of a man that shouldn’t be stopped.

IN: Commander Milandeaux Morganth

Still waiting. Aurora felt the urge to tap her foot itching down her leg, but she stopped it at her knee. Irritation led to anger, which led to outbursts and hurt feelings. It just wasn't worth it, it was illogical. Instead she switched the way her legs were crossed and continued studying the crew profiles. She went ahead and sent a message to her friend, Aleria, letting her know that it was required Aurora have the Sigmund examination every two months for the next six months instead of the normally required once every six months; meaning she would need one not only once she was on board but also three weeks from today. It was inconvenient, but Aurora understood why it was required. The only reason she was allowed back on duty was because she had passed the previous four tests, and Star Fleet needed to make sure that the emotional scars from Sorrik's passing weren't going to make her suddenly snap.

For a moment, she rolled up her right sleeve and examined the many healed over needle holes in the crook of her elbow. She would have the marks for years even after her last test.

She ran her finger tip gently over the newest mark, holding still even though it was still tender. Despite her higher tolerance for pain, she had rather delicate skin and highly responsive nerves, so the larger needle used for the sedative drip during the test left scars instead of long-term marks. She pressed gently on the vein and for a split second her face twitched to show an emotion: apprehension. She knew in a few hours she'd have another needle ripping open her skin. She was NOT looking forward to it.

“Send a patch message of the conversation to Starfleet Command and then set course for Vulcan. Warp 7. I’ll be in my ready room.”

Natasha nodded briefly as the captain strode by her and towards his Ready Room, watching the doors close as she finally remembered to breath normally, having seemingly held her breath through that entire exchange over the viewscreen. Her fingers danced across the touchscreen console on auto pilot as she forwarded the video copy of both ends of the transmission on to the proper recipient, her mind going over what had just happened.

'You're in the big leagues now...' she thought, looking around the bridge at the rest of the crew, not knowing any of them. This was her first time on the bridge of such a large, and new, starship. Her previous tour of duty aboard the USS Jade was nothing like the challenge she now faced as the chief Communications Officer aboard. Her expertise and knack for language had quickly catapulted her from Gamma night shift on her previous ship to a short stint at the Academy before landing her this prestigious position aboard Starfleet's newest ship.

Closing her eyes for a moment and calming herself down, she opened then to see an officer with Commander's pips walking by her towards the Ready Room.

'And I was hoping for a peaceful first day... she thought, sighing and returning her gaze towards her console, keeping an eye on the Icarus' incoming and outgoing transmissions.

"Revvik sat patiently going over the entirety of the new subroutines, looking to see how they were applied and which languages they were most effective in translating. He tapped the screen looking to see if the Icarus had arrived on schedule, seeing that it had not he pulling up the schematic available for the the ship, looking briefly at the layout of engineering, before looking to Aurora."Are you personally familiar with the captain?"

Aurora glanced up and pushed her sleeve back down. "We have never been introduced, however my last captain, William Lenore, often spoke of him as a good friend and competant captain. Why do you ask?" She busied herself with smoothing her sleeve until it was uniform once more.

"It is usually a good idea to become acquainted with the people you work with. I find a bit of prior knowledge tents to facilitate communications." He had not ever met the captain and knew that with a new crew it would be some time before he was able to speak with the captain, It was logical to have a prior knowledge of the captain's preferences so that he would not have to waste time adjusting to the new style of command.

She felt the twitch of a smirk. Hadn't she said something to that effect earlier in their conversation?

"From what I was told, I gather he is an attentive man that is not tolerant of nonsense from his crew while they are on duty. I also conclude he is very easy to work with and accepting of the crew's individual adjustments that may be require for them to operate at maximum efficiency." It was all she could say that had solid evidence to back it.

Malcolm Carradine’s ready room wasn’t adorned with all the treasures of a long and lofty career as a Starfleet officer. No models of ships to line the walls, no holographic images of family or epic moments detailing the service of a man with innumerable debts granted to the Federation by his actions. Instead, the unassuming desk sat across from a wide screen that seemed to fill the wall. At the moment, a tactical map of their journey to Vulcan with live details fed from Navigation filled the screen. A window to the emptiness of space sat behind the seated captain.

There were no great stories to tell. Most of Carradine’s great moments of bravery and heroics had come in actions that were no under deep classification by Starfleet, the rest of the Federation never to know of the actions of a young officer and his team of men that carried out the black operations beneath the Prime Doctrine. The stories were in the room after all, just buried beneath a serious expression and a hairline beginning to offer the dignity of grey.

“Come in, Commander,” the captain spoke, leaning forward in his seat. Two hours until they were to arrive at Vulcan. “What’s on your mind?”

I am going to time skip with this post, but we can continue this conversation between Milan and Malcolm in IM and post it to the game later if you would like. Let me know.


Malcolm wasn’t the type to sit back and let things pass him by. It was easy enough to understand that he would want a personal greeting for his executive officer, but the truth was that Carradine probably would have done the same thing if the group boarding the Icarus from Vulcan were little more than a set of junior officers from engineering that would probably not meet face to face with the Captain again for a number of months. Delegation of authority had always been his weakest point as a commanding officer.

After his conversation with the counselor, Carradine had browsed over the personnel files once more, not that he hadn’t already memorized the details of every senior officer on his staff. Most of them were from very different backgrounds and already one member had made a point to seek him out and voice a very strong opinion different from his own. That conversation hadn’t ended that way the counselor expected, but the fact that she had already stood up to the captain was an reassuring sign that his command staff would be anything but gullible.

“Welcome aboard the U.S.S. Icarus, Commander.”

IN: Commander Milandeaux

The conversation had turned out to be something completely different, nor has she ever seen a captain grin at someone like that. Oh how she was tempted to tap into his head, to see what was playing on his mind throughout their little conversation. Though above everything she was surprised about the Captains intentions. Seemingly he wasn't as cold hearted as his remarks from earlier might have hinted upon. In ways she was relieved that they didn't have to have a full blown argument about the situation at hand. A smooth cooperation within their own ranks was the thing she desired most, so his decision was more than she had hoped for.

In fact the Captain had earned himself some of Milan's appreciation, though she had to admit. It was far more effective to relay the information to the Command center, this would give them time to collect the last of their crew members, indeed his decision showed some great tactile expertise. With the Center informed of the incident, they could get a chance to 'work' as ambassadors between the two factions. If not, just as always, they would have to deal with things the old fashioned way.

A little satisfied smile gracing the soft features of the Commander as she walked off through the corridor, her next destination would be the sick bay. She wanted to meet the Chief Medical officer for a while now, dark hair sweeping rhythmically from side to side, as she hurried through the halls. Always a friendly and inviting, gentle smile on her lips as she greeted a few members of their crew before Milan jumped into an elevator, which would take her up/(down?) to the sick bay. Since no one was present in the lift, she decided to stretch out her tired muscles a little. The early morning work out was still slacking off some of her movements.

Watching the doors fling open, the all too familiar smell of sterile vapor lingering around the air, made her twitch her small nose a little. At what looked like a reception of some sort, she decided to ask for the Lt. Commander and her whereabouts. She could have always used the intercom but she, Milan wasn't the type to call out people or make a big fuss about something - even if she was only a rank below her, it just didn't seem appropriate.

With a small chirp to her voice, she grinned at the young ensign "Would you be able to tell me where Chief Medical Officer - Kyrie Aleria is at the moment?"

Kyrie sat behind the smooth contours of the desk in her private office, tucked away at the back of Sickbay. After the inaugural case of a skinned knee to kick off their medical duties aboard the ship, Aleria's team had mostly scattered throughout the ship. There simply had been no reason to keep a full staff on call at the moment when they would be better served with their families, settling into a new home. The ship's chief medical officer didn't have anyone to run home to, so she stayed with two others and kept things in order.

"Computer, report flight details."

"The Icarus has established stationary orbit over the planet Vulcan." The silky voice of the computer almost cooed in response as if expected some sort of reward for a safe voyage thus far.

"Has the boarding party arrived?"

"Records indicate that the shuttle from the Vulcan surface is aboard and secured in Docking Bay 12."

Reaching up and adjusting a few misplaced strands of her red hair, the woman rose slowly from behind her desk. Aurora would be aboard the ship now, no doubt meeting with the captain and getting stowed away before her first official duties as the executive officer of the U.S.S. Icarus. Kyrie had never doubted that Aurora Coleman would eventually reach a point like this in her career. Even when they were both young and green officers years ago, the Sikarian noticed the drive and ability in the Terran girl.

She made a point to pull Coleman aside later once everything began to settle down, perhaps after their first senior staff meeting. Kyrie turned back to the readout on the desk's screen when she heard a woman's voice calling for her. Immediately, she turned and stepped out of the office and into the light of Sickbay's main room, stopping her steps just a few feet in front of the newcomer.

"I am Lt. Commander Aleria," she offered with carefully placed diction and a pensive smile. Sikarians were tinkerers by nature and loved to work with their hands. It was in Kyrie's nature to reach out and touch, to examine a patient by hand just as much as with the tricorder that never left her side. In the same, she was tempted to reach out to the other officer at the moment, but protocol had long ago broken the woman of such habits.

After a few seconds, Kyrie's eyes alerted her to the rank of the other woman. "What brings you to Sickbay?"

Her would-be conversation with Revvik was inturrupted by the arrival of their shuttle craft and the boarding of it. The ride to the Icarus was short and before she knew it, she was hopping off the shuttle and into the halls just outside the hanger bay. She didn't glance back for Revvik, but headed first a computer console and logged on with her itenerary. "Computer, locate Captain Carradine." She waited for a response before accessing the map momentarily and making her way to the Captain's ready room.

She took a moment to detail her uniform before triggering the door to whoosh open and stepping inside. She located the captain and stood precisely 6 feet from him at attention. "Lieutenant Commander Coleman reporting for duty, Captain Carradine."

So this was the infamous Malcom Billy had told her about.

A geographical map of Therex IV read out in defined lines on the screen before Carradine. The computer spoke aloud as the senior officer paced back and forth in the ready room, detailing some of the more pertinent facts known about the situation there, at least as much was known from the last time that Federation traders made their way through the system.

The world’s technology was far behind that of Starfleet and the other major political and military powers of the day. While they were capable of faster-than-life space travel, Therexians were far too caught up in their own strife on the surface to worry about expanding into the stars. For two centuries now the people had been united under the Elder Council, a group of officials consisting of the heads of the twelve major families that traced their roots back to the ancient days of the planet. When twin brothers were in line for the Council seat from the same family, one of them was chosen and the other incited a rebellion, attempting to shed Therex of the oligarchy system, wanting to revolutionize the nation-world and bring it to a new level of technology.

And thus a war had been born. Carradine opened his mouth to address the computer’s latest report when the depression of the air-sealed door caused the captain to spin around. Lt. Commander Aurora Coleman’s entrance to the ship had been a long time coming. Curt in her motions, very official in her procedure and approach to her commanding officer. She was everything that Starfleet wanted in a young officer to be groomed for her own command one day.

“Welcome aboard, Commander. I was afraid we would never get a chance to pull you off the surface,” he offered, reaching out and extending his hand to the young woman. “What do you think of our ship?”

Aurora blinked at his hair and slowly lifted her right hand, offering him the Vulcan Salute in stead with no emotion, not even a glint in her eye for now. "I have not had a chance to tour the ship as of yet, however I did have a chance to review the layout of the ship while I waited on Vulcan. It is rather impressive, though not quite as efficient as it could be. That, however, is a discussion for another time. With your permission, I will report to sickbay for my examination."

She held her pose at attention, shoulders back, head high, back ram-rod straight.