Acceptance (Camille's Arrival)

Posted on Thu Sep 26th, 2024 @ 6:30pm by Captain Abigail Laurens & Commander Ichiko Gail & Lieutenant Camille Lévesque PhD

Mission: Lower Decks

The courier ship's arrival was uneventful and the process for getting Camille Lévesque onto the Astraea went smoothly. She beamed aboard, her bags taken to storage by Ops until everything about her new assignment could be formalized.

A junior security officer was to escort her to Deck 1, to the Ready Room, but their arrival was fortuitously timed. They diverted first to the memorial service for the Penn.

When it was over, she was given a short opportunity to settle and then brought to the Ready Room, where she waited until the Captain invited her in.

Abigail sat on one of the comfortable seats off to the side of her desk, her First Officer sitting in another by her side, leaving one for Camille opposite them. "Lieutenant," she said warmly as the officer entered. "I'm glad you could join us. I trust your transfer was uneventful?"

Ichiko turned to regard the new arrival. Long, soft furred ears, soft features, and eyes that were deeper than any abyss. Colorful pools of green, devoid of reflection or shine. Just... color. A soft smile played on her features at the new arrival, someone obviously well trained in the ancient arts of diplomacy. Smiling, without showing teeth. At the moment, she was content to let Abigail handle the initial starter. The conversation would come in time.

"Thank you, Captain, yes it was," Camille answered, regarding both her new Captain and the First Officer. They had met briefly during the encounter with the Koldaran at Odraiclite (and the gathering at Tabula Rasa thereafter), but didn't know them enough to presume any amount of familiarity. "I do regret the circumstances, however. The Penn was a good ship, with a good crew."

Was

There was that word again. It was a good ship. The words were not intended to illicit a response, yet they left Abigail deeply unsettled. "Indeed," was all she finally managed to respond with quietly before picking up her mug of chai and taking a sip, using the action as a way to mask her uneasiness.

"You should have been assigned quarters as you came aboard, everything should be to your liking. The Astraea isn't like most ships you may have experienced," her unease was replaced with a hint of pride as she talked about the vessel the commanded. "I strongly recommend in your off hours you get a crew member to show you around. At the very least where the key areas of the ship are so you can move about in an emergency if needed." Abigail's voice remained calm and polite as she spoke, a smile hinted at on the corners of her lips, a smile that just didn't quite reach her eyes. "Not that we are expecting any emergencies any time soon of course."

A brief meeting for Camille was a lifetime of interaction for Ichiko. The tone of her voice, the inflection of each letter, the way she pronounced each word. She recalled from her brief education on the Sol system that Earth was, at one point, also divided among several distinct rulers. Not too dissimilar from their own history. Nations were divided through words, borders enforced through dialect. Each distinct in their wants, their needs, and their ambitions.

The French treasure their cuisine. The British treasure their momentos. The Americans treasure their boats.

"At least, there are no emergencies scheduled at this time." Ichiko broke the silence. "I saw you at the memorial, so you already know that we have a ship on listening duty. A tradition of ours, when a ship is lost without a trace. We send a ship out to listen." she paused to sip her tea. "Warp travel for us, in the beginning, was not without its peril. A consideration that endured well after safety was improved." ghost stories, in this day and age? Curious indeed.

"As for the circumstances, they are regrettable. All we can do is ensure that the best comes from it. We are proud to have you aboard." a pause, "Please, sit, and tell us a little about yourself. Something not on the paperwork."

Camille took the offered seat and smiled at the request. Something not on the paperwork. Very well then. "I've become good at maintaining a high pace research environment, whether absent resources or absent external pressure. Before reactivating my commission I spent two years with the Daystrom Institute's Centre for Exobiological Studies. I ran the team myself. No one outside told us what to study or when, so we did it ourselves. And in that time I coauthored nine papers, including a Lancet study with my wife, who until recently headed a hospital on Rigel V." She took a breath. "What else is there to say? I love museums. Put me in a natural history museum and I need to be reminded to eat or hydrate," she added with a giggle.

Ichiko was difficult to impress, but Camille had come dangerously close. This woman was a free thinker, a free spirit, needed little motivation and less oversight. "I remember going to a museum when I was a little girl. I had such a fantastic time but, well, it was very overwhelming to me at the time. Fortunately I was able to go back the next day to see the exhibit I really wanted to see. It's a memory I'll cherish forever."

"You will receive no pressure to achieve here. We pride ourselves on our accomplishments, not the measures we take to achieve them. Pressure forms a diamond but patience yields a beach." a quip from her people's wisdom, perhaps. There was a pause, Ichiko considering the next question. The one she always dreaded was a question about failure, but given the circumstances and the recent discovery, that question could be shelved for now. Many questions could.

"Do you have any questions or concerns for us? The Federation has a remarkable sense of approachability with their command staff, and that's a feeling I want to at least encourage. I find that small problems are dealt with quickly when command staff are viewed as approachable and understanding, rather then figures of absolute authority." a small sip of tea, "So please, feel free."

"I'm glad to hear that you welcome being approached with questions or concerns," Camille answered. "Perhaps after I am settled and after I have worked for a time, I will have something, but for now I am eager to start."

Abigail smiled politely. "Then by all means Lieutenant, don't let us keep you! Go get settled and scope out your new assignment. Just remember that our doors are always open."

"Merci, Capitaine! I mean, thank you! Commander." She nodded to both and made her way out of the Ready Room. It was time now to unpack, get settled properly, write home, and sleep. This had been a long day, one which started sad but now was lined with hope for the future. The circumstances which brought her here might not have been pleasant, but this appeared to be a good ship, with a good command staff. She would do well here.