Welcome Wagon
Posted on Sun Feb 28, 2016 @ 4:09pm by Lieutenant Annora Tessaro & Lieutenant JG Zayna Malik
1,574 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Pangaea (Wrap up)
Location: Docking Bay 7, Deck 342
A padd clutched to her chest, and a bag slung over her shoulder from a long strap, Peridot hurried towards the docking bay. There were so many people coming and going these days it made sense to ease the new crew in by picking them up when they arrived. There were two on the list today, both in security.
Strengthening us exactly where needed right now, she thought wryly as she turned the corner. She was a little late and the shuttle had already disembarked but with her white blonde hair, the first was easy enough to spot.
Peridot waited until the new officer had finished her comm transmission before introducing herself.
"Lieutenant Malik, right?" she asked more for clarification than anything else, "I'm Chief Quirm, the Captain's Yeoman. If you've a few minutes I'd like to officially welcome you on board and run you through a few pointers."
"Computer delay request." Zayna said before looking at the yeoman which had just addressed her. Zayna herself was hardly amongst the tallest, but this woman managed to stick below her just a little bit. "I am Zayna Malik indeed, I was about to find out where my direct superior was, but I can delay that for a few minutes."
Peridot glanced at her padd and ticked Malik off the list, "There should be another one of you round here too, another security officer I mean. Let me just see if I can locate them."
It had been an interesting few weeks en route from Earth. Annora still had her reservations about the posting, but would deal with those reservations at a later time. Stepping aboard the station, she paused to take a look around. The idea of helping run security on a station that large was both daunting and appealing at the same time. While she knew several cities had larger populations, having close to one-hundred thousand people to keep safe was still a large responsibility.
She was about to ask for directions when she heard mention of new arrivals in security. Turning towards the sound, she noticed a CPO with another woman wearing the gold trimmed uniform worn by security and engineering.
"That would be me Chief. Lieutenant Annora Tessaro reporting as ordered."
Perodot smiled as the worry about having to search the promenade for a stranger was lifted from her. "Delighted to meet you, Lieutenant Tessaro, this is Lieutnenant Malik. I believe you'll be serving together."
"Lieutenant." Malik said politely seeing they where equal in rank she simply offered a hand instead standing at attention or anything like that.
Shaking the woman's hand, Annora tried to commit the name to memory. Especially with them being coworkers, it was more pressing to remember who she was.
"Nice to meet you Lt Malik."
"First, do you have any questions for me?" Peridot said.
"What is the current situation of the station and the region? I heard a few things over the news channels and through rumors, but nothing all that concrete." Zayna asked, she might as well break in with the key question seeing it was going to affect her job one way or the other.
Peridot sucked a breath in through her teeth, "We're at a high alert," she said, "everyone is back aboard after the recent evacuation, and as you'll have seen on your way in, three planets and a sun have recently been added to the star chart. That event has spawned all manner of issues."
"Gold rush, cute gold rush with navies no doubt seeing the location of this station. I assume that means a lot of VIP protection and general peace keeping on board. At least one would assume no one would be foolish enough to attack this station, it would cost you a fleet and a half." Zayna said shaking her head knowing inside some one might be very well thinking it would be worth the price.
"From what I heard, the summit was quite lively. A few strange alliances being forged it seems. You're spot on, Deck 60, which is where the Embassies and Consulates are located, filled up practically overnight, and as you can see, the general population has burgeoned. Its good for businesses, but from a security perspective, well, I don't need to tell you."
"I might actually have something to do again, that be nice for a change." Zayna said with a smile as she meant it, sure the situation might not be brilliant, but she was quite well done and over with sitting on her ass.
Peridot smiled, "There's been a bit of a rash of petty theft, we have hard currency here as well as credits so the crowds are a pickpocket's delight and keeping an eye on the ships going through here - well, we're stretched to say the least."
"I know from experience customs work can be a pain, though as long as no one starts shooting I am alright enough with it." Zayna stated she was looking forwards to get herself slotted in and working, though she felt she might wanted to pack some extra gear.
Annora thought back to her short foray with Starfleet security prior to joining the Sundsvall, as it most correlated to the current situation. Despite the close to a century of Vulcan influence, there were still plenty of seedy groups on Earth.
"It's always interesting to discover what alliances are formed when there's a common foe, or in this case a common interest. Aside from the Federation, what are the other major powers in the region?"
It was changing every hour but Peridot gave them the run-down, "We've a Klingon presence, aligned with us at the moment, Lissepians, Ferengi, Tholians and the Bajorans have sent an Ambassador - I'd not be surprised if more arrive. Everyone seems to think they have a claim to that system out there."
"Well I am glad I am on the side with a giant floating fortress that always helps in negotiations." Zayna said dryly. "That said, most trouble from a security standpoint generally does not come from the brass on top, but from the poor folks down below who believe they are entitled to it and with it gain a bright new future. Did we see any riots or gang fights so far on the station or has this been contained so far?"
Peridot shook her head, "Not recently. We think everyone has been so in awe of a bunch of planets nearly pulling us into their gravitational field, that they've not thought that far ahead. That said, we've had a bit of trouble in the past from a pro-human group - they're still around, but have been quiet for a while now."
"Agreed. In situations like this most governments recognize that acting brashly is a quick way to make enemies of other competitors. Those with little to nothing left to lose and much to gain are more likely to cause trouble, regardless of whether or not their actions are sanctioned by the powers that be."
At least that was the theory, Annora never had a chance to see it play out in real life. Her ears perked up with the mention of a pro-human group, they were certainly someone to ask her superior about.
"Aside from mysterious solar systems and feuding diplomats, what's the general feel of life aboard DS5?"
"Its busy. The faces are always changing, but there are a few fixtures - The Box of Delights is very popular, there's a decent Klingon restaurant and I'd give the Dilithium Lounge a wide berth, but that's a personal opinion. Basically, when we're not rioting, under seige or generally on the pointy end of a crisis there's a lot to do," Peridot said. She dug in the bag hung over her shoulder and fished out two padds and handed them to the women.
"I've checked you both in, and put together a few bits of information for you, including the location of your quarters - looks like you're both on deck 27. Oh, before you go I should tell you that the Captain is not available," Peridot paused, trying not to let her brief run into the realms of gossip, but it was surely better that they knew. "She's currently under house arrest pending the conclusion of a murder invetigation."
"Well at least it is comforting to know the universe is still as bonkers as ever. I am going to find the boss, say hello and check how much of my gear they managed to lose in transit." Zayna said shaking her head, she might have ended up with more than she had signed on for, life surely was bad at this whole balance thing.
"Ok, well great to meet you. If you have any issues, feel free to look me up," Peridot offered. She turned to the other officer as Malik clearly had an appointment set up, "Is there anything more I can do for you, Lieutenant Tessaro?"
"That's a good introduction, thanks Chief. I don't need anything more from you at the moment."
If there was one constant throughout the uniformed services of the ages, it was the importance of the enlisted personnel. While not always as public a position as the officers, the enlisted corps often had a good feel for the pulse of the posting.
CPO Peridot Quirm
Captain's Yeoman
Lieutenant JG Annora Tessaro
Asst Security Chief
Lieutenant JG Zayna Malik
Security Officer
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