Chapter Text
2264.64
09:45
Kirk said that our conversation would resume in a minute, but it had been an hour with no sign of the good captain, so I snuck out of his ready room and guided myself back to my room. It took me a good while to figure out the halls of the crews quarters, but I followed the sound of the impulse engine and I am happy to say that I did not get lost! It took me a few minutes longer than it took Spock, but what human could beat a Vulcan in the memory department?
The captain is exactly how Christine described him, to be totally honest. She never liked to talk about the Enterprise when she wasn’t on it, but she had raving and long stories about him. She always told them in her impression of Dr. McCoy, which she said was perfect. I haven’t met him yet, so I don't know if it’s perfect , but I’ll grade her later.
I don’t think I like it here, to be honest. It’s very clean and sterile, which I understand is how a starship has to be, to maintain the health of the crew, but I don’t like that there is virtually no evidence of the crew in even the lounges. They look so perfect and clean that you would never know that people had just left a second ago. It makes me feel uncomfortable, especially after spending so much time in places that scream HISTORY at the top of their lungs.
I don’t really have any other choice than to be here, though. Starfleet themselves assigned me here, and after Professor Vattoh’s department at Princeton was dissolved, I don't really have any other place to be employed.
I’m going to try and entertain myself until the captain notices I’m gone. It’ll probably take a while
=-O
It didn’t, take a while, that is. As soon as you capped your fountain pen with a satisfying click, a message popped up on your PADD.
The captain has requested your presence on the bridge.
Oh. The bridge. You thought he would just call you back to his ready room. He didn’t expect you to wait that long, did he? A whole hour in his ready room? No thank you, those walls were too white and the decor too bland to keep you sane.
So, you made your way to the turbolift and requested the computer take you to the bridge. In the interim time while the lift was lifting you, you tried your best to straighten up the clothes you had been lounging in. You felt like a sore thumb in all of the halls that you trod, not wearing any of the solid colors that denoted what section of the ship you worked in. You guessed you worked in all of the sections, technically.
Once the lift arrived at your destination, you stepped out onto the bridge, almost blinded by the stark whiteness of it all. It had so many hard edges, and color blocks that you felt entirely out of your element immediately. You didn’t know what to do now. Kirk was ahead of you, sitting on his chair, hair almost glowing in the harsh outline of the white lights.
“Sir?” You asked quietly, and he turned his head. “You requested me.”
“Ah, miss, didn’t hear you come in,” he said, standing and adjusting his shirt. He waved you closer, “Normally, you would ask permission to come onto the bridge, but since you’re new here, I’ll let it pass just this once.”
You joined him next to the console, eyes catching on the empty view screen, showing the vast stars before them. It had been a while since you were able to take in the beauty of empty space, but it was a sight to behold. Infinite and unending. Something you could, and maybe would, get lost in forever. Unlimited peoples and knowledge. Part of your dream.
It took you a minute to remember where you were. The captain said your name.
“Ah, sorry. I haven’t been able to see space in a long time,” you said, reluctantly turning your head back to face the captain. He gave a soft smile, nodding.
“It is pretty, isn’t it?” He patted your shoulder, but turned your attention to the crew, “But that’s not what you’re here for, is it?”
You didn’t know where he was going with this.
“Everyone, we have a new crew member. Our very own onboard historian!” He said, presenting you to the bridge crew, a few of whom smiled and gave you small waves. “She will be our shadow on this exploration, learning about what makes this ship run and writing everything that happens to us. How we work together, apart, the whole shebang.”
You swallowed slowly, not liking the attention that the captain was diverting to you. He faced you now, and gestured to his ready room.
“I’d like to finish our conversation now, if that’s alright with you.”
=-O
“Sorry if I violated orders, leaving and all,” you apologized quickly after the automatic doors had shut behind you, “I didn’t expect you to be that long is all. I wanted to start unpacking.”
Kirk nodded, taking a seat at his desk, “I understand. The problem is, you don’t have a badge or communicator, so I had no idea where you were on my ship.”
You nodded, not sure where the captain was going with this conversation.
“Earlier, I wanted to give you these,” Kirk placed a communicator and a badge on his desk before you, “It will help you communicate on the ship better and give the computer a way to locate you if needed.” He held a hand up as you began to speak, “Only me, the first officer and the CMO will be able to locate you. I assure you, you will be completely safe on board my ship, alright?”
Nodding, you reached for the communicator, flipping it open to look at the display. It was a lot nicer than the one that you used in the archives, considering that those were probably a decade out of date. The badge was quickly clipped to your sweater, adding an odd but not unwelcome weight.
“Thank you, sir.”
The captain nodded, giving you a slight smile. “Now, I know that this is your first day, so I’m going to go easy on you and give you the day off to explore the ship as needed. Since you will eventually be in all of the departments, you’ve got full access. Just don’t touch anything that looks important, alright?”
You nodded fervently and the captain waved you off, “have a fun time exploring. If you ever get lost, just look for a display. There should be one by the turbolift on each floor.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Please, when I’m off duty, I’m Jim.”