First Day Nerves

Posted on Tue Jan 19th, 2010 @ 2:14pm by Captain Benjamin Byrne & Lieutenant JG Nessa Jenarian

Mission: Metronian Diplomacy
Location: Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: MD05 1507hrs

Benjamin had just returned to his ready room from his lunch in his quarters, and had barely had time to reach his desk before the chime on his door sounded the arrival of a visitor. Glancing briefly at the selection of new PADDs which had been placed on his desk during his brief absence, he looked towards the door and called, "Enter!"

Nessa took a deep breath as the door slid open and stepped inside the room. She lifted her hand to her forehead in an impromptu old-fashioned salute and practically blurted out, "Science officer Nessa Jenarian reporting for duty, Sir!" Her eyes wandered over his face for a moment before she lowered the hand down to her side. She took another step in, moving away from the door as it slid closed behind her with the distinctive sound of hydraulics at work. Every muscle in her body seemed tense at this point, obviously a bit uncertain as to how the man in front of her would react to her presence, her thoughts wandering through different things he might say and different ways she could answer while she waited for his next words.

Ben stood looking at the new officer for a few moments, inwardly amused at her stiffness. He could still remember when he reported aboard his first assignment - standing in front of his superior's desk, back ram-rod straight; every word pronounced with care. "At ease, Science Officer Nessa Jenarian," he said after a short while. "Before you break something," he smiled.

Nessa coughed softly and nodded her head, relaxing her tense muscles before trusting herself to speak. "Yes, ummm... technically, it is not possible to break a bone due to stiffness, Sir." she said, blushing a little shortly after at showing exactly the way her mindset works so quickly. "My apologies, Sir. I tend to spit out facts like that without even thinking." she said, bowing her head a little as a frown crossed her lips.

"Well, let's hope we can't put that encyclopedic talent to good use then," Ben replied, as he moved around the back of the desk and picked up the PADD which held the symbol in the top corner associated with the flight control department - in this case more specifically, the report from the main shuttlebay. "So Ensign," he said, as he read the notes on the PADD, recalling the science officer's service record now that he had been reminded of her specific post. "You've come straight from the Academy to serve as my Chief Science Officer. I don't think I need to ask if you're nervous about it or not," he paused as he looked and smiled at her again. After a pause where he continued to read, he asked "What do you think made you stand out enough to get this position, Ensign?"

"I am not exactly certain, Sir." she said, seemingly considering the situation for a moment before continuing, "It came as a surprise to me as well. I can only assume that it was due to the way I was in the Academy, focusing on studying while everyone else was going out to parties, but that is merely a speculation on my part." She took a deep breath, glancing toward the PADD curiously, but didn't say anything about it, only shifting her weight from one foot to the other, watching him carefully as her hand moved to adjust the pants of her uniform and a blush crept over her cheeks. "As to putting my skills and knowledge to use, I can't really expect any less. After all, we are all part of the same crew and if someone were to not pull their weight, everyone might get in trouble." she added, finally letting her eyes wander about the room, examining any decorations present with a bit more curiosity.

Ben chuckled silently at the Ensign's tendency to respond to everything said to her, rhetorical or not. After she'd spent enough time around the crew though, he was certain that the tendency would fade a little, and was probably due to nerves and being on her first assignment.

"Well, let's get that weight pulling then," he said, putting the PADD down and looking again towards the science officer. "You should find your new office on deck 17. Whilst this mission has no specific scientific interest, I want your department to be running continuous scans for anything local to us of interest - and I want you to make particular note of any readings coming from the Metron Consortium. We know they have the ability to manipulate ship functions, or at least had, and I'd rather not be caught unawares, even if we are to be attending diplomatic negotiations."

"Understood, Sir." she responded, a single eyebrow quirking up at his chuckle, but she said nothing about it. Her hands moved to adjust her uniform once more, clearly doing so without actually paying attention to her own actions. After she seemed satisfied, she started to turn around only to pause in mid-stride. "Would there be anything else, Sir?" she asked, turning back to face him once more, a slight blush creeping on her cheeks at the way she had forgotten about protocol.

"No, that'll be all, Ensign. Dismissed." Byrne said, smiling at the memories of his first assignment as she left.

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Commander Benjamin J. Byrne
Commanding Officer

&

Ensign Nessa Jenarian
Chief Science Officer
USS Endeavour NCC-86105