Two newbies

Posted on Sun Apr 20th, 2025 @ 10:06am by Lieutenant Commander Ryan Price & Lieutenant Zara Kingston Ph.D.

Mission: Those who are left behind
Location: Chief Intel Office

When Zara arrived aboard the Resolution, she intently studied the crew manifest and was intrigued when she noticed that the intelligence department had gained a new department head. Seeing as someone new aboard was in the same position that she was—integrating onto the Resolution—she figured she could gain a colleague. She made her way to the Chief Intelligence Officer's office, a part of the ship she had never expected to be at, and clicked the chime.

Without warning and out of reflex Ryan pressed the privacy mode on his computer, "Yes?" he said as he remotely opened the door.

The Klingon/Human scientist walked into the office with a soft smile. "Commander Price?" She said with an extended hand. "I'm Dr. Zara Kingston—new science officer aboard the Resolution. I thought I'd stop by and meet the other new arrival."

Ryan looked up, "Hi, yeah....Ryan Price, Have a seat." he said his words fumbling out "Can i get you something?"

Zara sat down in the chair and crossed her legs. "Perhaps just a steamed Raktajino, but only if you're having something yourself."

"I was going to grab another coffee, I'm not remotely used too keeping a schedule." Ryan said as he stood too walk over to the replicator he paused as he keyed in the order on the panel above the replicator slot, "I haven't had much downtime since DS nine fell, I think the longest break I had was a three day stint on a medical ship before getting reassigned again." He picked up the two cups setting the one cup near his visitor, "So what's your area of study?"

"Thank you," she said, taking a sip of the drink. "Three days? That's not much time." Of course, a lot of people in Starfleet, and more broadly, the Federation, were probably losing sleep. "I'm a sociologist and I study war and politics." She shrugged. "Social science is where my passion is." Zara had not had much interaction with Starfleet Intelligence besides the one counter-terrorism operation she assisted with. It was certainly an interesting experience for her as a scientist. She tucked some of her hair behind her ear and took another sip of Raktajino. "Before the Resolution, I was faculty at the Daystrom Institute while doing some part-time consulting for the Diplomatic Corps, Starfleet Intel, and the Federation News Service. What was your assignment before being posted here?"

"My last assignment was part of the Louson raids, most of the rest of what I've done is um..." He paused taking a sip on his coffee "It's the kind of stuff that I don't want to talk about and can't either."

She nodded, knowing that he probably meant that some of that information was classified. "Understandable. So, how are you liking the Resolution so far?"

"So far I can't and won't complain too much, I've never served on a Galaxy class of any kind." Ryan replied "I still can't get a read on some of the senior staff."

"I've only met the Captain, the chief medical officer, and the XO," she said, "well, I guess, and now you. I find it takes me a while to get a read on people." She chuckled. "I've enjoyed getting to know Commander Stoffels, and I had an interesting conversation with Captain Carey about...war survivors."

"That's one topic I've been on both sides of." Ryan said with a very flat tone.

She leaned forward. "Care to say more?"

"I was at Wolf three five nine, ten hours out of the academy, I got orders to be the tactical officer aboard USS Lancaster." Ryan set down his coffee "we were out gunned, out matched, there was no way to win after the first six minutes, ships were getting cut down, The Lancaster got struck broadside and crippled, we launched escape pods and spent ten hours floating in the debris." he paused as he felt a chill recounting what he could.

She remembered Wolf 359 all too well. She was obtaining her PhD at the Felker Institute when it happened. "I'm sorry you had to endure that. I worked for the Federation News Service during that time and interviewed many survivors and family victims, but we don't have to continue talking about it if it makes you uncomfortable."

"I spent weeks trying to forget that day, but I used it as a learning experience, when to pick a fight and when to fight smart." ryan said "Since then I've spent my time dodging Klingons, Jem'hadar, Cardassians, Maquis and other unsavoury types and before you ask...I didn't enjoy it."

She let out a sigh and placed her now lukewarm coffee on the desk, and looked out the window. "My father was a commander in the KDF—killed in action—what many from our homeworld would call an honorable death. Perhaps it's my human side that never quite understood why knowing when to avoid battle wasn't considered honorable. Despite my mother being fully human, she seemed to understand, or at least respect it enough to marry a Klingon and have a family with him." She turned back to meet Ryan's eyes. "Sometimes, I wonder why honor couldn't have been for my father to avoid entering a battle he knew he might lose so that he could instead return home and be my father." Zara paused. "I suppose what I'm saying is that I empathize with your learning experience, even though it came from an awful circumstance."

"I don't get it myself, both my parents have been gone for a while I regret not being there for either at the end." Ryan said with no attempt to hide the remorse.

"Perhaps there are other people in your life now that you can be there for?" she asked.

"My marriage didn't last all that long." Ryan started, that was one of the more painful details he tried to avoid, "I've lived out of a backpack for the last four years now, so I guess you could say I'm single." Ryan said with a hidden giggle.

Zara smiled. She enjoyed that he was opening up a little bit more. "Being married to a spy sounds hard, dealing with all the secrets and stuff," she said jokingly with a laugh. My mother is my last remaining immediate family. She had a Human wedding, but she's told me a million times to spend less time on my career so that she can attend a formal Klingon wedding."

"I haven't really tried to get in another relationship, the war and other things have seen too that." he said with irony.

She raised her now cold coffee for a toast. It wasn't an alcoholic beverage, but it pretty much had the same effect. "Well, here's to new possibilities on the USS Resolution."

"New possibilites." Ryan returned, mentally he couldn't get a read off of Zara for the first time, he wasn't exactly a telepath but there was nothing, maybe it was a rare thing to have someone to talk too that he didn't have to keep his defences up around.

"Well, I think I've probably taken up enough of your time, Commander," said Zara. She stood to leave. "It's been a pleasure speaking with you and I hope we can do so again in the future?"

"We definately could..." Ryan blurted out not thinking he felt a slight flush come too his face "Maybe something not innvolving offices or breifing rooms." Did I just say that?

Zara grinned. "I'd like that." Getting to know someone in a more casual environment was always better, in her opinion: no need to assert ranks and stick to on-duty protocol. "Did you have somewhere in mind?"

Ryan trying to change his tone for one moment "If you want to avoid prying eyes there's bound to be a holodeck availible, or the lounge if you want something a bit more public and possibly starting some gossip."

"Haha, you shouldn't entice me with gossip, commander. I'm a sociologist—that's practically what my degree is in." She pondered for a while, silently trying to make a decision. "I've yet to see the Holodecks on the Resolution, so maybe there?"

Ryan smiled, something that could be called rare he picked up a datapad and looked at the schedule "Holodeck three isn't in use at all after seventeen thirty most of this week." ryan said factually What the hell am I doing?

Zara nodded, still grinning. "Seventeen thirty in Holodeck 3," she said. "Sounds like a—" she paused. "Sounds good!"

Ryan smiled, he'd question things later, "sounds...good." he paused "Any preference on a program?"

"How about the emerald wading pool from Cirrus IV?" she asked. "It's an environmental leisure program. It's pretty peaceful and a nice stress-reliever."

"Sounds like fun." Ryan said with a smile "Until seventeen thirty then?" he said politely.

"Until seventeen thirty," Zara repeated. "See you around, commander." She gave a small wave and left the office.

Ryan stood up, he paused in a moment of something that sat between panic and excitement, then he froze Was this a date? he thought then it's something. he went back too his work feeling slightly distracted at the idea of a date or whatever this was.

End