A Mountain Or A Grain Of Sand

Posted on Fri Jul 12th, 2019 @ 1:29am by Commodore Jane Saulitis

Mission: The Fool's Odyssey
Location: Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: MD 01 09:00 Hours
Tags: Captain Jane Saulitis
918 words - 1.8 OF Standard Post Measure

Jane had just finished her tea. She set the empty cup down on the table, the sound of it hitting the saucer could barely be heard before the door chimed and she called out, "Come in." She knew that new people had come on board while they were still in orbit of Marga III but usually it was the first officers job to help them settle in. As Shev was . . . somewhere out there Jane had taken over his duties rather than push them onto Murphy. She wanted to keep busy, it kept her from thinking too much.

"Ah, Lieutenant, have a seat. I've been expecting a visit from you." She said to Kelris as she entered.


"Thank you Captain" Kel replied with a gentle smile. She was soft-spoken enough that if she wished to be heard on the bridge she'd need to speak up. Of course, it might also be a case of new ship/new captain nerves that would quickly pass. It was doubtful she'd need to be giving orders in the middle of a battle after all. Her specialty was healing in the mind, though understanding alien psyche was certainly part of it as well. Her ground-bound peers rarely had to deal with first contact and all that could lead to after all.

First the formalities, she thought. "Lieutenant Kelris, reporting for duty ma'am." How far back did that phrase reach, she pondered. 500 years? A thousand? More? She pushed the idle thought away though to focus on the captain. She was glad that her own telepathy didn't extend beyond her reach. It made it easier for non-telepaths to be at easy if the subject arose.

Kelris was petite, and very blue. She definitely didn't look like someone that would win any wrestling matches. She had her hair back in a neat ponytail, though it was pulled together behind her right shoulder, rather than down the middle of her back. It was held in place with a leather thong that looped around a small, dark-colored seashell. It was dark enough to blend into her almost black hair and 'not cause undue distraction', as regulations called for.

Jane had never seen a Rennan before. Was that even the correct term? What was the plural of Renna?. She had no idea what to offer her, whether to have her sit. She wondered if she should just be honest. "Welcome to Majestic. Are you comfortable with sitting? I'm very curious about your species, it's not one I've come across before in my travels. Are you the only one in Starfleet? I'm no counselor, of I wouldn't be hiring one," Jane joked. "But I'd love to hear about you."

"Yes ma'am, I'd prefer to sit, thank you" she replied, making herself comfortable. She smoothed uniform dress as she sat, which provided a brief glimpse of the webbing between her fingers.
"I'm definitely the only one in Star Fleet, as I'm the only one still known to exist. It's my hope that someday we might come across some, well, remnant of my people some place. My planet was conquered, and we were forcibly deported. This all happened several centuries ago however. There's an Star Fleet archaeology team on my home world, but they found it uninhabited. I was found still in suspended animation aboard a derelic ship by Star Fleet. I was put into the care of parents of one of the away team who found me. So... joining Star Fleet seemed the natural thing to do."

"Have you reviewed my personnel file ma'am?"

"Only your service record. My first officer is usually the one who is up to date on all of the personnel files but he's taking a much deserved break for a few days after our last mission. What a heartbreaking beginning to life. I suppose Starfleet provides the support and direction one needs after such an event. Are you settled into the ship? Is there anything you require to make things more comfortable?"

"I'm settled in, I travel rather lightly. Other than clothing, the largest thing I own is a small aquarium" Kel said, indicating something that must have been about 25 cm on a side. Indeed, she seemed to talk with her hands, if not whole body, as much as with her voice.

"It, ah, was a bit of a culture shock. My people are telepaths with each other, and didn't have a spoken language as such. I had to learn to talk as well as the language itself. My foster mother was... very patient" she said, with a gentle laugh at the memory.
"I should mention that with other species, such as humans, I'm a touch telepath, but an active empath. So, I can feel what those around are feeling, but no more" she advised, shaking her head.

"Well I don't think that will cause anyone any concern, there are Betazoids on the ship after all. I think people are used to the idea that their own thoughts aren't always their own. They usually try to be respectful of such crewmembers. As for learning to speak, you seem very eloquent to me. But if you're interested you could speak to a linguist about language, though by now you should have had plenty of practice with Starfleet standard at least." Jane smiled. "We are happy to have you on board. A counselor is such a prized position on a starship, you keep us all humble, especially me."

TRUNCATED

Captain Jane Saulitis
Commanding Officer

Lieutenant (jp) Kelris
Chief Counselor