Goodwill Reception Part 2: The Mingling Begins

Posted on Mon Apr 1st, 2024 @ 3:37am by Captain Remy Johansen & Lieutenant Commander Nash Winters & Lieutenant Jules Mundy & Lieutenant Commander Maxun Spello & Lieutenant JG Thivi & Lieutenant JG Ta'Feel Anith Usskik

1,716 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Artifact or Artifiction
Location: Deck 10, All Purpose Room
Timeline: MD 6, 1430 hours After Part 1

At 1430 hours the doors to the reception venue were open for anyone to come and go at their leisure. Remy stood ready to meet and greet with a glass of sparking water in her hand. She expected guests to trickle in and out, and knew a fair number of crew would be present - all eager to be a part of this First Contact. She hoped that the Atarans would be just as eager.

For someone pulled out of her own time and into one where alien creatures of all sorts roamed among those that resembled herself and her peers like normal, Jheva had adapted surprisingly well to life in the 24th century - she seemed reasonably calmer and far less prone to picking fights than she had just a few days ago, at least, as noted by the counseling personnel she'd begrudgingly agreed to speak to. She'd admittedly spent most of that time locked in her quarters poring over the databases she'd had access to, though. A cheer went up from a nearby table as the arm of her opponent, a burly Trill man, hit the table with a thump, and she pumped her other fist in the air in celebration - her third win in a row that evening.

Jheva did eventually spot who she'd come to see, though. She rose to her feet and approached her without hesitation. Being able to possibly talk to her was one of the reasons she'd decided to come with her newest, big, bold idea in hand. "Ma'am. I'd like to request your ear at your nearest convenience." She requested boldly.

"Of course," Remy responded. "I take it that you know who I am, Commander Remira Johansen. And may I ask who I have the pleasure of speaking with?" Remy asked.

"My name is Jheva. But you probably already know that." She fished around in her pocket for her PADD (such a miraculous item, this flat screen with no buttons!) and tapped through several screens before arriving on the one she wanted. This she held out to Remy to see. "My application to Starfleet Academy. This form is for non-citizens petitioning to be considered as potential cadets, isn't it?" Indeed, the entire form had been meticulously filled out save the sections pending a line officer's approval and remarks. "I would like you to hear my petition and... consider." The fiery look in her eyes seemed to dim, even for just a moment. "I have been reading about your Federation and Starfleet in general and after the past few days, I have never made a decision that I am more sure of in my life. "

"That's great that you are interested," Remy commented seriously. "I'm sure that you must have read that you need a sponsor. There are also prerequisite classes, and an entrance exam," Remy continued. "From what I've seen of your people's technology, your science and engineering concepts vary a great deal from what our adolescents are taught. Before you take the exam, you'll need to be well versed in the Federation's history, as well as other known powers here and in the other quadrants where we've had a presence," Remy explained.

"I don't say that to discourage you. I'm sure you're bright. And there is a curriculum designed for people in similar positions to take to prepare them for the exam that takes just under a year," Remy continued. "If you can handle that - and learn to stop threatening Starfleet officers - I'm sure you would make a fine candidate."

So the Commander hadn't actually needed an introduction, it seemed. She already knew who she was, assuming she'd taken time to read over whatever that weird counsellor - Joey, was it? - had written about her. "Fine." Jheva relented. "I'll do it. I suppose I can afford to learn not to lose my cool around people who treat me like I'm nine instead of nineteen. And I'm a quick learner. You'll see."

"If you become a Starfleet Officer, you will be faced with situations that are a lot more agitating than an Android Counselor," Remy stated with promise.

"I know. I said I'd learn not to argue with people, didn't I?" Jheva replied. "So long as people don't talk down to me like I'm nine years old or treat me like I don't know what the world is like I'll be fine."

Remy took a breath and looked into the young woman's eyes. "But they will. Klingons, Tellerites, Romulans especially. And that's when they are being nice. It doesn't matter how old you are, or what rank you hold, there are appropriate ways to respond to given situations, and you must learn what those are and be willing to adjust."

Remy angled her body so that she wasn't directly in front of Jheva's view. "And tonight is a great time to practice. Everyone here in a Starfleet uniform is eager to meet any one of you. Hoping for the chance to meet people from new places who have had different experiences is one reasons many of us join Starfleet in the first place. You should spend some time getting to know a few people."

Romulans. Jheva had spent a great amount of time reading about them, too. The people who'd taken away everything from her and her people that only now had begun to realize what it felt like to lose everything they held dear. She'd honestly found it very ironic - and appropriate - indeed. Her face visibly darkened hearing the name, gritty and knifelike on her ears, but the look was fleeting. "I shall, ma'am. Thank you for giving me this opportunity." She saluted once and strode off into the party. It felt right to her, at least.

S'Niri, meanwhile, had been posted to the security detail for the event - which had not stopped the by now multiple attempts (mostly accompanied by polite requests) to touch her fur or comment on why she had 'whampa teeth' as she roamed the crowd. Annoying? Just a bit. Understandable? Well, yes, sort of. These people had just been yanked out of their own time, after all, and everything was new to them - which didn't mean she had to be perfectly obliging, right?

Brunel moved about the large room, taking in everything his young mind could absorb. As the aliens, for the most part, still hadn't learned his sign language. He was given an amulet of some kind, that did the translating for him as he signed. He had spent the last few days signing for the computer screen in the room he had been given, and had almost put every bit of language he knew into it. From the amulet, a young boy's voice would be heard as he signed.

As he moved, he came face to face with a furry...something. he was still learning the different species of this United Federation of Planets, but had not come across hers yet. He signed a greeting to her. "Hello, Ma'am. My name is Brunel D'fanel. What is your name?"

The wonders of Federation enabling tech: translating sign language into spoken words. S'Niri had a hard time believing it herself. Back on Ferasa Prime a mute child would have been thrown out onto the streets and left to die. "My name is S'Niri. Tell me, young man, how're you adapting? Have you been having difficulties?" She asked.

He thought about she pronounced her name, he then replied, "Is it spelled, S, apostrophe, N, I, N, I?" As he asked, he signed each letter and punctuation mark.

"S N I R I. Close, but not quite. You're really learning fast aren't you?' S'Niri grinned a feline smile, complete with sharpened saber teeth. Oops.

Unlike some of the other Atarans, however, Brunel wasn't frightened. In fact, quite the opposite. He was politely curious. He grinned as he replied. "I always did very well in school. In fact I had just started training to be a Xenozoologist." He then realized how that had sounded, and blushed in embarrassment. "Please forgive me, I did not mean to imply that you are an animal."


"No offense taken. People don't usually mistake me for a cat on two legs anyway." S'Niri replied. This boy's sign language had a word for xenozoologist? Wow. And here she'd thought sign languages didn't usually cover such complex terms. "Will you be continuing your studies when you get to your new home?"

Brunel nodded and grinned slightly. "U would very much like to, Ma'am. I just," He turned a bit somber. "From what little the elders have told us, our new home will be very difficult to get started. It will be a long time before we are established enough to have a university."

"There are plenty of places to attend school in the Federation, even if it's not among your people. There are plenty of places on Earth that might like you," S'Niri replied. "I can provide you a list of places..."

This news caused the young teen to brighten immediately, but then he frowned again, before signing, "That would be wonderful, but, where would I live?

"You'll have a home, wherever that is. I know that's not the answer you've been looking for." S'Niri reached out to touch his shoulder. "I was in your shoes too, you know. My father and I spent a while as outcasts from my home planet before settling down on Cait."

Brunel didn't flinch when S'Niri touched him. In fact, he smiled softly as he looked up at her and signed, "Would you tell me of your journey?"

"Of course I will, but not right now. Right now I'm on duty looking after everyone here and making sure they don't hurt each other - or get hurt by people outside this room, of course. We can talk when someone comes to take over, okay? It'll be about another hour or so." S'Niri promised him.

The young teenager nodded gratefully. He certainly seemed to carry himself as if he were older that he actually was. "I look forward to it, Ma'am. Thank you. "

>> To Part 3 >>

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