Welcome to Faltan Station Ensign L'Nari

Posted on Mon Jun 5th, 2023 @ 4:08am by Ensign L'Nari & Commander M'Mira

1,226 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Mission 4 - Like a Thunderbolt
Location: Shuttlebay
Timeline: MD 05 1800

L'Nari was buzzing. Not literally, of course, that'd be silly - but to say that she was excited to finally be on board he first ever assignment with Starfleet was something of an understatement. Years and years of flight training and memorizing her way around a spacefaring vessel's flight systems were finally going to pay off!

She swallowed excitedly and her ears stood up straight atop her furry head as the shuttle's deplaning ramp unlocked and began to lower, slowly but surely... she could've sworn that the pilot was teasing her with a good time had she not known better. She rose to her paws as the ramp made contact with the shuttlebay floor, hoisted her duffel bags, and took her first steps into the cool air of the cavernous room beyond.

And oh goodness gracious, it was so much better than she'd envisioned. For once the shuttles surrounding them weren't all old relics from Starfleet's past, barely spaceworthy. They were shiny and new and oh, it was absolutely glorious. A tiny smile snaked its way across her chops as she padded over the cool metal floor in search of the exit.

Being demoted from the Commanding Officer to the 2XO meant a lot more face time than paperwork, but it also meant that she had less actual duties. That suited M'Mira fine as she had more time for cat naps, which were extremely important.

Today, she was watching as the new recruits were coming off the ships. Most the time she would give them a half-hearted "Welcome to Faltan Station," but this particular shuttle had someone interesting on it - another female Caitian, and it was important, at least socially, that M'Mira greet her properly.

Upon spotting L'Nari, M'Mira immediately observed how darn cute the other female Caitian was and that could pose problems, given the lack of other Caitians here. Nonetheless, M'Mira approached and greeted L'Nari, "Ensign L'Nari, I am the 2XO, Commanderrr M'Mirrra. Welcome to Faltan Station. When I saw yourrr name on the manifest, I simply had to grrreet you perrrsonally."

L'Nari admittedly found it pretty strange to have to look down at the Commander, being about four inches taller. Can't always win at the genetic lottery, it seemed, not that she minded very much. Strange as it most certainly was she definitely had a little internal chuckle about it.

"Oh! Oh. I'm grrrateful! Ma'am. I'm just glad to be herrre." L'Nari smiled a toothy feline smile and stood at attention before the older Caitian, ears standing up straight at attention and tail curled on the floor in a reddish brown loop. "Though if I may ask: why me, out of everrryone else? What's so special about me?"

A couple of reasons, she reckoned. Caitians had to stick together, after all. Maybe the Commander had gone a while without the company of one of their countrymen. Maybe she had a soft spot for pilots. Or maybe she'd just liked the look of her, who knows. She suspected that she'd soon find out.

"You'rrre Caitian," M'MIra responded simply. "It would not do for me to allow anyone to be the first to grrreet you. Welcome to Faltan Station. Any trrrouble getting herrre?"

"Of courrrse not. My shuttle pilot was verrry good." The younger Caitian purred with a smile and a flick of her tail. "Very smooth flier indeed. I enjoyed the rrride." She glanced around the shuttlebay, taking in the sight of shiny new shuttles. "I'm glad to be herrre, ma'am. When do I starrrt work?"

"Nearrrly immediately," M'Mira replied with her tail drooping slightly. "This station was not meant to be fully operrrational forrr a few morrre weeks but afterrr the attack.... You prrrobably saw Ms. Tempelton's rrreporrrt?" Her tail drooped further, nearly hitting the ground.

Way to ruin the mood. L'Nari's ears instantly drooped a little. "Yeah." She said with a touch of sadness. "It was harrrd to rrread. But that's why I want to get to worrrk. I want to help. How can I help?"

"I'm so glad to hear that, especially considerrring I used to considerrr her a frrriend," M'Mira responded with an exasperated sigh. "Says herrre you'rrre going to be one of ourrr new shuttle pilots. So, I suspect we arrre going to have some use forrr you. May alrrready have a mission in storrre for you, but I will have to rrrun it by the new Captain. What would you think about that?"

"That'd be perrrfect! Thank you!" The young Caitian smiled a toothy feline grin, and her ears flicked excitedly. A mission to fly already? She couldn't wait! She could finally put the skills she'd picked up to good use! "I would be most glad to help! What does it entail?"

"I can't say," M'Mira replied, her left ear twitching reflexively. "But I assurrre you that you will be the firrrst to know when clearrred. Is therrre anything you would like to know about the station? Just so you know, I have not found any decent eligible Caitian males herrre."

"Oh, I rrreally don't mind if my partnerrr isn't a Caitian male. I've been with people of differrrent rrraces ans genderrr in my time at the Academy." L'Nari said with a bright smile. She did wonder why the Commander had decided to mention that of all things about this station. Perhaps she'd assumed that she wanted a mate for life and kits of her own at this stage in life - not that she was entirely wrong, mind, just... not so soon. Either that, or maybe... nah, couldn't be. L'Nari choose to smile and not think too hard about it for the time being.

"Well, for starterrrs... where do I get a decent steak herrre?" She asked, tone slightly joking as she began to make her way to the exit. "I'm starrrving."

"Well, therrre is The Frrrog on Deck 15. Have not trrried it yet. The station is barrrely opened. The Frrrog is supposed to be fine dining. Doubt they rrreplicate a steak."

"Frrreshly cooked steak!? Oh, wow. I haven't had that in foreverrr!" The young Caitian's eyes instantly lit up with excitement. Juicy steak paired with vegetables and perfectly cooked mashed potato or even better, sqrrl root pudding from Cait? Nothing else beat that in her opinion. She barely noticed that she'd begun to drool a bit.

"I'll go wheneverrr I next have time! Forrr now I'd like to get settled in - but I do have one morrre question! Does this station have a swimming pool?"

"Deck 16, therrre is a gymnasium. Should also be a pool but it may not be opened yet." The thought of swimming made M'Mira's stomach churn. "But therrre always is the holosuites, if the pool is out of operrration."

"Wonderrrful! I'll keep that in mind!" L'Nari trilled. "Well, that'll be all forrr now! I'd like to get settled into my quarterrrs now; I'm excited to hear about that mission! Assuming you can get the captain's apprrroval of course. Talk another time?" She smiled down at the slightly shorter Caitian, tail excitedly swishing behind her.

M'Mira called out, "Just check in with the quarrrterrrmasterrr and I'll be arrround if you need me. I'll let you know when I hearrr anything," she called to L'Nari. She seems like a good kit, M'Mira concluded in her thoughts.

 

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