Arrival

Posted on Thu Feb 5th, 2026 @ 3:18pm by Lieutenant Commander Sitka Kline & Captain M'Mira

1,610 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Mission 5 - The Cold War Ends

Transfers involved a lot of hurry up and wait. Quickly wrap up your work and then wait for the transfer orders to be completed. Rush to pack your things and then spend forever waiting on the pickup service to come get them. Rush to meet your transport and the send forever on the journey. Get where you were going and wait for the commanding officer to have five minutes of free time.

The latest Starfleet law journal and an article on the issues of stationing high conflict divorced parents kept Sisi company while she waited.

Sisi was fairly certain that from inside the Captain's office she heard something ring several times. After several more minutes, a Caitian walked out of the doors and looked over at Commander Kline and said, "Commanderrr Kline, I trrrust that you had an easy trrrip overrr herrre? I am Captain M'Mirrra. Welcome to Faltan Station."

"Captain. It's good to meet you. The trip was fine. I had a chance to catch up on my reading." She marked her place in the article.

"What rrreading was that?" M'Mira asked as she opened an arm toward her office. "Come into my office, wherrre we can talk morrre."

"The impact of spacial distortions on interstellar borders. Someone raises the question of how a black hole might impact the calculations of spacial coordinates and suddenly everyone has an opinion. Personally, I'm going with the tried and true answer. It depends."

"Depends on what?" M'Mira asked. "Cerrrtainly therrre must be some sorrrt of prrrecedents. Have not rrrivers orrr otherrr things moved causing a borrrderrr change?"

Sitka, upon entering the Captain's office could see that there was hair on the top of the desk which had nothing else on it. She took a seat, sweeping her hand across its surface as if arranging non-existent skirts to displace the hair that had settled there. "Well, interstellar boards add a new dimension. Literally. Three dimensions are a little more difficult than two."

"But we live in thrrree dimensions," M'Mira protested politely.

"Sure, but no one says 'I'll take the top half of the river and you take the bottom half.' Planetary borders are just lines on a plane."

"I'm not a lawyerrr, but I always thought that the generrral concept of owning land, such as anyone can own anything, is that they own everrrything above it and below it. Of courrrse, that gets quite silly because nobody can rrreally drrraw a straight line below on a spherrre."

"Depends on the legal system," Sisi said. "And getting them to work together is a whole other issue."

"Well, we should not have to worrrrrry about any of that herrre," M'Mira replied gratefully. "We have differrrent sorrrts of issues herrre, like smugglerrrs, rrrefugees, and all sorrrts of shady business dealings. It was much easierrr when we werrre a planetarrry station."

"Well, I'm happy to work with you and Security on any or all of those issues. That's why I'm here." It would be nice to be working consistently with the same people. Ships didn't get stationed JAG officers, and the constant travel got exhausting at times.

"Rrright now, we have an interrrim Chief of Securrrity in Tomerrr Chaim. He is marrrrried to the Chief Counselor, Karrrra Quinn-Chaim. We also have a new XO who is a marrrine and of courrrse, we have a bunch of marrrines. So, I am morrre than cerrrtain that you will have yourrr hands full. We also have lots of Rrrromulans that are herrre, so we have a contingent of ambassadorrrs and liasons and such...."

"Mmm, yes, that was included with the briefing I received with my assignment." It had made her wonder who hadn't been paying attention when they made the decision. Not that the Romulans could do much to her, at least not officially. She was Federation citizen and a legal adult.

"You arrre parrrt Rrromulan, no? Perrrhaps that is why you came herrre? My forrrmerrr XO also is parrrt Rrrromulan. She was kidnapped frrrom the planetarrry station durrring the attack on it. Now she's an aide for the Rrromulan ambassadorrr. She seems quite happy despite the cirrrcumstances. Perrrhaps you should meet herrr?"

"I came here because I was assigned here. I'm part Romulan, but my parents are human." She waved a hand to forestall the inevitable question that always came up in response to that. "I'm adopted. I'm happy to meet your former XO if you feel it is important, but please don't expect us to bond over what is, for me, a quirk of biology."

M'Mira did not realize until now that she actually hit a sensitive subject. "I have no opinions on the matterrr," M'Mira replied with an apologetic shrug. "I thought that you might have wanted to come out herrre because of its proximity to the sectorrr. I did not mean to offend...."

"No offense taken. It's a common misperception." There were just enough physiological differences between Romulans and Vulcans that she'd been unable to put together a sound legal argument for being able to legally change her species.

"Then, as I have made that faux pax, perrrrhaps you could tell me morrre about yourrrself. I like to know all the people on my staff morrre perrrsonally."

"Well, you already know I'm adopted. I'm from a colony planet you've probably never heard of outside my personnel file." She thought for a moment. "I hate bananas."

"And yet yourrr species is descended frrrom a species that loves them, orrr so I am told...." M'Mira slightly laughed, amused at her own humor. "What else? What do you like to do when you arrre not on duty?"

Fresh out of the Academy, she and the other junior officers would often end a case by hitting the bar. They'd even created a drinking game around being able to make the most outrageous arguments possible the ones that would never fly in a court room. Not something you could do as a senior officer. "Well, at the moment, I'm mainly planning to get my quarters organized after all my things arrive from Earth."

M'Mira purred thoughtfully. "You definitely arrre an attorrrney. You skillfully trrried to deflect my question by giving me an answerrr that had nothing to do with my question. Do we carrre to trrry again?"

Sisi gave a thin smile that bordered on a grimace. She didn’t like talking about herself. "Well, there's always changes in law to keep up with, even when I'm technically off duty. I like music and took dance lessons as a child, and that's a good way to keep up with the physical fitness requirements. But, really, in a new environment, I'm not always going to be doing the same things I did before. For instance, I suspect the station has fewer beaches than San Francisco does."

"Even when we had the station on Faltean, there were fewer beaches than in San Frrrancisco," M'Mira conceded. "Of courrrse, you could always go to the beach on the holodeck. I know it is not the same, but it is a fairrr substitute."

"Definitely not the same." Holodecks can't manage the complex smell of the wind off the water, and no matter how good the mimicry, the sounds and the winds are always a little flatter than reality. "But I'm sure I'll find something new and just as enjoyable that's unique to the station."

"I cerrrtainly hope so," M'Mira replied purring. "Is therrre anything that you would like to know about me orrr the station?"

Sisi considered for a moment. "So, what do you and the rest of the staff do when you're off duty? Might as well get the inside scoop."

"That rrreally depends. We have not had a parrrty in awhile. Lieutenant Chaim is always busy with his wife, who is the Chief counselorrr." M'Mira purred disturbedly. "Perrrhaps it is time we find some morrre group activities."

Group activities? "Well, I do have to be careful not to create a conflict of interest."

"Nonsense!" M'Mira cried out. "Look, you cannot avoid having rrrelationships with beings. Then you will have no life. Besides, if you have a conflict, someone else will not. You cannot do everrrything, Lieutenant."

"I suppose I can't." So much for avoiding group activities. "Well, you'll have to let me know when you have your party."

"Therrre will be a station wide announcement. I'm cerrrtain that anyone who is anyone will be therrre. In the meantime, is therrre anything else I can tell you about the station? Anything that perrrks yourrr currriousity?"

"I don't suppose you could tell me where to get the best coffee on the station." She couldn't for the life of her remember. Did Caitans do coffee?

"Hmmmm," M'Mira considered thoughtfully. "I am perrrsonally fond of Java Jungle when I am not having my prrreferrred drrrink."

It was an obvious enticement to ask, but there was no reason for her not to ask. "What's your preferred drink?"

"White Rrrusians with extrrra crrream," the Caitian replied with a winning, toothy grin.

Was the captain a heavy drinker, or was it just an excuse to drink cream without drawing too much attention to herself? Honestly, unless the captain was drinking to the point where it impeded her duties, Sisi figured it wasn't her business. That was the sort of the counselors handled, not JAG officers. "Well, I look forward to getting to know the station and her crew."

"Please, make yourrrself at home on the station and I hope you will enjoy yourrrr stay.

"Thank you. I hope I do as well." If nothing else, it was going to be massively different from her service in the Earth-based JAG Corps.

 

RSS Feed