Second Meeting for the first time
Posted on Mon Oct 11th, 2021 @ 9:48pm by Captain Dirk Taggart & Lieutenant JG Camille Lévesque PhD
Mission:
Season Two - Incidentals
Location: Ready Room
Captain Taggart had completed his shift and was sitting in a chair in the ready room. The room was filled with the soft sounds of Piano Sonata Number 14 by Beethoven while he drank his coffee. The shuttle runs were simple and mostly uneventful. Doc Trallos had refreshed his piloting skills, and he got to meet the new Chief Science Officer unofficially. Maybe I should make a formal introduction, he said as he set his mug of hot, black tea onto his desk.
"Computer, notify Lieutenant Levesque, I'd like her to come to my ready room at her convenience."
Dirk closed his eyes at the crescendo of the sonata thinking of a sunny beach, a gentle rocking boat, and the company of a special woman. With a slight smile on his face, and a slight blush to his cheek he picked up his PADD and began to read his private correspondence.
Camille was settling into her new quarters when the summons came. Her belongings were half stowed, and letters home were half written. Both tasks would wait until she was back after the meeting. She checked her uniform, adjusted her glasses, and headed out the door.
Minutes later, she was at the threshold of the Captain’s Ready Room, chiming the door.
"Enter" the Captain called from his desk where he sat reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.
Once permitted entry, she walked in and stood at attention at the Captain’s desk. “Lieutenant junior grade Camille Lévesque, reporting for duty.” She caught a glimpse of the Captain and was taken aback. She couldn’t hide her reaction on her face. The pilot?!
"At ease Lieutenant Levesque," the Captain said with a smile, "I guess you recognized me from the shuttle. In case you're wondering, I've been CO here for a few months, I firmly believe in leading by example so I took the first shift and volunteered as a pilot. It also helps me keep my qualifications up to date. Now then Lieutenant, please tell me about yourself."
She breathed a sigh of relief, fixed her glasses on her face, and set about answering the question. “Well, sir, I’m from Earth. A region called Québec. Civilian education before joining Starfleet. I spent three years as Chief Science Officer on another ship doing Delta Quadrant exploration. Then I was offered a position at the Daystrom Institute Centre for Exobiology Studies on Alpha Centauri. I was on field work for them when the graviton catapults went down, so I reactivated my commission. I figured I’d be of more use aboard a starship right now.”
"I am glad to have you aboard. I know the events that brought you here may not have been easy but all the same, we could definitely use your help. I know Security and Weapons, as well as piloting but I'm completely lost in a lab," he said with a smile.
“Then we complement each other,” she said. “I can hold my own in a fight, and I know the basics of helm control, but if I’m the pilot it’s because a lot of other people are unconscious. Labs, on the other hand, are my domain.”
"That will work perfectly then, I'm sure you will enjoy using our labs and advanced scanning array, it is one of the most advanced scanning systems in the Fleet. It came in handy while exploring and planet hunting. I'm sure you will find it to be most useful," Taggart explained.
“I’ve read about universities looking into acquiring old model Nebula-class ships,” Camille said. “A mobile research centre.” She took a deep breath. “I’m looking forward to getting underway, Capitaine. Can you tell me a bit about what we’re doing here, so I can begin my work?”
"Our primary mission is to map the Delta Quadrant, our secondary mission is to continue to build Starfleet relations with the inhabitants. To catch you up to speed, we were recently ambushed by the Kazon and have been unable to find the parts we need to fully repair the ship. We caught wind of this planet and the possibility of parts and so we are here to barter. Lucky for us we were able to get your transfer paperwork and transport aligned," the captain explained.
“Interesting to find the Kazon this far coreward,” Camille noted. “The Voyager maps showed their territory was on the far side of Borg space. An expeditionary force, perhaps? Or some lost Sect? The cultural differences such as group might have….” Wheels began turning in Camille’s head as she thought or the implications of a splinter faction of Kazon, or any species, disconnected from their society.
"We never were able to figure out why they were here. There was speculation but the ship's crew was unable to ascertain anything definitive. I took over as a captain shortly after that incident. In the mean time, I am hoping that you can get settled in quickly and meet your Assistant Chief Lieutenant Kale. She is a binary being with two forms, they call themselves Dalacari. She is aboard our ship as a goodwill mission to assist us in our pursuit of knowledge of this area. Her information has been invaluable especially with the unique cultures and inhabitants of the area," Taggart said and paused to take a drink. "My apologies if I'm rambling too much, I don't get much time for small talk it seems, so when I do I tend to gush."
“I’ve read about the Dalacari, but I’ve never met one,” Camille said. “Or two, I suppose. The Lieutenant will need to walk me through it, I suppose.” She smiled at the Captain. “Any time you wish to discuss science or cultures, or anything like that, I’m happy to oblige. It’s been too long since I’ve had a real, hours-long, intellectually stimulating conversation, like the kind I had at home.”
"I would definitely enjoy conversing further, we have a pretty good group of officers here, I believe you will fit in well. At the end of the day though we are here for a mission," Taggart said, "Once we finish here with obtaining parts and some supplies we will be moving along. Lieutenant Kale, the Dalacari, did take a list with her to go shopping for some supplies. I'm not a scientist by any means, but I believe she was going to be working on some experiments and research. I do not recall what the specifics were though."
“I’ll find out from Lieutenant Kale directly,” she replied. “I’ll want specifics but I’m happy to let my team conduct their own studies as long as it doesn’t interfere with the mission. My last Starfleet assignment, before suspending my commission to work for Daystrom, was mostly a combat ship, and I had to use whatever opportunities I could find to do research.”
"You will find Lieutenant Kale most intriguing. I do hope our facilities will allow you to continue research. Our mission here is to further our knowledge of this quadrant. This may be pride talking but I would love for the Penn to go down in history for her research and exploration versus battle prowess. It is my personal belief that science adds more to humanity than fighting skills, but it is also important to be able to do both. Lucky for us the Penn here," the Captain patted the bulkhead beside him, "Is equipped to handle both."
“Well, I hope not to let you down in either way,” she said with a smile. “If there’s nothing else, I should go and explore my new lab spaces, and finish my letters to home.”
"Sounds good Lieutenant, if you need anything just let me know, and I'll get the quartermaster on it right away."
“Merci beaucoup,” Camille said. “Good evening, Captain.”
"Good Night Lieutenant."