Hello!

Posted on Wed May 1st, 2024 @ 9:15am by Lieutenant JG Rowena "Rena" Campbell & Lieutenant Commander Rin

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: TBD
875 words - 1.8 OF Standard Post Measure

Rena headed for the Lounge after her onboarding meetings were over. So much paperwork that the junior Counselor had to do!! Her poor head spun, but she was able to keep up. The Betazed woman fell into a chair. "Hello! Can I have a synthol, please?" She asked. Her uniform tunic was a bit wrinkly and she was sure her makeup was smeared but she didn't care. Right now, she needed a beer and a nap, ooga ooga! Stat. Right fucking NOW!!!

Rin looked over at the flustered woman. Or, at least, she hoped she was just flustered. "Are you alright, Lieutenant?" The xB asked.

Rena chuckled. "Just a bit tired, ma'am," she said. "Onboard takes a lot more time than I remembered," she said. Of course, she had been a few years younger and a fair bit happier then. "I will be fine!" She said. That was true. After a good nights' sleep and some real food, she'd be right as rain.

Rin was a bit skeptical of the claim, but ultimately it was Rena's business. "Well, welcome aboard. I'm Lt. Rin."

Rena smiled. "Nice to meet you. I am LtJG Rena Campbell," she said. "Junior counselor," she said. It was what they did-introduced themselves via name, rank, and job.

"Chief of Intel," Rin added flatly. "But when I say that it scares people off."

Rena chuckled. "Trust me, it is not the worst I've heard," she said. "I would imagine that others don't have the...background in scary things that I have, though," she said. "Intel, huh? My future sister in law is an Intel officer over on the USS Valor," she said. "My kid brother, Kelon, is dragging his feet on the proposal part, though," she said, rolling her eyes upward.

"Background in scary things?" Rin asked, finding it an odd comment, and wondering if one of them was misunderstanding the other's humor.

"Well, as the Counselor, I've heard a LOT," she said. "Things you might not be able to imagine. Well, YOU probably can, being in Intel, but most can't," she said. "Particularly from our war veterans and those who've survived such," she said. "For example, at a previous posting, I helped a Bajoran woman who'd lived through the Occupation," she said. "And another man who'd been a civilian volunteer during the occupation of my mother's home planet," she said. "Both had STORIES. The things that we can do to each other are scary, indeed," she said, taking a long sip of her ale. "That kind of thing," she said. "Plus, being half-Betazoid, I can probe minds if I really try, and sometimes, people's thoughts can be quite...unsettling," she said.

"Ah, yes, traumatic thoughts can indeed be...unsettling," Rin acknowledged, not sure what to do with this conversation. "Word of warning: you do NOT want to get inside my head, even in emergency."

Rena nodded. "I always ask first," she said. "It's only polite," she said. It was true. Even in emergencies, she never probed first, and still, she was only half-Betazoid. Doing it willy-nilly really affected her anyway. "So uh. What're you drinking?" She asked.

"Root beer float," Rin replied, holding up her drink, which was topped with a pile of whip cream. She took a sip through a straw.


Rena nodded. "Ah," she said. "I've never been fond of root beer," she said. "I find it too sweet," she said. Her beer was half empty. "But neither do I drink much, so synthahol it is," she said. "What's good to eat here?" She asked. "Maybe a quick snack before I go to the gym and then hit the racks," she said.

"Depends entirely on your taste," Rin said. "Elysium's replicators are top notch with a wide cultural range. The fancier things are somewhat wasted on me. Not much of a discerning taste. I tend for stronger tastes - spicy, sugary, and so forth." She took another sip, the straw making a slight slurping noise.

Rena's shoulders raised at the other woman's slurping noises, but she simply nodded once. "Thanks!! I, too, prefer things that are spicy or otherwise brightly flavored. Food from Betazed tends to be a bit bland. My human side craves flavor," she said. "Perhaps the Hesperat-the Bajorans understand the need for spice!" She said, chuckling at herself.

"The hesperat is quite good, but think hard about whether you actually want the "extra spicy." It packs a punch."

Rena laughed. "I handle spicy foods just fine," she said. "But thank you for the warning," she said. "Not all of my people can. It helps that I am half-human," she said. "But perhaps the regular spicy so I don't pay for it tomorrow," she said. She did have the humans' weaker stomach, after all. The bane of her existence was that she was more prone to stomach upsets than other Betazoids. Annoying.

The woman didn't seem chatty, and Rena figured she'd just had a long day, so she simply smiled. "It was nice to meet you!" She said, taking her tray and heading back to her quarters. She didn't mind; she was still new here and she'd meet people and get more comfortable speaking to them over time, she knew. Plus, the officers usually avoided Counselors-Rena understood.