All Onboard
Posted on Fri Jan 24th, 2025 @ 5:12pm by Lieutenant Zharra Neerassi & Master Warrant Officer Trenton Mayhew
1,229 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission:
S1E6: Where Skies End
Location: Master-At-Arms Office
Timeline: MD 11 - after 'Winter Friends'
Zharra felt severely out of place, yet at the same time brimming with curiosity while she followed the computer's directions towards the Master-at-Arms' office. One...Trenton Mayhew, the PADD said. Another Marine.
Did this place not have any security officers? What the fuck was going on?
Even Black Sites would have security presence, to sideline Starfleet's law enforcement arm from one was odd to be sure. Then again...
"Are those Borg ambling about?" Zharra turned her head as a Butler shambled past her. "What in the everloving fuck?"
She didn't stop her movement however in her shock and surprise, until she slammed torso first into the door of Mayhew's office. The rapid turn of her head followed accompanied by a stumble backward.
"Oh for fuck's sake!" Zharra swore as reoriented herself and straightened out. Her neck ached from the sharp turn so she didn't notice the door had opened.
The door opened with Mayhew standing in front her. "Where's the hull breach?" he asked, his digitized voice obscuring the otherwise brusque tone that would've matched the look on his chiseled face. The vocalizer embedded in his synthetic trachea had the dual effect of making him seem calmer and more solemn than he usually was. At this moment, though, there was no mistaking his demeanor. He was aggravated that someone had thumped his office door.
Zharra rubbed her shoulder, and looked over at the strange voice and blinked. He sounded mechanical, yet looked perfectly normal, for a human.
"What in seventeen hells of Orion!?" She sputtered. "You have free roaming Borg drones!" The orion stepped closer to him, "are you a former drone yourself? You sound mechanical. If so, apologies, I didn't mean any offense. I just didn't expect to see that...ever."
"Yeah," Mayhew said, his digitized voice failing to convey the sarcasm plastered all over his face, "just like you're a former sex slave. Now what in the hell do you want?"
Zharra stared at him for the briefest second as he spoke, then she nodded to noone in particular. "Touche!" She said, "Zharra Neerasi, Fed Sec...or rather, formerly Fed Sec. Commander Frost sent me down for induction. Looks like I'm joining this mob." The Orion handed Mayhew the PaDD with transfer orders.
Glancing at the PADD only briefly, Mayhew confirmed that it corroborated the information he had already received. "All right, Neerasi. Get in here and let's get this done." He brought her over to a palm scanner on his desk. Nodding to it, he said, "Whenever you're ready, set either hand on the scanner and state your personal authorization code. That will grant you access to restricted areas as allowed by your clearance level."
"Look what the cat dragged in." The familiar deadpan voice could only belong to one person. She was a fellow Orion but that was where the similarities ended. Where Zarra displayed voluptuous curves and a generally pleasant demeanor, this other Orion boasted neither of those traits. If anything, her deadpan smirk was an invitation to get slapped. "Fancy meeting you here, moms. What's the assignment? Don't tell me Starfleet's got into the Orion harem business."
"Shut the fuck up," Mayhew snapped as he pushed a secondary handscanner toward her, "and put your hand here. I'm not going to tell you again."
"He thinks I have a listening problem," Taline said to Zharra, ignoring any direction response to Mayhew. "What he doesn't understand is that I already uploaded my shit at the first console I saw. It should've hit the database already, so I don't know what his problem is. Besides being a Marine."
"You can't upload 'shit' to the digital noosphere through random consoles," Mayhew said. "I don't care how good you think you are. Their dataflow is one-way. Believe me, I wouldn't have your belligerent ass in my office if there wasn't a mandatory reason for it." He set his jaw with mounting frustration. "Now are you going to enter your authorization or do I get to throw you in the brig and forget your name?"
Taline sighed. "Fiiiine." She set her palm on the scanner and said, "Authorization Anyx-Charlie-Alpha-Tango-Chevron-Dash-Chevron-Less-Than-Three."
"What the hell kind of authorization is that?" Mayhew scowled at her like she was still messing around, but the handscanner accepted the input. "Whatever. The system accepted it. Get the hell out of my office."
Zharra chuckled then followed Mayhew's instruction once the two settled down. "I'd say I'm glad to see you, kid, but you showing up at all the places I get sent to is becoming much less of a coincidence and much more of a 'are you following me?'" She said to Taline amiably as she finished.
"Bitch, I was here first," Taline pointed out, her mouth teasing a smirk. "Blondie will tell you."
"Get. Out." Mayhew glared at Taline.
Zharra chuckled, "just roll with it, Mister Mayhew, it's easier than arguing. Now how about we finish my induction, yeah? The kid helped get the Garlakes out. She gets some cred for that."
The man's chip was large, and Zharra couldn't help but wonder what the reason behind it was. Was he like that before whatever happened to his throat happened? Or had he always been like that?
"If the Garlakes were ever on duty instead of on leave, maybe they wouldn't need rescuing all the time," Mayhew said. It was as close to insubordination as he'd ever come and he wasn't sorry. "Go on now. Do like the other Orion and make yourself scarce twice as quick."
"Just to confirm, I'm in the system and it's all good?" Zharra looked over at Mayhew.
"When it beeps, then you're free to go," Mayhew confirmed. "Anytime now."
It beeped. Zharra nodded. "Alright, well, I guess I better go find myself a room." She said and looked over at Mayhew. "Hey, why don't you and I get a drink sometime? You can tell me how you're not a former drone, and I can tell you how I'm not a former sex slave?"
At first Mayhew just threw her a glare, his irritation having eroded his patience. But she had been far more pleasant and compliant than the other Orion. Something of his professional bearing returned. "Hey, I apologize. You're new around here and... well, you'll understand soon enough why some of us get gruff and rough around the edges." Alcoholic drinks irritated his tracheal implant, but it was still appealing anyway. "Yeah, why don't we get that drink? Since you're in Security, it'll be the perfect opportunity to show you something you'd need to be aware of anyway."
Zharra smirked at the open display of emotions on his face. "I know all about gruff, Marine," she said with a chuckle, "but apology accepted, and deal. Let me know when you're available?"
After checking his PADD, Mayhew considered his schedule for a moment and then shrugged. "There's nothing slated that can't be moved around. Why don't you get settled and meet me on the observation deck. That's deck 5. You won't believe what you see."
"See you then. Thank you." Zharra said with a nod. "I better go keep the kid out of trouble. Be seein' ya." She gave him the two finger salute and stepped out of Mayhew's office.
Oh things were getting more and more interesting by the minute.
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