Lt Cmdr Wil Ukinix - Who's That Girl

[Wil Ukinix]

((XO’s Office, Copernicus Center))

Wil was sitting at his desk running though a set of requisition requests when the door chime rang.

Ukinix: ::Cheerily:: Come in!

The door slid open.  In walked a new crew member, in a red Starfleet uniform the same as Wil’s.  The badge on her chest showed that she was Crewman, second class.  The young woman had straight black hair, black eyeliner around her eyes, and wore no expression on her face at all.  No smile, no frown, just a neutral expression.

Barberra: Crewman Annamae Barberra, ::sigh:: reporting for duty, sir.

Ukinix: ::Cheerily:: Ah!  Liaison Officer, right?

Barberra: So they tell me ::shrug::

Apparently someone in Starfleet had decided to assign Wil a Liaison Officer.  In an official capacity, their role was to take some of the admin work away from the XO when liaising with the Diplomatic Corp.  Additionally, the liaison officer was also an internal administrative role to support the day-to-day administrative functions of the First Officer.

Ukinix: Well, welcome aboard Amity.  ::Standing up, gesturing:: Have a seat.

The expressionless woman walked forward a few steps, and then sat down on one of the seats at the desk opposite Wil.  As he himself sat back down, the crewman’s eyes watched Wil, to the point that the XO found it eerie.  She didn’t blink.  She didn’t show emotion.  She just sat there, and *looked* at him.

Ukinix: This is a new role Starfleet has created, I’ve had the role specification explained to me, have they explained it to you?

Annamae gave a quick couple of nods at the same time as she also shrugged, and maintained *that look*.  He would swear she hadn’t blinked up until that point at all.

oO Weird. Oo

Ukinix: OK.  ::under his breath: Awkies. 

Wil reached for his nearby bottle of water and took a sip, while thinking of what to say.

Ukinix: Oh - ::gesturing to replicator:: Can I get you anything?

Barberra: Can you replicate a bowl of gagh?

Ukinix: ::Squinting:: You like gagh?

Barberra: No, I just wanted to look at it.  Maybe hold it in my hands.  All squishy.

Ukinix: ::Sitting back in chair::  I don’t think I can replicate gagh.

Barberra: Then I don’t want anything.

Wil awkwardly nodded, trying to think of what to say next to the impossibly apathetic crewman.

Ukinix: Okay… um – how have you found Amity since your arrival?

Barberra: Oh, I was expecting drab decor, gray bulkheads, a maze of corridors that’s easy to get lost in, and lots of creepy people.  Instead, it’s like a small, fancy, pretty, exciting city, and just about everyone’s attractive.

Ukinix: ::Smiling:: Yeah, it’s pretty great, huh.

Barberra: No, I wanted gray and boring and creepy. ::crossing arms::

Wil furrowed his eyebrows a little.

Ukinix: Oh.  ::Scratching head::  OK, so tell me a little bit about you.

Barberra: Why?

Ukinix: Well, we’re going to be working together.

Barberra: I don’t have anything interesting to tell you.

Ukinix: OK, how’s this, why did you accept a posting on Amity?

Barberra: I figure, the further out from Earth you are, the stranger and creepier it gets.  Although I’m disappointed though.

Ukinix: You are?

Barberra: I expected to see Vidiians everywhere.  With the phage.  And skin hanging off of them. 

Ukinix: ::Blink of eyes:: Well, the phage has been cured, crewman.  And we’re not allowing Vidiians on Amity at the moment, it’s a political thing.

Barberra: ::Quietly:: That’s stupid.

Wil shrugged a little, in partial agreement with her.

Ukinix: Well, that depends on who you ask.  Um – OK, how was your trip on the Kitty Hawk?

Barberra: Boring.  I just stayed in my quarters mainly.

Ukinix: Really? You didn’t even go to Ten Forward?

Barberra: No way.  Everyone in Starfleet is so happy, it’s depressing.  Except for Captain Rahman, she’s not so happy.  I get her.

Wil closed his eyes, and rubbed the side of his temple.

Ukinix: OK.  But did you venture out of your quarters *at all*?

Barberra: Just the holodecks.  I ran the Dixon Hill programs.

Ukinix: ::Smiling:: Well that’s something!  Did you catch the perpetrators and stop the murders?

Barberra: No, I let them do more murders after I found them.

Wil’s jaw dropped a little.

Barberra: ::Defensively:: What?  I got bored.

Wil took another sip of water from his drink bottle, trying to think of more things to say.  The new crewman was impossibly awkward, and downright weird.

Ukinix: Other than Dixon Hill, did you, you know… attend any routine meetings on Kitty Hawk?

Barberra: I had a medical checkup appointment if that’s what you mean.

Ukinix: Great!

Barberra: I didn’t actually *go* to the appointment.

Wil pursed his lips, sighed out of his nose, and looked down, before eventually returning to Crewman Barberra’s strange gaze.

Ukinix: OK, I have two tasks for you.  One, check in with Lieutenant Wong, you need a physical.

Barberra: Ugh. ::Tut, annoyed tone:: Fiiiiine.

Ukinix: And secondly, I need you ::handing over PADD:: to prepare a Starfleet status report for last week and deliver it to Ambassador Vataix.

Barberra: Who’s “Vataix”?

Wil stared at Barberra for a second, as he tilted his head.

Ukinix: ::Quiet, incredulous tone:: In charge of this whole outpost?  Represents the Federation Diplomatic Corp?  Betazoid woman?

The crewman simply shrugged, before looking down at the PADD.

Barberra: Sure.

Ukinix: She’ll be expecting that by the end of the day.

The weird stare was back again.  The crewman didn’t say or do anything, she just looked at Wil.  Was she judging him?

Ukinix: Dismissed.

Barberra: ::Mock salute:: Yes, sir.

As Annamae made her way out of the XO’s office, Wil called after her.

Ukinix: Oh, and crewman?

The new Liaison officer turned around to look at Wil with her burning deadpan expression.

Ukinix: We’re going to be working closely together, so just call me “Commander” or “Wil”.  Don’t call me “sir”.

Barberra took a deliberate moment before answering.

Ukinix: Yes, sir.

She then turned again and made her way out of the office.  After the door slid shut, Wil pinched the bridge of his nose and sat back in his chair.

 

TBC…

 

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Lieutenant Commander Wil Ukinix

Starfleet attaché and First Officer

Amity Outpost
V239511WU0