Lt JG Alyndra Syrex - The Waves of Discontent
Alyndrasyrex
((Poolside, Risa))
The ensign seemed to stutter on their breath for a moment. Clearly regretting his choice of words, as much of a mistake and misunderstanding it may have been on both sides.
Imril: Yes, you are. I apologize.
Syrex: Yes, well let’s forget about the whole thing and move on shall we?
Alyndra smiled warmly at Imril.
Imril: So then, what’s the Ronin really like? As a community? What would I find there that I wouldn’t find on any other ship?
Syrex: Well, the crew are my family. And as our Terran Japanese name may hint, we have quite a lot of cultural Terran things onboard.
Alyndra sat up in her lounger, positioning her feet justly so that she wouldn’t slide back down the wood. Since she was beginning to have a proper conversation, she stopped the stream to her eye through manipulating her implant through her heads epithelial layer.
Syrex: We have the Zen Garden, we have a lounge dedicated to Japanese food. I’d be full of shame if I neglected to mention the 47 Lounge. A three story bar with beautiful holographic cherry trees- a native plant to the Earth Japan-region.
Imril: Sounds lovely. I’ve been to Japan, once. Visited a Shinto shrine, took a dip in a hot spring. Whenever I racked up enough transporter or shuttle credits at the Academy to explore another part of Earth, I’d put them to use that weekend. The cherry trees weren’t in bloom, then. I got to see them dusted with snow.
Alyndra smiled at the ensign. When she was at the academy she’d done much the same. One specific trip even changed the course of her life. She wouldn’t have minored in helm control if not for a trip to Washington DC. Her minor would have been random, something recommended to her that her heart wasn’t in. She was glad to see that other graduates took the chance to visit the regions of Earth when they had the chance.
Syrex: What about the Artemis? I’ve not been on many Luna classes, she’s my first. What do you think of the class? What do you think of her crew?
Imril: Class wise, I think she’s the perfect size. Not too big, doesn’t feel at all crowded. Great at handling pretty much everything the Borderlands can throw at us. We’ve got a pretty good work flow going down in Engineering, I think. Chief Salkath has set up an environment that does well for the kind of innovation and invention I talked about before
Alyndra nodded gently to the ensign. Turning her head to face the Risian sun, she pushed her sunglasses up from the tip of her nose. She hadn’t quite worked out the saturation of her eye yet, so the input had begun to give her a slight headache. Something she wanted to make distinct should the ensign sense her discomfort.
Imril: We’ve got a cozy sort of coffee bar, Brew Continuum. I spend more time in the main lounge, though. Elysium has only got two stories to it, but someone I know has loaded the replicator up with their own recipes. So, we’ve got ourselves a one-of-a-kind menu. The same officer, Lt. Silveira, has built up a pretty packed video arcade holoprogram that he opened to everyone. Full of replicas of old low-res Earth computer games. It’s corny, but brilliant! If it’s not bragging, I helped him set it up. He welcomed me into his project like I was already an established member of the crew. It’s gotten to be pretty popular. Someone recently transferred off the ship, Ensign Lyara, but her high-scores are still up on all of the screens. Probably will be for a long time.
Alyndra remembered something about that arcade, and about Ensign Lyara. Although she’d never met the Bajoran in person, they had a sort-of casual friendship over on some of Starfleet’s forums. Alyndra took great pride in her work, specifically about her toy store. Posting the toys seemed to get the helm officers attention, leading her to ask for a commission. She realised this was the arcade she was talking about, and even if in a small way, was happy to have been a part of it.
Syrex: Oh yeah! The Arcade! I helped with that; I made some of the toys. I remember she wanted a machine for each person but only asked for two prizes. Herself and a Vitor. Is that sort of thing common for the Artemis crew to put together?
Imril: There used to be someone, back before my time, a Doctor Hiro Jones, who’d host get-togethers where people would come and watch movies together. Make fun of the bad ones. I hear someone’s trying to get that started up again.
Syrex: That sounds really nice.
Imril: And our Captain… Twice now, I’ve seen her de-escalate ugly situations that I couldn’t even imagine a peaceful way out of. I don't know how she does it. But it was amazing both times. An explorer, and a peace-maker.
Syrex: Well, someone doesn’t get to be a flag officer without being good at their job. Or by being straight-up evil and controlled by worms. But she seems more competent than wiggly in the head.
Imril: Response
Syrex: Captain Niac, legend has it that his beard is a separate consciousness, but we love him either way.
Imril: Response
Alyndra’s face positively creased. Looking up at the stars reminded her of her home, the Ronin, and also reminded her that her family was out there fighting the good fight while she was on holiday… What was she doing? Why was she relaxing? People kept saying she’d earned it, but… had she? If anything, losing an eye is a sign of incompetence rather than bravery in the field.
The cool breeze of the tropical winds, the blur of the trees, and the distant sounds of waves crashing. It all suddenly made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
Syrex: How do you like Risa, Ensign?
Imril: Response
TAG/TBC
Lieutenant JG Dr Alyndra Syrex MD
Medical Officer
USS Ronin (NCC-34523)
R240107AS3