Lieutenant Amelia Semara - I Used To Be A Scientist Like You. Then I Took A Promotion To The Collar.

[Max]

(( Bridge, Deck 1 - USS Khitomer, Dry-Docked at DS33 ))

There were several perks of being assigned a shift at the conn in dry-dock that didn't occur to Amelia until several hours into her watch.  Apparently, there was a minor collision in the dock the night before, so repair work on the outer hull and other space-exposed components were still mostly halted during her afternoon shift while the hazmat teams finished inspecting the Khitomer and the dry dock itself before continuing work.  To add to that, Naxell and Connor were both otherwise occupied with a meeting on the station, last she'd heard.  She could probably thank the same meeting for the even lower-than-usual comm traffic and ops requests coming to the Khitomer.  All of this meant a very dull and dead late afternoon either curled into The Chair catching up on reading, or using a hands-on status check as an excuse to stretch her legs by walking in a circle around the bridge.

The slow shift was nice, but the big perk?  The various yeomen, non-com, and lower-deckers coming up to visit the bridge with whatever they had to report provided the most excellent fodder on whom she could test out her latest iteration of Toscra.  Now that she was on her fifth test-bake of the tart pie-like dessert, the cream topping had come a long way, but the effort to find the right fruit for the perfect tongue-curling tartness was becoming a battle.  At some point, treating Ensign Morda to something from home was racing for first-place motivation against the fact Amelia never lost to a baked good before.  As was sometimes her inclination, determination was beginning to flirt with obsession.  With reports filed, personal research notes filed, correspondence replied to, and focus generally otherwise fleeting at best, she allowed herself to indulge as the shift crept steadily towards the dinner hour and the dead-time between matters needing her attention extended into long spans of silent nothing-to-do.

At the exact moment the turbolift door swished in twain to admit a new arrival, Amelia was leaned onto the console, eyes narrowing at science station I while she read material ranging from Kerellian folk tales and history mentioning the dessert all the way to horticultural research on soil acidity affecting fruit sourness - as well as studies performed on interspecies perceptual differences of taste and smell.  She would leave no stone (or stone fruit) unturned in her holy quest to bake the perfect Toscra.

Cue the turbolift doors.

The reminder to stand up stretch again from her hunched posture was a good one.  She rose, tucked a stray bit of blonde hair back into her heirloom hairpin, and gave the Klingon man bedecked in blue a big smile.

Semara: Hi!  We ain't met.  I'm Lieutenant Amelia Semara.  :: A polite curtsy :: How d'you do, Ensign?

She'd long ago given up on dropping her habitual curtsy.  Every officer got one now.

Patak: Response

Ah!  That explained it.  A new arrival - how fun!  She knew, in theory, the protocol for welcoming aboard a fresh Ensign, but never had the chance to put it into practice, or put her own spin on it.  Her smile bloomed even bigger and brighter.

Semara: Well in that case, it's my pleasure to welcome you aboard.  I'm afraid Commanders Naxell and Dewitt are unavailable at the moment, but I can make sure your orders are processed and point you in the right direction.

She held out her hand for the transfer-order bearing PADD Ensigns typically clutched for dear life.  Once in her hands, she quickly perused the file.

Patak: Response

She looked up at the Klingon mid-scroll, then glanced over at her work-in-progress on the science station.  Apparently he'd noticed.  Or at least he appeared to have recognized the color on her shoulders didn't match the station she had been at when he arrived.

Semara: :: A chuckle. :: Old habits die hard, I reckon.  I used to sit there when I was an Ensign.  A career in Starfleet can take interestin' turns...  I s'pose it'll be your seat soon enough!  :: A glittering smile. :: By the way, I don't s'pose your specialty might have somethin' to do with agriculture or chemistry?  :: Beat :: Either way, I could use your taste buds, if you're willin' to sample a Kerellian dessert for me while I check this over?  It's a sort a' tart pie with cream, but I'm still experimentin' with the fruit.  I tried a tart cherry that grows on Risa, but it still bakes sweet.  Now I wanna try Mishda - it's an Edo fruit, a bit like Earth Tamarind, but I don't want to go too tart either.

Patak: Response

Tag / TBC...

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Lieutenant Amelia Magnolia Semara

Intelligence Officer

USS Khitomer - NCC-62400

A239710MA0