The Aide

Posted on Tue Apr 11th, 2023 @ 10:42pm by Captain Charlotte Rhodes & Lieutenant JG Verelan

917 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Episode 1: Runner
Location: Ready Room
Timeline: MD 4: Morning

Having arrived later in the day, Verelan had elected to wait until the morning to report in to her new CO. Carrying her transfer orders with her she made for the Captain’s Ready Room, it wasn’t long before she was standing outside the door. Pressing the chime she patiently awaited an answer.

“Enter,” Charlotte called out. It was quite the busy morning she was having. She once again extended the Vulcan salute in lieu of a handshake. “Lieutenant Verelan, it is a pleasure to have you aboard. I spoke with your husband just yesterday actually.”

Verelan returned the Vulcan salute even though she rarely tended to use it. “Thank you Captain, Savar did tell me that the two of you had met.” She offered a smile. “You’ll find that I’m not your A-typical Vulcan, or Romulan for that matter.”

"Frankly, I think the combination alone will be a bit of a learning curve for me," Charlotte replied with a little laugh. "Speaking of which, if you don't mind me asking, where does the Romulan part of your lineage come from? Starfleet's awareness of the Romulan-Vulcan relationship only dates back a few years before your birth, with the Kelvin incident. I imagine your parents must have been some of the earliest Romulans and Vulcans to interact."

“Indeed Captain” Verelan nodded. “I know very little of my mother, except what my father has been willing to tell me. I know that he loved her very much, and that she was killed when I was very young.” She paused to take a seat. “I used to ask a lot of questions, but stopped doing so when I realized how much it hurt my father. To an outsider Vulcans appear cold, and uncaring, but to those they love Vulcans are actually quite the opposite.”

Charlotte's eyes darted over to the Vulcan family photo on her desk. She knew the depths of Vulcan emotion quite well. "You'll find no such dissolution with me. My best friend is a Vulcan. He and his family, especially their little daughter, are very dear to me. I apologize for being so nosy on the topic though. I hope I didn't offend you."

“Not at all Captain” Verelan smiled warmly. “My husband Savar is, as you know, is Vulcan. He is my universe. Whilst we’re on the subject of relationships do you know of Pon’farr?”

"I am," The Captain replied with a nod. "In fact, I once had a particularly urgent shuttle ride to reunite my friend with his wife. So I have an idea how intense, or even dangerous, it can be for a Vulcan. I imagine it will help having Savar aboard?"

“Indeed it will” Verelan nodded. “My own Pon’farr is but a few months away, at least we won’t need to rush off with both of us here.”

Charlotte nodded. This wasn't a standard briefing discussion topic, but pon'farr was a bit above 'standard'. "Any accommodations you'll need from me? Other than to be relieved of duty for a few days, obviously."

Verelan shook her head.“No specific requirements Captain, except for Savar and I to be left alone during the time we need.” She offered a smile. “I’m glad to have a Captain who understands.”

"Understanding is one of the main things I try to bring as a commander. Speaking of which, I want you to have a good sense of who your commanding officer is as well. Do you have any specific questions for me?" Charlotte asked.

Verelan paused to think. “Captain, I know having someone of Romulan heritage, even half Romulan, could be awkward. I know very little of the Romulan half of my heritage, I just hope it doesn’t cause any problems in the future.”

The Captain shook her head. "It won't cause any problems with me. And if it causes issues with anyone else, please let me know and I will put a stop to that. It's easy for people to get caught up in prejudices over the past or the actions of a handful of outliers. I'd hope that anyone who began to have an issue would note your Vulcan half as well and realize judging by race is a mistake, but hate is rarely so clear minded."

Verelan nodded. “Thank you Captain, I appreciate that.”

"I see here that you're to serve as both Nurse and Counselor's Aide," Charlotte replied as consulted the duty orders on her pad. "Personally, I think that makes a lot of sense. The 2 divisions are more interrelated that many think. But Counseling is often more emotional than most Vulcan's I know have a tendency of being comfortable with. I get the feeling that's not the case with you?"

“Not at all Captain” Verelan smiled, “I have no problem with being in touch with my emotions, I chose not to purge my emotions because I wanted to be able to relate to people. I’m not a Betazoid but I like being able to help in the Counseling field when needs be.”

"Interesting. I do agree with you though. That will definitely make counseling easier," the Captain replied. "Well, I think you'll fit in here well. Anything else you'd like to know before I let you get back to it?"

“I don’t think so Captain” Verelan smiled. “I’m looking forward to getting on with my duties.”

"I will stand in your way no longer," Rhodes replied playfully. "Welcome aboard, Lt. Verelan."

 

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