Communication Gap

Posted on Fri Sep 14th, 2018 @ 9:23am by Lieutenant JG Serenity Hayes & Captain Gary Alexander

951 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Mission 0 - Pre-Sigma Iotia II
Location: Corridor Outside Officer's Mess
Timeline: 2167/07/03 0900

At 5'4" and 108 pounds, Serenity was no one's idea of imposing. She certainly didn't have the power to draw all eyes in the room toward her but then again, she generally didn't want that anyway. She wore a uniform, as did everyone else, and her blond hair, which hung in soft waves to mid-back, she wore tucked behind one ear. The soft mane of hair brushed her cheekbones as she moved; she kept her gray eyes, alive with intelligence and humor, trained on the deck plate from long habit. As a child, back on the Xanadu, you had to watch because there was always something rolling around somewhere. As she made her way down the corridor, heading toward breakfast, her mind was already running the changes she wanted to introduce into the universal translator, well, the test version anyway. It was her fourth ... no, fifth ... attempt to fine-tune its response to Klingon syntax.

Despite having had a lovely night with his Chief of Science on the previous night, Gary noticed the beautiful young creature heading towards breakfast and decided to follow. He might be 36 years old, but he felt that he was still in his prime. The fact that he had no receding hairline and no grey hairs that had emerged from his head confirmed for him these facts. His dark brown hair was combed immaculately and his brown eyes were hungry, just not necessarily for consumable food.

His 6'2" frame and longer legs started making quick headway on the young woman. While he admired her back side, he did not want her to get engaged in another conversation. Having her alone to size her up was what mattered now. Catching up to her, he politely tapped her on the shoulder, smiled widely and said, "Good morning."

Startled out of her thoughts, she cursed herself inwardly as she spun in place, blond waves fanning out slightly as she moved. Focus too much on keeping everyone out and miss the obvious around her. By the time she completed the turn, she was under control again and smiled almost reflexively. "Good morning, Sir," she said in a voice was more soprano than alto though the only place she sang was alone in her shower.

"Good morning, Lieutenant. How are you this morning?" He gave her the once over and immediately recognized her. "Oh, my, you're the Ramatisan, Serenity Hayes, right? What a pleasure to meet you." He stuck out his hand to greet her more warmly.

Serenity accepted the handshake, warmth of hand to hand, and wondered inwardly what it must be like for Vulcans. Such a simple gesture but carrying with it all that information and hard on the heels of that thought came another. How much easier it must be to just avoid the touch. "Yes, Sir," Serenity answered, "That's me. I was the only one at the Academy and the only one here on the ship."

Placing his other hand over hers and his in a comforting manner, Gary inquired, "Does that make you feel alone? Does it bother you?" His eyes seem genuinely concerned.

She thought about it, already shrugging as she dismissed the idea. If there was anything that made her feel the disconnect it was being the only telepath but that was manageable. "Really," she said softly as she smiled up into his eyes, "I'm alright, Sir. I haven't been on the home world since I was little."

"And why is that?" he wondered aloud. "Did you and your family move away?" His hands remained on Serenity's.

"My Mother and I did," she said as she gently slid her slender hand out of the Captain's larger grasp. "I actually grew up in space, on a cargo freighter."

"That sounds like a lonely life," Gary sympathized. "And where was your father all of this time? And you managed to stay safe during the Earth-Romulan War?"

She shook her head, laughing lightly as she did so. "Never lonely," she said. "My father, well, step-father, is Jubilation Hayes. He made the news a while back, I think. Anyway, I grew up with five mothers and five sisters. So there was twelve of us on the freighter. My moms were great at filling our days. Seemed like there was always something new to learn or do ..."

"Five mothers? Wow! That's quite a slew!" Gary exclaimed. "How would one handle that many different instructions?" He did not wait for an answer, instead opting for a different questions, "How can I make your stay on Horizon a more comfortable one?"

"I'm fine, Captain. I'm where I want to be and I'm doing what I want to do." She studied him for the time it took to blink her eyes and then added, "Though the offer is appreciated."

This nut is going to take awhile longer to crack. Let's save it for another time. We don't want to make a mess out of it. We need to consider a different method of making her open up. "Well," Gary started, "I for one am certainly glad that you are here and am looking forward to working with you."

"Thank you, Sir," she said as she stepped back, nodding politely, while trying to keep her mind resolutely closed to what he was thinking. Though it was hard. "With your permission, Sir, I'd best hurry or I'll miss out."

"Of course, Lieutenant. Hurry up. Dismissed."

Serenity made her way along the corridor, dismissing the older man from her thoughts almost at once. It was nice speaking to the Captain and while the man wasn't quite old enough to be her father, he was a bit on the old side. Besides, Coop was waiting.

 

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