She Blinded Me With... Science

Posted on Sun Sep 29th, 2019 @ 12:39am by Lieutenant Elara Evander & Commander Logan Vance

Mission: Down the Rabbit Hole
Location: Andromeda, Main Science Lab
Timeline: MD: 07 - 1505

"Ma'am, that will take some time to move," one of the science officers told her.

Elara didn't care how much time it took, she'd known that she was going to work with what she had...and if that meant it would take some time to move some equipment out of one lab and distributed into others, it would be worth it. In the long run, she swore it was worth it. "That's perfectly fine," she told him cheerily. Though they obviously had everything they needed, Elara just wanted to streamline things so it made more sense to her and what she thought would provide a better working department. If she could have moved all her science labs to the same deck, that would have been ideal...but she was not in charge of designing ships or designating spaces unfortunately.

"Isn't this something we need to clear with the captain?" someone else asked.

This was certainly going to be a day that was going to result in a headache, Elara could feel it coming on. She supposed that she should have expected this with her being new and wanting to change up things...just a bit. It wasn't just the buzz of the ship, her own emotions, but also the pile on of the irritation, confusion, and exhaustion (even though nothing had been done yet). "If it was something that would threaten the structural integrity of the ship, then yes...the captain and the chief engineer," she said. "But this isn't going to do that. It's going to just be a little bit of a change...I promise it will be a good one...you just have to give it a chance." She could tell from the emotions and the faces she was getting from her department as they moved around that they didn't believe her.

With the ship well on its way to the destination, the Captain wanted to set up a staff briefing to clue the crew on their mission. Logan took it upon himself to invite certain members of the crew personally since he hadn't had the opportunity to meet them yet. Lt. Evander, their Chief Science Officer, was first on the list.

As he entered, he caught sight of a stunning redhead contrasting gorgeously with her blue uniform. It took him more than a few seconds to remember his conversation with Jean about settling down for Amanda's sake. It was curious how little it took for him to reconsider that decision. Still, there was his position on the ship. Even if things were different, it wouldn't look good if he hit on his crew. At least not as a first impression. "Lt. Evander?"

Elara turned around, half expecting to hear someone complaining about her changes but was surprised to see someone who wasn't in blue. "Commander," she addressed upon seeing his pips. She moved towards him, PADD in hand, "what can I do for you?" She'd checked in with the captain, so she knew it couldn't be that.

"At the moment, just stopping in to introduce myself. Logan Vance," he flashed a smile. "I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to meet before we left port but I was brought in as a last-minute replacement for the previously assigned XO. I have to say, your picture in your file didn't do you justice or I would have been down here sooner." The last sentence was said without thinking and although he didn't show it, he chided himself for saying it, although not because it wasn't true.

Elara had been ready to say something when the last sentence came out of Vance's mouth, so her mouth was slightly ajar for a moment as she tried to process what he'd said. "Uhh...thanks, I think," she said in partial amusement and partial confusion. It was certainly an odd first meeting, but she supposed that not everyone had the best of first impressions all the time. "I'm just settling in, making a few changes...change is not always easy though."

Logan picked up on her confusion right away. Either he caught her completely off guard or she didn't do flirting well. Or both. "I realize the science facilities on the Andromeda are probably not what you're used to. A little less real estate on an Akira class for that sort of thing. However, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. I want to make sure all of our departments are well equipped. Especially in light of our first mission."

"Not sure the rest of my department feels like I should be making the changes, but I promise they'll assist in the long term," Elara told him. "I try not to be too high maintenance and require anything too far fetched or out of the ordinary, as I informed the captain when I checked in." She hadn't intended to make waves, but it seemed like it was going to be a necessary thing regardless since she wasn't the previous chief and she did things differently. "Is there anything that you require going forward, Commander? Anything I should be aware of?"

"The Captain did call for a mission briefing at 0800 tomorrow. That was the other reason for my visit," he replied. "Beyond that, I just wanted to make sure you had what you needed. Although I was thinking about having a little get together with the Senior Staff. Not sure our illustrious Captain will attend but I'm working on that. Can I count you in?"

The thought of being in a social situation such as that wasn't exactly something that Elara was thrilled with, but she needed to get to know the rest of the senior staff. She supposed that this would be the best opportunity and it was an informal get together. "I don't know that I'm the best at such things, but I'll come…" Elara wondered how far 'senior staff' went. Did that include Jacob? If not, she could always find a corner to hide in. "I just need details."

"I'm still working on those," he replied, honestly. "I'm trying to coordinate with everyone's schedules, duty shifts, things like that. I guess I'm more curious if you're open to a get-together. Not everyone on a ship is open to an informal relationship with their crewmates."

She tilted her head slightly. "It tends to be more helpful in the long run to have some kind of informal relationship with other department heads," Elara said. "Well let me know...time and location and expected attire." She was quiet for a moment. "Always awkward to show up in uniform when something else is expected."

Logan refrained from what he wanted to say about no one minding if she showed up out of uniform. Instead, he replied, "definitely no uniforms. Wear something… comfortable." The word choice was his compromise between his instinct and his professionalism.

"Good to know," she said matter of factly. Elara smiled at him and held the PADD against her stomach. "Well, if you'll just forward me the rest of the information, I'll try my best to make sure I'm there. Not many plans in place, but you know you never know if there's going to be a work emergency or anything…"

"I'll be sure to do that," he flashed a wide smile. "And don't forget that briefing tomorrow. 0800," he said as he turned to leave.

“0800,” Elara repeated with a nod. “I’ll see you then, Commander.”

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Commander Logan Vance
XO, USS Andromeda

Lieutenant Elara Evander
Chief Science Officer, USS Andromeda