First Timers

Posted on Mon Sep 5th, 2022 @ 8:51pm by Cadet First Class Pallas & Commander Raiden Kosugi

Mission: The Goddess
Location: Start: USS Himalaya/End: USS Gladiator
Timeline: Pallas Backpost #2 (after “Outties”) -- Pallas's arrival on the Gladiator
6008 words - 12 OF Standard Post Measure

The USS Gladiator was the end of the line for the USS Himalaya on its run dropping off Cadets First Class at their Training Cruise assignments. Two full days had passed since the last stop. When Cadet Willings left for the USS Long Beach, it had been all that Pallas could do to resist rubbing it in that she was assigned to a Sovereign-class while Mr. Have-I-told-you-I’m-a-multigenerational-starfarer was getting a Californian-class. Besides, his face when he was leaving the bunks for the last time told Pallas that he was already disappointed. Imagine that, she shook her head to herself, being disappointed at getting to be in Starfleet.

Two days without exams to study for, problem sets to complete, theses to write, or a fight to train for. Two whole days not completely scheduled. This was one of the longest stretches in the last three years where Pallas didn’t feel overcome by the need to stay on top of duties. She had almost forgotten what to do with the tome. She thought about scheduling some holodeck time, but figured that defeated the whole point of experiencing a real starship. So she found the gym, beat up on a punching bag for a while, and that was it. Pallas spent the rest of the time in self-imposed solitary, rereading the same information on the Gladiator: crew manifest, deck listings, engineering specs.

None of that information prepared her for what the Sovereign-class looked like from the viewing port as she made her way now to the turbolift. She never seemed prepared for what any of Starfleet was actually like up close and personal: the first Starfleet engineers she’d met as a child when they came to save Andara, the entrance exam, Earth and the Academy… everything always ended up being just a little bit awe inspiring. She pulled her jaw back up and eyes away from the sight of the USS Gladiator and finished making her way to the Transporter Room.

It was nearly time for him to get back to the Gladiator, and Raiden was in a slight amount of hurry. He had to stop abruptly almost crashing into the woman who was nearing the transporter pad area. He swept back his small duffel bag as that would have clipped her.

"Whoops, sorry about that." the tall asian man having a chagrined smile. He took a good look at the woman there, finding her lovely to look at but didn't let his eyes linger in an uncomfortable way. Raiden then made a sweeping gesture, towards the door leading into the transporter area. "After you." then stepped inside after her. "I apologize for almost crashing into you, where are you headed? I'm headed for the USS Gladiator."

Pallas jumped as the man came close to running into her, then stood up rod-straight as she spied the pips on his collar. "No apologies necessary, Commander! I should have been paying closer attention to my surroundings," she apologized quickly. "The Gladiator... yes, sir, I'm headed there as well. Cadet First Class Pallas, reporting for my Training Cruise," she saluted him.

This was totally new for Raiden, he'd never been in the position to welcome a cadet to a ship before. What the heck was he supposed to do? "Well lets head up to the ship and see about you getting your quarters, and get your paperwork approved. I'm Commander Raiden Kosugi, the Executive Officer of the Gladiator." flashing a smile, before he stepped onto the transporter pad. He felt some pride in stating his position. He had never dreamed he'd actually say those words in the same sentence.

The manifest had just updated recently, so Pallas recognized the name right away. "Commander Kosugi. Thank you, sir. And... congratulations, sir. On the promotion," she smiled back slightly as she made sure she was lined up inside the circle on the transporter pad. She knew it didn't actually matter that she stood exactly inside the lines, from a mechanical perspective, but she always did so without even fully thinking about it.

"Thank you, and you're going to be on a fine ship." Raiden replied with some feeling of pride, and also a look of pride in his eyes for the Gladiator. He looked at the transporter Chief, "Energize please." the shimmering effect of the transporter beam enveloping them.

When they were fully materialized upon the Gladiator's transporter pad Raiden stepped down, and waited for Cadet Pallas to join him, "So, your cadet cruise any idea what position you will be aiming for?" Raiden curious as to what she would be wanting. Where Raiden was concerned he had already had an idea of becoming a helmsman. His uncle having been the inspiration of why he joined.

The cadet joined the XO, leaving the transporter pad and following him toward the exit. "I'm trying to keep an open mind, sir. I majored in exobiology, engineering, and xenoanthropology, so either Science or Engineering may be a good fit. If I may speak freely... it seems to me that everything about Starfleet so far has been quite different from what I expected. And if that continues to be true, I didn't want to prematurely lock in my whole career without getting a feel for what its like actually working in each department." She thought that she might spy a wistful look in his eyes. "What about you, Commander? How did you decide which position you wanted when you were starting out?"

Out in the corridor, Raiden glanced at Pallas. "Permission to speak freely." he replied at first, then he answered her question. "I was in helm, and it had been my goal to be piloting a ship amongst the stars. My decision and desire had been developing ever since my uncle was teaching me how to restore old time aircraft and pilot shuttlecraft before I was old enough to join Star Fleet. In fact I can fly the historical planes which were around back in the World War II era. And for a more definitive answer it was my uncle who encouraged me to follow my heart."

"World War II?" Pallas raised a questioning eyebrow, before venturing a joke, "... which world?" She presumed he meant Earth, as humans made up most of Starfleet, but one never knew; the external physical appearance of humans and Andarans, for example, were pretty much identical, and the same could be said for multiple species she had met in San Francisco. "Your uncle sounds like someone I would enjoy meeting. I also rather enjoy putting things back together, though I can't say I've ever worked on an airplane before."

An actual facepalm came from Raiden then he chuckled, "Earth's World War II, glad you were able to translate what I meant. You are certainly very perceptive." a fond smile was still there as he thought about his Uncle, "He is great, taught me a lot, and I just couldn't get enough of flying. He had taken me on my first ever airplane ride, i was about 6 years old. It was for my birthday. That first taste of being in the azure blue sky, it captured me and hadn't let me go. Then my desire grew towards the stars." there was almost a reverence in his voice, as Raiden related this small tidbit of his life.

The cadet nodded slowly as the commander spoke. She could understand, at least, his love of the stars and the open sky. "It sounds like love at first flight," she replied, the pun completely unintentional and probably the fault of the Universal Translator. "I will admit, though, even though the idea of rebuilding an ancient flying machine appeals to me technically, there's something of a cultural taboo about spending too much in the sky where I'm from. Not space; just living in the sky within the atmosphere. The arrival of teleportation to Ardana was certainly a boon for everyone who would rather take an hours-long train ride than fly to the other side of the continent."

"Taboo? I am not familiar with all of the species out in the universes, there are still a great many to meet. I used to fly diplomats to their designations for peace talks and negotiations. It was an eye opener making me feel maybe just a tad smaller or maybe quite a bit humbler." he nodded at her other statement. "So Andaran, you are the first of your race I've met before. Pleasure is all mine." he put the duffel strap over his shoulder and then pulled out his Padd once more. "Okay, so I can approve your arrival right now. I would like you to meet the Captain as well." Raiden making notes. "But before that I can take you to your quarters, so you can get settled in. Show you where the mess hall is at." he lowered the Padd down "If that doesn't make you uncomfortable for me making that offer."

It was Pallas's turn to facepalm, though she only did so mentally. As a child, Starfleet officers were angelic saviors from space. It was a benevolent prejudice she seemed to continue to carry with her in some smaller measure, at least enough that she assumed that they all had some hand in that intervention. Even those who were clearly not old enough to have been present, or those who weren't engineers. "My planet, Andara, used to be a divided civilization. There were a small number who dwelled in a famous cloud city, Stratos, and lived lives of luxury and ease. And then the rest of the people, billions, lived on the surface, exposed to mind-altering and intellect-numbing gasses from mining operations. It's only been about a century since the apartheid system was ended through uprising and civil war, so we still have some around who remember those days, and overall the idea of 'living in the clouds' is a strong reminder of past injustices. Hence, the cultural taboo."

The cadet realized she was prattling on. "Apologies, sir, maybe that was too much information, and I know you must be busy. Thank you for offering to accept my assignment and show me around." She pulled out her own PADD and transferred the official posting orders to Raiden's device. "And for offering to show me around. I have no objections to knowing where to go to sleep and eat. Sir," she smiled.

Raiden just waved off her apologies. "Nah you're good, I didn't mind listening to the brief history of your people." giving a smile, it slipped away though as he thought of those who had been so entitled. "I can understand the reasoning of the Taboos, and just the fact of them putting themselves above all others as if they were gods." his eyes darkened a little bit, then it cleared away. "I am certainly pleased that you and your people no long have to deal with injustices like that on such a large scale." Raiden shook his head, and came out of those thoughts.

"Thank you, sir; as am I." Pallas noted the commander's emotional reaction to the retelling of Andara's past. It was a question she and her fellow Outties had debated a few times over the years: did Starfleet officers eventually become jaded? Could anyone really continue to empathize with the plight of others with that level of intensity for their entire careers? Seeing the XO just now seemed to be at least one more anecdotal argument in the affirmative.

"Come, onto your quarters and then to the messhall." Another genuine smile from Raiden.

Pallas shifted her duffel bag and followed him through the ship toward her new home.

As they made their way through the corridors and eventually to her quarters, Raiden had an easy going gait. "What are your favorite activities that you participate in or like to do in your personal time?" it was a line of questioning that Raiden liked to do, as well best way to get to know the crew.

"At the Academy, I took up the ancient Earth sport of boxing," she said in her best xenoanthropologist voice, a sly nod to the early World War II comment. "I was co-captain of the Academy boxing team last season. I also enjoy tinkering... breaking equipment apart and putting it back together, like your uncle and airplanes, I supposed. Old equipment that didn't work anymore was something we had a lot of in First City when I was growing up. And reading. I enjoy reading old literature from different civilizations." Pallas looked up at Raiden. "How about yourself, Commander? Anything besides flying?"

"Boxing that is a good sport and co captain that is amazing." Raiden giving a nod. "And nothing is as satisfying to bring something back to life." remembering his own pleasure at that very event.

Raiden then offered up his likes. "Besides my love affair with aviation, I've got a variety of interests that I like to do. Wood working for one, fishing, swimming. A little bit of dancing, I thank my mother for insisting I help out my sisters." he grinned," I was the one they called upon to be the dance partner." he thought for a moment or two, pondering over something. "I also am into martial arts, of a variety from training with my-father" there was a small amount of reservation when he revealed the latter tidbit. "Had been practicing it ever since I was a small child."

Pallas picked up on the slight pause when the XO mentioned his father, but let it pass unmentioned. This was, after all, not just her first meeting with the commander, but her first meeting with any of the Gladiator crew. It seemed prudent to not dive into their deep personal histories immediately. She continued, instead, with the main line of conversation. "It always surprised me how many martial arts humans have. Most civilizations I've studied seem to either whittle down or synthesize variants of unarmed combat styles until there is a single dominant form. But to the contrary, humans seem to take pride and pleasure in preserve the diversity of martial arts. Which ones do you train in, Commander?"

"Escrima is one," Raiden responded, stopping outside of Pallas' door. He leaned against the wall, not entering into her quarters. " Kodan Khan Karate which is a mixture of several styles. My father had called it the practical man's martial arts at one point. " He paused, and looked at Pallas. "I'll wait here while you stow your gear."

“I appreciate it. One moment, sir.” Pallas entered, and not wanting to keep the first officer waiting, unceremoniously dropped her duffle at the foot of her bunk, quickly scurrying back through the door. “There’s always time to unpack after I’ve seen the ship,” she said by way of explaining the extremely short visit to her quarters. “Karate… that one I have heard of. But not the particular school of Kodan Khan, and I’m not familiar with Escrima, either.”

"Two other names that Escrima is known under is Kali or Arnis de Mano." Raiden responded. "We'll be dropping my gear in my quarters before we head on the rest of the tour." flashing a smile and resuming their walk, in the direction of the turbo lift. "Basically using some sticks mde out of rattan, and hitting hard when going against an opponent. Proverbially thrashing them like you would rice when getting the rice from their stalks."

“Agricultural-based martial arts. A kind of flip on the human proverb, more like turning plowshares into swords. It makes sense to integrate the literal tools at hand into self-defense,” the cadet thought aloud as they reached the turbolift. “To my earlier comment about the uniqueness of humans in preserving such a multitude of martial arts, I wonder, sir, your own motivations for practicing these. Is it to carry on familial traditions, something to do with geographic availability based on where you were raised, or were there practical considerations in your choices?”

"It is strongly rooted in my family history for generations, an offshoot of Okinawan Kobudo, created by farmers when the Entitled Samurai did not allow farmers to have weapons so, different uses for farm tools. This sort of aspect of entitlement gave the rise of the martial arts, to bring down those who would rule over all and subjugate them." Raiden's words had the ring of strong feelings where that is concerned. "So in a way I truly understand and feel for your people when having dealt with those who floated above in the clouds."

"One thing that humans and Andarans seem to have in common is a history of oppressing our own. Ours is only more recent," she frowned, recalling from her Earth history course at the Academy that forms of apartheid had also existed on Earth for a very long periods of time. "I appreciate the understanding, Commander." The turbolift was surprisingly empty when it arrived, and Pallas entered, stepping to one side to give the XO space of his own. It was larger than the ones on the Himalaya, though not quite as spacious as the ones at the Academy, which were usually packed with students rushing off to their next class in between periods.

Raiden stepped in as well, turning to face the lift doors as they closed. He gave the level his quarters were at, and the whirring of the lift headed upwards on its way. "You are welcome, Cadet Pallas."

A moment of silence, then Raiden broke the silence, "Before I became the XO, it was easier to get to know a person, as I didn't really worry about ranks. When on duty, I referred to someone by their rank but off duty, if I was on a friendly basis they would be known by their given names. I don't suppose you would feel comfortable in referring to me by just my last name and dropping the rank, when off duty." Raiden was having to readjust his way of thinking with his new rank. "Its going to be a challenge in figuring out my way down this path." his voice quiet, almost as if he were speaking to himself.

The idea of a cadet spending time with a senior officer when off duty was incomprehensible to Pallas, so it took several moments of silence. "I hope your earlier permission for me to speak freely still applies, sir. I imagine that it has been some time since you have been a cadet, but... I can't imagine any cadet feeling comfortable in calling the Captain or XO just by their name, even off duty. Maybe not any senior officer, for that matter. Maybe after I've earned my commission. Right now, I'm still a cadet, still a student. Even at the Academy, if we ran into an instructor off-campus, most of us still called them 'Professor.'"

Raiden gave a nod as to her query to speak freely. When she was finished, Raiden gave out a rueful chuckle. "I do appreciate your candor, I still remember being a mentor for those attending the Academy for the first time, old habits diehard. I was an older student and helped them out. Taking them under my wing." looking over at Pallas. "I do not wish to make you uncomfortable, so... I will table that question for now and accept your answer. Just don't feel hesitant at coming to see me, to talk over a difficulty even if it is having a difficulty with me."

The turbo lift slowed down and then the doors opened, to allow them to step off the lift. "C'mon I'll drop this off and then we'll go to the mess hall." he stepped forward to exit the turbo lift.

"I appreciate the offer, sir. It doesn't make me uncomfortable at all. To the contrary, I feel very welcome here. It isn't every cadet who gets a personal tour of the ship from the XO when she arrives." She looked around as the walked through the deck where the senior officers lived. It looked the same as the other deck, except the doors were spaced further apart, and there were fewer personnel walking the hallways. "I'll keep your offer in mind, sir. To talk over any issues that might arise. That's very generous of you."

Another flash of a warm congenial smile, "I haven't forgotten what it was like being a cadet, always best to not forget your roots." Raiden replied as he paused to open the door to his quarters. "I'll just toss this on a chair and the we'll get back to our little tour." and he did just that, there was a chair near the door where he placed his duffel bag upon. The brief glance of the room showed there wasn't anything that would denote any personal touches to it. Just the standard furnishings. "Okay lets head to the mess hall or would you like to take a peek on the bridge of this glorious ship."

Pallas was hungry, but the cadet wasn't going to pass up a chance to see the Bridge. Make the most of every opening, her coach had drilled it in to her head. "If it's not taking up too much of your time, it would be an honor to see the Bridge, sir."

Raiden gave a nod, "Just be warned they may kick us off the bridge as they are still working on it making certain all is prepared for us to go once more into the stars. They had to reattach the saucer section." Raiden remarked then led the way to the lift to go up to the main bridge. He paused and gave a secretive pressing of his index finger to his lips.

She nodded in understanding. The cadet followed Raiden back to the turbolift, and waited as it took them directly to the Bridge. As the doors opened, it was as he had predicted: crew in Engineering gold were spread out around the open space making what seemed to be very intensive repairs. "What exactly happened to the ship, Commander?" she asked as she stepped off the lift and surveyed the wreckage.

Raiden surveyed the scene, a pained expression in his eyes, and some raw emotion in his voice. "Thank goodness they are close to being finished." he turned to Pallas, "I not going to step out in that, don't want to get in their way, I'll bring you back when they are finished." stepping back into the turbolift. "Lets get to the messhall and I'll fill you in." waiting for her to follow.

"Of course, sir," Pallas quickly backed into the turbolift, taking one final look at the level of destruction that had been wrought on this ship that was to be her new home. As the turbolift took them down the deck of the mess hall, she wondered on Raiden's words that the repair teams were "close to being finished." She could only imagine how bad it had been beforehand. The cadet could see the look of pain on the XO's face, so she remained quiet until the finally made it the mess. It was large, as expected for this class of ship, and in good shape. It was surprising that this could be the same ship as the Bridge; in stark contrast, this looked clean and completely functioning, as if nothing at all had happened.

Raiden seemed to relax slightly when they stepped inside the messhall. "Lets get some grub." leading the way to the replicator. "Once we get our meal sorted out I'll give you a brief rundown." Raiden was famished despite the turmoil he was feeling. "You get your order first then I will get mine." giving a firm nod.

One thing Pallas had enjoyed about Earth was how much humans loved food. Most Andarans thought of food as a necessity, like air and water. And while air can be good or bad--the Andarans especially understood this--that was pretty much the full range of options: good or bad. But with food, humans took it to a level she had never imagined. The numbers of cuisines, adaptations of cuisines from other worlds... it was truly astounding. It actually reminded her of what she had been thinking about humans and martial arts; she supposed it was the same phenomenon, a desire to preserve diversity and tradition. She stepped up to the replicator first. "Medium poké bowl with ahi and sake, extra avocado, and barley tea. And chopsticks," she added in quickly before the materialization began. She took her tray and stepped to the side to make room for the commander.

Raiden ordered some comfort food, Nikujaga (Japanese Beef Stew) Japanese milk bread and Sunomono, a cucumber salad seasoned with a lightly sweetened dressing consisting of vinegar and soy sauce. The version that Raiden ordered had some strips of seaweed and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds sprinkled upon it. For his drink, he ordered Jasmine bubble tea, a milk tea with jasmine tea leaves and tapioca balls. Untensils were a soup spoon and a pair of chopsticks.

Lately it seemed that Raiden had a hankering for food which reminded him of home. When the two meals materialized, both retrieving their food, Raiden looked for a table that they could relax and eat at. "Any preference?" he asked of Pallas. "Lady's choice." giving a smile to the cadet.

Pallas began raising her eyebrows at the last turn of phrase, but quickly looked toward the tables and chose the closest one. "Some of that I've seen before," she motioned toward his tray with her eyes once they were seated, "and some I haven't. The computer can tell me about the replicator's database, though; I think you were going to tell me about what happened on the Bridge. And the ship." She picked up her chopsticks and used her off-hand to line them up correctly, with the effortfulness of someone who didn't grow up using them. It worked well enough, though, that she was at least able to pick up a cube of fish without dropping it before it made it's way to her mouth.

Raiden made no comment as to her usage of the chopsticks, there was no judgement there. After settling down at the table and spooning up some bites of his stew, Raiden followed the bites, with a swallow of his bubble tea. Then he spoke, "We had gotten word of the Gladiator being found with only the lower section, when we were on the Arcadia. We found the Gladiator drifting in space, the ship had been attacked by Trinity Zealots from what I'm gathering posing as crew members who had sent out a distress signal. I don't know if you've heard of them, but they did a number on the vessel. Just bodies littered all over with no blood in them." he tore off a piece of his bread and dipped it into the stews broth. "The saucer section was found later on, just was a horrific mess. There was signs of fire fights, and total chaos and with the exception of Cadet Barakzay there was no other person alive. Just a ghost ship, Barakzay lived through that. Just, just seeing the result of the nightmarish action. Something a person can't forget." he said quietly, Raiden's eyes distant as he remembered, and absentmindedly picking up the bread from the broth and putting it in his mouth.

The bit of rice and seaweed in Pallas's chopsticks fell back into the bowl as she lost focus while listening to the commander summarizing what had happened. That explained the sudden transfer of personnel to the Gladiator that had been noted on the crew manifest. "That's terrible. I haven't heard of the Trinity Zealots... so many lives lost. And in Federation space." She paled slightly at the thought of it. If the Federation was supposed to be anything, it was secure. Yes, terrible things could still happen, large-scale disasters that couldn't be prevented, but stability and peace were among the greatest promises that the union promised to member worlds. Mass-murder with horrible methods, direct attacks on Starfleet ships. "I don't understand, though, Commander. This is a Sovereign-class vessel. How could these Trinity Zealots have managed to do so much damage and kill so many officers?"

"Well planned action, using ships that had been captured earlier being trojan horses, zealots acting as crew and passengers who had survived the attack. A distress signal being sent out for ships to rescue what was thought to be people in dire need. We almost got caught in a trap set for unwary rescuers, the main core set to explode, once it was set off." Raiden going slightly pale as he remembered the narrow escape. "Lieutenant Wales our security chief, had found a device that was set to explode in the engineering section, he got rid of it but the other, we had no idea about." he stopped then looked at Pallas, "There are other details. If you have the chance, you may want to see if Petty Officer Smithy will talk of her experience with the Unholy Trinity as some call the zealots as well. She was witness to the death of her fellow engineering crew, on a previous ship she was a member of."

Pallas shook her head in disbelief. Of course she had read about other grand conspiracies before in the history of the Federation: the Terra Prime terrorism attempt in the 22nd century, the purple parasite conspiracy of the '60s... she knew that these things happened. But she didn't expect to be experiencing something so destructive up close, not right as she started her cadet cruise. "I wouldn't want to bother anyone. Especially not those who just went through a trauma like that. I'd better leave those conversations to the counseling staff." Pallas looked at the XO, who didn't himself seem to be fully okay. "Should you be sharing this all with a new cadet, sir? It sounds... potentially classified, and I don't even have my commission yet."

Raiden focused back on Pallas, with a piercing gaze. "You are here and signed on the ship that will be going after these zealots. You will run into people who have suffered at the hands of these zealots. If you do not have any information beforehand whether it sounds like classified information or not, you can be caught unaware and find yourself in a bad situation. You are right though you do not need to speak with Petty Officer Smithy, you may come across her on the ship somewhere. " he gave a slight sigh. "I will be glad when this whole nightmare of these Zealots is done. Will give some closure to those affected."

Raiden laid his piece of bread back down on its plate, and picked up the spoon once more. "Any questions you wish to ask?"

"Of... of course, sir. You're absolutely right." Pallas kicked herself mentally for stumbling into this mess. She had gotten way too comfortable, way too casual with one of the top officers on her ship, and in what, less than an hour? Now the XO thought she was completely unprepared to be here. Who knew if he'd report as much to the rest of the senior staff. Or worse, to the Captain. "I will make sure that I am fully prepared for the mission at hand. I apologize for not having done so already, and for overstepping. I promise to do my best not to let it happen again." She put her chopsticks down. "I don't have any other questions at this time, Commander. I appreciate that you've taken so much time with me already."

"At ease Cadet, if you are unable to bring up things that you have questions on, then you wouldn't pass your cadet cruise. I was told by someone to never second guess in asking the hard questions. And this is as much of a learning experience for me, as well as you." giving an affable smile towards Pallas. "I've never discounted learning from someone who is younger or even in a lower rank. This is due to them having a different perspective, than I do. At times, especially in this current circumstance when dealing with these terrorists, we all need to take in account everyone's point of views in order to figure out how best to defeat them. Or even have someone point out something which would shed some light on the matter." Raiden taking a bit of his cooling stew. He hadn't touched his salad as of yet.

She was told to take in her training cruise with an open mind, to expect the unexpected. It was certainly the case that she hadn't expected this to be her first day. Nor had she expected the XO to be as, frankly, emotional as he was. Still, it was clear that this was a strength for him, the ability to empathize with others. Yet another interesting trait common among humans. "I suppose then, sir, my question is: why? Why would anyone within the Federation want to do something like this?"

His spoon which was filled with the last bite of his stew paused, Raiden looking down at it for a moment as if seeking an answer to the Cadet's question. He lifted his dark eyes towards hers, "That is the question that is being asked even now. These people I am not certain if they are Federation. Sadly though, there are those in any civilization who feel that humans and what they term aliens should not be associating one with another. A purity of species, no mixes." he took the last bite of his stew and washed it down with his bubble tea, setting the glass down and his bowl to one side, moving his salad in front of him.

"Almost like the troubles that had plagued Earth in its troubled times many centuries ago. Now it seems that we are facing yet again, hatred and it radiating out into the universe. I don't truly have the answer to your question but in truth we are all suffering now for someones stupidity, their intolerance." his chopsticks stabbing down into his salad picking up some to eat.

Pallas looked long at the XO after he had finished. “It’s still hard sometimes to accept that Starfleet doesn’t have all the answers, since that’s what I thought when I was growing up. I guess it’s also hard for me to accept that I am actually also Starfleet now. If I did, then maybe I would be less surprised, as I definitely don’t understand how something like this could still happen. It’s one thing if the synths all go crazy and revolt, but this feels… worse.” She picked her chopsticks back up. “Whatever it is that I can contribute to the mission, Commander, I will do my best to help.”

Raiden gave a solemn nod, "That is all that can be asked of anyone, doing their best, no matter the situation. " he placed another bite of his salad, then lowered his chopsticks. The salad had lost its flavor. He drank the last of his bubble tea, stacked up his dishes in preparation to take them to the recycler. "Cadet Pallas, it was a pleasure. Don't forget to come ask questions when you need answers, I'll answer them to the best of my ability, and even if you just need to talk let me know." Raiden rose from his seat, giving a slight bow towards Pallsas and left the table, carrying his dishes to dispose of them. Another look towards the cadet, Raiden left the messhall.

Pallas stood as the XO got up, and waited until he left to sit back down. She had expected maybe a brief welcome to the ship, some orientation, but nothing like this. She sat back down and stared at her bowl, wondering what exactly she had gotten herself into.