S2 M3: The Okekai

[Julia Rellek]

[Captain's Ready Room]

Julia sat at her desk reviewing information that had been provided about the Okekai and their homeworld. The King of the planet had invited Starfleet to send some representatives to explore their world.

"Captain's log. We are en route to Okekai, an aquatic world, at the invitation of their government. I'm looking forward to spending some time with their leaders and learning more about the unique planet they inhabit. I've read about aquatic planets but i've never actually had the pleasure of coming into contact with one. We should be arriving within the hour.

End Log

[Solluk]

Solluk's Quarters

Your mother and I were gratified to learn of this development, and are optimistic about the opportunities it will allow you for advancement in your chosen career.

Solluk stared at the screen for a long while, reading the message.

It was the singular most supportive thing his parents had ever said to him.

Well... technically 'written.'  But still.

He could scarcely believe the journey that he had embarked upon.   It had started months ago with an offhand remark by some of the shuttlebay maintenance crew.  They'd complimented him on his work with the runabout after he'd successfully completed manual diagnostics and parts swaps.

That had led him to seek out a special extension-course training program at Starfleet Academy.   A six-week program of intensive study, it had involved over 280 hours of classroom and hands-on instruction split between Engineering and Security, two areas where he'd shown promise during his initial training on Mars.  It was an opportunity to hone his skills that he'd only been able to seize thanks to the support of Lieutenant Galloway and the Captain.

Next he'd spent two weeks rebuilding the Vortex from the ground up, an exercise meant to cement his Engineering knowledge with a practical outlet.  And when that had been accomplished to the satisfaction of the ship's Engineering personnel...

Officer Candidate School.   He'd been able to take the OCS courses locally via holodeck on the Tempest, thanks to having qualified personnel on board to direct his instruction.  It was one of the advantages of serving aboard a Galaxy class ship.  Not only were the amenities superb, but so was the selection of personnel.  This included qualified instruction from both Starfleet officers and civilians who were specialists in their fields.

The idea of becoming an officer had never occurred to him as a serious endeavor when he'd first joined Starfleet.   A disgraced, brain-damaged Vulcan did not aspire to great things.   Though, truth be told... even when he'd been whole and healthy he'd never anticipated such a career.  It was only an accident of fate that brought him to the attention of Starfleet in the first place.  He'd signed on mostly to escape the shame he'd felt on his homeworld.  Then he'd fallen backwards into one opportunity after another, supported by friends and colleagues in a way he never dared to hope for.

And now he'd just returned from another jaunt to Starfleet.  A trip he'd undertaken for one singular purpose:

To take The Exam.

The Exam that, if results came back positive, would make him an officer.

Two surprises had been waiting for him when he'd gotten back.

The first was a message from the Captain, asking him to report to her.   That meeting had ended with a provisional rank pin on his collar and a new position in Engineering.   It represented a level of trust in his abilities that was humbling.

The second was this subspace mail from his parents.

Text only.

Very brief.

But it almost sounded like they were proud of him.

Proud.

Of Him.

He might as well have just discovered a new alien civilization, such was his awe of the development.

After a long while, he closed the message.   Then he went to the mirror in his quarters, staring at himself for another long moment.  Had he grown taller, somehow?  Handsomer?  Attained an aura of confidence?

Did this simple oval rank pin somehow imbue him with supernatural attributes?

No, he thought, I did that.  I have achieved something.  This is what success feels like.

Provisional success, to be sure.  He might still get a failing grade back from the Academy.

But right here, right now?

This was a win.

Taking a deep breath, he turned from the mirror and stepped out of his quarters.

Liutenant, Junior Grade.

Acting.

Well, then.

Time to Act.

[Olivia Briggs]

[Deck 2 - The Briggs Quarters]

Olivia walked out of the bedroom carrying a squirming Elijah as she attempted to finish getting ready before leaving him at the ship's daycare so she could get to Ten Forward to meet with her staff and start the days shift. It felt good to be back on a ship again and although she would miss the friends she had made on the Discovery was where she belonged at her husband's side even more so since their time away from the Fleet and supporting him and her mother in law after his father had died.

Their son had also helped immensely with the grief and getting them all through such a difficult time and when they were reassigned to the Tempest, Olivia was looking forward to getting back to work knowing Elijah was in safe hands. Stopping for a moment to reminisce about the last time she was on a Galaxy Class ship before her and Kyle married and also how good her husband looked in gold. He had been Chief Engineer when they met and again fully supported him with his decision to resign his commission and return to his first love.

Placing Elijah in his playpen so he couldn't escape now that he had learnt to crawl and quickly refilled his diaper bag then finished getting ready and with having a few minutes to spare before she had to leave picked him up and sat with him on the sofa making the most of these last few minutes with her son.

[Jada]

[Corridor outside Solluks' Quarters]

Taking a deep breath, he turned from the mirror and stepped out of his quarters.[/size]

Then a beach-ball hit him.

Behind it was Jada, out of uniform and in only a red bikini, vibrant against the jungle green. Other Orion women would have filled it better, but without displaying such an athletic physique, nor the tapestry of tattoos, scars, and more brown splotches than a Trill. The bruises left after brawling with the Jem'Hadar were healing nicely, and the cuts had already been erased, but Jada was still left looking like a spotted s'narrl. As an accessory to her fierce, even violent beauty, she had a sheathed knife strapped to her thigh; it was practically a cultural requirement.

With all her huntress skills, Jada had been lying in wait to ambush Solluk. They hadn't spent much time together recently, not in training or social time, except during missions, with the Vulcan usually buried in his studies or shuttle construction. The Orion woman felt inclined to change that.

She caught the beach-ball on the rebound, and, to some hiding behind it, said 'I heard we're going down to a water planet. I've never seen an ocean, so I took some suggestions for dress from the squad...' She took in Solluk, in non-beach-appropriate uniform, and a strange new rank pip at his neck. Snake-fast, she jabbed a finger at it. 'What's this? You're too good us enlisted now, is that it?' she accused, words hot but her intent teasing.

[Solluk]

[Outside Solluk's Quarters]

The assault came quickly, an attack from an unexpected quarter.  A flash of color followed by a flash of green.  An Orion War Sphere, he thought with alarm, before his rational mind recalled that there was no such device.  Or at least, if there was, he'd never heard of it.

Once his mind caught up to the inflated plastic reality of the moment, he smiled.  Jada.  He'd seen too little of her in the months since his march towards Engineering had begun.  On the few instances they had spent time together, it was most often on an assignment, with her manning the tactical station of a runabout.  Or manning a phaser rifle at a doorway.  Sexy, to be sure.  But not exactly the sort of romantic scene he hoped to foster more of.

His gaze fell upon her, in an Earth-style swimming uniform, her skin a roadmap of unlikely survival painted in emerald hues and topographical tattoos.  She was still healing- which suggested to him that she was continuing to accumulate new bruises even as the old ones faded away.  Medical attention could have eliminated them all, of course, but she really didn't seem to go in for cosmetic improvements.  Only things like cuts and breaks that would prevent her from flexing those formidable muscles.

"I heard we're going down to a water planet. I've never seen an ocean, so I took some suggestions for dress from the squad..."

Solluk chuckled- a display without hesitation or shame.  He still tried to reign in his emotion with others, most of the time.  But not with her.  Not anymore.   "How is it you have never seen an ocean, but I, a desert-dwelling Vulcan, have?  Did you never take one of the leave days on Mars and use it to visit Earth?"

Ah, but perhaps she hadn't trained at the Enlisted facility on Mars.  Starfleet had several others.  Or perhaps she'd been spending her leave with fellow trainees... closer to their bunkspaces.

Then she stepped forward, an accusing finger at the ready.  'What's this? You're too good us enlisted now, is that it?'

Solluk was going to laugh again, but his face froze in mid-mirth.

He had not begun to contemplate the ramifications of officerhood on their relationship... such as it was.

"I... don't know.  I neglected to ask, or check regulations."  He suddenly had the appearance of an alarmed man, "I... have no idea."

He looked at her, almost pleadingly, "Surely... you must be more familiar with the... rules?

[Isabella Waters]

[Mess Hall]

Izzy had been trying to stay out of the crews way up to this point. As a counselor she was probably the least important factor in the ship running successfully, something she knew and was fine with. The mess hall was realitively quiet for the time of the day. Isabella was equally quiet as she walked to the replicator to get a cup of tea before taking her seat at a near empty table.

Waters pulled the PADD out of the bag she had with her to read up on personnel files. Before she was could be read for sessions with the crew, she needed to know what kind of things they'd gone through.

[Jada]

[Corridor]

Jada looked askance at Solluk, a ghost of a smile on her lips, as she continued her tormenting while wondering what he might be referring to instead. 'I'm Orion, I'm not familiar with "rules"... I was going to ask you to the Mess for a snack before the mission, but I suppose you'll be wanting to go to the fancy Officer's Lounge instead now? Well above us enlisted low-class slime...'

[Solluk]

[Corridor Outside Solluk's Quarters]

Solluk's mind was seven-levels deep in mental calculations about the regulations regarding intimacy between officers and enlisted personnel, despite never having shared so much as a kiss with Jada.  He might as well have been calculating the correct flight trajectory to successfully navigate a singularity cluster, such was the intensity and urgency that his mind gave the issue.

Part of the problem was separating the customs of the fleet from the actual regulations.  So many of the rules were 'suggestions' about how to behave in various scenarios, rather than hard-and-fast binary conditions.

The situation gained an extra level of complexity because Jada was a department head.  How did Officer and Enlisted relationship dynamics fit with Department Head and non-Department Head dynamics?  In terms of rank, Solluk- at least temporarily- was in a different, higher classification than Jada.  But in terms of position, hers was superior.  Neither of them were in the same department.  How did that factor in?

He wasn't sure how long he stood there, musing over the intersection of rank and position.  But, finally, the gears of his mind shifted so that he became more aware of the current conversation.

"Slime?"  He had a brief mental image of Jada immersed in a thick, viscous, slippery substance of unknown origin.

"Ah, uh, no... I think meals are fully authorized, and I much prefer your company.  Though... you may cause accidents of distraction should you choose to dine in Ten Forward while wearing that particular outfit."

His mind was rewinding through the miles of thought he'd compressed into seconds of realtime, "I was merely concerned about the service regulations regarding the making of romantic overtures between personnel, given the new dynamic of our ranks and positions.  Until now, I had been planning a gradual escalation of intimacy, ranging from osculation, to embraces and caresses, to more biologically invasive displays of affection, designed to advance at a regular pace for an ideal intersection with next year's Pon Farr, and I had not begun to consider how our new positions might impact those- "

And he suddenly realized that he had explained far too much of that out loud.  It was potentially very unsettling that he had all of these ideas in his head, an entire architecture of romance, despite never bothering to consult her.  He wasn't even in possession of the remotest idea as to whether or not she was interested in him... in that way.   Their friendship had been entirely platonic thus far.

His skin turned a new shade of green, and he cleared his throat, "Ah... I would enjoy dining with you.  Or lunching?  I'm not sure which meal of the day this is on your schedule.  If you will allow me a moment to introduce myself to the new Chief Engineer?   I don't technically begin my first duty shift until tomorrow, but I wanted to meet him, and the second-shift personnel who are currently coming on-duty, and make the appropriate social gestures expected from a new shift supervisor."

He slinked sideways past her, and began backpedaling down the hall.  His demeanor was not unlike that of a hunted prey animal preparing to bolt.   "It shouldn't be but fifteen minutes or so.  I'll see you there."

The turbolift obligingly opened its maw to receive him as he neared it.   He reached out to stab the manual 'door close' icon with his finger to speed its action along.  Finally, he was mercifully cut off visually from the object of this social mishap.

As the car began to move, Solluk wondered exactly how much social embarrassment one was expected to endure before committing seppiku, and whether adopting such a practice would be seen as an acceptable expression of cultural diversity according to the principles of IDIC.

[Ian Galloway]

[Engineering]

When the door to engineering opened, Solluk found Ian standing just outside of the range of the sensor that opened the door with an expression that would melt tritanium.

"MISTER SOLLUK, what may I ask do you think you are doin'? I do not believe that permission ta go ta some mechanic's assistant fly by night school was permission ta develop delusions of grandeur that you were a bloody engineerin' officer!"

Ian stood there looking livid and like he'd feed the Vulcan his own foot for all of five seconds before his expression changed to one of sadness.

"Lad, if'n you wanted ta go OCS, I am bloody disappointed that you chose engineerin' and not where you belong in flight ops. However, as the captain has already approved this decent into madness, it seems I do not have a big enough cricket bat ta defend the wicket. So, at this point, all I can do is wish you the very best of luck ta you and our new chief engineer who's gettin' one hell of an officer in his department."

Ian put out his hand and shook Solluk's hand vigorously while sporting a warm and sincere smile.

"Truly Lad, I'm proud of you and I'm fair certain the Tigris will miss you as much as I will. I know Vulcans do not believe in luck, so I will simply say, 'Live long and prosper."

Ian then offered a perfect Vulcan salute to his former pilot.

[Klizh]

Mess Hall

K'lizh was starting to wonder if it was wise to push his luck.

While he had certainly been born with a wanderlust, K'lizh could't deny that one of his motivations for joining Starfleet to accumulate... there was no exact English word for it, but it was a Caitian concept that encompassed notions such as honor, standing, merit... Basically, to increase his reputation amongst his people, in the hopes of increasing his desirability as a potential mate. And he certainly had achieved much to be proud of. Lieutenant Commander within two years, and he had even commanded a Galaxy-class starship in  battle... and won. He would certainly be a worthy prospect for even a clan matriarch at this point. Already, his father was urging him to come home. And he had to admit to feeling some home sickness. Much to his surprise, though, his mother told him to keep going. While she hadn't been totally supportive at first, her attitude seemed to be that he had gotten this far, so they might as well see how far he could go. It seemed as good a reason as any. Perhaps some shore leave would ease his longings somewhat.

Now, finally, they were en route to the kind of mission K'lizh had joined Starfleet for. Contact with a new civilization. He had had his fill of warfare as of late. Enough enemies in life. Now it was time to make new friends. And speaking of making new friends...

"Is this seat taken?" he asked, approaching the counselor's table.

[Kyle Briggs]

[Briggs quarters, Deck Two]

Kyle checked his uniform in the mirror once more before heading out to the living room. He walked in and smiled when he saw Liv holding Elijah. They both looked like they were ready to start their day. He was all set for the daycare and Liv had taken a position in Ten Forward once again. Everything was perfect. It wasn't the CO spot or the Discovery but they were together and that's all that counted. He walked over and reached down for his little doppelganger.

"Let me see my little man a moment before I head out." he said as he lifted him up. Liv followed him as she stood. Kyle gave Elijah a hug and a kiss on his forehead before turning to his beautiful wife. "You sure you're ready to let him go?" he asked teasingly. He smiled again at her reply before bending down and kissing her and giving her a squeeze with his free arm. "I better get going. I need to meet my new staff." They hugged and kissed once more and he replaced the baby back in her arms. "I'll see you guys for dinner." He left their quarters and headed for Engineering. He entered the lift with memories of the last Galaxy he had served on rushing through his mind. It was great to be back on one once more. "Deck Thirty Two." he said. A few moments later, the doors parted and he headed down the corridor.

[Engineering, Deck Thirty Two]

Kyle entered and looked around. There were those memories again. He saw several members of his team already busy at their stations plus a Lieutenant in red speaking to a Vulcan Lieutenant in gold. Instead of bothering them right now, he just made his way to his office and went back to reading the few personnel files he hadn't had a chance to get to. So far, he was very impressed with everyone. The Tempest had gotten settled with a very good crew. He looked forward to meeting and working with everyone of them. Including his new Commanding Officer. They hadn't had a chance to speak much when he had first arrived and reported in so they were set to meet again later that day to finish the process. It was great to be back.

[Solluk]

[Main Engineering

The turbolift finally came to a stop, not far from Main Engineering.   Solluk's mind was still swimming in thoughts of Jada, wondering how much his presumptions may have damaged her opinion of him.   But before he could dwell on the issue overmuch, the door opened and a new figure ambushed him.

It was Lieutenant Galloway, and he seemed so upset that he might as well have been on fire.

Solluk found himself wide-eyed and speechless.  But before his alarm could become too great, Ian cracked a smile and dropped the facade.   Only then did Solluk release a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

After a thorough handshake, Ian produced a picture-perfect Vulcan salute, speaking the words that were second-nature to anyone born on Vulcan.  Solluk was touched, returning the gesture and answering with the mated phrase:  "Peace, and Long Life."

Then he relaxed as he dropped his arm. "Thank you, Sir," he said, a small smile of his own curling the edges of his mouth, "if I can aspire to be half as good in the engine room as you've taught me to be in the cockpit, I'll have Warp 10 solved in no time."

His respect for Galloway's abilities had played no small part in his choice of studies.  The Tempest had, from time to time, found itself in need of a good Engineer.  But with Ian in Flight Control, it had never lacked for a good pilot.  Solluk was confident in his assessment that there was no pilot, living or dead, who could hold a candle to the man in a dogfight.  Not in the era of Earth's Second World War, and not today.

And of course, Solluk found some pleasure in going where no one had thought he could go.  Least of all himself.  A dunce at math in his childhood, he'd barely passed his astrogation exam to become a pilot.  Now he had learned to perform sixteen-variable subspace warp field calculations without the aid of a computer.   Because apparently someone at Starfleet Academy thought it would be funny to put that on the final exam.

And... he was mostly confident that he'd managed it.   He wouldn't be sure until the results came in... but he felt good about it.

Glancing past Ian towards engineering, he asked, "Have you met the new Chief of Engineering?"   Solluk was mildly apprehensive about meeting the man.    With his new provisional rank, he'd be the Chief's second-shift supervisor during Condition Green, and would be working closely with the man whenever the ship entered Alert Condition Yellow or Red.

He hoped the fellow would be accommodating of an inexperienced interloper on his turf.  Solluk didn't even know the man's name.  Just that he was a Commander, which suggested he probably had at least a decade of experience under his belt and would not suffer fools kindly.

[Naga Rylu]

[Science Bay, Deck C.  (Science personnel note: very excited CSO means: watch out for the tail)]

Click.  On.  Click.  Off.  The new gas and pressure conversion fields were operating just fine.  Naga hadn't gotten the chance to use them yet before now, but it looked like today would be the day.  Not that she was likely to need the contraptions beyond the helmet function.  She could hold her breath underwater, but speech without gasseous air was another matter entirely.  Pressure and the ability to move underwater would be just fine.

Next, she checked on some very special cargo that had been shipped to them; a small pod of Ch'kurrian Otter-Dogs, currently in stasis.  A curious aquatic species, capable of breathing both water and gaseous air; highly curious, and trainable.  They were becoming quite popular as herding animals on oceanic planets, and this pod had been sent as a sample for the King's herders to try out.  As per protocol, they were all incapable of having young, to prevent them from becoming an invasive, problematic species.

Satisfied, the Gorn turned around, dropping her attention back to her pad, not noticing as a couple of science officers jumped out of the way of her tail.  It had been so long since she'd been able to indulge her true passion of xenobiology, ecology and sociology, she was having difficulty controling the excitement responses of her tail.  She had to double-check the non-electric heating system of her uniform, it would be rather upsetting to go into topor if the chill factor of the water was too high.

With a flick of her claw, she ran over the information they already had on the two main species of Okekai; the dominant species, the cephalopodinal Tshreen, and the much more delicate-looking Falrios, which one of her human subordinates compared to 'a beta-fish mermaid'.  After looking up records for references, she had to admit that, at a glance, that was accurate.

The Falrios were strictly water breathers, came in a wide variety of colors, and had extremely decorative flourishes of banner-like fins from their arms, legs, and backs.  Omnivores, they ate primarily shellfish, fish, and various kinds of aquatic plants.  There was an attatched file showing how they used bio-luminescent chromatophors in their skin to scare off threats or attract a mate; Naga looked forward to hopefully seeing a display in person.  The majority of this race seemed to work as artisans or in the service industry, and she didn't see any recorded notes of discontent.  She'd see for herself soon enough, she supposed.

As for the Tshreen, they came in a much more muted color pallette, males typically ranging from tan to brown to black,(though, aparently, the Royal Family was  more of a scarlet color.) and the females being mostly various shades of blues or greens.  Humanoid in build like the Falrios, but with four extra limbs; prehensile tentacles capable of great feats of strength and dexterity.  They were also omnivorous, though their taste for meat was very well noted.  Very intelligent and curious, and capable of space-travel, and being quite adaptable, undergoing self-transformations to allow for both water dwelling and non.  (To her understanding, part of the palace and their guest quarters in the city would have dry space and breathable air.)

How had two intelligent species evolved alongside each other like this?  She could hardly wait to start investigating. 

[Ian Galloway]

[Main Engineering

The turbolift finally came to a stop, not far from Main Engineering.   Solluk's mind was still swimming in thoughts of Jada, wondering how much his presumptions may have damaged her opinion of him.   But before he could dwell on the issue overmuch, the door opened and a new figure ambushed him.

It was Lieutenant Galloway, and he seemed so upset that he might as well have been on fire.

Solluk found himself wide-eyed and speechless.  But before his alarm could become too great, Ian cracked a smile and dropped the facade.   Only then did Solluk release a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

After a thorough handshake, Ian produced a picture-perfect Vulcan salute, speaking the words that were second-nature to anyone born on Vulcan.  Solluk was touched, returning the gesture and answering with the mated phrase:  "Peace, and Long Life."

Then he relaxed as he dropped his arm. "Thank you, Sir," he said, a small smile of his own curling the edges of his mouth, "if I can aspire to be half as good in the engine room as you've taught me to be in the cockpit, I'll have Warp 10 solved in no time."

His respect for Galloway's abilities had played no small part in his choice of studies.  The Tempest had, from time to time, found itself in need of a good Engineer.  But with Ian in Flight Control, it had never lacked for a good pilot.  Solluk was confident in his assessment that there was no pilot, living or dead, who could hold a candle to the man in a dogfight.  Not in the era of Earth's Second World War, and not today.

And of course, Solluk found some pleasure in going where no one had thought he could go.  Most of all himself.  A dunce at math in his childhood, he'd barely passed his astrogation exam to become a pilot.  Now he had learned to perform sixteen-variable subspace warp field calculations without the aid of a computer.   Because apparently someone at Starfleet Academy thought it would be funny to put that on the final exam.

And... he was mostly confident that he'd managed it.   He wouldn't be sure until the results came in... but he felt good about it.

Glancing past Ian towards engineering, he asked, "Have you met the new Chief of Engineering?"   Solluk was mildly apprehensive about meeting the man.    With his new provisional rank, he'd be the Chief's second-shift supervisor during Condition Green, and would be working closely with the man whenever the ship entered Alert Condition Yellow or Red.

He hoped the fellow would be accommodating of an inexperienced interloper on his turf.  Solluk didn't even know the man's name.  Just that he was a Commander, which suggested he probably had at least a decade of experience under his belt and would not suffer fools kindly.

[Engineering]

Ian's eyes sparkled as he replied as he almost thought of Solluk as a protege and was very proud to see him begin to reach his untapped potential.

"I'm nae a bettin' man, but if anyone can break the barrier, it will be you. I'll even volunteer to be your Chuck Yeager, but I'm nae goin' ta be turnin' into a salamander like what happened ta that Paris fellow fer you."

He paused and glanced at the new chief and leaned in to whisper conspiratorially.

"I have not met him, but I hear he's married with a wee bairn. Best advice I have is ta say his child is a braw lad or a bonnie lass. From what I've seen, parents love ta have compliments about their bairns. All kiddin' aside, just be you Mister Solluk. You're a fine officer and that's all it will take fer you ta shine. I however, am due on the bridge. You know you can talk ta me anytime if'n you need advice or a friend. Now, go solve that warp 10 thing."

Ian left engineering whistling and Tom the turbolift to the bridge and relieved the gamma shift helmsman. He checked the ship's position and status before settling in for the arrival at Okekai.

[Solluk]

Main Engineering

Solluk watched his former department head depart with a sense of fondness as the man proceeded to the bridge to resume his duties.

Then, with a sense of trepidation, Solluk went into Engineering proper, seeking out the person in charge.   When he finally laid eyes on the man, an unexpected spark of recognition ignited in his brain.

"Captain Briggs-!"

It already seemed like a lifetime ago since Solluk had served on the Discovery, even though it had only been about a year.   He recalled that Briggs had taken command of the ship at about the same time Solluk had been transferred off.  It was a surprise to find Briggs now in the Engine room of the Tempest, Commander's pips on his yellow collar.

"Um... Commander.  Apologies.  I don't know if you remember me, but I briefly served under you on the Discovery..."  Suddenly concerned that he'd made a faux pas by pointing out the man's change of status, Solluk grasped for something that might smooth over the moment.  "Um... I have heard that your... Wee Barn... is Bonny."

Swallowing, Solluk decided to start over, "Acting Junior Lieutenant Solluk, Sir.  I'm beginning second-shift supervisory duty tomorrow, and thought I should introduce myself to the new Chief Engineer."