Captain Leela Kaz, Commanding Officer[Deck 2: Captain's Quarters]
Leela awoke to the non-descript voice of the
Dicovery's computer.
"The time is now 0530 hours. The time is now 0530 hours and 30 seconds. The computer seemed to mock the Trill with it's incessant reminder that it was ridiculously early. "Alright, alright. I'm awake!" She said as if the computer was her mother attempting to drag her from the bed by her ankle. As she sat up and moved from the bed the wheels in her mind started to ponder the myriad of things that occupied her 'to do' list.
"Computer, Vulcan Tea blend Kaz 218. Hot." The computer gave two beeps indicating that her beverage was ready. She moved from her bedroom into the living room and wrapped her robe around her on her way towards the replicator. As she cradled the hot beverage in her hand she took the first sip. The first one was always her favorite. With an audible sigh of relief and the first sip taken she was ready to tackle her day. Her desk was organized, with everything housed in an appropriate place. PADDs were stacked neatly in the upper left corner. It wasn't quite right, Leela had many endearing qualities but her organizational skills certainly weren't on that list. Her work space was, typically described as, unkempt on a good day. In the upper right corner was a small frame encapsulating a certificate of sorts. She read the words.
'To Doctor Daniel Briggs in honour of your years of service and dedication to our community.' She shrugged off the idiosyncrasies and moved to the business of the day.
Locating a PADD she turned the device on. "Computer, please download the latest status reports from Gamma shift onto the PADD." With two beeps the computer acknowledged her requests. [/I]"Download complete."[/I] The ships computer confirmed.
Leela sat down at the desk with her team in her left hand and the PADD lightly grasped in the right. Within a few sips she had skimmed the reports. There was mention of some minor repairs following a trip through a harmless anomaly but nothing that required her immediate attention or follow-up.
"Computer, begin log...
Captains Log,
We remain on course to Melian, just eight more days and we can move on from this fiasco. I have never seen a group of diplomats and negotiators so unwilling to talk to each other or even share the same space. All of their requests and demands are going to drive me insane, however, I guess that's irrelevant. Just eight more days. From the mission brief I received we will not be required to stick around and I certainly will spare no hast in getting us out of this god forsaken star system. Although, I must admit, I find the idea of the image of all of these diplomats sitting at one table to be comical. Perhaps we should stick around. We could setup a video feed and let the crew watch live from the lounge. Ensign Drummond introduced me to popcorn last week, a human concoction, I believe this would be the perfect instance to replicate some. Other than our difficult passengers, life aboard the Discovery is running at its usual pace. Engineering tells me that they are taking the opportunity to scrub the dilithium storage chambers and operations seems to be having a field day updating several holo emitters on our holodecks. Once we make our trip to Melian, I am going to request to explore a new type J nebula that appeared on long range sensors last week. We just happen to be in the neighborhood.
End Log"She set the PADD down and moved back into the bedroom to get herself ready for another day. With her red uniform on, her hair doing everything right and a cup of Vulcan tea she was ready to conquer the day.
[Bridge]
The red-uniformed Bajoran exited the turbolift as the watch officer stood up from the big chair. With a greeting, Nevir took his report, and then let the night crew go.
"Computer, begin Alpha shift." he said, as the light levels on the bridge increased, and Nevir took his place in the Captain's chair. The computer recognized him and the alpha shift officers took their places.
"Helm, verify ETA, and send it to the Captain. And I don't want to run our luck.. make sure there are no residual anomalies on the path."
"Aye Commander."
Nevir sat back. Thank the Prophets their transport mission was finally over.
[Bridge 0550]
Leela arrived to the bridge early, still nursing her cup of tea. There was a magical 15 minutes on a starship. That time as the night team trickled off duty and Alpha shift streamed onto watch. The ship was a quiet place. Most of the day the ship was a buzz of activity and noise. The conversations on the bridge were a constant hum that buried into the background of everyday life. She always strived to arrive at least fifteen minutes early to relieve the night watch. This gave her those few and precious quiet moments each day. Ever since taking command this had been her secret. A secret held by Leela and the night watch commander alone. He never bulked at leaving a few minutes early and Leela got her precious moments of peace on the bridge.
This morning, however, was different. The executive officer had arrived ahead of her and begun the day watch. Leela sighed slightly, those few precious moments that she took refuge in were lost.
This is going to be a terrible, terrible day. She thought as she moved across the bridge and quickly saw the executive officer residing in her seat.
Horrible day, maybe I should just give up and go back to bed. Leela thought. She shot the young Bajoran man a glare. "Commander, let's get on with this. I'm ready to get this ambassador off of our ship, so we can move on with our lives." She commented, setting her tea beside the center seat. "And, if you don't mind, Commander. I would like my chair back?" She commented, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.
Leela often had wondered why they made her a Captain. Her temperament and ability to be diplomatic certainly left a lot to be desired. Her former host, Juval, oozed charisma and Leela had her own form. But people genuinely liked Juval however, Leela had a list of people who refused to speak to her.