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Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: Ch 3 S [ Day 1 | 1200hrs ] ALL ABOARD the Crazy Train!
Last post by JacenSoloDjo -Kath was on the one hand relieved she didn't have to go through the same rigamarole she always did when it came to her surname not quite matching the face or the slight accent when speaking Federation Standard. Or, indeed, a drilling about her HQ adjutant father. It was easy to get bogged down in her family tree, easy for people to expect certain things out of her when they compared her to MacFarlane Senior, if they even made the connection at all. Her dossier of course listed such pertinent information. Sometimes she liked to joke about the fact her security clearance was higher than her father's. Which, it was. But he didn't know that and neither did a lot of people she spoke to.
"Fair enough, Commander."
Likewise, she wasn't someone who was bound to dig into someone's background without permission, or reason to do it (such as trust or the lack thereof). Even though she could in theory, didn't mean she should and she understood the inherent responsibility she had to use her 'powers' sparingly. Nothing about the Theurgy or the short and sweet dossier on her superior officer had given her reason or rhyme to do it. She knew there was definitely a story behind 'Cardassian lab' but she did not show much interest in getting more about that like one might assume with her background. At least, not yet. In this case, if she was meant to know she would be told.
"Please, don't misunderstand. I've been in the trenches before." And sent people into them. "Indeed. I wouldn't be here if the need were not all that great. Not so abruptly and urgently that I wasn't allowed my yearly furlough." As many a Vulcan would say: Do not mistake my composure for ease. Sometimes the only thing you never had in short supply was jokes, gallows humor. She did make a note her tiny joke had fallen slightly flatter than she meant.
Running a hand through short cropped hair and yet not ruffling a single portion out of place, she nudged her bag forward with the side of her boot before taking the invitation to sit. Her legs crossed at the ankle and one foot jiggled a little so she didn't turn to drumming her fingers on the table. Instead, she crossed her arms politely on the tabletop, her shoulders relaxed. Everything about her-- relaxed. Almost unnervingly so. Her speaking tone changed, as well, serious and relatively devoid of emotion.
"Si. The Hamburg was Galaxy-class, the Augusta was Ambassador-class. The MVAM system seems similar-- in theory-- to the Galaxy-class's separation just on steroids. Now that I'm aboard I will, of course, better familiarize myself with the MVAM. I will obviously appreciate any technical manuals on the topic." Kath did not bother to mention that she had been trying for the Enterprise-- and yet had been shuffled off to the other two ships and now the Theurgy. Could have been worse, she could have found herself on an Intrepid-class. Despite the acclaim of Voyager, she would prefer not being on a class of ship that tended to be out and about away from the action because it was designed that way. She was at her best when she could have action with her adventure.
A smile almost formed on her face but she stifled it. "By the end of the week I'll likely have it all memorized in every language I speak," she stated. Not a brag, just a fact and deployed that way. With just the slightest edge of humor. Bragging would have been putting a number in there. A pause, dark eyes squinting just the slightest in a look of concentration. "I will need a listing of the system's changes if they affect how I interface with my station, if that isn't too much trouble." The last thing she needed was another terminal blowout because she didn't have all the information on said terminal rather than the fact that damage had caused a feedback loop and then a violent explosion. She rubbed the scars on her palms against her elbows at the memory/thought.
She wasn't certain she liked the idea of being on the same deck as the deuterium tanks, if her quick glance at the deck postings while in transit had been correct. But so long as it wasn't right next door, she would be alright, in more ways than one (hopefully). She swapped her legs around under the table as she let herself ponder a moment. 'I'm sure you have questions' was always a tough one. She often found herself thinking of all the questions later if she didn't come into things with them itching at her brain. And yet.
"I assume you are aware I fought beside the Klingons during the Dominion War. So the only question in my mind would be whether or not I should be expecting to have that experience and my ability to speak Klingon used during what can only be a rather tense and awkward affair? Or, 'interesting' as you put it. Or am I meant to simply... hobnob as Papi puts it?" Eyes glinted with an unknown emotion-- similar to amusement or cautious mirth. It did not show itself in her words, however. "I also imagine you might have questions for me depending on whether or not you got my fully unredacted dossier." She assumed given the situation every single dotted I and crossed T had been unveiled. Maybe Captain's Eyes Only, but usually when considering Tactics it was good for at least the department head to know that they had been gifted a multi-talented analyst and sharpshooter who recalibrated phaser banks and torpedo launchers for fun. Maybe not the full reports of what she had been a part of, but enough. She knew sometimes it could be equal parts unnerving and surprising for someone of her size and build to have the dossier she did. Everyone had their own preconceived notion of her job posting on DS18. Kath rarely disabused people of the notions. Sometimes it was fun to be that person who could be cracking wise, then remarking 'I can write your obituary in eight different languages after I kill you one of five ways with my COMMbadge' and people thinking she can't possibly be anywhere close to capable of that given her size and joking demeanor two seconds ago.
"And I also expect being the newbie I'll be given the graveyard shift?" As if she had a problem with that; she did her best work in the dead of night with no distractions. Even if 'dead of night' was slightly relative on a starship. She really was trying to be less of a Gamma Shift fiend, though. Honest.