Amari's Orientation (backpost) (Part 1)

Posted on Wed Aug 23rd, 2023 @ 3:30am by Major Chiyo Shimada & Lieutenant JG Amari

1,138 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Starship Graveyard
Location: USS Tokyo Engineering

"I don't know, Terry." The senior chief petty officer sighed. "I mean, me; a senior chief, training a Junior Lieutenant? Doesn't that come off as absurd to you?"

"Don't worry about it, Ellie." Lieutenant Terry Johnston responded. "Just leave rank out of this for now. For all intents and purposes, you're showing the new person around. Don't be intimidated that she outranks you and just be yourself."

Senior Chief Petty Officer Elizabeth "Ellie" Houston and Lieutenant Terrence "Terry" Johnston had a unique friendship. They both called New York City their home at one point in their lives, and had bonded over this commonality, even when, by all accounts, they had completely different experiences: She had grown up on Staten Island, he had been born and raised in Brooklyn. She was enlisted, he was officer. She was fully human, he was part El-Aurian.

And now, even with their assignments: At one point, they had both called the USS Myogi home. However, in the aftermath of the Trial of Captain Aisaka, Ellie had been reassigned to the Tokyo. Knowing how terribly the Myogi's former third officer had been treated in that he wasn't even allowed to attend his friend's wedding due to accusations of treason, Ellie hadn't been quick to advertise where she had come from, instead opting to put her head down and do her job. Only a handful of engineers knew about Ellie's previous assignment, and she planned to keep it that way. Glancing around to make sure nobody was within earshot, Ellie lowered her voice to ask her next question.

"How's Captain Takahashi?" She asked.

"She's doing well." Terry reported. "Her pregnancy continues to be healthy. She's just still rattled that Starfleet selected us to transport Captain Aisaka back to Beta Antares."

"Well, it was better than a shuttle... Given everything that's happened." Ellie muttered.

"Yeah, but still..." Terry sighed. "I just wish that Captain Takahashi and Captain Aisaka would set aside their animosity for each other, even if it was just for an afternoon. They might find out they have more in common than they think."

"Starfleet doesn't need any Hatfields and McCoys, especially this high up in their ranks." Ellie agreed, glancing up from her PADD to see someone coming towards her. "Anyhow, I'm going to let you go. We'll talk later?"

"Sure thing." Terry smiled. "Good luck, Chief!""

Stepping into a section of engineering she'd not seen yet Amari looked around. She'd asked the computer for the location of the nco the chief had asked her to work with and learn the ropes but there were several people in the room and she couldn't see all of their rank insignia to pick out the senior chief. So she decided to approach the closest person. "Excuse me I'm looking for senior chief petty officer Elizabeth Houston."

Ellie lowered her PADD.

"You're looking at her." She responded. "Lieutenant Amari, I presume?"

"That's right, I'm told you are to be my...... teaching assistant." Amari said with a small smile.

"That is correct." Ellie nodded. "So, what do you already know? Just so I'm not retreading old ground."

"I am.... familiar with starfleet technology but don't have much practical experience with it." Amari replied. "Have been reading specs on your ships for years, spent the last 10 days getting here on a runabout with my hands in everything the crew would let me touch."

"I see." Ellie said. "Well, best place to start is this." She held up the PADD she had just been talking on. "You familiar with the Personal Access Display Device?"

"Of course," Amari replied "standard piece of equipment with many uses."

"Yep." Ellie responded. "The PADD is a Starfleet Officer's multitool. I could spend all day here talking about it's many functions. A friend of mine says it's descended from a 21st century invention called a... Tablet, I believe it was? Regardless of its ancestry, it'll be how you report in completed tasks."

"We have similar devices on our ships and things similar to your tricorders." Amari told her. "Though I prefer this." With a thought part of her forearm near her wrist lit up projecting a holographic display a few centimeters from her skin. "Fully interactable, similar to a tricorder."

Ellie seemed visibly surprised.

"Is that like an implant?" She asked.

"Yes." Amari replied, in a instant the holo-display projected itself further out from her arm. "We Lesrai have several implants that serve various functions, I have 4... well 5 if you count the controller for them."

"Yeah, I'll take a hard pass." Ellie said. "Too Borg-like for my liking. Have you ever heard of the Borg?"

"I have heard of them, we are nothing like them." Amari said as she shut the computer implant down. "We're not connected to each other, don't assimilate people. Our implants are entirely optional, I could have had several more but I chose these ones to start with."

"Well, if that's what you people do, who am I to judge?" Ellie shrugged. "Though, since you bring up that you prefer your implant technology, has it been cleared to interface with our technology?"

It was a valid question, as some alien species' technology simply wasn't compatible with Federation tech, and the folks on officer exchange programs had to learn how to use Federation tech anyhow.

Amari blinked several times, it was something she had meant to ask the chief engineer when she met her and showed off the implant. "I've tried them with the technology on your Danube runabouts. everything worked well." She remarked. "Your ships feel most interesting."

"Hmm..." Ellie responded sharply. "Well, my advice is to get your tech authorized for use before attempting anything here with it: Starship technology is infinitely more complex than that of a runabout, and we don't need you tripping any silent arms by using unauthorized technology to accomplish your daily tasks."

"The implant is primarily a scanner, it doesn't really interact with your technology but it would be nice to get it integrated properly so I can receive messages and all that through it." Amari said, she could fully explain how it worked if Elizabeth wanted. "It's certainly helpful but I don't always need it to feel how machinery is functioning."

"Feel?" Ellie asked, perking a brow. The fact that feeling technology had been brought up twice in as many minutes led Ellie to suspect that there was more behind the phrase that Amari was referring to.

Amari nodded slightly. "My clan teach that technology is almost alive, it has feelings and needs personal interaction just as they do physical maintenance. If you know how listen you can feel how it is functioning." She explain somewhat hoping the woman would ask for an example.

"Care to demonstrate for me?" Ellie asked almost as if on cue.

To be continued...

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