04-23-2024, 11:28 PM
“Breathe, Lieutenant.”
The voice caught Niels off-guard and he whipped his head around to locate its source. At a nearby table, a young engineering lieutenant sat next to a science officer who appeared to be engrossed in some reading. The woman’s face looked familiar, but he couldn’t come up with her name. Given her apparent age, he figured that the recognition stemmed from them attending the Academy around the same time. She offered a few more words of advice.
“Um, thanks,” Niels replied in a hushed baritone.
Despite advice to the contrary, Niels remained standing, paralyzed as he analyzed the situation. He thought he hid his stress well, and yet the lieutenant had not only detected it, but called it out. Were his emotions on display more than he thought, or was she one of those people who were able to pick up on even the slightest social cues? Was she noticing the faintest sense of panic that was beginning to emerge from the depths of his brain?
Niels wasn’t sure why this event was having such an impact on him. It was reminiscent of the apprehension he had felt during his final days at the Academy, right before his first assignment. This ship was just another assignment, albeit a much bigger one with more responsibility than the one before.
Luckily, an alert from a device on the woman’s belt took attention off of Niels and pulled him out of his head. Taking advantage of the distraction, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief. His nervousness started to subside as he regained control. Standing there trying to calm his nerves, he caught bits and pieces of the conversation taking place at the table. Some of what he heard sounded intriguing, but Niels knew that he lacked the social skills to smoothly join a conversation in progress.
Eventually, the science officer rose from the table. The man was as tall as Niels, but made the engineer look like a twig in comparison. Niels instinctively took a step back, pressing against the wall to give the officer space to leave, despite it not being necessary. The two officers said their goodbyes and he finally caught both of their names. As the man turned to leave, Niels caught a glimpse of the pips on his collar.
Commander?! That’s gotta be one of the command staff then. Way to go, Niels, way to make a helluva first impression.
Niels closed his eyes and exhaled sharply. He kicked himself for not being able to remain composed under the pressure of what was basically a tame social engagement. The anger and embarrassment overrode any remaining nervousness. It seemed to be just what he needed though. Niels approached the table and sat down in the newly vacant chair, only catching the tail end of Kalli’s conversation with herself.
“Don’t worry,” Niels said softly, watching the Commander walk over to the bar, “I’m not going into shock anytime soon.”
Turning to face Kalli, Niels paused for a split second, gearing himself up for a social encounter. His whole demeanor shifted as he adopted a friendly and approachable persona, one that came from years of dealing with customers at Rosie’s. He hadn’t had to use this skill for some time, but slipped back into it naturally.
“I don’t believe we’ve officially met,” Niels said, “Lieutenant Niels Hoekstra. And you are?”
== Tag Kalli ==
The voice caught Niels off-guard and he whipped his head around to locate its source. At a nearby table, a young engineering lieutenant sat next to a science officer who appeared to be engrossed in some reading. The woman’s face looked familiar, but he couldn’t come up with her name. Given her apparent age, he figured that the recognition stemmed from them attending the Academy around the same time. She offered a few more words of advice.
“Um, thanks,” Niels replied in a hushed baritone.
Despite advice to the contrary, Niels remained standing, paralyzed as he analyzed the situation. He thought he hid his stress well, and yet the lieutenant had not only detected it, but called it out. Were his emotions on display more than he thought, or was she one of those people who were able to pick up on even the slightest social cues? Was she noticing the faintest sense of panic that was beginning to emerge from the depths of his brain?
Niels wasn’t sure why this event was having such an impact on him. It was reminiscent of the apprehension he had felt during his final days at the Academy, right before his first assignment. This ship was just another assignment, albeit a much bigger one with more responsibility than the one before.
Luckily, an alert from a device on the woman’s belt took attention off of Niels and pulled him out of his head. Taking advantage of the distraction, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief. His nervousness started to subside as he regained control. Standing there trying to calm his nerves, he caught bits and pieces of the conversation taking place at the table. Some of what he heard sounded intriguing, but Niels knew that he lacked the social skills to smoothly join a conversation in progress.
Eventually, the science officer rose from the table. The man was as tall as Niels, but made the engineer look like a twig in comparison. Niels instinctively took a step back, pressing against the wall to give the officer space to leave, despite it not being necessary. The two officers said their goodbyes and he finally caught both of their names. As the man turned to leave, Niels caught a glimpse of the pips on his collar.
Commander?! That’s gotta be one of the command staff then. Way to go, Niels, way to make a helluva first impression.
Niels closed his eyes and exhaled sharply. He kicked himself for not being able to remain composed under the pressure of what was basically a tame social engagement. The anger and embarrassment overrode any remaining nervousness. It seemed to be just what he needed though. Niels approached the table and sat down in the newly vacant chair, only catching the tail end of Kalli’s conversation with herself.
“Don’t worry,” Niels said softly, watching the Commander walk over to the bar, “I’m not going into shock anytime soon.”
Turning to face Kalli, Niels paused for a split second, gearing himself up for a social encounter. His whole demeanor shifted as he adopted a friendly and approachable persona, one that came from years of dealing with customers at Rosie’s. He hadn’t had to use this skill for some time, but slipped back into it naturally.
“I don’t believe we’ve officially met,” Niels said, “Lieutenant Niels Hoekstra. And you are?”
== Tag Kalli ==