Ghosts of summers long past

Posted on Sun Apr 8, 2018 @ 4:57pm by Commodore Michael Aravan & Captain Madelina Weisz
Edited on on Fri May 3, 2019 @ 9:26pm

Mission: Falling Star
Location: Shuttle Ganymede & Ready Room
Timeline: MD 31 || 1420 Hours

"Triumphant Control, this is Ganymede of the USS Freyberg, enroute to transfer Counselor Matsutaki, requesting approach vector."

Dr Matsutaki slumped back into the pilot's seat of the little runabout as she waited for the Traffic Controller to verify the identity codes transmitted with her request. As the Triumphant came into view as a tiny dot in the distance, Miki muttered her annoyed puzzlement about why this personnel swap required a 2-parsec shuttle-ride. Was the presence of a second Starfleet ship in this system really going to be some sort of diplomatic affront to the locals, or was the person she was due to swap with afraid of transporters?

The Triumph's response arrived after a few seconds.
Ganymede, codes are confirmed. Clearance is granted for approach to Shuttlebay 1, on vector 189 mark 4.

"Vector 189 mark 4 to Shuttlebay 1, aye. Thank you, Triumphant Control, good afternoon," Miki said in a travel-worn voice. Although it had been quite a long, lonely journey to get all the way out here, Miki remembered the manners her parents had taken such pains to instill in her. She cut the channel by just letting her hand fall on the panel.

"I wonder what kind of ship this Triumphant is supposed to be," she mused, peering at the dot that was starting to take a more ship-like shape.

Musing soon hardened into concern as it became recognizable.
"You're kidding me." Miki shifted forward in her seat, "You have got to be kidding me... an Odyssey Class? You expect me to take on the care of the mental health of over 2000 people? On my first assignment?!? Have you lost your mind?" Miki chewed out the obviously-absent Academy adjutant who gave her the assignment back in San Francisco."

Ganymede, this is Control, approach is good. You are clear to dock at berth 3, and alight. Welcome to the Triumphant, Counselor.

Miki eased the runabout through the atmospheric shield covering the opening into the shuttlebay, and brought it down within the markings that designated the 3rd berth from the left. Not quite center, and not quite a perfectly smooth landing, but Miki wasn't a shuttle pilot, and didn't pretend to be.

Once she had shut down the shuttle's systems, she swiveled in the seat, and pushed herself forward and upward from it onto her feet. Snatching up the small duffel and the velvet-wrapped bundle that contained her most beloved possessions, her flute, katana and hankyū, along with her orders, and moved on to the rear of the runabout, opened the rear hatch, and stepped out onto the deck of the Shuttlebay.

The shuttlebay was much more brightly lit than the relatively dark interior of the runabout, and Miki's eyes were still adjusting to the light as she was approached by a middle-aged Deck Chief and a young crewman.

"Welcome aboard the Triumphant, Lieutenant, we've been expecting you for a while now. I'm Chief Arnout. You'll want to find the captain and grant him the usual courtesies. He's waiting for you in his ready room. I believe the Executive Officer is there at the moment as well, so if you shake your tail, you won't have to go looking for her." The older man gestured toward the younger, "You can leave your kit with Jackson here, he'll see it's taken to your quarters."

Miki grinned at Arnout's turn of phrase, and slipped the duffel from her shoulder and held it out to Jackson, who took it and slung it onto his own, then motioned to receive her velvet bundle. "No, thank you, crewman, I prefer to hold onto these things myself."

"As you wish, ma'am. If you'll follow me, I'll direct you to the turbolift."

___________________________________

Location: Captain's Ready Room

Miki stopped at the door to the Ready Room, leaned her bundle against her legs, brushed her uniform down with her hands, and made sure that none of her hair was going to get in her face at this nerve-wracking event. Her eyes fixed on the small control panel next to the door. Worries about who the captain might be and what he might be like played through her consciousness. She hadn't been told anything about him, really... not even his name. All she knew about him were the rumors about how young he was in reaching the rank of Commodore.

Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself, reached over and pressed a finger to the panel section that would sound the chime.

"Enter," a deep male voice called out.

Commander Weisz turned her attention toward the door to see who would walk through it. She wasn't upset about being interrupted since she and Michael were discussing nothing more than some shift change approvals. It would be nice for a distraction from the mundane.

The Ready Room held a huge black-surfaced table which dominated the center of the room which had a dozen chairs around it. Plants were at the corners of the room and most of one wall was filled with shelves which contained over a dozen species of bonsai trees, some elaborately sculpted around tree houses, some made to look like homes built into the ground and others that looked like they were just starting. Another table off to one side held a decanter of strong black coffee with several cups around it, a bowl containing sweetener and another for some type of cream.

The door opened as Miki's focus turned to retrieving the PADD with her transfer orders and Letter of Introduction from a pocket inside the bundle she held in her hands. She stepped across the threshold in a reflex response to the soft hiss of the doors receding into the surrounding walls. She cursed herself internally for not being perfectly prepared in advance, so to give the best possible first impression, as she pulled out the small device.

As her head moved to bring the man behind the desk into view, she started to speak the words she had rehearsed a thousand times in her head on the way to the ship.

"Lieutenant Mi...."

The first syllable of her name was as far as Miki got before her voice trailed off and died. Her lips remained slightly parted, and her grip on the purple velvet bungle-bag loosened, so it fell to the floor with a clatter.

Michael came to his feet at the woman trailed off and dropped something purple. "Lieutenant?" he questioned as his hand went to his combadge. =^=Medical emergency in the Ready Room=^= he called out.

Maddy blinked and rose to her feet, making her way over to the Commodore and Lieutenant. This was certainly new. "Are you okay?" she asked, reaching a hand out just in case it was needed.

Miki recovered a small measure of her senses. Her brow knitted momentarily as all hell seemed to break loose, "Michael?!?"
She released her breath, which sounded so loud in her ears that she was sure it would be audible to half the ship. This assignment was getting so surreal that she was now half-convinced that a cadre of men in Starfleet's hierarchy were, right this moment, leaning back in their chair with their feet on the desk, sharing a good chuckle at her expense.

Michael frowned at the Lieutenant's use of his first name. "Do I know you?" he asked, putting aside the matter of rank for the moment.

The question hit Miki like a punch to the face, but rather than show further surprise, she used it to rally her wits. "I'm sorry that I didn't get back from my concert tour in time for your graduation, as I promised, and having broken that promise, I am sorry that I couldn't even get back in time to see you off for your first assignment. My tour schedule was something... beyond my control. But to claim ignorance of your childhood friend and neighbor of so long is..." She caught herself getting agitated, and paused just long enough to sigh.
"I'm sorry... perhaps the ten years since you attended my graduation at the Conservatoire has been so full for you that you've forgotten."

At this point, Miki finally noticed the third person in the room, which had the effect of shifting her emotional state from aggrieved hurt to self-inflicted humiliation.

"Oh... hello, Captain... I mean Ma'am... Sir.... Ma'am. Umm... Doctor Miki Matsutaki." She quickly put her PADD on the desk, and thrust out a hand toward Maddy, desperately hoping that assertive bravado might cover her embarrassment.

Hearing the call Antonio quickly departed Sickbay and with the use of the transporters arrived to the rear of the Bridge. With medical kit in hand Antonio rushed to the Ready Room to rush in. "Whats the medical emergency?" His hand already into the kit to pull out a medical scanner.

"Yes, Doctor," Michael said. "This Lieutenant seems to be in some sort of shock. Could you check her, please?" Still, he looked at the woman who claimed to know him and tried to sort out years of one deadly mission after another combined with migraines which robbed his ability to think at times.

Maddy looked between Miki, Michael and Antonio before her gaze fell on Miki. She was confused and outspoken, and this situation warranted both. Her hand clasped Miki's just before she shook it, then returned it to her side. "What the hell is going on here?" the redhead woman asked, not even trying to hide the fact this was all lost to her. Her gaze fell to the doctor. "I'm not so sure your presence is required aside from treating the migraine I suddenly feel setting in."

Antonio ran his scans of the head and neck regions of the officers as the group spoke. "Brain activity is consistent with a mild shock, without having witnessed the onset or cause I'd rather not speculate too much into it but readings don't suggest anything life threatening and they are slowly normalising."

While the doctor ran a preliminary scan of her head and neck, Miki watched him closely, "I'm fine... really. I'm just here to pay the customary courtesy of reporting to the Master of the Ship. I just never for a moment imagined that it was going to be to a ghost of summers past, that's all. Even as a child, I knew he would be destined for great things, but Commodore by his mid-30's... that's ambitious, even for the incomparable Michael J Aravan. It's no wonder I have letter after letter from your mother where she calls him 'a star among the stars.'" Miki rolled her eyes, "Aunt Denise has such a penchant for turning a phrase, without actually elaborating on anything she says."

"With that said, I am actually here for a reason," Miki continued, sliding the PADD from the desk, and turning her attention to Michael. "Lieutenant Miki Matsutaki, Starfleet Medical, reporting for duty, Sir. My orders..." she announced with an expression of studied seriousness. Holding the PADD in both hands, she thrust it toward the Commodore, whilst maintaining a perfect 30-degree keirei bow, waiting for him to take it from her.

Michael took the PADD and looked it over before he looked back up again. "Everything seems to be in order." He handed the PADD to Maddy. "Do you have any questions other than the same ones I do?"

"Oh, I do," the Captain assured him, still looking between the two of them.

Miki straightened from her bow as soon as the PADD left her hands. She smirked involuntarily at his question, "Nice to see not everything is forgotten, you still remembered to expect me to read your mind... and I'm sorry, that's still not a gift I've developed in the years we've spent apart. That said, I can guess that you have a lot more questions than I do, and I'm more than amenable to asking and answering those questions,"

She threw a glance in the direction of the other two officers in the room, "But perhaps that would best be reserved for a more private conversation."

Michael looked back at her. "I was actually talking to Captain Weisz," he said. Unlike the young man she remembered, he seemed harder and less prone to have a ready smile on his face. Whatever had happened to him, whether it was given command of a starship or task group, he seemed to be indifferent to social nuances while on duty. Who knew how he'd be off duty other than the crew he currently served with.

"As for you, Lieutenant, you'll be pleased to know that you have fifty aides and junior counselors under your department. We couldn't expect one person to counsel a crew on a ship this size. In fact, I'll volunteer to go first since it seems I have some issues remembering you."

This was all just too weird for her. Maddy wasn't sure what to do, of to say, in a situation like this. The only two things that were clear to her... one... Miki obviously knew the Commodore... and two... the Commodore had zero idea who she was. "I think... perhaps I should give you two some time to talk.."

Miki had recovered from her initial shock enough to retrieve her dropped bundle, and do a quick visual check against damage to its contents. As she rose, she addressed Maddy once again, "There's no need, really, Captain. I interrupted your meeting, and I've caused the good Commodore more than enough trouble for one encounter, I'm sure. I still have to find my quarters, unpacking to do, and staff to meet."

She snapped sharply to attention, hoping that might help alleviate the worst of the tension her earlier forward behavior caused, and almost visibly desperate to flee the situation she found herself in. "By your leave, Commodore, Sir?"

The redhead turned her attention to Michael. The headache that was developing was growing in intensity as the seconds ticked by, but this was one situation she had no control over. There were just so many questions, and none of them were suitable to ask at the moment. Instead, she just stood there, attempting to comprehend everything that was going on.

Never had Michael had a weirder encounter with a new crew member and he hoped he never had another like it. He could tell that Maddy had questions, but he had them, too. "Dismissed," he told Miki as he entered her information in the LCARS. "Thank you for coming so promptly, Doctor Giovanni. Maddy, I'd like you to stay for a moment."

She didn't know why, but Maddy nodded her head and moved over to the conference table and waited for Michael to join her. This was one of the oddest encounters she'd ever been a part of before.

Miki gave a curt bow, turned and left, without a further word. Almost too quickly, but it was all she could do not to break into a run to get out of there. As soon as she entered the turbolift and the doors closed behind her, she leaned face-first against the wall and groaned in despair, completely ignoring the fact that she didn't enter the turbolift alone. "Nice one Miki, way to make a great impression on Day one of your first assignment. If you keep that up, you're the one that's going to need a counselor. Kami-sama, what must they think of me?"

Once the doctor was gone, Michael looked at Maddy. "I swear, this isn't one of my practical jokes," he said.