New Friends

Posted on Fri Apr 7th, 2017 @ 5:07pm by Lieutenant JG Scotty Kayne & Lieutenant Commander Ziyal Tajor

Mission: The Trial of Cor Cordale
Location: USS Victory, Corridors and Lounge
Timeline: Shortly after "Meeting the new guy"

Ziyal had been spending most of the day reading reports. In fact, she had two of them in her hands, so that she could read and eat her lunch at the same time. She was researching not just the Jennari, but their destination as well. She was not really looking where she was going when she suddenly ran into someone, dropping her Padds.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry."said the lieutenant she ran into, bending over to pick up the PADDS. "Are you ok?" He asked.

Ziyal nodded, "Yhea, but I'm the one who should be sorry, I'm the one who ran into you."

"It's quite alright, I should get goin........ you're cardassian." he said, noticing Ziyal.

She smiled at him, "Why yes I am. I'm Ziyal Tajor, the ship's new Strategic Operations officer." She said, offering her hand. He shook it.

"Scotty Kayne, The new Helmsman" he said "I thought there weren't any Cardassians in Starfleet."

She nodded, "There are a few of us. Have you ever met a Cardassian before?" She asked. Kayne thought for a moment.

"No, I don't think I have." he said. "I believe you're the first."

Ziyal nodded, she liked Scotty, he seemed nice. "Good, I'm headed to get myself something to eat. Would you like to join me?"

"Sure, why not, I just got settled in." he could sense a form of liking, but it wasn't quite clear, she was blocking him some how, but he quickly shook of the thought. "Don't you need to drop of those PADDs, first?" he said, pointing at them.

Ziyal shook her head, carrying padds around all the time had been a habit she had gotten into at headquarters. There always was more information for them to digest. "No, their mine. This one is about the Jennari, and this one is about the colony we are headed towards. I've got a bad habit of reading while I eat."

"I could never read while I ate, what's with the Jenarri?" he asked as the two walked down the corridor.

Ziyal looked at him surprised, then remembered that he was new to the ship. "The latest threat, religous fanatics who said that they would destroy us within a month and have the whole fleet nervous. Nearly destroyed the Victory, except for the fact they needed us to deliver a message."

"And do they have anything to do with the colony we're headed to?" he asked, slightly worried.

Ziyal nodded, "The colony world that we are headed to is not quite ready to join the federation. However, given that the Jennari are on their doorstep, they are even more concerned about the Jennari then we are. So they are offering to let us use their orbital facilities to build and maintain our ships."

"Always a good thing to have allies." the tow then entered the lounge, there weren't very many people there, which gave Scotty relief. "So, how did you come by Starfleet, anyway?"

Ziyal smiled as she anticipated his reaction. "Family tradition, my father was in Starfleet. Why did you join up?" She asked casually.

"Actually, I never really wanted to, was bullied as a kid for it. After a few years, I decided to go in just to get my peers off my back." he said as they sat down. "When I looked into all the possibilities, I decided that flight control was the job for me, so I id all I could to get into the academy, and here I am."

Ziyal nodded as she looked at the menu. "So have you decided you liked it, or are you just riding out your contract?" Ziyal asked.

"Starfleet's a lot more socially complex. I haven't decided if I like it or not, this being only my second posting." he said, then the waitress came up.

"What can I get for you two?" she asked.

Ziyal made her decision. "Halant stew for me please."

"I'll have the Catfish, along with a Raktajino, please." he told the waitress, they gave her the menus and continued to talk.

Ziyal thanked the waitress as she left. "This is only my third assignment. However, I already know I'm a lifer. Here's my perspective, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. In my case, the many is the Federation. The few is me. I might be personally happier as a painter, but it's not going to be as meaningful of a life. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, it does and I just want to do my part, that's all." he said, there was till something that he couldn't read about her, it was like seeing a light behind a block, he knew it was there, but it was faint. "I'm not exactly sure why I'm asking this, but how are you blocking your emotions so well?"

Ziyal thought for a moment, trying to decide how much to say. "When I was young, during the dominion war, my father moved us away from the colony world that we called home to be safer. There were a lot of Betazoids and..." Her face twisted as she was not sure how to say it. "Well, I learned how to sense when my mind was being touched by a telepath even though I'm not a telepath. Betazoids are always touching your mind, lightly, but it's always there. I found the sensation unpleasant. Imagine for a second if almost every stranger you met put their hands on you. So I learned how to withdraw myself and block telepaths from touching my mind." It was not the whole truth, but it was the basics.

"Ah, that makes more sense, I'm half Betazoid. My father was Betazoid, my mother was human, put 'em together and you get me." he told her. "I'm qualified to be a ship's counselor, but I couldn't do it, too much interaction."

Ziyal nodded, "I suppose seeing everyone's emotional problems all the time might be draining." Ziyal said as the food arrived. Scotty thanked the waitress this time, and went back to talking.

"Just a little bit, it's only when people have a lot of negativity is when it gets straining." he said, pausing to take a bit of catfish. after he swallowed, Scotty continued. "It's one of the reasons I transferred from the Valiant, too much negativity."

Ziyal took a bite of her stew to get the tempature. "Why was that?" She asked.

"I really didn't have the greatest attitude about being there for one. I was hoping for a combat ship, but got the good old Ambassador class exploration assignment. I only had one real friend, but that made it a little better." he said, with a hint of depression in his voice.

Ziyal smiled at him, "Friends make a lot of things better, I'm still trying to make friends on this ship. So how about this, I'll be your friend, and you'll be mine."

"Sounds like a plan." Scotty said as he finished."My duty shift's in an hour, I better get going."

Ziyal nodded, lifting her coffee, "I'll see you later then." She said with a smile.