A Last-Minute Transfer

“Oh my goodness!” shouted B’Zinga excitedly as she thundered down the hall of the starbase and ran into the arms of Andorian woman. “I haven’t seen you in, like, ages!”

“Same here,” replied Kelas. She was a tall, willowy blue-skinned woman with a quiet voice that still managed to show emotion. It seemed like just yesterday when B’Zinga and Kelas said goodbye to each other at their hometown. Between Kelas starting a year later than her and consistently having opposite schedules, B’Zinga hadn’t been able to see Kelas for months.

“How is life as an officer like? Do I need to call you ‘ma’am’ now?” continued Kelas in jest.

“Getting better -  I hope,” replied B’Zinga with a sigh. “I just got reassigned to the USS Phoenix. Let’s say - things can’t be as bad as how it was on the last ship I was assigned to.”

“Reassigned?” replied Kelas in surprise. Her antennae straightened in shock. “I thought you were just placed on the USS T’Kurin!”

“I was placed in the USS T’Kurin,” clarified B’Zinga. “But it just didn’t work out. Stupid catty jerks thought it was the time to recreate a 20th century chick flick. That’s why other Starfleet officers nickname the ship and her crew ‘Rocks for Jocks’. Nothing gets done, and everyone - or almost everyone - acts on a middle school level. It’s a shame too - the ship was named after an early Starfleet planetary geologist. T’Kurin would be rolling in her grave to hear that the people serving on her namesake ship were behaving so illogical.”

“Come to think about it, you would have been better being placed on an all-Vulcan ship,” replied Kelas with a smile. “No illogical catfights. No distractions. No being called ‘that Klingon girl’. Just the way you want it.”

“Are you saying that I’m an emotionless, logical being?” replied B’Zinga with a big smile and an expression of mock surprise. “If so, you’re dead wrong!” She laughed heartily to emphasize her point.

After joining in the laugh for a few seconds, Kelas stopped laughing and smiled. B’Zinga followed suit.

“What I’m saying,” replied Kelas, “is that you’re the type of person who takes work seriously. You like your work structured and predictable. That’s not necessarily a bad thing - it just means that you need to work in an environment that rewards competence, not cattiness.”

“You just made a lot of sense there,” responded B’Zinga.

“I’m a good listener,” said Kelas with a small smile. “That’s why I want to be a ship’s counselor.”

“That’s a great field to go into,” replied B’Zinga. “It seems like everyone could use a counselor. And I’m not saying it in a bad way - after all, without counselors, people might start acting a little like Klingons. Wonder why Klingons kill each other all the time? Because you can’t talk about your feelings in Klingon culture! It’s all about honor, honor, honor - in other words, reputation and status. It’s never about working things out and never about discussing things in a productive way.”

“Which is why you should be working on a Vulcan ship,” said Kelas. “Or at least a ship that’s headed by a Vulcan." Kelas then quickly looked through her PADD, touched the screen a few times, and then smiled. “And it seems like you’re in luck, B’Zinga - it says here that you will be serving under a Vulcan by the name of Syntron. And apparently he was formerly the first officer of the USS Artemis. Oooh, you might see danger - just what you want!”

B’Zinga responded with a shy, toothy grin. She didn’t know what to think - apart from her engineering courses at Starfleet Academy, she never lived in a place where logic was the rule. At home, her traditional Klingon family never thought about what they did - all they did was react, react, and react. No wonder Klingons rarely solved problems - they were too busy killing or breaking things.

Kelas paused for several seconds before continuing. “Maybe you can practice dealing with Vulcan mannerisms by calling some of your in-laws. Not on Jocelyn, of course - he’ll charm you senseless before you’ll be able to get some good practice in. But some of his more distant cousins - the ones with some Vulcan blood - they could offer some practice.”

B’Zinga sighed. “I really wish I could, Kelas, but I really do have to be on the Phoenix in ten minutes - literally. Supposedly the first bridge officer’s meeting is starting now, and I haven’t even stepped on the ship yet. I know it’s a last minute transfer and all, but they can’t wait too long for me.”

“Darn it,” replied Kelas. “Speaking of your Jocelyn - why was he transferred off the T’Kurin? I heard that some of the women on the ship were really upset to see him assigned somewhere else.”

B’Zinga sighed again. “The thing is - how do I say this - these women were the reason why I transferred. They were rude and catty, and they thought that treating me like an Alverian dung beetle somehow made them more attractive. They wanted Jocelyn to stay because they thought he was alluring. And while I got to agree on them on that, it doesn’t give them to right to gossip about me, treat me like an outcast, or make sexual comments about my husband in front of my face.”

“I’m sorry you had to put up with that,” said Kelas comfortingly.

“That’s why I requested a transfer - I have no patience working catty people,” continued B’Zinga. “Jocelyn agreed that the T’Kurin wasn’t the place for him either, so he also requested a transfer. He already has been assigned a different ship, and he’s heading for the front lines in just over week. He’s excited about it. He feels that that’s where he belongs.”

“Speaking of your husband,” said Kelas, “he wanted me to give you this.” Kelas handed B’Zinga a small packet. “He couldn’t see you right now because he’s currently at a meeting that he couldn’t get out of, so he sent me to give you this.”

B’Zinga carefully opened the packet. It contained a de-thorned red rose, a small heart-shaped box of chocolates, a small but beautifully written original love poem - Jocelyn was a very good writer, a toy tribble, and a data stick with holodeck programs. B’Zinga appreciated the toy tribble. As much as she wanted to have a real tribble, she was highly “allergic” to them, so she had to stick with stuffed versions. The tribble even made realistic tribble sounds once you squeezed it. She half expected it to come with a remote control or some sort of device to make the tribble move.

Then there was the stick of holodeck programs. B’Zinga quickly eyed the description of the holodeck programs that were contained in the stick. The first program to be listed was called “One Life to Give”. She hoped that it was some sort of beat-’em-up holoprogram - the fun type where you kick in the door and swing a mek’leth at all your enemies. Then you kick down the next door and repeat. She loved those programs - they were a great stress-buster.

B’Zinga shook her head when she read the description. Apparently “One Life to Give” was about an 18th century human spy named Nathan Hale. It wasn’t as if she hated spies - she wasn’t a traditional Klingon who thought that espionage was somehow “dishonorable”. She knew that an intelligence team was necessary for successful military victories. It was more like she didn’t have the tact and subtlety to get past level 1 of any spy holoprogram.

The second program on the datastick seemed much more promising. It was called “Pirates of the Mediterranean,” and it was based on the stories about Jocelyn’s ancestors. It was definitely more of her type - it involved physical fighting of all sorts. She also liked the different options that were included in the game. There were single-player and multiplayer modes. There was a “realistic” mode in which participants used historically-accurate weapons and a “melee” mode in which participants may use any type of melee weapon from bat’leths to lirpas to baseball bats. B’Zinga thought it would be such an honor to reenact part of her husband’s family history.

“Tell Jocelyn that I said ‘thank you’,” said B’Zinga. After giving Kelas a hug, B’Zinga walked towards the transporter.

The hum of the transporter filled the room as Lieutenant Decatur materialized in the transporter room.  Standing at the foot of the transporter were Commander Riker and Master Chief Eddington.  As they both looked up at the young Lieutenant before them Commander RIker spoke first.

"Welcome aboard Lieutenant.  I am Commander Joshua Riker first officer and this is Master Chief Eddington the chief of the vessel.  I just found out about your transfer recently I am glad you were able to join us on such short notice."

As Lieutenant Decatur stepped off the transporter pad Riker stepped back to give her room.

"You know you are lucky.  Most of us took shuttles or met at the Starbase.  You are the first officer to join us using the ship's transporters I guess later I can have you sign off on their optest"

Laughing the Commander, who was noticeably taller then the woman in front of him, gestured in the direction of the door of the transporter room.

"The Captain is still busy with a meet and greet on the Horizon, but as soon as our crew returns I will gladly introduce you to everyone.  Until then we can get you settled and ready to go."

Leaning in Commander Riker spoke softly.

"Just between you and me I hate all that hob nob stuff.  Due to the work of your transfer I had to miss it, tough break for me huh?"

The brief silence was enough for Riker to think over his joke as he sat and waited momentarily for a response.

B’Zinga breathed a sigh of relief as she materialized on the USS Phoenix. She felt like a bullied schoolkid who had just transferred to a new school. As she took a glance around the room, she felt was so much potential here - friendships to be made, adventures to be held, and history to be written. Even if her expectations fell short, this place wouldn’t be as bad as the T’Kurin.

“It’s good to meet you both,” said B’Zinga as she was introduced to both Commander Riker and Master Chief Eddington. She knew she looked pretty ridiculous with that red rose and toy tribble sticking out of her package but hey - other than a little embarrassment, she didn’t have anything else to hide from the security checks.

B’Zinga wondered if Commander Riker was related to William Riker, a famous Starfleet officer who had served in the last century. She made a mental note to ask him later when things were all sorted out - she loved hearing about others’ family histories. Right now though, she understood that she had a whole bunch of things to go through before she was allowed to fully join her new ship.

She smiled and lightly chuckled as Commander Riker made the comment about missing the social events. She wasn’t a fan of upscale social gatherings, especially those with people she would probably never see again. Of course she wouldn’t mind going if Jocelyn or her friends went, but in that case, she would spend most of the time with people she knew.

“I totally understand,” she said to Commander Riker. “So what’s now to do? A security check? A medical exam?” She didn’t mind going through the whole ordeal again now that she’s on a new ship. The faster she got settled, the better.

Looking down Commander Riker laughed as he got a good feel from this new officer.  With a smile he responded.

"We have all your transfer data here and I will see that it gets reviewed properly.  Until then Master Chief here will escort you to your quarters and you shall report for duty tomorrow morning.  As for me I will have to schedule a sit down with you I always try to get some one on one time with the officers to get to know them.  If you will excuse me."

As Commander Riker exited the transporter room Master Chief Eddington gestured towards the door to escort Lt Decatur to her quarters.

---

The security check was a piece of cake. The check was a bit tougher than it was on her previous ship, but B’Zinga managed to pass it with flying colors. As a bonus, the bemused look the security staff gave her when they saw the toy tribble and de-thorned rose was hilarious. Luckily - or rather wisely - B’Zinga kept her record clean and made sure to avoid bringing any of the prohibited items on the ship. Thus, she made it out of the security check relatively quickly.

Up next was the medical checkup. B’Zinga wasted no time making her way to sickbay. The sooner she got the checkup over with, the faster she could get on with her duties.

Doctor Nasaro-Myth almost collided head-on with Decatur as they both came to the sickbay door at the same time, but from opposite sides.

The Deltan looked her up and down then smiled his dazzingly charming smile as he was first to speak.

"This is certainly the first time I had, not only someone come so eagerly to a medical exam, but at the same time trying to offer some minor injury for me to find and treat and make the formality worthwhile."

B’Zinga gave the doctor a polite smile and a light chuckle after he had cracked the joke. She liked appropriately-placed and tasteful humor. It was welcoming to see that the doctor had some pride in his work and wasn’t there to do the minimum.

B’Zinga, on the other hand, didn’t think that the doctor was particularly charming. And it wasn’t the doctor’s fault at all - it was just no one (in her opinion) could ever compete with Jocelyn’s allure. Jocelyn had a enrapturing handsomeness that could steal the attention of an entire crew, and he had an intellect that could tear the competition to shreds. No one else could compare.

“So when can we start my medical exam?” asked B’Zinga with a hint of impatience.

((Tag to the doctor))  

 ((Note: this scene transpires BEFORE the doctor goes to meet with the captain in Chpt 5))