Have a seat [2/6]

Posted on Mon Aug 31st, 2026 @ 12:05am by Captain Jaro & Lieutenant Commander Riaani ek'Meru

967 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Episode 1: The Fissure
Location: Bridge - Deck 1 - USS Amazônia

Ever since she'd mastered the coordination to allow it, Riaani had been an explorer. In the early years, that had meant climbing into, onto or under things that were generally not intended for it and had earned her a reputation for pushing physical boundaries that produced impressive results whilst simultaneously terrifying those whose task it was to prevent youthful mishaps. Heights had never bothered her, she had a far greater tolerance for water than her people normally boasted and, whilst most of her peers had a healthy respect for darkness even if they weren't necessarily scared of it so to speak, Riaani had mostly relished any opportunity to deprive herself of visual cues in order to explore the limits of her other senses. Even as a child, her motivation had been experience-based, a desire to pursue understanding through her own investigation rather than rely solely on the timeworn narratives of a more cautious caretaker. True understanding, she had always argued, required submersion, to the point of discomfort if necessary.

Even so, she'd never envisaged anything quite like this.

The first major shift in perception had occurred, of course, when she'd first embarked upon spaceborne assignment. Adapting to an artificial environment that rearranged the way her biology could interact with it had taken all that early sensory endeavour and spun it right around. The nausea had taken a long time to dissipate entirely and she was prone, still, to the occasional headache if she didn't pay ample attention to her bio-signs and adjust the regulating implant's settings when required. It went beyond just the physical implications, however; the progress of her life had been one expanding horizon after the other and being able to move about the region, interacting with their neighbouring powers on more neutral grounds had taught Riaani that, sometimes, one's own perception wasn't enough. This, of course, proved testament to what the elders had been trying to tell her for years but, in typical fashion, the truth hadn't landed until Riaani had followed the path required to arrive at it independently.

And, as journeys were sometimes wont to go, the improvement in her own capacity to make sense of herself had led to an opportunity that threatened to render most of her previous experience completely inadequate. That much had become evident when Lieutenant Khatri had considered her initial attempts to acclimatise the new First Officer to her quarters invasive enough for the time being and had left the Kodaaj'ek alone, staring at the grey standard-issue wall and confronted by a sensation Riaani had not truly experienced in years; loneliness.

It wasn't just the absence of colleagues and friends, or the distance from kin, or the fact that every pulse of the engines that resonated on the cusp of awareness just strongly enough to cause the hair on the back of her neck to prickle meant that everyone she'd ever known was disappearing in the warp trail she left behind. It was an overwhelming accumulation of reminders that she was now part of something she was not built from, something that had played no part in shaping her, that had no obligation to consider her connected in any way other than a choice to extend an offer to try. Now, only she threatened the integrity of the physical environment if her implant malfunctioned; only she faced isolation if translation protocols broke down and the technology allowing her to communicate with her new crew failed in its singular function. Her people's history, her planet's priorities, the fragile intricacies upon which the entire sector's stability hinged; a distant superpower's understanding of it all rested on her ability to make this exchange work.

Suddenly, all those years floundering in the dark seemed to have a point.

It had taken a great deal of self-control to set herself a list of tasks that didn't involve hours of experimentation with the pre-programmed recipes in the food replicator, or sinking into the Amazônia's cultural database with the rampant-yet-futile intent to absorb its entire contents in one night. Maturity had permitted her at least enough fortitude to focus, to resist the temptation to allow the unknown to swallow her whole while there was still some chance of reassuring these strangers she was responsible enough for the trust they'd placed in her. She had unpacked, scheduled an appointment with medical to discuss the ongoing upkeep of her implant and made a similar booking with engineering after an attempt at a quick shower had left her head ringing. Sonics were a fascinating science but were not currently calibrated, understandably, for Kodaaj'ek physiology.

Then, she had struck out for the Bridge.

And eventually, after realising that most internal transportation between decks operated on similar principles once you got past initial issues with the communication interface, had actually found it. Having taken the opportunity to change into the uniform she'd been issued, (though Jaro had been quick to reassure her it wasn't a requirement if she wasn't comfortable), Riaani's attempt to blend in had in fact produced the completely opposite effect, the bright red of her tunic now a beacon that drew the attention of everyone who suddenly tried to find something right in front of them to stare at. The indirect scrutiny was intense though the sensation itself wasn't entirely unpleasant. Just as she had learned all those years ago, exploration needed to be uncomfortable at first if it was going to yield anything of true value.

Her large, expressive eyes sought out Jaro and, though much of her attention was being diverted to her own analysis, Riaani found the presence of mind to smile. "Captain, is this a suitable time?"

[TBC]

Captain Jaro
Captain
USS Amazonia

Lt. Commander Riaani ek'Meru
On-loan Executive Officer
USS Amazônia

 

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