I know this is kinda short but it's sort of a prolouge so bear with me anyway I didn't like the other Star Trek story I started so I began anew! REVIEW if you want more?
T'mel Reid gazed down at her PADD with apathy, forest green eyes scanning through the numerous pages that flickered across the flat screen. The coffee in her left hand was beginning to get cold from lack of attention and she had barely had the time to take a sip all morning not that the half Vulcan ever liked the beverage she found it's taste almost too bitter for even her but these days energizing supplements were the only things keeping her on her toes these days.
She always took slight delight in analyzing samples found in the unknown but she never had the chance to analyze those, only the staff that served under the chief science officer ever got to see what secrets lie in them. Nope T'mel and a few co workers of hers were stuck examining samples of Beritium, a valuable yet overated metallic alloy used in the lower class ship construction such as probes and beacons. Even being a half breed between Vulcan and human T'mel was utterly bored here at Starbase 12 every since she was brought here to earth at the age of five she longed to be flying through the stars, seeing things no one has seen before, but even after nearly six years of training she was still stuck as an Ensign studying the low class metals and making spectrial analysis of meager things that came in off of science vessels.
"So how is it looking?" a co worker named Bennan Gapelan waited for her review on the substance with little patience, his strong southern accent not as evident as it used to be three years ago when he had first got here.
T'mel snapped herself out of her thought process as she cleared her throat "even under the radiation of Monotanium particles it still seems to remain it's own material" she pressed a few buttons on the flat panel to ensure she has completed the analyses and handed it back to him "no progress ensign". Even if T'mel had been raised to not show the slightest emotion she was surely trained to see that Bennan didn't like that and nor did she.
"Damn" he muttered running his hands through tousled black hair "I could have sworn we had gotten it that time"
T'mel sympathized with a raise of one eyebrow "progress will come to those who work for it Ensign" then walked over to the replicator with an unsure stride because she had been telling herself that for years "computer, green tea, hot" she grabbed the cup that appeared and took a ginger sip before pulling out yet another pad with an entirely different topic on it.
Bennan's eyes were watching her, they had known each other for the longest of times, if you count three years long and even under her Vulcan shell he could interpret that she was feeling quite sick of this position as well but no one dared speak of dislike of the position to their superior because of quote 'If you are not happy with your position Ensign then either work harder or you can be denoted' Admiral Zhan would say not really in anger with him for complaining once but it was just simply how things worked down here.
"What are you working on T'mel?" he asked as he sat down at the small table she was at. He could tell he had disrupted her concentration for a mere second for a flash of irritation emanated from her eyes before she looked up at him.
"A project Ensign" T'mel hardly ever called Bennan by his name unless they were off duty and even then she still called him Ensign. He presumed it was a Vulcan tradition enforced by her strict father whom had forced upon her all the laws of their kind.
He raised two brows and circled around to see what she was doing "This is what you've been all secret about?" Bennan boasted while surveying the PADD with little interest before taking his seat again "Duranium?"
T'mel looked back up at him with slight animosity "Duranium is used on NX class starships, as you know, the outer hull is composed of Duranium".
"Old news T'mel" Bennan replied bluntly while ordering himself a cup of vanilla stirred coffee.
The half breed shook her head with ill humor "do not concern yourself with my personal work Ensign" she returned back to her work whilst he grunted in mockery. What T'mel was doing was something that had been attempted before by many Federation officers before her time and yet she was no closer than they were and it was frustrating.
"Admiral Zhan to Ensign Reid" the Admirals voice caught both of their attentions.
T'mel quickly tapped the badge with slight discomfiture "T'mel here sir?"
She felt Bennan lean in anxiously, it wasn't every day an Ensign is contacted by an Admiral who sounded like he had something important to say "T'mel could you meet me in my office on the double?"
Her eyes along with T'mels eyes widened at the request as her heart started to pound rapidly "yes sir I'm on my way"
Anxiously she stepped out of the turbo lift onto the B wing after straightening herself . She has never gotten used to the sudden jerks and rises of turbo lifts the whooshing sound of the doors closing and opening only brought out her claustrophobia more. Officers of mostly Lieutenant and Ensign rank strolled through the crowded hallway with occupied looks on their faces while others whom seemed new to the starbase headed here and there aimlessly. Quickly T'mel joined a rush of yellow collar officers down the hall, one of the things that made her slightly uncomfortable was the fact that the federation was mostly made of humans although she had recalled seeing a few mixtures here and there though awfully rare. Other vulcans attended the academy and eventually became officers but they had hardly had anything to do with her. Human , Vulcan interspecies was usually frowned upon back home and even here too though no one has had the courage to mock her to her face but she was among the proudest to be a mix despite the occasional disapproving glares. Anyway, it wasn't like she was the only one in the universe. T'mel was an average height of 5' 5'' with slender muscles due to her racial tributes and she even kept her feathery light brown hair a vulcan style by keeping it as short as her ears. Her human features showed as well though her mind and constant slip of emotions showed that enough. T'mels skin was lighter and more fair complected than that of a Dark skinned Vulcan but her eyebrows and ears were as sharp as if she was a full blood.
Finally she had reached the Admirals office. She straightening her hair and uniform before entering after he bed her to come in and in the most professional manner she did so with two hands crossed behind her back. It was important to show utmost respect for and Admiral, especially this one.
"Come on in and sit Ensign Reid" his dark eyes probed her attention to professionalism as she formally sat and faced him with a blank face, one of unexpectancy. Admiral Zhan was always like this to younger officers, it gave them the lesson and experience of what it was like aboard a real ship. To not show that idiocy and disinclined students, so he calls them, is not of tolerance and harshness is one of the major keys to unlocking their true potential. Sure some other Admirals might want to drop formalities every now and then to let them slack off but he knew better, his tough years aboard the USS Hachet, and the death of his oldest son while on an away mission strickened his discipline and tolerance levels by ten folds.
"You called for me sir?" T'mel inquired, her voice an emotionless void just like she had been trained too. No doubt the anticipation was engraved in her stone like Vulcan features and to the trained eye he could even see she was slightly scared.
The Admiral was a man well beyond his fighting years, with black and mostly gray hair that was slicked back in a flat style his face was round and slightly chubby but his appearance didn't portray those probing dark and oriental eyes of his. T'mel found it hard to even look into them from time to time.
"Ensign I have a reassignment for you though you might as well call it a promotion" he stated very casually as if he did this sort of thing every day but to T'mel despite her lineage she was dancing on the inside, anything to get off this starbase is good enough for her. "The USS Enterprise NCC-1702-D I am pretty sure you've heard of it".
T'mel opened her mouth slightly then cleared her throat "of course sir". The Enterprise was basically legendary whoever didn't know what ship that was had to have lived under a rock their entire life and by now her blood pressure had gone through the roof.
"Professor Geoffrey Mendle, a cheif bajoran science officer specializing in the branch of cybernetics and robotic research is in need of a few ensigns on a project he's been working on" the Admiral leaned back further in his chair whilst crossing his hands in his lap "he has specially requested at least two from this starbase and while it may be shocking he chose both you and Ensign Gapelan to serve under his wing".
T'mel had already felt her heart go through the roof and she let her Vulcan shell crack for a moment to release a toothy smile only for her to quickly retaliate her manners "me sir? I..would be honored to have this assignment"
For the first time in a while the Admiral smiled as well, his withered face crinkling upward "you will assist him for the next few years or so and if not only will you be aiding him but you will be one of the ships quantum mechanics and astrophysics officer ,only Ensign grade of course, when Professor Mendle has no need of you is that understood?"
"Yes sir it's understood" Of all the things she expected this was probably the last and the half vulcan couldn't help but wonder what Professor Mendle had in mind for her and Bennan to do. She was majored in Astrophysics and Quantum Chemestry but Robotics was another thing she had taken interest in recently but had little talent in but she wasn't going to question.
He nodded reluctantly "you've been a great addition to our science team here at the Starbase ensign, it'll be a shame to lose you but this is a great opportunity and I expect you to treat it that way" he waited until T'mel nodded before continuing "Enterprise will be here at twelve eleven hundred hours tomorrow at docking bay fourteen and you are to report here at one hundred hours and do not be late Ensign" he made sure I heard those last words with careful enunciations "you're dismissed".
With a poor attempt to keep her smile at bay T'mel stood up and before she walked out the door she swore she heard Admiral Zhan wish her good luck after calling Ensign Bennan Gapelan to his office.