Stardate 47068.2

As she approached the solitary figure framed in one of the windows, Captain Anwal's lips tugged into a wry smile. At 5'-9" she was not accustomed to feeling short, but that was the feeling that settled over her as she came to a stop a couple of feet behind the Vulcan's right shoulder. He was the quintessential Vulcan: tall and lean, with dark hair and dark eyes, and a face that was all sharp angles. They were nearly of an age - in their latter 50's both of them, which for him was still fairly young. For her it meant dark hair liberally streaked with grey, and a great many more fine lines than she'd had even five years ago. From here, she could see her new first officer's expression in his reflection in the transparent aluminum itself, his gaze distant and...displeased, perhaps. She shifted her gaze outward to the ship at drydock - her ship, one of the new Nova-class, a small and sleek science vessel. "I know she may be small, Commander, but she's state of the art and hardly worth brooding over," she said softly, dark eyes glittering with humor as she regarded his reflection.

Vinak drew a soft breath, his posture straightening ever so slightly, as if roused from deep thought. "Vulcans do not-" be began, in the dry tones of someone accustomed to uttering such words often. He cut himself off abruptly as he turned his head, a flicker of recognition crossing his features. "Captain." He turned to face her fully, putting his back to the window. "I apologize, I did not realize-"

She held up her hand, to forestall any further apologies or explanations. "Quite all right, Commander. I wanted to take this chance to meet you before boarding...and couldn't resist a small joke while I was at it." She'd worked with Vulcans before - she would work with many of them on this next assignment - and had found them almost as varied as humans in their responses to such concepts as humor. Her new first officer seemed, at first glance, to be the more serious sort...though it was entirely possible he just needed time to settle in. "Let's start over. As you no doubt know, I'm Captain Manjeet Anwal. I look forward to working with you, Commander."

"Commander Vinak," he replied, inclining his head slightly. "I look forward to the opportunity. The Sojourn is a fine ship, and what I know of the crew so far is...encouraging." He lapsed into silence, but Anwal knew the look of someone considering their words, and waited until the silence stretched past the point of being comfortable. "I have heard that you are considering Lieutenant Lhir of the Endeavor for Ops," he finally added. Though not framed as such, she heard the implied question in his words.

What remained of her good humor drained from Captain Anwal's expression. They'd had an Ops Officer lined up, and a Chief Medical Officer. But both had perished en route, leaving them short-staffed and scrambling to find replacements. "I am," she confirmed. "She's highly qualified, perhaps not so much in areas of propulsion - but her work with sensors and the computer itself is quite promising." She paused, curiosity creeping into her tone. "Is there some concern about her suitability, Commander?"

His brow knitted ever so slightly, and there was another long pause before Vinak spoke. "She was a student of mine in a couple classes at Starfleet Academy. I was not convinced that her nature was...compatible with a life in Starfleet."

Anwal smiled wryly as she contemplated those painstakingly considered words. "To be fair, Commander, the role of Starfleet Academy is - at least in part - to mold cadets into Starfleet officers. To judge her based solely on who she was in the Academy would do all of us a disservice. Her performance aboard the Endeavor has been exemplary, according to Captain Amasov."

Vinak nodded, his gaze distant as though still deep in thought. "I will have to familiarize myself with her service record," he said. "I was unaware until today that we'd taken her into consideration for the position."

Anwal nodded. "The files are available to you, along with those of our other candidates. We've been moving with some haste, and Lhir's attendance at tomorrow's science conference in San Francisco created an opportunity." She tilted her head slightly, looking up at the Vulcan. She was tempted to ask if he had a personal reason for not wanting to offer her the position, but this was a good opportunity to gain some insight into his character as well. She preferred not to micromanage a new crew; she gained a tremendous amount of insight simply watching how they dealt with a situation. "You are attending the conference as well, are you not?" she asked. At his answering nod, she continued. "Then I'll leave it in your hands. Make whatever arrangements you see fit."

The Sojourn's crew was two-thirds Vulcan; out of deference to them, environmental controls were set midway between Earth and Vulcan norms. Captain Anwal had known as much when she'd taken the assignment, but knowing and experiencing were two different things. She was no stranger to heat, and actually preferred it to what she'd felt was a slight chill aboard her last ship, but the increased gravity caught her off guard as she boarded. She was glad she'd sent her luggage ahead by transporter, so that she did not need to juggle that while grappling with the sensation. You knew what you were getting into, she reminded herself.

Fanfare was not her style, and so she'd chosen to board early so that she could be settled before the bulk of the crew. It was only a single security officer who waited around the bend to greet her, and as her gaze flicked to the pips on his collar she drew up in surprise. "Lieutenant Commander Sovinn. I didn't think you'd be seeing to new arrivals personally."

Sovinn arched a brow in mild surprise. The Vulcan was in many ways Vinak's opposite-average in height and built along more solid lines, his hair a light brown and eyes a surprisng shade of green. Anwal found him less intimidating, lacking the intensity she found in some Vulcans, a curious quality in the man who was to serve as her tactical officer and chief of security. "I could hardly decline to greet the captain myself," he said, holding out a PADD. "Transfer of command codes is already complete, though I recommend updating them at your earliest convenience."

"Thank you, Commander," Anwal murmured, taking the PADD with only a cursory glance at it. She had no doubt that everything would be in order. "I heard you've taken quarters on deck four," she said, a questioning lilt in her tone. "I would have thought you'd have put yourself on deck one over Ensign Pral."

"I considered it," Sovinn admitted. "Though in the end I chose a more central location, given my role of chief of security. I felt that from deck four, I could reach both the bridge and engineering with equal efficiency, should a security breach occur in either location while I'm off duty. As Ensign Pral's duties take place solely on the bridge, it seemed logical to place him closer to it. Though as the ensign has not yet arrived, I could still make adjustments if you think it best."

Anwal smiled. She knew damned well what 'if you think it best' meant; he might as well have said 'if you want to fly in the face of all things reasonable'. "No, Commander, I trust your judgment. Is my luggage in my quarters?" she asked, heading for the lift. As she'd expected, he fell into step beside her.

"Yes, Captain," he replied. "I should also mention that Starfleet has assigned a new Chief Medical Officer. Given the short notice, we've been asked to pick her up at Vulcan rather than wait for her to come here." They stepped into the lift, Sovinn holding back slightly to enter behind her.

"Oh?" she asked, before lifting her chin to cast her voice upward. "Deck one." Her gaze settled once more on Sovinn's placid features. "Who have they assigned?"

"Commander T'Vel," he replied...and that was enough to send both her eyebrows climbing toward her hairline.

"T'Vel? I thought she'd been offered a prestigious position at the Vulcan Science Academy, and was set to retire from Starfleet." Though nowhere near a Vulcan's retirement age, T'Vel had served in Starfleet for several decades, certainly as long as any human member of the fleet. The lift doors opened, and Anwal stepped out into the corridor without missing a beat. "Is this a permanent assignment, or is she just filling in until a replacement is found?"

"Permanent, so far as any posting can be described in those terms," Sovinn replied. "I confess that I was surprised as well, though I doubt that she's actually declined the position at the Science Academy, but merely postponed it for a time."

"Right," Anwal murmured softly, slowing to a stop in front of her quarters. "What's another decade or two, to a Vulcan?" She smiled, casting a glance sidelong at him. Though, perhaps it mattered which decade. She was actually more surprised at his presence aboard, given what she'd gleaned from his record - freshly returned from a year long leave of absence, he'd left a wife and infant son behind to return to his duties.

"Vulcans are not immune to the passage of time, Captain," Sovinn replied, and something flickered in his gaze briefly, as though his thoughts had turned the same direction as her own, for a moment.

She did not remark on it, or inquire further - Vulcans were, if she knew anything about them, intensely private people. No doubt his decision to serve again, aboard this ship, had been made for reasons which satisfied his logic. "We should have the matter of Ops settled in a couple of days," Anwal said, deliberately changing the subject. "Commander Vinak is seeing to it. Please continue to keep me apprised of any further arrivals." It was more a dismissal than an instruction; she knew that Sovinn would have done so, regardless.

"Yes, Captain," he said, turning to head back the way he'd come.