Catori and Tristan and the few other cadets that shared their shuttle were ushered into a large open courtyard where cadets were being rounded up. Students in their uniforms passed the wide-eyed herd without so much a second glance, seeming unfazed by all the excitement that was buzzing through every new recruit. The chatter grew louder until she could barely hear Tristan beside her.
"Hey," he nudged her, "ten o' clock." She looked in the direction he nodded and saw a tall guy wearing a green shirt, surrounded by a group of females. Catori glanced around, attempting to locate eight other green shirts.
"Seven o' clock," she told him. He looked back to see a pretty, skinny brunette in the same green dress and a pony tail, sucking up the attention of those around her like a sponge.
"Oh, she'll be the first one out," Tristan remarked. Catori looked back over her shoulder at the girl, only to find her staring directly at her, a smug look on her face. Rather than returning the favor, Catori simply turned around and ignored her.
She wasn't oblivious to the people staring at her either- anyone in green would be stared at, she knew and though she was used to it, it still made her feel awful exposed. She cast her eyes downward, hoping they weren't some bizarre shade of color. Catori realized that once her name was said, someone would know who she was (or rather what she was) and it would be only a matter of time before everyone else did as well. A few minutes to blend in as much as she possibly could didn't seem too ridiculously selfish.
"They're green," Tristan said.
"What?"
He dropped his voice a little lower and leaned closer so no one else could hear. "Your eyes. They've been green since we stepped off the shuttle craft."
Catori looked up at him. Not knowing what to really say, she gave him a big, genuine smile that he returned with a slight flush to the cheeks. "Thanks," she said, nudging him playfully with her elbow.
"No prob.," he told her.
"Welcome," a voice broke in over through a microphone and a hush broke through the crowd, "new recruits! To Starfleet Academy! In just a moment you will be escorted inside to the auditorium where a presentation has been arranged for you. Following that presentation you will be split up by class and given a tour of your campus and main facilities."
The voice discontinued and the chatter picked back up. "Oh man, I can't wait to see the hangers. It's completely state-of-the-art. I've even heard they have an organic photon welding laser."
"They have those on AlphaII," Catori informed him offhandedly. "They're primarily used for welding the planet's native, compressed metals into building materials. Since the lasers are able to manipulate the molecular compound, it's more efficient than traditional welding. It practically makes two metals of the same makeup one structure. Makes sense to me to use it in constructing starships."
"Sweet," Tristan said, fidgeting like a child on Christmas morning who had been told to wait a minute before opening presents so his mother could take pictures. "Oh, hey," he pointed to the front of the crowd where they had begun filing into the building, "guess it's time to get this show on the road."
They followed the line of people until they were almost inside, "just think, we're about to step inside the Academy," she said, looking up at the shining buildings, glimmering in the San Francisco sunshine.
"Nervous?"
"Totally," she responded truthfully. They walked in relative silence as they went inside. There grew a very hushed tone over all the cadets- they were all nervous, she supposed. Many of them had come far from home and none of them were completely sure what to expect. They were led into a huge auditorium were a couple speeches were given by prestigious members of Starfleet and then there was a small presentation about all the recognitions and awards and benefits that the Academy has made to Starfleet and how it shapes the Federation. And by 'small', she meant a complete hour of nonstop bragging on themselves.
"Is it over yet?" Tristan groaned as the lights went up and a man stepped forward to the podium.
"We will now separate you by class. I ask that all the engineering and communication students exit through the back left door where you will be escorted by Mr. Kearny on your tour."
"That's me," Tristan said, standing up. "I'll catch you later, right?"
"Definitely," she said.
"Awesome," he beamed. "See ya."
Catori offered a small wave bye as he walked off. "Medical and science students please exit through the back right door. Mr. Finch will be your acting as your guide." People in blue shirts stood out of their seat and made their way to the back of the auditorium. "Navigation, aviation and operations students please exit through the side door where you will be escorted by Mr. Tanaka." All the yellow shirts stood up and left the room, leaving only nine other heads spread about in the auditorium. "Our aspiring head officers now seem to be the only ones left. If you would all please exit the door left to the stage."
Catori joined the rest of the green's in their designated waiting area. No one seemed too friendly or eager to talk. Rather, everyone seemed to be sizing one another up, wondering who, if anyone, was going to go down in history as Starfleet's next Head Officer. Of course, everyone assumed it would be them and they were really wondering who would drop out first. Even Catori had to admit that she was rather confident in herself. However, she hadn't pictured it being a cutthroat competition. In fact, she thought perhaps she could make acquaintances with the other students and had looked forward to meeting them. But, as the brunette looked at her, snorted and rolled her eyes, Catori realized the notion had been naïve and that she would make only enemies here.
Current standing: nine foes. One friend- if you count Tristan (and she was).
Besides herself and the brunette, there were two other girls. A girl with a chocolate dyed bob-cut and an angular face and a curly blonde who looked down at the floor, seemingly embarrassed and meek. The brunette gave her a domineering look (which the girl ignored) while Ms. Bob-cut seemed to be calculating those around her.
As for the boys, there was a tall, lanky, skinny lad whose limbs looked a bit like they'd been stretched too far. A chubby boy with ginger hair and freckles stood biting his thumb. The only other who stood out was the big, buff blonde she'd seen soaking up attention earlier. The words "obnoxious", "jock" and "egotistical" came to mind. The other three fellows were pretty average in appearance, so she doubted she would remember them.
Footsteps began echoing through the hall, grabbing everyone's attention. Two very official, decorated commanders as well as one very decorated man in a green shirt. "Hello there, sorry to have kept you waiting. I'm Commander Barnes, this is my associate, Commander Noble," Barnes was a very broad man with a big chin, while Noble had dark skin and a bald head. "And this," Barnes gestured to the man in the green shirt, "is Head Officer Gregory." Barnes paused and looked in between the faces of the new students before clapping his hands together with a big smile, "so this is our ten bold souls this year. Mr. Gregory, do you care to say anything before we begin the tour?"
"I'm sure you all know that what you're aspiring to do is very difficult. I'm sure you're all aware that there is a 97% chance that none of you are going to achieve the rank of a Head Officer. I was just like you. Standing there thinking 'if anyone will make it, it's going to be me.' Keep that confidence, but don't get cocky. It's going to be one tough ride, but if you can do it, there is nothing more rewarding."
When Gregory finished, Mr. Noble chimed in, "Officer Gregory is going to be your mentor for your time at Starfleet. If you have questions, concerns or any other issues, he will be available to you. Having him here will be beneficial and his experience will prove a valuable tool, should you utilize it."
"Right then," Barnes said, "let us begin with the tour." They led the cadets through the engineering base and the medical base. Catori felt both overwhelmed and excited at everything she had seen. She was so eager to learn all the ins-and-outs of everything. She had always been greedy for knowledge and supposed that was what led her to try out for Head Officer. She didn't want to learn just one thing- she wanted to learn all things. Although, she did admit that she was most excited to see the science labs. With her father being a physicist, she was partial to the subject.
When finally they crossed over to the science buildings, the cadets were led to a room filled with computers and computer operations. Total state-of-the-art. Catori beamed like a Cheshire cat. She knew computers.
"And here we have some of the most advanced systems in the galaxy," Barnes stated, gesturing the very clean-cut, bright, room that resembled a programmer's ideal dream. "There is little to nothing that can compare with the rapid growth of computers and their functions. We require our students to know the ins and outs of all the latest programs."
Catori was eyeing a particularly lovely ZXOII external hard drive when a student with a black uniform shirt and pants rounded the corner and into her view. He was tall with slick black hair, a stoic expression and pointed ears.
"This," Barnes gestured to the new presence that everyone was now openly staring at, "is Spock." Spock dipped his head as an indication of greeting. "Spock is the only Vulcan to ever be a student of this academy. He is also the Academy's top computer expert. Spock has received numerous recognitions and commendations for his skill and talent with all things computer. He has also offered his assistance to cadets who are in need of the extra help in this area."
Spock held his hands clasped behind his back, but stepped forward once Barnes was through introducing him. "I speculate that since you are all aspiring for a position that requires great technological intelligence, that you all have, at the least, a basic-advanced knowledge of computers and their program." He paced in front of them, as if he was sizing them up, as if he could get a sense of who knew what. As he crossed the floor and got closer to where she stood off by herself on the end, she had to admit, he was almost more intimidating than the commanders or even Officer Gregory. Spock made his way down the row of cadets and finally stopped in front of her, giving her a long look that felt heavy and caused her to advert her eyes to the floor.
He returned to his previous position beside Barnes, "if your pdx system has been integrated by 402s on a program that is based off of 405s, how can you desegregate the DXs in the mainframe?"
Spock's question caught Catori off guard, so before she could answer, that brunette shot her hand into the air, "you simply reroute your 405s through your mainframe and filter out the 402s into an fx program."
"That is correct," Spock affirmed.
"Very nicely done, Ms. Gale," Barnes chimed in.
Catori rolled her eyes, crossed her arms and grumbled to the floor, "yeah, but it's not proficient."
"Is that so, cadet?" Spock's voice spoke up.
Catori's eyes widened and she felt her cheeks flush. She was sure no one would have heard her. Spock moved quietly as he went to stand before her. He was more than a foot taller than she was so she had to look up at him. She found it rather difficult to hold a determined look from this angle.
"It is," Catori said.
"In what way is Ms. Gale's analysis lacking in proficiency?"
"Well, if you reroute all the 405s you're going to have to reintegrate your complete pdx basics. That's more time consuming and runs a higher risk of losing your CCX files than if you would simply use your CCs directly. Plus it doesn't actually get rid of the 402s. It just filters them into your pid bin."
"Then what do you suggest be done to correct the issue?" Spock asked.
Catori shrugged, "just use your CCs directly. If you use a reroute bypass, you can encrypt them to recognize the 402s without disrupting the preexisting 405 codes."
"Correct," Spock said, "and more proficient."
Catori couldn't help the grin that spread across her face or the feeling of total domination over the brunette and her smug attitude.
Spock turned as Barnes beamed, "Very well done, Ms. Connolly."
The Vulcan turned to look at her with an unreadable expression, "thank you, Sir," she said, returning her gaze to the floor.
"Now then!" Barnes exclaimed, "let's move on, shall we?"
They moved through the rest of the tour without much excitement. When it was over, all the cadets were gathered back together. Catori searched through the crowd of people looking for Tristan. Eventually, they spotted each other and he waved.
"So how did it go?" he asked.
"Crazy. You?"
"Awesome," he beamed.
Catori opened her mouth to say something more, but was interrupted by a loud voice. "I hope your first day at Starfleet proved to be a successful one and I hope you are all excited to start your school year tomorrow. Most of you will have received a card that indicates the dormitory building and room you will be staying at. Please proceed there. For those of you with off campus residencies, you are at liberty to vacate the campus as soon as necessary."
"Did you get a card?" Catori asked.
"Yeah," Tristan pulled it out and showed it to her, "you don't?"
She shook her head, "nope. My father told me to go here. So…we'll see."
"Do you know how to get there?"
"How hard could it be?" She grinned.
"Well, just be careful, this city is filled with all kinds of people."
"Thanks, but don't worry. I got this." she reassured him. "Do you know who you're bunking with?"
"Nope," he said. "Hope it's not some maniac."
"Yeah, good luck with that."
"You too."
Catori made her way through the thinning crowd towards the campus entrance. There were only maybe a handful of cadets she saw doing the same. Going through her bag, Catori pulled out the address and punched it into her holographic map of the city. A small blinking point indicate where she should go and a line highlighted the best way to get there.
The sky was already becoming a golden color, with pink and orange bleeding through. Her path down the sidewalk by the bay and she couldn't help but admire how pretty it looked in the sunset. Though it did get very cool very fast with the wind blowing in. So she crossed her arms, ducked her head and carried on.
It was only about fifteen more minutes before Catori found the building and her map made little cheeping noises to let her know she was there. She clicked it off and snapped it shut, slipping it into her bag. The building was tall, maybe ten stories high, with old, red brick. She pulled the glass door open to a small lobby with a man behind a desk.
"Ah! So there she be, you must be. Starfleet girl, eh?" He was an older man with a heavy accent she didn't recognize.
Catori looked down at her uniform then back up, "uh, yeah." she pulled out her key and held it up, hoping he would then tell her what she needed to do.
"Gotcha key, do ya. Alright girl. The stuff was delivered. Tenth floor, 106, ya?"
"Um…okay. Thank you."
"You has any troubles, you let me know."
"I will. Thanks." She told him and he simply nodded. She walked to the end of the lobby. There was a stair case and an elevator. Catori hit the button to call the lift. She didn't have to wait long before there was a 'ding' and the doors slid apart. Stepping inside, she hit the 10 button and it lit up with a little yellow glow. The doors slid shut and she was up.
When it let her off, she looked at the numbers on each door until she came to the very last one, at the end of the hall on the left. Straight ahead was a window that overlooked a lovely mass of buildings and the bay far in the distance. She turned her attention back to the door. The key was in her hand, but she knocked for good measure.
Realizing that was really dumb, she slid the key into the lock, turned, heard a 'click' and pushed it open.
Catori walked in with wide eyes and shut the door behind her. There was a huge, open space with a couch facing the left wall with a fireplace, a viewing screen and shelves of tons of books and other various objects. To the left, there were large bay windows with a beautiful piano. There was a small table and a counter that separated a small kitchen area. Straight across there was a door on the far wall and one on the end of the left wall. All of her bags were stacked together on the hardwood floors.
Catori beamed with excitement and enthusiasm as she raced to the first door and opened it up to a small bedroom. It wasn't grand, but there was a bed, a dresser and a closet. A window also offered more the view from outside.
Retreating out of the room and to the other door, Catori found a small, clean bathroom with a large bathtub and shower head. Further inspection of the apartment showed her that the fridge had been fully and freshly stocked, there was an old-fashioned record player with mint-condition records on the shelf, along with nicely kept books, both antique and new.
Catori laughed and spun around, her excitement really hitting her at that moment. She grabbed the view screen controller and dialed her father.
"Catori! My dear, how do you like it!"
"Dad, this is amazing!"
He beamed on the screen, his white a mop atop his head. "It had belonged to a colleague of mine who had business with the Federation for a while. After that business was taken care of, he agreed to hand over the title. Didn't have much need for it no more, he said."
"It's great. Thank you so much."
Zane smiled at his daughter on the screen and they carried on conversation for another half hour before he finally told her to get some sleep- that she would need it for tomorrow.
Catori unpacked her bags and ate some food that had been stocked in the cabinets before her arrival. Finally, after a shower and slipping into her nightgown, she curled up in her new bed. She barely had time to think about what tomorrow would bring before she was dragged under into a world of sleep.