Directions Please

Posted on 01/01/2021 @ 4:35pm by Lieutenant Hael Edevane

Mission: S3E1: Time of Change
Timeline: Day 95 at 0735

Joy Bayliss had a duffle over her shoulder and was looking quite lost, even with a PaDD. The woman was small and felt a little lost in the hustle and bustle of the large ship. 'If this is how I feel now, wait til the ship is ready to embark,' she thought to herself, suddenly feeling self doubt kicking in. This felt a little overwhelming. To be fair to the woman, this was a first and it was ok to be nervous. All she wanted was to see her classroom before heading to her quarters.

Running her fingers through her white, well-conditioned hair, she exhaled. The breath helped her refocus a little. Her blue eyes searched past the crowd in an attempt to gauge her surroundings. It seemed to drown out the white noise that was a murmur of people and footsteps. Laughing and talking faded to a blurred whisper. Joy found focus and let her eyes go back to her PaDD, almost as if looking at it afresh.

It would have been alright but being petite had its disadvantages. A rude shoulder impatiently knocked into her. The PaDD slipped from her nimble fingers, scattering across the floor as if fleeing to safety. "Sorry," she quietly called out as if her fault. Her apologetic nature meant she lost track of the PaDD easily. Panic started to set in a little as she looked round, attempting to locate her assistant to navigate through the over-exaggerated chaos.

With the ship still in grey mode and the sudden influx of new people, Hael had already started patrols. Random patterns, generated by the computer and approved at the start of each shift, meant that the movements of individual teams couldn't be easily predicted. He himself was taking advantage of the situation to continue learning the ship; by the time they launched, he intended for every member of security to know the ship well enough that they could get to any location in as short a time frame as possible. So it was that he happened to be walking along the corridor when a PADD skittered past him and swooped it up before it could suffer a tragic fate under a passing crew member's boot. He saw the probable owner almost at once, body language indicating that she was searching, and approached. "Were you looking for this," he asked.

Joy looked up and then felt foolish for not actually looking at the item in question. A quick glance and she nodded, "yes, sir. Very appreciated." He was taller than her which wasn't difficult, but it seemed towering. "I don't suppose you can point me in the right direction?" She pointed to the PaDD for him to see where she was trying to head.

Hael looked at the PADD and nodded. "Been trying to learn the ship so I love these sorts of challenges," he said as he leaned over to study the PADD in her hands. Make that tiny hands. Delicate even. "Okay ... 13 is family quarters and the classrooms are on ... 14. That's right, 14." He grinned cheerfully as he gestured toward the turbolift. "This way. I'll take you down there."

Joy wasn't going to lie, she assumed security would be grough not... Well... Chirpy. She beamed with delight at the gesture of him physically showing her. She stepped, just about, in time with him, following him. "Thank you for this," she said, relieved, "if you're really up for a challenge, I need to find my quarters after. It's my first time on a ship and I can guarantee I will end up accidentally going into an airlock instead of my room's door."

"Not as easy as you might think, going into an airlock," Hael said as he automatically shortened his steps which nearly felt as though he were walking in place. "Signs and all of that. Anyways, to find your quarters, I'll need to know your name." He stepped into the turbo-lift and said, "Deck 13. I'm Hael by the way. Hael Edevane."

"Joy, or JJ, Joy Bayliss," she replied. Never had the woman felt so grateful for someone narrowing their stride. She no longer felt like she was sprinting. She offered her hand to shake his... Wait, his hands were colossal in comparison to her dainty things. She retracted her hand and pretended she was adjusting her duffle.

"Promise, Joy, I've never crushed a hand by mistake," he said as he offered his own and waited.

The woman blushed as she realised that she wasn't as subtle as she'd hoped. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and then, somewhat reluctantly, shook his hand. "I'm used to children, not adults," she offered the excuse with a slight chuckle.

"Understood." He nodded as he shook her hand gently before retracting his own. The turbolift opened and he stepped out, waiting for her to join him before they continued on. "From what I understand, these classrooms are set aside for the children of crew members." He paused before a computer display to check locations and then gestured toward the next one in the row. "This one's been assigned to you. If it's not to your liking, then you'll need to talk to Operations. That's ... ummm .... Mimi. Lieutenant Mimi."

Hael was helpful, and gawd did she appreciate it. "Thank you, but I'll always use what I'm given. The age group I look after never mind." She peeked into the classroom and grinned, "yes, the age group I look after will love it - there's enough room for chaos and even more to relax and learn." She stepped inside and put her duffle on the desk, taking out a small picture of her grandmother, mother and her, along with a few little things to make her desk a bit more homely.

"Ah, chaos in the classroom. What more can a student ask for," Hale said as he stood by the door, leaning against the wall, and watched her begin the process of settling in. He had always enjoyed school and for all that he joked, he had been a good student, more than capable of balancing his studies with the more adventurous side of his personality. "As luck would have it, your quarters are also on this deck."

"Really?" she asked, pulling the duffle back over her shoulder. She saw his Stace and smiled, somewhat entertained, "are you getting nostalgic for your early years?"

"Am I? I suppose," he said as he led her back out the door and headed on down the corridor toward where her quarters would be. "Certainly a simpler time though I didn't think so back then. Maybe I'm more thinking about being a student. The wonder of learning something new. Digging in and all."

"I'm afraid that I'm more the fingerprint and alphabet song teacher," she chuckled, "so unless you want to learn how to paint like Picasso using just your fingers, or if you don't know your alphabet, I will not be the person you learn something new off of." Joy stepped in time, pulling her hair out from being caught by the duffle strap.

"Okay, now the idea of fingerprinting with a bunch of little kids does have its appeal, I grant you," Hael said, laughing, as together, keeping to that nearly walking in place step, they turned a corner and found her quarters about halfway down the corridor. "Here you go. Home at last."

She smiled and offered her hand. Bit more confidently this time, "I appreciate the help, Hael. You will definitely be my go to navigator. And equally, if you ever fancy being in a classroom, learning about patience and how to drown out the sound of twenty-ish children screaming out, let me know."

"Don't tempt me," Hael said as he accepted her handshake and smiled. "Always happy to keep them entertained even if it means being an impromptu playground. And it goes both ways, if you ever need help, you let me know. I'll be around."

She offered a smile. He'd been kind and somewhat entertaining in his charm. "Thank you, Hael. I hope to see you again.

A Post By:

Lieutenant Hael Edevane
Chief of Security
USS Sitting Bull

and

Lieutenant JG Joy Bayliss
Teacher
USS Sitting Bull