Chapter 51. Ingema and Shu Ran first met
Her alarm clock rang at five o'clock this morning. She didn't have much time to slowly wake up. After all, she hoped to meet with Nilfer in half an hour. Because they had to catch the first shuttle that would take them to Montana. After spending the whole morning there, Nilf told her that there was not enough time left to see Paris and Rome and that she had to decide what she wanted to see. Eventually, they decided to spend the afternoon at the National Smithian Museum. Then they flew through the morning light to Europe. There they first visited Paris and then spent the afternoon in Rome. The weather was perfect for them, with the sun shining down from a cloudless sky. After a short visit to Colosseum and the National Museum, they spent the afternoon in different street cafes. With the sun shining on her face and a cup of steaming cappuccino in front of her, she would rather sit there forever. Even Nilf seemed comfortable with it. His volcano appearance was also starting to wear down a bit, as he smiled a few times. Tiny was happy, like a child, because she had succeeded. She kept joking about Nilfer's emotions, saying he never showed emotions. She also plans to spend this year making Nilfer understand that emotions are wonderful things and it's best to feel them. She wanted him to act more human. Because she cannot accept a life without emotions. Especially when it comes to Nilf. He is so friendly.
Tiny yawned in her seat, looking sleepy. She found it difficult to find a sleeping position in these uncomfortable seats. Her knees kept hitting the back of the seat in front of her, waking her up every time. She was sure her knees would give way sooner or later. Or she banged her head against the window of the little shuttle. Then she felt the vibrations of the ship's hull reach her head, causing her head to continue to shake.
She squirmed again in her seat, finally finding a comfortable position. She looked down at Nilf sitting next to her. The semi-volcano seemed to have no problem with the seats. He straightened his body, tilted his head back slightly, and closed his eyes. No movement gave away whether he was sleeping, perhaps dreaming. Only his broad chest rose and fell steadily.
They had spent a tiring day and were now returning from Rome. Originally their departure time was supposed to be earlier, but due to some technical problems with a spacecraft, their departure time was delayed. When they finally left the airport, it was nearly two hours late. Despite modern technology, travel on Earth still uses Earth craft. It still takes five hours to fly from Europe to the west coast of the Americas.
Nilf still didn't move. Tiny shook her head at him inwardly. How could he be so quiet in this seat? She sighed and turned around again. Her eyes fell on the cabin clock. Two more hours and then it's over. When she got home she would fall on her bed like a stone and sleep until tomorrow. Starting tomorrow, she will study until she is exhausted. How she had been looking forward to this moment.
Tiny sighed again, pressed her shoulders against the seat, closed her eyes, hoping to fall asleep a little. Her thoughts returned to Rome and the sunshine. He observed the ant-sized people walking happily about in the sunshine. She learned from the conversation that winters in Europe are colder than in San Francisco. Therefore, people feel more happy in the sun. They walked around the streets in colorful clothes, chatting animatedly and laughing. It's like everyone is a newborn. The heaviness of the harsh winter has passed. Nature bursts with life. The first buds and leaves appear on the tree. The birds sang happily. This vitality is conveyed into people's emotions. Everything is so beautiful.
There was a sound from far away. She couldn't understand it at first, but gradually it got louder and louder. "...hope your flight goes well and have a nice day."
Tiredly, Tiny opened her eyes and blinked. Apparently, she dozed off again. Even though she felt like she had just closed her eyes. She found her head falling to one side, resting on Nilf's shoulder. She sat up quickly and looked at him sheepishly. "I'm sorry," she muttered drowsily.
Nilf looked at her kindly in his own way and said, "It's okay. In fact, you don't need to apologize."
Tiny just nodded. She was completely drowsy and felt a little out of place. Her mind wasn't completely clear yet.
Passengers left the space shuttle in neat steps. Tiny and Nilfer picked up their carry-on luggage and followed the others into the lobby of the spaceport. Through the large windows, they could see the flying field outside. Countless spacecraft are parked there, undergoing maintenance or preparing for their next flight. The San Francisco Spaceport is one of the largest spaceports in the world, in part because Starfleet has its headquarters here. Flights depart from here to all airports on Earth, as well as to most destinations in Earth's solar system. As a result, some spaceships are very large, although most starships cannot land and can only send their space shuttles.
Tiny didn't care. On the one hand, she had admired all this on the morning before departure, and on the other hand, she had seen it all in her own colony. Although she had to admit, things were much better organized here than in her fringe federal district, where rules weren't as strictly followed.
She followed wearily behind Nilfer, who walked resolutely towards the exit. Before Tiny even noticed, he had organized a taxi. Politely help her pick up her luggage and put it into the taxi. They then headed to Tiny's apartment near Starfleet Academy.
Before she opened the door, Tiny turned to her Nilf again and said, "Thanks for the wonderful trip." Her deep voice betrayed her exhaustion. "We should do this again." She hugged him awkwardly, stood on tiptoes, and kissed his left and right cheeks.
"That's what I should be grateful for," Nilf replied politely.
Tiny smiled, then turned to her door. With a final hello to him, she closed the door.
A smile appeared on Nilf's lips, and then he picked up his bag. His residence is just a few steps away. Unlike Tiny, he barely felt tired. His Klingon tenacity and Vulcan discipline allow him to withstand greater challenges. Just as he was approaching his door, he felt the first drops of rain fall on his skin. A brief spring rain passed over the still dark city.
Ingmar was in a terrible mood. He slouched down the hallways of Starfleet Headquarters to one of the smaller conference rooms. Incidents have continued since it was announced that the Republic would set off in just a few days. Various meetings are tightly scheduled, and sometimes there are time conflicts. The crew members all felt like they were being torn apart, and many hoped to have a clone, or even several.
Additionally, the captain insisted on regular department staff meetings. The first meeting must take place before departure to promote teamwork. Ingmar could have given up on the meeting. For him, and for some others, this was not the only such meeting. He also has to attend leadership meetings, navigate the situation in case of emergencies, and of course meet with his colleagues in the Ops operations station department. Ops, or operations center, is where all kinds of data are gathered on the ship. Since the ship's conversion, new communications work has also been added. This would save manpower as a dedicated communications officer would no longer be needed. In order to keep Ops running, someone needs to be substituted to deal with possible absences. Therefore, this department has a fixed number of five members. There are also three substitutes who work in other departments but are available to take over the operations center position at any time. Although it was not enough to form an independent department, Noah still insisted on holding a corresponding meeting, and Ingemar, as the most qualified official in the group, had to be responsible for organizing the meeting.
What made him even more upset was that his vacation had been cancelled. It was a nightmare for his planned party week. And his birthday party was ruined. He had wanted to celebrate with a lot of women, but that wasn't possible on the boat.
He stopped in front of the room door and took a deep breath, trying not to take it all too negatively. In fact, his colleagues are very friendly. This should be a good thing. They only have one new colleague, a replacement. She just joined the crew. But Ingmar is sure she will quickly integrate into the team as well. Although he doesn't know her yet, the others have had no trouble so far. And secretly he hoped she was his type.
Ingmar walked into the room and was immediately warmly welcomed. They haven't seen each other for months. And they didn't seem to be connected to each other, as he heard them exchanging experiences with each other. It was like attending a school reunion, and the thought suddenly crossed his mind. It's just that they don't have time for private conversations. They would have plenty of time after departure.
Just when he wanted to remind everyone to be quiet, he found that his new colleague had not arrived yet. Too late, late for the first meeting. This doesn't leave a good impression.
"Sorry," came a cheerful voice from behind him, full of energy, "I can't find this room. This building is too big. It's easy to get lost."
Ingmar turned around and saw a pair of brown eyes that shone with an almost magical light. He didn't know if he had ever seen such bright eyes. It belonged to a woman who was slightly taller than him, but also a little plumper. Although she wasn't fat, she did have some extra fat. But this suits her very well. Because of her tall stature, she doesn't look boxy. Her short hair shimmers with a slight red hue, which blends perfectly with her temperament.
"Ms. Shuran," he greeted, ruefully thinking that it would have been better if someone had assigned him a more suitable candidate.
"Sorry, sir. I have never been to this area before. Then I got lost." Shu Ran explained.
"It doesn't matter," Ingmar interrupted, although he found it interesting to listen to her talk or observe her. Not only does she have a pleasant voice, but she also moves her hands and feet while speaking. Rather, she uses her whole body to express her words. She seemed to be trying to back up her claims with gestures and facial expressions, which were hilarious to watch. "You arrived in time."
"Oh, thank you." She was visibly relieved. Apparently, she was a little nervous about his reaction.
"Okay, now that we're all here, please take a seat." He pointed to the table. "Then we can get started."
Then they talked for nearly two hours. Sometimes they just make small talk, other times they engage in heated discussions. And they laughed a lot together. Shu Ran is good at constructing special sentences that make her statements somewhat illogical and often ambiguous, although she is not aware of it. However, there is nothing funny about this. Instead, through her natural joy, she lifted the mood of all present. Usually she herself will laugh when she realizes what she said, and then everyone else will laugh too. At one point she laughed until she cried. But none of it is boring or intrusive.
Ingmar watched her quietly. After the meeting, he had to admit two things. First of all, Shu Ran is a positive factor for the team. She goes out of her way to bring team members together. Second, Captain Noah was right. This meeting is meaningful. Although he wouldn't tell anyone that openly. The only really bad bit was that he now had to draft minutes about the meeting. Another new mission.
Shu Ran was the last to leave the room, while Ingmar was still sitting at the table. He wanted to quickly record some results of the meeting, so he clicked on his tablet. She turned around before heading down the hallway.
"Mr. Ingmar," she began hesitantly.
He looked up. "What's wrong?"
"I'm delighted to be serving aboard the Republic."
"We are also delighted to welcome you on board."
"Thank you." She smiled broadly. Once again, she exudes a special aura. She excitedly turned and left the room, waving her hands.
Ingemar looked at where she stood for a few seconds, then smiled and shook his head, focusing on his tablet again.
Ted sat in the gym's locker room, gasping for air. Completed a training session with colleagues from the security team, their last on Earth. They had to conduct the next training in a smaller training area on the spacecraft. So he called the whole group together again and gave them a good sweat. He wants his team to be at their absolute best at all times. Only in this way can he ensure safety.
Of course, he himself didn't relax. Instead, he stayed and practiced alone after the official training session. So now he's sitting alone in the locker room. The smell of sweat emanates from a tired body. He himself was sweating, but his breathing was a little rapid at the moment, and he couldn't take off his soaked shirt right away. He went over his team again in his mind. All of them behaved well during their stay on Earth. And the new team members are a real bonus. Especially Gladys and his new deputy, Andorian Ino Murakami. Both have a lion-like temperament. Gladys possesses better fighting skills than anyone else, and has physical prowess that even he himself struggles to match. She was without a doubt one of the finest people he had ever known. She had a bright future and he wouldn't be surprised if one day she became head of security for the Federation President's team.
Murakami Io impressed him from the beginning. He was nearly two meters tall, with snow-white hair clearly visible against his blue skin. Despite his size, he is extremely agile. His strength is nearly limitless and he can still lift heavy objects even after a boxing match with an entire team. And he didn't even break a sweat. This is due to the physiological characteristics of the Andorran people. Because Andorra is a world of ice and snow, evolution has prevented their skin from experiencing excessive moisture loss that can lead to frostbite.
