Beggars Can't Be Choosers

Posted on Fri Jan 19th, 2024 @ 10:05pm by Petty Officer 1st Class Xuan Chihyon

Mission: 03-Guess Who's Coming To Dinner

What was the saying? Ah, yes. Beggars can't be choosers.

There were times that Xuan was jealous of officers. They had a lot more freedom, ability to pick and choose their assignments. They could resign at will, get into barfights, and even vault up the ladder of success at unnatural paces.

It was the life that Xuan could have chosen, but she hadn't understood at her young age how much different life could have been. All she'd ever known was one the Starfleet Enlisted. Xuan and her mother, also an enlisted woman, had been quite the pair as the Orion/human hybrid navigated childhood. Xuan moved from ship to base to ship to base, all at Starfleet's beckon call. Very rarely did her mother get to choose an assignment. Not that it mattered since the two Chihyons were quite inseparable. And when it came time to branch out on her own, Xuan had been given a choice as well: learn at the Academy and get commissioned, or enlist.

Xuan never saw the point in the academy. Why should she go to a school for four years to listen to everything she'd spent her whole life learning and experiencing by her mother's side? She was no stranger to the tests, renewal contracts, lodging, or even the lack of freedom in accepting assignments. The last few years had been quite exhausting because of it.

And today, for likely the umpteenth time in the last several months, Xuan found herself wishing that she'd taken her chances with the Academy. Two weeks ago, she'd been assigned to Deep Space Three, one of Starfleet's oldest bases. She'd served there for more than a year, faithfully. She was halfway through a four-year renewal, and lo and behold... Starfleet announced they were decommissioning the old base. Xuan was given a rare option. Either she stay and help dismantle the base she'd spent more than a year keeping active, or she could request something different.

Always the one to look and move forward, Xuan chose to move on, allowing herself to move at Starfleet's discretion.

She wondered what the hell had happened in Personnel. Yes, personnel numbers were low everywhere, so getting a different assignment wouldn't have been a problem. Somehow, Starfleet had determined that Petty Officer 1st Class Xuan Chihyon was best utilized again on an aging station, one that likely should be decommissioned. K-class, near the Tzenkethi border. The station, clearly 150 years old, was an engineering marvel, if one could call century-old technology still working a marvel.

Even now, as she stepped through the airlock into the older corridor, her years of experience took over. The air was equal parts fresh and stale. She could tell the air circulators were older, and some cycled out. This particular corridor had seen some attention, likely part of the recent refurbishment efforts. Various displays were a mix of early and late 24th-century LCARS, even though both versions bore the same blue and green color scheme. Xuan appreciated the color palette, identifying easily that there was a great level of care being taken behind the scenes.

There was much more to admire about the station, but Xuan found herself distracted by two engineers hiding around a corner. A quick glance showed an male ensign and a female third-class petty officer working in an alcove on what appeared to be a ODN junction. The alcove itself, and the corridor down the corresponding junction was darkened, illuminated by emergency lights. From what she could tell, the duo were crouched and swapping out a series of isolinear chips and two large relays. This was normally a harmless task.

Except this ensign was clearly on a power trip. The ensign, a Trill, was berating the petty officer, a Bajoran. His voice was raised, and not at all caring that he was drawing the attention of the newly boarded crewmates. Most seemed to scoff and just move along. Xuan, however, knew that she couldn't ignore this. She shifted the bag on her shoulder and walked up behind them, noting that the Trill was clearly oblivious to her actions. Instead, he continued to lecture the petty officer on what the next step was and how she was using her tools too haphazardly. Xuan watched the situation for a moment more, specifically seeing how the Bajoran was buckling under the stress. The Bajoran, by now, noticed the green-skinned woman standing there.

The ensign glanced backward, almost doing a double take. He looked at her for a moment, noted the bag, then the chevrons on her collar. "Go report in," he told her, then looking back to the open maintenance hatch. "No loitering in maintenance areas."

Xuan ignored his remarks. "Is there a problem here, Ensign?"

The Trill tried to hide his confusion. "What's it matter to you, Petty Officer? Seriously, this isn't a viewing area. Go report in and do whatever it is you're supposed to do."

Xuan shook her head. "When I report in is my business."

He scoffed and stood. "Then perhaps I should call security, let them know of your lapse in punctuality." The Trill chuckled, smiled, and demanded to see her orders.

Xuan shook her head, staring at the ensign for a moment as she tried to decide how best to proceed. There was no chance she was walking away, but there was absolute certainty she was going to enjoy this. "Very well," she said, opening her shoulder bag and pulling out a padd that contained her orders. She activated it, made sure the screen was displaying her assignment, and handed it to the ensign.

The Trill was beaming as he accepted the padd, but hadn't looked at the screen yet. In fact, Xuan swore it grew slightly in size. He chuckled, looking at the screen. "Let's see now. Petty Officer First Class Xuan Chihyon." He glanced up, still smiling. "Quite the name for an Orion. Unusual." He turned his attention back to the device. "Department... Operations. Position..."

His smile slowly evaporated as he read the information. The Trill looked up at Xuan as she finished, "Chief Operations Officer." She glanced down and saw the Bajoran's eyes light up, happy to find herself a new friend in this arrival. "So, I ask again, Ensign. Is there a problem here?"

"I... um..." the Trill stammered, now completely disarmed and unsettled. "No... I..."

"Clearly something is wrong," Xuan said, casually taking her display device back from the ensign and placing it in her bag. "After all, you seem to be quite angry with your crewmate here." She watched him stammer for a moment more, then she moved to finish him off. "Mister, you are relieved for the day. Tomorrow, when you've had a chance to cool down, we shall discuss etiquette on the job site." She stepped aside and waved her hand, expecting the Trill to walk away.

And when he did and disappeared down the corridor, Xuan turned her attention to the Bajoran. Before the woman could thank the new arrival, Xuan said, "I'm going to find my quarters, and report in officially. When that's done, I'll be back to assist with finishing this."

The Bajoran smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

Xuan returned both the smile and nod. She then turned and left the area. He smile slowly faded as she did, hoping that what she just encountered would be the most of her troubles.