A new officer

Commander Rai waited for the newcomer at the docking bay in an onslaught of a seemingly neverending day. Yet, he was still excited; being able to see Oz again made him giddy. He only knew their name, he had not seen their face, but if they were anything like the Oz he knew at the academy, he knew they would have a great time all over again.

Erim Oz disembarked from her shuttlecraft. She was not, at first glance, a particularly imposing figure. She was at least a foot shorter, if not more, than the shuttlecraft pilot who disembarked with her. There was something about her, however, that made her seem to take up much more space than she did.

Erim Oz rarely smiled, but when she saw Commander Darren Rai, the look on her face was oddly open and boyish.

"Darren Rai! It's wonderful to see you again, sweetheart. You look like you haven't aged a day since the academy."

The word "sweetheart" seemed particularly strange coming from this small, stern woman's mouth.

Rai was suddenly flooded with emotions.
"Me? Yes, well, look at you!" he exclaimed joyfully, his voice cracking slightly. He threw his arms around her, and pulled back, cupping her small face in his hands affectionately.
"I never thought I'd see you again. We have so much to catch up on. You're going to be my engineer!"

Erim's smile shifted. The Oz symbiont has never been particularly traditional, but the taboo against re-association is strong enough for her to recoil a bit. The openness she displayed earlier was a remnant of a past life. She became cool and distant. Her mind closed like a book.

"I am very excited to take a look at the station's systems. Federation, Cardassian, and even a little Bajoran technology, all intertwined. I'm sure it will be fascinating."

She stepped back, putting a little space between their bodies. She took his hands from her face and held them gently, like one would hold a small bird.

"Will I need to be involved in the summit? I know it's important to have your senior staff present, but those goddamn dress uniforms itch. I'd rather be up to my elbows in the fuel tanks. At the very least, I hope you have some good brandy to make it tolerable."

Leran Oz always loved a party. Erim Oz did not.

Regan turned the corner just in time to see the new Trill gently take the Commander's hands from her face and speak. Interesting.
"Hello!" She said loudly enough that they would hear from where they were:
"Sorry I missed your docking. I had to deal with..." A dead ferengi, "Some emergency paperwork. Lieutenant Commander Oz, I'm Doctor Regan Ozan, Chief Medical Officer" she extended a hand in formal greeting, "I hope you didn't go too stir crazy on your way out here. It is quite the journey."

Erim let go of Commander Rai's hands carefully. She felt a brief spike of anxiety at having had any sort of physical contact that might seem too familiar with someone from a past life, but didn't show it. Instead, she reached out to shake Regan's hand.  

"Hello. It's nice to meet you, Doctor. I didn't mind the journey at all. My mother sent me a new piece a Vulcan friend of hers composed, so I had something to entertain myself. It was very... Orderly. Not my usual style of music, but certainly stimulating."

She paused, appraising Regan with an intensity that some might find unsettling. Erim wasn't sure what to make of Regan yet.

"I assume you're here to pick me up for my physical. Probably best to do that before I have drinks with Commander Rai," Erim smirked.

Rai collected himself, inwardly haranguing himself for his lack of professionalism.
"Yes, Dr. Ozan will keep you in good hands. You won't need to participate in the summit-- we've been miserably understaffed for a year now. We need a capable engineer. We have malfunctioning conduits, a phaser array that works on good days only, and our deflector shields have a funny habit of raising mid transport. You have your work cut out for you."

"Oh, thank goodness, " Erim exclaimed, visibly relaxing. "Thanks for not making me mingle with any of those stuffed shirts. I always feel so out of place. I'm not quite as, ah... Refined, as Leran was."

A purple blush crept up Erim's neck. It had been a little over a decade since she joined with the Oz symbiont. She shouldn't still be embarassed by how uncouth she felt compared to her predecessors. Seeing Darren brought up a lot of emotions that she had not considered for a long time. She liked herself, generally, but she remembered how beautiful Leran Oz was, how elegant, and how eager he had been to please Darren. She took a deep breath and pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. They were unprofessional and dangerous. And besides, she knew as well as anyone that Darren Rai preferred the company of men.

"The senior staff is meeting at the station watering hole tonight, and I'm briefing everyone at 0600 hours tomorrow morning, prior to the opening talks. Everyone will have a chance to get to know you by then, and you can catch up on everything that awaits you. This station is a lot of work, but I love it here. I hope you will learn to like it too, Lieutenant."

Erim nodded. She had hoped for drinks with Darren alone, to reminisce about their shared time together, but she understood that this was a space station, and there was a lot for both of them to do.

"I like these older ships and stations more than anything. A little grime adds character. I look forward to getting my hands dirty. I'll see you later, Commander."

Erim turned to Dr. Ozan and delivered, in perfect deadpan, "Now, where were we? I believe you were going to check me for worms."

Regan laughed, "I might be a bit negligent, but sometimes I let people squeak by with one worm if I like them enough. If you happen to have more than that, then we might have a problem. Shall we?"
She gestured towards the hall that would take them to sickbay and gave a final nod towards Commander Rai.

Erin is a little shocked, but still amused by Reagan ' s sense of humor. Symbionts are usually treated with a certain amount of reverence by the Trill.

"Just the one worm I'm aware of. We've become a bit attached though. I think I'd rather hold on to it. Lead the way to sick bay, Doctor Ozan."

Erim gives one last nod towards Commander Rai before exiting the docking bay.

[Continued in the infirmary]