Sound Advice

Posted on Sat Feb 6th, 2010 @ 6:10am by Commander Earlond & Zander Whyte

Mission: Episode 1.1 - "Now Boarding"
Location: Main Shuttlebay
Timeline: MD02, 1430

[ON]

Drake Lexon (NPC) frowned, tilting his head. The shuttle's impulse drive still didn't sound right, but try as he might he could not get the sound to quit. It took him a while to realize why. It wasn't a combat craft. Drake was so used to dealing with fighter maintenance that he was forgetting he was dealing with standard shuttles now. With a sigh, he gave up on the shuttle and powered its systems down. As he came out and shut the hatch behind him, he noticed a man near the door on the other end of the flight deck. As the only one on the flight deck not currently wearing a jumpsuit, Drake assumed the man was here for another purpose.

Zander had been giving himself a tour of areas of the Pandora that, strictly speaking, he did not have clearance to be in. He tapped some notes into his PaDD on the construction of the shuttlebay but there was very little of any note going on, except an officer who had just docked with the ship. I'll get him later, he thought, picking out his next location on the ship's deck chart.

Drake walked over. "Can I help you?" he asked, eyeing Zander up and down. He definitely wasn't an officer, and he didn't seem to belong on the flight deck. "You do know that access to the flight deck is restricted, right?"

Zander didn't take much notice of the man, he tended to find ignoring Starfleet officers was the best way to have them leave him alone. "Hmm?"

"I don't believe you're supposed to be here," Drake said. "Do you need help? Are you lost?"

"No," Zander replied, looking around the room, "I'm in a shuttlebay. USS Pandora if I'm not mistaken. Are you lost, Lieutenant?"

"Not that I know of," Drake said amiably. "Who are you?"

"Whyte's the name, getting thrown out of restricted areas is the game." He said with a wry grin, breaking out across his face. "And you are?"

"Lieutenant Drake Lexon," Drake replied. "Shuttle pilot. You're that reporter Commander Earlond doesn't like."

"The very same." Zander said, almost beaming with pride at the fact that his reputation had, not for the first time, preceded him. "Friend of the Commander's, are you?"

"I wouldn't go so far as to say 'friend'," Drake replied. "We've met. Recently, in fact. And if I were you, I'd leave the flight deck before he comes back; I doubt your reputation will do you much in a brig."

"Well, I could leave Lieutenant but you see, you'll notice that none of these lovely mechanics have taken issue with my being here. That's because they know I'm not a threat to the running of this ship. I'm just familiarising myself with the layout, the feel." Zander was sure this was going the same way as his first meeting with Commander Earlond but wanted to try and explain his position anyway before he tried to set up a heavy implication. "I need to know my way around if I'm going to find the people I need to speak to. You know, the important people."

"Mechanics are important," Drake pointed out. "But was your first meeting with Commander Earlond really so horrible?"

"He threatened to kill me, Lieutenant. It wasn't the most positive experience I've ever had." Zander replied tersely.

"Come now," Drake said, putting an arm around Zander's shoulder and firmly steering him towards the door. "Even he wouldn't kill you."

Zander let the Lieutenant guide him to the door, he could always come back later. "You sure about that? He seemed to take an immediate dislike to me. Or is he like that with everyone?"

"I believe he doesn't like people prying into his business," Drake replied. "And I wouldn't advise coming back later. Other officers might not be as lenient as I am."

"We'll soon find out," Zander replied, doing his best not to phased by the fact that this officer seemed to be able to read his thoughts. "What brings you to the Pandora then, Lieutenant Lexon?"

"Oh, I don't know," Drake said, glancing away. "Just a change of scenery, I guess."

"I see," Zander replied. "I wouldn't have thought one Starfleet ship was significantly different enough to warrant being referred to as a change of scene though, Lieutenant."

"Well, they're all pretty different in their own way," Drake said. "Have you been with this crew long?"

"I've not been around too long but I wouldn't say I'm with the crew per se. Many of them seem unnecessarily wary around me." Zander sighed. "Not that I blame them, frankly. They all think I'm out to get them."

"Many reporters seem to be," Drake pointed out. "But I'm sure they don't all hate you."

"Well we'll soon see. I really hope that I don't turn out to be the Pandora's biggest social pariah. I'm certainly going the right way about it," he said with a small smile spreading across his face, trying to mask his uncertainty.

"All you have to do is talk to people more," Drake said. "Only do it without your PADD."

"I suppose so," Zander replied, realising that the PADD was almost always in his hand. "I imagine it doesn't really help trying to put people at ease."

"People generally like to talk to other people," Drake said. "As long as they don't feel like it's part of some report."

Zander walked along beside the lieutenant. It was uncomfortable for him as he felt he had genuinely connected with someone in little more than a few minutes. "You're right, Lieutenant. Thanks."

"No problem," Drake said. "Now, I think Earlond's on his way to his office - I'd avoid those areas until he's safely out of sight of you. People like him...well, it takes a while before they even want to talk to you. Anyway, good luck in your endeavor." Turning off into a side passage, Drake headed for a turbolift.

"Thanks." Zander said quietly.

[OFF]

Lieutenant Drake Lexon (NPC)
Shuttle Pilot
Played by Commander Earlond

Zander Whyte
FNS Correspondent
USS Pandora