Onboarding

Posted on Wednesday October 15, 2025 @ 3:00am by Lieutenant Commander Halli Bann Dr (PhD) & Lieutenant Mak Aerie

1,156 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Episode 1: A New Frontier
Location: XO's Office
Timeline: pre-Launch

These first-day interviews were always booorring but Halli had known what she was signing on for when she took this job. She just hadn't expected to be picked up so fast. Still. She was here, and she was making good progress with onboarding new crew. She just wished she had had the foresight to bring more coffee and a snack. She had the replicator, but replicator coffee was disgusting.

The Trill called in her next interviewee.

=/\=Lieutenant Mak Aerie, please report to the XO's office as soon as possible. Thank you. =/\=

The blonde woman raked her hair back and then decided to replicate some coffee while she waited. After all, even bad coffee was still coffee.

Mak's combadge trilled as he stopped for a few moments. Tapping it, he replied, "On my way."

Seated at the CONN station, his display text scrolled as several star charts downloaded. In the middle of all this, he exhaled, rubbing his forehead. Stress started to get at him. He heard the XO's a joined Trill, unlike him, as he remained unjoined. For a reason, he chose the path of being unjoined, due to his dislike of Trill Symbiosis Commission. It had nothing to do with Starfleet or his Trill crewmates. Trill politics drove his family away. The Symbiosis Commission ostracized his family. His uncle tried to reconcile with him. He even invited him to apply for the joining and introduced him to the Aerie family.

Mak tried. He really tried to connect. However, Trill abandoned him. His uncle abandoned him. He had strong animosity towards the Symbiosis Commission, because he applied for the joining. However, they rejected him with no retrial. No meant no. Period. End of story. However, his story had just begun afterwards. Despite his Uncle's protest, Mak cut off all ties with his family.

The CONN station beeped as Mak moved his arms out across the console and stretched. Shaking his head, he quickly left his station and walked with a slight military gait towards the XO office. Not wanting to start on the wrong foot, he swallowed his discomfort. With his expression almost unreadable, he pressed the bell.

"Please come in," Halli said loudly. Normally, she would stand up and open the door, but she was busy today and it took extra time.

"Ah. Lieutenant Aerie. How are you today? Please, have a seat," she said. Another Trill, unjoined. Most Trill were; only specific people were chosen and it was stiff competition. She'd nearly lost it herself. Barely pulled herself through the interviews. Her views, at the time, about Trill's insistence to ignore what was happening elsewhere in the Quadrant were called "radical." Mostly, it had been nepotism. Halli parents were SOMEBODIES on Trill, and that had given her the edge. In hindsight, she might not have done it on her own.

"So. Tell me a bit about yourself before we get started. I am Halli Bann. My former name was Reex, though," she said.

"Thank you, sir," Mak fidgeted silently with his hands before placing them behind his back professionally. He approached the chair mechanically and replied, "Not much to tell. The family Aerie isn't a common family name. However, I don't know much about my family since I grew up on Vashti far from Trill." He gulped, catching himself. His family being a sore subject, he quickly diverted to another subject of his interest, "Always wanted to fly since before I started walking. Someone recommended me for Starfleet, so here I am. Flying. My other interest is archeology, but that's not important."

He finished, offering a slight smile.

Halli nodded once. "I understand," she said. "Archaeology, huh? Interestingly, I was the Chief Science Officer over on the Intrepid before I came here. I have a minor interest in Xenoarcheology, too," she said, "Though my area of expertise was chemistry," she said. "How did you get interested in flying?" She decided not to ask too many questions today about his Trill-ness, as he seemed hesitant to talk. She was fine with that.

Mak shrugged, taking a moment to consider his words, "As you know, I grew up in Vashti. Qirius sector. It's kinda wild space. I get around. Growing up, I just always wanted to aim for the stars. I couldn't fly yet, but the idea of me flying in the cockpit of a fighter ship fascinated me. I saw a few Fenris Rangers ships and I decided that I wanted to fly a starfighter. So, really, I wanted to be a fighter pilot growing up and I got my dream, flying my first Fenris Ranger ship."

Halli nodded. "When did you leave Trill?" She asked, curiously. "

Mak sighed, considering her words. Knowing full well it would come up, he carefully replied, “It’s been fifteen years. I visited Trill only once in my life, and to be honest, I’ll never go back. The moment i graduated from Starfleet Academy, I got this letter from my Uncle that I hadn’t heard in over ten years inviting me to see the family. I guess, word got around that I’m the first Aerie to attend the academy and graduate. I guess they wanted an excuse to have a Starfleet officer to represent them. They even wanted me to apply to be joined.”

Halli nodded. "I see," she said. "I am sorry that happened. I do understand that some people don't have as strong of a tie to their people as I do. I can respect that," she said. "Now. Have you managed to meet with the Chief of the Boat and get your quarters and such? Everything ok?" She asked, not belaboring the point. As much as she loved Trill and her people. they DID have a bit of classism among the joined and unjoined, even within family units, and she disliked that, too. She felt it should be more of a choice than an expectation, like who one marries or something.

Mak shrugged. The only people he had were the Rangers as they acted in place as family when Trill didn't. He shook his head, "I haven't had a chance to meet with them. If I may, sir, I haven’t met the captain yet. Do you have any advice?."

She smiled lightly. "He doesn't stand on bullshit," she said, frankly. "So just be authentic and it'll be ok. He's nice, too. Relatable and not out of touch. Came from the Fleet, so he understands," she said. "Please try to square away those tasks as soon as you can. I know we're busy getting ready to launch, so don't sweat it too much. Just by the end of the week," she said.

“Yes, sir. Was good to meet you,” Mak replied, ready to get started.

Halli smiled. "Same. I look forward to our service together," she said. "You're free to go."

"Thank you," Mak nodded. He turned to leave to resume his duties.

 

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