Well That Wasn't So Bad, Was It?

Posted on Mon Jul 11th, 2011 @ 11:57am by
Edited on on Mon Jul 11th, 2011 @ 12:04pm

Mission: Too Close for Comfort...
Location: Various
Timeline: Ending in tandem with 'Heading Out'

=Sleeping Berth, Runabout Dnieper, En Route to Archadia System=

Alexis Sylvari lay in her cramped sleeping berth, trying to pass the time with a game of chess on the datapad held in her hands. She was terrible at the game, and no match for the computer opponent she'd selected. Letting out a defeated sigh, she set the datapad down on her stomach and did her best to keep her mind free of emotion; that too seemed a losing battle.

En route to her new assignment aboard the USS Arizona, Alexis felt filled to capacity with a volatile mix of emotions. On one hand she was bored and frustrated... tired of being cooped up aboard the tiny sleeping berth aboard the runabout, and frustrated at herself for choosing to avoid passing the time by interacting with the other passengers aboard. But on the other side of her restlessness sat a tightly coiled bundle of apprehension and fear. Starfleet was the cause of what had happened to her, yet here she was... ready, and willing to face the same risks all over again. Alexis felt she was doing something incredibly stupid, yet at the same time she couldn't imagine living life any other way.

Ever since 'the incident' and her decision to assume this new identity, Alexis found herself hesitating over every little thing. What would Alexis do? What would Alexis think? She didn't want to admit that she was so out of her element, she had to look to someone she barely knew for guidance on every choice she had to make... someone who longer existed... yet in some twisted way, did.

A fish out of water... a stranger in a foreign land... a man in the body of a woman. Alexis knew. Her family knew. Her doctors and counselors knew. And now her new captain would know. The crew Alexis was going to serve with would probably find out too, and that terrified her.

"Get a grip, girl." Alexis whispered to herself, trying to assuage, and reinforce her new identity. This was the 24th century, a time of gender equality. Hell, she'd served with a few guys who'd portrayed themselves as women, and they'd done so pretty convincingly. And even then, when they didn't, most didn't seem to care. Alexis told herself that even if they knew, people would probably accept her for who she was, and that maybe, just maybe, she'd meet a few who'd actually be willing to help her deal with this... this mess.

Suddenly, a crewman's voice came over the intercom, bringing Alexis out of her reverie. "Attention passengers. We will be arriving at Starbase 900. Those passengers continuing on aboard the Dnieper will have one hour before our next scheduled departure. That is all."

Alexis was thrilled to free from the confines of this... star coffin. She could stand being cooped up aboard shuttles and what not, but only if there was a duty station, or other responsibility to keep her occupied with something important. As she rolled out of the sleeping berth and deftly landed on her feet, Alexis continued to be surprised at the level of spryness and grace her body possessed. Though she controlled the show, her muscles seemed make every step, every movement flow like life was a dance.

Snatching up her duffel bag, Alexis prepared to face the music. This was probably going to be an awkward day.

=Upper Promenade, Starbase 900, Archadia System=

Alexis strolled down the upper promenade, biding her time and looking around casually at the diverse and grandiose features of the starbase's commercial hub. Though many of the people surrounding her came from various Federation member worlds that she was well familiar with, there were at least two-dozen people within sight that came from species she had never seen before. Beyond the immediate throng of people, a vast array of shops, restaurants, and other places of interest lined both sides of the spacious corridor.

Looking out of her peripherals, Alexis spied a restaurant that smelled like it served Cantonese dishes, a travel agency specializing in hunting expeditions, and what had to be a beauty salon... catering to a fashion sense that was clearly alien to her. She had some time to kill before the Arizona was scheduled to depart, and the runabout she'd arrived on was handling the transfer of her duffel... leaving her unburdened. Looking around as she maintained a leisurely pace, Alexis kept an eye out for anything of interest but her mind couldn't help but wander back to recent events.

Alexis missed her old body, but to be brutally honest she did not really miss the person who had previously owned the one she was stuck in now. Alexis (version 2.0) had formed a negative opinion on... well, herself the first day they'd met, and that opinion hadn't really improved in the six months or so leading up to 'the incident.' Alexis (version 1.0) had thought she was hot shit... she'd been abrasive, arrogant, and way too cocky for her own good. Her questionable interpretations of orders had only been overshadowed by her questionable taste in men. And to top it all off, she would turn into a complete shipwreck after three drinks... which had happened more frequently than Alexis now cared to remember. Improvements would have to be made, and in terms of behavior, efforts already seemed to be well underway.

One thing Alexis was not so sure about what to deal with was what she'd inherited. Just about everything of sentimental value had been shipped back to the Sylvari family on Alpha Centauri IV, leaving Alexis with a duffel bag full of outfits that she wouldn't be caught dead wearing. She was going to have to do something about that...

"Yeah, that's gonna have to wait for another time." Alexis breathed aloud, as she looked at the nearest chronometer. She might have time to kill, but her first time shopping for clothes as a woman was probably not going to be an easy or painless affair. Her uniforms would have to do.

Suddenly Alexis' stomach audibly growled, causing her to remember that she hadn't eaten all day. Though a few months ago she wouldn't have found such cuisine preferable, now that Cantonese restaurant was sounding awfully good... must be the new taste buds.

=Thirty Minutes Later=

Alexis burped softly as she left the restaurant, though thankfully no one seemed to notice; she was still getting used to the finer points of 'lady-like behavior.' Thinking she still had time to spare, Alexis was jarred from her complacency as she saw the time on a nearby chronometer.

"Oh no..." She said aloud... her stomach beginning to churn in distaste, and not because of the meal. The docking ring was quite far away... and she was going to be late.

No... no, no, no! Alexis thought, panic beginning to rise. There was an alternative that would ensure her arriving on time, but the alternative was unthinkable. Now, it was unavoidable.

Alexis nearly took off running.

==Transporter Room, USS Arizona==

Alexis felt herself rematerialize, valiantly fighting the urge to cringe upon arrival.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" The transporter chief looked upon her with concern as she stepped off the transport pad.

"Umm.... You tell me, Chief." Alexis managed to reply in deadpan tones. She looked down at her chest. Yup, still Alexis.

"Well ma'am... its just that... your heart rate is rather high." The chief took her transfer orders as she proffered them.

Is that all? Alexis thought. She could feel her heart beating furiously, but hadn't noticed it before now, as she'd been more concerned with... other things. "I'll be okay, Chief." She insisted. "Are we good?" She waited as the chief looked over her orders.

"We're good." He handed back her PaDD. "Welcome aboard ma'am. Lieutenant Minamoto has the deck. I'd check in now... as we're nearly ready to depart."

"Thanks, Chief." Alexis said as she made haste for the bridge. Leaving the transporter room, Alexis flexed her fingers and poked herself in the arm... as if unconvinced that the transporter unit had actually worked without flaw.

"Well that wasn't so bad, was it?" Alexis said to herself in a still-unfamiliar voice, trying to steel herself for whatever may lie ahead.