Finally settling in

Posted on Sun Jul 17th, 2011 @ 8:37pm by Lieutenant Elena Valdez

Mission: The Fate of the Swiftsure
Location: USS Iapetus, sickbay and crew quarters
Timeline: MD6 1730 hrs

"...please remember, Ensign, that a little common sense goes a long way when dealing with orientine acid!"

Elena sent the hapless patient on his way, grateful that he was the last one on her schedule. The beta shift personnel had been drifting into sickbay for the past few minutes, and the doctor took a moment to greet them and catch up on the latest gossip before leaving them to their duties.

She was already on friendly terms with the nurses. Ensign Tenebroso was still a challenge to work with, however, being amiable one moment and downright waspish the next. At first Elena thought his mood swings were the result of professional jealousy, but maybe he was just a prickly sort of person. Unusual for an El-Aurian, but not unheard of.

Brushing thoughts of difficult co-workers aside, Valdez made her way through the ship to her quarters. It had been a long first week as chief medical officer, and she was determined to get out of sickbay and take care of a few personal chores. Such as eating. And sleeping. And unpacking. She was a little tired of living out of her suitcase.

Once in her quarters Elena looked around with the same distaste she had felt the first time she saw the rooms. Everything in Starfleet was so...bland. Gray, taupe, beige, ecru...if she saw one more neutral shade she would probably vomit on it just to break up the visual monotony.

Time to fix all that, at least in her small sphere of influence. Like a magician tugging impossibly long silk scarves out of her sleeve, Elena drew forth item after brilliantly colored item from her duffel bag. Over the couch went a crimson blanket; onto the small bed went a throw of iridescent saffron. One of the walls was soon graced by a wildly colored quilt, while another now displayed 22nd century art in copper and vermilion hues.

That was all that would fit in her bags aside from clothes and a few other personal effects, but it was a good start. She was hoping to personalize her quarters further, perhaps with items collected here in the Delta Quadrant.

The next task at hand was one which would bring a little taste of Mexico to the far reaches of space. Elena sorted through small envelopes of seeds she had procured from her mother. Most of them were for peppers: poblano, bell, habanero, anaheim, jalapeno. Elena dearly loved peppers, and back home would often eat even the spiciest right off the bush.

She had already sweet-talked a few grow lights, some containers, and a bit of soil from a handsome enlisted fellow in the ship's arboretum. It would probably have been easier to grow her peppers hydroponically, but Elena liked the smell of damp earth and green growing things. Her mother always said that food grown in soil tasted better, too. It was only a matter of minutes before Elena had everything set up and planted in a corner of her quarters.

The rest of her unpacking only took a few moments. Elena was surprised to find a data PADD not of Starfleet design tucked in one of her bags, but guessed it was probably a nice message from her father, who had done the same thing when she left for college. With a smile she tossed it on the bed for later. For now her rumbling stomach was reminding her it was time for dinner. With a final glance around her new-and-improved quarters, Elena left for the mess hall.