First Day Of School

Posted on Sat Aug 6th, 2011 @ 5:35am by Cadet Senior Grade Eli Ziyad & Cadet Senior Grade Chance Conradi & Cadet 4th Class Raxim

Mission: In Our Time of Need
Location: Satellite Academy Deck

Eli had been awake since what would have been dawn were he still on a planet. He'd rushed to shower and get dressed, making sure he looked okay and that his clothing was immaculate. Standing before the mirror, he reflected only briefly on how far he'd come. He was too nervous to think about much besides wondering what the day would bring and if Claudia was going to pick on him as usual. Grabbing the padds he'd need, he hurried out and to the turbolift.

He rushed in and only once the doors closed did he realize there was someone in there with him. A human someone to be exact. He recognized the guy, Oz's brother, and nodded.

"Hey," Chance nodded and greeted Eli. He recognized him from the bar the other night; Oz had been kind enough to give him a brief rundown on who some of his fellow cadets were. "Eli, isn't it? I'm Chance Conradi. Ready for this?" He grinned, though he wasn't, to be honest, ready at all. He'd spent last night studying the curves of a very nicely shaped Orion instead of studying their first day's lessons.

"Let's hope. I imagine it will be marginally less harrowing than an execution." Eli smiled at Chance as the turbolift doors opened and they stepped out.

The young Talaxian watched the two other...what she assumed were Cadets...greeting one another. She had spent the previous night alone and trying not to think of her family, she walked over to them and smiled, "Hello, are you two heading to the Academy?"

"That we are, Miss. I'm Cadet Conradi and this is Cadet... Eli," Chance realized he didn't know Eli's last name - Oz hadn't passed on that bit of trivia. He looked at Eli and shrugged, smiling charmingly, "I don't know your last name."

"Eli Ziyad." He smiled at Raxim. "From Enara Prime originally. Nice to meet you both."

"I'm Raxim" she said with a broad smile, her whiskers tingled slightly as she moved towards the door to enter the room, "I'm from the Tarlaz Asteroid Colony." she smiled remembering the colony that had been her home for her entire life. Things had changed all those years ago when he had come to live with them. He had filled her young mind with the stories of the Federation and their brave crew. She had known then that she wanted to join Starfleet, and one day she wanted to live the adventure that that Voyager crew had.

Entering the room designated as their classroom, Chance glanced around and quickly centered on a young female in the room. The same charming smile he'd given Eli broke out again and he introduced himself, "I'm Chance Conradi, one of the new cadets."

The female looked up from the padd she had been reading, and she smiled in return. Oh nice.., she thought, sweeping some of her blonde hair behind an ear. "Oh hi..", she said, and she took in the other two, "Ashley MacGyver", she said to all three, her eyes lingering on Eli, but it was Raxim that caused her to stand up, "Are you a Talaxian?", she asked.

Raxim smiled and brushed her hand against her whiskers as she spoke, "What gave me away?" she laughed nervously. She was sure one of the people was a Human...an honest to the Forest Human, she had seen them in passing since arriving on the station but not spoken to one.

"Well...", Ashley smiled back, sensitive to Raxim's butterflies, "I seen a sketch in a shop, and I have heard wonderful stories." she looked over to Eli, raising an expectant eyebrow.

"Hi Ashley, I'm Eli Ziyad." He noted her look, but let it go. Mention of his world seemed to have that effect on people out here. They were usually repulsed or curious. Eli himself had not yet reached the point where he assumed people were looking at him because of him.

"It's nice to meet you, Eli. All of you.", she nodded.

Chance was just about to expand upon his flirting, but... Whom to flirt with? Pretty blond part-something, or the darkly good-looking Enaran?, he pondered briefly then he shelved the idea of flirting with either - for the next thirty seconds, at least - while Ashley greeted Raxim. He smiled placidly at Raxim.

"You're a Human?!" she paused and looked at him quizzically, "How come you're doing your training here?" asked Raxim at the male a broad smile on her lips.

The Human in the group hadn't expected he'd draw such attention. Surprised, Chance verbally stumbled and finally said, "I... I am, yeah. I... uh... I have family here. And... um... asked to be sent out here for training." He ran a hand through his dark hair and recovered his boyishly charming smile. "Seems like a good idea to train here in the Delta Quadrant since what I want to do is explore new places and people." He shot Eli a sly side glance. "Talaxians and Enarans, for example."

"I'm sure it will be..." Eli paused as Chance's thought flashed in his own head. Whom to flirt with? Pretty blond part-something, or the darkly good-looking Enaran? "...interesting for you, Chance."

"And, it seems, for the Talaxian and Enaran," Chance flirted. "As for the pretty Ashley... I won't hazard a guess as to her background." He invited the blond to tell them where her forehead... horns... would have come from.

Ashley raised an eyebrow again, giving 'him' a challenging look, "Not even a guess?"

Grinning widely now, Chance subtly edged closer to the blond and said, "I'd hazard a guess that you came from my dreams, but our new friends Eli and Raxim might get jealous."

Eli groaned aloud at the cheesy line, then laughed. "Chance, my friend, that line is older than Professor Drake."

Ashley had leaned towards Chance as if interested, then turned away as she gave a look of 'you'll need to do better than that' before sitting back into her seat.

Chance answered both Eli and Ashley with a 'Oh, I'm hurt!' look and hand to the heart. In the end, though, he grinned at both.

Giving him a wry smile in return, Ashley rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she turning a bit in her seat.

Raxim raised a furry eyebrow, "Professor Drake?" she asked, "That's the name on the information I received...who is she?"

"She's El-Aurian, seems to be about four hundred, according to Jackson, and has taught every member of the Fleet since the beginning of time. She's also very good at reading people." This last admission was something Eli knew very well. Even now, after he'd managed to gain entrance to the Academy, his rounds with Claudia unsettled him.

"Who is Jackson?" Ashley asked.

"Jackson runs one of the local bars; Eli works for him," Chance answered her and made a mental note to ask his sister about the mysterious Ashley. "Seems like a nice guy. He's human, too, isn't he, Eli?" This last he said with Raxim's question about him in mind.

"You'll have to introduce me to him, I want to meet more Humans...they interest me" she said glancing at their Human colleague, "Are you going to carry on working while studying?"

"He is yes," Eli answered. "And I do intend to, it's part of my Federation citizenship deal. I had to find a job, and have some within the Federation agree to be official sponsors as well, given my age. So Jackson and Janice volunteered."

"That's going to be hard" she said with a sympathetic tone in her voice, "I don't think I could juggle both."

"I just have to survive four years of it." Eli smiled finally. "And hopefully have time for a little social life. Maybe."

Raxim looked vexed for a moment, "You mean they are two separate things?"

"Well, yes. We have class and study time, and then some free time. Work hard, play harder." Eli glanced to Ashley and then finally to Chance before turning back to Raxim. "Like after the formal dinner tonight. There's no lights out so we have time to play. Well, I'm going to work for a while but then maybe after I'll... do something."

Raxim was still confused, they didn't use their social life as an aspect of work and their work life as a part of their social life. "Okay..." she said raising an eyebrow.

Wouldn't mind if I'm the 'something'..., Chance thought, smiling blandly. "And that would be why he'll need to have good friends around - the sort of friends who'll drag him out to play."

Eli glanced suddenly at Chance, almost as if someone had prodded him. It was a moment before he replied, however. "Yeah, that would be great."

"Well, I'm going to make sure I am ready for tomorrow. If you guys do a get a chance to hang out, maybe stop by and say hi," Ashley shrugged.

Chance smiled at Ashley, nodding that he'd be happy to stop by.

"Sure." Eli's smile to Ashley and Raxim was a trifle shy. "We'll need each other to keep ourselves sane." He paused as the sound of approaching footsteps, alternating with the soft tap of a cane reached them. "Welcome to Ground Zero." And with that he slid into a desk.

********
Eli Ziyad
Cadet 4th Class
Maybe Onto Something

Chance Conradi
Cadet 4th Class
Almost a Cad

Ashley MacGyver
Cadet 4th Class
Maybe too sure of herself?

Raxim
Cadet 4th Class
Social Butterfuly