personnel on all shifts, than she'd had as acting XO.
By the time the Prometheus reached Nordakia, Jenetta's months of daily work with the hologram in her quarters had given her a solid conversational fluency in Dakis, and she felt that she had acquired an acceptable knowledge of their history and culture, at least to the extent of the information contained in the ship's computer. As the ship entered orbit around the planet on October 10th, LaSalle made a ship-wide announcement that a delegation representing the royal family would be coming aboard the following day. When Jenetta arrived for her duty shift, LaSalle motioned to her to take the seat next to her. An image of the bright blue, green, and tan planet below them filled the enormous monitor at the front of the Bridge. Very Earth-like in appearance, the planet even circled a G2 Yellow dwarf like Earth's Sun. Two notable differences were that Nordakia was the closest planet to its star and had three small moons.
After briefing Jenetta on the status of the ship, LaSalle said. “Lt. Commander, this will be your last duty watch until after the medal ceremony. You're relieved of all shipboard duties for the duration.”
“But Commander, the medal ceremony isn't scheduled for more than thirty days from now. What am I supposed to do between now and then?”
“I'm sure there are plans for your time; probably tours, state dinners and such. You'll find out soon enough. I'm just passing on the orders that I've received from the Captain.”
“Yes ma'am. Who will be taking over my duties here?”
“That's really none of your concern, is it? Carry on, Commander. The bridge is yours.”
“Aye, Commander,” Jenetta said to LaSalle's back. She had a childish urge to stick her tongue out but restrained herself.
Jenetta was only able to get a couple of hours sleep before the delegation from Nordakia was due to arrive. She had the option of wearing either trousers or skirt as part of her dress uniform, and during the past year she had usually worn a skirt for such formal occasions, but today she opted for trousers. As this was considered an 'official state visit', she was required to wear her medals. She grimaced as she affixed the ostentatious and weighty decorations that stretched the fabric of her tunic.
So as not to risk being absent when the delegation from Nordakia arrived, Jenetta reported extra early to the flight bay airlock entrance. She was soon joined by the Galactic Alliance delegation, the Captain, and all command officers not on duty.
At the scheduled time, three large shuttles arrived and entered the ship. Once the ship's outer doors were closed, the space around the shuttles was pressurized and the transparent walls that formed adjustable airlocks around each of the small ships folded back up to the overhead. The shuttles then moved to their assigned parking locations, engaged their magnetic skids, and cut their power.
The welcoming party entered the bay just in time to see the Nordakians disembark from their ships. Everyone knew that Nordakians were humanlike, but those who had never seen one in person were amazed at their height.
Like the males, female Nordakians don't have external ear parts, but unlike the glabrous pates of the males, females have hirsute scalps. Black, indigo, magenta, or red hair covers their head just as densely as on their Terran counterparts. While Nordakian females can alter their skin color just as rapidly as the males, their natural hair color can only be altered by standard dying or bleaching techniques. Narrow, delicate noses are the rule for females, as opposed to the wide flat proboscises of the males.
As the Nordakian delegation assembled in the flight bay, Jenetta noticed that the only three women present walked in single file, a discrete distance behind the last of the men. Each was carrying a suitcase and garment bag. Jenetta knew that the Nordakian culture was strongly male dominated, but she wasn't quite prepared for such a
By the time the Prometheus reached Nordakia, Jenetta's months of daily work with the hologram in her quarters had given her a solid conversational fluency in Dakis, and she felt that she had acquired an acceptable knowledge of their history and culture, at least to the extent of the information contained in the ship's computer. As the ship entered orbit around the planet on October 10th, LaSalle made a ship-wide announcement that a delegation representing the royal family would be coming aboard the following day. When Jenetta arrived for her duty shift, LaSalle motioned to her to take the seat next to her. An image of the bright blue, green, and tan planet below them filled the enormous monitor at the front of the Bridge. Very Earth-like in appearance, the planet even circled a G2 Yellow dwarf like Earth's Sun. Two notable differences were that Nordakia was the closest planet to its star and had three small moons.
After briefing Jenetta on the status of the ship, LaSalle said. “Lt. Commander, this will be your last duty watch until after the medal ceremony. You're relieved of all shipboard duties for the duration.”
“But Commander, the medal ceremony isn't scheduled for more than thirty days from now. What am I supposed to do between now and then?”
“I'm sure there are plans for your time; probably tours, state dinners and such. You'll find out soon enough. I'm just passing on the orders that I've received from the Captain.”
“Yes ma'am. Who will be taking over my duties here?”
“That's really none of your concern, is it? Carry on, Commander. The bridge is yours.”
“Aye, Commander,” Jenetta said to LaSalle's back. She had a childish urge to stick her tongue out but restrained herself.
Jenetta was only able to get a couple of hours sleep before the delegation from Nordakia was due to arrive. She had the option of wearing either trousers or skirt as part of her dress uniform, and during the past year she had usually worn a skirt for such formal occasions, but today she opted for trousers. As this was considered an 'official state visit', she was required to wear her medals. She grimaced as she affixed the ostentatious and weighty decorations that stretched the fabric of her tunic.
So as not to risk being absent when the delegation from Nordakia arrived, Jenetta reported extra early to the flight bay airlock entrance. She was soon joined by the Galactic Alliance delegation, the Captain, and all command officers not on duty.
At the scheduled time, three large shuttles arrived and entered the ship. Once the ship's outer doors were closed, the space around the shuttles was pressurized and the transparent walls that formed adjustable airlocks around each of the small ships folded back up to the overhead. The shuttles then moved to their assigned parking locations, engaged their magnetic skids, and cut their power.
The welcoming party entered the bay just in time to see the Nordakians disembark from their ships. Everyone knew that Nordakians were humanlike, but those who had never seen one in person were amazed at their height.
Like the males, female Nordakians don't have external ear parts, but unlike the glabrous pates of the males, females have hirsute scalps. Black, indigo, magenta, or red hair covers their head just as densely as on their Terran counterparts. While Nordakian females can alter their skin color just as rapidly as the males, their natural hair color can only be altered by standard dying or bleaching techniques. Narrow, delicate noses are the rule for females, as opposed to the wide flat proboscises of the males.
As the Nordakian delegation assembled in the flight bay, Jenetta noticed that the only three women present walked in single file, a discrete distance behind the last of the men. Each was carrying a suitcase and garment bag. Jenetta knew that the Nordakian culture was strongly male dominated, but she wasn't quite prepared for such a
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