<strong>*** Aboard the USS <em>Da Vinci</em> ***</strong><br/><br/>Lieutenant JG Mazon Perim took one last look around the very nearly empty quarters that had been his for the last year, making sure he hadn't forgotten anything. He was going to miss this ship. It had been his first assignment out of Starfleet Academy, and there's nothing quite like your first. He sighed and headed down to the transporter room.<br/><br/>They were coming in to dock at Arkaria Station for some minor repairs, the baryon sweep at the Remmler Array, and some crew rotation with the USS<em>McNair</em>. He was being transferred to the<em>McNair</em>, where his talents would be better utilized, and as much as he looked forward to meeting new people and facing new challenges, he knew it was going to be a bittersweet parting.<br/><br/>He arrived at the transporter room and found Captain Hawthorne himself standing there in front of the podium.<br/><br/>"Captain?"<br/><br/>The captain of the<em>Da Vinci</em>took a step in his direction and held out his hand. It was a Human custom that he had had to get used to when he joined Starfleet, but it was one that he found comforting. He wished more people back on the Trill homeworld did something like it. He reached out himself and grasped the other man's hand for a moment.<br/><br/>"It's just not going to be the same without you around here, Maze. Hell, I wouldn't even be here if it hadn't been for you."<br/><br/>"I was only part of the team that rescued you, sir."<br/><br/>"Exactly. But hey, it earned you a medal, right? Nothing to sneeze at." Hawthorne smiled as he stepped back to allow Maze room to reach the transporter pad."Don't forget all about us aboard that fancy new ship, you hear?"<br/><br/>Maze smiled as he stepped up onto the pad. "No, sir. There's plenty of exciting new things waiting for me on my new assignment, but I'll always remember what happened here." He straightened up a little, standing to attention. "Permission to disembark, sir."<br/><br/>Hawthorne also stood to attention, formalizing the ritual. "Permission granted. Energize."<br/><br/>The transporter chief initiated the transport sequence, and the next thing he knew, he was standing in the transporter room of the<em>McNair</em>.<br/><br/>"Welcome aboard, sir." The transporter officer was an enlisted man, which is why he had called someone with Perim's rank sir. Maze guessed it was something he was going to have to get used to. It still didn't feel right, having someone else call him sir.<br/><br/>"What's your name, crewman?" He asked as he stepped off the platform.<br/><br/>"DeSoto, sir. Petty Officer second class Martin DeSoto."<br/><br/>"Well, thank you DeSoto. Has my luggage already arrived, do you know?"<br/><br/>"Yes, sir. It was beamed directly to your quarters about fifteen minutes ago."<br/><br/>"Thank you."<br/><br/>Maze stepped out into the corridor. Everything looked different on this ship, even the corridors. It was exciting and fresh and new. He had learned the layout of the new ship design and knew where the nearest turbolift was, but it was still something to actually be here. He stood outside the turbolift doors and waited for them to open, looking at everything in the corridor around him.<br/><br/>When they whooshed open, he found himself looking into the face of a Vulcan in engineering colors. He wore two pips on his collar, which meant he outranked Maze.<br/><br/>"Sir," he acknowledged the other man's superior rank as he entered the turbolift. He stated his destination to the computer, "Deck four," as the doors closed and he could feel the slight shift under his feet as it began moving.<br/><br/>"Are you one of the new officers?" asked the Vulcan. "I do not recall having seen you before."<br/><br/>"Yes, sir. Lieutenant JG Mazon Perim. I've been assigned to the physical sciences lab."<br/><br/>"You are of the Trill species, I take it?"<br/><br/>"Yes, sir." Maze laughed a little. It wasn't exactly hard to tell Trill, what with the spots going down the sides of their faces. "The spots are a dead giveaway every time."<br/><br/>The Vulcan tilted his head. Maze kicked himself internally. Why did he try to make a joke with a Vulcan?<br/><br/>"Yes, that was how I was able to tell."<br/><br/>The doors opened as the turbolift car came to a stop at deck four. "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't get your name."<br/><br/>"I am Lieutenant Sevek."<br/><br/>"Pleasure to meet you, sir."<br/><br/>"Likewise."<br/><br/>The turbolift doors closed after Maze had exited and he made his way to his new quarters.<br/><br/>He checked to make sure that his case had arrived. It wasn't a particularly large one, as he had learned to travel light as a Starfleet officer, and he hadn't had much time yet to gather up mementos of his term of service. He looked around the room, taking it all in. It was a different layout from what he was used to, but he knew it wouldn't take long for him to get used to it. Unpacking could wait, though. There was another formality for him to take care of - reporting for duty.<br/><br/>"Computer, location of Captain Mitchell?"<br/><br/>"Captain Mitchell is in the Ready Room."<br/><br/>He nodded and made his way out of his quarters and back to the turbolift. No time like the present to present himself formally to his new commanding officer.<br/><br/>(Continued in Bridge thread)