So, this is the new ship, Nightsea mused. She glanced about her cabin, trying to decide just why a full week had gone by already, and she still did not feel at ease, even in her own, secured quarters. It didn't take long for her to conclude that it was not the fact that she was on an Empire ship, hurtling through space at high velocities, but rather the fact that she was surrounded by beings she did not know or trust, although both conditions were new and unfamiliar to her. Only one thing for it, she concluded, she'd have to find allies on board.

"Computer," she addressed the ceiling by habit, "give deck location of primary off-duty assembly area on board." Nightsea knew that the computer would pick up her command, no matter which direction she was facing, but she still preferred to assign it a location. She liked to anthropomorphise the machines she worked with, and often thought of the computer as a boring, but usually reliable companion.

"Please specify off-duty areas from the following: recreational, personal quarters, arboretum, or mess hall."

She replied, "List recreational sites.".

"Holosuite 1, Holosuite 2, Holo..."

"Cancel!" I'll never get anywhere this way. Best to consult a living crew member to get the buzz about where the best place to interact on a social level would be. What do machines know about having fun?

Looking about her quarters quickly, Nightsea turned to the large wall to the left of her bed, the one which had been reformed into the huge tank that housed her bond-dolphin. Reaching above the rim of the tank,just below the ceiling, she put a hand into the warmish water and sent, ***I go to explore, now. Will return in two hours, or send if I will be gone for longer. You know what to do if I do not contact you. As always,be careful where you drift...***, and she allowed her words to be underlined by the emotions she sent also, deep care and affection.

Glancing about the cabin they shared, she decided to snatch up a blue scarf, and a weapon to take along as well, and then passed through the swooshing portal.

Just beyond her door, the corridor was a hive of activity. Personnel walked by alone, or in pairs, discussing things with their walking partners, or rushing by with determined looks, obviously on duty. Some seemed to take note of her while they were down the hallway, and adjust course to give her a large amount of personal space. Smiling, she chose to go left, down the passage, with the flow of people. It didn't take long before she was at another junction, and had to decide on a direction of travel again.

Undecided, she was just about to again choose the left direction, when a distracted young ensign walked into her from the right. While the impact was slight on Nightsea, the immovable object so to speak, the ensign was knocked to her "dorsal region".

"Oh! Oww. Umm, I mean sorry, sir!" she blurted glancing up and seeing who she had collided with.

Nightsea bent over, and offered her hand to help up the short human female.

Looking terrified, the girl took the proffered arm, but carefully kept her eyes away from Nightsea's face.

"So, you've heard that a stare is a challenge to the Wolfriders, eh, girl?"

Nightsea laughed, seeing that the girl would not meet her eyes. "Well, you can look at me without fear of a challenge, I am not bonded with a wolf."

"Uh, no offence, I don't know all the elves on board, sir, I uh, don't, um, oh, I was just looking down to find where my datapad went." the girl lied.

"Your datapad flew into that junction there," Nightsea pointed, enjoying the feeling of power that her height gave her over the human. Now if only she could calm the female, she would soon have someone to ask questions of, without fear of embarrassment. This subordinate would be easy to handle.

Fumbling to retrieve the black square from the corner where it had landed, the girl had turned her back to Nightsea, and did not see that Nightsea had moved to stand directly behind her. As she stood, she again felt Nightsea's body and hers bump at uncomfortable angles.

"Excuse me, oh I can't believe how clumsy I've become!" the discombobulated underling breathed in surprise.

"Here, let me help you," said Nightsea smoothly as she reached around the female's body to take the datapad. "Now, which way were you going before you tried to run over me?" Nightsea said, still not moving away.

Trapped facing the corner, with Nightsea's arms just retracting from their encircling of her, the girl couldn't think what to say for a moment, and didn't know what to do with her own hands. Making a large effort to get control of herself again, she finally answered, "I was going to Ten Forward, and trying to read up on Bolean Chess Strategies at the same time. It is my fault for not watching where I was going, and I'm very sorry! But now I am late for my match with Corporal Torg." She tried to twist around to face Nightsea in the small space as she spoke.

Completely understanding the "fight or flight" response in the female, Nightsea knew that she had the perfect opportunity here. If she could both be the cause of and the release from the girl's discomfort, the girl wouldn't completely regain her balance at all, and would be more malleable to Nightsea's will. Small manipulations always presented the easiest method of interpersonal relationships.

"Excellent! I will make sure you speed to this match. Follow me,and we will not delay your progress further." At once, datapad in hand, Nightsea set off back down the corridor, leaving the woman no choice but to trail along behind. Nightsea knew full well that the other woman's fondest wish at this moment was to be free of her company.

After removing the self satisfied smirk from her face, Nightsea slowed her pace and allowed the poor creature to draw abreast as they walked quickly. "Tell me, this chess match, it is a game?"

"Yes, sir. I have just joined the club, and am not yet playing at tournament level, but Corporal Torg says I show great potential, and one of the top Vulcan players will agree to be my coach if I win this match!" she panted as she struggled to match the longer legged stride of the mysterious elf beside her. She didn't seem to be as frightening as the rumours about her kind suggested, but then, she did seem vaguely unsettling in some way the girl could not even identify yet. It was just her luck to run into an elf on such an important day. She had to win this match, and her last crucial time to plan, and plot strategies was now gone. Maybe she could get the datapad back at the door to Ten Forward, bid farewell to this tall stranger, and then study and compose herself for a moment, before begging Torg to keep the match. He hated tardiness, and wouldn't be in a good mood, even with this slight delay.

As if reading her very thoughts, the blue eyed giantess beside her switched the datapad from the hand beside her, into the one nearer the corridor wall, practically out of sight, let alone having it back. Adding after the gesture, "Chess...chess...sounds like you are excited to play. I will see this game, and observe your strategy in the match, comparing it to what I read, to see how well the written directions work."

Outranked, outflanked and out of time, the woman realised with a start that they were already at the destination, her nervous glances at the doorway having told Nightsea the location. Swallowing her sigh, she went through the doorway first, noticing that Nightsea's presence behind her now sent a chill up her spine.

One down, 800 some odd to go, Nightsea thought to herself as she followed the cowed female into Ten Forward. If all the life forms on board were this transparent in their desires, she would soon know how to handle them.

Alas, she knew that most recruits of the Empire were made of stronger stuff, and her fellow elves were never that predictable.

Just inside, a large droopy faced alien sat hunched over a triple-layered board with many strange objects arrayed in some sort of pattern. The jumpy female approached him with obvious deference, and a helpless, lost look.

"Corporal Torg, please forgive my lateness, I had something of a run-in with, with..." confused, she turned to Nightsea to help with her own introduction.

"My name is Nightsea." She stepped up to stand across the table from the alien, and beside the female. Both hands clutched the datapad behind her back. Others in the room seemed to stop their activities in order to overhear the exchange.

Smiling up at Nightsea for supplying her excuse, she again tried to decide if she liked the elf woman. She wanted to, but couldn't seem to get the pit of her stomach to agree with her head. It was silly to fear her, there had been no overt threat, no hostile words, yet combat had not startled her as much as bumping into this being!

No matter now, Torg just had to allow her to play today. If he made her wait, she would be on pins and needles until he rescheduled the match, and her concentration wouldn't stand the strain.

"So, please don't delay the match, Corporal Torg. I'm ready to begin right away, and Nightsea wants to watch us play." the woman turned pleading eyes to first Torg, then Nightsea, then Torg again.

"Yes, corporal Torg, please do not delay this match. My young friend here seems very eager to play, and as a new Lieutenant aboard, I've never before seen this game, chess." Nightsea put on her best smile, showing no teeth, stretching her mouth wide at the corners, and leaning slightly forward to display a bit of cleavage. Not sure which psychology might work to her best advantage with this race, she was still not afraid to use her subtle tricks to get a minor favour, at least she would be able to judge his reactions to her words and movements for later.

She had used the art of body language for centuries, and always found it reliable, even when just learning about a new species. The mention of her rank might also impress this large fellow, and most beings also responded well to the impulse to show off a particular skill to someone new.

Huffing a bit, but obviously unable to say no, Torg simply gestured with one eight-digit hand for the girl to seat herself and begin with the first move. He patted the bench beside himself with his other hand to indicate that he wanted Nightsea to sit on his side of the table. As it was a better vantage point for the room overall anyway, Nightsea walked around the table to gracefully settle beside him. Her back to a wall, and able to see almost everyone in the room without turning her head obviously, she liked the alien's choice in seats, and wondered if it was a coincidence, or by design.

The match began with no ceremony, no sounds, just manipulation of the small pieces on the three levels of the board. Disappointed that there seemed to be no physical component, no big betting, and no excitement in this game, Nightsea nonetheless understood that the girl was losing almost immediately.

Feeling no great surprise, she began looking at the datapad out of boredom. It explained, among other things, the names of the pieces on the board, most of which seemed to have already been captured by Torg, and the female human's name, which appeared at the top of the screen. Ensign Amanda Laverton was not very good at chess, it appeared. She must have some other sort of skills that were not readily apparent, Nightsea surmised. Strength seemed out, and this game obviously was designed to test wits and strategy. If she had earned her rank in one of the Empire's less traditional, but common ways, that would explain a lot. It would be amusing to hear which officer Ensign Laverton spoke of most often, as that would give away the clue Nightsea wanted to know: which one preferred black haired, short, submissive women.

Such small details added up over time, and Nightsea knew how to take advantage of all such minutiae.

Torg also grew bored with the game, despite the obvious look of concentration on his opponent's features, and decided he would play two games simultaneously. He reached one hand over to lightly finger Nightsea's thigh, just above her boot, and just below the hem of her uniform.

An unwise choice, thought Nightsea, revising her opinion of his intelligence. He must have chosen the seat out of habit, since he obviously got himself into situations beyond his control, and may often have need of a wall at his back and close proximity to an exit.

Without raising any alarm or shrieking in silly, useless protest at being handled, Nightsea quietly unwound the scarf from her hair and smiled at him sideways. Mistaking her intentions Torg's soggy features lifted in hopefulness, just before Nightsea used the scarf to tie his fingers together very tightly, cutting off whatever circulatory system he had.

The unexpectedness of her action did get a sort of high pitched squeak from a tube on his face, just about where a human nose would be. The noise was very funny, and Nightsea couldn't stop herself from laughing out loud as Torg struggled to maintain some dignity and to hide his tightly snagged fingers under the table, scarf and all.

He could keep it as a souvenir as far as she was concerned.

Maybe it would remind him to ask before touching next time.

He gave her a pained look as he struggled to untie the gossamer cloth that constrained all eight of his fingers. Nonetheless, he managed to move his playing piece into the winning position a moment later, when it was his turn.

Ensign Laverton had looked askance at Nightsea when Torg had squealed, but then had quickly refocused on her losing battle. She was obviously greatly disappointed with her game and the result.

Poor little thing, thought Nightsea, she didn't have a chance, I'm sure, but she'll blame the loss on me anyway. Well, I came out to get allies, so I might as well begin to convert this silly one to my side. Females do work better for learning information, they tend to talk more, and if this one is allied with a ranking officer, I'll learn a lot when she repeats the pillow talk to me.

"Well, that was a most intense game! I can hardly believe that Ensign Laverton played so well against your Dorvite manoeuvre with a Bolean strategy," she crooned into the heavy silence following the match. "It would seem only fair of you, Corporal Torg, to recommend further instruction by one of the Vulcan Chess Masters aboard, in light of the fact that you did not share your strategy with her, and yet she did so very well against you, right up to the end! Why, I do believe she will be a skilled opponent for you in very little time, given further training."

Nightsea reached over to tug at the scarf that was sticking out of Torg's pocket as she spoke, and with her other hand, she gave the datapad back to the woman across the table. There was really no way she could blackmail Torg based on one touch without witnesses, but as she outranked him, the idea of his transgression would be the subject of vast amounts of mirth and derision on board if it became known that she had spurned his clumsy advance.

"But I thought you didn't know anything about chess?" Amanda queried.

"I read very quickly, and the bottom paragraph mentions one of the major flaws with Bolean strategy, it never counters a series of Dorvite manoeuvres very well. If I had not interrupted your reading in the passageway, you may have gotten to that part, so I really do feel responsible for you missing the tutor." As she spoke to the human, Nightsea emphasised the word "responsible" with an extra tug at the scarf and a quick sideways glance that impaled Torg and then swept the other occupants of the room,promising him that she would make him a laughing stock among them. Nightsea was also amazed that the human woman was not even perceptive enough to be mad at being as good as cheated by this toad-like mentor, even when it was spelled out to her that he had kept a distinct advantage for himself. Nightsea would at least not let him get away with it.

Letting out air from a few vent tubes in a deflating sort of way, Torg handed Amanda a pad with the Vulcan's services detailed and satisfaction guaranteed upon presentation of the unit now in Amanda's tiny hand.

She practically bounced in joy. "Oh, how wonderful! I'll really get to study under Sornal? He's legendary--he's won 11 out of the last 12 tournaments! Oh, thank you, Corporal Torg, thank you too, Lieutenant Nightsea! I'm sure Corporal Torg wouldn't have allowed me to lose and still get the tutor if you didn't watch the game so attentively to see how much I was trying!"

Feeling like she accomplished something, if however minor, Nightsea gave Torg a knowing, approving sort of smile as she slid out from her seat. She symbolically pressed her lips firmly together just before she turned away from him. At least he wasn't as stupid as the female!

She seemed oblivious to the silent play of messages that had passed right in front of her. Nightsea hoped the stupidity of the small woman would be only an advantage, and not later become a liability.

Time would tell, and there was plenty of time to test all the tides of loyalty aboard. For now, she had to send to her bond dolphin that she would be cementing her new control of Amanda Laverton and her debt of gratitude for a while longer this evening. Rising to accompany Amanda out the door, making small talk, learning the Ensign's name officially, and slyly smiling all the while, Nightsea walked down the corridors of the ISS Ghidorah as part of a pair for the first time.