Meet My OC, Part II: Lt. Commander Karen Snow (USS Cerulean)

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction' started by Captain Clark Terrell, Sep 6, 2015.

  1. Captain Clark Terrell

    Captain Clark Terrell Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2013
    Location:
    The Captain's Table
    [​IMG]
    The following is a transcript of Federation News Service correspondent Jake Sisko’s audio-only interview with Lt. Commander Karen Snow, chief science officer of the USS Cerulean, who was kind enough to speak with Jake aboard her vessel, which is currently undergoing a minor refit at the Utopia Planitia Shipyards. This is second such interview that Commander Snow has given for the FNS; the transcript of her previous interview is available here.

    Jake Sisko: “I’m really glad we could squeeze in this interview while the Cerulean was in-system, Karen. It’s good to see you.”

    Karen Snow: “It’s good to see you, too, Jake. And I’m glad you remembered that it’s Karen and not Commander.”

    JS: (laughs) “I wouldn’t be a very good journalist if I forgot something like that. But you’ve provided a nice segue into my first question: how’s life being back in uniform?”

    KS: “Absolutely awesome! I had a great time working with the DTI, but I was ready to come back when my leave of absence was up. Earth may be home, but my job and family—my Starfleet family, at least—are in space. I actually got down on my knees and kissed the transporter pad when I came aboard.

    JS: “I bet that raised some eyebrows.”

    KS: “And knocked one person to the deck. The transporter chief who beamed me up almost fainted. I found out later that it was only his third day on duty—which I’d punctuated by giving him a close-up view of my rear end.”

    JS: “Have you seen him since then?”

    KS: “Once in the crew lounge. The poor guy practically ran out the door when he saw me standing across the room from him—which reminds me, can I get you anything to eat or drink?”

    JS: “You’re always offering to feed me, Karen. Can I ask why that is?”

    KS: “My parents entertained houseguests on a regular basis when I was a kid—work colleagues, visiting professors, extended family—and always went out of their way to make sure anyone who stayed at our house was well-fed and had a place to sleep if they needed it. I’ve tried to follow their example whenever I’ve people visiting.”

    JS: “Does that mean I could sleep with you if I wanted?”

    KS: “Wow, Jake!” (laughs) “I’m not quite how to answer that.”

    JS: “I’m so sorry, Karen. I just…”

    KS: (laughs) “No worries. I suppose I walked right into that one. But seriously, would you like something? Our replicators just got a whole new menu. I’ve been wanting to try it out, but I’d feel bad having anything in front of you.”

    JS: “I appreciate that, but I’m okay.”

    KS: “Well, if you change your mind, just let me know. I’m happy to grab whatever you need. To get back to your question—and what I think you meant to ask—I’d make sure we had quarters available if you needed to stay overnight. My couch is very comfortable, but I’d never make you sleep there—or anyone else, for that matter.”

    JS: “I love these quarters, by the way. You told me about them last time, but I wasn’t sure what they’d actually look like in person.”

    KS: “I wasn’t, either when I first heard about them. The blueprints from the Starfleet Corps of Engineers looked a little strange, so I was really happy with how mine turned out. Everybody’s quarters look pretty much the same, though there are some differences for species that have unique physiologies or breathe gases other than oxygen.”

    JS: “That must make things interesting if anyone leaves their door open.”

    KS: “The ship’s environmental systems keep the air in the corridors relatively fresh. What I really worry about is large-scale explosions in the event the ship gets damaged by weapons’ fire. A single spark is all it would to lose an entire section.”

    JS: “Aren’t there emergency bulkheads in place to prevent fires from spreading?”

    KS: “Yes, but those bulkheads are spread out across each deck. If a fire started midway between the bulkheads, there’s no guarantee our damage control teams would be able to extinguish the blaze before it caused significant damage.”

    JS: “I guess you’ll have to avoid certain areas of the ship then. I heard you were in rare form on the basketball court the other day.”

    KS: (laughs) “When I got your message, I actually thought about asking you to meet me in one of the gymnasiums so we could do the interview while I got my workout in.

    JS: “What stopped you?”

    KS: “My knees and lower back can only take so much punishment. I didn’t want you to have to carry me to sickbay when we were finished.”

    JS: “I’m surprised to hear that, Karen. You look like you’re in amazing shape.”

    KS: (laughs) “My conditioning actually slipped a little while I was gone, which was weird because I wasn’t as busy on Earth as I am here. I think being planetside messed up my routine. I’m just now getting back on track, but it may be a few weeks before I’m back to where I was before.”

    JS: “I bet you could still kick anyone’s butt in basketball, though.”

    KS: “I don’t know. I’m not getting quite as much arc on my jumper as I normally do, and my ball handling’s a little rusty. The DTI folks aren’t sports people—which is weird given how many sports use clocks—so I didn’t have many opportunities to play while I was home.”

    JS: “Do you play any other sports, Karen?”

    KS: “I tried my hand at interspecies wrestling for a while but wasn’t very good. Our Romulan exchange officer put me in a Scorpion death-lock. I almost threw up.”

    JS: “Ouch!”

    KS: “No kidding! Solis felt really bad about that, but the whole thing was my fault. (Editor’s note: Subcommander Solis is a member of the Romulan Imperial Navy enrolled in an officer exchange program involving the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire.) I begged him to wrestle me, and when that didn’t work, I bribed him with kali-fal.”

    JS: “Kali-fal?”

    KS: “Romulan ale. After that, I think he’d have done anything I asked him to, but I should have known better. I took xenobiology at the Academy and know all about the similarities between Romulans and Vulcans. I should have realized that grappling with someone who outweighs me by fifty pounds and has several times my strength wasn’t a good idea.”

    JS: “I guess it’s a good thing the two of you are friends.”

    KS: “Definitely. Solis is a very private person, but he’s wonderful to be around. He’s been a great addition to the crew. We’re going to miss him when his assignment’s over.”

    JS: “What’s his specialty?”

    KS: “Funny you should ask, because I’m not quite sure how to answer. I guess science officer would be the best way to describe him, but the term doesn’t really do him justice. He’s a physician by trade, but he’s also got experience piloting and working security.”

    JS: “I’ve always wondered about that, Karen. How often do officers pull double-duty as far as working in multiple departments?”

    KS: “It’s pretty rare these days, Jake. There were a fair number of officers in the 23rd century who had multiple jobs aboard their ships, but those vessels were a lot small and less diverse than what we have today. I suppose it could still happen if you had someone like Commander Data who could multitask, but most people would be overwhelmed having to do two jobs at once.”

    JS: “Aren’t you kind of doing that, Karen?”

    KS: “As a chief science officer, I head up one department. But I’m also the gamma-shift commander on Friday and Saturday nights and have bridge watches both evenings.”

    JS: “In the big chair?”

    KS: “In the big chair. I tried to get by sitting at the science station during my first shift, but Captain Sanders somehow knew what I was up to and asked me to move.” (Editor’s note: Captain Malcolm Sanders is the commanding officer of the USS Cerulean and the twin brother of the late Captain George Sanders of the USS Malinche, which was destroyed in the Borg Invasion of 2381.)

    JS: “What did he say to you?”

    KS: “He never actually said that I had to sit in the chair, just that I had to be in the center of the bridge so I could see and hear everything going on. I tend to get woozy if I stand in one place too long, so I eventually sat down. I half-expected the chair to explode or start making weird noises if I pushed the wrong button or shifted my weight too much. I was glad when that shift was over.”

    JS: “How did you end up with Friday and Saturday?”

    KS: “Being a science officer is still my main job, so I have to be available for alpha shift during the week and for emergencies. Captain Sanders and Commander Lansing command the alpha and beta shifts, respectively, and Lieutenant McPherson heads up gamma shift Sunday-Thursday.”

    JS: “That must wreak havoc with your social life, Karen.”

    KS: (laughs) “I wasn’t aware I had one, Jake.”

    JS: “What I mean is, with you working Friday and Saturday.”

    KS: “I actually prefer working those nights because there’s not as much going on. Most departments—mine included—have experiments and projects running during the week that spill over into the evening and overnight hours. But nobody wants to do anything too strenuous during the weekend, so everyone tries to get their work wrapped up by 1900 hours on Friday. I work my normal Friday science shift from 0700-1500 and come back on at 2300 for watch duty. At that point, everyone else has gone home, so I just guard the fort for the night.”

    JS: “Anything interesting ever happen?”

    KS:Interesting is usually my cue to wake the captain and first officer, and that’s rare. Now, if you’re talking about random brushfires and things confined to the ship itself, there’s plenty to keep me occupied. Usually, it’s crewmembers who don’t report for duty and forget to notify their superior, as well as minor security matters—people who get in fights or get drunk and puke or pass out. There’s also the occasional couple that gets frisky in the corridor or the turbolift and gets interrupted. Not that long ago, we had a pair of crewmembers in the throes of lovemaking find themselves on the bridge—which neither of them apparently realized until they heard me clear my throat. There was also an incident involving a civilian trader who impersonated a computer salesman and tried to steal classified information from our computer core while we were visiting a starbase near the Klingon border.”

    JS: “Really?”

    KS: “That was the week we were testing our ECH program. Captain Sanders was not happy with the starbase’s security team, as our guest had to pass through their checkpoints before he could board the Cerulean—which he somehow managed despite not having valid identification. Our ECH ran a search of the Starfleet security database and found a match for our salesman, whom we subsequently arrested.”

    JS: (laughs) “That reminds me of something that happened when I lived on the first DS9. We always had people hanging around who weren’t what they claimed to be.”

    KS: “That happens a lot at open ports, even places run by Starfleet. It’s just too hard to keep tabs on everyone coming and going.”

    JS: “And as a rule, the Federation doesn’t pry into people’s lives.”

    KS: “Exactly. We’re taught to be vigilant, but we can only go so far. Infringing upon people’s rights isn’t what our government’s about, which unfortunately means we take one on the chin every so often.”

    JS: “Like that guy who tried a poison a grain shipment over a century ago.”

    KS: (laughs) “And eventually dragged your father and his crew along for the ride if I remember correctly—the perfect argument for people who think we should still be doing blood screenings to flush out Changelings and spies.”

    JS: “I take it you don’t agree with that argument, Karen.”

    KS: “Not at all, Jake. The Federation was built on cooperation and has been sustained by trust. If we throw that trust out the airlock every time something bad happens, we’re only hurting ourselves.”

    JS: “Speaking of airlocks, I’m afraid I’m due back at the shipyard in a few minutes. Any last-minute words of wisdom for our listeners.”

    KS: “Beware the Ides of March. Via con Dios.”
     
    Last edited: Mar 24, 2019
  2. CeJay

    CeJay Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 5, 2006
    Nicely done, getting a nice look at starship routine. Interesting to hear the talk about week days, not something we tend to hear much on Trek.

    And Jak-o! You sly fox, you. Or should I say, not so sly and actually kind of terribly obvious?
     
  3. Bry_Sinclair

    Bry_Sinclair Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2009
    Location:
    Scotland
    This is a very interesting and fascinating way to introduce us to a character. I found myself liking Karen almost instantly. One thing I love is when people do look at the ordinary lives and routines of the crew, it's not always high adventure or epic space battles, often it will just be routine and unglamorous work.

    Also, tut tut young Mr Sisko :bolian:
     
  4. Esirprus

    Esirprus Lieutenant Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2015
    Location:
    Our galaxy is good enough
    Long interview. I skimmed it. Character development you have. Any thoughts about starring Karen Snow in a first Command scenario with an entirely new cast?

    Just a thought.
     
  5. Captain Clark Terrell

    Captain Clark Terrell Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2013
    Location:
    The Captain's Table
    As a matter of fact, there are plans for a fan fiction series starring Karen Snow and the characters alluded to in her interview.

    --Captain Terrell
     
  6. Esirprus

    Esirprus Lieutenant Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2015
    Location:
    Our galaxy is good enough
    Keep me posted and I'll do the same.