First Impressions 2/?
	Nikki looked at Hobbes almost as critically as he was looking at her.
She hated being sized up, but she wasn't going to do anything that would make
him angry. Just what she _didn't_ need; her commanding officer pissed off at
her. Like she hadn't already annoyed him by being late...
	Hobbes motioned toward the chair in front of his small desk and they
both sat. "So you're my fighter pilot. Is there any special reason that
you're three days late, or did you get lost on your way to the launch deck in
Chicago, too?"
	She flushed slightly, news traveled fast on a small ship, apparently,
"No, Sir. I missed my transport shuttle and there wasn't another one leaving
for the Normandy until three days later."
	"I see." He pursed his lips for a moment before speaking again,
"There's something I'd like to discuss with you that I found disconcerting."
	Nikki relaxed slightly; at least he hadn't asked _why_ she'd missed
the shuttle. She waited expectantly, watching as he shuffled papers from what
she assumed was her file. He pulled out one of the sheets and closed the
folder.
	"I was looking over your medical records and I happened to notice
that you had some serious bone problems as a child."
	"Yes, Sir. I had an extreme dysplasia," she replied hesitantly.
	"It says here that the dysplasia was corrected with surgeries?" Nikki
nodded, still wary of where the conversation was headed. "When was the last
time you had it checked?"
	"Not since I was eight. The doctor was certain it wouldn't be a
problem again once it was fixed."
	"I'm asking because I don't need someone in my squad who can't pull
their own weight, even if it is due to something that's beyond their control.
And if you're going to have any difficulty performing your duties because of
your hip problems, I'll have you assigned to another branch of the fleet; one
where there's less physical activity. But I won't have you putting the rest
of my squad in jeopardy."
	"There's nothing wrong with my physical condition, Sir. I won't be a
hazard to anyone in the squad."
	"Fine, but I still want you to stop by medical and have Dr. Rhodes
take a look, make sure there won't be any problems."
	"But I..."
	"That's an order, Trooper."
	"Yes, Sir," she didn't notice the door open and a man step into the
room.
	"Good. I'll expect you to be in the briefing room tomorrow at 1100
hours. I'll introduce the new XO and go over some other business. Until then
you can get settled in. Your quarters are just down the hall, Lieutenant
Tedronai will show you to them. Anything you'd like to ask?"
	"I don't think so. Thank you, Sir."
	She didn't wait for him to say anything else, just stood and left the
room, leaving a stunned Elan to catch up with her at a nod from his
commander.

	 Hobbes sighed loudly as the door closed behind the newest member of
his squad. He sincerely hoped she wouldn't be more trouble than she was
worth.
	Her performance at the academy and on her field assignments was
impressive, as was her flight record according to her files; at least for
someone so young. But she had a problem with authority--he'd known it the
moment she'd stepped through the door and met his scrutinous gaze with one of
just as much, if not more, intensity. Even if she'd cowered before him like a
whipped puppy he wouldn't have believed the facade--her file had only
confirmed his analysis of her attitude toward the chain of command.
	The girl was quick on her feet with a wit to match. Unfortunately,
she also had a razor sharp tongue to help her natural wit and sarcasm get her
into trouble not only with her superiors, but her peers as well. He could
not, however, attribute these tenancies to immaturity. She would mellow with
age, but until she did she was simply a very passionate young lady who often
let her emotions get the best of her. It was obvious to Hobbes that life had
kicked her more than once, yet here she was; and none the worse for wear as
far as he could see. If nothing else, her experiences had made her stronger.
He had to admire her for that. Closing the folder he put it back on his desk
and leaned back in his chair. She may be trouble, but he doubted it. Well,
not _too_ much trouble at least.

	 After getting over his initial surprise at her blunt attitude with
Hobbes, Elan had introduced himself and shown her to her quarters. After they
had sat talked for a while, Elan had left Nikki to unpack her stuff and put
it away. She was sitting on the small bed in her quarters wondering what she
was supposed to do until tomorrow. She decided to explore the ship. Grabbing
her Gamma Squad jacket and pulling it on over her jeans and t-shirt, she left
the room and headed down the hallway.
	After walking aimlessly down hallways, she stopped and asked where
the medical bay was. She eventually found her way there and entered the large
main room. "Excuse me," she said to the man on duty, "I'm looking for Dr.
Rhodes."
	He looked up at her, "She's with another patient, what did you need?"
	"Commander Hobbes asked me to see her."
	He was about to reply when the doctor came into the room with a
nervous looking Lieutenant following her, "You'll be fine. I wouldn't worry
about it; just make sure you come back in two days so I can make sure it's
healing alright."
	The man nodded and beat a hasty retreat through the door behind
Nikki.
	"Twenty five and still afraid of the doctor," she shook her hear in
amusement. "Can I help you?" she asked when she noticed the young woman
standing before her.
	"Yeah, Commander Hobbes wanted me to have you make sure I'm fit to
fly," she said with a hint of bitterness.
	Karen moved to the side and motioned Nikki through the door.

	"You seem fit as a fiddle," she told Nicole as she sat up minutes
later after a few sweeps of Karen's medical glove.
	Nikki nodded, "Thank you."
	"In fact, I don't think anyone could even tell there had ever been
anything wrong if it weren't for the scars."
	Nicole looked at her curiously, "How did you know, then?"
	Karen smiled, "I'm a doctor, I know everything." This gained a smile
from her patient, "Honestly, I didn't, I remember Hobbes coming in to ask me
about it. He was worried that you'd be a danger to the squad and wanted to
make sure I thought you'd be able to pull your own weight."
	She noticed the cold look that came into the younger woman's eyes,
"And?"
	With a slight shrug, Karen replied, "I don't see anything wrong. It's
as though you were born just like the rest of us."
	Nikki nodded.
	"Anything else?" Nikki shook her head, "Well, if you think of
anything you know where to find me. It was nice to meet you."
	"Thank you, it was nice meeting you, too."

	 Nikki wandered into engineering, looking around the room. There were
only three people on duty, two checking equipment and one supervising. She
couldn't help it, she had to laugh. The sight of Amy, her best friend of 5
years, as Chief Engineer was just too much.
	Amy turned, a frown on her face, "What are you...?"
	She stopped and a smile spread across her face, "Hey, you finally
decided to join the party!"
	The two women hugged briefly, "Look at you, I leave you alone for a
few weeks and you get promoted on me. Well, you always were the bossy one."
	Amy smirked at the familiar grin on her best friend's face, "I don't
think so. But at least I'm not the late one."
	"Touche..."
	"Lieutenant? What should we do with this?" one of the men behind her
was holding a blown monitor.
	Amy rolled her eyes and turned back to Nikki, "I've gotta get all of
this up and running before we ship out," she said cynically, making the task
sound nigh impossible.
	Nikki looked around at the pieces of equipment that littered the
floor, obviously the ones they'd found to be dysfunctional. She laughed,
"Good luck."
	"Hah! Thanks a lot!" She turned to the ensign holding the monitor,
"Put it over there. We'll finish up after we all get something to eat and
have a chance to rest. Meet back here in five hours."
	"You hungry?" she asked Nikki.
	"Starving!"
	"Too bad, I think it's seafood linguini night," she grinned as Nikki
turned fairly green, the mention of seafood _anything_ making her stomach do
cartwheels.
	"Maybe Cookie can find you a salad or something," Amy said with a
laugh.
	"I hope so," her friend muttered.

	 The two women stood waiting in the row of people waiting to get
their dinner. It seemed like most of the ship had decided to show up at
exactly the same time. They talked about home and what had been happening
since they last saw each other.
	"So, what ever happened with that guy from Venus you wrote about?"
	Amy rolled her eyes and gave a look of mock disgust, then smiled, "He
wasn't my type."
	"Not your type? You can do better than that!" Amy looked away, amused
by her friend's curiosity, "Amy Louise! Tell me what happened!"
	"Nothing happened, it just didn't work out."
	Nikki sighed, knowing she wouldn't get anymore out of her comrade,
"Fine, be that way. See if I ever tell you anything again."
	They both knew it was an idle threat.
	"Oh! Speaking of guys, I can't believe I forgot to tell you!"
	"Tell me what?"
	"You'll never guess who's stationed on the Normandy."
	Nikki could tell by her expression and tone that she wouldn't like
the answer. And she had a pretty good idea of who it was, but asked anyway,
"Who?"
	"Crow Mengele."
	Nikki groaned, "$#!+, of all the ships in the fleet, I had to get
stuck on one with him."
	"Maybe he's changed," Amy offered helpfully.
	Nikki shot her a disbelieving look, "Or not," Amy mumbled.
	"Snakes may change their skins, but men don't."
	"I just thought you might want to know before you ran into him or
something."
	Nikki sighed, "Thanks for the warning. But I think it came a little
too late."
	Amy followed her gaze to a table nearby where three jumptroops sat at
one end; one of them being Crow. He was hard to miss with his blue bangs and
white eyes. Nikki turned away when Crow looked toward them, but it was too
late, he'd seen her. A slow smile spread across his face and Amy muttered
something under her breath.
	"C'mon, Nik, what's he gonna do in a crowded mess hall?" Amy asked as
she took the tray that was offered to her and moved to look for a table.