Reporting In

Posted on Tue Sep 17, 2013 @ 8:32am by

1,192 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: A Whole New World: Part 1 - Precipice
Location: Chief Operations Officer's Office
Timeline: 62506.057 || 23NOV2384 1300

For a ship of less than 200 people, scuttlebutt traveled very quickly. Chief Barnes heard the news almost instantly, but he had yet to make an actual meeting with the new Chief Operations Officer. He had met her once when he had come aboard, but it was a brief moment passing in the corridor. It was going to be unusual for him, reporting to one officer for daily duties, and then to the captain and executive officer as the enlisted liaison, but after more than 20 years of service, it was a welcome change. Transporters had yet to excite him in years, but it was a profession nonetheless.

Status report in hand, Chief Petty Officer Thomas Barnes entered the Operations Office eager to meet his one of his new superiors.

Lieutenant Danielle Daystrom stifled a yawn as she pored bleary-eyed over an assortment of data PADDs at her desk. The pretty brown-skinned Chief Operations Officer was looking at the tail end of a grueling double-shift, having worked both last night's Gamma Shift and this morning's Alpha Shift. As the newly appointed COO, Dani was obligated to begin serving during the dayshift along with the rest of the Senior Staff, and the adjustment had left her somewhat sleep-deprived. Just as the yawn ended, Dani looked up to see to see a good-looking older man step into her office. Danielle gave the gold-shirted visitor a broad friendly smile, noticing a CPO rank insignia on the man's collar. Dani stood up from her seat as the gentleman neared, and tugged on the fabric of her tight-fitting uniform to smooth out any wrinkles.

"Good morning — er, afternoon," said Dani, correcting herself as she fought to stifle another yawn. Daystrom flashed a quick apologetic smile and held her hand out to the man. "I'm Danielle Daystrom," she said. "I don't believe we've met yet, Chief ...?"

"Barnes," Tom replied with a smile, gently accepting the Lieutenant's hand. He noted that she was at least a good ten years younger than him, and her eyes showed signs of fatigue. He assumed it had something to do with the pile of PADDs on the desk. "Thomas Barnes. Transporter Chief and also Chief of the Boat. I wanted to check in before you came looking for me. Still getting adjusted to the command duties, something I think you are also working on."

"Boy, am I ever," conceded Dani with a look of playful exasperation on her face. "I didn't realize that this position comes with a ridiculous amount of paperwork." Dani gestured to the slew of PADDs that littered her desktop. "Not to complain, but there's got to be a way to streamline all of this office work." Dani shook her head and then flashed the Chief a smile. "So ... Transpo and COB, huh? Sounds like you like to keep pretty busy." Dani came out from behind her desk to perch on the edge of her desk in front of Barnes. "How's everything been going on your end?" she asked, gesturing for Barnes to have a seat and make himself comfortable. "Anything I can help out with?"

Transpo? In all his years, Tom had never heard his profession addressed that way. Must've been some kind of new lingo coming out of the Academy. "It's different, for sure, ma'am. Twenty years of service and fifteen at least have been connected to pattern buffers. But, I'm getting older," and flashing a smile, he quipped, "and none the more wiser. Our good captain thought my experience would be helpful indeed. As for me and how much I enjoy the act of beaming, I thought at least one tour with a change of scenery would be good for the soul."

Tom clasped his hands behind his back. "For the record, Lieutenant, I do enjoy the transporter room. I gave up the chance long ago to become an officer, to have a chance to dine with dignitaries and make those split-second decisions to save the lives of half the crew. But my profession has enabled me to meet dozens of species and build relationships I never thought possible. Though I have accepted the captain's request to serve as the Chief of the Boat, you'll still see me linger in those transporter rooms, even if it is to clean the platform or realign emitter coils. I love my job."

He thought for a moment, realizing he never answered his superior's question. "I digress, Lieutenant, and I apologize. I guess I'm doing just fine. But, if there's anything I can help you with, don't hesitate to ask."

"You can bet I will,"grinned Dani, casting another glance at the way Barnes' uniform fit his body, and secretly deciding that she liked the cut of his jib. "And please," she insisted, sweetly, "none of that Lieutenant or Ma'am stuff. Just call me Dani, okay?" After a beat, Danielle added, "All of my friends do."

"Okay," Tom blankly replied. The thought of calling a superior in an informal manner was certainly unusual for him. In fact, he tried to start the next sentence with her name. His mouth tried to shape Dani, but no word or sound came out. It was just unusual; it was uncomfortable. "Well," he finally managed to get out, "if there is nothing else, I need to make my rounds in the science labs before resuming my post at Pad 1."

"See you around, Chief," smiled Dani, giving Barnes a playful wink as he prepared to leave. For some reason, she found his hesitation at being so informal with her to be terribly endearing. And what was that wink about? she thought, chiding her own naughtiness. Perhaps it was the sleep deprivation, or just the thrill of wielding the power of a department head. Whatever the cause, something had emboldened her to act in the spur of the moment upon her attraction to the older non-commissioned officer. It hadn't been very professional, Dani conceded, but it sure felt good. Dani's only regret was that the interest only seemed to be one-sided.

Protocol dictated that he stick with 'Lieutenant' or 'Ma'am' but Tom also wanted to comply with her request. Usually, he would end his conversations with a simple "Yes, sir" or "Yes, ma'am." Habit prompted Tom's mouth to open yet again, and again he struggled to say her name. Trying to make the most of an awkward situation, Thomas closed his mouth and simply nodded. He turned and left the office, leaving Dani to her work.

Outside in the corridor, once the doors closed, he paused and turned around, still unsure what to make of the end of that conversation. More than a decade separated the two individuals, not to mention separate chain of commands. Even if he achieved the uppermost ranks, she would always outrank him. He stared at the door for another moment, then allowed his face to display a smirk. Shaking his head, he turned to head for the turbolift. He still needed to finish settling in, and he had no doubts that life on this ship, and the people who served on it, would be anything short of interesting.

 

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