Meeting the Captain

Posted on Tue Oct 1, 2013 @ 7:50pm by Fleet Captain Rhea Kennit

983 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: A Whole New World: Part 1 - Precipice
Location: Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: 62506.286 || 23NOV2384 15:00

Finally, Chief Barnes had completed his checks with each of the departments. It had taken him a couple days, as he wanted to be thorough with meeting the senior enlisted person in each department. Tom also deliberately did his best to cover the ship and every section, no matter how vital or minor. His timing was slightly off, still being unable to meet the department heads, but he was sure that would come.

He still hadn't officially met the captain. So far, his only interaction with her was a simple message outlining his appointment to Chief of the Boat and a few minor details. That was about to change.

With PADD in hand, Thomas exited the turbolift onto the bridge, hoping to see the captain. Instead, he spotted a junior officer in the command chair. The officer noted the chief's presence and simply pointed to the ready room. "Thanks," Tom replied with a smile. He crossed the bridge to the ready room door and tapped the chime.

Hearing the door chime, the Captain called out "Enter!" which triggered the door response.. in that it opened to allow entrance.

Thomas stepped inside and stopped just a couple steps inside, out of reach of the proximity sensors to let the door close. He realized at that very moment that in all his years of service, he had never stepped inside a captain's ready room. Aboard the Intrepid, where he temporarily served as the Operations Chief, Deck One had been exposed to space, preventing its use for a month. Wanting to make a good impression, he stood at attention, looking straight ahead at a bulkhead and not at the Captain's face. "Chief Petty Officer Barnes, Chief of the Boat, reporting, ma'am."

Noting the way he was staring intently at the bulkhead behind her rather than at her, she said "At ease Chief. Then, glancing back towards the section of bulkhead in question she added, "Is there something wrong with the wall?"

"No, ma'am," Tom immediately replied, relaxing from his stance and instinctively shifting his gaze to the captain. "It's just... In all my years of service, I've never done this. Report directly to the captain, that is." He wanted to be careful. She was not just an officer, but a captain. Despite his chevrons, he was still an enlisted man, and there was protocol to follow.

"I promise.. I won't bite.." she told him with a hint of a smile. "Please.. have a seat.. Have you had time to review the ship's specifications and familiarize yourself with things?"

Thomas blinked as he considered the chair. He could tell the captain was doing her best to accommodate his adherence to protocol and also lack of experience, and thought it best to comply. "The Victory's a fine ship, ma'am. First chance I've had to be on one. Fine crew too." He was being completely honest. "It may be premature, but it looks to be one of the finest I've had the privilege to serve with."

"You won't hear an argument from me on that score. The best ship and the best crew.. not a doubt in my mind." the Captain told him. "It's a bit early most likely as we're really only just getting the kinks worked out after so long in drydock but.. how is crew morale fairing so far?"

He was proud to report on that fact. "So far so good, ma'am." Tom shifted in the chair, pressing his posterior further into the back and trying to sit up straighter. "Everyone is thankful to be out among the stars again. There's little worse for a sailor who's stuck in dock too long."

"No concerns about the nature of our mission?" she asked. "We're an awful long way from home after all.."

"Respectfully, Captain, there's always concerns. Venturing into the unknown, not knowing if you'll find friendlies or otherwise. Never a guarantee about going home again. But isn't that Starfleet's first goal, to explore strange, new worlds? Officer or enlisted, we all know dealing with the unknown is part of wearing the uniform." He took a moment before adding, "There's definitely an excitement among the enlisted ranks. A little uneasy, yes, but definitely excited."

"That's good to hear.. Excitement means people are engaged in their jobs, which means they're focused and that's what we need.." she answered with a smile.

"Couldn't agree more, Captain." Thomas paused, considering what to say next. Everything worth reporting, which wasn't much, was in the report. "Captain, I've never really done this before," he confessed. "I'm sure I'll enjoy the dual role going forward, but I would like to know if there's anything I should be aware of, and how you would like for me to handle submitting reports and checking in in the future."

"Submitting reports can be done via the computer system," she told him. "Unless there is a problem which I need to be made aware of immediately. As far as checking in, we hold regular departmental meetings .. routine reports and departmental check-in's can be covered then."

Thomas nodded. "Sounds easy enough. If that's the case, captain, I have nothing else to report." He returned her smile from earlier. She wasn't the first CO he had met, in fact he had met every single one as they came into his transporter room. This one, Captain Kennit, would certainly be one of the best.

"That's all for now then," she told him. "I don't have anything for else for you at the moment, however," she added with a wink. "If something arises and I need your assistance I know how to find you."

"Of course." Thomas stood and gave the captain a nod. "Thank you, captain, for the opportunity. I hope I won't let you down." With a smile, he about-faced and left the Ready Room, en route to Transporter Room One to finish what was left of the shift.

 

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