We All Fall Down – Commander, Rihannsu, Analyst, Spy...
by Lieutenant Mikaela Locke & Commander Isha t'Vaurek
Post Details
[ON:]
Mikaela Locke paused outside the station commander's office.
She had strode purposefully through operations, as though she knew exactly where she was going and exactly what her purpose was. In truth, both of those things were only partly true. She had also nodded respectfully in the general direction of Lieutenant What's-her-name, the red-shirted officer who seemed to be the duty officer, again attempting to give the impression that she had every right to be there and to be going in that direction. Which again, was true, but only from a certain point of view.
In truth, she desired to avoid as much interaction as she could until she had sat down with the station's commander. Of course, she had already begun to form some impressions of the crew from their personnel files, but she much preferred to form her opinions on face-to-face encounters. And it seemed only proper that the CO should be the first - both because protocol dictated it, but also, from an intelligence perspective, it was just common sense. No one's character or personal preferences held more sway. And that fact alone always made her slightly nervous.
She had been fortunate in the past that she had always gotten on with her commanding officers - Captain Steele particularly - but, Commander t'Vaurek was a different prospect. Not only had she never worked with a Rihannsu before, by all accounts the commander's personality seemed remarkably similar to her own - and that was usually not a good thing.
Suddenly aware she had been standing in the same spot for several seconds, and that the nearest officer had taken note of this fact, she took a deep breath and forced her hand forward to press the chime.
"Enter," Isha said, using the few seconds between the word and the door opening to round up her conversation with Tahhk. "We can discuss the figures this afternoon," she finished as she signed off a padd.
The Vulcan nodded to the dark haired woman as he passed and exited.
Isha rose to her feet, "Lieutenant Locke," she stated, "we are pleased to have one of your experience aboard. Can I offer you any refreshment?" she continued as she crossed to the replicator.
"Thank you, commander," Mikaela respond as took a few paces into the room and inclined her head slightly. "A black coffee would be most welcome."
"Do take a seat," Isha said as the replicator delivered the requested coffee and white tea for herself. She brought these over and set them on the desk before taking her own seat. The loss of so many senior staff at such short notice had left Isha concerned about the future of the station, but the new appointments, so far were very promising.
"I must say that I was delighted to read in your record that you have previous experience aboard a Starbase. It can be a difficult environment to adapt to when one becomes used to the mobile life of variety a Starship offers. I can only speak with my experience in the Rihannsu equivalent of course," she added.
"Indeed." Mikaela replied, taking the beverage and crossing the office to sit in the seat that the commander had indicated. "However I very much appreciate the stability of station life." She took a sip from the coffee and, clasping the cup tightly in both hands, moved it so that it rests in her lap. "If it's not too bold a question, sir," she continued, deciding to push a little, "I assume that this is as much a challenging transition for you?"
Isha chuckled softly in her throat, "I wonder if perhaps it is more of a challenge for the crew I have to lead," she mused, her steady green gaze on the officer. "It is certainly a challenge for my children - they are not used to this life but I will not leave them on a planet whilst I am not there... I think in truth the challenge is not mine, but for those I work with and serve to challenge their own perceptions and presumptions about me. That is what I need to overcome," Isha raised her glass and sipped the hot steaming liquid, "I'm not sure if that answers your question."
"It does," Mikaela responded, genuinely sympathetic towards the commander. She knew for herself that a new assignment was never easy, but to begin one when many of those you are serving with already come with a preconception of who you are must be even more challenging - especially given that t'Vaurek wasn't just a colleague, but was also the station's commander - her motives would be questioned at every turn and the need to stay slightly removed from her crew would only extend the time it would take to build up the required level of trust.
"If I might ask, Commander," Mikaela feeling the need to move from their personal relationship to the business of the station. "Obviously, I've been reviewing the intelligence files of my predecessor, but is there anything that I might need to know in the immediate?"
"Our main focus is identifying what went wrong during the platform demonstration. Some suspect sabotage though we have yet to find evidence. It may be worth your while to liaise directly with the Marshal's Office on this matter - the new Deputy Chief appears to have a lead that he may be able to share with you. Security are also working with him, but I prefer Intelligence to maintain some degree of autonomy on these matters as one's leads are seldom the same."
"Indeed," Mikaela replied, thoughtfully. The Deputy Chief Marshal's presence on the station had already piqued her interest, and she had already made a note to schedule a conversation with him at the earliest possible opportunity. "I will see what I can find out." She took a gulp of the coffee she had been clutching and placed the cup on the edge of the station commander's desk. "I'll begin taking a look into it," she finally concluded. "Is there anything else?"
"I believe that is all for now, Lieutenant. If there is anything you require of me please do not hesitate to ask," Isha said, "I keep enough extra time in my schedule to be able to accommodate my senior staff at short notice."
"Thank you, commander," Mikaela responded, "I'm looking forward to serving to serving with you." She smiled, slightly embarrassed at her own cheesiness.
Isha allowed herself a slight enigmatic smile, "I'm sure the working relationship will be a rewarding one for both of us," she said.
Mikaela nodded politely, and then stood and left the office. She paused briefly outside as the doors slid shut behind her and she allowed a genuine smile to widen across her face. There was always a chance that the commander was hiding something - and she wouldn't blame her if she was - but her initial read on her had been a good one. Yes, trust had to be built, on both sides, but she had a good feeling about this posting. Perhaps Deep Space Five was the place that she would finally call 'home.'
____________________
Mikaela Locke
Chief Intelligence Officer
Commander Isha t'Vaurek
Commanding Officer
by Lieutenant Mikaela Locke & Commander Isha t'Vaurek
Post Details
| Title | Commander, Rihannsu, Analyst, Spy... | |
| Mission | We All Fall Down | |
| Author(s) | Lieutenant Mikaela Locke & Commander Isha t'Vaurek | |
| Posted | Wed Oct 29, 2014 @ 6:10pm | |
| Location | Deck 12 - Commander t'Vaurek's Office | |
| Timeline | WAFD Day 2: 1000 Hours |
Mikaela Locke paused outside the station commander's office.
She had strode purposefully through operations, as though she knew exactly where she was going and exactly what her purpose was. In truth, both of those things were only partly true. She had also nodded respectfully in the general direction of Lieutenant What's-her-name, the red-shirted officer who seemed to be the duty officer, again attempting to give the impression that she had every right to be there and to be going in that direction. Which again, was true, but only from a certain point of view.
In truth, she desired to avoid as much interaction as she could until she had sat down with the station's commander. Of course, she had already begun to form some impressions of the crew from their personnel files, but she much preferred to form her opinions on face-to-face encounters. And it seemed only proper that the CO should be the first - both because protocol dictated it, but also, from an intelligence perspective, it was just common sense. No one's character or personal preferences held more sway. And that fact alone always made her slightly nervous.
She had been fortunate in the past that she had always gotten on with her commanding officers - Captain Steele particularly - but, Commander t'Vaurek was a different prospect. Not only had she never worked with a Rihannsu before, by all accounts the commander's personality seemed remarkably similar to her own - and that was usually not a good thing.
Suddenly aware she had been standing in the same spot for several seconds, and that the nearest officer had taken note of this fact, she took a deep breath and forced her hand forward to press the chime.
"Enter," Isha said, using the few seconds between the word and the door opening to round up her conversation with Tahhk. "We can discuss the figures this afternoon," she finished as she signed off a padd.
The Vulcan nodded to the dark haired woman as he passed and exited.
Isha rose to her feet, "Lieutenant Locke," she stated, "we are pleased to have one of your experience aboard. Can I offer you any refreshment?" she continued as she crossed to the replicator.
"Thank you, commander," Mikaela respond as took a few paces into the room and inclined her head slightly. "A black coffee would be most welcome."
"Do take a seat," Isha said as the replicator delivered the requested coffee and white tea for herself. She brought these over and set them on the desk before taking her own seat. The loss of so many senior staff at such short notice had left Isha concerned about the future of the station, but the new appointments, so far were very promising.
"I must say that I was delighted to read in your record that you have previous experience aboard a Starbase. It can be a difficult environment to adapt to when one becomes used to the mobile life of variety a Starship offers. I can only speak with my experience in the Rihannsu equivalent of course," she added.
"Indeed." Mikaela replied, taking the beverage and crossing the office to sit in the seat that the commander had indicated. "However I very much appreciate the stability of station life." She took a sip from the coffee and, clasping the cup tightly in both hands, moved it so that it rests in her lap. "If it's not too bold a question, sir," she continued, deciding to push a little, "I assume that this is as much a challenging transition for you?"
Isha chuckled softly in her throat, "I wonder if perhaps it is more of a challenge for the crew I have to lead," she mused, her steady green gaze on the officer. "It is certainly a challenge for my children - they are not used to this life but I will not leave them on a planet whilst I am not there... I think in truth the challenge is not mine, but for those I work with and serve to challenge their own perceptions and presumptions about me. That is what I need to overcome," Isha raised her glass and sipped the hot steaming liquid, "I'm not sure if that answers your question."
"It does," Mikaela responded, genuinely sympathetic towards the commander. She knew for herself that a new assignment was never easy, but to begin one when many of those you are serving with already come with a preconception of who you are must be even more challenging - especially given that t'Vaurek wasn't just a colleague, but was also the station's commander - her motives would be questioned at every turn and the need to stay slightly removed from her crew would only extend the time it would take to build up the required level of trust.
"If I might ask, Commander," Mikaela feeling the need to move from their personal relationship to the business of the station. "Obviously, I've been reviewing the intelligence files of my predecessor, but is there anything that I might need to know in the immediate?"
"Our main focus is identifying what went wrong during the platform demonstration. Some suspect sabotage though we have yet to find evidence. It may be worth your while to liaise directly with the Marshal's Office on this matter - the new Deputy Chief appears to have a lead that he may be able to share with you. Security are also working with him, but I prefer Intelligence to maintain some degree of autonomy on these matters as one's leads are seldom the same."
"Indeed," Mikaela replied, thoughtfully. The Deputy Chief Marshal's presence on the station had already piqued her interest, and she had already made a note to schedule a conversation with him at the earliest possible opportunity. "I will see what I can find out." She took a gulp of the coffee she had been clutching and placed the cup on the edge of the station commander's desk. "I'll begin taking a look into it," she finally concluded. "Is there anything else?"
"I believe that is all for now, Lieutenant. If there is anything you require of me please do not hesitate to ask," Isha said, "I keep enough extra time in my schedule to be able to accommodate my senior staff at short notice."
"Thank you, commander," Mikaela responded, "I'm looking forward to serving to serving with you." She smiled, slightly embarrassed at her own cheesiness.
Isha allowed herself a slight enigmatic smile, "I'm sure the working relationship will be a rewarding one for both of us," she said.
Mikaela nodded politely, and then stood and left the office. She paused briefly outside as the doors slid shut behind her and she allowed a genuine smile to widen across her face. There was always a chance that the commander was hiding something - and she wouldn't blame her if she was - but her initial read on her had been a good one. Yes, trust had to be built, on both sides, but she had a good feeling about this posting. Perhaps Deep Space Five was the place that she would finally call 'home.'
____________________
Mikaela Locke
Chief Intelligence Officer
Commander Isha t'Vaurek
Commanding Officer