Learning Ops

Posted on Fri Dec 29th, 2023 @ 7:36pm by Captain Ryhl th'Zeles

1,846 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: Campor III - Resupply
Location: Deck 1, Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: MD C11, 0925 hours

=/\= On =/\=

Rachel had seemingly ignored just about every major staff meeting since she'd been on board. Not intentionally of course but having to focus on what was going on with the ship and learning what her teams were up to had meant double shifts and also asking Paisley to report on her departments status and any updates. She knew it wasn't exactly the traditional way for a new DH, especially one so young on such a ship, to behave in such a manner. Hoping to potentially smooth over and ruffled feathers or misconceptions about her, she'd put together a comprehensive status report to present to the Captain and had requested a bit of his time.

She knew first impressions were always the most important and considering she hadn't seen the man since she first set foot on board, Rachel also knew it was important to develop a good professional relationship with her CO to further develop trust between them. Hoping to make a solid impression today she wore her nearly all black uniform with gold that ran from the shoulders down the top of her arms. She turned around for a moment to re scan the massive bridge that she hadn't spent as much time on lately as she should've, something she'd be remedying soon. Making a note which of her Ensigns sat at the Ops station, a young Andorian woman with a lot energy and desire to excel, Rachel spun back towards the door. With a deep breath she tapped the chime to the mans read room and waited for acknowledgement.

Ryhl had certain hours set aside for ready room tasks. The crew of the Columbia was large and many had to meet with him regularly. Captain th'Zeles was also keeping up with the mountain of paperwork resulting from Command.

He was finding the position different than he expected, often tied to the bridge and the ship. "Enter", Ryhl said as he looked up from his desk.

It took a moment for him to recognize his Chief of Operations. He'd noticed how distant she'd been since she'd arrived. He knew it was partially his fault for not engaging with the crew, forcibly tracking her and others down. Ryhl was not the type of commander to babysit his officers. He trusted them to accomplish their tasks and take care of each other.

"Lieutenant Soros.. Welcome to my ready room. Please have a seat... Tell me. How are things coming along with the ship?"

"Captain" she replied. "Thank you for setting this time aside. Considering everything I've had to focus on I can only imagine what you've needed to worry about."

Seeing a chair in front of his desk she took a series of steps to get there, it was probably the largest ready room she'd ever been in but considering the size of the bridge, it complimented accordingly. Before taking a seat however she placed the PADD on his desk within arms reach if he so chose to take a look at it.

"Things are going well I'd say. We've been running a lot of diagnostics and crawling through miles of jeffries tubes. It's taken a lot to learn how each of the teams works and what their strengths are before I even consider changing anything around. I've also had reports of power congestion at times so I'm also trying to see if I can help figure that out, I did delegate it but have kept an eye on the progress. You certainly have picked quite a crew here, although I am still a bit at a loss as to how I ended up here from the Sutherland. Usually someone with about another 6 years running an ops sections would be given my current role. So I do want to thank you either way."

Ryhl chuckled slightly at talk of crawling through Jeffries tubes. There was a time when young Ryhl had become overwhelmed by the never-ending crawls. At some point he became accustomed to such work. Now he felt nostalgic every time he entered a Jeffries tube, or apparently heard it mentioned.

"Talent. That's why", Ryhl said as his antennae twitched excitedly. "Command informed me that one of their goals in selecting officers was to find some of the most creative minds in the fleet. Real problem solvers.. Commander Chalan and I worked together to help ensure the finest officers were selected. Starfleet needs you here, as do I."

Ryhl leaned forward to lift the padd. He scrolled with his finger to review the data. "Very nice figures."

"It's great that you've been working on the allocation issues. That's the problem with new ships, you know? These things take time to break in. There have been issues with lag between each computer core. Some feel that improving distribution within the EPS network might speed this up."

"Is there anything else I should know about this data? Also.. Let me know if you have any other issues needing my attention."

"Thank you Sir" she replied. "I do have some ideas on adjusting how power is transmitted in there, but more importantly I think the biggest concern is the quantum core. I mean sure, it works, but that thing is so finnicky, if everything isn't just right, well it takes a lot of our time and resources to manage. That's all. I'm going to see if I can figure something out to help reduce that need, or maybe we'll be able to utilize it for auxiliary power. But I don't have much experience with them before my assignment here." Rachel was almost terrified of the thing but she didn't show it. She knew what it meant for the ship and it's capabilities but she was afraid to look at it the wrong way, lest it throw a tantrum, as was half of her staff.

Ryhl couldn't help but grin widely, "I know exactly what you mean about the Quantum Core. It could have really sped up our trip across the Beta Quadrant. Unless it complicated our trip, of course."

The Captain leaned forward in his chair. "It's been great seeing Ops and Engineering working together. Perhaps it's time to bring the Quantum core fully online. I'll contact Lieutenant Commander F'Rar and tell her to prepare to work with you on the matter."

"How is the staffing in your department, by the way? Are there any specialists that you need me to look into recruiting?" Ryhl's antennae twitched as they scanned Rachel and their surroundings.

"While I can say overall I'm solid on most engineering theories, sometimes putting them into practice can be a challenge. Usually it requires some sort of change to hardware that I don't catch, so if we were able to pick up a fabrication specialist, I certainly could use their help in replicating new parts when the time comes. Someone with a hand in design Sir." While Rachel knew her people were good at swapping things out or running diagnostics, the design front could certainly use some love.

"A fabrication specialist", he said to audibly to himself. "I'll make a note of that. I'll see if Captain Lorut can send the Mendocino to round some up from the nearest starbase... In demand field, that is though... Let's hope somebody is available."

"We'll stay in contact, Miss Soros. Keep me updated on all of your progress. The Command Staff hopes this ship feels like a home to the crew. We're all one big family. I'm glad you're here. Say", he said. "There's a replicator in the corner.. Might I interest you in a drink? I'm partial to an Andorian caffeinated beverage myself.. Katheka. It's no raktajino.. But it reminds me of home.. You know?"

Ryhl's antennae seemed more relaxed and open as he spoke.

She grinned at the offer, noting that she had never tried that particular drink. "Thank you Sir, if I may, I'll have the same. A small pick me up is always welcome, especially with the long hours. But in truth I don't think I'd have it any other way right now."

Rachel began to rise from her seat in anticipation.

Ryhl stood and walked with her, long strides carrying him quickly across the room. The replicator's tray was built into the wall, not far from a lengthy table often used for meetings. "Katheka is pretty sweet. A little bitter", he said before pressing a control set to automatically brew the warm Andorian beverage twice. He lifted both glasses and turned to offer her one.

"Thank you Sir" she said, accepting the mug before taking a sip and smiling as a result. "It's good Captain. I may have to add this to my daily routine."

"You know.. I hope to hit the markets in Campor City. There is a lot of information in places like this. Commander Chalan's team hit on info at a Ferengi market. Would you be up for joining a discrete team to take a look? I could use your eye as an Ops officer."

Ryhl sipped loudly from his mug, one antennae lifting higher as the other twitched.

"Of course. I would be happy to help in any way I can, keep an eye out for hardware that may be around, the general demeanor of people." In the back of her mind it also meant she could break some of the cabin fever she'd been feeling lately as well.

Ryhl had also felt stuck inside the ship. It was important for him to spend a great deal of time on the bridge, just as important as it was for the senior officers to establish themselves in the ongoing investigations. Ryhl still had to balance the operations tempo with a leadership style that felt more authentic to himself.

"Great! I won't hold you up too much longer. There should be a lot of interesting technology there. I have word on a few interesting contacts from the local Federation citizens.. Pack for an adventure."

Ryhl stood and extended his hand for a shake. His antennae stood tall, proud of the ship's new Chief Ops Officer. "I'll keep you updated on our departure time.. I've still got to reach out to a few others. There will also be a quick briefing."

"Aye Sir" she said, returning the hand shake. "I'll make sure I'm ready and that my teams are as prepared as they can be for anything that may come up. Thank you for the drink as well Captain. I'm looking forward to my time here and I'll keep you updated on the quantum core."

In her thoughts she certainly wasn't excited too being tinkering with it but understood the high level of importance in seeing what they could supplement with it.

Ryhl had also been cautious with the system. He knew they couldn't avoid utilizing the Quantum core forever. "Okay then. I'll let you get back to work. Thanks for stopping by." He smiled to her once more, walking with her towards the door.



Captain Ryhl th'Zeles
Commanding Officer
USS Columbia

Lieutenant Rachel Soros
Chief Operations Officer
USS Columbia

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