A Brief Discussion

Posted on Sat May 4th, 2024 @ 5:43pm by Captain Ryhl th'Zeles & Commander Zera Tirado

2,130 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Upon Stranger Stars
Location: Starbase 47 - Java Place Coffee Shop
Timeline: MD 0, 1110 hours

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[Starbase 47 - Java Place Coffee Shop]

Commander Zera Tirado was not a woman to be crossed. She stood with her arms crossed looking out at the Starship Columbia through the large viewport. The ship did indeed look impressive, but in her opinion she didn't understand why Starfleet insisted upon building bigger and bigger ships. Over her eighteen years of service in Starfleet she had seen several classes of starship being launched, each seemingly getting bigger and bigger. Now this, the Odyssey Class. The 'Crown Jewel' in Starfleets arsenal. She was supposed to be the next great deep space explorer, just like the Galaxy Class was deisgned to be back in the 60's. However this ship was far bigger, it was more of a flying city in space than a starship. Now here she was staring at the vessel she was due to become the Executive Officer on.

She had arranged to meet the Captain here on the Starbase. She thought it best that they meet away from the crew and the ship itself. Her background in Engineering told her there was a lot of schematics and specifications she had to read up on before she went aboard. Plus she wasn't due to report on board until the next morning. She waited for this Andorian Captain to show upto the Coffee Shop she had arranged to meet him, her double shot espresso sat untouched on the table next to the viewport as she stood examining the smooth lines of the Columbia.

It took a few moments for the Andorian to arrive. He looked around, searching for the face he'd seen in the new Executive Officer's file. It had been hectic getting the Columbia ready for its next mission. It was set to take on new crew and more supplies. Systems like the slipstream drive were also finally being brought online.

Ryhl's antennae rose excitedly as he recognized Zera. "Commander! Nice to meet you. I'm Ryhl th'Zeles of the Columbia." He eyed the drink, taking in its Earthly scent.

Zera turned slowly away from the viewport, her dark brown hair seemingly floating as she did so. The Columbia behind her made a nice backshot as she faced the captain. "Captain th'Zeles," she said simply as she looked the man up and down. "I'll get right to the point. I am your new Executive Officer Captain. I've read the very lengthy report on your first mission. It seemed far from ideal for a new ship and crew."

A smile crossed his features as he looked up. "Well the trip to Campor III was meant to be a quick supply run. When we got there, we were bogged down in a quagmire. There was a ton to investigate. They had to eventually call in more ships and launch a wider investigation."

Ryhl approached a nearby replicator and programmed a warm cup of Katheka, a root-based beverage from Andoria.

"Uh huh." Zera replied in a low unimpressed tone. "Anyways Captain. What should I know about your ship and the crew before I come aboard? I've read over some of the personnel files, however the ship is so stupidly huge that it makes it hard to read everyone's file."

"We're in the midst of a changeover. There will be a lot of new faces. One of which is Lieutenant Jorel Torin, our Chief Diplomat. He's so much more than that. We have a great Strategic Operations Officer in Lieutenant Juventus. I wonder if she'd like to move to Chief of Security and Tactical actually. Now tell me.. What do you hope to get out of your time on the Columbia?"

He sipped his drink and finally took a seat on the opposite side of Zera from the replicator.

Zera remained standing as she picked up her double espresso and took a few gulps of it. "I am assigned as the Executive Officer. My job is to be the second in command of the ship, manage the crew and be your right hand woman correct?" she asked. The question itself was hypothetical, made evident as she answered it immediately. "And whats what I fully intend to do Captain. You should know that I don't 'beat around the bush' with fancy words, I will tell you it straight and to the point. I hate it when people waste time or dance around the truth. Thats the way I've been all my life and how I was raised since I was a child. I don't take bullshit, and when I have a job to do, I do it. Simple as that."

Ryhl smiled warmly at her words. He could sense her emotions and felt she seemed to be seeking someone to trust.

"I always tell people the truth. I wear my emotions on my sleeve. I am exactly who I portray myself to be. That's not something everybody can say when they look in the mirror. I'll be glad to have an XO who's just as open. I appreciate your candor. I couldn't imagine having any doubts as to your performance."

"So.. What was it like growing up on Earth? Did you get to travel out of the Sol system often enough?" Ryhl was more interested in getting to know his XO as opposed to sizing her up. He sipped from the gray and blue striped mug.

"I never spent much time on Earth," Zera replied simply. She finally took the seat opposite him and sat down. She ran a finger round the rim of the coffee cup as she spoke. "I was always getting dragged around by my father. He was an engineer by trade, but not in Starfleet. He was often called to different planets to do something or the other. It wasn't a lifestyle that one would call stable." She told him. "My mother passed away when I was very young. I was mainly educated by remote classes over subspace. However my father believed I learnt more from going places and doing stuff than sitting in front of a viewscreen. I spent weeks, sometimes months on that old rustbucket he was so proud of as we travelled between his jobs." she paused for a moment and took a sip of her coffee. "One week we'll be repairing a water system on Betazed, only to be trekking over to Bajor to help them repair a subspace array. It was frustrating at times, never knowing where you were going to end up next. Eighteen years of my life I did that before I joined Starfleet."

"I see." His eyes offered a look of concern. "I regret the loss of your mother. That must have been very difficult to deal with." He let the thought sit for a moment.

"I grew up aboard one family mining vessel or another too. We still had lots of time on Andoria. I'm fortunate. In some ways, seeing the stars was a blessing. I learned enough to push towards become a Starfleet Engineer through the work on those old ships." With a smirk he added, "I'm surprised I haven't reverted to crewing a freighter of my own yet.. Not that old I guess." His lips pulled back into a smile.

"Why would you want to command an old freighter?" Zera asked sharply. "I understand that they are the backbone of the Federation's economy and all, but quite frankly they're dirty, slow and nothing compared to that ship out there," She said thumbing over the shoulder to indicate the Columbia. ""Oh and about my mother. There's no need to be sorry about her not being here. I was too young to know her, I have no memories of her. I'm sure she was a nice enough woman and all, she clearly put up with my father and his obsession with 'fixing everything' in the god damn galaxy." she let out a loug exasperated sigh. "I hate to admit it, but its all that running around that probably made me into an engineer. When I took the entrance exam into the Academy apparently I 'showed great engineering potential' or something like that," she said air quoting with her fingers. She took another swig of the coffee, drinking it down not in sips but in full mouthloads.

Ryhl looked warmly to Zera, antennae dancing as he listened. He could sense the tension within her. "I think none of us truly plan to become engineers. The path of life just takes us there. Both of our travels brought us to this point. Ships, those are easy to figure out. Schematics and diagrams are simple. Commanding people, that's the hard part." He looked out to the Columbia, small lights flashing alongside thousands of twinkling windows. "It's not that I want to command an old freighter. I just know that's where time will take me. Mining is a big part of the family business. It's our way of life."

Ryhl turned back to Zera. "I've sacrificed a lot for Starfleet. Family. Friends. There may come a time to make them a priority again." Ryhl sat up straighter, adjusting his uniform. "But that time is not now. Right now, all I care about is keeping my crew happy and healthy. The Columbia isn't like any other ship. We work hard, but we know how to let our hair down."

For the first time, Captain th'Zeles looked deep into Zera's eyes. "The previous crew had bonded quite strongly. I'm sure the same will happen with the new rotation. So let me ask you a question or two. What areas of your career would you like to improve? What would you say are your weaknesses? I think your strengths speak for themselves. You are a well-organized officer with a history of getting results."

"What would I like to improve..." Zera thought to herself for a moment. "I'm not too sure how to answer that." she replied simply. "I suppose you could say that I don't get on with people. Some people just don't like how I do things." she eventually added.

Ryhl's emotions were easy to read through his features. His eyelids lowered slightly. His cheeks loosened as his lips slowly turned upwards into a smile. "The Columbia is a family. Together we'll all grow, connect and support each other. I'm sure things will be uncomfortable for you at first, being new. Things will be different for us all after the changeover."

"I'll also say that I'm really excited about the new crew. I've been looking over the files. Starfleet sent some good people our way. Over time, I'm sure we'll find our way. If you ever find yourself having a problem, be sure to let me know." His antennae writhed and danced as he spoke warmly.

"I see", Zera said in response. "I'll make my own assessment about them." She told him simply.

"It's good to give people the benefit of the doubt. It does no good to hold onto some disciplinarian mentality and expect to police them on arrival. They'll have the chance to prove themselves. Now.. We've spoken a lot about other people. I'll say that my last executive officer tried to do a bit too much and burned out. Here's a little advice. Take things as they come and try to enjoy every day. Because we aren't guaranteed to see tomorrow."

A smile crept across the Andorian's face as his antennae wriggled. "It has been nice having this talk. We won't delay. We'll get the departments to push towards launch in the next few days. We'll be taking a delegation from here to Vulcan before receiving our next assignment."

"Ferrying a Vulcan delegation. Got it." Zera replied as she took a sip of her drink. "I will ensure appropriate arrangements are made for the guests," she said simply. "Has Starfleet sent us any more information on this 'delegation'? I will be needing to consult with the Chief of Security and Chief Of Operations to ensure they are properly accommodated."

"Solid thinking", Ryhl said as he thought of the Vulcans they were set to meet. "Well, our main contact will be Ambassador Scalak. He is a former Starfleet Commodore... A diplomat with lots of ties throughout the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. The members of his party will likely be his disciples. It should be a really typical mission really. They're just here for a quick ferry trip."

Ryhl remembered he had to meet with the Tactical department about an interface refit. "Well, I've taken up enough of your time Commander. We'll have plenty of time to work things out. I look forward to working with you." Ryhl took one last sip from a mug he'd been working on before he stood.

OFF

Captain Ryhl th'Zeles
Commanding Officer
USS Columbia

Commander Zera Tirado
Executive Officer
USS Columbia

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