Time to Meet the Boss

Posted on Thu Sep 12th, 2024 @ 4:35am by Petty Officer 1st Class Kael Draven & Lieutenant JG T'Pinga

Mission: Lower Decks
Location: Deck 5 > Chief of Operation's Office

Kael Draven's First Day on the USS Chimera

After settling into his quarters on Deck 5, Petty Officer First Class Kael Draven knew his next stop was the Chief of Operations' office. It was time to check in officially and introduce himself to his new supervisor, Lieutenant JG T'Pinga. He felt a mix of anticipation and nerves as he made his way through the quiet corridors of the Chimera, the hum of the ship's systems providing a comforting background.

Reaching the door to the Chief of Operations' office, Kael paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and rang the bell. The chime echoed softly, and after a brief moment, a calm, almost melodic voice from within called out, "Enter."

Kael hesitated for just a split second, waisted for the doors to hiss open and walked in, trying to project confidence. As he stepped into the office, his eyes quickly scanned the room and landed on the officer sitting behind the desk—a young female Vulcan in operations gold, her rank clearly displayed as Lieutenant JG. Her composed, analytical gaze met his, and for a moment, Kael felt his usual composure waver.

His brain scrambled for something to say, and before he could stop himself, he blurted out with a grin, "Hi there! Uh, wow, you look a lot more, uh, youthful than I expected! Not that there's anything wrong with that—totally not what I meant. Uh, I’m Kael—no, I mean, Petty Officer First Class Kael Draven, reporting in! Sorry, nerves... I'll just... um, stop talking now."

T'Pinga took in the young noncom with a quick look. The desire to "ramble," as one of her Academy professors put it, was a common habit for individuals from several species. Said individuals tended to talk and keep talking, without prior consideration as to what they were saying, while nervous. "Welcome on board, Mr. Draven," she said. "While I understand your desire to not dominate discussions, complete silence on your part is, fortunately, not required."

"Right, right," Kael quickly added, trying to recover. "It's just, uh, this is all pretty new to me, you know? First time on a ship like this. But I'm ready to learn and work hard! So... yeah, reporting for duty!" He gave a lopsided grin, hoping it would make the situation a little less awkward.

"If it does help any," T'Pinga said, "bear in mind that we were all new at one point and time, even myself. Just remember to remain calm and do ask questions if you are ever not sure about anything.

Kael nodded, snapping to attention again. "Understood, ma'am. I'll do my best to meet expectations and not, uh, embarrass myself too much more." He chuckled nervously, realizing he was still rambling. "Sorry, again—I'll just be quiet now."

Kael finally managed to keep quiet, focusing intently as he listened, ready to take on whatever came next.

T'Pinga did cringe internally over the displays over the displays of emotion - the chucking, the lopsided grin. It was a reminder of what had happened on the Halifax just a few months before. But it was certainly not the fault of the individual seated before her, who may have had no idea of what had happened.

Quickly composing herself, she said, "You are coming on board as the boatswain, to replace the previous individual to hold the post. While this individual evidently handled the position satisfactorily, the position still comes with certain...expectations that you will still be expected to discharge with accuracy and efficiency. You are among the three new members of the department, along with myself and Lt j.g. Rala, who is coming in as the assistant department head, and you interestingly have the recommendation of the CoB. The upcoming mission should be a relatively simple affair, and should allow us to determine if anything else requires attention. Do you have any questions at this time?"

T'Pinga braced herself for the possible deluge of a response.

Kael blinked a couple of times, trying to absorb everything she had just said. "Uh, no pressure then," he quipped with a sheepish grin. "I mean, replacing someone always comes with big shoes to fill, but I'm up for it. I'll make sure to live up to those expectations."

Kael quickly corrected himself, "Yeah, Jadizon and I—I mean, Senior Chief Enor and I—were on Kepler Station together. We're good friends, but we've always had a strong working relationship too. He knows what I’m capable of, and I’m grateful for his recommendation. I won’t let him—or you—down."

As he thought about the upcoming mission, Kael leaned forward slightly, his tone more serious. "No questions right now, ma'am, but I’ll be sure to ask if anything comes up. Just looking forward to getting started and, uh, not screwing things up on my first day."

He flashed another lopsided grin, hoping to lighten the mood just a bit.

Kael hesitated for a moment, then, with a playful grin, asked, "So, Lieutenant, I gotta say—seeing a young Vulcan officer like yourself in charge is pretty impressive. How’d you end up in operations?" He added a quick wink and a playful click of his tongue, trying to lighten the mood a bit while genuinely curious about her background.

T'Pinga considered her response for a moment. "Certainly among the responsibilities of the department is to ensure that things are not only set up in an organized manner but also maintained in an orderly fashion. This ensures that the ship operates in as efficient a manner as reasonably possible. As a Vulcan, I find that idea to be very logical. And I should point out that for a vessel of this size, not to mention its somewhat unofficial use as a place for those who are not on the best terms with those higher up in the chain of command for any of a variety of reasons, someone of my rank and previous experiences in Starfleet is generally qualified to handle the position of being a department head."

Kael listened intently, but as T'Pinga mentioned the ship’s unofficial use as a place for those not on the best terms with higher-ups, his expression shifted from curious to puzzled. "Wait, so I got transferred here because I pissed someone off up the chain of command? How did I—" He paused, a look of confusion spreading across his face as he tried to piece it together.

"Oh!" His eyes widened as the realization hit him. "You mean to tell me I’m here because Jadizon—er, I mean Senior Chief Enor—screwed up and pissed his father off, and since I’m his plucky best friend, I’m having to suffer too?" He frowned deeply, then let out a sigh, shrugging his shoulders in resignation.

"Well, with all due respect, I guess that’s just my luck," he added, trying to inject a bit of humor back into the situation despite the frustration evident on his face.

Kael nodded, quickly realizing the seriousness in her tone. "Makes sense," he replied, his playful demeanor softening. "Order and efficiency are key, especially on a ship like this. And hey, if anyone’s going to make sure things run smoothly, I’d bet on a Vulcan to get it done right."

He paused, then added more sincerely, "Sounds like you've got plenty of experience to back it up. I can see why you're in charge. I’m looking forward to learning from you and making sure we keep things running like clockwork."

T'Pinga nodded. She said, "Why Senior Chief Enor decided to bring you along is something you will have to talk with him about, as he did not specify as to the reasons for his recommendations, at least within the formal records. And definitely be prepared to do your part in helping things run like clockwork. As another old Earth saying goes, I plan to hit the ground running. Do you have anything else at the moment you wish to bring up?"

Kael chuckled softly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I'll definitely have to ask Senior Chief Enor what his game plan was. I’m starting to feel like I missed the memo on a lot of things." He grinned, trying to ease the slight tension. "But hey, I’m ready to hit the ground running too. I might trip a little along the way, but I’ll make sure I get there."

He paused for a moment, thinking over her question before shaking his head. "Nothing else comes to mind at the moment, Lieutenant. Just eager to get started and do my part." He gave a small, confident nod. "Thanks for the briefing—I'll make sure I keep things running smoothly, or at least try my best to. Permission to be dismissed?"

"You are dismissed," T'Pinga said. "I will look forward to working with you in the future."

Kael stood up straight, offering a respectful nod. "Thank you, Lieutenant. I look forward to working with you as well." He flashed a quick grin and added, "And I'll do my best to keep the tripping to a minimum."

With that, he turned on his heel and headed for the door, feeling a mix of relief and excitement about the journey ahead.