First Mission Humdrum

Posted on Sun Jul 31st, 2022 @ 11:27am by Commander Leah Sullivan & Lieutenant Commander Gwilym Bevan & Lieutenant Kari Burke & Lieutenant Nause Kallan & Master Chief Petty Officer Tommie McDaniel & Senior Chief Petty Officer Astrid Köler & Lieutenant Zema Eelri

Mission: Mission One

Deck 3 - Holodeck 1

The transfer of the supplies went smoothly with Lt. (j.g.) Vagho, Staff Warrant Officer Aoife Ó Móráin, and Warrant Officer Gemma Allusa ensuring everything was put in its proper place. Since some of the supplies had to be placed in the shuttlebay, Gemma had been almost tyrannical. She was the chief support craft pilot, not the officer in charge of flight control, but she may as well have been. Both Kari and Kanti allowed her to run both shuttlebays as if they were her own because they knew that the spunky warrant officer wasn't going to let anything happen to her small craft, or the bays that housed them. Working closely with Aoife, Gemma made sure that her small craft operations wouldn't be hindered by the stacks and stacks of crates that had been placed in her shuttlebays.

Leah was proud of her crew after everything was onboard. She had expected the process to take around five hours, but Vagho had reported back three and a half hours later that everything was on board and secured for transport to Science Station 0812. She was proud, but also a bit put out. Leah and Kari had opted for some holodeck time, recreating the waters of Bali to go snorkeling with some sea lions.

"Damn, that was fast," Kari said as she and Leah made it back to the beach and waded out of the water. The second officer pulled the mask and snorkel from her head, tossing both onto a waiting beach chair. "It sucks, because I was really enjoying this, but I gotta' say," she said as she grinned at her best friend, "we have a pretty kick-ass crew."

Leah removed her mask and snorkel as well, tossing her next to Kari's. "I agree. And I'm glad our first mission is just a delivery. It might be a bit mundane, but it'll help us all mesh with the new command structure, and ease the new crew into their places on the ship."

Kari stopped walking and put a hand on Leah's arm to stop her. "Leah, with exception of the new crew, everyone on board knows you and is confident in your abilities. There's no need for us to mesh with the new command structure." She then cocked her head to the side. "Unless you mean Commander Bevan. He was a bit odd at first, but I think he's growing on me."

Leah thought back to the first few meetings she'd had with Gwilym Bevan. He had been a bit too straight-laced, probably wanting to make a good impression on his new boss, but he'd come in a bit too hot for Leah's tastes. Within a few days, however, the ship's new first officer had relaxed a bit, his hard edge relaxing as he and the crew became more accustomed to each other, and he became more accustomed to his new captain. "He has integrated well," Leah finally said with a slight smile. After a moment, she turned and called out, "Computer, arch."

Part of the picturesque beach setting disappeared, replaced by the holodeck entry archway. Both women frowned as the real-world exit appeared, obscuring an incredible view. Kari let out a sigh. "Back to real world, I guess."

Both women wrapped their beach towels around their waists as they stepped out into the corridor. Societies may have evolved, but both women were beautiful, and with Kari in a light blue two-piece, and Leah in a black, skin-tight one-piece, they would still get the occasional glances from the crew. "Back at it," Leah echoed. "These supplies aren't going to deliver themselves." As the arch closed behind them, she added, "But the trip is three days. We can probably schedule more time for a return trip to Bali."

"I'm counting on it," Kari replied as they stepped into the turbolift.

* * * *

Deck 1 - Bridge

"Number One, take us out," Leah said, now properly uniformed and in the command chair.

With a nod, Lt. Commander Bevan announced, "Approach Control, this is USS Protean requesting clearance for departure."

It took a moment, but a male voice came across the bridge speakers. "Protean, this is Approach Control. You are cleared for departure, and the umbilical has been released."

Kari checked her helm display, turned slightly, and gave a nod to confirm what they had been told.

"Lt. Burke, three-quarter thrusters, please," Bevan then said.

"Thrusters to three-quarters," Burke said after several taps of her fingers. "Three minutes until we're clear of the bay doors."

Leah sat quietly, sipping her coffee as she listened to Bevan's instruction, waiting patiently until they were clear of the starbase doors.

"Course set for Science Station 0812," Kari finally announced once they were clear of the station.

"Thank you," Leah finally said. "Get us underway, warp 5."

"Warp five, aye," Kari replied. Moments later, the viewscreen display showed the streaking stars indicating that they had gone to warp. "We are underway, Captain," Kari added. "ETA is seventy-six hours, forty-two minutes at present speed."

"Very well." Leah drained the last of her coffee, then looked at Bevan. "You have the bridge. I'll be in the ready room."

Gwilym stood when his CO did, and once she disappeared behind the ready room doors, he clasped his hands behind his back, took a moment to watch the stars streaking past, then began meandering around the bridge. It was going to be a long shift, he thought.

* * * *

Deck 3 - Sickbay

With exception of a few medical staff at workstations, sickbay was completely empty when Lieutenant Zema walked in. This was one area of the ship she had not yet gotten familiar with, but that would change soon. As the chief security officer on board, it was her job to know every nook and cranny of the ship and she had already been studying up on the more prominent parts of Protean, but now that she was on board, she'd begin going through other areas to become intimately familiar with every inch.

Sickbay on a Nova class ship was small, as expected. She had come from a Saber class ship, so the small size was familiar, but she took a few moments to take it all in. To her left was the surgical bay, directly in front of her were several beds, and to her right was what must have been Lieutenant Kallan's office with some miscellaneous consoles and workstations behind that. She stood patiently, not wanting to interrupt anyone's work, but it didn't take long before she was noticed.

"Lieutenant Zema?"

The Bajoran turned to see a Senior Chief smiling at her. With a nod, Eelri said, "Correct. I'm here to see Doctor Kallan."

The Senior Chief grunted slightly. "Didn't even have to chase after you. Nice." She gestured toward one of the empty beds and walked with Eelri toward them. "She will be out soon. Please have a seat here. I'm Senior Chief Astrid Köler, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Eelri gave the small blonde a nod. "How long have you been on the Protean?"

"A little over a year," Astrid replied. "I came from the Devore, an Akira class. It was a bigger ship, but I'm much happier here." When Eelri's eyebrow popped up, Astrid added, "I know people say that their ships are like family, but the Protean really is like a family. We took a big hit not long ago, losing our Captain and XO at the same time. Despite that, we all helped each other through the loss like a real family." She paused a moment, then smirked. "Sorry. That's probably too much to dump on you at once. A little too deep, maybe."

A small smile turned up the corner of Eelri's lips. "Possibly, but it's good to know. I was worried about coming to a ship with loads of drama." The small smile disappeared. "I don't do drama."

"That's good to know," another voice said from behind Eelri. "As the Chief Medical Officer," Kallan continued, "I can confirm that drama leads to shenanigans, and shenanigans lead to injuries." The Trill looked at her assistant. "Thank you, Astrid. Aren't you supposed to meet Maurek for lunch?"

Astrid's eyes shot open as her head whipped around to find the clock on the wall. She had three minutes to get to the mess hall to meet Chief Petty Officer Maurek. Having both arrived on the Protean at the same time, they had become quite close, first as friends, but it had blossomed into a bit more in the past month. "Oh, damn," she muttered under her breath. "I--I'll be back soon," she said as she began emptying her pockets of scanners and hyposprays.

"You'd better not be!" Kallan said with a chuckle. "Astrid, take your time. I know how to get ahold of you if you're needed."

Astrid let out a happy sigh. "Thanks, Doc."

Nause shook her head with a smile as Astrid hustled out of the door, then turned her attention to the woman on her biobed. "Thank you for coming, Lieutenant. I promise that this won't take long."

Eelri nodded and waited patiently while Nause flipped open a medical tricorder, pulled out the hand scanner, and began moving it around her.

Nause kept her attention on the readings she was receiving, wanting to get a good baseline for her new chief of security in case something happened to her, stopping once or twice to tap the tricorder to change its setting before scanning the Bajoran again. "I must admit, you're a model patient, Lieutenant."

"How so?"

Nause slid the hand scanner back into the tricorder before flipping it closed. "You showed up on time, you don't squirm, you don't ask a bunch of questions, and you're a specimen of perfect health." She stepped back in case Eelri wanted to hop off the bed. "Have you had any problems adjusting?" Nause asked. "I know it has only been a few days, and I'm not the ship's counselor, but it all culminates into potential medical issues."

"I'm still getting my bearings," Eelri replied as she slid off of the bed and stood in front of the doctor. "I have quite a bit of work to do, but everyone has been both kind and professional."

Nause smiled warmly. "In that case, I won't keep you any longer. But, Astrid was right earlier. Small ships like this tend to function like a family. I'm sure there are exceptions to that statement, but not the Protean. There is the heirarchy, but we don't like to whip out our rank pips unless it's absolutely necessary. We just tend to function well together with everyone knowing their roles and performing them well."

After a brief moment, Eelri nodded. "That's good to know. Thank you, Doctor."

"Are you off to see Lieutenant Buchanan?"

Eelri nodded again. "As promised."

Nause smiled happily. "I think I like you, Lieutenant Zema."

The Chief Security Officer grunted out a chuckle as she walked out the door. Since the counselor was on the same deck, it didn't take long to find Buchanan's office. Luckily, it was just a cursory conversation. Lt. Kelvin Buchanan took the time to explain how he and his small staff operated, asked a few probing questions to ensure she was doing well onboard the new ship, and left it at that. After about twenty minutes, Eelri found herself back on the bridge to relieve Lt. (j.g.) Minna.

"I take it you're healthy in body and mind, Lieutenant?" she heard Bevan ask.

"I am, sir," she replied as she pulled up her own display layout for the ship. "Do you have orders for me?"

Gwilym shook his head. "Nothing specific. I'm sure you have things you want to do. Have at it until shift change."

Eelri nodded, checked the settings on her display to ensure it would alert her to any issues, and turned in her chair to the auxiliary console next to her to begin studying more of the ship's information pertaining to her department.

"A bit stiff, isn't she?" Master Chief McDaniel muttered from the auxiliary console behind the Captain's chair. He had come onto the bridge just after Leah had gone into her ready room earlier.

Gwilym shot him a glance with a small smirk, but said nothing. He didn't want to say anything that Lt. Zema might overhear, but Tommie was right. She'd come out of it, though, the longer she served with them. It would just take time, and this trip gave them plenty of that. With any luck, Lt. Zema would try to get to know some of the crew on the trip.

"Master Chief, report to the ready room," Leah's voice said over the ship's comm.

Tommie didn't bother answering, and just walked to her door to walk in.

"Slumming it on my bridge, were you?" Leah said with a smile as he stood in front of her desk.

"I needed a break from the new kids," he said, and sat when she gestured to the chair.

"How are they doing? That's why I asked you in."

He let out a deep breath through his nose and shrugged. "For the most part, we got some experienced NCOs, but Diana--er, Admiral Francsizka had to throw quite a few rookies on us to fill out the roster."

"How bad is it?" Leah asked, leaning back into her chair.

The Master Chief lifted his hand and waggled it back and forth. "It could be worse, but they are pretty damn green. I have a meeting scheduled with my senior NCOs in two hours to work out a training plan. We'll start them with an indoctrination of the ship and her systems, then each division will run them through their courses until they are part of our well-oiled machine."

"Good," Leah nodded, then she stood and walked to the replicator, placing her used coffee mug in to be reclaimed, and then ordered another. "Want something?" she asked, turning to her Chief of the Boat.

"Whiskey?" he said with a grin.

"Did you say ice water?" she asked with a deadpan look on her face.

He huffed. "Fine. Raktajino."

Moments later, Leah placed his steaming mug on the desk in front of him, then sat back in her own chair, sipping at her new cup of coffee. "How's everything else? Anything I should know about?"

Ever since Tommie had come to the Protean, the senior staff quickly learned that not only was he a highly capable Master Chief, but he was also the eyes and ears of the ship. He was able to suss out any rumors, trouble, or curiosities going on as if he had some sort of magical foreknowledge. He was also full of stories that could keep everyone entertained, but they were almost always told as parables with some sort of meaning to them. That was one reason why the junior enlisted staff seemed to catch on so quickly. Sure, Tommie could be a holy terror when he got angry, but he learned long ago that there was a time and place for that. Despite the chain of command, adult learners took in information better when they weren't being screamed at.

"Nothing major," he replied after his own sip.

"And the minor things?" she pressed.

"Everyone's curious about your new security chief, which is common," he replied. "She has been quite aloof so far, a bit cold, to be honest. But she'll come around."

With a nod, Leah asked, "Anything else?"

A small smile curled on Tommie's lips. "That's about it, unless you're concerned about Senior Chief Köler and Chief Maurek's relationship." He paused to take another drink. "To be honest, they're killing me. I've never seen a relationship move so damn slow."

"Oh, yeah. Glacial is the speed I'd give it," she said, rolling her eyes. "What's the problem?"

He opened his mouth to speak, closed it, then raised his hands when he shrugged. "Hell, I have no idea. Maybe it's an Acamarian thing? Or maybe Köler has only dated men and doesn't know how to proceed?"

Leah let out a harrumph. "I've seen them together. It's a good pairing, but we need to let it happen naturally, if it's to happen at all."

"You sure?" he asked with a shit-eating grin spreading. "I mean, I can--"

"Don't you dare," she chuckled. "They'll figure it out. Leave them be, Master Chief."

His smile disappeared at the mention of his rank. He knew it was more or less an order at that point. "Understood." He tipped the mug of Raktajino upward and chugged the last of it before standing to return it to the replicator. "Anything else?" he asked over his shoulder. "Like, maybe a little soiree for the senior staff, and senior NCOs?"

Leah snorted before she chuckled. "A soiree, eh? Didn't I just tell you to let it happen naturally?"

"Huh?" he asked, as he turned, then feigned naivety. "Oh, this is completely self-serving. I just didn't want to miss out on a party, uh, as long as you were going to allow real alcohol, that is."

"I haven't even said I'd have a party!"

"True, but what better way to commemorate the first mission?" he asked, the shit-eating grin crossing his face again.

"Ugh. Get out, you conniving turd," she said with a laugh as her hand made a shoo movement.

"Aye, Cap'n," he said as he stood ramrod straight, did an about face, and left the room.

As the door closed, she sighed. He was right. He was always right. A little party might help crew cohesion, and it might also help Lieutenant Zema let her hair down a bit. After a moment, she touched the console in front of her. "Number One to the ready room, please."

-----------------------------
CMDR Leah Sullivan
LCDR Gwilym Bevan
LT Kari Burke
LT Zema Eelri
LT Nause Kallan
MCPO Tommie McDaniel
SCPO Astrid Köler