CEO Reporting In

Posted on Tue Jul 12th, 2016 @ 6:10pm by Lieutenant T'Pral & Commodore Samantha York

1,315 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Shadow Dance
Location: Captain's Ready Room

T'Pral didn't have any belongings. She felt it illogical to carry anything between assignments when replicators existed. Sentimentality was similarly illogical, so she had no personal effects. Therefore, as soon as she arrived on the Calypso, rather than go through the complication of getting quarters to drop off her things, she made a precise beeline for the Bridge and the Captain's Ready Room. At exactly the top of the hour, she pressed the call button.

Samantha was taking advantage of a rare moment of inactivity. She was sitting on the couch in her office, sipping a cup of carrot tea and reading a paper on a recent archaeological dig on Centarus IV.

When her door chimed she sat up. "Come," she said, setting her tea and PADD on the side table.

T'Pral entered and assumed a crisp parade rest stance before the desk. She paused a beat before glancing around and noticing the Commodore was actually on the couch. A subtle eyebrow raise preceded her turning to square with her. "Lieutenant T'Pral reporting for duty, Commodore."

Sam stood, noticing the eyebrow. "At ease, Lieutenant T'Pral." Sam had received the report from Starfleet about her new Chief Engineer. "Please, have a seat and tell me something about yourself."

'At ease' to a Vulcan was pretty much the same, so her position didn't change. T'Pral internally debated simply to remain standing as she preferred, but she remembered that humans were more comfortable when one accepted their offers. She turned the chair in front of the desk to precisely face Commodore York and sat in it, her back board-straight and her hands on her thighs. "I am certain the information you seek can be found within my Starfleet record, Commodore."

"Information on your assignments and career path can be found in your record, yes, but I would like to know something about the officer not mentioned in your personnel file," Sam said. "It is a very human quality, but I prefer to treat people as individuals and not simply as the sum of their files." However, she did recognize that her attitude towards command and her crew was contrary to how most Vulcans believed, so she took a different tack. "What made you choose engineering?"

Ah, humans. Being accustomed to the all-Vulcan USS T'Kumbra, sometimes she forgot their... eccentricities. T'Pral paused in thought for a moment. "Power plant and propulsion systems are fascinating. Particularly unusual approaches, such as the way the Dominion manage their matter-antimatter reactions."

Sam nodded. "I'm the same way with archaeology and anthropology. I'm a scientist who happens to be a commander," she explained. "So I appreciate your fascination with unusual approaches to engineering. If you come across viable options that will help the Calypso perform more efficiently, let me know." She paused for a moment and asked. "What do you expect to get out of your time on the Calypso?"

T'Pral nodded once, "As soon as I view your current operating parameters I will maximize your efficiency." To her other query, "I expect to keep the ship's matter-antimatter reactor and warp engines operating at optimum levels."

Sam nodded. "What do you expect of the Calypso?" she asked.

T'Pral's eyebrow rose a micron. Expectations of a vessel were to, well, be a vessel. She had to pause a moment and consider the question from a human standpoint. "I will assume you mean the crew of the Calypso, as to expect anything of an inanimate object is illogical. I expect the crew to operate at or above Starfleet standards."

"Yes, I meant the crew," Sam said. "Most of the command staff does work at that level, but there are one or two that...have a learning curve."

If the Vulcan's expression changed at all, it was a very subtle hint of a frown. "If they are not up to standards, additional training and limited duty may be required." She was surprised individuals who did not meet standards still remained in the service, but she kept that fact to herself.

"While the Federation has high standards, not all the best officers go to the same ship. I have officers who are very good in their fields of expertise, but they may have other...limitations." Sam sighed. She might as well warn the new Engineer first. "The Chief Flight Control Officer is a very good pilot and a competent engineer, but she's also a bit of a klutz. You'll no doubt find out before too long."

"Ah, I see," T'Pral said in understanding, "It is not a limitation in position assignment, rather that of the individual. I recall many Academy classmates were of similar... limitation. It seems typical for humans." She did not state it as a pejorative, but as simple, cold, empirical fact.

"Indeed," Sam said, a smile flashing briefly across her face. "My first encounter with Yui was when she fell asleep at the helm while on duty."

If T'Pral was alarmed by this revelation, the most she sowed it was through her words. "That seems... dangerous. I presume, since she still has a job, that there were... extenuating circumstances?"

"Fortunately, no. She'd already laid in a course," Sam replied. "She'd just arrived after a long flight and came straight to the bridge. I'm only telling you this because you are likely to encounter some of her eccentricities."

"I understand," T'pral replied. "Are there other... eccentricities I should be aware of among the crew?"

"Eccentricities? No." Sam paused for a moment. "We currently have a missing Marine. Commanders Jennifer Tate and Alexandra Vance are looking into it. I hope it will not involve Engineering, but if so, they will explain the situation to you."

T'Pral nodded once. "I would expect to be briefed if my department will be required in any operation." She paused a beat, "Is there anything else, Commodore?" T'Pral wouldn't call herself 'eager' to get to work; it was a decidedly human emotion. Still, she wanted to get down there and get her hands on the reactor core as soon as she could.

"No. Familiarize yourself with your department and the ship. If you've time, meet the department heads you'll be associating with. We're heading to Jenefra to meet with the King and his council. I'll have a briefing to let everyone know what to expect. If you've no further questions, welcome aboard and you're dismissed." Sam was impressed with the woman so far. She had an impressive record and at first meeting, seemed like she would fit in -- as long as she wasn't scared off by some of the odd events the Calypso inevitably ran across.

"Thank you, Commodore," T'Pral said after standing. She offered the CO a final nod before exiting the Ready Room. Immediately, she made a beeline for the Engineering decks, to see how badly in need of optimization the warp core was. It wasn't that she had a superiority complex or anything (well, maybe a little), just she was used to a Vulcan ship that ran at peak efficiency all the time.

During her turbolift ride, she reflected on her first impressions of the ship and her CO. The Galaxy class design was getting perhaps a bit long in the tooth, now thirty years old, but they had kept up with the changing technologies. That is how the Excelsior class was in use for nearly a century. So far, she ship would be... satisfactory. She would have to see how well the systems stood up. As for her CO... Commodore York is the first human T'Pral would serve under. Their first meeting was... satisfactory. Being used to a Vulcan ship, she had expected a bit more emotion. The measured conversation was an agreeable surprise to her. Yes, she thought to herself as the doors parted on Deck 36, this would be a fascinating assignment.

____
OFF

Commodore Samantha York
Commanding Officer
USS Calypso

Lt T'Pral
Chief Engineer
USS Calypso

 

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