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Posted on Thu May 4th, 2017 @ 2:12pm by Lieutenant Alexandra Alves M.D. & Commodore Samantha York & Veronica Kiley

1,705 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Pulling Together
Location: USS Calypso
Timeline: current

[USS Benecia]

"Mooom...", Veronica looked up to her mother, while they stood up to the transporter pad together, "We can still turn back..."

"Don't be silly.", Alexandra shook her head, with a look telling her one and only daughter that the decision is final, and she won't turn down her first assignment as Chief Medical Officer because of her feeling homesick.

"I wanna stay here.", the 7-year-old said, now on a more sad tone, trying to employ psychological warfare against her mom, "Why should we move? What if the new place is gonna stink?"

"Veronica... We talked this over a dozen times.", Alex crouched down to the girl, trying to be completely honest with her, "This new job is very important for me. I know it's awful to lose your friends, go to a new place, a new school and all...", she said softly, "I've also been through that. But it's life. Sometimes life is not fair.", she explained, "And besides... the Calypso is a much cooler place than Benecia."

"Really?", Veronica looked at her mom with the shadow of doubt in her eyes.

"Did I ever lie to you?", Alex asked, then added, "Okay, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny doesn't count.", she smiled and shrugged, "The Calypso is a Galaxy-class vessel. It's awesome, like a whole big city in space. It's not like this old rug of a ship. It's full of kids, and fun stuff to do. Holodecks, sports, observation lounge... one can never get bored on board!"

Veronica thought this over for a few seconds, and decided she'd give credit to her mom and believe that she might tell the truth. "Alright. Let's go.", she said, giving up the fight, and taking a huge breath, ready to be transported to her new home. Alex nodded to the transporter operator, so he could start to 'energize'.

[USS Calypso]

Alexandra's first task upon arriving to her new assignment was to report for duty to her commanding officer. She didn't know what to expect from this certain Samantha York, although she's read positive things about her. After dropping their suitcases in their new quarters (the rest of their belongings were already transferred here from the Benecia, thanks to the fast schedule of both ships, allowing only for a short rendezvous), Alex left her daughter there to get acquainted with her new surroundings, then got to the nearest turbolift to find her new CO.

[Ready room]

The doctor quickly found the captain's ready room, and tapped the door chime panel. Alright, let's give the best impression I can, she thought, and straightened her uniform, which looked a bit loose.

Sam stood and turned to the door. "Come in."

Alex walked in, trying to look as formal as possible, not exactly knowing what to expect from her new commanding officer. "Doctor Alexandra Alves, reporting for duty, sir.", she nodded firmly.

"Ma'am, or Commodore," Sam asked. "I've never quite accustomed myself to Sir. Please, have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?"

Alex felt her face turning a bit red. So, I managed to make my commanding officer feel uncomfortable on my first day at the job. Right. "Thank you... ma'am.", she uttered, taking a seat, "Coffee with milk, please. Thank you."

"Don't worry about it," Sam said, noting the blush and discomfort. She got up and went to the replicator to order a coffee and a cup of spice tea. "I'm not your typical Captain, I'm afraid. I'm a scientist first and foremost." She set the coffee in front of the doctor and walked around to take her tea to her side of the desk. "What brings you to the Calypso?" she asked.

"Actually, I grew up surrounded by scientists.", Alex said with a smile, now eased up a bit, seeing her new CO acting cordially, dropping the formal disposition. "Well, being the chief medical officer on board a Galaxy-class starship is sort of a dream job, I guess.", she then responded, picking up her coffee.

"I'm quite partial to the Galaxy-Class myself." Sam couldn't help smiling. "This one's been very good to me." She took a sip of her tea and asked, "Tell me about your last assignment."

"My last assignment?", Alex asked, while she also took a sip from her drink. The Commodore probably read my service record, she thought, she knows all the official stuff, now she wants to know my personal opinion. "Being assistant chief medical officer is not exactly an easy job.", she spoke up, "The Benecia is not Galaxy-class, but we had our share of adventures. Out there you meet situations they don't prepare you for at the Academy. I learned a great deal in the line of fire.", she said, then changed the subject a bit, "I guess, you've read Doctor Menzel's letter of recommendation, ma'am."

"I did. But I like hearing your view on things," Sam said. "What was your favorite thing about the Benecia?"

My favorite thing about the Benecia? Lieutenant Chen's spaghetti alle vongole. The most delicious thing ever! And his whipped cream cake! Mmmmm! That man was a genius! Of course, I can't tell that answer to my new commander, the doctor shook her head.

"My work on the Benecia gave me an opportunity to do what I always wanted to. Connect exploring the unknown with helping those in need. Probably that was my favorite thing about it.", she spoke up, "I truly hope I can continue that here.", she said, "I also loved the community we had there. Small ship, small crew, like a real family.", she then added, with a bit of nostalgia in her voice.

"We have labs here dedicated to research," Sam said. "There are several dedicated to medical. Unfortunately, we're not so small a ship but there are opportunities to make friends and to get involved. I hope you won't miss that part of the Benecia too much."

"Don't worry, ma'am.", Alex said, taking another sip from her coffee, "I'm pretty sure I'll make plenty of friends here. And that goes for Veronica as well.", she said, surprised on just how quick her reserved, formal attitude disappeared, "It's not easy for a child of her age to grow up on a starship."

Concerning the other topic, Alex nodded in agreement, "That's one of the reasons I was thrilled to join such a large and modern starship. The Benecia gave me plenty of opportunities for research and field work, but it's literally nothing compared to a Galaxy-class."

Sam nodded in agreement and smiled. "Do you have any questions for me?"

Alex thought about it for a moment, then decided to speak her mind. "Can I speak freely, ma'am?", she asked, then, taking another sip from the coffee, not sure how to begin, spoke up, "I'd just like to ask... Why did you choose me exactly? I mean, this is my first assignment as CMO and I'm pretty much sure there are dozens of doctors more qualified for this job than me."

"You can always speak freely," Sam said. "To answer your question, I started out on the USS Orion as Chief Science Officer. Due to circumstances beyond our control, the ship was infested by rodents that chewed on the conduits and cables in the ship, necessitating a long stay in spacedock. At the same time, the Captain accepted another assignment and recommended me to take command of the new ship. I had not gon through the Command courses, but I had worked with people and run archaeological expeditions. Admiral Burke agreed that I had sufficient leadership experience to be given a chance. I've been in command for seven years now. So, to pay it forward, I like to select people I think are capable of the position, even if they may not have the qualifications on paper."

Listening to Sam's story about her own way to command made Alex feel more comfortable regarding her new job and also made her now feel she'd trust her new CO completely. She already took a liking to the Commodore. "I hope I won't disappoint you, ma'am.", she said with a honest glance. "I'll try to do my best. As always."

"That's all I ask," Sam said. "Now, if you have no further questions, I'll let you get settled in and meet your staff." From what she'd seen so far, she liked the new doctor. It was a good sign of things to come.

"Thank you, ma'am.", Alex nodded with a glance of trust in her eyes. "I'm eager to get things going. And hopefully, very soon I can call the Calypso my home.", she said, "And that goes for my daughter as well.", she added, standing up, as she finished her coffee.

"I hope so, too," Sam said. She stood and smiled at the doctor. "If you have some time, take your daughter to one of the arboretums. I should warn you, LIzzie usually has cookies and ice cream on hand if anyone wants to visit her in the workroom."

"Arboretums?", Alex smiled, "Seems fun. And cookies and ice cream are definitely a positive thing if you want a seven-year-old to fell in love with botany.", she laughed. In herself, she thought, she'd be probably much more interested in the arboretum than her daughter, but who knows, they might sparkle her interest in this field.

"Some days, Lizzie--Lieutenant Jackson--acts more like a kid than an adult. She has a workroom for the school kids to learn about plants. It's just one of many areas you and your daughter can explore while you're here." Sam walked around her desk to shake Alexandra's hand. "Now, if you've nothing else, I'll let you go."

"We'll surely do! A workroom for kids, just exactly what Veronica needs," Alex nodded, and decided to get in touch with this arboretum lady as soon as she settled down. "Thank you for the welcome, ma'am," she said as she finished her coffee, "I'll be in sickbay."

Sam nodded. "Thank you and welcome aboard. "

"Thank you. Glad to be here.", Alex nodded with a gentle smile, and busy as always, walked out of the ready room.

____
OFF

Lieutenant Alexandra Alves
Chief Medical Officer

Commodore Samantha York
Commanding Officer

 

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