Moving On Up

Posted on Fri Aug 6th, 2010 @ 8:11am by Commodore Samantha York & Chief Petty Officer Shalie Montgomery

840 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Peace, or Something Like It
Location: CO's Ready Room
Timeline: Current

ON

Sam read the report from the medical department with a sigh. Lieutenant Kalyka Meral had caught some sort of virus and was in sickbay. They weren't sure what sort of virus she had, nor were any current treatments working.

That left Sam in a bind. She would need someone running Engineering while Kalyka was indisposed. She looked over the list of personnel in Engineering to see whom she could put in temporary command. One name stood out. She'd met the woman briefly and was impressed with her -- and with her service record.

Sam tapped her combadge. "York to Montgomery, can you meet me in my ready room, please?"

Shalie stopped what she was doing casting a questioning look at her badge. She wasn't exactly used being called to the CO's ready room, let alone to meet with the CO. She hadn't been on the ship for long and was sure she hadn't screwed anything up that quickly. Then she thought about the little situation on the turbolift the night before. With a sigh she set down her hyper spanner and tricorder resigning herself to what was to come.

As she stepped off the lift, Shalie felt herself hesitating with each step. She crossed the bridge and headed towards Commander York's ready room. Pausing outside the door she tapped the chime and waited for permission to enter.

"Come in," Sam said, standing. When Shalie walked in, Sam smiled. "Have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?"

Shalie moved into, trying her best to keep her dread at bay. She smiled at her CO as she moved towards the offered seat. "Uh...Iced Tea would be great...two sugars." She sat down and crossed her ankles to keep from fidgeting.

Sam replicated Shalie tea and a cup of sweet carrot tea for herself. She set the ice tea in front of the other woman and sat down at her desk.

Noticing the other girl's discomfort, Sam took a sip of her tea before sitting back. "Lieutenant Kalyka Meral has contracted some sort of virus. Doctor Bowen isn't sure what is wrong and nothing seems to be working." Sam took another sip. "Apparently she's not the only one, but her symptoms have become quite severe. A medical shuttle will be here shortly to transport her to a medical facility. In the meantime, I am short a Chief Engineer."

Sam pulled a small box out from a drawer in her desk and slid it over to Shalie. "I would like you to accept this, and the position of Chief Engineer."

Shalie reached out to retrieve the box and held it in her lap for a moment before she opened it. She stared at the CPO ranks that sat in the box before she snapped the box shut and set the box gently on the desk. She had been promoted before but they were few and far between. In the back of her mind she wasn't even sure she would ever make it to Petty Officer First Class let alone Chief Petty Officer.

Shalie retrieved her tea taking a long sip, buying as much time as she could to cover her noticeable confusion. She looked up at the Commander as she set her glass back down. "Are you sure you meant me....Sir....not that I am doubting you." She stopped before she ended up putting her foot in her mouth.

"Yes, I'm sure. I've been reviewing the personnel files of everyone in the department. You are the best person for the job," she said. "And I prefer Sam, if you don't mind."

"Sorry Sir...uh I mean Sam." Shalie said with a small smile. She cleared her throat before she picked up the box once again and looked at the Commander with more confidence. "I would be glad to take the position...anything I can do to help."

"For now, make sure we can warp out of here if we have to. You may be called on to go down to Turkana and evaluate the readiness of the surface for habitation. If peace is truly established, the people will want to return to the surface."

"Consider it done...S Sam." Shalie said with a little stammer. Breaking the "Sir" habit was going to be hard for the seasoned CPO but she would do her best. "If there is anything else I would be happy to discuss it, but I am itching to get started." A smile crossed her lips as she waited for the Commander to respond.

"That's all for now," Sam replied, trying not to grin at the CPO's enthusiasm. "Good luck."

"Thank you Sir." Shalie said with a smile and a nod. With that she turned on her heels and navigated her way out of the Commander Ready Room heading back to Main Engineering. She had a lot of catching up today, but she was sure she could handle it.

=/= End Transmission =/=

Commander Samantha York
Commanding Officer
USS Calypso

Chief Petty Officer Shalie Montgomery
Chief Engineer
USS Calypso

 

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