Bridge Service

Posted on 11 Jul 2020 @ 3:08pm by Lieutenant Callisi Veera & Lieutenant Sovok

1,551 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Ab Intra
Location: Bridge
Timeline: MD 01 - 1325 hours

It worried the Daughter of Ts'usu that she was being sent to the bridge rather than her section chief, but as soon as the thought entered her head, she reasoned that there were things she would be told about later that were keeping Madalene busy abroad. The turbolift doors to the bridge swished open, allowing Callisi access to the bridge. She gave a quick nod to those that looked towards the door as she moved to the Ops console and relieved the ensign there of his post. Once there, she brought up a display of the harmonics and the current status of the deflector dish.

It worried her that these were simple enough tasks. Tasks that could have been handled from Ops itself. To sit here on the Bridge seemed overglamourous.

Sovok nodded to the Lieutenant as she came aboard the bridge. He was glad to not have to instruct her to take her station. The bridge was quiet. The officers who resided there quietly went about their work. The Vulcan's command style seemed to spill over into his subordinates. All who were on the bridge focused on their tasks in silence.

"Minor fluctuations, sir." The junior officer at a science station. "A factor of point zero four." Sovok brought up his display at the captain's chair. His fingers worked in a blur of motion. "Compensate the shields to the following frequency to compensate." He called out to all the bridge officers. His voice was calm, reserved, but confident.

"Sir." Callisi called up, "Would you please confirm the compensation frequency? Lieutenant Sabine has advised a different optimal frequency." an order from a section chief was one thing, but an order from the acting Shipmaster was something entirely different.

"Resending compensation frequency." Sovok said flatly as he worked on his console once more. "The change will get us back to the parameters we need to maintain our position as support for the away team. Execute on my mark." He said as he waited a few moments for his crew to complete their tasks. "Mark."

With that, the order was given, and Callisi complied. "Acknowledged. Adjusting deflector shield frequency as ordered." She figured, in the words of her section chief, this was just another situation under the marks of 'Clarification After the Fact'. Despite the dull pulse of pain behind her actual eye, the Daughter of Ts'usu allowed herself a soft smirk. "Harmonics adjusted." she announced at task completion.

"Well done, Lieutenant." Sovok said as he looked down at his console to confirm the readings. Despite what may have been an unorthodox compensation, the shield harmonic frequencies were right were the parameters needed to be. If nothing else, the Vulcan officer seemed to know what he was doing.

Besides that though, he was difficult to read. He was passive in his expression, pristine in his posture, even in his tone, and statuesque in his build. He was neither emotional nor cold. He was a lukewarm personality; just personable enough to meet the requirements of a Starfleet officer.

Sovok rose from his seat and approached Callisi's station. His stride was neither swift nor slow. Everything about the Vulcan had been thought out by him to make humans feel more comfortable around him including such interpersonal greetings.

"We have not officially met. I am Lieutenant Sovok, Chief Helmsman. It is agreeable to meet you."

"Lieutenant Junior, Callisi Veera." she was neither perturbed nor discomforted by him. Her demeanor held a lot of points that the Vulcan might have found similar. Calm, measured composure. Protocol and respect.

"It's good to be able to meet you as well. Thank you for taking the time." she offered a quick bow at the waist. "I apologize for my lapse in performance. I only recently awoke from what I was told was a comatose state. I will not require repetition of an update in the future."

"I would rather repeat an order a dozen times then to see an officer make a mistake. Never feel any hesitation to ask for clarification. Accuracy is our business, Lieutenant." Sovok said evenly as he looked the junior Lieutenant over. A nod of approval escaped him. He admired professionalism.

"I have been researching the inhabitants of this ship but never got around to your file. Tell me, what sort of situation brought you into, and more impressively, out of a comatose state?" He asked with curiosity. Even the medical sciences were an interest to him.

She gave a nod at the clarification. She liked the way he conducted himself. Direct, To the Point, Clear. So many factors were the exact opposite in her current section chief. Where he offered clarity, she offered confusion. Where he offered understanding, she offered doubt.

"My recollection of the events prior to the coma are still a bit hazy, unfortunately. I recall repair work. Queue after queue of repair tickets. A planet. Blue and green. White swirls, maybe clouds. A single moon. I remember everyone was happy to see it, but then it wasn't the right world." she took a breath, "A massive project, calculations and trajectories. A slingshot, and then nothing." a pause to gather herself, "I awoke in sickbay. It's been nothing but confusion and questions since then."

"Fascinating." Sovok muttered to himself. Memory issues were not uncommon and a task many sought vulcans for assistance with. Sovok knew this and so did those who possessed his body. They may control his body, but not his mind. Melding was beyond their grasp...for now.

"Are you from the time and space we now occupy or are you from what we perceive as the original time and space?"

She offered a smirk, "It's been explained to me, ever briefly, that there was a schism in the temporal line. I'm from the original line, that this ship and crew originated from."

"My people are native to what Starfleet has dubbed the Delta Quadrant. We're the Ts'usugi." she took her time pronouncing it. If it were written down, there'd be a "T" there. However, as she said it, there wasn't. Another slight wince from the Daughter of Ts'usu, as the space behind her good eye tinged again.

Her good eye. Her only eye. The muted blue dot from whatever was behind her eyepatch didn't seem to be affected. "We found Starfleet interesting enough to investigate."

Sovok certainly noticed the wince, the lack of two eyes, and the muted dull blue of whatever her eyepatch was concealing. It did not bother him. Well, it wouldn't have if he was in control. Instead the beings looked at her more objectively and desired to know more, but instead of patience and understanding like Sovok would have employed, they deemed directness more effective.

"Interesting, indeed. It works both ways." He said with just the slightest flirtation in his voice, but by Vulcan standards, he was being downright lewd.

"Curiosity tends to, I find." she offered. "Our experiences with Starfleet thus far tend to show that they cannot abide a mystery. Everything must be understood, cataloged, and unraveled."

She took his flirtatious tone as a sign of familiarity, relaxation of the stricter protocols that Starfleet seemed to disregard too often. "I must admit to a certain degree of curiosity myself. Starfleet's diversity can be stunning at times."

"I don't want to stray from my post for too long, sir." a pause, "But, I understand if you're unfamiliar with my people, or myself in particular given our lack of previous interaction. Was there anything in particular I could answer for you?" she offered, the proverbial ball in his court. She started to consider the questions he'd ask, and how she'd field them.

Sovok looked her over once more. She had responded positively. This was a good sign for those who inhabited the Vulcan. More testing would be needed. Their curiosity moved him to be bold.

"Nothing as of right now. We are on duty and it must always come first. You may call upon me if you wish. When shift is over, I tend to frequent the gym, the mess, or my quarters. If you feel like some...mutual sharing, you know where to find me." He said, and extremely out of character for him, a flirtatious smile crossed his face before he moved to sit back in the Captain's chair.

She gave a nod, "Of course." a neutral response to her perspective, and as he returned to the central chair, she returned her focus to the Ops panel. His interest in her didn't surprise her. Not out of ego, but out of curiosity. He wanted to know more. Though, she was also aware of the considerable attraction the unknown or the unusual could have on a cultured mind. She filed that away for later as she kept her attention focused on the here and now. "Adjustments are holding steady, shield calibrations stable." she announced, after running a quick scan of the parameters.

"All should be well." Sovok said as he sat back in the chair. His poised and perfect posture, annoying to some, endearing to others, kept him upright with an aura of respect and command.

"Keep your attention on your stations. We will get our people home soon." He said evenly, confidently, and boldly. The crew nodded to him, seemingly inspired by his words.

 

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