Reporting for Duty

Posted on 28 Feb 2022 @ 3:04am by Lieutenant Commander Cintia Sha'mer & Captain Mallory Thorne

1,266 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Home

A soft alarm chimed in Sha'mers office, interrupting her reading. She had set the alarm earlier to remind herself of the upcoming meeting with the Captain. She still had to introduce herself and report to him, but in the hustle and bustle of departure and preparations for a new mission it had been hard to find a moment 'at his convenience'. The yeoman had been kind enough to find a hole in his tight schedule. Sha'mer rose and headed out. She wanted to ensure that she would be on time, to avoid derailing his day. But there was a nagging feeling she had forgotten something.

She looked around, cast her eyes on the seeming chaos of PADDs on her desk. There was a method to her madness, though it was one that few people had ever understood. No, nothing there. Reports that needed to be filed were filed, and she was in the process of reading up for the mission. That couldn't be it, unless the Captain wanted her to have absorbed everything regarding the mission already. Which was impossible, since not all data had been made available yet.

Sha'mer shrugged and left. But even before she stepped out of the office she realised what the nagging feeling had been about. The brace still had that annoying click and squeak – something she had meant to fix before she left. Well, that couldn't be helped now.
She halted in front of the readyroom and touched the chime.

"Enter," Easton called from within. He was standing at the replicator, although he had yet to make his order since he was also reading from a PADD in his hand. When he heard the door open, he glanced up and nodded. "Commander Sha'mer," he said, familiar at least with her personnel profile. "Come on in. Can I offer you something to drink?" He was already there, after all.

"Yes, please," Sha'mer said as she entered. After all, there was always room for one more. "Raktajino, extra strong, extra sweet." She took a moment to study the man. Once again she was struck by his height and posture. He could fold her into a pretzel with barely an effort should he ever want to.

He turned to the replicator and ordered their drinks--a strong black tea for himself--and brought hers to her before moving around his desk. "Have a seat," he invited with a wave toward the chair across from where he sat. "I appreciate you coming in to see me. I've had a glance over your file but it's always better to meet people face to face."

There was a moment when he was already seated and she was still standing, and she couldn't suppress a smile as she noticed that right then, her face was indeed level with his. She sat down and smoothened her features. "Yes, sir." She had no idea what was in her files these days, it had been awhile since she'd bothered to look. Pre-Firehawk, certainly.

After a long drink of his tea, he set the cup aside and then settled back in his seat with his hands laced over his abdomen as he regarded the woman. "So, how are you finding things on the Odin so far?"

Sha'mer thought about the odd assortiment of people she had encountered in her few days on board: the Mirror Universe officer who had been married to her own MU counterpart, the flight AI who flew through corridors, the wolf-like creature and the rabbit with the bejeweled eye. Not to mention the upcoming mission which would take them to another new place and fairly unknown race. She settled for: "Interesting."

"Succinct," Easton chuckled. "And accurate." If only she knew the story of how and why he was even the ship's captain...but that was classified. "Have you have a chance to meet many of your departmental staff yet?"

"I've managed to corner most." Sha'mer gave a brief if somewhat weary smile. Not everyone had warmed up to her right away. In fact, most hadn't. It was clear her staff didn't know what to make of her yet. Maybe there was a touch of resentment that she replaced a competent chief tactical? After all, they had safely returned from whatever happened to them in the Mirror Universe – and bad stuff had indeed happened to the crew, if not to the ship itself. She was as yet an unknown, and the last ship she had served on had been destroyed. Not exactly in a battle, but certainly in combat. It had been up to her to keep her ship intact and she had failed at that. Yes, she knew that if she didn't have that split second warning none of them would've lived to tell the tale, but still-

She forced herself to snap out of that same old treadmill of thoughts and focus on the here and now. "They appear to be a competent group from what I can tell. Of course, they still have to get used to me and vice versa." Basically, she'd have to prove her worth to her team. Nothing new there.

He nodded. "That will always be the case for a change in chief," he agreed. "For now, do you need anything to help with the transition? Are there any particular weak spots that need help before the ship sets out on its long journey?"

One of her hands strayed down to tap against the brace as Sha'mer thought. It was a stupid habit she had picked up somewhere the last few months and she hated it, but hadn't been able to break out of it for now. She caught the gesture before she could finish it this time and balled the hand into a fist under the desk instead. "Nothing I've read in the files thus far indicates a weak spot," she said. She looked up, making eye-contact briefly, then looked away again. She never liked to look directly at people for long, lest she'd pick up too much. It had nothing to do with 'eyes being a gateway to the soul' or anything mystical like that, but it was as much a short-circuit to the mind and thoughts behind them as a physical touch. And she liked to minimise those moments of contact as much as she could.

"However, therein lies a potential problem. There are a lot of sealed files, most of them related to the sojourn of this ship and crew into the Mirror Universe, no doubt. So if you feel there is anything in those files that I need to know, anything about my department which might impact the upcoming mission, then I would appreciate having that information released. Furthermore, based on the preliminary information regarding potential adversaries, I'm working on some weapon upgrades. Once I've completed the simulations, I'll submit my recommendation."

Easton nodded. "I will double-check information regarding those sealed files, but I don't believe any of the information should pose an issue for you. I will be sure to let you know if there is something you need to review." He offered a half-smile that was almost apologetic. He had a delicate line to skirt with this topic. "As for the upgrades and recommendations, I look forward to your report." He paused for a beat. "For now, I'll leave you to it. If you need anything, don't hesitate to let me know."

"I will." Sha'mer finished her raktajino, placed it carefully back on the desk and rose with careful, deliberate movements. "Thank you." Then, trying not to wince at the irritating squeak, she left his office.

 

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