CEO Doubles

Posted on 03 Sep 2022 @ 11:48am by Lieutenant Commander Thex sh'Zoarhi & Captain Easton Lawe & Lieutenant Commander Harva Taliborn

967 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: A New Frontier

Captain Lawe thought that he was, perhaps, seeing double.

"Didn't I just get a chief engineer..." he murmured to himself as he read the orders from the Starfleet Office of Personnel on the PADD in his hands that his yeoman had all but shoved there. (He'd been avoiding them--PADDs and yeoman--for a few hours that day.) This thing read that the ship was getting a chief engineer, but he was really pretty sure that they'd just gotten on. This new officer was due...just about any moment now, so he put in a call down to engineering to ask Taliborn to join him and figure this out.

Thex boots gave a slight ctunk as she stepped out of the shuttle and onto the ship's flight deck. The andorian felt nervous. She was finally getting her own chief position. She couldn't help but feel nervous as she picked up her bag and headed for the bridge. Time to go and meet the captain.

Also on his way to the Captain's ready room was the ship's resident largest officer, the Sirran known as Harva. Massive lumbering footfalls carried the lupine being towards the door where, having had a shorter distance to travel, he was the first to arrive. There he rang the doorchime and, when bade inside, gave the captain a nod. "Captain, you wanted to see me?" he asked with his deep, sonorous, rumbling bass voice.

"Yes, Commander," Easton replied with a nod. "Thank you for coming so quickly. We have some weirdness happen--"

He was interrupted by a second door chime.

"This would be part two of that," he murmured. "Enter!" he called, making what he assumed was a fair guess that it was this Lieutenant sh'Zoarhi on the other side.

The massive Sirran flicked an ear at the second door chime, stepping his entire 8'8", 650 pound frame aside to allow the new entry space.

The door slid open as Thex stepped inside. Her eyes looked between the two strangers as her mind already started racing through what had gone wrong. Even still she keep her composer as she stood to attention. " Lieutenant Commander Thex sh'Zoarhi reporting for duty sir." she stated camly.

Easton nodded at the Andorian in greeting. "Welcome aboard," he said. "I'm sure you're each wondering who this other person is. To explain, well... The Starfleet Office of Personnel seems to have had a little hiccup and, well, you're both assigned here as the chief of engineering. With the fact that we're en route to the Kiir System as we are, transfers aren't quite as simple as they used to be. I'm not really sure what's going on, but I figured the place to start was by talking to you both."

"... Huh," Harva mused, his voice a deep rumbling bass. He folded his arms over each other, regarding the Andorian for a moment, flicking an ear. Same rank, looking a lot younger - late twenties, early thirties. He saw the eagerness in her eyes and the crushing fear of potential for disappointment. "How much you want the job, - ... What was it? Thex?" he asked, tail giving a lazy wag.

" Thex will do fine lieutenant commander." The responded. " Sir I've wanted a chief engineering position for years since my former head put me forward for one. " She replied her voice brimming with passion. Her head was running through how this error had been made.

"In that case, Thex, Harva will do fine. I don't stand much on rank or ceremony," the massive Sirran rumbled. "Sounds like you really want the job. Tell you what, position's yours, if you'll let me muddle on as assistant chief and focus on my own projects. Sound good?"

" Sounds like we have a deal." Thex said with a warm smile as she offered her hand.

Harva's massive clawed hand dwarfed her hand, though was surprisingly gentle. "Captain? I solved your problem," he chuckled.

Easton was impressed, and pleased. He chuckled and inclined his head toward the big engineer. "True to your profession, you fixed it. Thank you, Commander Taliborn," he said with amusement and gratitude in his dark eyes. "Well, then, welcome aboard, Commander sh'Zoari," he said to the Andorian.

" Glad to be here sir. Sorry my arrival has caused such confusion." Thex said with a beaming smile on her face.

"No worries," the captain said easily. "After all, this started with something in Starfleet's Office of Personnel, but we have it sorted. Since Mr. Taliborn has been here for a bit now and has graciously agreed to take a deputy role, I believe he can help you learn the ropes and settle in from here--unless you have any specific questions for me at the moment?"

" Are there any systems or machinery that needs a priority lookover captain?" Thex inquired

Harva fielded this one. "I'll write you up a list of ongoing projects, chief. Will make the ticket list available to you as well, should have everything on it that's going on."

" Thank you Harva" Thex replied with a smile. " In that case captain, i'd like to get to work. Thank you for giving me this opportunity," she said turning to look at the captain.

Easton inclined his head. "We're glad to have you. I'll let you get settled in and right to work." He smiled, then glanced at the now-assistant chief. "And Mr. Taliborn, thank you for being so flexible."

"Entirely welcome, Boss," Harva smiled. "And you welcome aboard, chief," to Thex.

" Please call me Thex." She replied with a smile. She was going to like it here.

"Right. Right. You said that, before," the Sirran rumbled. "In my defense, I'm pushing 70. My memory isn't what it used to be," he winked.

Thex simply smiled as she lead the way to the door. " They had work to do."

 

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