Introducing...Captain Brynhild Kleim

Posted on 05 Feb 2025 @ 5:56pm by Captain Brynhild Kleim & Commander Kristiana Petrova

1,330 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Miranda

Kristiana straightened her uniform. This was always a nervous time, meeting a new captain. First impressions mattered, and they went both ways, so the aging commander put up her best duty bound, by-the-book demeanor, closing her eyes briefly as she muttered 'Alright, game face, Petrova,' to herself. Opening her eyes again, she silently went over what she knew about this new commanding officer. It wasn't much. Just that it was a she, and that she was younger than Kristiana, with less time served. Promising herself once more not to let that get to her she turned to the transport officer on duty.

"Energize."

The blue light shimmered and sparkled, coalescing a few moments later in a woman--very tall for a human female--with a stern bearing and demeanor. It wasn't that she was cold, but there was a very obvious air of...reserve about her, even as inwardly, she wondered how one extra tiny piece of metal on her uniform color could weigh so damn much...

"Commander Petrova," Brynna greeted as soon as she was formed enough to be conscious. She had, of course, read about her incoming command crew and recognized the woman greeting her. She nodded once as she strode down the short step to walk over to the ship's first officer. She managed an economic smile, the type she had for those she didn't yet know well--or at all. "A pleasure. Thank you for meeting me."

"Pleasure, I'm sure," Kris' reply was more curt and - frankly - rude than she intended, a product of just not quite being able to hide her initial reaction. Younger, less time served, taller and prettier? Life wasn't fair, it seemed. "Sorry, haven't slept. Welcome aboard. I'll - show you to the bridge and your new ready room, get command protocols transferred. Any luggage that needs taking care of?"

Brynna hadn't made her mark on the fighter pilot realm and then moved into command by being obtuse. The first officer's attitude was hard to miss, but she wouldn't make the mistake of assuming its source...yet. Instead, she tilted her head slightly and raised one shoulder with a strap over it. "Just this," she said. "I travel light. Let's drop this off at my quarters and then we can head to the bridge."

"Alright. This way," Kris said, motioning towards the exit. She'd follow Brynhild out the door, then lead her towards the nearby turbolift up to deck two, senior officer's quarters. The Captain's was the one closest to the bridge, right next to Petrova's own, one door down. A bit bigger and more luxurious and comfortable than Kristiana's of course, as befitting Commander Kleim's station. "I'm afraid I didn't get much chance to fully read your profile, overseeing crew rotations and transfers has kept me busy. Tell me a bit about yourself?" she asked, a subtle hint of a Russian accent coming through.

"The first officer is always the busiest," Brynna agreed with an economical smile, given it was a role she had until just now been filling herself. "I don't think my history is particularly interesting, but I began as a fighter pilot. It was said that I was fairly good at my job--" She was being modest, though not with intent to be humble. She simply did not think much of accolades, even if she had been among the most decorated officers on her postings. "--but eventually chose the command track. I believe it was that history that brought them to choose me for the Odin, given her propensity for...interesting and often hostile situations, from what I've read."

"Fighterpilot! Huh. Don't hear that often," Kris idly wondered what Brynhild would think of Odin's fighter complement, with the alien AI integrated in one of the airframes and the AI-hating Ts'usugi Ops officer taking over training and running of the fighter wing. She would find out in time, she was sure. At least this suggested that the younger woman was a warrior type rather than a diplomat type, or at least someone willing to pull the trigger when the situation called for it. Someone more like Kris herself was - or, saw herself as. Time would tell. "Well, you're not wrong about that. We seem to attract interesting situations like dung attracts flies. Dead alien ghost worlds, evil ancient artifacts, rogue genetically manipulated super people, adrift alien artificial intelligences, you name it, we've had to deal with it."

Brynhild wondered what she had said that seemed to loosen the other woman up just a tad, but she would go with whatever it was. Naturally, she could figure out a good theory but wouldn't presume to know for sure. "Reading just the top-sheet summaries of the Odin's...adventures has felt more like reading a thriller novel, to be sure. The humor of the universe might suggest the presence of a former fighter pilot in command makes it to the time to be less interesting, but I won't place any bets on that."

Kristiana had enough sense not to vocalize her initial reaction, instead giving a slight, almost imperceptible smirk. "Well, hopefully the universe will allow itself to be intimidated by a captain with your training and background, but from my experience - well, I'm not holding much hope either," she mused, her amusement fading though as she turned more serious. "It'd be good to have a captain who's capable of and willing to engage in decisive action. I've had my fair share of diplomats unwilling to get their hands dirty, in the past." She neglected to specify who, and how far back in the past she meant.

"I'm sure we all have," Brynna agreed bluntly. "I have respect for diplomats, because they do a job that quite frankly I would not want to have to deal with, but there are many situations where they are not the most ideal to lead. The Odin seems very clearly to be among that list. This is a ship equipped with a full air group, after all, not to mention an AI housed inside a Starfleet fighter craft who is the only one of her kind in the Federation and a new posting out here at the, if you excuse the language, the ass-end of the universe." One corner of her mouth twitched up.

"Oh, Ensign Walker," Kristiana made a face. "There's a unique situation. We must be the only place in known space where you can find an AI with performance anxiety. But, we're working on that," she added, as they reached the bridge. The two officers stepping onto the aging but purposeful, well lit space like lead actors on a stage. Odin was not a show pony. She was a workhorse. And the bridge layout and slightly worn carpeting showed it.

Other officers rose to their feet, as one called out "Captain on the bridge!"

"As you were," Kris, in her role of acting captain, easily replied. "Gentlemen, this is Captain Brynhild Kleim. She will be taking over as captain of the Odin, effective immediately. Captain, the floor is yours."

"Thank you, Commander," she said with a small nod to her exec before glancing over the bridge crew. "We will all get to know each other in the coming days so I won't give you any speeches. It's an honor to be here, and I look forward to working with this crew. Please, back to work." She waved with a faint smile and then turned back to Kris. "Never been much for speechifying," she commented.

As Brynna addressed the bridge crew - albeit briefly - Kristiana tapped away on a command console, finishing right as Captain Kleim did. "Transfer of command complete, Captain. Odin is yours," she offered with a tired, cautious smile and a broad gesture to the command chair as she took a step back.

With another inclination of her head, Brynhild Kleim stepped forward and sat in the big seat. The new Commanding Officer the USS Odin.

 

RSS Feed