SD241906.29 || Reporting-in Log || "Meeting the Captain"

Posted on 29 Jun 2019 @ 6:47pm by Captain Mallory Thorne
Edited on on 09 Jul 2019 @ 6:12pm

918 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Thought & Memory
Location: Captain's Ready Room, Deck 1

The Odin's new Chief Science Officer boarded with all the fanfare expected of a science officer on board a tactical vessel -- which was to say, none at all. Slender and petite, tendrils escaping the unruly mop of dark hair that had been haphazardly twisted into a loose knot framed her heart-shaped face. Her gear had already been transferred to her new quarters and her cat, Einstein, had been left to explore his new territory after having been shown the essentials - water, food, and self-cleaning litter box. With that done and without any regard for the state of her hair, she made her way to the Bridge with the intention of reporting in.

Her eyes were dark brown and without question her dominate feature; as she stepped out, her gaze darted about, taking in the bridge crew and the general mood, before heading toward the Ready Room. She stopped in front of the door, took a steadying breath and pressed the chime.

"Enter," came the returned call just a moment later.

Captain Mallory Thorne was seated behind her desk. Despite not having been in command of this ship for all that long, this chair was already developing a permanent impression of her rear end. As an executive officer, she never would have really thought being captain would involve this much desk-entrapment. But at least there was a person now. She looked up and made a guess, having not thoroughly read personnel reports yet...

"Lieutenant Cates?" she asked.

"Yes, Captain," Remy said as she walked up to the desk. "I'm to be head your Science department."

"Wonderful." Mal smiled. "Help yourself to something to drink, if you like, and then have a seat." She waved at the replicator set into the wall and then the chair in front of her desk. "How was your journey here?"

She forego the drink and took a seat in front of the desk, automatically slipping one leg beneath her as she did so, and settled into place. "It was good," she said."Long enough to get some work done without someone showing up to remind me that I've forgotten some important meeting or other."

The captain's brows rose slightly with amusement. "Is that something that happens to you often?"

"Yes," Remy said at once, shrugging slightly, "Its the work. I get involved. Trying to pursue a line of thought and ... well ... someone usually shows up sooner or later to remind me. Not that I want them to particularly. But it does happen."

"I'll have to keep that in mind for senior staff briefings," Mal replied lightly. "So, why don't you tell me a little about your experience before coming to the Odin?"

"My specialties are applied mathematics and computers. Spent the last five years aboard the Edmund Hillary so I've learned a bit about shepherding scientific projects," Remy said. "Scientists tend to be less militaristic, shall we say, than other departments so it requires a different approach."

Mallory nodded. "Yes, I can see that it is," she agreed. Her own tour through the sciences had been comparatively shorter than her bridge rotations, but she still grasped the basics. "As you are aware, I'm sure, the Odin is a tactical vessel, but as border patrol, we'll often be in far-flung parts of our territory with a possibility to encounter any number of things that will require examination and explanation. In the between times, you will have time and resources for any specific projects you may wish to work on."

"That's not a problem," Remy said. "I always have more projects going than I seem to have time to do. Consulting, you know. But I'm not complaining," she said throwing her hands up as though warding herself from the very thought. "Not at all. I welcome the challenge and the new avenues for thought these projects bring."

"Hopefully, you won't find your work on the Odin overwhelming," Mal said. "Naturally, I will expect something mission critical for the ship to take precedence when such things arise."

"Of course, Captain," Remy said. "Its one of things I make clear whenever I take on a new project and really, no one ever expects an answer the same day." She smiled at that, a quicksilver flash that disappeared almost at once, as she added, "Perhaps sometimes they might hope ... but that's a different thing entirely."

The captain chuckled. "Hope springs eternal, as the saying goes." She paused, regarding her latest officer for a moment, before continuing, "Do you have any questions for me?"

"I've brought some specialized equipment with me that I'll want set up in both my quarters and my office. Basically a holographic board that I can write on. Anything that's written on the board is automatically saved to my personal files and the board can expand in all four directions. Other than that, I just need to get unpacked, meet the team, and start going through our current project list," Remy said.

"Sounds like you've a full day then, Lieutenant," Mal said with a smile. "I'll let you get to it."

Remy unfolded and stood up quickly, inclining her head in a very slight bow. "Thank you, Captain. I'm eager to get back to work." There was truth in that. She was holding a line of thought in her head and wanted the chance to pursue it, hopefully before the day was done. She offered a smile, hesitant because she wasn't sure yet of how she would fit in, then made her way out.

 

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