A Small Conversation

Posted on 05 May 2012 @ 10:47am by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Lieutenant Commander Chauncey Remington III (KIA)
Edited on on 05 May 2012 @ 11:22am

1,141 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo: Deck 1 - Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: MD5: 0900 hours

[ON]

Will handed ops off to R'Neron and picked up the PADD that had been downloading as he worked. Crossing the bridge to the captain's ready room, he tapped the console by the door and waited.

Lirha was in her office reviewing the latest performance reviews from several of her department heads when she heard the familiar sound of her door's chime. With a tap on her console's screen, she closed the report and looked up towards the door. "Enter." she called out, then watched as the doors slid open and her operations chief entered the room. "Good morning, Mister Remington." she said in greeting.

"Good morning, Captain," the commander nodded. "Our flight plan has us leaving klingon space and heading straight to pick up the project. Starbase 105 is near our flight path. It might be beneficial to take a few hours to make a detour."

"Starbase 105?" she asked curiously with a raised eyebrow as she motioned for him to have a seat across from her at the desk. "For what reason?" she asked, her head tilted towards the side as she looked at him with green eyes.

The commander sat down and gestured to the point on the only a few lightyears from their flight path. "Considering the nature of our mission and how it's become more volatile, they could provide vital support if the Klingon's become more belligerent. I would suggest we take an additional number of security personnel on board for this mission as well. After the time we have spent in Klingon space I am not confident in our ability to succeed in this mission if something goes wrong."

Lirha frowned and shifted herself in her chair, leaning forward slightly to rest her arms on the large desk. "Commander, we just lost eight hours having to do repairs on our warp core." she began, at bit incredulous at the request to delay their arrival even further. "Not to mention the fact that we already took on extra security personnel at Starbase 234." she added, then sighed and leaned back in her chair, staring at Will with calculating green eyes. "Why do you now have doubts about our assignment?"

Will met her gaze curiously, as if there was something about her he was trying to work out. "If the Klingons weren't being so... aggressive... I think they know what we are up to captain. If they are, the won't mind bending a few treaty rules. And the warp core is another thing, this ship can't operate with a faulty core. I know we can't change that until after this mission, but in a few hours we can take on some additional personnel, make better repairs to the systems damage in the accident. If there are microfractures in the port nacelle that engineering missed in the diagnostic, a disruptor beam from the Klingons could end our maiden voyage quickly. I just think if we can spare the time, we should."

The captain considered the operation chief's request and explanation. He had several valid points, and under normal circumstances she wouldn't hesitate to spend a few hours on repairs. However, they had just lost precious time with the warp core malfunction and now couldn't afford the luxury. "Normally I would agree with you," she replied, "But we can't afford anymore delays until we reach Starbase 152. Any repairs that we need to make will have to be made en route." she said, then adjusted herself in her chair. "I will consider making a brief stop on our return journey. Once we have Project Sienna secured, I'll feel much more comfortable about the situation. And, as you said, it won't hurt to take extra precautions."

Will smiled as if that was exactly the answer he had expected. "Normally," he repeated, "I wouldn't see a need to suggest it, so you would not be able to agree with me. We should at least perform a more in-depth diagnostic of the nacelle at the first opportunity we have."

"Yes, I've considered that." she said with a nod as she pondered the most appropriate solution. "I'm going to see Mister Quinn in Engineering relatively soon to get a updated report of our status. The problem is that we need to shut down the nacelle in order to run a full diagnosis, and our earliest opportunity for that will be at Starbase 152." she said.

"That would be more than we can afford," Will said, "A level one diagnostic of the warp nacelles could take a day or more."

The captain nodded in reply. "I doubt that we have that much time, but if we run a mid-level diagnostic first, it might let us know where to look and we can hopefully isolate the affected systems and save us some time." she suggested.

"That shouldn't take too long."

"My thoughts exactly." she replied, then paused for a moment. "How is your department coming along with the preparations?" she asked, "We're going to be taking on a lot of new personnel...have you managed to work out living accommodations for everyone?"

"My department is fine," Will said, "I wish we had more personnel. We're understaffed as it is and Eriksen tells me only two cross-trained personnel have been offered to her from other departments to help cover the transporter duty roster. Our quartermaster has done a fine job. We have empty quarters though, he didn't want the crew to get too used to their own space so he's been filling up each room before moving on. He's a smart kid."

"I wish I could offer you more help but all of our people are in a similar situation." she replied, then reconsidered for a long moment. "Is there anything specific you need assistance with?" she finally asked. Though most of the ship's staff was currently occupied, she knew someone who could temporarily assist in operations.

"Anyone cross-trained with a level three operations rating," he replied, "But Eriksen is working on that. She's very good at getting things done. I have to admit, she and Kliborne are two of the finest enlisted I have ever worked with. I think Eriksen was planning on convincing Commander Holliday to have Mor'an start some ops training."

Lirha nodded in approval. "Yes, I'd like for her to get as much training as possible. She's a bright young cadet and seems to be a fast learner." she commented.

"She seems to know what she's doing," Will agreed with a slight nod. "Ah, but I've been here far longer than I planned captain, I'm sorry."

"Not a problem, Commander, my door is open anytime you wish to speak." she said in a friendly tone.

"Thank you, captain," he replied, standing to leave.

[OFF]

--

CMDR Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

Lt. Cmdr. Chauncey William Remington III
Chief Operations Officer
USS Galileo

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