Getting Pinned

Posted on 17 May 2012 @ 1:37am by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Lieutenant JG Brayden White Ph.D.

2,354 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo - Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: MD 07 - 1130 hrs

[ON]

Looking over the crew's latest performance reviews, Lirha tapped her green fingers on her desk as she curiously reviewed the the Medical department's reports. Everything appeared to be functioning smoothly and Lieutenant Ni Dhuinn's personnel had posted great response times during the most recent emergency drill. Curiously, the captain noticed that there was a civilian crewman, Brayden White, currently serving as a counselor and medical officer. Lirha found it strange that the man had not been assigned a rank, as all medical personnel with his training and experience were required to hold a commission. Tapping her commbadge, she decided to speak to the young man personally and inquire further. "Brayden White, please report to the captain's ready room." she said, then leaned back in her chair as she reviewed his file and patiently waited.

Brayden peered down at his com badge curiously. He hadn't spoken to the Captain since he'd come on board, but then again, he hadn't spoken to the commander of the star base he'd spent the last year on. Starfleet command and he rarely had any reason to interact, so long as he was doing his job. Which he was, he thought, as he finished the notes for his last session and shut down the console in his desk for privacy. Although he generally avoided uniforms at all costs, he was fairly certain that approaching the captain in his Terran civilian attire would be less than appropriate, so he took a moment to change into the dress slacks and blue and black uniform that he hadn't worn since... he couldn't remember. Months ago. Taking the lift up the two levels to Deck 1 took no time at all, but once he was there, he was a little lost. He stepped out onto the main bridge for the first time since... well. Actually, he'd never been on the main bridge of a starship. Ocean research vessel, once or twice, but never... he looked out the viewing panel and grinned for a moment like a kid on christmas day at the sight of the gorgeous expanse before them.

"The Bridge is reserved for authorized personnel only, Dr. White," Ensign Tilven informed him earnestly.

He'd spoken to her just the day before and had a long interesting conversation about when she'd first become interested in learning the Vulcan language. "Thanks," he smiled, "I know. Got the call." He pointed to his badge. "Could you tell me where the ready room is supposed to be?"

"Oh, yes." She indicated the door at the far side of the bridge, "Just push the call chime."

"Thank you, Yenal." He slipped his hands into the pockets of his slacks and went where he'd been told, pushing the chime.

"Enter." Lirha called out as she heard the door's chime echo throughout the room. She sighed and pushed some of her dark hair behind her ear as she looked towards the door.

"Good morning, Captain," he greeted her cordially. She didn't look to be in any sort of emotional or physical state of distress, but that didn't mean much. Command had a way of always keeping their posture. "How can I be of service?"

The captain looked up at the handsome tall blond man, immediately noticing the lack of pips or any sort of insignia on his blue collar. She cleared her throat and put a friendly smile on her face as she addressed him in a professional manner. "Mister White, thank you for coming. Please, have a seat." she said while motioning to a nearby empty chair.

Brayden smiled, almost laughing. Why was it that so many officers reverted to 'mister' when faced with someone out of rank? He was a doctor, of medicine and philosophy, but did that matter? Nope. Sometimes it was fun to mention that, just to see how they reacted. This wasn't one of those times. He took the seat she'd motioned to and made himself comfortable, waiting for her to elucidate her reasons for wanting to see him.

"How are you adjusting to life on Galileo so far?" she asked in a casual manner, not hinting towards her motives. "I was reading through personnel reports today and I noticed that you have been working a lot recently, serving as both a counselor and pulling shifts in sickbay." she added.

All right. Not something she needed from him then. At least not right away. "Adjusting? Well," he told her with a little nod. "I like your crew. They're fine people. Good hearts. Great minds. Really interesting. And Ni Dhuinn," he grinned, shaking his head, "you did a good thing, promoting her. Eyes on the prize, she has. No, I'm pleased as can be. Not quite what I signed up for," he admitted, sobering. "I've seen a lot of aneurysms and hemorrhages; you never do see them coming, but it was almost unbelievable in McCarthy. Not exactly the way I like to get a job, you know? Seeing something like that happen to someone so capable." He shook his head, still saddened by the Chief Counselor's status. He could only hope that they'd find a way to bring her back to health sometime in the future. "But I'm glad I was here to help all the same," he shrugged, and it occurred to him the captain might think he was out of his depth. Overworked. "Ni Dhuinn said I could work in sickbay whenever I'm not in session, until they pull new personnel for the medical team. I'm balancing the commitments just fine."

"I have no doubt that you are, Mister White," she replied as she straightened herself and leaned forward. "I've heard nothing but positive things about you so far. I am, however, wondering why you are not a commissioned officer. You see, a man with your training and experience should not still be a civilian serving aboard a Starfleet vessel." she said matter-of-factly.

"Ah," he rubbed his hands together absently. "Well, I like the perspective. And on the other Starfleet vessels, it allowed me to serve as a medical officer and still serve as a private therapist for the crew who," he paused momentarily, searching for the right way to phrase it, "didn't want to overburden the counselor or their resources. And I'm not really a military sort; don't know if you can tell that," he flashed a sideways grin at her.

The Orion captain nodded in reply, and flashed him a small grin of her own. "I understand your objection, however you must recognize the need for any organization as large and diverse as Starfleet to have an organized structure and chain of command?" she said, hoping to gently press the issue and help him see her perspective on the matter.

"Absolutely," he agreed whole-heartedly. "And I'm happy to support that chain of command in any way you see fit. I just don't want to, you know, command anyone. I'm much better at giving advice than orders. And generally, I've found that I don't often get many. Orders, that is." He smiled hopefully at her. She seemed like a reasonable woman.

"The truth is, I need you to hold a rank along with your position." she replied as she explained her desires. "If you're not comfortable with a commissioned rank, you at least need to hold a provisional one. Unfortunately, the only difference between the two is the binding commitment to Starfleet. Assigning you a provisional rank is temporary, and only applies long as you remain under my command. With a commission, you will maintain your rank wherever you transfer or are assigned following Galileo." she explained, then paused to gauge his reaction to the two options presented.

And she'd landed on the main reason he'd avoided formally joining Starfleet. His freedom. Joining the ranks had always sounded too much like signing away his right to choose in his mind. Where he was transferred, what he was allowed to do. When he could leave. "And how would that change my position on the ship?" he asked, thinking about the way she'd phrased it. It sounded very much like an either-or scenario. There was no third 'remain as you are' option available. "If I accepted this... provisional rank?"

"Well, you would be part of the chain of command." she answered simply at first, then elaborated. "You will have a superior officer, in this case Lieutenant Ni Dhuinn, and others who you will report to. You will also have subordinate officers and personnel who you will be in charge of in certain situations. The details and logistics of your department's operation are up to the Lieutenant. But there will not be any change in your jobs or duty shifts, unless you request it." she explained, hoping to clarify for Brayden.

And there was the other thing. Hadn't he just said he was terrible at giving orders. Who was he to tell anyone else what they had to do? He could encourage, cajole, support, allow for, avail, advise, but not be 'in charge of'. "Am I to take it that this isn't an option?"

Lirha shook her head, her dark hair bobbing across the tops of her shoulders. "Unfortunately, no." she said quietly. "I need you to hold a rank of some sort if you wish to maintain your current duties." she finished, giving him the ultimatum and searching his hazel eyes for any signs of protest.

"Couldn't have told me this before I started bonding with the crew and taking regular sessions," he sighed dolefully, then shrugged. "Well. Checkmate, I suppose. Where do i sign?"

The captain leaned down from her chair and opened a secure drawer which contained a variety of small, wooden boxes. Carefully selecting the correct one, she removed it from the drawer and placed it on the black table. Delicately opening it with her green fingers, she reached in and pulled her hand back, producing a small, gold provisional insignia. "No need to sign, Mister White, just stand up so I can make you look presentable." she said in a soft and friendly voice, attempting to ease his apparent frustration. Standing up, she walked next to him and waited for him to rise to his feet to place the insignia on his collar.

He stood up because she expected him to, and looked at the little piece of gold between her fingers. She said it wouldn't change anything, but it would. He knew it would. At least it was only temporary; he could still leave when the time was right. Couldn't he? Years, he'd avoided getting pinned down, carefully scooting around the edges of the medical departments, but the crew needed a counselor. And he liked them. All of them. Even the ones who didn't seem to like or trust him at all. They were interesting, deserving people and he couldn't abandon them just because he had issues with the idea of getting tied down. That wasn't fair to anyone. Anyway, where would he have gone? he thought, chuckling quietly. They were in the middle of Klingon space. What was he supposed to do? Hail a cab? He scraped his fingers back through his hair, unintentionally making his already mussed hair a little more lopsided.

Reaching up, the captain pulled his collar's thick fabric out and delicately attached the Starfleet rank emblem. With a slight adjustment, she straightened it then stepped back to take in the sight of her newest officer. Smiling with pride like a proud mother, she looked back up at him with bright green eyes. "Congratulations, Lieutenant White." she said. "As much as you might dislike this moment, remember there are many people of all races throughout the Quadrant who would do anything to be given the opportunity to serve aboard a starship in a position such as yours. You are a bright and experienced man, and I expect nothing but the best from you." she added, her final attempt to put things in perspective and his mind at ease.

"I do appreciate the honor of it, Captain," he assured her. "Thank you." Just because he didn't want to be one of the officers didn't mean he didn't appreciate how difficult it was to become one, how much it meant to others. Especially to her. He did understand that. It just wasn't his dream. "I'd have given you my best, regardless." He brushed his fingers over the new little spangle. "Am I... supposed to salute or something?"

"If you like." she said with an amused grin, then patted him softly on the shoulder. "But I find it is much more comfortable to simply stand at attention." she added, then walked back to her desk, retrieved a PADD, then returned to his side to show him the contents. "This is a list of Starfleet protocols. It will help you adjust to the ship's command structure and answer most of the questions you might have. If there's anything you're unsure about, don't hesitate to ask. And my door is always open if you ever need help." she said, then offered him the PADD.

"You stole my line," he said, with a wry smile, accepting the PADD. More rules. Hooray.

"Indeed." she replied with a wink then stepped back and clasped her hands behind her back. "Now, if you have no further questions, you're dismissed, Lieutenant." she said with a curt nod, a subtle indication for him to salute or stand at attention before he departed.

He paused for a milisecond, wondering just how this pretty green woman had turned his life upside-down. Temporarily, he reminded himself. Awkwardly, his hand twitched between giving her a thumbs up, a salute, and a wave somewhere in the vicinity of his head. "Thanks. Oh, and Captain?" His smile fell lopsided. "My door is always open. If you need me." PADD of brand new regulations to memorize in hand, he headed back out the door he'd come in. Ayati was going to eat this up.

[OFF]

--

LTJG Brayden White (pNPC Kestra Orexil)
Counselor
USS Galileo

CMDR Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

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