Meeting the Chief (and other scary things)

Posted on 08 Jun 2012 @ 4:24pm by Lieutenant Aria Rice & Lieutenant JG Kestra Orexil

2,677 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 3, Security Office
Timeline: MD07 - 1700

[ON]

Okay, first rule when meeting your Department Head was making a good impression. Despite her earlier bravado, Aria was nervous. She had fixed her hair into a tight ponytail, made sure her makeup was up to standard and that her uniform was clean and her boots polished. Perhaps it was some of her father's DNA breaking through, but it mattered. She ran a hand over her own side, frowning as she looked down. If she had her way, Starfleet uniforms would be snazzier. A lot better than this. And she hated mustard. But hey ho, it was her department, it was how it was.

She hesitated as she walked down the corridors of the USS Galileo. She was sure of the layout. She knew this place because she had read over the Nova class specs, she knew the deck layout. First things had been important for her to know (holodeck, quarters, lounge were a must) and other things would be her second home (work). She stopped outside of the DH's office and rang the chime.

If she had been smart, she would have tried to check out who her Chief would be. But that wasn't her job to do. Besides, and ensign didn't have that must of a security clearance. She knew it was a woman though and that the name was Kestra Orexil. She guessed Betazoid. But in truth, it could be a number of different backgrounds for a woman with that name. She liked the name Kestra. It sounded...well, nice. A bit bird like. Patiently, she waited, because she knew one thing better than most...Department Heads were often very busy.

Kestra looked up from scanning the new recruits personnel files and shipboard scans, tapping the button on her desk that would open the door. "Ensign Rice," she greeted the young woman, appreciating the effort she'd made at being in top order. "Come in, have a seat." The ensign reminded her of Lilou in a way, small with large pale eyes, but there was a sharpness to her new security officer that was lacking in her engineer friend. And determination. She set her PADD aside, picking up a cup of tea and inhaling the steam and the emotions the new woman had brought into the room. Nerves, curiosity, patience, and willfulness. "Would you like a cup of tea? I've just made a pot."

Aria watched her with surprise as she sat down, watching her closely. She liked her hair. It was a beautiful red and she loved the dreadlocks. "I...sure, would love some..." she said as she studied the woman. She was taller than Aria, but not by that much. And to be honest, most people were taller than Aria. And even with a few extra inches on her heels when she was off duty, people still towered over her. She couldn't stop her smile as she looked at the other woman, studying her. Aria had always found Betazoids beautiful...and Kestra was no exception to that. Nervously, Aria sat back in her seat, testing it before shifting to cross her legs.

Kestra turned and grabbed one of the handmade mugs on the counter behind her. Every one of the clay containers in her office, small shallow bowls or handle-less mugs, had been made by someone in her family: her nephew or one of her nieces or one of her siblings in their youth. She'd kept them all. The one her brother Zarin had made her was the one she always used, keeping him close in the only way she could. She selected a bluish mug, slightly lopsided, a gift from her niece Klicka, and filled it with green tea before handing it over to Aria. "There's no need to be nervous," she assured the ensign with a slight smile. "You already have the job. How long were you aboard Starbase 152?"

"About five minutes," Aria said and took the mug. "Thanks..." she studied it, frowning before sipping the tea carefully. She realised she hadn't really explained and that the silence was stretching. And she didn't want to be rude either with giving short answers, but there was a balance. She didn't want to be an airhead either. "I just got shuttled in from my last posting, ma'am...and then there was the shuttle to the Galileo. I barely had the time to drag my dufflebag from one shuttle to another." She sat back, her eyes on the mug, stroking gently over the imperfections. She liked it. It sort of felt more real than the replicated things she usually got her hands on.

"How did you get to the One-Five-Two?" Kestra asked, lifting her own mug and sipping. Perhaps if she could locate other ships that had passed through Klingon territory, she could get access to their sensor readings and get a sense of the whereabouts of the other Klingon ships in the area. The more information she had to work with, the better off they would be as a whole.

"Shuttle from the USS Nova," Aria said as she smiled gently, holding her eyes. "I think that if the CO could have personally hand delivered me here he would have been pleased to do so. I sort of...called him 'dude', ma'am..." she said and grimaced thinking back to it. "In my defence, I was off duty and spoke before thinking. Which won't ever happen again, ma'am. Did the whole fleet protecol counselling thing and it was all nifty and I learned a lot..." she added, quickly, watching her nervously. Okay, speaking openly and honestly was sort of what she did, but she didn't want her to think badly of her...especially not since they had just met.

Kestra's brows lifted mildly as she listened. That meant the USS Nova was within a day's warp. She put a pin in her mental map. That settled to her satisfaction for the moment, the question became... nifty? Her lips twitched, amused. The nerves were coming back again, she didn't need to be able to feel them to know it, but her empathic abilities certainly amplified her awareness of them. "Dude?" she queried, hiding her smile behind her teacup.

She looked down and took a breath. "Yes...it's an informal Earth saying, English...American I think," she clearly tried to remember. "Basically, it's said to a man. And...well, it's not exactly...you know, you say it to a friend, not a CO?" she met her eyes and sighed, biting her lip. "That filter most people have in their brains telling them what not to say, it sort of...hangs itself up at times for me. So I will say something, ma'am and then catch myself. Of course...he wasn't keen on me being so informal..." she looked down, into her tea. "This is lovely tea, ma'am..."

"Orexil. Or Lieutenant, or L T, or sir. Ma'am is what I call my mother when I've done something upsetting," she smiled. "And thank you; it's green tea from Luna. One of my favorites. I try to pick up a bag every time I see one." Kestra studied the other woman curiously. "So you were on board the Nova for five months? Is that right? And in that time there was only the one incident?"

"Yes, Lieutenant," she nodded as she held her eyes. "But it was a big of a biggie. I did the counselling and protocol training on my own time. It's not that I have problems with authority, I don't. My father was a Marine and when he was home he ran a strict house...but when I get excited, I can get a bit...slang."

Counseling and protocol training for one incident of informality? Kestra wondered. It seemed a bit overboard. As did transferring the ensign to another ship instead of handling the situation in house. One slip of the tongue didn't warrant that strong a reaction. "What were your duties aboard the Nova?"

"I was shadowing the Investigation officer for the majority of my time, Lieutenant...alongside the classic 'walk around the ship and file reports'..." Aria looked down as she considered for a moment. "I was deemed too slight to be any use for away teams and such. I think that was also an issue. I got bored. A lot. And before you know it, your feet are on the desk and you are wondering if you can catch a piece of chocolate in your mouth by throwing it in the air..." She hated admitting that, but she wanted to be honest.

Now she was beginning to get a better picture of the situation; Kestra gently set her mug down, folding her hands around it on the desk. "What sort of work would you rather have been doing?"

Aria met her eyes for a moment and let out a breath. "I want to be useful. I am okay in the brains department. I'm never going to be able to tackle anyone to the ground though, but that's what phasers are for. I want to be involved, Lieutenant. I want to be able to make a difference in Starfleet...in the good way!" she smiled, animated as she leant forward, holding the mug. "I don't care about risks...if it is for the good of the Fleet, I will do it. And I'd give everything to be able to just...be...good."

She'd never understood trying to pigeonhole cadets into positions they weren't suited for. If a person didn't love the work they did, they'd never be exemplary. Kestra wanted her people exemplary. "Good?" Kestra inquired.

"At what I am doing," she said and smiled weakly, shyly, to her.

"All right. Tell me what makes you an excellent security officer. What are your skills and weaknesses? Blunt assessment."

Aria frowned at the words, taking a slow breath before placing her mug down. She met her eyes, searching them. "I'm smart. I know my stuff, I am good with martial arts. I can handle phasers easily. I keep a cool head in stressful situations and I am loyal. Downside? I am too eager and have too much energy. I burn out quickly. I'm small and skinny, not physically strong. So I am quick instead, but I won't be able to force someone down."

Kestra nodded. "Now I'll tell you something about me," she said, smiling with her eyes. "I appreciate honesty, in all it's forms. In fact, I expect it, so you've got a leg up to start with. Honesty is different from disrespect, but you know that. I know that respect has to be earned, so I'll settle for obedience to the chain of command until I've done that. My method is generally to avoid altercations, short or long-range. The people on this ship are more likely to get into an argument than a fist-fight; you need to be able to resolve intense situations and disputes without violence. Keep your fingers to the pulse of the crew and your eyes open. Should a situation arise where aggressive action is unavoidable I need to know that orders will be followed and, in the absence of orders, you can think quickly and make logical tactical assessments; that will be far more useful to me and this team than brute strength. With me?"

As Kestra spoke, it became clear that one of the other weaknesses about Aria was the fact she couldn't keep any emotions off her face. At first, worry, then awe and then relief. She found herself nodding to Kestra's words and when she stopped, she smiled. "Yes, Lieutenant," she said easily, taking a breath. She was relaxing at hearing the words.

The relief was a tangible thing, which pleased Kestra even though it hadn't been the goal. "So tomorrow morning, beginning of Alpha, I'd like you to meet me here. We'll go to the armory, test your phaser skills and outfit you. I'd also like to get a first hand look at your martial arts and how fast you are. Strength is a matter of core energy; we may be able to hone your physical skills over time. One thing I'll ask of you- no feet on desks. Chocolate throwing only when no one can see you. We have a duty to maintain discipline aboard a ship filled with smart, studious people. Let's not give them any reasons to doubt us. Yes?"

She looked at her before nodding weakly. "Yes, Lieutenant..." she gave an easy salute, smiling. "Let's not add to the image of Security being full of mindless brutes, huh?"

"That's the idea." Kestra smiled and toasted her gently with her tea. "Now, tell me how you feel about telepaths and empaths. Any experience?"

Aria looked at her with surprise and finished the tea, taking a deeper breath. "Apart from never play poker with empaths and never sob on the shoulder of a telepath because they will know exactly what is wrong?" she asked with a warm smile. "Depends what you mean, really. I'm cool with it all."

"We can agree to disagree on the last," Kestra murmured, mirroring the warmth of Aria's expression. "Have you had any training in mental shielding? Sometimes I find it to be safer or more expedient to communicate or refine orders telepathically, and I've found that many officers feel more comfortable with this method when they've had some experience forming and maintaining mental shields."

"I've never even been approached about things like that," Aria said and wondered briefly if she would have a problem with someone dumping information in her brain. Yes? No? She had never been in the situation before so she didn't know. "I'll give anything a go though," she said easily, meaning every word.

Kestra nodded. She didn't feel anything too negative coming off the other woman, but neither did she sense surety. "I can give you an example of what I'm talking about. Then, if you're willing, I'll see about getting you some training, and in the meantime, as always, I'll do my best to stay out of your personal thoughts. I would need to form a link with you through touch to be able to contact you telepathically over a distance. It is optional; you can speak to the other members of the team about it if you wish before making your decision."

Aria met her eyes for a moment before frowning slightly. It was a lot to take on and while she was impulsive, she needed to consider all sides of this. Pros and cons. And to do that.... "I should speak to other members first...just to make sure," she finally said, holding her eyes for a long moment. "It's a big of a big step, Lieutenant. I want to...make sure I do what is best. In general." She gave her a warm smile, wishing she could find a way to express it wasn't personal, that...it was just herself being unsure. In general.

Kestra inclined her head. Thoughts she could stay out of; surface feelings were unavoidable. "Understood. Let me know when you've made a decision on the matter." She took a final sip of her tea and refilled it from the pot. "If you have any questions about anything, now is the time."

Aria considered it for a moment, taking a breath. "I think I am good. All my questions will be answered with the training and tour, Lieutenant," she said and gave a firm nod.

"Excellent. Then get yourself settled, feel free to get to know the other members of the Security team, and I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning." She wrapped her fingers around the newly warmed mug. "You're dismissed."

"Yes Lieutenant," she said and smiled as she stood. She gave her a nod before leaving, taking a breath when she was outside. "Oh boy...that actually went okay..." she said with disbelief before smiling warmly.


[OFF]
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LT JG Kestra Orexil
Chief Security Officer
USS Galileo

Ensign Aria Ricel
Security Officer
USS Galileo

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