Relying Upon Each Other and Only Each Other

Posted on 15 May 2015 @ 10:46pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Commander Andreus Kohl

1,510 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 08 - NIMBUS
Location: USS Atlas/USS Galileo - Private Offices
Timeline: MD 01 - 1535 hrs

[ON]

Tapping her foot impatiently and with much on her mind regarding the recent reassignment of several of Galileo's officers, Lirha sat in her ready room aboard USS Atlas in front of her LCARS terminal waiting for a certain familiar member of USS Nautilus to answer her comm request. She wasn't upset by any means, but was instead rather irritated by the recent developments back on SB-84 which had apparently been serious enough to claim several of her crew just as the Starfleet-KDF training exercises were about to begin. And so, she now found herself in a strange mood, one which had begun with sadness but was quickly followed by disdain for her superiors and their judgement call to whisk away several of her task group's commanding officers on such short notice. Her green eyes stared blankly at the Federation emblem on the screen in front of her while she pondered much in her head and waited for a reply.

The Federation emblem on Lirha's screen was replaced by a video image of an office. It was the seemingly empty office of the Chief Research Officer. On the desk was sat an empty tea service and there was a model steam locomotive up on a shelf. From somewhere off-screen, Andreus Kohl jumped into the view of the video connection and dropped himself into the chair behind the desk. "Hullo," said Kohl excitedly. "Admiral Saalm, hello! I had to find somewhere quiet to take your communique when the computer alerted me. And now, here I am."

"Hello, Mister Kohl," replied Lirha in her usual light voiced-cordial-self. "My apologies for disturbing you. I hope everything is well aboard Nautilus?" she asked, wondering if he had yet received word of Blake's departure.

Kohl visibly shrank in his chair. It was like he was a Cadet again, and had been caught off-campus during a class. At least, that's certainly the story his eyes were telling. "Ensign Szerda had nothing to report from the Bridge at thirteen-hundred hours," Kohl said in a hurried manner. "I'm aboard Galileo for a medical appointment with Doctor Allyndra."

"Oh. I see." The rear admiral had been caught a bit off guard by the movement of personnel between starships during the lull in the mission, but nevertheless reasoned that the young science officer had plenty of reason to transport back and forth if he so pleased. "I hope it is nothing serious?" she then asked, her questioning mind wanting to know if all was well with the chief research officer.

At first, Kohl could only clear his throat. His recovery had been long and tortured --by 24th Century medical standards-- but it was nearly miraculous that he was walking at all after what his body had endured. Eventually, Kohl settled on, "Not as serious as it used to be. Doctor Allyndra was continuing my treatment from the nerve damage I took in the Setisar Nebula." It struck Kohl, all of a sudden, how much easier it was to refer to the Setisar Nebula, rather than the Borg drone that had assailed him.

Lirha's eyes traveled down to the carpet beneath her feet briefly while she recalled some of the most horrific events she'd ever personally seen as a Starfleet officer -- including the abduction and assimilation of many of her own crew, including herself. Everyone who had gone through such a traumatic experience no doubt dealt with it in their own way, but the demons which lingered afterwards were the true test to overcome. Lirha knew as much, and she still to this day had recurring nightmares of her botch assimilation at the hands of her then-first officer. "I understand.." was all she could manage to say in quiet and soft voice. "It was a difficult time for many of us."

On this day --unlike many before it-- Kohl was in no mood to dwell on what had happened. "However, Allyndra has made new developments in her therapies. Great strides indeed," Kohl said brightly. He nodded to bolster his point. "I'm feeling stronger than ever."

"Excellent... and are you strong enough to become Galileo's new chief science officer?" she proceeded to ask with a subtle friendly curl to the corners of her lips. "There have been some recent personnel reassignments and reshufflings which have left a few vacancies..."

"Yes... I suppose... I am feeling..." Kohl started to say, but he course-corrected with a statement that better asserted how he felt. "I mean, I would be honoured to serve as Galileo's chief science officer," he said. Wide-eyed, Kohl sounded surprised to be saying those words, but his certainty increased with each syllable. "I'll admit, I haven't been able to entirely let go of our scientists while I've been aboard Nautilus. I have become invested in their success."

Leaning back in her chair and intently studying Kohl's features, the rear admiral gave him a sympathetic smile to try and lighten the mood a bit. "Such is a natural occurrence," she remarked. "The relationships we forge while working together are quite strong, especially aboard such a small starship. We tend to rely upon each other and only each other for our needs, most of the time."

Kohl shared a nod with Lirha, agreeing with the points she made. "I hope when the team finds out," Kohl said buoyantly, "they'll feel the same about me."

"I believe they will. Especially Mister Idris who has expressed interest in assuming your former position as chief research officer. I think the two of you would make an excellent team, no?" added Lirha.

At first, Kohl simply swayed back in his chair, the words striking him like a light slap. He blanched at the thought of it --meetings, so many more meetings with Oren-- but he hoped his beard would hide the way blood was draining from his face. "Mister? Idris?" were the only words Kohl let slip with deep incredulity in his tone. He blinked, and he corrected himself. "Yes, an excellent team. ...Yes," Kohl said in his formal timbre.

"Very well then," continued Lirha with a pleasant enough smile, happy to hear that he thought he would be able to work well with the younger research officer. "Do you have any question regarding your new assignment?" she said, trying to afford him the opportunity to ask about anything he might be curious about before it snuck up on him.

His eyes on the down, Kohl pursed his lips and breathed in a breath through his nose. "If I may ask, Admiral," Kohl said. He met Lirha's emerald gaze and voiced the only question that immediately came to mind. Of Stace, he asked, "Why is the Chief Science Officer position available?"

"There was a recall of several personnel back to Starbase 84, and many of our senior officers have just departed on short notice. Galileo was in need of a first officer, and Captain Holliday and I felt Commander Stace was the most suitable replacement," she began to explain. "And with Stace moving to a command position, that naturally left a vacancy within the science department." A bit of shuffling here and there wasn't unheard of aboard Starfleet vessels, but Lirha admitted to herself that there seemed to be more of that transpiring recently than she'd ever previously experienced.

Kohl nodded slowly at her explanation. He stared off to the side, somewhere over the right side of the screen, lost in thought. Kohl nodded again more surely, and he said, "Commander Stace is, by far, the most suitable replacement indeed. I'm so pleased for her." He had to broaden his smile until he was positively beaming at the recognition Stace had received.

Privately, Lirha felt the same way about Stace. She'd proven to be a dedicated and reliable officer with a level head in even the most stressful situations, and the rear admiral was happy that she was finally afforded the opportunity to advance her career. "As am I," concurred Saalm. "And of course, she will be able to assist and advise you in your new role should you ever require guidance or an extra hand."

"Or," Kohl added playfully, "To make certain her opinion is heard. She does always know best when it comes to scientific discovery." Kohl popped his eyebrows in amusement.

"Old habits seem to linger, especially among joined Trills," Lirha noted with a light smirk before moving to end the conversation to let Kohl resume his duties without any further delay. "Well, I will not keep you further, commander. You probably have much to catch up on in a very short period of time, so I will leave you to your devices. Congratulations, Mister Kohl."

"Thank you again, Admiral," Kohl replied eagerly. "Thank you for this opportunity, and thank you for your trust."

[OFF]

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RADM Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Atlas

Lieutenant Commander Andreus Kohl
Chief Science Officer / Acting Commanding Officer
USS Galileo / USS Nautilus

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