Things to Come (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on 28 Mar 2016 @ 5:08am by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Captain Jonathan Holliday & Commander Andreus Kohl & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Commander Luke Wyatt & Lieutenant Min Zhao & Lieutenant Benice Gyce Ph.D. & Lieutenant JG Natalya Kirilova & Lieutenant JG Drusilla McCarthy & Lieutenant Wilhelm Von Haeften & Ensign Miraj Derani & Command Master Chief Markum Quinn & Lieutenant Oren Idris Ph.D.
Edited on on 28 Mar 2016 @ 5:10am

3,340 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: Episode 10 - Symposium
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 7, Observation Lounge
Timeline: MD 90 - 1630 hrs

[ON]

It seemed like an eternity since the last time the senior officers had assembled for a mission briefing. The three months of shore leave and vacation afforded to the crew had no doubt been good for their souls, yet Lirha briefly wondered about the effect it would have on their performance once they got underway. She, herself, was feeling a bit hesitant about their new assignment despite the relatively docile nature of the orders, but perhaps it was simply a symptom of spending too much time at a Risan beach under the two bright suns.

Now, sitting in the large observation lounge on Deck 7, the rear admiral was once again reminded of her purpose and duty. Galileo's cramped quarters and narrow corridors seemed all-too familiar to her, yet the glowing orange ball of Jupiter outside the windows provided her with a tempting reminder of the adventures they would soon find themselves embarking upon yet again.

Her slender yet curvy frame was comfortably settled at the head of the table while she waited for the department heads and command staff to file in. Her PADD lay on the edge of the table in front of her next to her mug of hot chocolate, and in the distance through the windows, she could see tiny cargo shuttlecraft scurrying back and forth to deliver the final supplies to her starship.

When Gyce entered, she adjusted her messenger bag and prepared herself mentally. Upon spotting Lirha, she gave her a dutiful nod before she sat in silence at the nearest chair to the door. She could be professional. It was not the first time Gyce had to work with a former lover, after all.

As she was new to the ship, Natalya made it a point to arrive to the briefing right on time. She smiled at the other two women already present as she approached the table and set down her PADD. One was obviously the admiral, going by her rank. She was fairly certain the other was the ship's security chief, Lieutenant Benice, but couldn't be sure as she'd yet to meet her in person. Many, if not most of the ship's senior staff were still unfamiliar to her, and Natalya hoped that this briefing would help remedy that.

Hello Admiral, Lieutenant." Natalya said politely before moving the nearby replicator port. "Coffee, hot. Cream and a touch of sweetener." She turned to face the table as her drink materialized. The admiral appeared to have something to sip on, but the other woman did not. "Would you like anything, Lieutenant?"

"I'm fine, thanks," Gyce waved aside gently, then pulled out her PADD and began to read while others arrived.

Natalya nodded, then took her coffee and returned to her seat at the table.

As usual, Tyrion remained near the door. He leaned against the wall and let his eyes roam around the room, taking in all details. He could feel the tension between the admiral and the security chief, but didn't pry into the details. Their private affairs weren't any of his business but he felt he did need to keep watch. He held a mug of coffee in his hands, almost as if only to warm them.

Allyndra wondered if her wings would shed or if the artificial lighting and gravity would continue to mess with her body. Not that she minded the wings. Though most of the time they were in the way, when there was time and the space, it was still one of the great thrills to use them. So far, everything back home was like a pot of water just brought to a roiling boil. That she had requested as technical Head of House Warraquim that one of the sky captains be given the means to leave and train had been hard enough but the Council had decided that that request would be easier then some of the others she could now command.

As she got to the room she saw Tyrion standing there and said, "Unlike me, I do not think any of them will bite."

Tyrion smiled at the doctor. "I'm not afraid you will bite me doctor," he replied pleasantly, "I just prefer having an overview of the room. That way I can better sense where everyone is. Are you of the intent to bite me?"

"No, not at all, but then again who knows what the universe has in store for any of us," She winked and moved into the room. While security and the Captain would be near the Admiral, she took her spot at the far end of the table but not directly opposite. Technically that would be for the second officer and her spot would be next to Kohl. The idea was they would form the anchor or the opposed view if need be. Some sort of tradition from some ancient Earth naval days.

Said Second Officer entered the observation lounge from the doorway closest to where Allyndra was sitting. Commander Andreus Kohl's earlier forays into the duties of Galileo's Second Officer had been of a part-time nature, while he'd served as Chief Science Officer. When the role had been assigned to him on a full-time basis, the ship had been crawling back to sector 001, and Kohl had been hidden away on gamma shift with a rotating bridge crew.

On this day, it would be Kohl's first time serving as Second Officer among the assembled senior staff. When he first walked into the room, the bearded Argelian's face was flushed nearly as red as the crimson trim to his uniform. However, as soon as he managed to lock eyes with Allyndra, he calmed some. Kohl lowered himself into the chair beside Allyndra --and as he did so, he patted one of her hands briefly-- and then swiveled the chair to face the Rear Admiral.

Dru let out a slow breath as she stopped outside of the meeting room doors. She had left before Markum had a chance to catch up with her, preferring that they arrived apart, especially given what had happened at the presentation. She wasn't ashamed of what they had together, it was more so to do with her not wanting to flaunt their relationship in crew member's faces.

Finally moving forward to open the doors, the counselor smiled gently at each of the rooms occupants before taking a seat.

Lieutenant Wilhelm Von Haeften arrived later than was typical for him, although he was not late. He had decided to steal a few kisses from Rebecca before going into the briefing room. So far, a handful of people had noticed that there was a spring in the German scientist's step (and sometimes, after Wil and Rebecca had a date, a mild limp) and had asked him about the change, but Von Haeften had always brushed it off. He was unsure if Rebecca would want him to mention to others that they were now officially a couple, per their discussion with the Skipper, but he decided to play it safe for now.

Wil took a seat near the middle of the table that was open, nodding and saying hello the rest of the staff as he cwent past them. Although no longer the newest fish in the pond, he still did not consider himself senior enough to sit near the head of the table, as one might expect from the CSO on a nearly purely scientific research vessel. He took out a PADD and tried to look attentive.

Allyndra observed the scientist a moment. She had already made the mistake of thinking something else but they had more or less worked it out to a friendship. She suspected he had a sweetheart already from the encounter in the bar but not exactly sure who it was. She sighed. Well things in the universe had a way of working or not working out. However, this was his first briefing on this ship since coming aboard.

"Welcome Lieutenant, I hope you enjoyed the rest of your leave. I found your talk most interesting. There were several good presentations," she smiled. "Though I must admit I do not quite remember the rest as well as I should have."

"It was that bad eh?" the German said with a grin. He wondered if Rebecca was required to be here, and if she was, if Wil would be able to not stare at her the whole time.

Holliday entered his first briefing since returning to his post as First Officer. It felt a little unusual to not be taking his place at the top of the table in order to give the mission briefing but instead to be taking the second seat and preparing to receive his orders once again.

With a curt nod to the assembled senior staff, he took his seat at the right of the Admiral and awaited his instructions.

Following closely behind the Commanding officer was Oren, already sipping a large cup of something green and frothy. Entering the room, Oren bade everyone a good afternoon before making a beeline to the open seat next to a woman he didn't know, wearing a mustard toned uniform.

Setting the drink in front of him, he smiled at her. "Hello, you're new. Idris Oren, Chief Research Officer." Noting the fact that she was human, the scientist held his hand out to her.

"Nice to meet you. Natalya Kirilova, chief engineer." Nat said, taking the other woman's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. Or at least, she seemed under the initial impression that Oren was a woman.

"Pleasure," Oren nodded, smiling. "I trust you're settling in well." He spoke quietly, not wishing to draw any attention away from whatever the rest of the senior staff were doing.

"Oh yes." Natalya said, with a nod of her own. "Everyone's been very nice. Or at least easy enough to work with." Aside from her recent medical scare, her transition from one assignment to another had overall gone much smoother than expected.

This time one of the last to enter the briefing room, Min slipped quietly into one of the chairs. The past three months had been a good relaxation for Min and Jared but one unfortunate consequence of choices the past six months, she was now sporting a 22 week bump. Taking a sip from her mug, she glanced at a padd like nothing was out of the ordinary.

Gyce remained quiet. Observing. There were many new faces, and many old ones. Add to that, this was her first meeting as a department head. She was not intimidated by the position at all. If anything, she just felt it wise to get the measure of the room before conversing.

Quinn rushed into the room with his all-too-familiar coffee mug that hadn't been washed since the ship was commissioned. He looked to Lirha and Holliday and smiled broadly. "Boss, Skipper." he addressed both in his usual manner. He thought of the two as his own children almost, so proud of both of them and grateful to call them both friends. The original trio. "Sorry I'm late," he explained while smiling towards Dru for a brief second, "I forgot my mug and had to go back for it."

"I would have done the same thing myself Mr Quinn." Holliday responded with a smile for the older man. The two of them had been to hell and back since stepping foot on the deckplates for the first time as XO and Chief Engineer - after that, he could allow his CoB to be a few moments late to a briefing without much bother.

"Take your seat."

Miraj dashed through the doors, pink bunches swinging, and realised she was practically the last one there. She walked as fast as she could without running to the last empty chair, wishing the deckplating would just open up and swallow her.

Reviewing everyone who came in, Tyrion didn't shift or waver from his position. He seemed more focused than ever, almost as if he'd buried himself in his work in order to forget about something (or someone) else entirely. His gaze shifted between the CO and the XO, but he seemed to be watching both like a hawk.

Luke wearing his new red uniform entered the observation lounge, three months of leave and academy training had changed him and for the better, after the previous mission he had slipped the rail and become aggressive and pent up with anger but with his new role as strategic operations and his training at starfleet kept him motivated and distracted from his daughters death. He even had the plan to confront the new Abbey and at least recognise who she was and that she was here to stay. Making his was to a seat he sat down and smiled at no one in particular.

Min smiled at the young Ensign who took a seat beside her. The pink hair stood out to Min, as did the red of her jacket, indicating she was command or flight. She put down her padd, smiling warmly at the young women. "Min Zhao. Ops."

Miraj was more than a little relieved to get at least one friendly greeting. "Miraj Derani, Flight Control. Pleased to meet you." She held her hand out awkwardly along the table for the other woman to shake.

Min gave Miraj's a firm shake. "Same. Just transferred in?"

"Yesterday," Miraj confirmed, keeping her voice low. "Still figuring my way around."

"You'll find Nova's are easy to move around in. In a week you'll be able to sleep walk the ship." Min grinned, "Now if your not a people person, these ships can be very cozy."

Allyndra overheard and looked to Holiday and Saalm. She stood, "Considering sirs," she addressed the two. "That we have new people here perhaps a quick introductions might be order? Not everyone here has had a chance to know who is who."

"I concur with Doctor Warraquim," Tyrion supplied, as he pushed away from the wall and walked towards his own seat. He selected one on the other side of the CMO, which allowed him to survey everyone at the table in a single glance.

Natalya offered a brief introduction for the benefit of those present. "I'm Natalya Kirilova, the new chief engineer. Pleased to meed you all."

Lirha watched dutifully over all the arrivals who had now become present and accounted for. The observation lounge table seemed surprisingly full and it took a second for her to realize that the crew was now fully-staffed, including the department heads.

"Thank you for coming. Welcome back to Galileo...I hope you have all enjoyed some time off," she began with a friendly smile to the senior staff. "Before we begin, I am very pleased that so many of you were able to attend the Exeter symposium. I was able to observe all of our crew's presentations and they were both prolific and exceptional. Which is what I would expect from an exception crew," she smiled to herself in private. "I hope you were all pleased with the symposium and you had a chance to meet some new members within our fields?"

Quinn smiled at the question of enjoying himself at the symposium, remembering how he openly professed his love to Dru, in front of all that were there and viewing from abroad.

Allyndra had remained standing so she took the opportunity. "I think all of you have been through sickbay, but Allyndra the Chief Medical Officer. Yes, the presentations were interesting and I was quite impressed on how everyone handled the questions." She took her seat again.

"Indeed. And I believe we all might have a marriage to help plan in addition to our new assignment?" Lirha's light green eyes shifted back and forth between Quinn and McCarthy with a pleasant gaze after taking notice of the Cob's subtle demeanor. "Perhaps a wedding in our arboretum?"

Dru dropped the PADD that had been in her hand with a clatter on the desk. Her gaze moved between Lirha and Markum as she tried to figure out why she had become the focus of Lirha's glance. Not sure what to say, her glance narrowed in on Markum, "Wedding?"

Deciding that a topic of wedding was best not to discussed in a briefing, especially since for him it was somewhat of a sore subject, Tyrion stood. "I haven't attended the symposiums however I did read the reports on the topics and found them quite enlightening," he spoke up. "I'm Tyrion, and if there's information to be found, I'm the one who's likely to find it for you." He smiled briefly before sitting back down.

Quinn coughed some of his coffee through his nose and back into the mug as he was not expecting the comments by Lirha. He looked at Dru then over to Holiday and Lirha. "Uh, thanks Boss, but let's not get ahead of ourselves, but you know I do love feeding the ducks in our arboretum."

Letting out a breath that she didn't realise she'd been holding, Dru took a brief moment before taking back her PADD and smiling a little as the gathered group, some faces she knew well and others that she didn't. The best step forward now was to help get the meeting back on track. "Most of you will have met me at some stage. I'm Drusilla, or Dru, the Chief Counsellor. If I may extend a congratulations to Admiral Saalm and the team at the station for the months of preparation that went into an entirely enjoyable week. The feedback I'm getting from the attendees and general crew has been all extremely positive."

"If we're not careful," Commander Kohl remarked, "we're going to get a reputation of a love boat." --And his comment certainly wasn't limited to Dru's presentation at the symposium-- "A brilliant, engaging, beautiful love boat."

Gyce frowned at that comment. Possibly because it hit too close to home in that she partook in some of those escapades.

"Yes, the rest of the admiralty has expressed their thanks to me for our participation. And I, in turn, thank of you." Lirha sighed to herself, happy to be getting back to business but also lamenting that she could not stay aboard the station longer and mingle with the different members of Starfleet.

"Well, let us begin." Picking up her PADD, she tapped a brief command into the device to link it to the wall's large LCARS display. "We are scheduled to depart Jupiter Station in five days," she began. "Starfleet has assigned us a new mission -- to escort a new colony ship to a habitable world and assist with its deployment and colonial development." The large projector monitor flashed to display a large class of Federation starship. "This is USS Semmes, the latest of the Colony-class designs that has just been commissioned and scheduled for use. As you can see," her green finger pointed towards several notable areas of the hull, "she is capable of transporting over 2,000 personnel and her modular sections deploy from the main hull into individual landing platforms...each able to transform into long-term, sustainable structures when they reach the surface."

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

RADM Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

CAPT Jonathan Holliday
Executive Officer
USS Galileo

Commander Andreus Kohl
Second Officer
USS Galileo

CMCPO Markum QUinn
Chief of the Boat
USS Galileo

LCmdr Allyndra illm Warraquim
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

Ensign Miraj Derani
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Galileo

Ensign Tyrion Faye
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant JG Natalya Kirilova
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant JG Drusilla McCarthy
Chief Counsellor
USS Galileo

Lieutenant JG Benice Gyce
Chief of Security/Tactical
USS Galileo

Lieutenant JG
Wilhelm Von Haeften
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Oren Idris
Chief Research Officer
USS Galileo

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