Greenhorn

Posted on 09 Dec 2012 @ 6:42pm by Command Master Chief Markum Quinn

1,471 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 02 - Resupply
Location: USS Galileo: Requisitions Locker
Timeline: MD15, 1300 Hours

ON:

Liyar could faintly hear yelling down the hall. On the operations deck, it was mostly quiet, save for the sternly reprimanding tones emanating from the public requisitions area. Long past his mishap with the disturbing isolinear rod which nearly deleted his main source of work, Liyar was seeking to check out a few new actually approved data storage devices. He entered the room, uncertain of what he'd find inside.

"What sort of no good, titty-suckling idiot takes a mainframe apart without authorization? Not to mention that that no good, titty-suckling idiot is nothing more than a snot nosed, homesick, missing mommy, please kiss my boo boo the mean CoB just hurt my feelings, crewman, Crewman?"

The young man, all about 18 years old stood at attention before Quinn. At his feet were random pieces of equipment, bolts and other unknowns laying about the floor.

Liyar's presence interrupted a person he recognized as the chief of the boat from the personnel lists (but hadn't yet met), and a young crewman who was currently getting the dressing down of his poor, meager life. Liyar arched an eyebrow at the both of them, and then down to the crewman's feet, components strewn every which way. "It appears I am interrupting something. Regardless. Your crewman has rendered null all of this unit's usable connection ports," the Vulcan spoke curtly at last.

Quinn turned to see the officer, as he quickly snapped to attention. "Yes, Lieutenant, he has. And I can assure you that Crewman Der, here, will not leave until he has corrected his error, sir." The CoB looked at the young man, "Why are you still standing here, Der? Get busy, gettin' busy. You have twenty minutes, starting two minutes ago."

The crewman's eyes got as big as saucers and he began to pick up the scattered items from thee floor. Quinn then returned his attention to Liyar. "Sir, I'm Master Chief Quinn, Chief of the Boat, sir. I do not believe we have met before."

Liyar had the faint sensation he was missing something, at least culturally. "We have not. Explain to me the purpose of insulting your subordinates." It wasn't a reprimand, however much like one it sounded. Liyar still hadn't mastered the subtle art of tone. The diplomatic officer was genuinely curious. Quinn went from raging one minute to polite and obedient the next... it was mystifying. Crewman Der looked up hopefully when Vulcan sounded like he was coming to the rescue, but his hopes were quashed when Liyar kicked over another bolt for him to assemble.

"Yes, sir. You see, sometimes the pukes of the fleet--"

Pukes, Liyar repeated to himself, blinking.

"--need a little guidance and reassurance of their position within the order of the ship...." Quinn smiled as he looked down to Crewman Der. "Then you have the rebellious pukes, like Crewman Bug here..'

"It's Der, Master Chief."

Quinn kicked a bolt under another console on the other side of the room. "So Bug here, is disobedient and rude. I was merely teaching him through humility, the importance of following the chain of command before taking it upon himself to dismantle equipment with out proper orders to do....that...and he addressed me as sir."

The rest of the information was intriguing. For a species reliant on exo-empathic connections, humility probably served to be one of the best that kept them cohesively moral, especially in Starfleet military structure. Liyar tilted his head. "Fascinating." He picked up on the last bit with more confusion. "Given my limited experience with Starfleet verbal protocols, I assume that referring to an enlisted officer as sir is discouraged?"

Quinn shrugged his shoulders a bit then grinned. "Well, it isn't the best thing to do. It would be like a Vulcan being called a...human, sir. It is a good way to insult any NCO, especially the CoB when he is ass chewing you."

Liyar now, more than ever, especially did not understand. He puzzled over that for a while before answering. "You are providing me with a false simile," he said slowly, parsing out what Quinn was telling him to what he tried to comprehend of the strange use of language. (Ass-chewing?) "To be called human is not insulting, merely inaccurate. Why is sir insulting to non-commissioned officers?" he asked, more directly this time.

Quinn chuckled at the sincerity and innocence of the Vulcan's question. "Well, because we are not officers, Sir. Many of us, the Non-Com's, take pride in the rank we have attained through hard work and dedication. In most militaries, the enlisted are the back bone and the hardest workers you'll find. We are doers. We do what we are told by the officers. The commissioned officers answer directly to the officers, and if used correctly, the junior, and even some senior officers will look to and take advantage of the non-commissioned officers vast experience and insight to help make any decision."

Quinn looked down at the crewman then back to Liyar. "So, most times we are not asked for advice, and that's okay. But we are told what the officers want done, and it's our jobs to tell the enlisted what to do, and how, while the officers take all the credit for a job well done. That, sir, is why I take it as an insult if I am addressed as, sir."

Liyar listened Quinn's analysis and nodded. "This is not so within the V'Shar," the Vulcan said to explain his own lack of comprehension. "Our ceremonial address is meritocratic. There is a rank system, which adheres to command structure. An individual's personal ability will supersede a ceremonial or professional address outside of this command structure. Informal seniority is given on the basis of experience, rather than rank. Starfleet does not follow this pattern of function."

"Yeah," answered Quinn. "tell me about it. But, hey, it is what it is, right? So, sir, what is your function on the ship?"

"I am the diplomatic officer," the Vulcan said, in that way that seemed to amuse everyone around him. Liyar never quite understood the humor involved, but most people found the irony stark.

"Well, that's great." Quinn replied. "Diplomacy is not a strong point for me. I'm more of the, get it done and do it now, type of guy." he stated plainly. "In case you hadn't noticed."

"It occurred to me." Liyar's response was distinctly Vulcan, and yet delivered with an undercurrent of dryness that were Quinn observant enough, he might even realize it was sardonic. "I am similarly disinclined," he revealed, in what he had learned over his past two weeks aboard the Galileo to be small talk. He found he didn't like small talk at all, but it was a reasonable skill to develop and it (he hoped) fostered better relations with others. (Probably. Maybe. [With dismay]: probably not.) "My primary expertise is in the areas of academia and combat."

"Interesting, I would not of guessed that, sir." Answered Quinn. "No offense, but I took you more for the academic and scientific type of fellow. I too am an academic of sorts. I have a Master's of Science Degree in Propulsion Dynamics, and I am almost finished with my Doctorate in Multi-Warp Field Dynamics."

"Indeed," Liyar replied, a little inanely. "My academic career was largely devoted to the study of mathematics and economics. You were an engineer?" he guessed off-hand, because those were rather specific skill-sets.

Quinn nodded, "Yes, sir. Thirty-two years in Starfleet, all engineering until just recently, when I was demoted from Master Chief Warrant Officer to Master Chief Petty Officer. I was the first CEO for this girl."

That whole sentence sounded completely convoluted to the diplomat. "What is CEO and which girl do you refer to?" he asked, quite literally.

"Chief Engineering Officer," replied Quinn with a chuckle. "and the Girl I am referring to is the Galileo. It is customary for sailors to refer to the vessels they serve on with feminine traits."

"Sailor implies that this vessel is specifically designed for ocean travel. I do not comprehend," Liyar admitted with a little blink. He seemed to shake it off. "I apologize, I am sure that you have matters to attend to." He turned toward one of the shelves and picked out a few large slim mechanical volumes, and their accompanying data packets.

"Yes, sir," answered Quinn.

OFF:

Lieutenant (JG) Liyar
Diplomatic Officer, VDF/SDD
USS Galileo

Master Chief Petty Officer Markum Quinn
Chief of the Boat
USS Galileo

Crewman Guy
Your Life Sucks Crewman, Life Sucks Department
USS Galileo

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