A More Formal Introduction

Posted on 08 Feb 2013 @ 10:46am by Captain Jonathan Holliday & Chief Warrant Officer 4 Cyrus Kiwosk

1,658 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo Deck 4 - Mess
Timeline: MD - 02 1350 HRS

ON:

Cyrus had some time to kill, having a few hours before Beta shift started up for him. Things were slowly coming back together. Stone was aimable compared to his previous encounters with his staff, He was getting along with his superiors like Rhodes and Rice, and even Lieutenant/ Professor Panne hadn't come barging into his quarters lately, hands slapping.

Life was getting back to normal. All he now had to worry about was getting his team ready and his terrors in check, just like before. Smiling, he suddenly realized something:

He hadn't thanked Commander Holliday for not firing him off the planet.

Cyrus chuckled at the thought, but he knew he had to give thanks where thank was due, and Commander Holliday was way over due for his thanks...
Come to think of it. I don't even think we had our heart to heart at the very beginning of my time here.


Cyrus knew that his shifted started in a few hours, which left him a large portion of time to hunt down the XO and give him a formal greeting and thank you. "Computer, locate Commander Holliday."

[ Commander Holliday is currently in the mess hall]

"Perfect, gives me a chance to eat too." He chuckled to himself, Kiwosk never turned down the chance to eat. Ever since he was younger. He started making his way to the mess hall, not wasting anytime between himself, the Commander, and the glorious banquet that awaited him.

As the doors to the mess hall opened he strode inside with little trouble and was able to locate the Commander easily. As he walked up he gave a slight salute. "Commander, I don't believe we have formally met as of yet. Something I wanted to correct, now that it has occurred to me. " Kiwosk chuckled.

The mess hall wasn't usually the place that the XO would have been found. As a general rule he preferred to eat in his quarters where he was away from the prying eyes of others who might choose to study their XO whilst he was trying to study his meal. Today however, the office had become simply too cramped and too claustrophobic after hours of work, and he had been glad to come to a room a little larger, and a little more energetic.

"Chief Kiwosk...a similar thought did cross my mind during our last meeting. Please, join me."

"Aye, sir." Cyrus sat down and replicated a cofe.... He stopped himself and instead replicated a large tea. "I've been drinking coffee like it's liquid gold. " He sighed as he laughed. " First, thank you for not removing me from my position, and also not for reprimanding Stone, he's a hard man to work for, but I feel that his intentions are in the right place."

"At least we can agree on that Chief. The lieutenant is certainly one of the more...challenging officers I have come across in my career. I hope it hasn't put you off security work?"

Kiwosk shook his head. "Not mine, sir. I finally understand the method to his madness, if you'll excuse the expression. " He sipped his coffee before continuing. "I've been trying to get the rest of the department to see things from his perspective, I'd like to think it's working...but with everything that has happened..." Cyrus sighed as he thought over his next few words. "It'll take some time for the rest of the department to get use to the standards trying to be set."

"That's always the problem when a new department head takes over. It wasn't much better when I took over the XO post on the Galileo. I might happen to have been the first one in that chair, but it doesn't mean that it was any easier implementing my way of doing things over the ways that our crew were used to."

The situation with Stone had been the first time in his service aboard Galileo that John had really had to take a more aggressive stance against someone under his command and actively pull rank. Before now everyone else had simply accepted his seniority, and gotten on with things.

Kiwosk nodded. "I'm glad you're in that chair, if that counts for anything Commander." He grinned before finishing his coffee. "It's part of the reason I didn't apply for officer's training. Manning a squad is one thing, that's only three or four people, six at the most, but an entire department or even if we take that a step farther and say the entire ship like yourself and the Captain...that's not the life I would want for myself." He leaned back slightly. "Though, I have to say, the people who can do the jobs that you and the other senior staff have managed has my respect. It's not an easy thing."

John chuckled as the Chief gave his vote of confidence over to the XO. Had John the capability to travel back in time only a few years, Holliday knew that he probably wouldn't have been able to convince his younger self that he would end up sitting in the big chair as the first officer of a starship.

"Trust me - I was more than happy to stay as a tactical officer...Command just kind of happened, rather by coincidence than choice. You never know what's around the next corner."

Cyrus nodded as he listened to the Commander. "Sir, I have a question..." He began, slightly hesitant. "with everything that has happened...with the Klingons I mean, what do you think it could mean?" He knew that it was probably the worry of most of Starfleet. "I mean, I know what's happened here on the ship to an extent, but do you think they will really..." He left the end of his sentence hanging, unsure of how it wanted to finish it.

John wasn't the kind of officer who would give into idle gossip. There were of course dozens of possible outcomes to the current situation, most of which were probably deep under analysis by far more qualified personnel somewhere in Starfleet who's entire purpose was to prepare the Fleet for war should it come.

"I highly doubt the Klingons will take any further action. They cannot afford a war any more than we can. They might be violent, but I hope that they are not completely stupid."

"I, for one, would rather have them on our side then against us. We did that once, it really didn't go well for either side. " He sighed. "How long have you been in Starfleet sir, if...that is you don't mind my asking..."

John honestly had to think when exactly it was that he had first enlisted into the fleet. It seemed almost a lifetime ago that he had stepped into the Academy as a cadet. If nothing else, he was certainly not the man that had been all those years ago.

"I've served Starfleet for 16 years Chief...seems a lot longer when I think back on it though. I can barely remember that young cadet I used to be. How about you?"

16 years...he would have caught the ass end of the wars. "I've done five sir, hoping to have six under my belt in October by the Earth Calendar. It's been one heck of a ride. I ended up spending most of that on the USS Fitzgerald, a Galaxy class just like the Venture."

"A Galaxy class? That's an impressive class of ship. I've never had the honour of serving on one myself...Defiants, Excelsiors, Intrepids yes, but Galaxy? Never."

John thought back to the times before he had received his assignment to the Galileo. Time on Earth had given him space to think about what his next ship would have been, and dreams of a Galaxy or a Sovereign filled his head, before being smashed by the revelation of the Galileo and her classification.

"You could say I'm getting used to these little ships now...I must be getting old."

Cyrus chuckled. "I was mainly lucky, my elder brother served on the first Fitzgerald, she was a Intrepid. When the Commanding Officer saw another Kiwosk applying, he accepted and that was that. I really haven't seen any other ships until the Galileo " He explained. "It was quite the change, I have to say.

"Besides, isn't there an old Earth saying about it's not the size, but in how you use it?" Cyrus grinned.

"Something along those lines Chief." The XO replied with a grin of his own. John had always wished for a sibling to join him in Starfleet but it seemed his parents had other ideas, and he had remained the only child of the family, and indeed the only Holliday in Starfleet that he knew of.

"She's a good ship. Right now I can't think of any other place I'd rather be...damn, I wouldn't have said that a few months ago...must be getting nostalgic in my old age."

Cyrus wondered if it was old age or that the crew had softened a duty filled heart. Regardless, it seemed that the XO was a solid Officer and an experienced one in his own right.

With a sigh, the XO picked himself up and began to rise up from his chair. His duty shift would be starting in a short while, and there was still plenty of work to do before then.

"If you'll excuse me Chief, I'm due on the Bridge in an hour."

I should get ready myself, sir. I'm in the same position. " He smiled and extended his hand. "Pleasure to finally get to talk to you outside of complaints Commander. "

"Likewise Chief. Carry on." John replied with a smirk, before giving one final nod, and heading for the doors.

OFF:

CWO Kiwosk
Security/ Tactical Officer
MaA/ TRT Squad Leader

CMDR Jonathan Holliday
Executive Officer
USS Galileo
USS Galileo

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