Meeting Captains Is A Science

Posted on Fri Jul 12th, 2019 @ 4:10am by Captain Abigail Laurens & Lieutenant Alexis Aenera

Mission: Getting To Know You
Location: Captain's Ready Room

Alexis had stopped the lift right before it hit the bridge and inspected herself in the mirror-bright sheen of the wall, or as much of herself as she could inspect. She was looking as absolutely perfect as she could make herself and while she couldn't see any lint or fuzz in the limited reflectivity of the wall, she'd ensured there hadn't been any before she left her new quarters. There shouldn't be any problem with what she was wearing, she hoped, not with the reserved uniform she was wearing, a skirt with regulation black leggings and the standard uniform jacket that was still far more stuffy and warm than she preferred.

But nothing she could do about that, at least not yet, she'd make it a rule in her lab work that jackets were OFF. She pouted for maybe half a second at the fact she was wearing flat, regulation shoes rather than the ones she'd preferred, but settled her face again. She hastily brushed her arms before unlocking the lift and finally stepping off and onto the bridge. Akira class bridges were familiar to her, the Minotaur having had been one, but science personnel weren't always the most welcome there except when called upon. She resisted the urge to reach up and brush the two stray hairs she was CERTAIN had just blown up from where she hadn't secured it into a ponytail, instead just letting it settle behind her.

Looking like someone who knew exactly where she was going, she all but marched to the ready room door where she knew the Captain was and pressed the chime for entry. She made a mental note to hunt down the XO after this, but she did need to officially report in.

Abigail sighed at the sound of the chime and shook her head slightly. She had so much to do still, and every time she started making good time with the reports that had to be filed before they could actually depart there was a new interruption that came along. "Enter," she called, trying to keep the annoyance from her voice as she looked up toward the door.

Alexis's steps were very precise and she closed her eyes ever so briefly and mouthed a single-word prayer as she stepped through the door. She fiddled with the top of the PADD in it's holster on her waist then made herself stop, then stopped in front of the desk, "Ma'am, Lieutenant Alexis Aenera, Science Officer, reporting for duty."

"Lieutenant Aenera, a pleasure to meet you, welcome aboard," Abigail said as she held her hand toward the Science officer before motioning for her to take a seat. "It was a relief to see you were able to get on board in time, there was some concern given our imminent departure, when I received notification of your transfer Starfleet wasn't entirely sure how long it would take for you to arrive."

Lexi quirked a smile as she shook the CO’s hand and perched herself on the edge of the offered seat, “If it says anything, my orders gave me about an hour to pack up from Minotaur before they threw me onto a ship on an express trip here. I suppose the rest of my belongings will be waiting here at the station the next time we’re in the area, but I brought the most important things. The layout isn’t going to bother me either, since Minotaur was also Akira-class, so I won’t have that getting-lost period.”

"Good, then I see no reason to keep you here any longer than necessary," Abigail said with a smile. "I suggest that you make sure you check in with Commander Gail, and also find and introduce yourself to Master Chief Petty Officer König, they'll both be your first port of call for most things, but my door will always be open if needed."

“Of course, ma’am, I’d intended on hunting down the Exec after meeting with you, but I will definitely introduce myself to the Master Chief once I get settled in with my department.” Alexis was still tense, but this was seeming to be painless, “And of course, if you need me for anything ma’am, I’m available at all times. I don’t sleep all that well, so even if it’s an odd hour, don’t be afraid to comm.”

"Thank you, I will keep that in mind, but I also have Mister König, and to be honest, from what I've seen so far that man never sleeps and is eerily always just a few feet away. The man is almost supernatural, I swear!" Abigail shook her head and laughed. "Anyway, do you have any questions about your assignment Lieutenant?"

"Not at this time, ma'am, but I reserve the right to ask any when they come up?" Alexis quirked her smile, "This is my first senior officer assignment and to be quite frank, my nine-odd months as Assistant Chief didn't really instill me with all the knowledge I think I need. But I'm going to do my best, ma'am."

"Any concerns and you have plenty of resources at the ready. Commander Gail will always be available, as will I, and you can always seek assistance from Mister König as well. Just make sure you ask questions and seek help if you are unsure. I'd rather you ask help than take chances that may jeopardize the ship or her crew. I'm afraid our policy on this ship is a little stricter than 'you break it, you bought it'," Abigail said, her mouth quirking as she suppressed a smirk.

Lexi couldn't stop a laugh from escaping her mouth, throwing a hand up to cover her mouth, "Sorry, ma'am." She recovered her composure quickly, but still had a slight look of nervousness on her face, "I know this is a bit odd, ma'am, but I just want to ask that if we do investigate any sort of spatial or temporal anomaly, that I have a chance to look at the sensors before we approach? I'm, I'm not saying that we shouldn't approach anyways, it's just that..." She looked away, "We had a really bad experience on the Rhea with one of them. We were caught for just over three months in one of those." Technical truth, but she didn't know what all the Commander was able to know.

Abigail arched one eyebrow slightly as she cast a cool gaze over the Lieutenant now appearing somewhat nervous in front of her. "I'm well aware of your 'circumstances'," she said coolly. "I can assure you, I wouldn't have allowed you on my ship if I was not completely aware of your entire history. I don't do missing information or guessing games. As far as your concern over anomalies goes, we will do what we're expected to do as Starfleet Officers, and you will do what you're told to do on this ship while under my command, do I make myself very clear on that?"

“Crystal, ma’am.” Relief flooded into Alexis’s eyes and face that her commanding officer did know the whole true story of the Rhea Event. It meant she didn’t have to keep to the very carefully rehearsed mostly-truth that TI had drilled into her. Her voice grew in confidence, “I have no problems with doing my duty, or with going into dangerous places, ma’am, I just don’t want us to fall into that same type of temporal trap that the Rhea found ourselves in. Not without knowing what we’re about to get ourselves into. In fact, if we find-“ She cut herself off, then shook her head. Part of her just wanted to go back, to find out if anyone else had survived and rescue them rather than that moment that she and the few pitiful others had left them behind on orders. And revenge, oh yes, she wanted vengeance as well. “Sorry, ma’am.”

"Good, I think that's all you need to worry about for the moment, make sure you check in with the others, make sure your department is ready for departure, and other than that, Good luck Lieutenant." Abigail offered a smile. "I'm sure you'll do just fine though."

"I do hope so, ma'am, and I'm definitely going to do the very best I possibly can." Alexis gave a smile of her own, easily getting to her feet.

"Very well, you're dismissed Lieutnant," Abigail said with a smile. "You know where to find us if you need anything."