[BACKLOG] The First Meetings

Posted on Monday April 24th, 2023 @ 11:57pm by Cadet Freshman Grade Daisy Stanier & Lieutenant Nicholas Coleman & Lieutenant Serran & Cadet Senior Grade Cody Matthews & Cadet Senior Grade Loren Finanahad

2,614 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Shore Leave
Location: Deck 6, Main Lecture Theatre
Timeline: Prior to the Events of "Shore Leave"; Sometime in mid-2394
Tags: Cultural Division, Academic Training, Cadets, 2394

[OOC Note: This JP was started quite some time ago as the first exploration of the role of the Cultural Department and the role of teaching Cadet-level characters onboard the Poseidon. It never reached a natural end due to several player departures, but we still wanted to post this both as a bit of history but also so that the posting credit still counts to all those who are still active and contributed. ~ Kana]

On:

Lieutenant Coleman and Serran had come onboard the USS Poseidon the day prior and Coleman had expressed getting together with Serran to discuss how to come together, make a plan for the cadets, and actually meet some of the cadets onboard. Coleman couldn't sleep that night because of the sheer excitement that he had felt since coming on board and getting accepted as the Assistant Chief Cultural Officer.

Since he couldn't sleep, Coleman had gone down to the Cultural Offices on Deck 6 and took a look around. With a PADD in hand, Coleman looked around and was in awe at the space that they had to work with on the Poseidon, especially for being an older Miranda-Class Starship. He made note of everything that he could while he looked around and even looked at the offices that Coleman and Serran would be sharing.

However, he noted that as he was looking around, some of the Cadets and even Lieutenant Serran would be waking up and coming onto duty. Coleman went back to his quarters and changed into a fresh uniform and headed back down to the Cultural Offices to notice that Lieutenant Serran had beaten him back to their offices.

"Lieutenant Serran, it's good to see you this morning. How'd you sleep last night? I hope it was good for you, sir," Coleman said, a bit nervous because of the excitement of being onboard finally in such an amazing position.

Serran had indeed slept well, not that he needed a great deal. "I slept well, thank you for asking. How was your night?"

"I actually didn't sleep that much. I was a bit too excited to actually sleep last night, so I decided to get some work done. I looked around the Cultural Division Offices so that we could start planning on meeting the Cadets," Coleman said, with the PADD in his hands.

With a PADD in his hand and once Serran was done speaking, Coleman handed the PADD over and said, "I've got a few ideas for you sir, and I was hoping that we could meet some of the Cadets today. Get them all together before they're needed in their departments. I know that we've discussed the buddy system between the cadets and a mentoring program between the cadets and the members of the crew. I've got a few ideas sketched out for you on the PADD and I want to do some tests on their abilities before pairing them up. What do you think, sir?"

"Impressive, already making plans. I like the initiative."

Coleman smiled and was excited about the first meeting between the Cadets and them. Holding up the PADD, Coleman said, "If I may, sir?"

Serran stood the PADD and began to read it. "This looks good, Lieutenant. Very good."

"By the way, when is just the two of us, let us dispense with the ranks and the sirs and just use our first names if that is acceptable to you."

Before Coleman tapped his comm badge, he nodded. "You may call me Nick or Nicholas. Whatever you may prefer. But, most people call me Nick because it's easier. Does that work for you? Also, may I call you Serran or is there another name you prefer?" Coleman asked, wanting to make sure that he didn't offend his fellow officer.

"I will call you Nick. Serran is fine with me Vulcans don't have surnames as humans do."

Coleman smiled even deeper and said, =^= "Coleman to all cadets onboard. Please report to the Deck 6 Main Lecture Theatre for a Cadet meeting with Lieutenant Serran and me. Please bring a PADD with you." =^=

Loren had been doing an inventory of medical supplies in sickbay when he'd gotten the call. He stepped into the room and looked around.

Daisy had been making her way to the Counselling Offices on the same deck when she heard the call over her commbadge. She was a bit caught off-guard by it; usually, at this time she liked to use the early morning in order to get some of the menial administrative tasks of the Counselling Division done, and she enjoyed the silence. She also liked to be there when Commander Shakura arrived each morning, following her early starts on the Bridge.

Stopping on the spot awkwardly and taking a moment to think of what to do, she decided she better attend as instructed; these were new division heads after all, and she didn't want to make a poor impression. Running over to the Counselling Offices just briefly so she could retrieve a fresh PADD as instructed, she then ran straight back down the corridor and to the Theatre.

Slinking in like a hare, she saw that she was still one of the few to arrive. Feeling like the very first day at the Academy all over again, the Freshman tepidly made her way down the stairs and to a seat near the front, though at one of the far edges of the Theatre.

Cody, having been in the Counselling Offices reviewing some of the crew requests for upcoming appointments, shut his console off, and PADD in hand quickly made his way to the lecture hall. Noticing some others were already seated, he grabbed a seat near Daisy and nodded in greeting.

"Hi, Cody!" Daisy responded with a small chirp. Despite her shy demeanour, she was a friendly soul. While she still didn't know much about her new crewmate, she appreciated having him around in the Counselling Offices to help do some of the work.

As the cadets began arriving and settling into the seats in front of the Main Lecture Theatre, Coleman looked at Serran and gave a curt nod. He looked back at the cadets and smiled. Without missing a beat, he stepped forward and tapped his commbadge, so it would project his voice.

"Good morning, Cadets. We're Lieutenants Coleman and Serran, the newest Cultural Division Officers, who will be helping to guide you along your journey on board the Poseidon. This is a new position for the ship, Starfleet, and us quite frankly us. Well, at least myself, as I can't speak wholly for Serran. But, we wanted to get everyone together on board, especially now that we've docked at Starbase 129. By the looks of it, most of the cadets on board and here with us today are in the medical field. Nurses, Counselling Aides, among the sort. The only one not in Medical is Cadet Graydon, who is in operations. We wanted to gather you all today to introduce ourselves and see if there's anything that you need from us. Lieutenant Serran?" Coleman said, offering up the space for Lieutenant Serran to introduce himself and allowing the cadets to intermingle with one another.

Serran stood at parade rest, his hand clasped behind his back. His hair looked almost regulation. One had to look carefully to see the bun on the top of his head.

"Greetings. It is agreeable to see you all. As Lieutenant Coleman said, this is a new experience for everyone. New or not, we are committed to making this work, for everyone involved. Later, we will discuss our ideas and goals. But for now, we would like to hear your thoughts and ideas."

Daisy had sat at close attention as she listened to both Lieutenant Coleman and Lieutenant Serran introduce themselves. She had noticed them both as they had arrived to meet Commander Shakura the other day, and from the first glimpse of both of them, they seemed to be friendly folk. While she couldn't speak for all of her cohorts, she knew how difficult she had found the initial adjustment period to the Poseidon; if it hadn't been for her work with the Commander, she would have found it almost chaotic. So she was glad to hear that there would be some form of concrete direction going forward.

"W-well..." Daisy raised her hand, hesitant for just a second but gaining in confidence as she caught both Lieutenant's attention. "I can't speak for everyone, but I think one thing that has been really beneficial thus far has been our instruction from the Departments aboard the ship. The practical experience is really valuable, and I would hate to have to lose out on that. So I think it would be great if, maybe, our Academy curricula for our year of service was flexible in terms of assessment, and our practical work could be graded as part of our performance. D-does that make sense, sirs?"

"Almost like Student Teachers did back in the late 20th and early 21st century on Earth? They worked with teachers in their field and got graded more on performance within their field instead of being graded on such information as exams and tests," Coleman said, looking down at the young lady who appeared to be a bit nervous when she raised her hand. But, he knew that it must've taken some confidence to raise her hand and speak, so Coleman wanted to meet this cadet after this meeting.

Serran steepled his fingers. He didn't smile, he rarely allowed himself that rather human indulgence, instead, he kept his expression neutral. "That makes a great deal of sense Cadet. That is one of the reasons, if not the main reason, I took this position. Practical experience is what this ship is all about."

"It is going to give you... a leg up as Terrans are fond of saying, and will make you a better officer in both the near and long term. PADDS and theories are fine and important, but without practical grounding, they are not nearly as valuable"

"Serran and I were actually talking about it with Commander Shakura, too. Assigning mentors from the crew to be a guide, if you have any specific questions from us that maybe Serran or myself might not be able to answer. Not only that but potentially giving you guys a buddy system. We know that the Academy can be intimidating, but having a buddy amongst your fellow cadets will help out, I think," Coleman said, hearing Serran speak on the subject a bit.

Daisy nodded along approvingly as both Lieutenant's responded to her comment, like the golden pupil she always strived to be. She seemed reassured by their answers that this newly integrated Academy curriculum would not impede on their duties across the ship, for which she was personally glad. While the minutiae of Counselling Office administration wasn't exactly glamorous, it provided a stable rhythm to her daily life, and shadowing Commander Shakura was something she deeply valued in her desire to be a Counsellor one day.

Raising his hand, Cody said "If I may add Sir. I agree with Cadet Stainer's comments. We're all here trying to learn from our respective superiors and department heads, and trying to absorb everything in real-life situations. Being graded based on what we actually do, and not the knowledge we can call up for an exam would be more useful to us. Also, having a buddy, as we're discussing, would allow us to have an outlet to vent any possible frustrations we're having. It would also potentially allow us to form friendships while aboard, as, speaking for myself, I feel a bit thrown into the deep end so to speak, so it would be nice to have someone to get close to." Feeling embarrassed for possibly rambling, he closed his mouth and tried not to turn a bright shade of crimson.

"Well, with Lieutenant Serran's permission, I'd like you guys to pair off into groups of 2-4 cadets. I want you guys to come up with a list of questions and frustrations for the crew that you'd like answered. Maybe, it's something you've always wanted answered but haven't had the courage to ask them face to face. Or, it could be something you've noticed that you'd like to see changed or an idea that might make things better. It can be anything you have on your mind and you can give them to Lieutenant Serran and myself, so we can pass it forward and it wouldn't be as scary. Also, I know some of you have duty calls, so if you have to make a time for you guys to gather later, just make a time and let Serran and myself know. How does that sound, sir?" Coleman said, looking over at his Vulcan companion, who appeared to be surveying the room full of cadets.

Serran had been nodding his head as his assistant chief spoke. "I am in full agreement, that this new approach to training, will not be effective unless the communication is two-way and the communication is open."

Coleman smiled and said, "Alright, Cadets. If you don't mind pairing off and start getting some questions together for us. Let's say that in about 10-15 minutes, we'll get back together and adjourn for the day." Coleman walked away from center stage and headed over to stand next to Serran.

Cody looked over to Daisy and smiled slightly saying "Feel like being partners? Might be nice to have a friendly face for this exercise." Feeling a bit awkward, he added "If you want to that is."

"Oh! Um, sure." Daisy responded with a sheepish smile, almost surprised by the prompt at first. "Okay Daisy, no need to overthink this. He might be your senior, but you've been here a little longer; he's looking to you for reassurance. Remember what Commander Shakura taught you..."

"To be honest, my mind is drawing a blank on questions...maybe I've been far too cozy in the Counselling offices, haha. Maybe you have some ideas?" She said, wondering if her senior peer would perhaps some more experience of Starfleet to draw upon. The two would continue discussing it back and forth for quite some time.

Serran, his back planted against a bulkhead, watching with interest just managing to keep from smiling. Things were working out just as he and Coleman had anticipated. He waited to see what would happen next, ready to step in if needed.

Coleman walked over to stand next to Serran and he kept quiet for a moment with a smirk on his own face. "Sir, if I wouldn't have known better, but you appear to have a smile coming across your face in the slightest. Would I be right or am I mistaken?" Coleman asked with a small chuckle come from his lips.

Serran's mask of neutrality eased back into place. "I can neither confirm, nor deny your hypothesis"

"Sure, keep telling yourself that," Coleman said, a small smirk cross his own face as he watches the cadets working together.

Serran simply raised a brow, then said, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Looking over at Serran, Coleman said, "I've been alive long enough to know people's tells...including Vulcans. You, sir, have a tell."

[END]

Lieutenant Serran
(Then) Chief Cultural Officer
U.S.S. Poseidon

&

Lieutenant Nicholas Coleman
Assistant Chief Cultural Officer
U.S.S. Poseidon

&

Cdt. Freshman Grade Daisy Stanier
Counsellor's Aide
U.S.S. Poseidon

&

Cdt. Senior Grade Cody Matthews
Nurse & Counsellor's Aide
U.S.S. Poseidon

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