[Backlog] Meeting the Second Officer

Posted on Tuesday November 12th, 2019 @ 3:13am by Commander Kanaka Shakura & Lieutenant Colonel Phoebe Graydon

1,379 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Departure and Trial Run
Location: U.S.S. Poseidon; Executive Officer's Office, Deck 6
Timeline: Pre-Poseidon Launch; Pre-Departure; Pre-Meeting
Tags: Pre-Departure

Phoebe had met most of the crew by now, but there was one more person she needed to meet. She looked at the duty roster, to see if the newly promoted Second Officer was working, and seeing that she was not, she tapped her commbadge.

#^# "Graydon to Shakura, can you come to my office please." #^# She asked, looking down at the picture of Chloe that she had set on her desk. She had left her to her own devices, hoping she would come out of her shell and go to meet the Operations Department that she would be working with.

After a few seconds, she received a response from the Chief Counsellor. #^# "Shakura to Graydon: On my way." #^#

A few moments later, Kana walked in, walking with confidence and purpose. Standing before the Executive Officer's desk, she planted her feet firmly and clasped her hands behind her back, producing a friendly smile towards Phoebe. "Lieutenant Commander Graydon. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

“And you Commander. Please have a seat.” She said, gesturing towards the empty seat opposite her. “Can I get you anything to drink?” She asked.

Kana nodded and smiled as she took a more relaxed posture and then sat down. "A glass of water will do just fine, thank you." As she got accustomed to her surroundings she noticed the picture frame on the Commander's desk, of a young girl with a striking likeness to her.

"You have a daughter don't you, Commander? If I remember correctly she's serving here with us?" Kana asked politely.

Phoebe nodded. “Yes, that’s correct. Her names Chloe, she’s quite shy though, doesn’t like meeting new people. Probably not a good thing on a big ship like this.” She answered.

Kana smiled, "I suppose you and I were both that shy girl once, too. I know I certainly was. I'm sure she'll find her way just as we did." She let the words hang for a brief moment before continuing, "It must be comforting to have her close by, though?"

Phoebe smiled. "It will be nice to have her close. Means I can at least keep an eye on her, see that she's doing well...I just hope she can get over her shyness." She commented.

"I'm sure she will with time." Kana nodded affirmatively, while making a mental note to keep an eye out for Chloe in future, either in the Lounge or during her journeys around the ship. Perhaps she could strike up a conversation with her, and see how well she copes. "Is there anything in particular you wanted us to discuss, Commander?"

Phoebe shook her head. “No, no, just wanted to welcome you to the ship.” She answered. “Although maybe we can arrange a meeting between me you and Chloe. See if there’s anything we can do to help her?” She asked.

Kana thought for a brief second before responding with a calm smile. "I would love to meet Chloe. Do you have any particular concerns about her wellbeing besides her shyness, or do you feel there's something more to her shy feelings?"

"I can't be certain, but it has only started since she joined the academy, so I have to question whether something is going on there that she has been affected by, and something that she does not want to explain to me...a boy maybe? I don't know." She answered.

The Chief Counsellor nodded assuredly as she listened to Phoebe's motherly concerns. The Academy was a stressful time for a lot of students - the high standards and expectations it impressed on it's students was well-known to prospective candidates, current students and alumni alike - and Kana had certainly encountered a fair few affected students both in her time there and as a junior counsellor. She wasn't concerned that this could be anything too serious. "A nice change of pace as of late..."

"It could be a number of things, for sure, but I have no doubt it's just the usual nerves that stem from the high-pressure environment that the Academy has," Kana assured the Executive Officer, "Still, I'm happy to meet with Chloe just to make sure. It wouldn't hurt."

Pausing for a moment to drink some water, the new Second Officer's eyes flickered as she seemed to think of something, changing the topic of the conversation fluidly. "Since we are just here to meet each other, do you mind if I ask how you're finding the Poseidon so far? I imagine the Commander has enthusiastically shared his knowledge about her with you as well?" She smiled.

"She's a very nice ship. And yes the Commander did fill me in, as did the previous CO. They gave you that speech as well?" She asked.

"Commodore Paladin? To tell you the truth, I haven't had the chance to speak to him yet." Kana had, however, already gotten some stark impressions of him based on her observations of his poise in the Officers' Lounge and Lieutenant Freya's wariness towards him. This was her chance to learn more. "What are your impressions of him?"

"He's...different...he values this ship very much, mainly because he used to command the Poseidon in it's previous life. Very passionate about seeing the ship in good hands." She answered, smiling. "You should try and meet him, i'm lead to believe he's only here to see us on our first few missions." She continued to smile.

"Yes, the Commander mentioned to me that the ship had quite the legacy. I'm sure he got the same talk from the Commodore when they met. He seems to have left a lasting impression on him." Kana remarked, "I will be sure to meet him after the Senior Officers' Meeting. Speaking of which..."

Pausing, the Chief Counsellor produced a PADD. Passing it to Phoebe, she continued, "The Commander asked my thoughts last night on Lieutenant Junior Grade Freya Svanirsdottir, who's currently our Acting Chief Flight Control Officer. Here's their file; in the absence of a full Chief FCO, the Commander wants to promote them. Shall we review?"

Phoebe nodded. "Sounds good." She replied simply, looking over the details of the transfer. She had already agreed this with the CO when he had first bought it up, but it never hurt to review something again. "So, what do you think?" She asked, after having given themselves enough time to review.

Kana sat back in her chair as she thought on her response. "I've met the Lieutenant by chance in the Officer's Lounge. She seems shy, but she also seems very dedicated and driven. It might seem rash to promote someone to a Chief position so quickly, especially when this is their first real time at the helm of a starship, so she tells me, but the Commander is incredibly keen to see the crew rise to the challenge. We'll have to see how she does, but I'm prepared to support it."

"I would agree. Monitor for a period of so many months, and then review down the line?" She asked. She had only met the Lieutenant a few times, but she shared the Captains desire to push the crew.

Kana smiled and nodded in agreement. "Agreed. I'm confident that whatever her lack in experience might be, it'll be outweighed by her commitment and professionalism which she seems to have taken too quite quickly. Since our missions are unlikely to be anything out of the ordinary, I share the Commander's belief that we're probably the best suited to have a fresh helmsman."

Standing as if to make her leave, the Second Officer extended her hand out to the Executive Officer. "On that note I should probably return to my work, but I'm glad we had this chance to talk. I'm sure we'll have many more fruitful conversations in the near future; my office will be in touch soon about a joint meeting between you, Chloe and I - likely shortly after we've departed."

Phoebe nodded and took the offered hand. "Thank you for your time Commander, I hope to see you around." She smiled and watched as Kanaka exited the room. She sighed, before picking up another PADD, and continuing to work through the reports.

=/\= End =/\=

RSS Feed