Promoting Change

Posted on Sunday August 25th, 2019 @ 10:52pm by Lieutenant Commander Canaan Serine & Lieutenant Commander Freya Mannerheim

846 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Departure and Trial Run
Location: USS Poseidon; Officers' Galley and Dining Room
Timeline: Pre-Poseidon Launch; Pre-Departure

[ON]

Canaan yawned, rubbing the sleep from either eye as he strolled toward the officer's galley and dining room. It'd been a long night of unpacking and settling in. Although Canaan led a minimalist lifestyle, he was rather particular about those few items he owned and where they'd fit or look best. The officers quarters were of generous size and staged with much of the needed furniture. Honestly, the grandness of it all made him feel a bit uncomfortable. He'd have been just as satisfied claiming a bunk and footlocker with the trainees. At any rate, he'd made the quarters his own with a personal touch here or there, and then spent the rest of the evening nursing a large glass of wine and spoke with his closest friend, Lieutenant Commander Dara Ameen of the USS Washington. They'd charted into the early hours of the morning when Canaan finally relented and fell into a restless nights sleep.

That meant coffee was on the agenda this morning. It didn't surprise the young Lieutenant at seeing Freya departing the dining room. What did cause him to stop and stare was the bright crimson color of her tunic.

"Good morning, " He said politely, offering the woman a soft nod of his head as he studied her polished appearance. "Trying red out today rather than teal?" He observed humorously.

"Morning." Freya stopped and looked down at her uniform. "Oh, that? You have not heard, then?" She pointed at the two golden pips on her collar. "I was promoted. I am now the Poseidon's Chief Flight Control Officer. As such, I fall under the Command department, and thus wear red." She sighed. "Not that I like it much."

Canaan's sleepy expression brightened. "Congratulations!" He exclaimed, immediately pulling the woman into a warm embrace. He didn't immediately realize the folly in his actions until he recognized Freya's stiff posture. "Oh!" He said, quickly releasing her, "Apologies, but I'm so very happy for you. When did this happen?" He asked, glancing at the two shiny solid pips that matched his own.

Freya laughed at the CSO's discomfort. "Last night, after the briefing. I am still taking some time to sink in. And I am not at all a friend of the color red. Still, here we are. I will still help out in sciences if you ever need a linguist, don't worry about that!"

Canaan waved a hand as if to dismiss the notion, "Don't worry about that, you've got your hands full with an entire department of flyboys and gals." He joked, "This must have come as quite the surprise." He didn't know much about Freya or her past service history, but from what he'd observed during their short time together, the woman seemed more than capable of the responsibility. He wondered how she'd do with a squadron full of cadets. "Will you form our version of the Red Squadron?"

Freya shook her head. "First focus is to get this ship moving and underway. We are currently still one officer short of a functional Flight Control department, so that is my next priority, and I will be meeting the Assistant Chief this evening to see what we can do about that. I don't have any experience on a Miranda, so let's hope it goes okay." She sighed and appeared to be elsewhere for a moment as she unzipped her jacket. "It's quite a bit of a change for me. This ship, the new position. I'm going to need some more time to get used to it all."

Canaan reached out, offering a reassuring squeeze to the woman's shoulder, "You'll do wonderfully." He smiled encouragingly, "Besides, there's no one on board I'd trust more to get this old boat to turn on a dime." He winked. "Did you already eat?" He asked, gesturing to the dining room.

Freya nodded. "Yes, I just had breakfast with Lieutenant Brinsley. The Operations chief? She was quite pleasant company; her wife is the AFCO so that I will be meeting her later on. In any case, I need to get to the bridge; the helm wants calibrating. We could meet over lunch if you want to talk about something?"

"No no, of course, you've quite a bit of catching up to do before departure." Canaan said with understanding, "Please send Maddie my best, and once again, congratulations!" He stepped to the side so that Freya could pass, the vibrancy of the red tunic more visible after the woman unzipped her uniform jacket. He wondered why it was Freya who was promoted to CFCO when Maddie was also promoted to the role on the Victoria. Perhaps this short tour of duty was intended to prepare Maddie for what was to come in four short months inevitably.

The two bid each other farewell, Freya on her way to the bridge, Canaan on his to the nearest replicator.

Coffee, please.

[OFF]

"Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don't belong."

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