Meeting the Boss
Posted on Tue Jul 7th, 2020 @ 11:10pm by Ensign Lucas Miles
Mission:
Shore Leave
Location: Shuttle Bay
Timeline: Current
[Shuttle Bay]
Lucas had only just arrived on the Independence less than an hour ago and he was already excited about his first assignment. He had barely put all his stuff away in his assigned quarters before he headed out to find his department head.
It was not lost on him the irony that most of the crew likely could not wait to get off the ship to visit Risa while he wanted nothing to do with Risa but simply wanted to explore every corner of his new home.
He knew from a simple computer query that a significant number of the crew were on Risa. He could also tell from the traffic on some of the decks that there were fewer people wandering the halls than would be typical for a starship this size.
Truth be told, Lucas had been surprised that he had been able to catch the Quartermaster to sort out information like his quarters and his other possessions which had been sent in advance of him leaving Earth. He was pleased to hear that it had arrived and was waiting in one of the cargo bays to be claimed. Lucas was also able to obtain his combadge as well as other supplies he would need while on board the Independence.
As a junior officer, Lucas would be sharing a room with another junior officer – one Ensign John Parks. He was apparently a security officer. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) John was on Risa but Lucas had no doubt there would be plenty of room for introductions later.
Lucas made a mental note to find out more information about his new roommate. Lucas was introverted and thus liked to do his research on people before he met them. This was especially true for someone he would be sharing quarters with. The more he knew, the more he could at least try to attempt to be outgoing to avoid coming across as bashful and aloof as he often did in the company of strangers.
The turbo lift doors slid open revealing a new deck and Lucas stepped out. He had glanced at the ship’s schematic briefly before he left his quarters and knew where he was headed. However, he took note of the places and people he ran into along the way.
He took a few paces straight ahead and rounded a corner before the corridor opened into a larger space that led to a giant set of doors, which hew knew led to the only shuttle bay on board the Independence.
He carried on through the doors as it slid open on his approach. He was immediately treated to a busy deck floor, much unlike the rest of the ship. He counted about a dozen crew members – officers and enlisted personnel alike attending to various activities. Some were servicing shuttles, while others were attending to the shuttle bay equipment.
“Excuse me,” Lucas stated as he caught the attention of a deckhand, no doubt a technician of some sort. “Do you know where I can find Lieutenant Rebecca Maida?”
“Check the fishbowl. She’s either there or in her office, both on the upper floor.”
“Fishbowl?” Lucas asked confused.
The technician pointed upwards to Flight Ops, “Sorry sir, we call Flight Operations fishbowl here. Not sure who started it, but it is a rather apt descriptor I think.”
“Thanks,” Lucas replied wincing at being called ‘sir’ as an Ensign, but the knew that was the protocol between commissioned and non-commissioned officers.
He quickly found the stairs leading up to the floor above and took it to the top floor and found himself in the flight ops centre. It was a moderately sized room with several consoles spread out in a semi oval shape with at least five stations, all of which were manned. To his immediate right, he saw a set of doors that indicated it led to the office of the Chief Flight Control Officer.
Lucas headed towards the door and pressed the annunciator to announce his presence. A short while later, he heard a female voice beckoning him to come in.
Lucas entered and was greeted by a blonde human female seated behind a desk. He recognized her from the dossier he had looked at earlier as Lieutenant Junior Grade Rebecca Maida, the ship’s top pilot for all intent and purposes.
“Ensign Lucas Miles reporting for duty ma’am,” he said coming to attention.
“At ease Ensign,” she stated. “I was not expecting you so soon.”
Lucas nodded. “Apologies ma’am, but as this is my first assignment, I was eager to get started.”
The Lieutenant grinned. “I think you’ll fit right in here then Ensign,” she replied. “Call me Beka, and welcome aboard the Independence.”
She gestured for him to seat. “You will have to forgive me Ensign but I haven’t quite got around to formalizing our orientation protocol but I figured we would spend some time getting to know your history, do a little tour and figure our your rotation schedule.”
“That sounds good to me Lieutenant…uh, I mean Beka.” Lucas was pleased to see that his boss seemed to have a relaxed leadership style.
Rebecca stood up and walked to the replicator. “I’m having a raktajino,” she stated. “Want anything?”
~What was it with humans and Klingon coffee~ Lucas thought to himself with a slight smile. “Earl Grey tea, ma’am.”
“Earl Grey?” Rebecca repeated her eyebrows raised. “Who are you, Picard?”
“Who is that?” Lucas replied with deadpan humour.
Rebecca laughed. “Oh, you are going to fit right in here, Lucas Miles. We take ourselves seriously only when it counts.”
“One Earl Grey coming up.”
Ensign Lucas Miles
Flight Control Officer
USS Independence