To Assist in Flight

Posted on 08 Jul 2015 @ 10:00am by Commander Norvi Stace & Lieutenant JG Tinaro Cyi
Edited on on 09 Jul 2015 @ 12:37am

2,011 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 09 - Empires
Location: USS Galileo - Main Shuttlebay, Deck 4
Timeline: MD 01 1830

ON:

The shuttlebay was small. And Norvi had so few excuses to ever visit it. So rare was the case that an away mission didn't allow for the transporters to be the first choice of transport and there was always a sense of being forever in the way when she walked down there.

By Starfleet standards the bay was small. But it housed everything the tiny ship could need. But not a scientist. And so, now with her new promotion to First Officer, all of this would now come under her commanding domain. Especially the two new recruits the Gally had boarded.

"Lieutenant Cyi," Stace asked, walking up beside him. "I am Commander Norvi Stace, ship's XO. I thought that I should come down here and introduce myself. Somewhat less formal than have you report to my office." The Trill smiled genuinely and extended her hand out to greet him, familiar with his service record and yet not swayed by it. Just yet.

Cyi looked up from the PADD he were he was running thought the shuttle maintenance checklists to make sure they were up to date.

"Commander, The pleasure is all mine." Cyi replied keeping his hands firmly wrapped around the PADD, hoping the XO would not take his failure to shake her hand as a slight. "I was just looking over the shuttle records. Is there anything I can do for you, Ma'am?"

You can shake my hand, Stace thought to herself as her glance now shifted to her palm as she slowly closed it up and then allowed it to casually drop down by her side. Her face now awkwardly contorted into one of slight annoyance. First impressions meant a lot to the Trill and, unfortunately, Cyi's reputation had proceeded him if by service record alone. Trying not to judge him on it was going to be tough.

"Not really," Stace replied with a forced smile. "I just thought that I'd come down here to introduce myself. Say hello, you know?"

"Of course." Cyi replied. He could tell the trill was annoyed at him for some reason. He reasoned it was because he failed to shake her hand. It understood most species considered physical contact to be very expressive, his own more than most. But he wasn't found of alien thoughts and touching people rendered his otherwise impressive mental barriers virtually useless. Of all the alien minds, Trills ranked high on the list of the ones he most wanted to avoid. He could not tell a joined trill from an unjoined one himself. Joined were the worse though. Lifetimes of thoughts jumbled one on top of another, alien mind INSIDE an alien mind. Tinaro shuddered. Let her be offended.

"I was just going though and double checking the shuttle maintenance records, Commander. I am trying to get to know the Flight Control Department a little better. You can always tell the type of people you are working with by the accuracy of the records they keep, or so I am told." Tinaro smiled, trying to ease the encroaching chill.

ON:

The shuttlebay was small. And Norvi had so few excuses to ever visit it. So rare was the case that an away mission didn't allow for the transporters to be the first choice of transport and there was always a sense of being forever in the way when she walked down there.

By Starfleet standards the bay was small. But it housed everything the tiny ship could need. But not a scientist. And so, now with her new promotion to First Officer, all of this would now come under her commanding domain. Especially the two new recruits the Gally had boarded.

"Lieutenant Cyi," Stace asked, walking up beside him. "I am Commander Norvi Stace, ship's XO. I thought that I should come down here and introduce myself. Somewhat less formal than have you report to my office." The Trill smiled genuinely and extended her hand out to greet him, familiar with his service record and yet not swayed by it. Just yet.

Cyi looked up from the PADD he were he was running thought the shuttle maintenance checklists to make sure they were up to date.

"Commander, The pleasure is all mine." Cyi replied keeping his hands firmly wrapped around the PADD, hoping the XO would not take his failure to shake her hand as a slight. "I was just looking over the shuttle records. Is there anything I can do for you, Ma'am?"

You can shake my hand, Stace thought to herself as her glance now shifted to her palm as she slowly closed it up and then allowed it to casually drop down by her side. Her face now awkwardly contorted into one of slight annoyance. First impressions meant a lot to the Trill and, unfortunately, Cyi's reputation had proceeded him if by service record alone. Trying not to judge him on it was going to be tough.

"Not really," Stace replied with a forced smile. "I just thought that I'd come down here to introduce myself. Say hello, you know?"

"Of course." Cyi replied. He could tell the trill was annoyed at him for some reason. He reasoned it was because he failed to shake her hand. It understood most species considered physical contact to be very expressive, his own more than most. But he wasn't found of alien thoughts and touching people rendered his otherwise impressive mental barriers virtually useless. Of all the alien minds, Trills ranked high on the list of the ones he most wanted to avoid. He could not tell a joined trill from an unjoined one himself. Joined were the worse though. Lifetimes of thoughts jumbled one on top of another, alien mind INSIDE an alien mind. Tinaro shuddered. Let her be offended.

"I was just going though and double checking the shuttle maintenance records, Commander. I am trying to get to know the Flight Control Department a little better. You can always tell the type of people you are working with by the accuracy of the records they keep, or so I am told." Tinaro smiled, trying to ease the encroaching chill.

In truth, Stace hadn't considered her jumbled, messy mind to be a burden on the Vulcan, neither had she considered his telepathic ability to be tactile, but she chalked it up to his cultural ignorance and smiled it off. "That very may well be a set of rules to live by," Stace agreed, softening a little but still agitated by his slight, "however, you have been posted aboard a ship whose command structure, especially for yourself, is startlingly new. Both your Chief Flight Control Officer and myself are fresh in our positions, however, I have served aboard for quite awhile just not in the capacity as XO. So don't judge those records too harshly. They are not an accurate reflection of who is now responsible for them." Stace hesitated and then smiled genuinely. "Why don't you tell me a little about your previous posting."

Ti nodded to the Commander. "I can understand that. A lot of change often leaves little things like shuttle maintenance records on the back burner. Really I like to give the shuttles a once over anyway so this just gives me an excuse." Tinaro smiled. "My last posting? I spent the last year as General Aide for Navigation in the Department of Astrometric Studies Bureau of Experimental Studies on Earth. Long title for a very small office. I was basically a test pilot without the fun of actually being able to pilot. Your standard post-court martial posting so that I can... humble myself I guess." Tinaro responded with most of the bitterness out of his voice.

Flashing her knowing eyebrows, Stace simply asked, "And did it? Humble you, I mean?"

"The unexpected question drew Tinaro's full attention to the Commander. He wasn't sure how full or honest an answer she truly wanted or was wise to give. But since when has he allowed wisdom to burden his self-expression? "That is a complex question. Have I learned my lesson? Yes. But I doubt it was the lesson Starfleet was trying to teach me. Disobeying a direct order was wrong. I know that. It wasn't a decision I took lightly or would ever hope to have to make again. But in the same situation I believe I would do it all over again if I had to, Commander, because I was right." Ti knew the statement was a dangerous one and one that could find him on his way back to a desk in some office on Bajor studying wormhole residue for the rest of his career. Still he was determined to give her an honest answer.

"If I would do anything differently, I would not have punched Captain Walker in the face." Ti added. I would have shot him at point blank range in the face with my phaser. He thought to himself. His hand was in a caste for a week from the man's jaw.

Stace studied the Betazoid before her with a knowing yet frustrated eye. They were usually jovial and open when in conversation but something with the lieutenant didn't sit well with the Trill and she was looking forward to finding out what that was. Perhaps it was his demotion from lieutenant commander that lilted his entitled attitude but she wasn't about to tolerate his disrespectful ways.

There were many a time when she herself, and her previous counterpart, Janel, had wanted to punch a superior officer in the face. And with more than just their fist. And she too had been the subject of interrogation from subordinates when it came to her own decision making skill-set, but she had never acted upon it.

She furrowed her brow and then considered his response with more of a negative framework than she'd anticipated. "If you'd make the decision all over again then you certainly haven't learnt from your mistake," she challenged, pursing her lips together. "But I am not here to judge you. Nor to punish you further for your actions. I am here to guide you, and the rest of this crew, within the confines of Starfleet protocol and as long as you abide by those rules then that's all I can ask for." She took in a breath and then added, "Why did you punch Captain Walker?"

Ti thought for a moment before answering. "There is no simple answer to that question. I guess because like most of my people in Starfleet, I am not a counselor. I do not always know the best way to resolve a situation. What I do know is there are certain things you should never say to me or about friends who could die. Saying such things got Walker punched in the face. I considered it the lesser of the options available to me at the time." Tinaro took a deep breath. "I am not a hard ass or a management issue, Commander. I pretty much keep to myself and do my duties. I am sure on a ship this size, the keeping to my self part will be hindered but I assure you, I do not make a habit of disobeying orders or assaulting command staff, Ma'am."

"A habit is if you do it more than twice," Stace cut back with a stoical expression. "But as I said, I'm not here to chastise you further or punish you for what transpired. I'm here to guide the ship and its crew forward within what we've come to expect from Starfleet. So we'll say no more about the incident and we can start afresh with your posting here. Sound like a plan, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Tinaro replied.

"Good," Stace replied with a genuine smile. "Let me know if you need anything." And with that, she turned on her heel and left.

OFF:

Commander Norvi Stace
First Officer
USS Galileo


Lt. JG Tinaro Cyi
Asst. Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Galileo

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