An Unlikely Interrogation

Posted on 31 Jan 2016 @ 12:16am by Captain Jonathan Holliday & Lieutenant JG Natalya Kirilova

1,226 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Episode 10 - Symposium
Location: USS Galileo - Deck One - Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: MD 22 -1535 hrs

[ON]

The amount of time it took for Natalya to board the Galileo then find and reach the captain was surprising--just over two minutes. She knew the Galileo was a relatively small ship compared to what she was used to, but the ease of navigation was a real eye opener. She was standing in front of the ready room doors before she'd even fully prepared herself mentally for her first meeting with a new CO.

With over ten years behind her, Natalya was not especially nervous around senior officers, but she'd only ever served aboard one ship, which had had two captains during her time there. She was a bit apprehensive to learn about the personalities, methods and expectations of a whole new command team, especially one that included a flag officer.

Chiming her arrival at Holliday's, Natalya fought the urge to preen; she felt as presentable as she was likely to be, and nervous, vain fidgeting didn't really help to set a good impression.

"Come!" The response from the Captain kept short, curt, and to the point, as he had always kept himself during his tenure aboard the Galileo.

Natalya entered and stood at loose attention. She knew all the protocols and how to act respectful, but she had no wish to present herself as an over-disciplined marine.

"Hello sir, I'm Natalya Kirilova, the ship's new chief engineer." Her smile was one of confidence, but not arrogance.

"Lieutenant. I'm glad to see that I finally have an official Chief Engineer aboard ship again. Welcome."

"Thank you, sir." Natalya loosened her stance up a bit, but was not so bold to take a seat or start pacing about uninvited. "I'd heard that there had been some trouble on your last mission. I must admit I was expecting to see a few more... bumps and scrapes."

"Suffice to say the engineering crew on Starbase 84 know their way around a toolkit." Holliday replied, acknowledging the hard work that had been performed by the team of technicians that had helped piece Galileo back into one single object for her voyage back to the Sol system.

"Usually I prefer to avoid my ship becoming a collection of damaged parts where possible. She isn't exactly a warship after all. Or even particularly large as you've probably discovered already."

Natalya seemed very pleased to hear that. She'd been expecting to come aboard and find some of that repair work waiting for her. She was happy to have salvaged some of her shore leave, but there was a bit of hidden disappointment. Those repairs would have been a good way for her to quickly settle in with the crew.

"Size isn't everything. Or so I've heard." Natalya said. She'd heard once that the USS Nova had scored three unassisted Jem'Hadar fighter kills in a single engagement. Natalya didn't know if she truly believed that, but she hadn't yet bothered to look it up.

"Captain I ah... have a question or two for you, but I wanted to see if you have any for me first." Holliday had probably read her file, as most starship captain's weren't keen on blind transfers when it came to their senior staff. Still, she knew that the records didn't always tell the whole story.

Holliday blinked before folding his hands in the middle of his desk. He didn't' like asking too many questions straightaway, in his opinion it was easier to allow an officer to do the talking, and simply gather a measure of an individual from the way they behaved in front of their superiors.

"I didn't expect to receive interrogations from an Engineer, Lieutenant. By all means, ask away. I think we can forego my own interests for now."

Natalya nodded and swallowed. She hadn't meant for this to sound like an interrogation. Perhaps she was being a bit too... direct. In any event, it was done.

"This is my first transfer, sir... after so many years. I'm not used to the idea that for some, I might be filling someone else's shoes. I... was just wondering if you'd be willing to say a few words about my predecessor."

John was unsure what exactly he was supposed to be saying. Did she want some sort of reassurance that she was going to be capable of the job, or did she just want to know if she was replacing some sort of problematic cog in the machine?

"Engineering has always been a swiftly run department aboard this ship. Since the day we left space dock there has been a capable pair of hands keeping us on the straight and narrow. That is something I expect to see continue under your tenure. You come with an excellent personnel record, and from what I can see a keen engineering sense. Now you get the chance to prove it."

Natalya nodded. That was an answer she should have expected. Indeed, it was one she probably would have given to a new subordinate. Granted there were a lot of worse things she could have said, but Natalya probably would have been better off keeping her mouth shut.

"I guess that answers the other question as well, sir." She smiled, hoping to convey that the captain's expectations were well within her ability to manage.

"Indeed." Holliday replied, glad that he was not going to try and be cajoled into giving away more of his personal opinions than he wanted to.

"You have a mixed bag in engineering. I suggest you take some time to get to know your people - they have pulled the ship out of a scrape more than once, but equally there are some...interesting personalities."

Natalya nodded. "I understand. I look forward to meeting them." She didn't quite understand yet, of course. But she got the captain's advice. Every ship was different. The Excalibur had been large, with over a hundred officers and crew in the engineering department alone. It too had been a mixed bag, but among so many, individual personalities didn't stand out as much. That, and there was also a greater pull to confirm and fit in. The Galileo would no doubt feature a much different group dynamic, which was part of the reason why she'd asked Holliday for some insight.

"My orders state that I'm to relieve acting-Chief Beaumont. I was planning to meet with him first." Natalya said.

"In which case don't let me keep you from your duties. Mr Beaumont has done a good job in difficult circumstances. If you have no further questions Lieutenant, you are dismissed."

Jonathan replied before waving a hand towards the doors to his office. He had no desire to keep his officers trapped within the confines of these walls any longer than necessary when there was plenty of work to be getting on with.

"Aye, sir." Natalya said, taking a few steps back before turning a loose about-face. The meeting seemed to have gone okay, And she wasn't the type to read too much into it. Starship captains were very busy people, and nothing she said or did in his office would mean anything compared to how she took to her duties in engineering. She looked forward to meeting him again once she'd gotten herself established on the ship.


[OFF]

Lieutenant JG Natalya Kirilova
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

CAPT Jonathan Holliday
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

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