Self-Directed vs Hands-On

Posted on 04 Mar 2016 @ 9:12pm by Commander Andreus Kohl

1,518 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 10 - Symposium
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 1, Main Bridge
Timeline: MD 91 - 0015 hours

[ON]

There was an absence of sound on the Bridge of the USS Galileo. What made it peculiar was that it wasn't silent, exactly. It wasn't perfectly silent. The environmental systems were continuing to breathe and there were LCARS feedback tones chiming from all directions. Despite the low buzz of activity, the compartment was noticeably quieter than when it was in flight. Aside from Andreus Kohl in the captain's seat, there were only two other officers on the bridge. A skeleton crew to keep watch, while the ship was docked at Jupiter Station. Even the viewscreen had been shut off, which left Kohl to monitor the ship's status on his LCARS panel beside his chair.

Still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Wintrow entered the bridge. He stifled a yawn and rubbed his eyes a second time. For some reason, he had missed he was going to be on the night shift and had gone to bed - even if that had occurred reasonably early on the evening. "Good evening sir," he greeted sleepily.

Rising from his chair, Kohl turned back to watch Wintrow step off the turbolift. He braced one hand against the railing that separated the aft of the Bridge from the command well. "Good evening, Cadet," Kohl said brightly. He smiled, a little wickedly, at the sight of the young man rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I wanted to tell you myself that I requested you," Kohl said, "for the primary flight control rotation on Gamma Shift."

"R-requested sir?" Wintrow managed, not sure he liked the way the man smiled, "I'm not qualified for helm sir..."

That response made Kohl narrow his eyes at the wavy-haired young man in the uniform of a Starfleet Cadet. Kohl considered the way Wintrow carried himself and the diffident sound of his voice. Before he continued, Kohl's expression turned neutral. "Have you never flown Galileo before, Cadet?" Kohl asked.

"Uhmm..." The young man's cheeks burned scarlett. "I did sir," he whispered, "and almost crashed her..."

"Oh, I do remember, Cadet," Kohl replied, perhaps a little too flippant. He pu his hands on his hips, waiting for Wintrow to join him in the command well. "You almost hit my ship. My CONN officer had to pull off some fancy flying to keep you from shearing off one of our warp nacelles."

"It wasn't me then," Wintrow replied somewhat defensively, "the hulls bumped on the saucer section, I didn't hit any nacelles sir!" Yet the same of the incident was still evident, and he still felt extremely bad about it.

Kohl cleared his throat hard. As his brow knit together, his lips thinned. "I didn't say you hit the nacelles, I said you almost did," Kohl stated. "Tell me, cadet. When you piloted the ship, I assume you were fully trained on starship flight control?"

"No sir," Wintrow replied, "that was my first time at the helm of a starship. I was supervised by Lamar sir." ANd he remembered he'd been terrified too!

As if Wintrow was speeding at him in a shuttlecraft, Kohl held up his palms in a defensive posture. "Slow down, Cadet. Let's walk before we run," he said. Firmly, he continued: "Let's go back to your training. Have you done any readings on space flight theory or Starfleet flight control technical manuals? Have you logged any hours in an Nova-class flight simulator?"

"No sir," Wintrow replied honestly, "I wasn't aware I had to log flight hours for a nova class sir. I've only flown Razors before, and shuttles since coming to the Galileo sir. I've also been maintenancing shuttles."

Staring back at Wintrow with the slightest bit of fear in his sapphire eyes, Kohl breathed out a heavy "huh." He breathed in and he said, "Cadet, I've made a huge mistake." Shaking his head, Kohl referred back to what Wintrow had said: "You're not qualified for the helm. ...So what am I going to do with you?"

"Uhm...." Suddenly feeling even more nervous than before, he looked back over his shoulder at the helm controls. "Teach me how to fly a Nova sir?" he suggested carefully, "on a holodeck first, perhaps?"

Kohl shook his head at that; it was an expression of a definitive no. "I wouldn't be the most competent instructor for you, Cadet," Kohl said. The tall Argelian crossed his arms over his chest and he squinted at Wintrow again. "I suppose I could partner with the Boatswain and the Chief of the Boat to assign you readings," Kohl proposed. "I'm not comfortable with you at the helm until you understand how and why the controls you touch have the impact they do on the ship. You'll remain assigned to gamma shift bridge watch, completing your readings at an auxiliary station. ...If you read ahead of my syllabus, you can spend time observing the flight controller in action."

"Yes sir," the youth answered timidly, though he was visibly dejected at the idea of not spending his watch where he was evidently supposed to be. Why had he missed the requrement of doing flight hours on a nova class when all he ever did was fly shuttles? "Who do I see about lectures sir?"

Sucking in a breath, Kohl opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. He'd been on Galileo long enough that he always knew the answer, or he knew exactly who knew the answers, but that one had stumped him. It brought an annoyed furrow to his brow. "I don't understand the question, Cadet," Kohl said vaguely, "Who has been invigilating your education while you're away from the Academy?"

"Uhm..." Wintrow returned the frown. "No-one sir. I've seen Petty Officer Taliesin about weapon's training and Chief Lamar has been overseeing my flight training. But I've no mentor assigned sir,"

Another heavy, "Huh," erupted from Kohl's throat. "This sounds highly irregular, Cadet," said Kohl. As this wasn't about to be resolved anytime soon, Kohl reclined his frame into the Captain's chair. He considered the conundrum that was Wintrow as he adjusted his posture. While he let out a long breath through his nose, Kohl shook his head in mild confusion. "Continue your flight training with Chief Lamar. His skill at the CONN has saved my life more than once. If you can get your ass into a flight simulator in your downtime, it may get you at CONN sooner too. But I'll have a word with the COB about your education." --Kohl cleared his throat, and he lost his authoritative tone in the process-- "Are you-- are you certain you're still enrolled in the Academy? I mean, if you haven't been maintaining your full course load..."

"As far as I know I'm still enrolled sir," Wintrow answered, though doubt crossed his face. "I've not limited to fight sir, I'm also taking a few courses in science and engineering. And self defence sir. Maybe the simulator was forgotten to be sent to me? The instructions I mean.... Or is it for a third year sir... I'm a sophomore..."

"I believe we've had a misunderstanding, Cadet," replied Kohl. His eyebrows lowered on his forehead in an equally-dubious expression of doubt. To shake it off, Kohl rolled his shoulders back. "I don't profess to be an expert on the modern Academy syllabus. I can't speak to what you should or should not be studying. I simply remember the Academy being far more demanding than you describe. My course load was stacked. Between lectures and readings and simulations, there were hardly enough hours in the day to shower."

"I do spend a lot of time studying sir," the younger man replied defensively, "but I've been serving on a starship for over a year as a crewman recruit, before being enrolled. I don't physically attend the academy due to reasons mentioned in my service record. I learn everything I need on board a ship and sir...I don't even know if I will be commissioned. I was happy being a crewman sir, I wouldn't mind being enlisted. I learn far more out here, than I would on Earth sir. I'm happy here."

"Much better," Kohl enthused, and he firmed up his posture in his chair. "Keep presenting yourself like that and we'll make an officer of you yet. If you can pass the knowledge test and complete the simulator hours in the holodeck, the flight controller position will be yours for the taking. In the meantime, you'll be permitted to complete your readings on the bridge and to observe the flight control officer."

"Thank you sir," the young cadet replied gratefully, "permission to find a workstation sir?"

Nodding twice, Kohl shared a wink with the young man. Looking away from Wintrow, Kohl appeared to return his full attention to the report on his LCARS display. Without looking up, he answered, "Make it so, Cadet."


[OFF]

Commander Andreus Kohl
Second Officer
USS Galileo

Cadet SO Wintrow Paragon
Support Craft Pilot
USS Galileo
pnpc Tyrion

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