The Job

Posted on 12 May 2018 @ 2:34pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Commander Aren Ban

2,313 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: Rigel II - Avondale Production Facility Administrative Complex
Timeline: MD 101, 1525 hrs

[ON]

"Commander Ban? Aren Ban?" inquired a young Andorian yeoman who had just come out of the secure corridor and was now looking around one of the administrative complex's waiting lounges where several Starfleet personnel patiently sat waiting to be interviewed for their various prospective assignments. The post-lunch rush was now in full effect and the soft buzzing of activity in the connecting corridors could be heard in the distance.

Aren stood. "Yes, that is me." He said as he studied the Andorian.

"The captain will see you now. Follow me," the antennaed man replied with a motion of his blue hand to indicate he wanted the commander to follow him down into the office area. "She's been expecting you," he added once Ban came close under his breath.

Aren quirked an eyebrow at the Andorian. He hadn't been able to find any information as to whom the CO for the new Galileo, there wasn't any published, or even temporary manifest, and when he had inquired just prior to his departure from earth it was still pending.

"Thank you." Aren said to the Andorian before he gave his uniform one final once over before stepping into the office. "Good Afternoon Sir, Commander Ban reporting." He said in a neutral tone, before recognition of the captain dawned on him.

Sitting behind the large desk and adorned in a freshly-replicated Starfleet uniform, Captain Lirha Saalm took notice of the Trill commander when he entered her office. Aside from a very disorganized stack of PADDs strewn across her workstation and the familiar sight of Snuffles the Targ chewing on his toy in the corner, the temporary office was otherwise sterile with no decorations. As she looked up at him with four brass rank pips adorning her red collar, she gave a friendly smile to the familiar man. "Hello, Aren."

Aren nodded at the seated Captain, a small smile spreading across his face. It only took him a moment to realize that Commanding Officer of the Galileo-A was the former Commanding Officer of the Galileo. "Hello Captain. It is good to see you again sir." Aren was more than a bit curious to see how Captain Saalm had been able to get Captain pips back, much less another command. He suspected that she had godfather or something similar in either the Federation Government or Starfleet command in order to pull something like this together.

"The same to you. Have a seat," she replied, motioning to the empty chair available across from her. The targ looked up at him with seemingly-unconcerned beady eyes. "I hope your shore leave was relaxing?" she began with a bit of small talk.

"I have been kept fairly busy." Aren said as he sat down in the offered seat. "How have you been holding up?" He asked. Aren had a good idea as to where the conversation would eventually go, but he knew that the pleasantries and small talk were important, not to mention that he was genuinely curious about and wanted to get to know his onetime compatriot.

She lightly shrugged and cast an amused glance to him. "Well...after conquering one Federation prison population and submitting all the criminals to my will, I then grew bored of it and retired to now command the newest Starfleet science vessel." It was, of course, a heavy dose of sarcasm, but it was lined with undertones of truths.

"Brings a whole new meaning to good behavior, out of one frying pan and into another." He said with a small smile and nodded in understanding. If she wanted to divulge the truth, she would tell it in its entirety when she felt ready.

The ancient Human idiom was lost on the Orion captain but she did her best to extrapolate it's meaning. "Yes, I suppose it does," she murmured to herself while she reached for the PADD which contained Ban's personnel file. "So, what brings you here to my new starship?" she then asked.

Aren raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I was going to ask you something similar. I received a request for meeting from the Commanding Officer of the Galileo-A." He said studying the Captain for a moment.

"Yes, I see." The captain paused for a short moment before continuing. "That was me who had summoned you," she then revealed. "I watched you on Kreanus when you were interacting with my crew... I think you showed much courage in the face of many tough situations. And the crew seemed to respond well to your direction. Consider this," she paused again, "a formal job offer to be my executive officer."

Aren was taken a little off guard. Of all the reasons coming out to to Rigel II, being asked to take a command position again wasn't one of them. He had thought that that proverbial ship had sailed. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. "I would be honored, yes, of course." He said only after a moments hesitation.

"Yes? Just like that?" the Orion frowned with a skeptical nature. "You don't want to know where we're going, what we'll be doing, or who the crew is?" Was he more concerned with his rank and title than the mission at hand, she wondered.

Aren paused for a moment before responding. "Pardon my over zealousness, but I may have made a few inquires before answering the summons in preparation for this meeting." He started. He had called in a few a favors to find out what limited information he could about the project, in addition to being able to extrapolate some of the purpose of vessel and possible missions based on the cryptically worded message. "We have been through a lot sir, and while some of your methods can sometimes seem a bit unorthodox, they are effective. I have nothing but the utmost respect for you. When compared to other potential candidates and considering what you have been through, if you are in a position to ask me to be your number one, there is a very limited amount of possible scenarios that would prevent me from refusing such an assignment." He said.

She was impressed with his answer. It seemed thought out, measured, and calculated, as many Trills she'd known had a tendency to be. "Well. Thank you, commander," she smiled at his compliments. "You seem more logical than I had first assumed," she then admitted.

Aren smiled briefly. "As I am sure you are aware, I am the first host for the Ban symbiote. That being said, we can sometimes be...over zealous in things from time to time; but I do appreciate the compliment none the less." He said with mirth.

"And I assume neither you, Aren, nor Ban have spent much time around Orions before you met me? My people are known to be over-zealous as well, you must know," she teased with a small sideways grin.

Aren shook his head with a small smile. "To be honest you are the only Orion I have spent any significant amount of time with. I had a brief encounter with an upper class men who was an Orion back at the academy, Thelev was his name I believe. He seemed nice enough, but it was only for a single assessment, so I really can't speak to his personality besides his competence with computers. But yes, I have heard some stories." He said, as he remembered a rather embellished story from his first cruise.

"Well," the captain began, "I think you'll learn a lot about my people in the coming months. Orions tend to be...opportunistic," she tried to explain with vague ambiguity that hinted towards the slaving industry her other kinfolk were so notorious for. "But like you Trills and symbionts, we come in many varieties," she added with a smile.

"I will keep that in mind." Aren responded, adding a small smile of his own. "Though speaking of opportunistic...would there be any chance to get a tour of your ship sir?" He asked, wanting to get a look at the vessel that would soon be his new home.

"Yes, of course. There is a hull inspection scheduled for tomorrow at 0700 and I will be happy to show you the vessel," Saalm answered. Although she'd seen countless diagrams and schematics of the new starship class, she'd never actually seen it up close and personal before, and she liked the idea of Ban tagging along.

Aren nodded. "I look forward to it. Oh, that reminds me," Aren started as he sat forward in his chair, "have you selected a senior staff yet?" Aren asked, curious as to whom would have applied or been selected for such positions.

"Some of them, yes," the captain answered. "But there are still several vacancies, especially for the Operations, Engineering, and Science departments." She looked at him closely, wondering what prompted his query. "Why do you ask?"

"I see." Aren said, understanding of the current situation becoming more apparent. "Just wondering what departments need to be staffed, and potential areas for extra attention." He answered.

"Well, now you have it," she answered, having just detailed which specific departments were in need of personnel. "It was unexpected, but my chief of operations and chief engineer have both rescinded their applications. One apparently had second thoughts about the length of our deployment, and the other was just offered a new planet-side assignment."

Aren sat quietly for a moment. "If we still have space in the science department, I may know someone whom would be perfect there, though I think she may need a little goading to apply." Aren said, thinking of a a one time crew member that they were both familiar with.

"Yes? And who would that be?" the captain asked. The starship's upcoming deployment had already been posted on the fleet's assignment listing, and Saalm wasn't exactly one to break protocol when choosing new crew members and senior officers.

“Lieutenant Sandoval recently wrote and published a design for an aquaponics set up would be fitting for a long term mission. I know that she has been struggling with reintegration since Kreanus.” Aren said, remembering there last lunch meeting. “I don’t know if she applied for the ship, or if she has, if she would reapply, but I could talk to her and see if she would interested in submitting an application. I think she would do well in that post, all things considering.”

The name was familiar to Saalm who recalled seeing it on one of the initial applications. "Sandoval? Yes, she submitted her initial application," she nodded in confirmation. "Haven't heard from her since," the captain added with a light shrug. Perhaps the Vulcan officer wasn't aware of the protocols for deep space applications, or maybe she'd found another posting. She wasn't quite sure. "I remember her from Kreanus; she was a good officer, I thought."

“She handled herself pretty well during Kreanus, though she was there a bit longer than either you or I were. Before the incident her records show her as a capable officer, a councilor if I am not mistaken, though she has recently given up practicing. Last I spoke she wanted to something different hence the paper.” He said with a shrug of his own.

"Have you seen any indication of trauma or personality changes since she returned to Earth?" asked the red-collared Orion captain. "Spending so long in captivity can be...difficult for many. Even experienced officers. I can appreciate her desire to return to duty as long as she has fully recovered." Or as well as possible, all things considered.

"From the time that we returned from Kreanus to the time that we last spoke, she seems to be doing better and was cleared to return to duty. I can't speak for her, she seemed that she wanted, or rather needs a career change. She does have a brilliant scientific mind, one that I think would benefit our team." Aren said as he thought on his last meeting with the Lieutenant.

Saalm flipped her hand over and spread her green palm in a gesture that conveyed her agreement with the commander. "Yes, I think so too. And if she's healthy and isn't suffering any medical side effects from her captivity, I'd welcome her aboard." She paused and looked Ban in his eyes for a short moment. "I don't have any formal objections if you don't?"

"I am in agreement as well. I don't have any formal objections." Aren replied. He knew that he would have to talk to Sandoval in person before she would submit another application, but he was sure that with a little prodding and coaxing; she would.

"Good." The Orion captain gave a slight smile now that the small personnel matter had been tended to. "There will be much more to review with you in the next few days. We have inspections scheduled, a warp drive run-up and full systems test, and several more personnel to review before launch. It will be a busy week for the both of us."

Aren returned the smile. “I am looking forward to it. I will get started right away, sir.” It had been while since Aren felt this excited about an assignment, and he glad that he was being put to use. As they finished their meeting Aren couldn’t help but feel the buzz of anticipation of where the stars might take them.

"Good." Saalm smiled at her new spotted XO and gave him a nod of respect. "You're dismissed, then, Number One. And send Miss Sandoval my regards. I look forward to seeing her again."

From the nearby corner, Snuffles gave a grunt of approval and tromped his front hooves on the carpet.

[OFF]

--

CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo-A

CMDR Aren Ban
First Officer
USS Galileo-A

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