Captain and Chief

Posted on 04 Jun 2018 @ 2:46pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Chief Warrant Officer 3 Azra Ghoc

2,451 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: Rigel II - Avondale Production Facility Administrative Complex
Timeline: MD 104, 1830 hrs

[ON]

Day four of crew interviews was almost finally over, the captain silently praised with anticipation of a quiet retreat to her quarters. The stack of PADDs, commbadges, and keycards that usually littered her desk was now reduced to a small pile. More than half of her crew manifest had been filled and with the final round of interviews scheduled for tomorrow, she felt optimistic about the future of her new vessel. A quick check of the chronometer showed the time to be early evening and the last onboarding interview for the day was due to arrive any moment.

Outside the office in Avondale Production Facility's administrative ward, the small waiting room now had only one occupant left -- a gold-collared Cardassian woman who the nearby yeoman assumed was the crew member he was looking for.

"Chief Ghoc? Azra Ghoc?" the young Andorian secretary called out with a small PADD clutched in his blue hand containing the appointment details.

Azra stood and walked over to the Andorian behind the desk. "I'm here." She tugged on one sleeve, straightening it. Although she was nervous, it didn't show. From outward appearances, Azra was as calm as it was possible to be.

Cardassians were still a relatively rare sight in Starfleet, and the intrigued curling of the yeoman's antennae betrayed his curiosity. He stepped out and motioned for her to follow him down into the office corridor. "Follow me, chief," he instructed to the veteran warrant, then led her down to the final door and pressed the chime on the keypad. "Captain, your 1830 is here," he announced through the comm before the door swished open.

Inside the small office, Captain Lirha Saalm was currently standing and lightly stretching. It'd been a long day, most of which she'd spent seated in her chair, and her muscles felt stiff. The arrival of a gold-collared Cardassian crewman, however, was a welcome sight and she stepped forward to greet the woman. "Well, hello."

Azra entered the office and extended a hand toward the woman behind the desk. "Chief Warrant Officer Azra Ghoc. Thanks for interviewing me."

The Orion captain shook the offered hand and gave the chief a small smile. "Captain Lirha Saalm," she introduced herself then looked toward the vacant chair across from her desk. "Please have a seat. I was just reading through your service record... But I would like for you to tell me about yourself instead," she added as she returned to her chair and took her seat.

Azra sat, crossing her legs and resting her hands on her lap. “I recently returned from a deep-space mission as Bosun aboard the USS Stalingrad. It was the highlight of my career thus far. Prior to that I served aboard Starbase 172 asataining officer, and before that a couple of starships doing operations and damage control.”

She rattled off previous assignments relatively quickly. In her experience, when someone asked you to describe yourself, your career path was only important with regard to what you could offer them.

“I have achieved exceptional results both as a training officer, and even more as Bosun. I’m really hoping to gain a posting aboard your ship. I have a passion for exploration, a three year deployment out in border space Is where I believe I can be most useful to the fleet.”

The captain regarded the Cardassian as she spoke and nodded to herself when she listed her credentials. They were impressive, she had to admit, and even more importantly, she seemed enthusiastic about her work. "Yes, I was reviewing your past deployments last night. Tell me more about your time on Stalingrad. She's scheduled for decommission if I remember correctly?"

“Yes, it’s actually nearing the completion of the decommissioning process now. Life-support has been disabled across most of the ship, and the last few systems are being salvaged from it before it goes off to the scrap-yard.” She shifted gears, moving to a few anecdotes.

“I loved my time aboard Stalingrad was amazing. There were several experiences that really stand out. The Emell-Thor were a warp-capable species we encountered. They have some really interesting rituals. Lucky for us, we followed procedure and didn’t find out through experience that spending time alone with an outsider was a capital offense.”

It was a good plug for her ability to educate and ensure that the crew she taught internalized the importance of Starfleet procedures. Even the ones that were used less frequently.

Saalm let out a soft laugh. It was true that many different species and worlds had vastly different customs -- sometimes the most innocent and routine of actions could cause political chaos if not studied closely. She listened to the chief continue.

“I’m sure that you know how much time is spent just traveling during deep-space missions. During one of the longer traverses, a few of the other senior officers and myself organized a gaming league aboard. It was an awesome chance to get to know one another.”

"A...gaming league?" the captain asked with intrigue, her head slightly tilting to the side.

"Yes," Azra said. She hoped this gained her points, instead of losing them. "A couple of times during the week, on different shifts, we'd organize events. Some people liked board games so sometimes the lounge would host a board game tournament, other people liked video games, or even some team sports. We were able to find a wide enough array of interests that everyone had an opportunity to do something they enjoyed during their off-duty hours." She remembered her first time playing an RPG. It had been odd, but she'd come to really love it. She'd even tried running a few games.

"Hmm.." Saalm mused to herself. It wasn't a bad idea, especially on long trips like the chief had mentioned. A couple of her former postings, especially Starbase 137, had encouraged off-duty rec leagues for hoverball and parisses squares. But she'd never considered some of the more traditional forms of entertainment as worthy enough to organize on a ship-wide scale. "What was your favorite game?" she then asked.

Azra thought for only a moment. "I loved cooperative tactical simulations. There is an entire class of games where players take on the role of people surviving waves and waves of enemies. My favorite is called Invasion: Andoria."

"Ha," the Orion chuckled. "Sounds like a Vulcan martial arts holoprogram," she jested. "My strong suit at the Academy was never warfare," Saalm then admitted to the chief. "I think I always found it too...limited. But I do enjoy an intense simulation every now and then. It can keep us on our toes, as the Humans say," she smiled.

"Oh," Azra said with a chuckle, "I gave the wrong impression. It's not a holodeck program type simulation. It's a tactical board game. You move little molded pieces around a board, taking turns." She tilted her head a bit. "Don't mistake me, I enjoy the holodeck simulations too, but something about the way you can converse over a board game is really appealing, and completely missing from many holodeck programs."

"I see. Well, interesting nonetheless." Lirha had never been much of a person for board games, but in the absence of other duties, probably wouldn't mind giving it a try. "Perhaps you can be my mentor once we get underway?" she proposed before turning back to the topic at hand.

The Cardassian/Human hybrid nodded consideringly.

"It sounds like you were popular among the crew. That's usually a sign of a strong leader," Saalm then remarked.

Azra considered how to respond to that assumption for a moment. "I wouldn't say popular among the crew. I had good relationships with people who were popular among the crew, and that earned me a place that, probably, I wouldn't have otherwise had."

Most of the crew found me," she paused considering the right term. She'd heard a wide array but finally settled on one of the more quirky ones, "Persnickety. As the bosun, I focus on policies and procedures aboard, and I insist on following and enforcing them. Even the ones that are usually overlooked for convenience. That annoys some people."

"So you like to run a tight ship?" the captain tried to interpret. "That's not a bad thing. At least not from where I sit in my chair," she added with a small smile to herself. "It's important to follow protocols -- and to remind those who might be neglecting their duties of the importance each crew member plays."

"I do. I have seen how even the most seemingly insignificant policies can impact safety and efficiency over time." The conversation took a far more serious turn, and Azra's expression reflected that shift. "It's more than just Starfleet policies and procedures, though. Every ship or base is different, and the general policies need refinement to be most effective on a given post."

Saalm smirked to herself with the irony that this very same notion of freedom and interpretation of protocol had ultimately contributed to Starfleet's discipline of her. But that wasn't to say she didn't disapprove of it, to say the last. "I think there are some in Starfleet who would argue otherwise," she replied with interest. "I assume your convictions are through empirical evidence?"

"For instance, on Starbase 172, we implemented a modified policy. Starfleet Policy states that 'All Starfleet personnel shall maintain a tidy work area, ensuring that loose items are stowed immediately after use.' It makes sense as a policy, aboard ship loose objects become missiles in zero gravity. Aboard a station, that policy is often not enforced. In the case of Starbase 172, you would have found under Commodore Molir, that work areas were tidy, but also that magnetic pads were also attached to any objects that would not always be stowed immediately. Things like coffee mugs or padds." She shrugged, "It was an accommodation that kept with the intent of the policy, and ensured that people remained safe."

The example seemed to be a minor consideration but one which someone had obviously put a bit of thought into. And knowing as many of the other captains in Starfleet as Saalm did, she felt confident there were many competent commanders who would make adjustments such as these. "I agree," she concluded before adding, "in principle. Like you mentioned, each posting is different. Which makes me wonder why you chose this assignment. There are other starships out there that explore the frontier. New exploration cruisers are now in full production. Why Galileo, why this ship and its crew?"

"It's sad to say, but the former Galileo has had an unusually high casualty rate over the last several years. I cannot help but believe that more focused training can help the crew deal with dangerous situations more effectively, and reduce that rate significantly." She paused, "It also has an opening for me, for a deep-space exploration mission. I believe it's a natural fit."

Saalm hadn't considered such a line of reasoning before, but as she quickly recounted the names of all the crew she'd lost over the years in her head, she realized the chief was probably correct. "I like to believe all our casualties were the result of circumstance, not ineptitude. I think every captain does. But...there's truth to what you say. There is always room for improvement," she agreed with a small nod to herself. "You've done your research on our vessel and I'm impressed," added the captain.

"Thank you," Azra said. She ducked her head slightly, "I didn't mean to minimize the circumstances or to disparage your crew's effort or skill. I only meant to emphasize the potential benefits of a crew that can act on their training by instinct. That's best accomplished by consistent practice and training, two things at which I excel."

"Well, since you're volunteering for such a task, I think I can find a place for you aboard Galileo," Saalm decided with approval. "We haven't had a bosun serving on the crew for some time, however. It may take several weeks -- even months -- to fully integrate the position into daily ops," she then cautioned.

Azra smiled. "I look forward to that challenge," she said, "and I hope that both you and the crew will benefit from my work aboard."

"Very good. In that case, do you have any final questions before we proceed?" asked the captain in an effort to afford the new chief a chance to inquire about anything on her mind.

Azra thought for a moment before asking,"When does Galileo launch? The open position list said that the ship would launch in the next two weeks, but the shipyard's timetable lists the launch date as more than a month out."

The captain let out a quiet breath and leaned back in her chair, green fingers crossed in her hands. "The truth? I wish I could tell you," she revealed with lackluster climax. "Supernova is still completing final trials here in the system and was due for a preliminary inspection tomorrow. That's been delayed now until next week. Tuesday, I believe," she shrugged.

"Understood," Azra said without a hint of hesitation. "My former berth is officially decommissioned as of tomorrow afternoon. If you have no objections, I'll use what contacts I have to get aboard Galileo and get a working understanding of ship systems pending the official launch."

"I'll see what I can do," replied Saalm who then searched her desk for a large-sized PADD. "In the meantime, I suggest reading up on the new starship specifications and systems. That way when you finally board the vessel, you will be up to impulse on the latest hardware and software." She finally found the correct technical manual documents and offered the slim device to the chief warrant officer. "And you will need these for access to the vessel," she added, pushing a new commbadge and security keycard across the desk. "Your personnel pass will give you access to all non-restricted areas aboard the vessel, and the commbadge is linked to the new transponder."

Azra accepted the PADD, badge and keycard, stowing them in her pockets. She kept the oversized tablet in her left hand. "Thank you for the opportunity to serve aboard your ship, Captain."

"I hope you will make me proud," Saalm replied, then gave a professional smile to the Cardassian. "Welcome aboard Galileo-A, chief," she added, rising from her seat to extend her green hand to shake.

[OFF]

--

CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo-A

CWO3 Azra Ghoc
Boatswain
USS Galileo-A

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