Baseline

Posted on 15 Apr 2019 @ 10:30am by Commander Scarlet Blake & Ensign Callin Mastrel
Edited on on 27 Apr 2019 @ 8:49am

1,574 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 17 - Crystal of Life
Location: USS Galileo-A - Deck 2, XO's Office
Timeline: MD -15, 1300 Hours

[ON]

At long, long last, Callin stood on board his real first posting. Months spent interviewing for a posting after the Academy had been followed by months on gods-awful courier duty, but now all these years of hard work were paying off. He was here!

Perhaps he didn't look all that impressive. A young man, too young obviously to have much experience. His height was nothing to boast about, he wasn't built like a Klingon, and with his plain brown hair, dark eyes, and smooth he could easily be lost in a crowd of humanoids from a half dozen sectors. His smile though, one he didn't even bother to try to suppress, definitely showed how eager he was for this chance.

With a quick tap on the panel on the wall, he announced himself to the XO's office ready to begin his Starfleet life at last.

"Come in," Blake called out, her tone partly distracted as she scrolled down the information on her screen. She had been going over all the old reports on their silent colony, hoping to find any kind of clue or foreshadowing. It was proving a pointless task, but she was reluctant to stop until she could get eyes on everything available.

The doors opened to let Callin in. For a recent-ish graduate of the Academy, one might expect his snap to attention to be pretty sharp, but all Callin did was grin broadly as he handed over a PADD with his papers, and offer a very bright, "Hi, Commander! Callin Mastrel, reporting for duty, and I want to say just how happy I am to be here."

That much was obvious. His smile slipping, and his hesitation before deciding not to continue with his prepared words he'd practiced was plain to see as well, though the reason was less so. Always cautious about making assumptions about aliens, even aliens so Betazoid-like as the Humans were, he thought he'd seen or sensed something like concern about the woman. Worry maybe? Then again, for all he knew, Starfleet commanders had enough responsibilities to always be preoccupied about something.

Scarlet took the padd, looking over the forms. Frankly, change on top of their upcoming mission wasn't welcomed all that much. However, when she looked up and saw the grin on the man's face, she couldn't help but relent. She offered a small smile in return, setting the padd neatly down. "Take a seat and tell me what you think you're going to bring to our team."

"Thank you, Commander," Callin settled into the chair quickly, and gathered his thoughts to answer while he looked down briefly. "Well, I guess you might call me a science communicator," he began, trying not to sound boastful as he listed his few accomplishments so far. "I focus in linguistics, primarily, but I studied everything from anatomy to zoology at the Academy too." Callin was definitely a generalist, not a specialist. "You might have heard of the alpha testing of a Tamarian-metaphor translation matrix? I had a hand in developing that at the Academy." A touch too modest maybe, he'd built the software for it by himself, though had definitely relied on the dozens of other linguists that had been cataloging the enigmatic race's unique language after they were encountered in 2368.

"But I also seem to have a talent for translating data into...well, I guess easily digestible bits for the regular public is a good way to put it." He had lifted his eyes partway through to meet Blake's gaze again and his smile returned, a bit uncomfortable touting his laurels. "Whether we need to speak to the press about some new discovery, have a need for some public relations effort with a colony or outpost we're helping, working with an alien race on unfamiliar tech, or even if you just need someone to translate the really technical stuff in a briefing I think you'll find me quite useful." The smile grew further, but it was wry, "And, I program a pretty great Jalara Fire into a replicator, if you like synthehol."

"It does in a pinch," Blake replied with a similar wryness in her tone, shaking her head with a half smile. "I like the sound of how you see your subject. We're a science vessel, but we have other crew in other departments who aren't as proficient in science. I think it will be immensely valuable to have someone who can break down the detail of our missions for other departments." She'd never pretended to be a scientist herself. She was one such person who would benefit.

"Exactly, Commander." Callin's grin widened, and he lost the last bit of worry, relaxed into his seat more, and continued "What good is all this exploration if only a select few understand what we find? I've also had a little bit of experience so far after the Academy too, though that was almost six months of just ferrying messages around the Federation for Admiral Urovvo." He pulled a face briefly with that. "I can man sensors, have some skills that might be good for away missions you'll see in my file, and can take apart and reassemble a Universal Translator in a couple of minutes." He spread his hands, appealing, "I hope, Commander, that I'll make a useful part of your crew."

"It sounds like you will," Blake's words were an assurance, but also true. It was coming at the subject from a slightly different angle, which she valued. "Do you have any particular interest in the scientific fields?" she asked, always preferring to have an idea what the crew might like to get more involved in.

"Yes, Commander, definitely." Callin had relaxed now, assured that Commander Blake was not just open minded and welcoming, but that she would be good to work for. "I consider myself a generalist, I know a little about a lot of different fields. But I grew up on a farm in a big tourist spot, so agriculture and botany, linguistics of course..." Callin shrugged and grinned, "Honestly, any method that answers questions about the universe, whether that's science or something else."

Blake nodded slowly as she took in what he said. She was starting to get a better idea of the kind of scientist and man he was. It sounded like he would be a good fit to the science team they already had. It was an important factor to her, that the team worked as a whole. You could have a team full of high flyers, but if they couldn't work together, then it was wasted potential. "A lot of our scientists like to work on their own projects alongside their duties. I encourage it, so long as your chief clears it first."

At this, Callin brightened, "My own projects?" He said that a little wistfully and it was obvious his mind was filled with ideas. Callin had thought maybe he'd spend a few years working as an assistant to someone higher rank but the thought of running his own experiments, testing his theories... "That's great, Commander! I'll look forward to that. And to working on this ship, I think." He offered up a genuine smile, "Thank you for this opportunity."

Blake shook her head, waving her hand slightly at the thanks. It was good to see his genuine enthusiasm though. It was something an officer couldn't learn. "No need to thank me. Just work hard and show your metal. The more you put into your ship, the more she gives back to you. Hopefully this mission won't be too out of the ordinary. Although, I know that's what you scientists like..."

"Honestly," Callin admitted, thinking about how nice it would be to see the same bed each night, the same people each day, especially if they all were this welcoming, "I'd be okay with ordinary for a bit, Commander. I hope never to play poker with an admiral ever again!" He beamed a quick smile and offered a hand to shake over the top of her desk, "And thank you for this opportunity. You'll get nothing but my best."

Blake gave the hand a firm shake. She got the feeling there was a story there, with the Admiral playing poker...she'd find out about it another time. "I'll expect nothing less," she assured.

"Well." Callin stood as he released the Commander's hand and straightened his uniform jacket. "I'm sure you don't need me taking too much of your time, Commander, and I appreciated the chance to speak with you." This time he came to attention quite well, except for the smile that just spoiled it, "If there's nothing else I will get out of your way and get to work myself."

Blake gave a slight shake of her head, waving a hand lightly in the direction of the door. She was happy that he was going to fit in well with the rest of the Science department. "Not at the moment. Make sure to report to Lieutenant Sandoval, your new Chief, and drop by Sickbay for a quick checkup."

"Aye, Commander. Have a nice day!" One more quick grin, but oh so triumphant - finally a stable post, a berth on a science ship! - and Callin left Blake's office eager to get to exploring the Galileo.

[OFF]

--

Ensign Callin Mastrel
Science Officer
USS Galileo-A

CDR Scarlet Blake
First Officer
USS Galileo-A

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