Personal Matters

Posted on 19 Mar 2022 @ 7:12pm by Commander Morgan Tarin & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim

2,549 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Episode 18 - Cold Station 31
Location: USS Galileo-A - Deck 2, Ready Room
Timeline: MD 08, 0757 hrs

[ON]

The port entrance to Galileo's bridge hissed open, presenting Commander Morgan Tarin with a familiar view of the Nova-class' command center. Almost three days of transit had passed and she was, slowly, becoming accustomed to the sights, sounds and smells of her temporary assignment. The time was almost 0800 and the usual Gamma shift crew were still at their posts awaiting the official changeover. She walked down the small flight of steps into the command chamber where the teal-collared second officer was situated. "Commander," she acknowledged the Akkadian, having seen her just an hour ago during the new daily PT sessions.

Allyndra heard the doors and swiveled for a moment. She stood as Captain Tarin came in for Alpha shift. "Captain, all is steady, on course, on time. I request to stand down." It was the formal transfer. She then added quickly. "If the captain has a little time, I would like to request a few moments of private briefing."

"The ship is mine," Tarin confirmed, stepping into formal parade rest. "You're cleared to stand down, commander. Gamma shift is relieved." The exchange was traditional and formal per regulations, but the added request from the doctor was new. "I'll meet you in the ready room in ten minutes." Morgan needed some time to read up on the previous shift's logs and assess the current situation.

"Aye captain. I stand relieved. Thank you captain for your time." Allyndra stepped away from the chair and headed for the ready room. She would take the spot in front of the desk, but would remain standing until Tarin came in. She had figured Tarin liked formal at this point so there was nothing to be gained by being anything less.

The remaining bridge crew started to close out their reports while the relieving Alpha shift personnel arrived. Morgan took up her mantle in the captain's chair then leaned back and crossed her legs. Her attention focused on the center command console, where her long lithe fingers started to scroll through primary systems diagnostics, crew duty shift notations, and updated medical reports from sickbay.


Deck 2, Ready Room

The turbolift ride down to Deck 2 was brief and uninteresting. PADD in hand, Tarin stepped into her temporary office after the door hissed open. The winged second officer was waiting for her near one of the two guest chairs. "Have a seat, doctor. What can I do for you?" she queried, rounding the desk to sit in front of the closed LCARS terminal.

"Thank you captain." Allyndra was still having some trouble getting used to that but it was coming easier as she took a seat. "As the chief medical officer my first order is to lodge a small complaint on the workout sessions. The early morning ship's time is starting to interfere with some of the officers sleep cycle time."

Tarin regarded Warraquim closely, looking into her sapphire blue eyes. The nature of the objection seemed obscure. "What do you mean? That the ship's senior officers can't wake up early to perform PT before their shifts..? They need more sleep?"

"No Captain. It is physiology. Most beings need a certain amount of sleep that is true, but what is also true is that the mind and body are used to a certain normal cycle. The interruption of this cycle with very early in gamma shift sessions can lead to actually decreased performance levels. This in turn can lead to decreased readiness."

Folding one leg over the other, the acting captain leaned back in her chair while she considered the CMO's explanation. Morgan possessed basic medical knowledge but nowhere near the advanced degree of Starfleet doctors. "Change isn't easy," she replied in a neutral tone. "We're creatures of habit. But we're adaptable, yes?" She retrieved her PADD from the top of the desk then tapped the screen to read the duty shift rotations aboard Galileo. "Alpha shift begins at 0800 and ends at 1600. Going to bed an hour or two earlier in the evening shouldn't be hard. Beta shift starts at 1600 and runs to 2400. Again, adjustments should be easy. And Gamma shift is already on duty at 0530." She set PADD down and frowned at the doctor. "I fail to see the problem."

Allyndra nodded. "From mostly human view, yes. Not all species are quite as adaptable as humans to shifts in sleep cycles. Presumably these exercises will continue at a prescribed time and duration. All I ask then formally is to recognize that it will some a bit more time to adjust. If it appears that a member is having trouble, allow me to make a determination and allow me to make a determination if they may need to be pulled for some of the exercise. Also, some the exercises are difficult to some of us as well. I shall point out my own problems. The push up thing, the natural tendency of my body in such a position is that it is for flight. An Andorian would find that a very vulnerable position and have elevated stress levels. What I am asking captain, is a bit of flexibility. It is not that for example myself are being disruptive, just that there are certain things that maybe needed to be modified. Hence why I brought this subject up, I would like us to be able to work things out here, rather than in the holodeck. If we understand each other's weakness, we understand each other's strengths as well."

There was a long moment of silence after the doctor spoke. Despite how Tarin might occasionally come across to others, she was an attentive person at heart. Disregarding concerns and feedback from others had always been a one-way ticket out of Starfleet. Yet, as much as she understood Warraquim's requests and the woman's reasoning, they were at odds with her command style. "Look. I like you, commander. You seem polite and respectful. From what I've seen so far, you have a good rapport with the crew. I certainly can't say that about all medical officers I've encountered." Which Morgan genuinely meant. She harbored no lingering doubts about the second officer's capabilities.

"However," she held Warraquim's eyes with her own, "what you're asking me to do...is allow you to make species-based exceptions for physical training and performance. And I can't do that." Tarin leaned forward and folded her hands together on the desk. "My standards are Starfleet's. The exercises we've been performing are similar to the ones required to pass the PFT at the Academy. I know exercise can be uncomfortable sometimes. But you got through it, and so did every other officer on this ship at one point."

Tarin's hazel irises glanced down to her PADD while she further contemplated the objections raised. "I don't want anyone excused from PT exercises unless it's a medical emergency that requires them to report to sickbay. It's important to train together - as one cohesive unit. We can't give passes to some of the crew to skip an exercise while others are fully engaged and putting in the work." She adamantly shook her head at the notion. "Everyone must be held to the same standards or else it'll create resentment among peers. And then we'll have a much bigger problem on our hands." There was another momentary pause. "Having said that...there's always opportunities to adjust specific exercises while still working out the required muscle groups."

Allyndra gave a tilt of the head. "I understand captain. Overall I agree and very good, I will just monitor personnel for problems. Slight adjustments I can certainly agree to." She was getting to the point of understanding the newly assigned captain. She knew she was going to have to change some of her attitude and adjust but it appeared that Tarin would be willing to flex a little as well.

"There is another small personal matter I would like to bring up, if I may captain."

Galileo's acting captain gave the doctor a reserved expression. Another complaint? Morgan hoped not. "What is it?"

"As you are aware as second officer I have been happy to take gamma shift as officer in charge on the bridge. This was the same as under Captain Saalm as well. I do accept and enjoy the challenge of having command but with the training sessions, what time I do have there I feel I am not learning enough. If it would be acceptable to you captain, unless I am absolutely needed or at least until the away team is sent, I would like to request to remain on the bridge during alpha shift to observe and continue to learn. While I do not envision myself moving to a full command position, since it is part of my duties, I would like to be better prepared. Simulations are fine, but to my way of thinking, live is better."

In her private thoughts, Tarin was glad the fellow commander broached the issue. It was an item marked for review on her own agenda as well. Her command of the Nova-class was only temporary, but even so, she'd spent many of her administrative hours postulating ways to optimize crew efficiency. "Yes. About that."

"You are," Morgan started to explain, "one of the only chief medical officers in Starfleet who I can think of being promoted to the second officer position." It was both a compliment and a source of bizarreness. "Your position as the lead doctor on this ship," she gestured to the Akkadian, "is fundamentally in contradiction with the duties of command. You save lives. Tend to the wounded. Perform complex surgeries. Which can't be done while you're on the bridge of a starship."

"Captain Saalm obviously saw potential in you when she assigned you as the ship's second officer. A noteworthy accomplishment on your record. But that was her decision...not mine." Tarin leaned back again in her chair, observing the doctor once more. "You will remain as second officer but I'm going to change your primary duty shift to sickbay during gamma shift. Then, during alpha, you will shadow me on the bridge. If you're up to it," she offered.

Allyndra was not sure she contained her surprise at the captain's pronouncement. The offer, if it was really that, would take her completely away from command. "Then who would be covering gamma shift on the bridge?"

"I believe that will be..." the red-collared commander double-checked the ship's duty roster rotation, "Ensign Ullswater. She will be the senior-most bridge officer."

"I see, the only problem is while I would like to learn captain, being completely away from the command chair would not be my choice if at all possible. However, that being said, you are the captain, thus you get to make the final call." Allyndra offered that to indicate that while she might not be totally happy, she was going to accept that Commander Morgan was in fact in charge. The two just needed to get to know each other further and continually butting heads as the humans called it was not the way to go. She had been a chief consular at one time, and that came into play. Sometimes, one needed to stand down, in order to move forward.

"It is my call. For now." Unspoken, Tarin appreciated the doctor's desire to perform her duties and learn new skill sets. It was the hallmark of a great officer. Personal drive and determination wasn't an ability which could be taught - it was an inherent personality trait. "You'll get your chance in the chair. And hopefully, absorb more knowledge to prepare you for the future." She re-trained her attention back to the LCARS terminal and retrieved Warraquim's detailed training records. "How long ago was your last Kobayashi Maru exercise?"

"It has been awhile, but I could say that for any of the senior to lesser command crew. We have," Allyndra made a wry smile. "Been on a series of near Kobayashi Maru's. At one point, if you are looking captain, I was thought to be the only senior surviving officer. Again, as you are to determine captain. I will admit, that having been a chief counselor and now a chief medical officer that I may be reluctant in committing a lot of lives to the line. I am also on my world, the Mother of one of main Houses. That means that my word is the command there. Still as a Mother, I must think about the ones that are my Houses' children. Thus, might I be more reluctant perhaps, I cannot say for certainty that does not figure in. To say otherwise would in my assessment be a lie. However, on the other side, unlike some others that I have run across, it makes me think more on the outcomes. I am not certainly a full it's a good day to die person."

Tarin raised her eyebrows ever-so-slightly. The doctor's candid survey of her own strengths and weaknesses was a welcome assessment which she hadn't anticipated. Morgan took private notes in her head. "It's never a good day to die. We're not Klingons, and I certainly don't want to," she replied with frankness. "Based on what you've just told me, you care a great deal about those under your purview. I admire your ethos."

"I think it more important for me to be honest with you and myself. I have self-examined my thoughts on the bridge sitting there. My background and prime training is different that yours captain. Again, I wish to offer only an honest opinion, perhaps some of my old counselor training coming through. Still as part of that, I am flexible enough to learn new things as well. Ensign Ullswater should find it an interesting experience."

"I have confidence in her. Ullswater seems to have a sharp mind. And for the record, I'm not taking you off bridge duty," clarified Tarin. "The bridge will be yours during alpha shift unless I need to personally take command. I'll observe and record your crew interactions and decision-making processes with a focus on protocol and correct procedure. Like my former captain did for me."

"Very good captain. Well that is all that I had to ask of you. Shall we start with this shift or the next? Normally I would go to sickbay after gamma."

Tarin reached up to her cheeks and tucked a couple stray locks of brown hair back behind her ears. "I'll give you a day to reconfigure your department's duty roster. Report to me on the bridge at 0800 tomorrow." There was a small pause following the order; a brief moment for her to reconsider any of the new changes. Morgan, however, was not an indecisive person. She always moved forward in whichever direction she deemed necessary despite the consequences. For better or for worse.

"If that's everything, doctor, you're dismissed."

Allyndra gave a brief salute and attention. "Very good captain, 0800 tomorrow. Again, thank you for your time." She took a step back and turned to leave. There was work to do before tomorrow.

[OFF]

--

CMDR Morgan Tarin
Acting Commanding Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Saalm]

Cmdr Allyndra illm Warraquim
Second and Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo-A

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