Come Aboard, Sir?

Posted on Fri Jan 6th, 2023 @ 11:54pm by Captain Tristan Faust & Lieutenant Commander Dimitri "Dima" Stoneking M.Eng.
Edited on on Mon Jan 16th, 2023 @ 8:35am

919 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: A Fool’s Errand
Location: U.S.S. Midway, Various
Timeline: M1 MD03 (2268.17.05) 0600-0630

Morning had come very early for Dima for a long time now, he was up most days at oh four-hundred for his workout, but today had seen him arrive at the gangway to the Midway even earlier at oh three-hundred. Per standing orders, the Officer of the Deck denied him permission to board until oh six hundred when Alpha shift came on.

"Well here we are, Lieutenant, zero six hundred." Dima said, a light smirk on his face. The past couple hours had been filled with the two men chatting while they waiting.

"Yes sir, so we are." The Lieutenant replied.

"So?" Dima asked, eyebrows raised.

"So what, sir?" The Lieutenant asked innocently.

"You're gonna make me say it again, aren't you?" Dima asked.

"Say the line, Commander." The Lieutenant teased.

Dima groaned and rolled his eyes then straightened. "Lieutenant Commander Dimitri Stoneking reporting for duty, request permission to come aboard."

"Well lemme just have a looksee here at the standing orders." The Lieutenant smirked, drawing out the process.

"You're enjoying this." Dima observed as he waited.

"No sir, just doing my duty... well, okay maybe a little." The Lieutenant replied with a wink. "Well it looks like you're all clear to board as per standing orders. Permission granted, Commander. Welcome to the Midway."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Dima replied, shaking the man's hand and sharing a final chuckle before walking past him into the gangway. "See you onboard." He added as he saluted the Federation flag and made his way aboard.

Once finally aboard the Midway, Dima made a beeline for the Skipper's office to announce himself and actually report in.

The Captain was sitting at his desk with a half drag cup of coffee sitting next to the computer console. He had finished breakfast but only had read half of the daily reports. When the chime rang he sighed and stood up. He quickly put his plate into the recycler and said, "Come in," he said.

The doors swooshed open and Dima stepped through. "Good morning Captain, Dimitri Stoneking reporting for duty." He knew nothing of his new Captain, frankly his experience with ship skippers was fairly limited. "I would say I'm sorry for interrupting your breakfast, but I arrived three hours ago so maybe it's a good thing I reported when I did."

"Not a problem Commander, I was long finished," Tristan responded walking over and extending his hand, "Welcome aboard. Glad we finally have a Chief Engineer."

"Yeah... what a first assignment, Chief Engineer on a Constitution class. So what can you tell me about your engines? Quirks I need to know?" Dima asked, suddenly feeling anxious now that he was actually there.

"I know the feeling," Tristan responded, "We are scheduled to launch six weeks ahead of schedule, hence the rush to crew the ship before we leave dock. The yard assures me the ship is ready and put together, but who knows how true that is. Mr. Novo, your assistant chief has been working on getting the ship ready to launch so he is your best bet for specifics." He picked up his coffee cup. It was white ceramic with the Midway's assignment patch emblazoned on the side. "How rude of me, can I offer you anything?" He asked.

"No sir, thank you though." Dima replied. "I had a couple cups of coffee with the Officer of the Deck at the entrance to the gangway." He explained. "I uh, I just wanted to say that I appreciate you taking me on. I know my service record and my situation isn't typical of most Chief Engineers."

"We have a lot of a-typical officers aboard," Tristan responded, "I tried to pick a good mix of experiences and... I'm not detracting from the crew but some it also came down to who was a available on short notice or whom I could pull away. I had to raid a cadet class for instance and beg for a Ship's Surgeon to launch on time."

"I see. This is my first major ship assignment, are all crews put together that way? Where I come from we're recruited out of a pool of the best by our teammates. It seems... strange that one of the most powerful weapons in our arsenal be relegated to begging for crew." Dima spoke openly, if this was how the "regular navy" operated he didn't anticipate staying in it long.

"No, it's not normal," Tristan responded, "We were set to launch around Christmas, not Memorial Day... Losing the Defiant completely messed up Starfleet Operation's schedule. We were set to launch and the Farragut was suppose to come in for an overhaul. Trust me, Admiral Nogura wasn't pleased with launching us so soon. He likes things to be in rhythm, must be the Shinto."

Dima nodded. "The Defiant's loss reached us all." He replied somberly. "Well, I suppose I had better check in with the Quartermaster so I can drop off my kit and then see to my engines, if there's nothing else, Captain?"

"Of course, I won't keep you Commander," Tristan responded, "I hate to pile it on, but we're scheduled to leave dock in 72 hours.

"Understood, I'm sure Mister Novo and I will have the ship in shape before that deadline." With that he backed out of the Captain's quarters and set about finding the Quartermaster. The work would be welcome, but he doubted it would replace his old job or team.

 

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