You're In My Chair
Posted on 01 Nov 2022 @ 4:49pm by Lieutenant Commander Esazi Zh'Athrun & Senior Chief Petty Officer Lex Navine
Mission:
M3 - Into the Deep
Location: Tower Control Admin Office
Timeline: Afternoon, MD06
1243 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure
After checking in with command, it was time for Lieutenant Commander Esazi Zh'Athrun to make herself known to the people holding down her department for her. The Andorian assumed they'd done an acceptable job, but she was here now and it was time for her to take charge. Arriving at the Tower Control/Flight Ops admin office, Esazi hit the door chime and waited to be granted entrance.
As usual there was something of a long pause from the chime to the answer at the door. Lex always made it a point to rise and answer his door in person. It was an old habit he had ingrained in him as a sign of respect for his visitors and simultaneously, hospitality. But it did tend to leave them waiting a bit.
The door opened and the Grazer found himself looking at an Andorian woman, her white hair pinned back and her expression seeming to him a little chilly, though likely neutral. He noted her officer's rank on her collar and then looked back to her face with a smile. "Hello Commander. How may I help you, Ma'am?"
"Lieutenant Commander Esazi Zh'Athrun," the Andorian said, a wry smile on her face that clearly pointed out the irony of their current situation. "I'm here to take over as Chief Tower Control Officer, so perhaps you can start by inviting me into what is now my office? That is, if you're not too busy, of course."
"Of course, Commander." He motioned her inside without any difficulties and let the door close as he accompanied her further into the office. "I hope you don't mind me asking to see the orders. Formalities and such." He chuckled, holding out his thickly padded fingers and awaiting the padd she likely had on her to prove what she said. "I'd be remiss for not asking," he said in an apologetic manner.
Esazi chuckled. "Check the base network," she said. "They were uploaded to the base net when I arrived. Here," Esazi pulled out her own PaDD, activated it, tapped it a few times, and there was a beep from the desk console. "You've got mail," she said. "But... don't even think about shooting this messenger." Esazi reached over her right shoulder with her right hand and tapped the hilt of her hrisal, a singled edged weapon, rather like a scimitar, with gentle back curve. The blade was 60cm long (about 24 inches). By Starfleet regulations regarding cultural inclusivity and freedom, she was permitted to carry a dueling weapons. The Hrisal was her blade of choice. "Or if you do, don't miss." Esazi scowled at Navine for a moment, then grinned. "Just kidding. I rarely use this outside of training exercises, and only then in duels to first blood."
Lex looked a little nervous with the attention to the sword, and no longer smiled. "I'm very sorry, ma'am. I'm not authorized to accept orders that aren't in certified physical secure copy. If you've mislaid the original you can visit security for a new secure imprint."
Esazi sighed. Starfleet really needed to catch up to the rest of the 24th Century. She grinned again and reached into her jacket and pulled out a small PaDD. "Here, Senior Chief," she said. "Be sure to keep it somewhere special. It's a one of a kind. Probably worth serious latinum ninety years from now when I'm dead. Even now there are people who have illegally obtained copies of my early transfer orders framed and hung on their wall. They invite people from light years away to come and see them. I've even heard that the Orion Syndicate has a thriving trade in counterfeit copies of the orders for my very first duty assignment." Esazi laughed. "Relax, Senior Chief. I compensate for having to be ice cold and make split second, life or death decisions in the tower by being a bit strange when the situation allows. Here, these are the digital copy of my orders stored on this PaDD, possession of which, I now relinquish to you."
Not responding right away, which was his typical pace of interaction aside from his reticence at the loud, freely opinionated, personality of the Andorian woman, Lex took his time reading the orders to ensure she was who she said she was and ordered to the role which was indeed hers, but he did, in fact, extend the Padd back to her when he was satisfied with reading. "My sincerest apologies, Commander. But I cannot have, er, the honor? ...of ownership of your certified orders. The original copy may be of further necessity to you." He smiled again carefully. "And besides, I can't accept anything in professional capacity with significant trade value. It would be a potential breach of code."
"Senior Chief," Esazi replied. "You are officially my new favorite herbivore. I expect I'll enjoy working with you going forward."
Lex looked around and motioned with an arm in a general brushstroke over the unpacked clutter. "This office is yours, of course. I apologize for my personal affects. I will have them removed by tomorrow. Station maintenance was renovating the other offices in the suite when I first arrived, having completed this one first, of course, and it was unclear how long it would be until a more permanent appointment would be made fr the Chief Tower Controller. My things were delivered here by default, but it shouldn't be any trouble to have it all relocated now that the rest of this office suitehas had its fresh coat of paint some weeks ago. Maintenance was quite efficient."
"I'm sure we'll work it all out," Esazi said. "Do we have a departmental senior NCO? If not, can I convince you to take the job? We all know Chief Petty Officers of all ranks are the ones who really run Starfleet. The rest of us just work here."
"Of course, Commander. I would find that arrangement most amenable." Lex hadn't been one to chase after advancement, but he'd had always been content when his career advanced thanks mostly to his simple approach to being a reliable presence .
"Excellent," Esazi said. "Get maintenance to get you settled into you new office. Within the next few days, I'll like you compile two lists. One of the Tower officers and crew that I should expect good things from, and another of the officers and crew of the Tower that I should expect to have problems with. Don't be afraid to put someone on both lists. We are, all of us, contradictory at times. Also, and this we're going to do today, I'll write up a greeting and you'll send it, accompanied by my file picture and my CV, to everyone on our staff. Understood?"
"Perfectly, Commander," he agreed. It made a great deal of sense to have the fill in announce the new department head. Lex wasn't enthused at the idea of calling out the poor performance in anyone, but there had been some that he intended to refer for additional training, and a couple that were something of a drag on performance when they were scheduled, in spite of his own long-suffering personality, or, he had to admit, maybe due to his own long-suffering on their behalf. Now they would find a new sheriff in town, as it were. Lex was sorry for them, but content in the justice of it. "I will begin on the lists and await your written introductions."
