Reiteration
Posted on 05 Jan 2021 @ 5:44pm by Commander Calliope Zahn & Captain Corvus DeHavilland
Edited on on 05 Jan 2021 @ 6:39pm
Mission:
M1 - Emergence
Location: Obsidian Command, CiC
Timeline: MD 06 0700
2304 words - 4.6 OF Standard Post Measure
Calliope began a new day with a tall cup of rakdajino she’d taken the opportunity to replicate while touring the shuttlebay. Cavendish was further ahead on her clean up tasks than most, which was satisfyingly reflected in the numbers of shuttle arrivals and departures they could arrange.
Progress trackers, overlaid timetables, systems updates… As much as Calliope would have loved familiarizing herself with all the new personnel who were arriving and turning the ghost town into a bonafide command center, she was relieved for all of the reports and information which needed to be reviewed, sifted, and turned into summaries for the brass who would be asking after it any moment now. She was glad for the distraction and the excuse to try to keep to herself. Hokir had taken up Operations yesterday and most of Calliope’s previous tasks belonged to her now. She was competent and probably wouldn’t appreciate being hovered over. Even so, Calliope glanced over her shoulder to check now and then, or to incline her ear when Hokir took a comms call about manifests.
The lighting seemed brighter since the repair staff had been through, and the holo display of the Loki System in the pit had full functionality now. Nearly all of the holographic display panels which formed the walls of the CiC were switched on, creating the illusion that all of the structures surrounding the command center were wiped away in favor of a clear, full dome of starry sky. A pair of still dysfunctional panels betrayed the illusion, yet.
CPO Kuvat was taking a report from nightwatch concerning system traffic and flight plans. Calliope watched Ensign Wiser out of the corner of her eye as he gave the update. He was as edgy and hyper as he’d been the day previous. Nerves. It had to be nerves. He’d likely be replaced by a more experienced bridge officer any minute and re-tasked back to typical flight duties. Ensign Wiser wanted to make an impression while he had the chance.
Calliope willed herself to look back at the numbers and continue her ‘paperwork’ in it’s holographic composition. Still, it was transparent like a kind of digital veil through which she kept refocusing her gaze on the people beyond it.
The Marines posted around the ingresses and egresses and coming and going with every repair team were as vigilant as ever. There was one of their Company, however, that wasn’t among these. Calliope kept willing that Captain Finn would just show up a little later than usual to ring the Captain’s door and deliver a morning report. She bit her lower lip with a suspicion as to why he wasn’t and tapped her stylus against the side of the display table.
Corvus was still getting used to life in the center chair, so to speak. She was used to being on the go; on to the next duty station on to the next officer checking on the smooth running of the ship. She still hadn’t acclimated to the Captain’s need to sit still and ‘administer’ the goings-on of their command. It was starting to drive her stir crazy, making her long for the day when the environmental ring was online and available. Maybe she wouldn’t have minded sitting still staring at reports if she at least had a nice view.
She tossed aside the report she’d now read for the third time, unable to focus on it properly the first two times, and sighed. Corvus pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration and then got up from the chair as if a sudden idea had occurred to her. She wanted to be somewhere else and not spend another day cooped up in her office dealing with this minutia. At the very least, she was going to deal with it out in the CIC where she could have some kind of change of scenery. Maybe even some company.
It didn’t take an empath to notice how the crew seemed to avoid her. It wasn’t as if she was some big bag personality. She wasn’t an Archer or Picard - larger than life Captain to which all others should aspire. She was just her, but she understood. The great majority of their staff this far were junior officers, some fresh from Academy training. The Captain watching nearby probably put them on edge, just the way it would have done her back when she was in their shoes. Something about being the First Officer cut through that shield they put up, but that wasn’t her role anymore. Regardless of the reaction she knew she was going to elicit, she left her office and headed out into the CiC, pulling on her vest to straighten it a bit.
It was early in the shift itself, but the majority of the day shift was at their station. In the expansive space, it was easy to think that it was deserted but it was just so large you easily lost sight of the multitude of crew hard at work. The only person that was hard to miss was her first officer by the large CIC table towards the center of the deck.
Part of her cringed at the sight of her, but she pushed that reaction back. Calliope was her First Officer, and a long-time friend. Whatever last night had been, they would get past it. She had every faith in their ability to weather this minor storm.
“Morning,” Corvus greeted her as she joined her at the main holo-table. She offered a friendly smile that may not have fully materialized behind her eyes.
“Good morning, Captain,” Calliope said with neutrality. She’d laid awake too long wondering how she’d face Corvus the next morning, and now she knew. As her captain. Formally. It was the only way she could. “Shift change has gone smoothly, and the systems scans are stitching live now.” Calliope motioned to the Loki System display where data from patrolling vessels was compiling visually.
“Well at least something’s going smoothly,” Corvus smirked, bringing up a different, smaller display with some of her own preferred statistics. “Anything from Commander Quinn on when we’re going to have some power back?”
If there was any one thing more important than the others it was getting main power back on. She knew that everyone was acutely aware of that, but she doubted they knew just how much of a pit in her stomach the uncertainty created. Maybe it was just her tactical mind at work, convincing her that they were just sitting ducks here, but regardless it was the only thing on her mind day and night. Granted. Nights were really just sitting in the darkness trying to sleep and not worry herself to bits, but it was what it was.
“The outlook is reactors will be cycled tomorrow, on schedule.” Calliope wanted to quip something about it being in time to replicate lunch, but left it off.
DeHavilland rubbed her hands against her thighs in nervous anticipation. “I’m sure we could all do with a sonic shower, and a stiff drink,” she mused hopefully, trying to smile more effectively at Calli this time, but interrupted by a figure approaching the table.
“Excuse me, Captain DeHavilland?” asked a Marine Gunnery Sergeant, standing at rapt attention at the edge of their little viewing area.
“Yes… Gunnery Sergeant?” she replied, hoping she’d gotten that right. She wasn’t an expert in the Marine ranks by any stretch.
The Marine stepped forward, holding out a large data PaDD, “Duty rosters and security reports for the day, ma’am,” he said as she took it.
Corvus’ eyes darted briefly to Calliope’s as if to suggest she knew why the Gunny was delivering this and not Captain Finn. But she pushed it anyway, “Is Captain Finn ill?” she asked.
The Marine shook his head, “No, ma’am. He just asked me to deliver this report,” he replied, returning to attention.
Calliope seemed focused back on her own reports, pretending to herself that the hologram could cover her shame.
“I see,” Corvus answered. She hadn’t looked at the report, simply frowned at the device as she set it onto the holotable between her and Calliope. “Thank you for delivering it, Gunny. You’re dismissed,” she added, releasing the man from his rigid pose. He turned sharply about and left, disappearing down the stairs to the lift. Corvus sighed and turned around to the report, looking past it at Calliope. “So… are we going to address the elephant, or just let it stand in the corner for a little while longer?”
“What elephant, Captain?”
Corvus picked up the padd, looking to Calliope, and sighed, tapping the edge of the device on the side of the table. “Ok,” she said, drawing it in front of her to turn it on and read what Finn had to say that he couldn’t be bothered to bring up himself.
Out of habit, Calliope's hand went to her pocket where the vial wasn’t. Corvus wanted to be an officer when Calliope had wanted a friend, and Calliope had recieved the message five by five. Still, the working silence wasn’t as much of a relief as Calliope had hoped, taut with tension as it was. She consolidated her report windows and reopened her main file where everything looked so much more structured. Normally the elegance would have been satisfying, but it just left so much more of her face exposed.
“Listen,” Corvus said finally, the awkwardness too much even for her. She turned to Calliope, “Wha-,”
“Captain DeHavilland, I have an incoming subspace call from the Pathfinder,” one of the Comm’s Ensign’s declared, cutting her off mid-word.
Corvus looked down, slightly defeated, and then nodded. “Put it up here, Ensign.”
A moment later the huge display in front of them was replaced by the chest up holographic display of Master Chief Edgerton aboard the Pathfinder, still ‘in command’ of the Nova-class vessel until its proper crew could arrive. She’d already approved one Lieutenant Commander Fienneman to take on the post; he just had to get here.
“Chief. How goes your patrol?” Corvus asked him a bit more sharply that she meant to.
“It’s interesting, to be sure,” he answered, ignorant of her tone. As always he was bright and friendly, if not a bit off the intellectual end. “The new sensor net’s doing a good job of supplementing our scanners, but it's giving us some kind of sensor echo. I wanted to see what you are showing on the station's readings to see if we can figure out what we’re looking at and how we can fix it.”
“Probably a calibration issue,” Calliope offered. With an issue at hand, Calliope’s effort at indifference dissolved and she moved to another station to open a fresh display. She ran through the low resolution information from the station scanners and narrowed it down to the region surrounding the Pathfinder. “Sending you our readings now, for all of the good it will do you.” Calliope was easier with Edgerton, smiling at the hologram as she swiped to initiate the data transfer.
“That’s my initial postulation, but the issue isn’t responding the way I’d expect a calibration issue to. But then, we’re dealing with a pretty unusual set up here. It may well be the case,” he smiled back at the two of them. “We’ll get started cross-referencing this data with our own and see if we can’t isolate the calibration point,” he declared as if the problem was just that simple.
“No other contacts to report?” Corvus asked curiously.
Sam shook his head, “A few passing civilian transports, an ion storm that knocked a passing comet out of its historical path, a few hiccups in a stellar nursery on the edge of our scanner range. Most things fascinating to the science geeks. Nothing that would interest you, Captain,” he chuckled.
As he was speaking, Calliope logged out of the workstation and gathered her padd. With Corvus focused on Edgerton, she saw her opportunity to make her way out of CiC without a scene. She’d only just been saved by the bell as it was. If she stayed, Corvus was going to try to pick up where she left off and drag her through the talks of duty and responsibility and what-kind-of-friend-would-I-be-if diatribes— Calliope was sure of it.
“Alright. Keep us updated as to your progress and immediately report any contacts or anomalies you find as you calibrate your sensors,” Corvus ordered.
“Not to be a pest, Captain. But any progress on my replacement out here?” he asked quickly before she terminated the call.
“I’ve assigned a new skipper, but I’m not sure how long it will be before he arrives. His last assignment was on Bajor.”
“Ah…” he replied as if the prospect of being in charge another month while this officer transited the length of the Federation, taking any leave he or she might have along the way, was something akin to a prison sentence. “Well. Thanks for the update, Captain. I’d better get to this analysis. Is there anything else you need of me?”
“No, Chief. Good luck,” Corvus answered.
“Thank you. Edgerton out,” he declared, and the feed terminated, replaced a moment later by the one that had been on display before the call.
“I certainly hope it’s calibration issues,” Corvus mused, turning to her left, “A-,” she started, but fell silent. Calliope’s station was empty, apart from a forlorn cup of raktajino, still steaming.
