Changing of the Guard - pt 3

Posted on 27 Nov 2024 @ 3:45pm by Lieutenant Sibyl Danzer & Commander Thaddeus Zayne & Lieutenant Commander Dresden Cage

Mission: M4 - Falling Out
Timeline: MD26 - Morning | This series of posts is prior to "Arrivals" posts, and prior to "A Needle in a Stack of Needles"
2363 words - 4.7 OF Standard Post Measure

Another express lift car carried Lieutenant Danzer and Commander Cage to the top floors of the station, the deck numbers counting down the higher they reached until they got off on a single digit designation. Security on the command deck was tight, and, noticeably, was manned by Starfleet Marines. 

"I hope you don't mind working with the Marines. OC integrates them in security operations, particularly for posts at command and engineering, and a few other sensitive areas like Computer core and the Environmental control center. They're also in some of the shuttle bays and key arrival and delivery gates and you can ask for any additional personnel assignments as needed."

She glanced aside at Cage to try and gauge the new guy's facial expression on the matter. She new some people in Starfleet resented Marine integrations with operations, but with an installation their size, Sibyl didn't mind; it freed up Security personnel to focus on more investigations and strategic patrols.

Dresden offered a neutral, thoughtful nod as they stepped off the lift and into the command deck’s main corridor. “I don’t mind working with Marines. I’ve worked alongside them on a few assignments before. One of the by best buddies is a marine. They are tough, no-nonsense, and they know how to follow orders. Besides,” he added with a slight smirk, “it’s not a bad thing to have some muscle around, especially on a station this large.”

The marines at the entry point to the CiC were familiar with Danzer, who often checked in for briefings and Tactical sessions. Her clearance was no problem, but Cage they gave more of a thorough going over, checking and rechecking his identity and his orders, which were in the system but had yet to be validated by command.

"That's what we're here to rectify," Danzer reassured, trusting that on their way back out of the command levels, Cage would have the full security clearance throughout the station, as befitting his role. Everything shy of the Admiral's office would be open to him, if not directly, then by filing for access to private areas on grounds of suspicion, a process Cage was likely familiar with in his prior work.

Beyond the checkpoint, they entered an impressively broad passageway, which gently arced around in a slightly ramping incline. Command Operations personnel passed on occasion, although there was no shortage of distance between passersby. "I heard you operated out of a Security Office at the Academy?" Danzer said by way of making conversation as they walked pas a giant viewing window giving a glimpse into the command center.

The command deck of Obsidian Command felt more expansive than any station he’d served on before—sleek, modern, and intentionally designed for function over flair.

“Yeah,” Dresden replied. “I ran security for part of the Academy for a while. It was a different kind of challenge, though. A lot of incident management, tracking cadets getting into trouble, occasional threats that needed to be taken seriously. On occasion I would do some investigative work.” Dresden didn’t really want to get into the details of his last odyssey before his transfer. “But it was also structured—Starfleet always had a way of keeping things predictable. This place… something tells me Obsidian Command won’t be quite so predictable.”

"There's usually something interesting going on. But the base has gotten into a decent operational rhythm. It all depends on whether or not you're the sort that goes looking for the unpredictable. The day to day between the bulkheads of the station can be monotonous. But you don't have to look very far to find trouble out here."

The passageway led to a breezeway, railed on either side and overlooking a massive Command center with hundreds of stations throughout and personnel dotting the various stations. They emerged on the other side of the breezeway, standing on an overlooking subdeck. All around, the room formed a massive dome, the shell lined with holographic displays that imaged a full three-sixty view of space beyond and the horizon of Loki III rising beneath. It was a mirage; if the walls had actually been made of a dome of transparisteel they would just be looking at all of the communications towers and emitters surrounding the CiC. But it was an impressive image nonetheless, forming a kind of awe, both impressing on the working personnel how grandiose their mission was and simultaneously implying how small any one person truly was in light of the natural forces acting all around them at any given time. It also allowed in times of need, for Command to operate massive system overlays of data and maps and tracking for all to see. No such overlays were prompted at present. Operational alerts were all in the green. Business as usual.

"Down there is the busiest part of the CiC, generally." Danzer pointed out a recessed area in the floor below them. "Traffic Control's operations pit." There were a couple of dozen operators at the stations, and amidst the distant forms below was a horned Grazrite, looking almost like a pottering old man among the more active personnel bustling about him. "That's Senior Chief Petty Officer Lex Navine. I'll have to introduce you when he's off duty. He's long in the tooth, as they say."

Dresden followed Danzer’s gaze, observing the scene below with interest. The Traffic Control’s operations pit buzzed with quiet but constant activity. Personnel at various consoles exchanged commands, monitoring inbound and outbound vessels across the region. It was an intricate dance—one Dresden knew had to function perfectly to prevent chaos from taking root.

His eyes settled on Chief Lex Navine. Navine moved with deliberate slowness, but Dresden could sense there was wisdom behind the movements. The kind of wisdom that only came from experience.

“I’ll be looking forward to meeting him,” Dresden replied, his tone thoughtful.

They walked past a circle of stations where some goldshirts were busy going over a defensive systems sub routine diagnostic. One of the men nodded to Danzer and she nodded back. "That's where I'm normally stationed," she said to Cage. "I've been below decks though, in the Security Decks, where you have your own Offices and dedicated training facilities. And of course, the Brig, down there. Up here, your access will allow you to log into any of the Senior key stations, and get you into all of the conference areas with other senior staff."

Dresden absorbed the information, mentally mapping the station’s layout as Danzer guided him through the expansive command deck. He appreciated her thoroughness—having a clear understanding of where to find key facilities would save time later. Obsidian Command wasn’t a place for guesswork.

“Sounds like everything’s well-organized,” Dresden said, glancing over at her. “I’ll definitely spend some time down in the Security Decks, get a feel for how the team operates. I’ll want to review the tactical training schedules and inspect the Brig. Make sure everything’s up to the standards we need.”

"Yes, Sir. I'll make sure you have all of that right after you get those orders cleared." Danzer pointed out a prominent doorway in the back of the CiC. "That leads to the Command Office Suites. The Commander and the Admiral generally make appearances coming from there." She walked them up to the door and  pressed her finger to it for biometrics. Inside, an aide sat at a reception desk and affirmed the identities.

"Is either Captain DeHavilland or Commander Zayne in?" Lieutenant Danzer asked the aide as they approached the desk.

"Commander Zayne is at the command table," the young Yeoman answered, gesturing to the large holo table towards the center of the deck, and the blonde-haired man holding court in front of it.

It was only the start of the day, but already Thad's plate was full, which seemed to be the normal anymore in this job. It paid dividends to get to work early and get ahead of the minutia before the inevitable crazy started rolling right at the end of gamma shift and the start alpha. Not that he was complaining. After so long with Marines and then in the void, it was nice to be needed and have something to occupy his time. He'd learned how caustic boredom could be.

"Commander Zayne?" Danzer queried to announce themselves as they approached. While she'd only ever had very professional interactions with him, she'd heard rumors of instances of ill temper, and sometimes his eyes shifted in a way that made her feel he was... unsettled deeply. Combined with what she knew of his service record, Danzer felt that he was emotionally potentially explosive. It had only gotten notably worse after the death of his friend, Doctor Mazur. She'd been observing him taking one on one meetings without making records of them, and lately, working after shifts more often than usual. He also seemed o check in with the admiral more often than the CO herself, which was not uncalled for, but highly unusual.

To Danzer's trained eye, it looked like a growing case of paranoia... she'd been keeping an eye on it. He was the superior officer, and his background in investigations had required him to rely on a suspicious nature. Such was their 'bread and butter' in security, and she wasn't sure she could fault him for that. But it certainly left her feeling uncertain about the man. Subconsciously she straightened her shoulders and folded her hands behind her, producing a deferential and intentionally calmed posture.

"Sir, this is Lieutenant Commander Dresden Cage, transferred here from Sol as our new Chief of Security," Lieutenant Danzer began by way of introductions. "Commander Cage, Commander Thaddeus Zayne, First Officer of Obsidian Command."

Dresden gave a small nod, waiting for Danzer to finish before stepping forward. “Commander Zayne, good to meet you,” he said, his tone measured but friendly. With an easy shift, Dresden swapped his datapad from his right hand to his left, freeing his dominant hand for a firm handshake.

Thaddeus looked up from his sea of tasks to the newcomers as he was introduced to their new Chief of Security. In all the chaos of everything else going on, including the Engineering conference, it had slipped his mind that their new Chief of Security was due to arrive - the aforementioned Lieutenant Commander Cage. As XO, he was in charge of the duty rosters and rotations, and already his mind was tracking on the shifts he was going to have to make to accommodate the newcomer. He started to think that the man was just early, but Thad quickly realized he had just let this one get away from him.

"Welcome to OC," Thad offered flatly.

Dresden noted Zayne’s flat tone, and a flicker of something unreadable in the XO’s gaze. There was a lot on his plate, judging by the organized chaos of data and reports flickering across the command table. But Dresden had dealt with all types of personalities over the years, and he knew when to hold back and simply acknowledge the moment. He returned Zayne’s handshake, giving a respectful nod.

“Thank you, sir. I’m looking forward to jumping in. I won't take up too much of your time, I understand you might be busy. I will get up to speed today and submit a report to you by end of day of my next steps, if you'd like.” Dresden replied, his voice steady. He kept his stance relaxed, but his gaze was direct, hoping to convey both readiness and respect.

"Tomorrow is fine. We've all got our hands full at the moment. You'll be pulled straight into it yourself. This Engineering conference is going to be a trial by fire," Commander Zayne offered back, almost letting a bit of a sadistic smile touch his lips. Not that he doubted the man's ability to do the job but, walking into this kind of an event without any preparation would have tested the best. He'd been part of the planning and he felt overwhelmed by it, on top of everything else going on.

Dresden caught the subtle challenge in Zayne’s expression and returned it with a nod, a silent acknowledgment that he understood the gravity of the situation. “I’ll be ready, sir. I’ve been reviewing the briefing materials en route. I’ll be coordinating with Lieutenant Danzer to ensure everything is good to go.”

"I'll make certain Commander Cage is briefed on everything in progress from the Security Office," Danzer confirmed.

“Sir, Commander Zayne, is there anything else you need from me? Or would like me to work on immediately” Cage said before departing.

"Not immediately." Zayne motioned for Cage to hand him the transfer orders and approved them on the spot. "Go and get acclimated with your office and your teams. I'll see you when we receive the Conference arrivals," he had more than enough on his plate at the moment. He had always been a big proponent of letting the heads of department stand on their own with minimal input from him, but it was even more so the case now than it had ever been. Sometimes, he felt like he needed an XO himself... for now, all he could do was make sure to keep his finger as loosely on the pulse of everything as he could and keep on. Hopefully, this new guy would be up to the task.

Dresden took back his datapad after Zayne approved the transfer orders, tucking it under his arm with a nod.

"Understood, Commander. I'll ensure everything is in order before the arrivals. Looking forward to working with you, sir."

Dresden and Danzer stepped away, leaving the First Officer to his tasks. As they exited the command area and made their way toward the lifts, Dresden cast a sidelong glance at Danzer. "That went well, didn't it?"

"Well enough..." Lieutenant Danzer muttered while she glanced back over her shoulder as they recrossed the reception area. "You've got your transfer orders approved so... That officially makes you official."