Smoothing Things Over

Posted on Wed Feb 20th, 2019 @ 8:58pm by Fleet Admiral Donatella Figueroa

Mission: S01E04 The Outpost Has Eyes
Location: Commander Samuels' Office

Commander Christopher Samuels leaned back in his desk chair, and raised his arms above his head and stretched. He had been sitting at the desk for hours now, his back was starting to hurt and his vision was blurry from exhaustion. His days were long, but yet he welcomed the long days. It kept his mind busy and more than that it kept his mind from wandering to all his past mistakes. He knew all of that would haunt him for a long time, but that was what these things did, right? They tended to stick with you, haunt you, mess with you, until you could overcome those demons. However, he couldn't worry about any of that now, his job--a job he chose over his marriage--came first. Fig was depending on him, the whole crew was depending on him, and he wasn't about to let anyone down.

One of the things he needed to do was talk to Cadet Batowski. He was sure the talk that Fig had with the cadet was fine, he knew she could be abrasive, but yet a cadet wouldn't question that anyway. Still, he would talk to the young man, to make sure things were okay and to see if he needed anything. After that, he would turn the young engineer over to Lieutenant Garcia. Speaking of Garcia, he would be another one he would need to have a conversation with. The conversations were stacking up, and again he wondered when he would have the time to actually be a scientist. He also wondered if maybe he should just switch to command and be done with it, and let the science officer spot to open and allow someone else to move up. These were all things he would need to think about, but for now he just needed to focus on the cadet.

Cadet Charles Bartowski had been sitting in his quarters going over the copious number of manuals related to the slightly older warp core. A cup of tea in one hand and manual in the other, he flipped the old-fashioned plastic page with his thumb and highlighted small pieces of information to refer back to. Hearing a beep, he looked over to the PADD, which was beeping and flashing- an indicator of an urgent message. Putting down the book, he flipped over and tapped the device to read the message.

=A= PRESENCE URGENTLY REQUESTED- XO's OFFICE =A=

Muttering an expletive under his breath, he snapped his copper trimmed jacket off of the chair and slipped it on, zipping it up as he strode into the corridor towards the nearest turbolift.Checking his badge, he rubbed his sleeve on it until he could see it gleam in the low light. As a Cadet First Class at the Academy, they had been expected to be role models for their younger counterparts and he wasn't about to detract from that now. Chuck fastened his collar and stepped into the lift as soon as the doors slid open.

"Deck Three. Direct." Chuck said, checking his reflection against the glass porthole on the bulkhead. The last thing he wanted would be to appear disheveled in front of the XO. The lift shot upward and sideways, completing the stops in the queue before it stopped rather suddenly, throwing Chuck off balance. Stepping out, he followed the bulkhead and read the signs on the doors until he found the right one. Pressing the button on the bulkhead console to alert the Commander, Chuck took a deep breath and stood at Parade Rest.

At hearing the chime, Christopher looked up from his PADD and turned his attention to the door. That was fast, he mused, a bit of a smirk forming. Punctuality... that was one thing you could count on from a cadet. "Come in," he called out, raising from his own seat to greet the young engineer. At the command, the computer released the doors and they slid open with a soft his from the hydraulics of door mechanism.

Chuck walked in and centered himself on the XO's desk. "Sir, Cadet Bartowski reports as ordered." he said quickly, taking in all of the details in his peripheral vision. There appeared to be a great many artifacts of unknown origin and Charles could even make out more than a few skulls on the pristine shelves behind the desk.

Christopher supressed the grin that was trying to form when he saw the cadet. He had forgotten what it was like when summoned to a superior's office. Even when Fig summoned him, he didn't worry about it anymore... then again, he never worried about being summoned, even in his days of lower ranks. "At ease, cadet, and have a seat," he said, raising a hand to indicate one of the two guest chairs. He waited a few beats to allow the cadet to take a seat and then he continued. "First, welcome aboard the Musashi, I think this will be a good learning experience for you. We have an excellent engineering staff that will help you learn and grow in your career." He leaned forward and clasped his hands in front of him. "Second, the captain wanted me to speak to you, to make sure everything is okay and that you are settling in alright." Also known as Fig wanting to be sure the cadet didn't get a bad impression of her. Despite the tough exterior, Fig cared about what people thought of her.

Charles sat down and cocked his head to the side slightly as a sinking feeling hit him like a rock. This officer had decided to check on him, either in the hopes that he was settling in properly or attempting to verify that he wasn’t going to crack under the strain. This wasn’t uncommon- Chuck had heard of many a cadet doing just that. There was even a story of one particular cadet that had run stark naked through the Academy Terrazzo the night before final exams. Doctors had finally managed to sedate him but he had never been the same.

Straightening himself back up, he spoke quickly. “Settling in fine, sir. I’m just trying to meet everyone and get used to being on a ship.” Charles’ eyes shifted as he thought to things unsaid, mainly the fact that his new nickname had spread like a virus- along with a few new ones and it wasn’t helping his acclimation one bit.

"I'm glad to hear it," Christopher said. Though, he had a suspicion that that wasn't fully the case. The words came out too quickly, though that could be attributed to nerves. Most cadets seemed scared, worried, or nervous when it came to talking with the two most senior people on board. He couldn't recall if he had ever been that nervous... or that young for that matter. He smiled and then leaned back in his chair, taking a more relaxed posture now. "You'll find that people are either going to be friendly, or take advantage of the fact you are a cadet. If the latter is the case, I want you to come to me and let me know. I don't want anyone on this crew doing that to others, no matter what rank they are." He had been very firm on this, and he had a zero-tolerance policy when it came to that. Everyone was to be treated with respect and dignity. "As for getting used to being on a starship... that will come with time, everyone acclimates at different rates."

All Charles could do was nod. He knew that being taken advantage of to do the useless busy work was a reality of being a cadet and if he dared report it, it would paint a massive target on his back and label him as someone who couldn't do the hard jobs when it came down to it. "Sir, with all respect, my momma didn't raise a tattler. I knew what I signed up for and if a bit of scut work is a part of the job, then so be it." he said quickly, regretting revealing his hand as soon as the words left his mouth.

Christopher couldn't help but smirk and shake his head. "I hope you remember that when you are on hour twelve of cleaning the waste recyclers with a toothbrush and only breaks to use the bathroom," Christopher said. He didn't think the young cadet fully grasp what it meant to be a cadet on a starship, but all in due time the young man would understand.


2-20-2019 Editor Note

This post was completed by:

Commander Christopher Samuels
Chief Science Officer | First Officer

&
Cadet Charles Bartowski
Engineering Officer in Training