The Winds of Change

Posted on Tue Aug 15th, 2017 @ 3:23am by Fleet Admiral Donatella Figueroa & Commander Christopher Samuels MDiv, PhD & Commander K'Niras Sh'howul

Mission: S01E01 - At the Brink of Night
Location: Deck 6 | Briefing Room

Christopher Samuels made his way down the corridor of deck six. There was a part of him that was annoyed that he was summoned to begin with, but there was the larger part that was intrigued by what the captain wanted. The two hadn't really spoken since their first meeting, and frankly he wasn't too keen on having another face to face. He couldn't have begun to guess what he was needed for, his primary position on the board the Musashi was science officer, and being second officer was well... second.

"Maybe she just wants to talk," Christopher mumbled to himself, though he immediately dismissed that notion. He didn't see Figueroa as a 'talker'. She bottled up the emotions but wore her anger on her sleeves. Figueroa wasn't the first person he had encountered like this, there had been a lot of war vets who felt this way. For a long time Dylan was like this, the anger was so thick it was stifling, but eventually it was let go... or at least eased. He wondered if he would ever see that with the captain, though he figured he wouldn't be on the Musashi long enough to find out.

Christopher entered the briefing room to see the captain standing there. "You rang," he said as he put the PADDs he was holding onto the briefing table and took a seat.

K'Niras wasn't that far behind Christopher. He stepped briskly into the room, "Greetings Captain," and saluted Donatella before taking a seat. He was also curious as to what might be going on. He wasn't part of the senior crew normally, unless there was a department briefing. His tail bounced up and down behind him nervously. He also wasn't sure exactly why the meeting also included Christopher unless something serious had happened. He was pretty sure that his first meeting with Christopher in the lounge wasn't quite this serious.

"Yes, Commander I did," she said replying to his luke-warm greeting. Though K'Niras' was much more well received. "I called for you both because there are some pressing matters that need immediate attention. As it so happens, that requires the two of you to meet with me," Fig said briskly as she plowed on through without too many formalities.

Fig could not be bothered to filter or censor anything at the time. She did not want to dull the sharp words when she looked at Commander Samuels. "You do not want to be here. You have no interest in serving under me and I can understand why given our... delightful history," she said with a sigh. "Nevertheless Commander, you are here and here you will stay," she said with a serious undertone.

The Captain looked at both of them once more. "Due to unforeseen circumstances, the USS Musashi will soon be without a Chief Engineer and by default an Executive Officer as well," she said quite matter of fact. "Commander Samuels as my appointed Second Officer, you will be propelled upward into the position of Executive Officer," said Fig, looking down at a PaDD and not wanting to make eye contact with the man when breaking that news.

What the heck! Christopher thought to himself as his brow furrowed. He was confused, and somewhat angry at this news. First this woman keeps him from his own command and only makes him second officer when she requests him for the position of chief science officer. Then she tells him he cannot transfer even if he wanted too, and now this? He felt like he was being toyed with. Technically he should have gotten the position of first officer before Miller. He opened his mouth to tell the captain to fudge off, but was interrupted once Fig began speaking again.

She held her tongue for a moment. "Lieutenant Sh'howul, after a brief look through the personnel aboard, you hold the next highest rank except for Doctor Hill who falls outside of the COC. I feel you are more qualified than anyone else aboard and therefore I am advancing you into the position of Second Officer effective immediately."

K'Niras wasn't sure for a moment if he had heard the Captain correctly. His tail bounced in surprise and his whiskers vibrated. He had excellent hearing. He heard more than most humans, but hearing something and mishearing words were two different concepts. He blinked slowly and decided he might want to make sure. "Second officer, sir?"

Fig looked at the Caitian and nodded. "You heard me perfectly fine, Lieutenant. I need an experienced officer with a solid service record as Second Officer to make this sudden command change as smoothly as possible. Your time aboard the Enterprise carries merit and I feel you will fill those shoes just fine." The Captain then looked at Commander Samuels. "Cat got your tongue, Commander?"

"Yes, sir!" K'Niras replied. He had transferred to this ship for a better chance at advancement and here it was, staring him right in the face. He was definitely glad that he had taken time to go through the command training as well as spent time aboard the Enterprise. His whiskers vibrated with pride. When the captain asked her question of Samuels he looked back and forth between the two and then shook his head. "I do not have the Commander's tongue, Captain," taking the statement rather literally and even though he wasn't exactly a cat, the similarities between his appearance and a Terran housecat were admittedly uncanny.

Christopher's face contorted and he looked like he was pained. He tried hard, really hard to reign it in but before he could stop it, he was laughing. He looked at the captain, and shook his head. "You walked right into that one," he said once the laughter died to a low chuckle. "Anyway, I stayed silent because my mother taught me if I didn't have anything nice to say, not to say it at all." He looked to the newly minted second officer. "It's an old earth saying." He blew out a breath and turned his attention back to Fig and managed to smile. "However, despite being stuck together, I will certainly give you my best."

Fig wanted to let out a groan at her poorly selected idiom in the presence of what basically looked like a giant terran feline. "Your mother is a very wise woman," she said with a smirk. She could just tell that her newly appointed First Officer was sitting there atop of something he really wanted to say, but would not.

"Oh I know that you both will give me your best," added Fig, looking mostly at Christopher as he was her primary concern. Though she also knew she had done the right thing. He was the best choice to step into the position. Even if she could have spent time reviewing outside candidates for the position... she probably would have chosen Commander Samuels. "Lieutenant, you may return to your duties. I believe Commander Samuels and I need some time to discuss matters in private," she said, wanting to get the man alone.

"Of course, Captain." K'Niras still didn't really get that they hadn't been referring to him as having the Commander's tongue, but he let it go for now. "Thank you, sir." He stood. "A quick question? Will you be wanting me to go over the ship's duty rotation?"

Fig nodded. "Please do, Lieutenant. I will be determining and splitting command duties between the two of you."

K'Niras nodded. "Yes, Sir." He bowed a little and retreated back to his duty station, leaving the Captain and the Commander alone.

Christopher wasn't sure if he should be worried at this point, but he had found that he could handle the captain. She needed him, and worst case scenario she would boot him off the ship. She couldn't demote him either, simply because he hadn't done anything wrong. Nevertheless, he would wait to see what she had to say before he made any snap judgements.

With the Lieutenant gone, it left the room eerily quiet for a few moments. It seemed as though Chris and Fig were staring at one another. She decided to make the first move and cleared her throat. "Well, it isn't a command of your own, but it is the next best thing," she said with a shrug. "I know this isn't an ideal scenario, but we need to make it work for the crew. So, let's put our differences aside?"

And that was what it really came down to didn't it? It came down to the crew and their well-being first and foremost. "Agreed," he said simply. He had already had given up so much, so in hindsight he had to make this work, he had to prove to himself that he made the right decision.

Yes, yes it was what it really was about. Ten decks and a crew that was going to be tested at every corner needed leadership and guidance. Fig knew she had those traits, but her determination to make her sworn enemies, The Klingons pay would undoubtedly have dire consequences on the crew. She needed someone like Chris to keep her from going over the edge. "Start going through personnel files and pick the members of your away team, Commander. I'll need those selections soon. We will be entering the system before the last shift starts tomorrow " explained the Captain. "If you have nothing to bring to my attention now, we can call this meeting adjourned" she added with a nod and a sigh of relief.

Christopher gave a firm nod. "I'll have the picks by the end of the day," he replied. As second officer he had made a point to start to get to know the crew, and their abilities. He then shook his head. "I have nothing to add." Which again, wasn't true, he had plenty to add, but he held his tongue. His personal issues with Fig couldn't interfere with his job, nor interfere with the well-being of the crew. The crew and the Musashi had to be the priority and only the priority.

Fig sat there glaring at a PaDD with tactical information. It was preliminary tactical data from her Vulcan weapons officer. The Security Chief had run simulated battles and 65% of the time, The Musashi and her Constitution class escorts came out the victors. Of course simulated data was simply that. She looked up to find her First Officer was still there. "Dismissed, Commander" she said with a curt nod.