Executive Introductions

Posted on Sun Jun 23rd, 2024 @ 10:08pm by Commander Karl Rogers & Captain Mitsu Sato & Commander Eva Grey

1,286 words; about a 6 minute read

Karl had to admit that the Eclipse looked every bit what he had been told she was. Small but sleek and easily the most advanced ship of her class, he could tell that she was different from every other Nova class he had served on. Eclipse would be the third of her class that he had served on, from the operations officer on the Proxima and later the Nike. He had almost turned down being first officer on the Eclipse, but the chance to serve on what had been described as one of the most advanced exploration frigates had been too good to turn down. Boarding the Eclipse, Karl made his way through the ship. He had studied the schematics on his way from the Nike, and the basic layout was similar enough. Finding his way to the ready room, he tapped the chime and waited.

Mitsu had been discussing the new breakdown of the science department with Commander Grey as well as the new command structure. It was a small change, but she had been worried that Commander Grey might have taken her removal as executive officer as a slight. Mitsu, for her part, felt that she would have at least taken it as a small slight, but the commander had simply taken it in stride. The addition of Commander Harrington's research team, however, had caused some small friction. And that was one small cause of this very meeting. They were in the middle of discussing one of the changes Harrington's arrival had caused when the door chime rang out.

Mitsu sighed, not sure if she should be grateful or annoyed for the interruption. "Enter," she called, sparing a glance towards Commander Grey. "This hopefully won't take but a minute," she said.

Eva nodded, grateful for the interruption since her conversation with the captain hadn't been a pleasant one. She actually was glad for the break, since it would allow her to regroup her thoughts and hopefully find some form of calm in the turmoil of emotions she had recently felt.

Karl entered the ready room and walked across to stand before the desk. "Commander Karl Rogers reporting for duty as executive officer," he said.

Mitsu blinked in surprise, since she had been told that her new first officer might not arrive for another week. Recovering, she waved him to a seat. "Commander Rogers, please join us. This is Commander Eva Grey, second officer and chief science officer," she said.

Karl gave the other commander a nod as he sat down. "I'm aware that I got here earlier than I was expected," he said. "I managed to get a ride on the Remington. And I want to state for the record, that I didn't know there had been a massive change of personnel when I accepted my assignment to the Eclipse. I understand Commander Grey was first officer until a few days ago?"

"I was, but I'm still chief of the science department and being second officer isn't so bad," Eva interjected. "To be honest, I was a little grateful for the change since it'll allow me to spend more time in science. And I can learn more about command while being second officer, so when the right opportunity comes I'll be more prepared for it."

"That's one way to look at it," Karl said with a nod. Turning to the captain, he shifted in his chair. "I'd like to jump right into things, if that's acceptable."

"I'm more than grateful to hear that, Commander," Mitsu said. "I'm still waiting for the rest of the senior officers to arrive, but we might as well get down to business. Our new orders from Admiral Shaw indicate that we're to launch by the end of the week. Our first mission has been changed, and the Eclipse is to report to the research station near Adelphous. They have been working on a project with material and information related to Commander Harrington's project, and Admiral Shaw wants us to investigate to see if their work will support whatever it is that our research director is working on."

"And what is this Commander Harrington working on?" Karl asked.

"That is the question of the day," Eva replied as she leaned back in her seat. "She's taken up residence in the multi-use lab on deck three and restricted access to it. I actually have to have her authorization to even enter the lab."

"It's actually one thing we were discussing before your arrival," Mitsu said, not hiding the grumble in her voice.

"As chief science officer, shouldn't you have authorization over all science projects on the ship?" Karl asked.

"One would think," Eva sighed, shaking her head. "But in this case, I don't. According to the orders Commander Harrington gave me, I have little to no actual authority over Harrington's research team."

"Admiral Shaw actually stated to me that Eva would retain full control over the science department, and that the research project would fall under her control. Since Commander Harrington has arrived, it's been anything but what the admiral stated. I can't reach Admiral Shaw for confirmation, but Harrington has standing orders from Starfleet Command that we are to abide by, which ties my hands in the matter," Mitsu added, her face and tone reflecting her mood with each word.

"That's bullshit," Karl blurted out, then shook his head. "Sorry," he added.

"No, that statement covers how we both already felt perfectly," Mitsu said. "I was trying to be a little more diplomatic about the wording, however."

"I'm not very diplomatic sometimes, Captain," Karl said. "That's one of my biggest flaws, and the only reason I haven't been considered for my own captaincy."

Mitsu nodded thoughtfully, her mind racing as she did so. She knew that already from his service record. He would have already been a captain, or at least a commanding officer, if it wasn't for his bluntness and candid nature that often put him at odds with others in a position to complain to the right admirals here and there. But at the same time, she appreciated both the fact that Rogers was that way and his blunt honesty. It was somehow refreshing.

"I'll try to help Commander Grey with the science issue," she finally said. "I want you to get the rest of the crew settled in. Starfleet has decided to alter the entire crew roster, and half the crew are newly graduated from the Academy. That means twice the potential for problems."

"That I believe I can handle easily enough," Karl said. "It'll also help me settle in and get acquainted with the crew."

"That is a true enough statement," Eva added. "I'll help you anywhere I can. I might also suggest that you speak to some of the officers who are remaining with us, as they may have insight to the ship that can help the new crew settle into their positions easier."

"Good suggestion, and I'll definitely look into that," Karl said with a nod. It would be good to have a few officers who would help the new crew, himself included, get settled into the Eclipse. "If there's nothing else, Captain, I'll start having new officers routed to my office to report in and start drawing up a routine so I can start meeting the crew."

"By all means," Mitsu said with a smile. "And welcome aboard the Eclipse, Commander."

"Thank you Captain," Karl said as he stood. Offering a formal nod of his head to both the captain and the other commander, he turned and headed out of the ready room. He already knew where he was going to start before he really got started on his duties as executive officer.

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