Orders from the Captain

Posted on Wed Aug 15th, 2018 @ 2:24pm by Commander T'Prynn & Commander Timothy Parker
Edited on on Wed Aug 15th, 2018 @ 4:38pm

1,047 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: E1 Only The Beginning
Location: Cargo Bay, Deck 12
Timeline: MD01 0845

Immediately following the conclusion of her meeting with the Captain, the ships new resident Vulcan had set to work expediting his commands. The Trill seemed to be competent and his orders were clear - just the way she liked it. Many Trill had a penchant for ambiguity or indecisiveness, but that was not something she 'sensed' from Terax, which could only be a positive thing. Perhaps their partnership would be most fruitful after all.

Her first duty saw her making a beeline for the cargo bays on deck twelve in search of another new officer to the crew. Lieutenant Commander Timothy Parker. Another individual who, judging by their record, seemed to be quite a competent officer indeed.

"See that we get this straightened out," Tim told the Senior Chief, the Bolian assigned as the ship's quartermaster. In the half hour Tim had spent checking the cargo bays, he'd discovered that not only were the ship's supplies not where the manifest said they should be, but the quantities had been inverted. He could not fault the quartermaster as he'd just arrived the night before. It seemed that his predecessor was either negligent, or had performed this cruel act on purpose just before leaving.

After receiving an affirming nod from the quartermaster, Tim turned to leave, having several other stops on his quick inspection before starting to get settled.

Entering via the large cargo bay doors, Lieutenant Commander T'Prynn found herself directly in the path of her target, judging by the rank insignia attached to his collar, and stopped swiftly to ensure there was no collision between the two. "Are you Lieutenant Commander Timothy Parker?" she enquired in her usual tone, her hands clasped behind her back and a data PADD in her left.

"I am," Timothy confirmed, taking a moment or two to size up the Lieutenant Commander in red that stood before him now. Aside from the manner in which she kept her hair, long and ponytailed, not like the short bobs most Vulcan females were known to use, the Lieutenant Commander seemed to be a typical representative of her species.

"Lieutenant Commander T'Prynn, Executive Officer," she introduced her self, offering a hand in the mans direction. Whilst most of her species frowned upon contact with strangers, she had learnt to adopt various customs, including the customary handshake of greeting.

Tim did his best to hide his surprise. Either the XO had spent a fair amount of time among the emotional and illogical, or she had perhaps chosen to distance herself from the Kolinahr. The diplomatic training embedded into Tim by decades of living with his father on Andoria took over with him realizing it as he accepted the proffered hand. "A pleasure, Commander. What can I do for you?"

After releasing the Commander's hand, the Vulcan found herself looking around the cargo bay. "What is the situation down here, Commander?" she enquired.

"Just a bit of inaccuracies on our cargo manifests," Tim stated, looking back into the cargo bay where the quartermaster was already getting to work on adjusting the inventory. "Seems the former quartermaster had a parting word before retiring."

"That would not be surprising given the Quarters assignments on the ship," the Commander remarked as she held out the data PADD she had been carrying. "There is no logical order to the assignment of quarters. Junior officers mixed with civilians and guest quarters," she revealed. "The Captain would like this to be corrected and have assignments ready for all incoming senior staff by ten hundred hours," she concluded. She was more than capable of carrying out the captain's orders but she felt it best not to step on the toes of her subordinates. Not yet, anyway.

Tim resisted the urge to sigh. There were aspects of operations he liked, the ability to jump between departments, and the freedom to adapt to different projects. Jumbling quarters assignments and dealing with improper manifests, however, were not among those pleasures. He accepted the padd and gave it a quick review. "Commander," he said afterward, "it seems some of these officers have been here for a while. This may take longer than an hour and fifteen minutes to correct."

"Do what you can Commander," the Vulcan nodded, taking note of his response. She then gestured for the Operations chief to join her out of earshot of anyone else nearby. Once alone, she spoke in a hushed tone. "I sense there has been a significantly lax attitude to duties aboard this vessel. It will be our responsibility to assist the Captain in getting the very best out of this crew," she told in a matter of fact way.

Tim looked up from the padd's display to face the Vulcan. "Lax?" he asked. "I take it you've also been recently assigned to the Magellan."

T'Prynn nodded. "Indeed Commander. I arrived just a short while ago myself and it has already become abundantly clear that ensuring an improved worth ethic among certain members of the crew will be a significant focus in the days ahead," she revealed, surveying those in the Cargo Bay once more. "It would appear Operations will not be a department to worry about however," she added in the most respectful way she could. By saying what she had, she was hoping to convey her confidence in the Commander and what she could already see going on.

The Operations Chief did detect her respect and gratitude, thanks to all of the time he'd spent on Andoria and with various talks with Vulcans during that time. "It at least won't be anything for you to worry about, Commander. It will take some time to pull everything back together, and I suspect that it won't take much time."

"I look forward to your report on this matter Commander," the Vulcan nodded and gave the slightest bow of respect to the Operations Chief. Before saying the words "As you were," and departing the Cargo Bay for her next set of duties.'

As the Vulcan walked away, Tim just shook his head. He'd known that upgrading from an Excelsior to a Galaxy class ship would mean more crew, and far more details. Just what exactly, he wondered as he walked off to prepare his meager staff, did he get himself into?

 

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