Chief Helm Reporting for Duty

Posted on Thu Aug 4, 2016 @ 3:26am by Captain Madelina Weisz & Lieutenant Akash Misra

Mission: An Orion to Die For
Location: XO's Office
Timeline: MD 0 - 1000 hours

Lt. Akash Misra exited the turbo lift and walked stridently down the corridor to the XO's office. Many of the crew were milling about, attending to their posts and making final preparations for the Triumphant's imminent launch. He ran a hand over his pulled-back hair as he nodded to the crew members on duty. One of the ensigns in a red collar caught his gaze and jogged up to him.

"Lieutenant Misra!" the young ensign exclaimed as he excitedly shoved out his hand.

"Um, hello," Misra said as he shook the young ensign's hand. "You are?"

The young ensign relished the handshake. "Gladwell, sir, Ensign Marcus Gladwell. I'm one of your helmsmen. I've heard a lot about you and I've really wanted to meet you!"

"Pleased to meet you," Misra said. "What can I do for you?"

"Just wanted to shake your hand," the young ensign said with a nervous smile. "I mean, you were one of the people on the USS Fulton, I read all about it and I think you guys did some great work..."

Misra gently held up a hand. "I'm going to stop you there, ensign," he said. "I'm on my way to meet the XO and I'm afraid I'm running a bit late as it is."

"Oh sure, sure," the ensign said, "I'll get out of your way." He shrank away and moved back to a nearby panel.

"Thank you," Misra said and brushed past the ensign on his way down the corridor. He came to the office door and straightened as he approached. He ran his hand over his head again to check if his hair has still in regulation. He reached out to the door panel and pressed it.

"Come in," came the slightly accented voice from the other side of the door. Maddy was sipping a cup of coffee as she moved her fingers over the holographic interface that was her desktop. She was currently glancing through personnel files and attempting to familiarize herself with the new faces that were going to be joining their crew.

The doors slid open and Akash walked through. He saw the redheaded commander sitting at her desk and sipping coffee. He was silently struck by her features, but kept his composure as he walked to the desk. Upon reaching the desk, he stood up straight, putting his hands behind his back.

"Good morning, Commander," he said. "Lieutenant Akash Misra, Chief FCO, reporting for duty."

"Good morning, Lieutenant, and welcome aboard. Have a seat," Maddy said, gesturing to one of the two chair across from her desk with one hand, which she blacked out the screen of her desk with the other. "Can I get you anything before we get started?"

"Oh, thank you," Akash said, taking his seat. "I will have some herbal tea if you're offering."

"I am," Maddy said as she rose to her feet to move over to the replicator. She asked for his herbal tea, then returned with it to hand it over to him. "So, Lieutenant Misra, what can you tell me about yourself? I know what I'll find in your file, so I'm looking for something that wouldn't be in there."

Akash gave a half smile as he sat down and received the cup the commander offered. "Something that isn't in my file? All right, well..." he said as he tried to think of what he could tell a superior officer about himself. The truth was, despite all his inward thoughts and feelings, he rarely had an answer to this sort of question.

"Well, I guess one thing I can tell you is that I'm a painter," Akash said, hoping it would pique the commander's interest. "I enjoy painting everything from still life, to landscapes, to portraits I like to swim to keep in shape. I was really glad to hear that the Triumphant actually has swimming pools aboard." Akash was surprised at himself for talking like this to a person he'd just met. Maybe he was still taken by the commander's red hair and elegant face.

He cleared his throat and went on. "I'm also a fencer, although my Academy Fencing Team days are probably in the file. I still practice here and there."

He took a sip of tea. "Can I ask about you?"

Like most people, Maddy didn't like to talk about herself, but since he'd asked her, she would do the best she could. She looked thoughtful as her mind worked over what she wanted to say. Truth be told, her life really wasn't all that interesting when she wasn't on duty. "You can, but I'm afraid you'll find I'm a rather boring person. I spend the majority of my personal time going over reports and other duty related things I might not have gotten the chance to get done during normal hours." Yes, she was definitely boring. "Reading and music are a must for me, but I do workout and enjoy boxing. Well, anything that will make me break a sweat, really."

Akash nodded as he sipped his tea. He could tell the commander liked to work out, but he sure wasn't going to make a comment on it. "Can I ask what brought you here to the Triumphant?" he asked.

"A transfer, actually. I originally came aboard the Triumphant as a fixed Second Officer to help out the Command staff, but then the Executive Officer developed some rather serious complications with her pregnancy shortly after, so I took over for her temporarily," the redhead replied, thinking back to those days. They seemed so long ago to her now. "When she decided to retire, my job as acting XO turned into a permanent role."

"Well I'm sure you'll do just fine," Akash said between sips of tea. "Is there anything you would like to say or ask me before I officially take the post?" he asked.

"Have you ever been at the helm of a ship this size before, Lieutenant?" Maddy found herself asking.

Akash paused for a brief second and took another sip of tea. "Honestly, I can't say that I have. The largest ship I've helmed was the USS Edinburgh, a Ronin-class that operated near the Badlands. I'll do my best to make sure everyone has a smooth ride."

"That would be greatly appreciated, Lieutenant, and make sure you try to keep her in one relative piece if you wouldn't mind," Maddy said, offering him a smile.

Akash responded in kind with a smile of his own. "Yes ma'am," he said as he put his finished cup of tea down on the desk. "Permission to take the post?" he asked.

"Permission granted. Dismissed, Lieutenant," The Commander said. "And welcome aboard."

"Thank you very much," Akash said softly as he stood up. With a smile, he turned and exited the XO's office. After the doors closed behind him, he smiled again as he turned down the hall to the turbolift.