Switching Things Up

Posted on Sat Jul 15, 2017 @ 11:39am by Commodore Michael Aravan & Captain Madelina Weisz & Lieutenant Commander Alex Rho & Lieutenant Xylia Lischka

Mission: Strange Matter
Location: Ready Room
Timeline: MD 27 || 0800 Hours

Commodore Michael Aravan walked into the newly repaired Ready Room and was pleased to see that his bonsai trees had been cared for in his absence, but needed trimming and some pruning. That would have to wait, he decided as he headed to the small serving table to prepare a pot of Kona blend coffee that he had picked up in Hawaii. He had a tan from his trip and looked as if he were ready for anything without any of the tension from the previous mission sitting on his shoulders.

While he waited for the coffee to brew, Michael activated the conference table and pulled up two personnel files and studied them closely. Both the officers that he had selected were fine, highly trained officers and one of them was wasting their talents while the other was proving his. He tapped his combadge as he made up his mind.

=^=Commander Weisz, Lieutenant Lischka and Lieutenant Rho, report to the Ready Room.=^= he called and then tapped his combadge once more to end the summons.

Maddy, who was sitting in her office, rose to her feet after saving what she was working on and exited her office. The summons from the Captain wasn't unusual. It was likely they had received their new orders, and he wished to discuss them with her before they called a briefing with the rest of the senior staff.

It didn't take long before she was standing outside Michael's ready room, but before pressing the chime she straightened her uniform and took a deep breath. Now, she pressed the chime and waited to be granted entry.

Xylia moved toward the ready room with a sense of dread looming over her. It wasn't often an individual was called into a meeting with the CO and XO... and Alex was being called in, too? Had they found out about the closet incident? Were she and Alex about to be reprimanded for it? This couldn't be good.

Up ahead, she saw the Commander waiting outside the ready room door and swallowed a lump in her throat. Her nerves were getting the best of her, but she did what she could to not let them show. "Commander," Xylia said with a respectful nod.

Maddy offered Xylia a smile. "Lieutenant."

"Enter," Michael called as he poured a cup of coffee and moved to the head of the table.

Maddy entered Michael's office with Xylia behind her. She looked over to Michael. "You wished to see us, Captain?" she asked as both German women settled down in two of the vacant chairs.

"Yes," Michael said. "But Lieutenant Rho needs to be here before I tell you why."

Alex had been down in Deck Forty-four getting reacquainted with changes due to the repairs. Then he had a few other things to do. When he heard the Captain's request come through, he responded that he was on his way and took the Intel PADD he'd been working on. Whatever the Captain wanted, he should be able to access it from that. He activated his transporter armband and materialized at an obscure station on the Bridge. Alex walked over to the Ready Room door and rang the chime.

"Enter," Michael called again.

Alex walked in, PADD in hand, and started to say something when he saw the Commander and Xylia in there. It didn't show, but he was surprised.

When the Intel Chief came in, Michael motioned for him to have a seat and indicated his and Xylia's personnel files on the conference table they sat at. "You two have recently came to my attention," he said. "And I think there's only one thing to do about it."

He looked at Maddy. "You're the official witness, Commander Weisz," he told her.

"Official witness to what exactly?" the redhead woman asked with the arch of a brow. "Can you tell us what's going on?"

"I'd like to know that myself. If I did something wrong, can you tell me what it is so that I can get my punishment underway?" Lischka asked.

"Certainly," Micheal said. "Computer, play Official One."

Immediately the computer began to play the wedding march song as the Commodore stood up. "Although if either of you call a wedding punishment, the honeymoon should be real fun."

Xylia blinked when Here Comes the Bride began to play. Surely he wasn't talking about her and Alex. Their conversation about moving in together hadn't gone well, and she had been doing her level best to avoid anything that had anything to do with serious. And this... this was as serious as things got. "I wasn't aware that you and Spencer were having problems, nor that you wished to marry me or Alex," she stated. She didn't add Maddy into the mix since she was brought in as a witness.

This time, Alex looked at the Commodore sideways. He wasn't sure in the least what was going on and he expected that Commander Weisz didn't either. And Xylia's response told him the same thing. Though, he couldn't figure out how the Commodore's earlier pointing out of their personnel records fit into it. But...the wedding march?

"I see this is one of those times when you think you can get away with farting in a noisy room and it suddenly falls silent," Michael said. "Computer, turn off music."

"Starfleet Command has contacted me and it seems that Lieutenant Lischka has been in their spotlight a bit," he said. "Namely, they tried to take you from me," he told Xylia. "However, now that I'm a Commodore, I got first dibs on you, and I've decided to utilize your Command experience and make you an offer. How would you like to be our new Mission Advisor?"

"What do you mean tried to take me away from you? Why could they possibly want me? I haven't done anything spectacular," she said.

Maddy shook her head. "That's where you're wrong. You've done many amazing things over the years, things that would gain the attention from Starfleet Command. Don't sell yourself so short."

"You have Command experience and qualifications, Lieutenant," Michael said. "That makes you valuable to Starfleet. Do you want the role or should I let you pack so some other ship can take you?"

"Can I have a little time to think about it and get back to you?" Xylia asked. "This is kind of a big deal."

"Unfortunately, time isn't a luxury," Michael said. "We're going to be getting our orders within the hour as soon as we're cleared. I'll need your answer by the end of this meeting."

Xylia sighed. This was a big deal, and a HUGE opportunity for her career wise, but having until the end of the meeting to think it over wasn't enough. "I'll take on the role of MA for the duration of our next mission," she said. "I'll take that time to make a decision."

"Very well," Michael said before he looked at Maddy after changing Xylia's position on her file. "Commander Weisz, while you were in Sickbay - and it's good to see that you're no longer a popsicle - Lieutenant Rho stepped in to fill your shoes. How would you feel about making him our Second Officer?"

"I would agree with that choice," Maddy said with a smile before looking to Alex, then turning back to Michael. "I thought we were having a shotgun wedding between Xylia and Alex for a second there. I've always loved weddings, though I've never been lucky with those personally." She blinked, realizing she'd gone off on a tangent. "Sorry... let's continue."

"The wedding party disagreed with the fart," Michael said with a rueful chuckle before he looked at Alex. "Well, Lieutenant Rho, do you wish to be Second Officer as well as maintain your normal duties as Chief of Intelligence?"

Alex grinned. "Well, I'll admit, I've never heard it put quite that way, Commodore. I believe I can accomplish that. I have a good team in the Intel Department and it would broaden my horizons more. I'll accept, Sir." Alex was...intrigued...by the offer. The Intel Chief had a multitude of questions going through his mind. None of which he was going to voice. It was simply his old paranoia surfacing again.

"Whenever Commander Weisz needs you or we need to make a Command decision, we'll get ahold of you," Michael said. "Do you have any questions?"

"Now is the time to ask them," Maddy said. "Though, if you would prefer to let things sink in a bit, you can always come to the Captain or I at a later date to ask them. You know we both have an open door policy."

"I understand," said Alex. "And I only have one question," he looked from the Commander to the Commodore, "what are our orders from Starfleet now that shore leave is over?"

"As of yet, we don't have orders," Michael said before he looked at the new Mission Advisor. "Lieutenant Lischka, contact Starfleet Headquarters and find out what we're doing."

"Yes, Captain," Xylia said as she rose to her feet. Her new role was definitely going to be a huge change, but she never backed down form a challenge. With her orders passed down, she excused herself from the ready room to find out what their next mission was.

Maddy watched the former Assistant Chief vacate the office before she looked toward the two men she was left with. "I will have to congratulate her later. Mister Rho, you and I will be working together quite a bit in the future. Your new role will not be the traditional PADD pusher as it has been for others before you. You will be as involved as you can be when you aren't handling your department."

Alex watched Xylia leave and then turned to the XO. "I look forward to working alongside you, Commander. Thank you both for the opportunity and challenge."

Michael made the adjustment to Rho's personnel file and looked at him. "Your new Security Clearance is Alpha One and your Data Access is now level eight."

"Congratulations, Lieutenant," Maddy said with a smile.

"Thank you, Commander," replied Alex. He turned to the Commodore, "And thank you, Commodore. I mean nothing against you by what I'm about to do... Computer, confirm Security Clearance and Data Access update to Lieutenant Alex Rho's personnel file and connect with authorization code Rho-zeta-four-zero-gamma-gamma-two."

The computer responded, "Lieutenant Rho's Security Clearance and Data Access Level has been updated to Alpha One and Level Eight and is connected to the authorization code."

Alex nodded and turned back to the Commodore. "It's a long story that I can regale you with at some point when you have time and wish to relax. And maybe even laugh a little. But for now, I was making sure that I wouldn't have any interesting events take place in Intel."

"I'll have to remember that," Michael said. "For now, though, I'll leave you to the Commander's tender embraces."

Maddy rose to her feet. "We're not in the middle of a shitstorm right now, so why don't you shadow me for the day? If your department needs you for any reason you will, of course, be permitted to see to that."

Alex followed the Commander's lead and stood up as well. "Sounds like a plan, ma'am. I can't think of a better way to learn."

"Captain... I'll be in touch," the Commander said with a smile as she exited the ready room.

The dark haired Intel Chief nodded to his Commanding Officer, "Commodore, thank you again." Then he followed the tall redhead out and onto the Bridge. This was going to be an exciting new step for him.

When they left, Michael poured himself another cup of coffee and got back to work.