The Security Chief - Getting Up To Speed

Posted on Sat Mar 5th, 2011 @ 12:45pm by Lieutenant JG Kili Dell & Master Chief Petty Officer Arathenar ch’Darnath & Captain Alexander Gunning

Mission: Shore Leave - Archa IV
Location: Station Security
Timeline: SL D02 - 0800

[ON]

She certainly dreaded going into work the next day. Both people that were going to be working under her were much older and likely much more experienced than she was. Not to mention that one of them had been passed over for a promotion because of her. Still, Kili Dell was not one to run away from a situation such as this, so she took a deep breath and entered the security office.

Virrak had been waiting for this for days. His bloody replacement would float through the doors and immediately start lording it over him like she was god's gift to Starfleet. "Ensign." He said, with a startling frankness. "I imagine you're here to kick me off your team because of something that the self-righteous prick in the command office has said?"

"While I understand your frustrations, ensign," the trill started to say, knowing full well that she'd need to assert her authority with the man if the two were going to work together, "I am the one that has been put into this position. Now we can either work as we're intended to or I could put in a request to have you reassigned to another location." The trill narrowed her eyes slightly as she expected an angry response to those words, but continued talking, "I have no desire to have someone undermine my authority with every word that comes out of his mouth, nor do I have the desire to make a joke out of this security office by arguing with you in public. Now, we can either settle this like Starfleet officers and you can get me up to speed or we can continue to argue like children about who deserves what. Which shall it be?"

Virrak was furious. Gunning had put her up to this. That treacherous weasel. "Look, kid. This job was as good as mine and they picked you up because some suit thinks I'm not good enough for the job. Well let me make this an easy choice for you, all right? I'm out. I don't want to work with some foetus with a title. I'll take the transfer even if it's to a bloody garbage scow."

Both the trill's eyebrows shot up at the reaction. While she had expected him to be angry over the situation, she had expected more fight over him keeping his spot. She stepped closer to the man, who clearly was taller than her, not to mention a decent bit more imposing, yet she seemed quite certain of herself when she hissed in response, "And there is the reason why you were not chosen for this spot. You think that my spot belongs to you, well from what I've seen and heard so far, you're most certainly not right. Holding this position is a privilege, not a right." She took a deep breath to try and calm her voice. The nerve, calling her a fetus, the insult was certainly an attempt to throw her off balance, but she wasn't going to bite, "And to judge someone at a first glance, without even having learned who they are, no wonder the Captain suggested that I have you transferred. Well, I'm afraid you won't get the easy way out of this. You're stuck with me until you can show me that you know how to do your job. After that, if you're still looking for a transfer, I'll put the papers in." She grinned slightly, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she added, "Now, you are free to go and request a transfer yourself, but somehow I don't think your pride will let you, especially when it means you'd be running away from a... fetus was it?"

"Aye, we'll see." Virrak responded. "I'm not running away- I'm advancing my career without you idiots dragging me back."

"Whatever," the trill responded, rolling her eyes slightly. It really wasn't going to be her day and she knew it, even from the day before, "believe me when I say this, you won't get far in this line of work by judging people before you've got to know them. It will do you some good to learn that for your next assignment, whatever it may be." She gave a slight shrug and turned around to the security station console. Would have been much easier to just get information from someone who had been there for as long as this ensign had, but she'd have to make do with sifting through the logs and trying to discover any pertinent information about her current position. She let out a small sigh and sat down, her fingers trailing across the controls.

Virrak couldn't decide what to do. The kid was right, of course she was. There was nothing he could really do now. He couldn't just sit here in silence, ready to take orders from her. This was the fifth time he'd been passed over for promotion from Ensign and he had to face facts, he was closer to forty than thirty.

The decision was galvanised. He put in a search on his desktop monitor and downloaded the file he needed. Standardised letters were the best way to do things. It had become abundantly clear in the short discussion that his opinion and way of working would not be appreciated. Much as he hated it, this was a new Starfleet with a new outlook on the Galaxy. There was no place for the 'shoot first, ask questions later' approach that he'd been brought up on.

He transmitted the file to the Captain's Office and then proceeded to download it to a PADD. Ponderously, he rose from his chair and walked across the security area to the glass-surrounded office of Ensign Dell. It was full of boxes, PADDs and other paraphernalia that one might find with a new department head.

"Listen, kid," he began before realising his mistake and changing his tone to something resembling respect, "Ensign Dell. May I speak with you a moment?"

She lifted her head from the console and smiled. It was a genuine smile, not one that would be considered mocking. "Of course. What can I do for you," she answered, making eye contact with him. She wasn't going to get annoyed over trivial things or the fact that the two didn't seem eye to eye at present.

"This might sound stupid, okay? But it's not you I'm annoyed with. In a way it's myself." Virrak said, shifting uncomfortably in the doorway. "I've been passed over for promotion what seems like a hundred times. Not just on this station but on my previous assignments as well. I'm starting to feel like maybe I'm not cut out for this life."

The trill gave a slight nod of her head, seemingly considering for a moment before giving her shoulders a slight shrug. "I can't tell if you are or aren't. Not until I've seen you in action, but something tells me the situation isn't as bad as you think it is. I mean... you've been here for quite a decent while, no? I assume the previous chief could have easily sent you on your merry way, but he kept you around for a reason. That should be what you need to focus on rather than the bad situation with you having not been promoted."

She let out a sigh and stood up, making her way around the numerous objects still lying on the floor to stand in front of the human. "See, there's more than one thing that you need to consider when it comes to promotions. Any of those numerous factors could affect your performance and how someone in charge of you sees your chances for a promotion. In my case, I know that I can keep an open mind and perhaps even give you a bit of advice on where you need to improve should you decide to stay," she said, lifting her eyes up to make eye contact with him. She knew she had the bad habit of looking like a puppy when she did that, her eyes opening a bit wider than necessary, although that usually got most men talking or at least believing there was nothing in the world she could possibly do to harm them, so she usually exploited that ability the best she could.

"I know that if your chief is the same rank as you, you can't get promoted until the chief does, but what I'm saying is... stick around for a while, give me some insider information... like say who the usual suspects are when something goes missing, troublemakers I might need to know about, possible sources of information around the station... and while you're at it, I can easily learn how you work and possibly give you some tips and pointers about it, then if you still wish to pursue your career elsewhere, I can request that transfer to you and write up a good report about your cooperation under the circumstances. How does that sound?"

"I appreciate the thought." Virrak said, stepping a little further into the room. "I've compiled a report on the 'usual suspects' on the station and its surrounding locales including a little something I picked up off the old Intelligence Chief about a possible gambling syndicate on Archa IV."

He placed the report PADD on the Ensign's desk before taking another from his pocket and placing it beside it. "I also have my letter of resignation. I think I've been in Starfleet too long and the time is right for me to... branch out on my own. Places down here are always in need of Security Consultants and they pay well too."

Her brows creased in a frown, but she wasn't going to complain. She had tried at least. Her hand reached out to pick up the PADD with his resignation and she skimmed over it. "Well, if that's really what you want, I'm not going to try and stop you. Best of luck in your next job... and try to not make me have to arrest you while doing it," she said, the last few words coming out as more of a joke. She authorized the resignation form before sending it to the captain for final authorization.

"Thank you." Virrak replied bluntly before turning to leave. He looked back over his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

[OFF]

Ensign Kili Dell
Chief of Station Security

Ensign Harris Virrak
Assistant Chief of Security