Commander Aren Tejak, Reporting as Ordered
Posted on Tue Feb 28th, 2023 @ 2:30am by Captain Liarra Von & Commander Aren Tejak
Mission:
A Day in the Life
Location: Corridor, Starbase 332
Timeline: 0724 hours
ON: [[Corridor, Starbase 332, 0724 hours]]
When the lift finally eased to a stop, Tejak stepped out. He had intentionally chosen not to arrive in operations itself, but rather one of the adjacent corridors, so that he could proceed to his destination without causing too much of a disruption. Thus, he turned and made his way along away from the central command hub.
Eventually, he approached a desk, where a young Andorian female sat. She looked up at him and greeted him by rank. A small sign on the desk identified her as Warrant Officer Talelle, Commanding Officer’s Aide. “How may I help you,” she asked.
“I am here to see Captain Von,” Tejak said.
“Yes, of course,” the woman said, “You must be Commander Tejak.” She paused, consulted a computer interface, and then smiled. “The captain is in her office. You can go on back.”
“Thank you,” Tejak told her, offering a smile. He stepped past the desk and into the short corridor beyond that led to the station commander’s office. Before long, he was outside her door, waiting to be admitted.
[[Station Commander’s Office]]
"Cappuccino, caramel, hot," Captain Von requested of the replicator in her office. The wall cavity lit up as the steaming mug materialized from thin air. She took the mug carefully and brought it to her lips, taking a small sip from the still hot liquid. She started for her desk when the chime at her rear office door sounded. "Come in," she replied, pausing her approach to her desk chair.
The door parted with a soft swish and Vejak entered the room. He crossed the distance in only a few strides, taking up position directly opposite the captain's desk. "Commander Aren Tejak," he said, "reporting as ordered, captain."
"Commander, welcome," she replied to the Cardassian standing before her. "I was looking forward to meeting you." Liarra gestured towards the couch, hoping to create a more relaxed atmosphere for their first meeting. "Please, have a seat. Can I get you anything?" she asked, lifting her mug as an example.
Tejak pondered the question a moment, then smiled. "Yes," he said, "a Valerian root tea would be wonderful."
Liarra placed the order at the replicator behind her desk and waited a moment for the beverage to materialize. She carefully carried the two hot drinks to her couch and handed the tea to the other officer before taking a seat next to him. She took a sip of her cappuccino before addressing him. "I hope your journey here was uneventful. Have you had an opportunity to get settled in?"
"A little," Tejak replied, taking the cup of tea into his hands, "Commander Prescott has been helping me orient myself to things." He paused and raised the tea to his lips. It was still a bit too hot, so he blew steadily a moment and then lowered it again. "You probably hear this a lot," he continued, "but I would have to say the biggest difference between my last posting and here is is the size. I don't know that I ever fully realized just how big these Stardock-class stations really are. The specifications don't do it justice."
"You think it's a difficult adjustment for you?" Liarra asked with a grin. "My previous assignment was a Defiant-class ship, the USS Jackal. Now that's a size adjustment. Still, I've been here for years now, and I don't know if it gets any easier. The shear size of this facility is mind boggling."
At the mention of Von having come from a Defiant-class ship, Tejak couldn't help but smile.
Liarra noted the smile from the Cardassian. "A fan of the little ship, are we?"
The chief of operations shook his head, though the smile remained. "My apologies, captain," he said, "I've no particularly strong feelings one way or other about the Defiant-class. It's just...well, as you said...quite the size adjustment. Still, I wouldn't sell yourself short. Prescott speaks quite highly of you, and from my experience of our conversations, I'm inclined to agree with his assessment. You manage this station well and I am looking forward to assisting you in that."
"Thank you, Commander. I do my best. Or at least I try. You come highly recommended yourself. When Commander Prescott was offered his new position, yours was the first name he mentioned as his replacement." Liarra hated that she was losing her chief of operations, but she was fortunate that he was able to give her some recommendations. It made her search much easier. "How long have you two known each other?"
"Seven years, I believe," Tejak replied, a smile coming to his face as he thought back on their first meeting, "Prescott was serving as one of the division heads on Starbase 117 when I was brought in as deputy chief. From the moment I met him, it was clear that not only did he know the technical aspects of his work, but he cared about people, too. Three years after that, I was promoted to chief and asked him to take over as my second." He paused, lifted his cup to his lips, and took a sip of tea. Then, he lowered it again. "He is a good officer...a good friend," he continued, "I was pleased for him when he received the assignment here, and equally pleased when he called to tell me that he'd been offered the position on Starbase 48."
"You were more pleased than I had been," Von replied with a smirk. "But I suppose my loss was their gain. It's a good assignment, and I know he'll do well there. He's a good man, and a damned good officer. It's a shame I didn't get a chance to get to know him as well as you have. But never mind Walter. Tell me about you. How did a Cardassian find his way into Starfleet? That had to be quite the journey."
Tejak gave a wry smile. "It was either that or something in the civilian sector," he said, somewhat bemusedly. The truth was, following the cessation of hostilities with the Dominion, opportunities for his advancement on Cardassia Prime had been virtually non-existent. There was essentially no government to speak of. Most of the infrastructure was damaged or destroyed. Millions were dead. Unless he was willing to go further afield, the only real options available had been Starfleet or the Allied Reconstruction Forces.
"My parents had a few contacts in Starfleet," he continued, "people they had gotten to know through their work. Fortunately for me, every one of them was willing to write the necessary recommendation letter and sponsor my application, so I decided to go for it. From there, it was simply a matter of keeping up with expectations."
"It couldn't have been easy going through the Academy as a Cardassian, especially so soon after the war. Cardassia and the Federation had been rivals for a long time," Liarra mused.
"By rights, Starfleet could have done whatever they wanted to my people after the war," the Cardassian explained, "The fact that we ended up with a common enemy does not erase the terrible things we did up to that point. They could have plundered us, as we did to the Bajorans, or left us to fend for ourselves. But instead, they chose to offer us mercy. Not only that, but they gave us resources, and they helped to rebuild our civilization." He paused a moment to let the weight of his words sink in a bit. This was certainly not the first time he had shared part of his story with someone, but in every instance, their reaction was almost always telling. "I suppose the reason I ended up going with Starfleet," he said, "was because I hoped that, one day, I might have the chance to do the same for someone else."
Liarra nodded along. "Your situation is certainly uncommon, but not unique. That's something I've always admired about Starfleet and the Federation. We're able to look past transgressions by governments, and not apply blame to individuals. Violence and suffering begets violence and suffering. Compassion and mercy is the only road to peace and coexistence." Liarra let slip a smile. "That was something my mother always used to say."
"A wise woman," Tejak said.
Liarra nodded and grinned. " A wise woman indeed."
Captain Liarra Von
Commanding Officer
Starbase 332
Commander Aren Tejak
Chief of Operations
Starbase 332
