New Officers [Backpost]
Posted on Mon May 23rd, 2016 @ 10:50pm by Captain Liarra Von & Lieutenant Commander Thomas Byrne & Commander Soleck
Mission:
Brave New World
Location: Stabase 332 - Ops
Soleck made his way through the corridors of Starbase 332 with the marked efficiency that you'd expect of a Vulcan. He'd already competed the preliminary paper work and unpacked the essentials in his quarters. There was more unpacking to do, but he knew that would be easy to complete over the next few days as he settled in.
Now, it was time to check in with Captain and make his official start on the station. He was eager to get to work as he boarded the newly opened turbolift, "Command Deck." He said, in his usual stoic tones.
"Hold that lift!" came a call from down the hall. Byrne had just beamed aboard, and dumped his things very quickly - as in tossed them through the doors of his quarters without really taking a look - into his new living space before heading on to catch the turbolift to see the Captain. Judging from the size of the station, he guessed he could be waiting a while for another lift if he missed this one.
A hand jutted itself abruptly between the closing doors to force them back open.
"Thanks," Byrne said as he stepped in the lift. He glanced quickly at the panel on the inside to see where it was going, so didn't bother giving the lift the same destination again. The destination combined with the deck they were leaving, and the Vulcan's red commander's uniform did however give him a fairly good idea of who he was riding the turbolift with - most likely the station's XO, or at least a member of the senior command staff. "Lieutenant Commander Byrne, new Chief of Security," he said by way of introduction.
"I am Commander Soleck, the station's new XO. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lt. Commander," The Vulcan replied in the expected stoic tone, and eye brow arching almost as if on reflex. He offered the man his hand to shake, opting to a less formal introduction. "I assume you, too, are reporting for duty?" He ventured.
Byrne took the hand and shook it, pleasantly surprised at the very human greeting ritual. "That's right. I had a rather rapid set of reassignment orders from the Eisenhower. My shuttle just dropped me off."
"I see. My reassignment was delayed, I'm not entirely sure why. I received an intriguing series of excuses from the Personnel office, but such is the life of a Starfleet Officer," Soleck replied, his face on the verge of a smile, but never quite making it there.
"There's always two sides to a coin," the security officer responded. "Wherever there's a delayed assignment filtering its way through Starfleet, there's always a rushed one hot on its heels."
Captain Von was busy discussing the finer points of traffic control when the newcomers arrived in Ops. It wasn't clear who had won the discussion, but at least Liarra was walking away with a satisfied expression on her face, a look that she hadn't worn in a while. She made a beeline to the new officers. "You must be Commanders Soleck and Byrne. Welcome to Starbase 332. Pardon our dust, but I'm sure you had been briefed on our recent situation."
"Indeed," Soleck replied. "I read the reports of the recent events during my transit to the station. Most interesting," He said calmly, in typical Vulcan fashion. Soleck saluted, "Commander Soleck, reporting for duty, ma'am. I would relieve the current XO, but it is my understanding he has already departed the station."
Interesting was not the way that she would have put it, but she wasn't going to argue logic with a Vulcan, especially one that she just met. "That's right. You just missed him by a couple of days. I've been managing to keep things together despite being a little short handed. I suppose it helps that the traffic has been mostly outgoing."
"Quite. I'm eager to pick up where the previous XO left off," Soleck said, with a polite bow.
"Excellent. I'm looking forward to working with you, Soleck," Von replied with a nod. She turned towards the new security chief. "And you as well, Commander Byrne. As you know, security on a starbase has its own set of challenges. I'm glad that you were willing to take the post."
"It's good to be here, Captain, even if I did leave my last posting in a bit of a rush," Byrne said. "I understand your last security chief had to leave in a bit of a hurry?"
Von nodded. She still wasn't sure how she felt about Jordan leaving the station. It just didn't feel the same without a Gunning on the station. But she kept this thought to herself. There was no need to alienate the new chief of security. He had enough on his plate without having to feel like he had big shoes to fill. "He did. There has been a lot of shuffling lately, unfortunately. A lot of officers like to use this assignment as a stepping stone to getting a ship. Hopefully that's not the plan for the two of you. You both came highly rated."
"I actually left a starship assignment for this assignment," Soleck explained. "I requested a station assignment specifically because I enjoy the larger range of experiences it offers. It would be completely illogical for me to leave for something I don't want," Soleck said, a hint of a smile on his face.
Liarra caught the hint of a smile, but she decided not to press the Vulcan on it. Instead, she responded with a grin of her own. "I'm glad to hear it. I think life on a starbase can be underestimated. And as you can see," she said, gesturing to the repair work going on around her, "we are not lacking in excitement."
"I've done my fair share of starship assignments, Captain, and I can say with certainty that I much prefer a more stationary life." Thomas answered. "My time with special investigations on Earth and on Starbase One-Two-Eight have taught me that I much prefer the life of an investigator over that of a starship weapons officer. And I can't say that my opinion on that would ever be swayed by a red uniform. Command was always more of my brother's thing than mine." The mention of his brother - Captain Benjamin Byrne - still brought a brief moment of pain with it, which he did well to keep from showing on his face. He had been reported killed in action when the Endeavour was lost two years ago.
"I take it that there is a lot of activity on the station since the recent excitement," he carried on. "Are there any particular security concerns you want me to focus on as I get settled in?"
"Nothing specific, Commander," Von replied. "There have been the usual calls about some looting and petty theft while the civilians pick up the mess caused by the fighting. Other than that, you have your standard starbase fare."
"Provided the Captain has no objections, I would very much like to come with you if you go on any sort of patrol, or plan to visit some of the crime scenes. While I am not exactly verse in security procedures, it would allow me a chance to get to meet the stations denizens and become more familiar with the layout," Soleck requested politely. It would also give him a chance to get to know the other new guy on the ship, which was also beneficial.
Von shook her head. "I have no objections, as long as Commander Byrne doesn't mind the company."
"I plan on shadowing each of my senior officers in the coming weeks, to try and get to know them better and get a feel for how they work," he answered. "I'd rather do that without anyone else tagging along, so I can see them in their normal day-to-day duties as much as possible, but outside of that, you're welcome to join me whenever you like."
Soleck gave the Security Chief a slight bow, "Perfectly logical, Commander. My presence may be off-putting, indeed. Please let me know when I may be at leave to join you." He said, arching an eyebrow.
The Vulcan turned back to the CO, "Captain Von, if you have time, may we have a moment to discuss your desires for me as an XO in private?" He asked.
"I can certainly spare a moment for something like that," Von replied, nodding. She gestured to the double glass sliding doors behind her. "Why don't we head to my office."
"Excellent," Soleck said, giving his new CO a slight bow, "Lieutenant Commander, it was a pleasure to meet you," He said politely, offering the other man a hand to shake.
"Likewise, Commander; Captain," Byrne said, shaking hands and giving a slight nod before turning to head off to his own duties, leaving them to go through theirs.
Captain Liarra Von
Commanding Officer
Commander Soleck
Executive Officer
Lt. Commander Thomas Byrne
Chief Security Officer
