Fresh from the Academy
Posted on 03 Jun 2024 @ 6:24pm by Commodore Harvey Geisler & Ensign (Provisional) Bertrim Wysocki
Edited on on 08 Jun 2024 @ 9:58am
1,787 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Shattered Unity
Location: Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: June 19, 2390 || 0800 hours
"C'mon Socks," his bunkmate called from the adjoining room as he remained focused on his freshly issued uniform with crimson red shoulder pads. He had looked into this very same mirror every morning for the past three years looking at himself in his cadet uniform counting to the days he would be leaving the Academy as an Ensign.
The reflection remained the same while he looked through the porthole from the Perseus's Ten Forward. Due to personnel shortages, Captain Geisler had requested a Cadet to be his chief flight control officer. That's why he found himself being ferried across the quadrant to his first assignment: the Black Hawk.
The Ensign's reflection pulled away from the porthole window as the door to Captain Geisler's Ready Room slid open giving him approval to enter. He confidently took his first few steps onboard, "Provisional Ensign Bertrim Wysocki reporting as ordered, sir." He stood at attention and stiffness. His lanky frame maintained the posture while he looked straightforward.
Harvey looked up from his desk to the fresh-faced ensign. He didn't immediately reply to the new arrival. In many ways, the entire situation was a bit frustrating. The Black Hawk had launched without a full crew, and two very clear vacancies in his senior staff. This had left the command and flight control departments lacking, and no proper pilot for the helm. He knew that some at Gamma Command thought he was crazy looking for a cadet to fly his ship.
Then again, most of those same people thought he was crazed to begin with. "At ease, Mister Wysocki," Harvey stated. He rose from the desk, not to shake the man's hand, but to take a quick trip to the side table where a half-empty carafe of coffee waited for him. "Cup of coffee before we begin?"
Wysocki stood at ease and watched the Captain move about his ready room and approached the small side table, "No, thank you, sir." He appreciated the offer but he had already had already had reached his limit before the Perseus rendezvous with the Black Hawk.
The Captain would not protest, much less insist, that the Ensign have something. On one hand, it left more coffee for him, which was purely selfish. On the other, it meant that Harvey could just as quickly return to his desk. As he did, he gently gestured to one of the seats in front of the desk, inviting Bertrim to sit. "Despite the fact that we're floating in the graveyard, I did have a few moments to review your file. Looks like you've been out here in the Gamma Quadrant for quite a while."
"Thank you, Captain." Wysocki approached the seats in front of the Captain's desk. He nodded his head, "Yes, Captain. I was born, raised, and lived in the Gamma Quadrant for all of my life with exception for the war."
The Ensign chose the chair on the left and sat down across from the Captain.
"Yes," Harvey said, sitting behind the desk and sipping his coffee. "I believe it's an unfortunate thing you and I both have in common, losing someone so close to us at Betazed. For me, it was my first wife. Vaporized when a medical complex was destroyed by the Jem'hadar."
The Ensign became slightly uncomfortable with the discussion about their loss. His parents had separated when he was two and now as an adult he barely remembered who his father was but the Dominion had taken the opportunity for him to have a relationship with his father seventeen years ago. The Captain's explicit details about the death of his first wife is haunting, "I'm sorry to hear about your loss, Captain."
Harvey was no empath, but he could tell that the mood had changed in the last few moments. He brushed the discussion aside and changed gears in the discussion. "How do you feel about your assignment to the Black Hawk, Ensign Wysocki? It's rather prestigious for someone still in training to be granted a license to fly a starship."
"I'm pretty excited to be here, Captain. I am looking forward to learning under your command and proving myself as a capable pilot."
The Captain smirked, recognizing that zeal and eagerness. "Flattery will only get you so far, Ensign." Harvey didn't mean it as chastisement, and hopefully it wouldn't be taken in that manner. "I don't think I have to warn you what life can be like out here in the Gamma Quadrant. I know we were supposed to collect you at the original rendezvous time today, but here we are in the early morning coordinating search and rescue. I don't suppose you've had a chance to read up on current events?"
The Ensign could be possibly speaking out of line but he wanted it to be on the record, "Flattery was unintended, Captain." He thought on the moment about the Captain's follow-up question regarding recent events, "I have heard some rumors while onboard the Perseus that Starfleet starships have been destroyed, other than that, no."
Harvey placed his mug of coffee on the table, and then folded both hands onto the table. "The rumors are true, unfortunately. In the last three days, five starships have been destroyed. So has Starbase Unity. Before you start thinking it was a Regulus or anything large, Starbase in this sense is just a term of endearment. Unity is..." Harvey paused for a moment to correct himself. "...was a small series of buildings erected on top of an asteroid. In all cases, we've detected an unusual amount of radiation, which interferes with sensors and transporters. We've found evidence of polaron weapons, but so far the Dominion is denying involvement."
"Holy shit," The two words escaped the Ensign's lips while he sat there in disbelief. Then he suddenly released his usage of strong language, "Apologies for my language, Captain."
The Ensign remained quiet while he collected his thoughts, "An entire starbase? ... How... is... that even... possible?"
Harvey smirked at the use of colorful language. It was only a few hours ago that he'd shared a few curse words of his own on the bridge. "That's what we're trying to figure out. Whoever did this was incredibly precise. Each ship's computer core was destroyed and records lost. All we know right now is that someone has a lot of firepower, arrives suddenly and vanishes into the night before anyone can arrive."
The Ensign understood that they were in a very precarious situation that wasn't uncommon for Starfleet Officers. Trials and tribulations were part of the life they chose. He learned that very early on in life from his mother during the Dominion War. His training sessions and the lessons he learned on the Kobyashimaru simulator in both the pilot and even the captain's chair began to resurface. It is very possible they were facing a no-win scenario. Now he only wished he booked more time in battle simulators than general starship piloting,
Then a thought came to the young ensign's mind, "Do we have an idea how they're choosing their targets so perhaps we can be a few steps ahead?"
After taking a generous swig of his coffee, Harvey shook his head. "I'm afraid there hasn't been enough time to determine a pattern. All we can tell right now is that all of these attacks are occurring on the fringe of Federation-patrolled space. At this time, it might be best for you to study up-on maneuvers, especially where surprise attacks are concerned. I don't like getting caught unaware."
"You and I are on the same page there, Captain. Are we going to be performing live drills or should I have high priority in booking time on the Holodeck?"
The Captain considered the question for a moment. "Morale's pretty low at the moment, especially with us practically swimming in ferrying survivors. Best I can do for now is authorize high priority in the Holodeck. I'll make sure Commander Marsh, our Chief Operations Officer, is aware."
"Thank you for that, Captain." The Ensign gave the Captain a curt nod after the sudden realization with the Captain's comment that the crew's gone to Hell and back dealing with survivors. "Does Medical need my assistance with triage? I am certified in field first aid."
Harvey could not stop the chuckle from escaping his lungs. Somehow he'd skipped over the fact that the young ensign had any sort of medical training when Harvey reviewed his file. Yet another thing the two men had in common. "Our medical staff makes up about ten percent of the total crew, and I can safely state that they are certainly overwhelmed. Any assistance you could provide would be appreciated, but don't let it distract you too much from the helm."
"I will head down there after I've concluded reporting to my duty station and customize my console. I'm very peculiar on how I like things set up. Is Commander Marsh on the bridge, presently sir? I would like to introduce myself or any other members of the senior staff if they're there for that matter."
"We're all spread out currently," Harvey confirmed. "Our XO, Commander Reynolds, Chief of Security, Commander Di Pasquale, and Counselor, Lieutenant T'Mari, are all off ship engaged in investigations and recovery work. If Commander Marsh isn't trying to find more space for the survivors, he should be on the bridge. As a senior officer, you are welcome to find any of them at your leisure and introduce yourself. Otherwise, there's always the next staff briefing. That'll either be tonight or tomorrow morning, depending on how today's efforts go."
That made perfect sense why he was reporting to the COO and not the XO. However, the Captain did put in a request that a cadet to take on the billet of Chief Flight Control Officer, so perhaps he would have met with him regardless if Commander Reynolds was onboard the ship, "I look forward to meeting my colleagues nonetheless, Captain."
"And I look forward to you at the helm," Harvey replied. "Any last questions for me, Mister Wysocki?"
The Ensign gave his answer some thought without rushing to a dismissal, "I can't think of anything more at this time, Captain."
Captain Geisler nodded, and rose from his chair. He extended a hand across the table and said, "Then, I have nothing else to say except welcome aboard. I'll leave you to it."
The Ensign followed the Captain's movement by raising out his chair and reached and shook the Captain's hand, "Thank you, Captain. Speak with you soon."
He turned around and made his way for his duty station on the bridge.
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