Sniff, Sniff

Posted on 08 Jun 2016 @ 8:53pm by Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler & Commodore Harvey Geisler
Edited on on 29 Aug 2016 @ 3:15am

1,352 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Risky Business
Location: Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: MD 01

Lieutenant Joelle Corwin, and her K-9 Officer, Rico, stepped off of the turbolift and onto the Bridge of the Black Hawk. She had seen the Bridges of various ships in the past, but most of the time, it was only in passing. This was different. This was a ship she was going to be serving on for the foreseeable future, and while she wasn't likely to put in any hours on the Bridge under her current positions, she'd be able see it more if there was need for her to see the Captain or Executive Officer. Sadly, though, there was no time to stop and smell the proverbial roses. She needed to check in so she could get settled as quickly as possible and start the new chapter of her career.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she made her way to the Captain's Ready Room. She had zero idea what to expect from the man she was going to be serving beneath, and a sudden case of nerves wove their way into the pit of her stomach. That wasn't a common occurrence for her, and while it didn't really make any sense to her, it was pretty commonplace in new situations. Shoving those feelings aside, Joey reached for the panel on the side of the door and touched her finger to it to set the chime off, letting whoever was on the other side know there was a visitor waiting.

Harvey was standing behind his desk, shuffling through a pile of PADDs when the chime sounded. "Where is it," he muttered. He'd spent the better part of the last ten minutes trying to find a communique from Commodore O'Connell relating to a few changes in the task force, critical information he needed to review prior to the staff briefing. He declared an exasperated "Come!" as he continued to clatter through the paperwork, quickly skimming each screen to see if he'd found the PADD his yeoman had delivered the night before. If only he'd had an Executive Officer, then this clutter would be certainly less.

Upon hearing the exasperated 'Come!', Joey took a deep breath. She, and the white German Shepherd next to her, walked through the door once it opened. Now she knew why his tone came across as it did. He seemed to be looking for something, and what that was exactly, was beyond her. "Captain Geisler?" She asked, as she approached him and the clutter he was currently sifting through.

The voice was unfamiliar to him, prompting his to glance up to see a woman standing there. Harvey looked back down to the pile he'd created on his desk, only to jerk his head back up when he realized who and what was standing before him. The tall brunette was unfamiliar to him, as was the white German Shepherd beside her. Her hair did not obscure the two solid gold pips on her operations yellow collar. He caught his gaze as it started to wander; Harvey was the captain and had to act that way. As he collected himself, he recalled that several new crew were due to arrive today to replace the officers they'd recently lost. He had reviewed their files and names, but had not seen photographs nor did he remember much about them. Such was the price of not having a command team for a few days.

"Welcome aboard," he greeted, not moving from behind the desk and holding a PADD he hadn't yet looked at for the fifth time in his hand. "What can I do for you, Lieutenant?"

"Thank you, Captain," Joey said, offering him a polite smile. She hadn't seen his gaze start to wander, not that she'd have said anything even if she did. In fact, she couldn't help but notice that he was a pretty attractive man, but found herself pushing those thoughts from her mind. She was there in an official capacity, and such thoughts were bad. "I wanted to come introduce myself. Lieutenant Joelle Corwin, but I prefer to be called Joey when I'm not on duty. I'm your new Chief K-9 Officer and Security Investigations Officer."

Harvey nodded as the name sounded familiar. "Welcome aboard, Miss Corwin." The captain gave no other indication on how he should be addressed off duty. He preferred to not to fraternize with the crew unless the situation absolutely warranted it. Looking down at her companion, he asked, "And who do we have here?"

"Thank you, Captain," She said. "This is K-9 Officer Rico. He's actually quite friendly, but when the situation warrants, that can change at the drop of a hat." And right now, the situation did not warrant any change in the animals behavior. In fact, he began to scent the air and turned his attention toward the Captain.

"Welcome aboard, Mister Rico." Harvey looked back down at his pile of PADDs and tried to quietly resume his search. "How long have the two of you served together?"

"For the past three years and ten months. I got him when he was two months old." She watched as he began to resume his search for whatever it was he was looking for, and if she had to guess... since he seemed to go back to the stack of PADDs... he had somehow misplaced one. "Is this what you're looking for, Captain?" She asked, bending over to grab a PADD that had fallen to the floor and was sticking halfway out from beneath the desk. If he was trying to avoid looking at her before, it would be hard to look away now.

The Captain had slowed his search momentarily, only to force himself to blink and look down at what she'd retrieved. A small wave of embarrassment rippled through his face, not because he felt ashamed at what just took place, but rather that he missed the fact that he'd knocked a PADD on the floor. He was sure if Chief Rasputin was nearby that he would certainly get an ear full. "Thank you, Lieutenant," he said, taking a look at the screen. It was indeed the PADD he sought.

Joey smiled. "You're welcome. Do you have any questions for me?"

"I'm honestly afraid I don't," Harvey confessed, stepping out from behind the desk. He began to approach the two officers, and crouched in front of Rico to scratch behind his ears. "I don't want to keep the both of you, as I'm sure our Chief of Security is looking forward to meeting with the both of you."

Rico, who was really a friendly dog, shifted his weight and raised a leg to paw at the Captain's chest. If he was going to be shown attention, he planned to show it right back. Not be out done by Harvey, though, he leaned forward to lick the man right on the face. He'd been checking their new CO out the moment they walked through the door and decided he sensed no ill intent coming from him, and that made him okay in his book.

Joey looked between the two of them with a smile. "It seems that you have made yourself a new friend, Captain. He's petting you right back, and you're getting kisses, too. I might start to get jealous soon." But, which one of them was she referring to?

"Then, hello, new friend," Harvey said, smiling as he stood and patted Rico on the head. He briefly considered mentioning that someone else would not take it well that he'd been kissed by another, but this was not the time or place, much else the person he should share that with. "I look forward to serving with you. Welcome to the Black Hawk, both of you."

"Likewise, Captain. If Rico disappears on me, I have a feeling I'll know where to find him," She said, though it was highly unlikely anything like that was ever going to happen. "Enjoy the rest of your day." With that, she and Rico made their way out of his Ready Room to move on to more introductions.

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