Chief on Deck

Posted on 19 Jun 2016 @ 2:56pm by Commodore Harvey Geisler

2,471 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Risky Business
Location: Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: MD 1 || 1300 hours

ON:

Samantha was finished with her security brief and getting all the armament and weaponry securely stored. He first appointment was tactical. Therefore she made her way down the corridor to the turbo lift, "Deck one.". The lift ascended very quickly and she remained silent for the trip, soon the turbo lift opened. She walked straight onto the bridge, stopped in front of the doors and looked around the bridge. She was indeed surprised with the size; then she wondered. Should she report to the captain; it's usually customary to do that, and the ship is at warp after all. She looked at the tactical console and saw someone operating it, 'Hmmm, he could stay there a little longer. I'll see if the captain wants to see me now or later.' Samantha thought to herself. So she turned and walked to the ready room and chimed.

Harvey had remained on the bridge for the first hour since they departed. It had felt good to be back on the bridge of his ship again, especially armed with a higher purpose. Staring at the warp trails that passed on by began to bore him, and his mind had begun to wander more towards the particulars of the tasks set before him by Commodore O'Connell. That's when he had decided to withdraw to his Ready Room to review those particulars once more, hoping for a hint of inspiration for a tactic or two.

He was not surprised in the slightest when the chime sounded, nor was he curious who was on the other side of the doorway. Harvey was expecting interruptions. After all, it came with the territory. "Come!" he declared from the desk, his eyes unwavering from the desktop terminal.

As the doors swooshed open, Samantha entered and saw the busy captain at his desk. Samantha thought he was deep in thought as to what lies ahead. It did make her wonder if disturbing him was really the wrong time especially when the pleasantries and customary traditions could be saved for when they get back but hey ho, she made her decision on gut. She thought 'what else could happen, get out I'm busy?' , "Senior Chief Petty Officer Samantha Hanson, sir, your Chief of the Boat." She said being stood to attention. She hadn't stood to attention in years and sometimes she thought that it's nice being at the bottom rather than being at the top and wondered if so many officers with so many busy responsibilities would love to be a low rank.....just for 24 hours. A sort of holiday away from the job but still doing a job so as to speak.

A glance up from the terminal and Harvey immediately noticed her respect for protocol. "At ease, Chief," Harvey said with a dismissive wave of his hand. Senior Chief Hanson would be the ship's first Chief of the Boat since Sikes was killed in the boarding raids several months ago. In fact, part of him had wondered why the Consortium hadn't taken the chance to replace Sikes with a Consortium agent the moment they arrived at Deep Space 11. Probably a waste of resources, he figured.

"Have a seat, Miss Hanson," Harvey said, gesturing to one of the chairs in front of the desk.

Samantha saw the seat and sat comfortably, she crossed her legs and had crossed her hands on her knee; she may have been a Marine but now she's fleet so she can afford to act like a lady for a change. Especially in front of her commanding officer, "So sir, I hear from the reports from Unity that the ship has had a spout of illness. How's that going? I know, had to organise some replacements but how have they been for you sir? " Samantha understood quite well that enlisted morale was her responsibility and the ship didn't boot off a chief of the boat at Unity, so assumed it hadn't had one for a while.

"The virus still doesn't have an official name, though I know Doctor Kij is working on that." Harvey sighed. "We lost six, not including our first officer who perished in an equipment malfunction. As far as the replacements, I haven't had the chance to see them in action. We were, after all, only at Unity for about six hours tops." He couldn't even remember what time they arrived. It was late in the night and he'd been resting in his quarters as part of his own recovery process.

Samantha was slightly disheartened for a loss of an XO, "Sorry for the loss of the XO.; I'm sure you two knew each other well."

Harvey grunted, thinking of both Mac, the woman who loved him, and Xiao, the kid who died senselessly. "Those are stories for another day, I'm afraid," he said. "I trust you're settling in well?"

Samantha smiled a smile that her captain didn't want to chat but she understood that anyway. She believed that a commander shouldn't ground to a heap on the floor otherwise it'll be a weakness to the rest of the crew. So she'd be sure they'll be a time and a place for everything and probably off ship too. Then as the captain asked her as to whether she was settling in, she thought and couldn't make a fair assessment, "It's early days sir. I literally just got aboard and hit the ground running; I really didn't think it would get that busy in a six hour timeframe that I had to work with, base side. I still need to get amongst the crew to show my face. I'm estimating another security brief call. But as for being in charge of the enlisted crew, I don't plan on having inspections every morning, checking quarters for cleanliness and tidiness. I think they're all adult enough to look after themselves in the first instance, unless you have received complaints from security?"

"If there are complaints," Harvey said, "they don't hit my desk unless the issue is severe or requires a Captain's Mast. I'm sure you'll have your work cut out for you though. I'm sure you knew that since you are aware of where we just came from."

"From a Marine point of view yes. But you would expect fleet to be more sensible. Therefore I shouldn't have any discipline issues, and I'll treat that as a godsend. Meaning I can concentrate on tactical, I may spend time on a computer generated targeting practice on the holodeck. I have had some practice on at Unity but the Unity isn't moving through space." Samantha wanted to iron out her work. With the reduced tactical awareness whilst in the nebula, she believed that she needed to spent time self teach on hitting a target with reduced armament.

"You may want to focus on manual targeting," Harvey suggested to the brunette in tactical yellow in front of him. "Where we're going, there aren't any sensors. Torpedo guidance systems will barely function. Every shot's going to have to count." Changing subjects, he asked, "So, how does a Marine officer wind up as a Chief of the Boat anyway?" Harvey had reviewed her file on the way to Unity.

Samantha was wondering when he'll get to that, "I was stripped of my commission as an officer. I knew it was coming at the time and thought I'd be dishonorably stripped but was spared that. Don't misinterpret, there were those that wanted me as a civilian but the majority and influence had saved me. But this would be my final chance as all the aces have been used up." Samantha was feeling unsettled with the issue but put on a brave face.

Harvey simply nodded. "It's not every day one avoids a discharge," he said, knowing how close he'd been put on report himself over the years. "What'd you do?"

"There was an issue where I was tasked by my father to carry out some marine intelligence in Romulan space. My father simply wanted me to spy for him but he's my father. I would never question him for unsanctioned activities in his area of responsibility. So he knew what the romulans were up to but could never prove it. So he sent me to get the information for him. So I complied. I got caught, ruthlessly interrogated but I had already reported my findings. My father rescued me but at a cost to a region of space and more work for him to keep secure. It then became my word against his when Starfleet found out. My sister, Louise had defended him and they lied on me."

Samantha put her head down. "They lied on me. Whatever happened when I was caught and handed back. I have no idea, how or why the Romulans got that area of space must have had something to do with me. Maybe they knew they had a very good bargaining chip, the generals daughter, found in romulan space. It's classified information, sometime later, a task group was sent to retake the area. But yet, when I went into the tribunal, they still lied. But I knew he wouldn't go as far as sending me to a dilithium mine for fifty years. It was an unsanctioned black op, gone wrong. The details were classified or left unreported, I don't know. But there were words mentioned somewhere and so I was reduced to second lieutenant."

The issue got her upset and angry, "So I was following orders but made to look the criminal and this is what I got. A swift kick down and doing menial crap on a marine base with a fuzzbucket marine platoon. After where I've been........I had never adjusted, I was too stubborn and angry, I wanted access to those files, I wanted access to my father just to ask him why and you know what? He cut me off, saving face, second rate daughter. I'd bet he fed her something nasty, nasty enough to hate me and work with him to sink me. I eventually got depressed, the effect of doing low ranking tasks, ignorance from family, left out on a limb. I had a short fuse, someone pushed me buttons too far, so I hit him. Here we go, back in court, the same favourable admirals. Which begs the question, a criminal would never be tried by the same judge. For reasons of knowing your history and that may impair judgement rather than a fresh pair of eyes, fresh mind. So I thought, like years ago when the Italian mafia would pay off judges to set italian criminals free because it was a mafia orchestrated murder. So there was an influence with this judge. Maybe my father has some humiliating beef on him.....she in trouble, get on That court hearing, keep her in the service otherwise she ends up in a mine shaft.

"So my report was read as an lieutenant commander XO aboard the USS Callisto. So I saw the enlisted ranks as the only option...... Well he did give me an ultimatum, mine shaft or enlisted ranks. I chose enlisted ranks but after therapy. I was going down a path I shouldn't go, especially after suspected romulan interrogation methods and a disowning father and sister. Yea I had problems.... so eventually, moved to fleet to start a new life. I would like to be the best Chief of the Boat....then move base side to be a Command Master Chief or be a COB on a bigger ship. Bravofleet done away with Task Force Master Chief years ago so won't be getting that. But yes, eventually a CMC and I'd be satisfied.......for a while anyway." Samantha started to bare up as she was getting used to her new plan. At present, being something else other than an officer, she wasn't ready for and to be dressed in green ever again. From a point of view, if one band of people do you a disservice then you'd hate people of the same persuasion but that's discriminatory since it might be the next person that saves your rear. At present, that's where Samantha's mind was, so the therapy is continued integration rather than segregation. Segregation doesn't cure the problem but prolongs it.

Harvey sat behind his chair, carefully taking in every word. "I'm no stranger to second chances, Chief. One thing you won't find aboard the Black Hawk is subterfuge. We might be on the fringe of known space, and fighting for our lives and to get our home back, but that doesn't mean we'll be resorting to crude methods to accomplish it. You're fortunate to be in an environment where your reputation hasn't preceded you, and where you can have several ex-Marines for company."

Samantha knew her issues more than anyone else knew, well she was living it, "Sir, I just want to get on. My career change from fleet to marine hasn't done me any favours but if I knew then what I knew now. I would have stayed on the Callisto. I'm more interested in putting everything all behind me and continue this new path. I think it'll be a different level of experience and I'm out of everyone else's hair and couldn't really cause much as a simple COB sir."

He nodded his agreement. "And, who knows, maybe one day you'll find yourself back in green."

Samantha's eyes widened, "Hell no, if Starfleet think I'm good in red then that's where I'll stay. Anyway, it makes my figure more slender." Samantha smiled.

Harvey smirked, but would not comment on the matter. "Well, Chief, I won't take any more of your time. I'm sure you have a lot to do to not only get settled, but also get to know the crew."

Samantha loved to tease people that know they can't be teased because protocol forbids them too but it is a luxury that enlisted crew can get away with, "Oh I'll definitely will get to know the crew. But thank you for seeing me." Samantha got up and prepared herself before leaving.

Harvey stood up in response. "You are welcome, Chief. Feel free to approach any time," he told her.

Samantha felt that last response was a true response rather than a protocol trained one and it made her feel at home. She thought this captain is as good as her previous captain on the callisto. But she wasn't going to tell him that, "Thank you sir, indeed I shall. Off to security." With that she stood to attention awaiting to carry on.

"Dismissed, Chief," Harvey said, nodding to her as he remained standing. It was more a professional courtesy to stand rather than immediately sit before she had left. "And welcome aboard."

Samantha nodded, turned about and headed out.

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