Reporting

Posted on 25 Jan 2024 @ 3:24pm by Lieutenant JG Kaelyth Solmarr & Captain Bane Plase

Mission: Enigma Variations
Location: Captain's Office, USS Cygnus

Kaelyth Solmarr made his way through the corridors of the USS Cygnus silently despite his size and build. As he went, his gold-and-silver eyes took in everything and everyone he passed. But he was also listening to and feeling the ship herself. Being infused with a crystalline-metallic meant that he felt the resonations of the engines and the power flowing through the walls and floor in a way none of the rest did. And even though the engines were of the same type in all Starfleet ships, each had their own unique song to him, and he loved to experience each new song. That was the explorer in him.

Reaching the captain's office, he tapped the announcer and waited. Like each ship, each captain was different and unique. And the explorer in him was excited to meet a new one.

Plase wasn't expecting anyone, and indeed, thought the vast majority of the crew was off ship enjoying DS9, Bajor, or a few of the habitable moons in the system. So, surprised more than anything, he welcomed the interloper in.

At the invitation, Kaelyth activated the doors and stepped far enough inside to allow them to close behind him. Since his intention was to report for duty, he shifted to Attention stance, offering a PADD containing his orders. "Captain Bane, I am Kaelyth Solmarr. I am here to report for duty." Yes, that was many more words than were typically used for that, but it sounded and felt off to Kaelyth to shorten it the way most did. It just felt... broken.

Bane hadn't expected this particular officer, and so took his PADD he was offering. He read it carefully. "Hm...Assistant Chief Engineer. Good. Lieutenant Hartley could use some help down there..." Bane trailed off. "Served on the Raven, can't say I've heard of that ship. Also served on the Atlantis...good ship, excellent Captain, and on the ShadowStryker, never heard of that, either...." he said, reading further. "Ah! You were assigned here by Admiral Savok!"

Kaelyth remained at Attention -- the captain had not given him permission as of yet to be otherwise -- while the captain read through his dossier, listening to the man talk it through as he read. When he got to the name of the admiral who had signed off on his assignment, Kaelyth nodded very slightly. "Yes, sir," he answered in proper, crisp fashion. For a second, Kaelyth's expression matched what was in his mind which was curiosity. Captain Bane knew Admiral Savok? Interesting. After a moment, he cleared his expression, returning it to the proper look for the Attention stance.

Plase sat the PADD down on his desk and looked at the person before him, still standing at attention. "Please Lieutenant, at ease. Have you met with Lieutenant Hartley yet, or Lieutenant Commander Bast? Generally speaking, you report to them, respectively, before you'd report in to me."

Kaelyth relaxed his stance but shook his head. "I have not, sir. You were the first one whom I have been able to locate," he answered. "If this was an error, then I apologize."

The Captain waived his hands dismissively in the air. "Oh, think nothing of it, Lieutenant. They are both probably on the station or on the planet. I was stating that, as a matter of course, not placing fault. Have a seat, please." Bane waited until he sat, then continued. "So, welcome to the Cygnus. Tell me, what do you intend to bring to our Engineering Department, and in a broader context, to the Cygnus as a whole?"

What did he bring? Kaelyth tilted his head in thought for a moment. "I am not certain precisely what you mean by this question. As with any member of a crew, I bring a unique perspective to my department and the crew. My knowledge base extends beyond Starfleet, so I bring with me the perspectives, knowledge, and skills from those previous jobs," he offered as a beginning.

Plase smiled warmly. "Good answer. And to be honest, I am not sure what the deeper meaning is to that question, either. I have had more than a few human commanders in my time ask me that very question." He cocked his head to the side, eerily similar to a former synthetic that had served in Starfleet decades ago. "To be honest, I think that is the first time I've ever asked it. Anyways," he said, dismissing the whole thread, "Do you have any questions for me or about this ship and her mission? If not, that is fine, too."

Kaelyth thought about what the captain said. "Perhaps the question is less about learning new facts than it is about learning about the person," he suggested. "How one answers it may be more important than the answer itself." It was just a thought, and he let it go after saying it as he had seen the gesture and respected the captain's desire to move on.

Did he have questions? How could he know what to ask without more information? He had read what he could find on the ship when he had known which ship he was being assigned to, but that didn't tell him anything about the crew. "I am uncertain what questions would be germane at this point, sir," he admitted. "But I can return the question. Do you have any questions for me, sir?"

Bane thought for a moment. "I do, actually. What would be the best way to seal a bulkhead, exposed to space, without the use of self-sealing stem-bolts?" Bane had been an Environmental and Structural Engineer when he first joined the Fleet, and this had been the question that Lieutenant Commander May had asked him his very first day aboard ship.

Honestly, Kaelyth had been expecting questions regarding himself, not his job. He frowned. "I am going to assume, because of the wording, that the damaged bulkhead section has been replaced and simply needs to be sealed into place, yes?" he asked for clarification. "Or are you suggesting a smaller breach at the seam between bulkhead plates? I ask because each would require different methods to ensure a proper seal."

Plase nodded approvingly. It was a rational question, and one that needed to be clarified to answer the question accurately. "A breach from intentional damage. From the exterior. Hostile weapons fire. Since it is a small breach, not from a torpedo, but from disruptor fire," the Captain clarified, trying to think of all the additional questions that would be asked, and heading them off.

Kaelyth thought about that for a moment. On Lessanthi ships, the answer was simple for a small breach; their nano-tech systems would begin affecting repairs immediately. In Starfleet, however, it was not so simple. "If it is a small enough breach, it can be temporarily patched using a PatchPlate and Sealant," he answered. "Larger breaches that do not require a dock to repair would require the Structural Integrity Fields to be in place until such time as it is possible for Engineers to conduct an EVA and replace the damaged hull plates."

Bane nodded again with approval. This Lieutenant knew his stuff, and knew it well. However, Bane wanted to really test the limit of his new engineer's knowledge base. "Good. Now, with an non-symmetrical breach of roughly four meters by nine meters, with a durasteel patch, how many self-sealing stembolts would it require..." Bane was cut off.

=/\=Bridge to Captain Bane. Sir, you have a visitor wishing to come aboard. An Ambassador Kilvin. He says he wishes to discuss the Antioch mission with you. =/\=

The Captain stiffened visibly. He tapped his badge to respond. "Thank you. I'll be in the transporter room shortly. Bane out." He tapped his commbadge closed, then stood and nodded with respect. "Lieutenant, I apologize, but I must cut this pleasant meeting short. Please report to Lieutenant Commander Bast, then with Lieutenant Hartley. If quarters have not yet been assigned to you, please see Lieutenant Commander Stovek. If you will excuse me," he said, gesturing for the Lieutenant to precede him out of the Captains Ready Room.

Kaelyth had been listening carefully to the next scenario the captain was giving him when the call came. He noted the captain's reaction to the words, but he made no overt sign of noting it. That mission was before he arrived, and so this was none of his business. At the captain's bidding, however, he stood and nodded acknowledgment. "I will do that, sir," he said, then exiting the office as requested by the nonverbal signals the captain had given him.

~END~

Captain Bane Plase
Commanding Officer
USS Cygnus

&

Lieutenant Junior Grade Kaelyth Solmarr
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
USS Cygnus