Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in The Advent of New Directives

Posted by Commander Shedda Mal’athar (Executive Officer) in The Advent of New Directives

Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in The Advent of New Directives
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
“Commander Mal’athar. Welcome to the Manhattan.” a voice with a slight British accent said from behind her. The speaker was a human male in the red uniform of Command officers. He was slightly taller than average with an athletic build. His hair was jet black, making the bright saphirre-blue eyes beneath the well-groomed hair even more intense. He had a youthful appearance, with a thin mustache and goatee of the same black hair as his head. Youthful despite the Captain’s pips at his collar would seem to indicate. He smiled warmly. walked forward.

“Captain Alexander Cochrane, Commanding Officer.” and he extended his hand. “How was the trip out?”

Cochrane, CO

Shedda turned at the sound of the voice, coming to a crisp ‘at-ease’, and recognized Cochrane immediately. Not just his pips but his face. Shedda had spent the weeks in travel learning as much as she could about the crew and ship. Or as much as one could from second hand accounts. Shedda was on the shorted end of average height, with the athletic and lithe build typical of Orion females. Her raven black hair cut to shoulder length and in a neat low bun at the back of her head. Electric blue eyes met Cochrane’s gaze and Shedda had the amused thought that Manhattan preferred her command team to have black hair and blue eyes.

Shedda took his hand, shaking firmly, and then letting go. Careful to keep in check the amount of pressure she exuded. She didn’t want to bruise, or worse break, his hand. Nor did she want to mistakenly turn it into a contest. Shedda was always careful to never let the physical traits of being Orion speak for her. “It’s a pleasure, Cpt. The trip was pleasant enough. The Osprey had to take a detour to assist a freighter that was a drift. It put me late arriving to Event Horizon and I missed my shuttle. But it did allow me to pick those,” and she motioned a thumb behind her at the two open crates, “up and bring them with me.”

Mal’athar, XO

Cochrane eyed the crates and said “That is greatly appreciated. Thanks to a disagreement between Chief Prulor and the station Quartermaster, those were inexplicably detained at our last resupply.” and he looked at the Tellarite Chief Petty Officer and half-grinned. “She was wrong and you know it, Skipper! I told her I was just moving her stuff outta the way so it didn’t get crushed!” Cochrane laughed and said “I know, I know, Chief. But you moved it onto a freighter going to the Alpha Quadrant. That, I think, was the issue.” The Tellarite grinned and said “Oh did I? Huh… I should be more careful.” He turned and looked at Mal’athar and said “We’ll get this up to your quarters asap, Ma-, er Commander.” and he began getting things together.

Operations Chiefs vs Quartermasters was a stable anywhere in the fleet and it was nice to see even in the Delta that didn’t change. Shedda nodded her thanks, “Oh and Chief there are extra items in there not on the original shipping manifest.” She pulled a micropadd out of her pocket, tapped the screen a few times and Chief Prulor’s own PaDD trilled. “I was able to collect a few items from family living on the station that was still waiting to be processed.”

Cochrane looked at Mal’athar and said “Care to walk with me, Commander? Quick tour and then we can talk in my office.”

Cochrane, CO

“A tour is much appreciated. I will admit I have followed the design planning of the Manhattan class since it was announced, and I am a bit envious of the science officers that get to make use of her offerings.” Shedda fell into step beside him, hands clasped loosely behind her back, her stride purposeful and purposely lacking the dancer’s grace usually associated with other Orion females.

Mal’athar, XO

“Well, that envy ends today, now doesn’t it?” and he smiled and walked them out of the shuttle bay.

A few hours later, after a thorough tour and some introductions to the crew they met, Cochrane led Mal’athar onto the bridge. After an introduction to the crew on duty, he said. “Feel free to look around, ask questions. Come see me when you are done, all right?” and he smiled and turned and walked to the Ready Room door and inside.

Cochrane, CO

Shedda gave a brief but clear nod, “Aye Sir.” Standing between the science and engineering stations, the doors for turbolift 2 and the main briefing room behind her, and the comm station in front of her. She choose, on purpose, to walk over the engineering station. She knew herself and she’d get lost in conversation with the science officer. She glanced over the readouts. There was no areas of damage to the ship needing repair, but engineering was always busy. Small things that were constantly required to keep the ship running. Shedda pointed to a section on the display of the systems power systems where power had been routed away from the area. “What’s going on here, Lt?” Her tone conveyed curiosity. There were no alarms going off so nothing serious, but it was her job to know.

Mal’athar, XO

“Thats the auxiliary bridge, Commander. Full system wipe and reinstall being prepped, Ma’am.” they replied. The Lieutenant looked at her said “If I may, Commander… is it true? You got so fixated on excavating single piece of tile that you forgot the planet you were on froze over every night and missed your shuttle? And they had to do an emergency teleport and when you arrived you were still on your hands and knees scraping away?” Another voice, from the helm this time, said “No no, that was the planet with nocturnal tornadoes she forgot about. The frozen one was when she was arguing with a civilian archeologist and he called her a name and she threw a rock at him. Except it wasn’t a rock, it was 12,000 year old skull.” “Thats not right!” said the comms officer. She turned and looked at the helmsman. “The skull was on the pleasure planet colony. You know, where the only way she was allowed to go to the excavation site was to strip down? They had to glue her commbadge onto her-“ “Wrong.” said the Operations officer. “That was the Risian cultural exchange between the Ferengi and the Holstruk Clan of the Dotulans… you know, where she inadvertently proposed to the Clan’s matriarch.” “No, that was when-” and the bridge conversation devolved into a convoluted mash-up of many of the more ‘colorful’ segments of the new XO’s Star Fleet Career.

Manhattan Bridge Crew

Shedda took it in stride. Some of the stories that followed her were amusing, others irritating, and some insulting, and some - the reality was a better story. Shedda leaned back against the corner of a bulkhead, arms crossed listening, her face expressionless and let them talk. When they finally settled down she uncrossed her arms and moved around the edge of the bridge where she could be seen. “No that isn’t quite true. Was I so fixed on a dig I was beamed aboard still working? Yes. Was it on Yuvn IV? No. Did I miss the shuttle? No. The shuttle was blown up. And that single piece of tile was actually a full cartouche depicting the location of a royal archive that helped settle peace between to waring factions. That piece was worth every single phaser shot aimed at me.”

“It was not a skull it was a mummified baby, and I didn’t throw her. The cave was collapsing and I didn’t want to leave her there and he wanted to get out. Or was it just that he called me a name? I can’t really remember. And nocturnal tornado isn’t quite right. That was a different planet and tornado doesn’t translate well. It’s actually an animal. Think a cross between a tarkazian razor beast and a terran cheetah.”

“Muyha II was the frozen planet. Our team was working on in depth excavations and rebuilding when the ship got called away. They forgot to send down my inhibitor before they left. It was 2 weeks late returning. The pleasure planet…they didn’t use glue, I wore it as a head band. And the Risan Cultural exchange is an event I look forward to it every year. The Deltan representative and I have a long standing friendship.”

She turned her gaze on the Operations officer. “No the Ferengi were not at the cultural exchange. They always try to acquire ‘souvenirs’ that aren’t theirs. You’re thinking Dotula 6. The Holstruk Clan required a mediator to dispute the wrongful procurement of precious historical documents and heirlooms with the Ferengi. In order to represent the matriarch of the Holstruk Clan one must be considered a prime choice as a suitor. I was more than happy to propose to her - Brilliant woman. We aren’t likely to run into her here but be sure to review customs of the cultures we encounter, Lt Cmdr.” How much was true and how much she was making up was anyone’s guess. Her face was too stern to know.

Mal’athar, XO

“Listen, if you are going to be the XO of the Manhattan Commander, first lesson is we may mock our own… but nobody outside of the ship gets that privilege.” Cochrane said from the door to the Ready Room. “Now then… Introductions are in order.” and Cochrane nodded to the comms officer. She stood up and smiled. “Commander. Lieutenant Junior Grade Kiamara Hollis, Comms Officer. Graduated second overall at the Academy and was selected by Captain Cochrane for the Manhattan a year and a half ago. I also made out with my boyfriend in the transporter room and ended up beaming my uniform top to bridge.” and she blushed slightly and sat down. Next the helmsman stood up. “Lieutenant Grt’jad, Commander. Helm operations officer. Qualified to helm every class of science vessel with combat endorsements in over seventy-five percent of them. I can make a shuttle or runabout dance a jig as well. Oh, and I once fell asleep at an awards ceremony where the citation was being awarded by the Commanding Admiral of Star Fleet. I was asleep when the awardee was called to recueve their commendation. Yeah… I was the awardee.” He sat back down and one by one each and every member on the bridge i touched themselves, told a fact about them that set them apart from the norm… and something that brought them right back down to reality. When they finished, Cochrane smiled and said “Captain Alexander Cochrane. I graduated second in my class at the Klingon War College, first human to achieve that high a mark. And I once mistook a Takaren ambassador for a server and ordered a drink from them.” and he chuckled.

Cochrane, CO

Shedda listened, impressed. Cochrane had certainly put together an impressive crew. One or two officers on a ship with such outstanding accomplishments was normal, the whole bridge crew? That was hard, Shedda would take the bet it wasn’t just the bridge crew either. She didn’t laugh at their misfortune, but there was a good-natured shared understanding in her gaze. “Commander Shedda Mal’athar. I am the first non-Federation member and science officer to be named a permanent Honor Guard for the Star Fleet Memorial Garden. I was on a dig on Golana and they have these huge, size of a Klingon fist huge, flying insects. Look like a cross of a dragon fly and a scorpion and they’re deadly poisonous. We were using a repulser beam shield to keep them out. Well one got inside the shield, and I grabbed a metal collecting tray to swat at it. It landed on the forehead of the the Bajoran Archeological Chancellor, who had come to inquire on our progress…I smacked him so hard in the head with the tray I knocked him unconscious. I killed the bug…then found out that one wasn’t poisonous, the venom sacks had been removed…it was the chancellor’s ‘pet’.”

Cmdr Mal’athar, XO