Posted by Ensign Finn Wolf (Security Officer) in Department Head check in: Ensign Wolf

Posted by Lieutenant Saxon Kreeger (Chief of Security) in Department Head check in: Ensign Wolf

Posted by Ensign Finn Wolf (Security Officer) in Department Head check in: Ensign Wolf
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻
The transport bringing in the new crewmembers pulled alongside the Manhattan. The trio transported over and soon the transport was heading back to Event Horizon Station. In turn, each enlisted crewmember presented their transfer orders. When it was his turn, Wolf did as well.

“Ensign Finn Wolf. I need to check in with Lieutenant Kreegar. I’m his new security officer.” Wolf flashed his smile as he extended the PaDD with is orders on it.

The transport officer, a Security petty officer replied, “I’ll notify someone to meet you. We didn’t expect to receive any officers with this crew rotation. Please stand by Ensign.”

“What’s your name?” Wolf asked, “I might as well start getting to know people right away.”

“Ruhl, Petty Officer 3rd Class Ruhl.”

“Good to meet you, Ruhl” (No first name.) Wolf mused, (the COS must be a stickler for protocol.) “So, what’s the Chief like? Stuffy? Easy going? An old timer passing his days until retirement?’

“You will know in a few moments.” was all Rhul said as an answer.

Ensign Wolf, Sec JO
USS Manhattan

“Ensign Wolf I presume !” The voice of the Large Austrian said as the 6‘4 Chief of Security said holding a padd and reading a file on it ” On my six you can drop off your gear when we’re done.” Kreeger said once again.

Lieutenant Saxon Kreeger

“Right Away, Sir.” Wolf replied. He picked up his duffle, slung it over his left shoulder and followed the large Security chief. “Your accent? Austrian, German?” He asked as they traversed down the corridor. “I’m from Vaduz, Liechtenstein myself.”

His file would be pretty boring stuff. Enlisted postings, OCS, planet side duty. Then the requested posting to the Manhattan.

Ensign Finn Wolf, SEC JO
USS Manhattan

” Austrian,Ensign and I visited there in my youth and Vienna. But my office is down in the Armory had to make a makeshift one when I joined the Manhattan otherwise your rounds aboard this ship will be at 8am , noon and 8pm reports will come to me. And the security station is on the bridge.” Kreeger replied

Saxon Kreegar
USS Manhattan

(0800? WTH? Doesn’t Kreeger know I have a social life?) Wolf responded in his head. “If I am to work the Security station on the Bridge, I will need Bridge access. I assume I will have it before my first shift?”

“And, If I may ask, Sir? Why are my reports due eight hours after my shift, and twelve hours before the next? Does the Manhattan run a standard three shift rotation?”
Maybe digging up more on this Kreegar guy would have been prudent. So far, he seems to be a by the book kind of leader.

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Ensign Finn Wolf, Sec JO
USS Manhattan

​Stopping abruptly in the middle of the brightly lit corridor, the massive Austrian Chief of Security slowly pivoted to look down at the newly arrived Ensign, his expression entirely devoid of whatever casual camaraderie Wolf might have been hoping to cultivate during their initial meeting. Kreeger’s intensely disciplined posture seemed to fill the hallway, projecting an aura of uncompromising authority that immediately silenced any lingering sense of informality. He did not raise his voice or show any outward signs of anger, but the cold, analytical weight of his gaze made it abundantly clear that he evaluated every single word his subordinates spoke through the strict, unforgiving lens of Starfleet regulations and operational perfection.

​”You assume incorrectly regarding your clearance, Ensign Wolf, as Starfleet Security Protocol clearly mandates that localized command access is never issued preemptively or casually outside of an active duty roster,” Kreeger stated, his deep voice carrying the precise, measured cadence of a man who tolerated absolutely zero deviations from the established rules.

“You will be granted the necessary authorization codes by the officer of the watch precisely ten minutes prior to the commencement of your scheduled shift, and that access will be immediately revoked the moment you are officially relieved from your station. We do not distribute unrestricted bridge access to junior officers simply for their convenience, and I expect you to familiarize yourself with the exact text of the ship’s security regulations before you presume to question the logistical frameworks I have carefully implemented aboard this vessel.”

​Turning his imposing frame back toward the direction of the armory, Kreeger resumed his measured pace down the corridor, expecting the younger officer to fall silently into step behind him without any further complaint. “As for your reporting schedule, the USS Manhattan does indeed operate on a standard rotational structure, but my security department operates on a baseline of absolute perfection and perpetual readiness that inherently transcends those standard shifts,” he explained without looking back, his tone leaving absolutely no room for negotiation or debate.

“Those reports are required at exactly zero-eight-hundred, twelve-hundred, and twenty-hundred hours because a security officer who cannot strictly adhere to a basic administrative timetable cannot be trusted to execute complex tactical maneuvers when the lives of this crew are actively hanging in the balance. I have a zero-tolerance policy for failure, sloppiness, or excuses, Ensign, so I strongly suggest you adapt your personal life to meet the demanding requirements of this department, rather than expecting this department to accommodate you.”

Lieutenant Saxon Kreeger
Chief Security Officer
USS Manhattan • NCC-88000
Starfleet Command

“Security Through Preparedness. Honor Through Service.”

(OK, Wolf. Time to poke the bear.)

“Sir. May I make an observation? Your report schedule needs to be adjusted.” Wolf stopped walking and stood his ground. Kreeger was trying to bully him into submission, and he wasn’t about to go down without a fight.

“If you enforce a ‘basic administrative timetable’ regarding your reports, then when do I write them? I have a duty shift starting at 0800 which will last, I assume for eight hours ending at 1600. Is it your assumption I am to write administrative reports on my off-duty hours? I assume you do not want your reports being written while I am on Bridge duty, as that will distract me from performing my duties.”

“You stated that the Manhattan runs a standard three shift rotation. Eight hours on, eight hours off, eight hours to sleep. If I am forced to write administrative reports outside of my duty hours, that is a violation. Sir. You told me to adapt my personal life to the demands of the department. How can I do that when the Department’s officers and enlisted personal are forced to work outside of their assigned duty times?”

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Ensign Wolf, Sec JO
USS Manhattan

Kreeger stopped again.

For several seconds, the Austrian simply stood there with his back to Wolf, the corridor filled only by the steady mechanical hum of the Manhattan’s life-support systems and the distant cadence of personnel moving through the ship. Then he turned, his expression still stern, but the edge of personal irritation that had been present moments earlier had diminished considerably.

“Now that, Ensign, is a legitimate observation.”

Kreeger shifted the PaDD beneath one arm and regarded Wolf more carefully. “You are correct about one thing. I do not expect a security officer to compromise an active watch in order to complete administrative paperwork. If you are assigned to the bridge, your attention belongs on the bridge. If you are conducting a security patrol, your attention belongs to the patrol. I would be a remarkably poor Chief of Security if I created an administrative requirement that interfered with the very security operations I am responsible for maintaining.”

He resumed walking, though his pace was slower now, deliberately allowing Wolf to remain beside him rather than behind him.

“The reporting times are not intended to represent three separate eight-hour administrative shifts, Ensign Wolf. They are departmental checkpoints. The zero-eight-hundred report establishes the status of the department at the beginning of the operational day. The twelve-hundred report provides the command staff with a midday security picture, and the twenty-hundred report establishes the evening status. Those reports are normally compiled from watch logs, incident reports, patrol records, access-control records, and the duty officer’s turnover notes. They are not supposed to require you to spend your off-duty hours sitting in an office composing a dissertation on corridor traffic.”

There was the faintest suggestion of amusement in his voice at that last remark.

“And you have identified another point that requires clarification. You will not be personally responsible for producing every report simply because you are a security officer. The officer of the watch will compile the departmental status report from the information generated by the duty sections. Your responsibility is to ensure that your portion of that information is accurate, timely, and complete.”

Kreeger glanced toward Wolf.

“As for the eight-hour rotation, yes. The Manhattan operates on a conventional watch structure unless operational circumstances require otherwise. Your assigned duty period is your duty period. Your off-duty time remains your off-duty time, subject to the same reasonable recall requirements applicable to every Starfleet officer aboard a vessel operating under heightened readiness.”

He stopped beside the entrance to the armory and finally turned fully toward the younger officer.

“You were also correct about something else, although I suspect you were hoping I would not say so.”

His expression remained stern.

“You should question an order when you believe that order could compromise the effectiveness, safety, or legality of the department. That is not insubordination. That is professional responsibility. The distinction is in how you do it.”

Kreeger tapped the PaDD against his palm once.

“You challenged the schedule. You explained why you believed it was incompatible with the duty rotation. You did not refuse an order, you did not become disrespectful, and you provided an operational argument. That is considerably more useful to me than an officer who simply says ‘yes, sir’ and then discovers three hours later that the procedure makes no damn sense.”

He stepped through the armory doors and gestured for Wolf to follow.

“So here is how we will handle it. You will report for your assigned watch at zero-eight-hundred. You will perform your duties. You will maintain your watch log. At the conclusion of your watch, you will conduct a proper turnover with the relieving officer. If your watch generates an incident requiring immediate notification, you report it immediately. If it does not, it goes into the normal reporting chain.”

Kreeger’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“And if you discover a procedure that does not work, you bring it to me before deciding that the procedure is stupid. I am perfectly capable of changing a bad procedure. I am considerably less interested in discovering that one of my officers has decided to ignore it.”

He turned toward the armory console.

“Now, Ensign Wolf, you wanted to know what kind of Chief you were assigned to. You have your answer. I am demanding. I am meticulous. I expect discipline. I also expect my officers to think.”

A brief pause.

“Those two things are not mutually exclusive.”

Kreeger entered Wolf’s transfer information into the armory system before looking back toward him.

“Now let’s get you properly checked into the department. After that, I’ll have the duty officer arrange your bridge authorization for your first watch. You have questions about the Manhattan, ask them. You have a problem with a procedure, bring me the problem and your proposed solution.”

The massive Austrian gave him a final, measuring look.

“That is how professionals operate, Ensign.”

Lieutenant Saxon Kreeger
Chief Security Officer
USS Manhattan • NCC-88000
Starfleet Command