Posted by Lieutenant Commander Orin Losc (Engineer) in Meeting the CO, and maybe XO.

Posted by Colonel Calvin Harris (Commanding Officer) in Meeting the CO, and maybe XO.

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Orin Losc (Engineer) in Meeting the CO, and maybe XO. Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻 Posted by Lt. Cmdr. Amelia Manning (Executive Officer) in Meeting the CO, and maybe XO. : Posted by Colonel Calvin Alexander Harris (Commanding Officer) in Meeting the CO, and maybe XO. : : Posted by Lt. Cmdr. Orin Losc (Engineer) in Meeting the CO, and maybe XO. : : : Posted by Lt. Cmdr. Amelia Manning (Executive Officer) in Meeting the CO, and maybe XO. : : : : Posted by Lt. Cmdr. Orin Losc (Engineer) in Meeting the CO, and maybe XO. : : : : : Posted by Colonel Calvin Alexander Harris (Commanding Officer) in Meeting the CO, and maybe XO. : : : : : : Posted by Lt. Cmdr. Amelia Manning (Executive Officer) in Meeting the CO, and maybe XO. : : : : : : : Posted by Captain Molly Wright (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Meeting the CO, and maybe XO. : : : : : : : : Posted by Lt. Cmdr. Orin Losc (Engineer) in Meeting the CO, and maybe XO. : : : : : : : : : Posted by Colonel Calvin Alexander Harris (LOA until 6-Jun-18) (Commanding Officer) in Meeting the CO, and maybe XO. : : : : : : : : : : Posted by Captain Molly Wright (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Meeting the CO, and maybe XO. : : : : : : : : : : : Posted by Lt. Cmdr. Orin Losc (Engineer) in Meeting the CO, and maybe XO. : : : : : : : : : : : : Posted by Captain Molly Wright (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Meeting the CO, and maybe XO. : : : : : : : : : : : : : Posted by Lt. Cmdr. Orin Losc (Engineer) in Meeting the CO, and maybe XO. : : : : : : : : : : : : : Orin pressed the chime button and waited. He was looking at the new pip in the small box he held in his hand. He didn’t know if he should put it on yet. It still felt surreal and he worried, probably needlessly, that somewhere in the bureaucracy that was Star Fleet Personnel, someone had made an error in promoting him and was about to correct it. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : LtC Orin, Engineering : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : (OOC: I am taking over this thread while we wait for Jerome to return. – Joana) : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Whenever she wasn’t in her small corner in the War Room, Molly was usually on the Bridge. Today was no exception. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : As she quietly made her way through the corridors, Wright was almost to her destination when she noticed a lone figure standing by Cal’s Ready Room. They were carrying something in one hand, but as they faced away from her, she could not see the officer’s face or what they were holding. All she knew was that she had never seen them before. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : For their own sake, Molly hoped they were not security, or they would better have a very good excuse as to why they were standing in front of the Captain’s Ready Room instead of being busy on their post. Hannibal Ashur, their own Chief of Security, would be able to tell them what it was like not to be on duty when they should. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Wright didn’t hurry her pace, but her footsteps were almost inaudible – a trick she had learned on her previous job. As she stopped behind the officer, Molly was almost certain they hadn’t heard her arrive. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : “May I help you?” She uttered in a dry tone. “I can assure you those doors won’t open just by you staring at them.” : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : If Losc turned around, he would see a woman standing behind him. Her hands clasped behind her back. She was short. Shorter than him, but not by much. Her bright ginger hair was tied neatly in a small bun, and her pale skin was covered in freckles. She looked young, almost younger than him, even though her collar bore the four full pips of a Captain. However, her uniform was what he might find the most unsettling. It bore no division color, but rather it was fully black – the hallmark of Starfleet Intelligence. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : It was clear by the look in her eyes that she was not amused. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : - Capt. Wright, CIO : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Losc turned and raised an eyebrow. His large brushed steel irises glinted in the light as he met her gaze. His metallic copper hair was kept short and neat. For some reason, he was also shoeless. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : “Ma’am, I rang the chime and I don’t feel anything wrong with it so I must conclude that the CO isn’t in at the moment. I was just about to continue the customary boarding introductions.” : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : It was Molly’s turn to raise an eyebrow. It was quite unusual for anyone apart from Department Heads to report to the CO, but the pips in his collar told her that he probably knew that. She didn’t respond to his words. Instead she let the conversation drop. It was clear that she wasn’t a very talkative person. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Losc looked at Molly’s uniform again shifting the small box from hand to hand, he hadn’t put the LtC pip on yet. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : “I know of someone who wears a uniform just like that. Are you Internal Security as well?” : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : LtC Orin, Engineer : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : “Internal Security?” A soft smirk played on Wright’s lips. “I wouldn’t call it Internal Security, but I guess that could be one way of putting it.” She paused. “This is a warship, Lieutenant. One cannot be careful enough. I merely gather intelligence.” She smiled. She had been purposely vague. However, the expression Losc had used picked her interest. The small box he was holding hadn’t gone unnoticed either, and she was quite confident she knew what was inside. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : After a pause that was probably longer than it should have been, Molly asked. “Tell me more about this Internal Security friend of yours…” : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : - Capt. Wright, CIO : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Orin shook his head. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : “Oh he’s not a friend. He’s just someone I can’t directly remember. If you’re not Internal Security, you must be Intelligence. He told me there’s tension between the two organizations. Sorry if I inadvertently insulted you.” he said with a slight blush. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Molly chuckled softly under her breath. “I can assure you, Lieutenant, it takes a lot more than that to offend me.” : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Suddenly the door hissed open. “Frackin’ busted damn door!” Came the boomin voice of the large Marine now standing in the open doorframe. Looking at one side then the other, neither completely opened, he frowned harshly. “This ain’t no ice cream social you two. So let’s get on with it… I’ve only been trying to open my damn door for the last thirty seconds!” : : : : : : : : : : : : : : The sudden movement of the doors, and Cal’s unexpected outburst caught Molly off guard, but she quickly recomposed herself. Sometimes she wondered why she was dating the man. She bit back a snarky remark. Instead she just let him vent. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Orin looked puzzled. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : “It doesn’t feel broken. Maybe something got disconnected.” : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : As the Marine moved through the both of them, he snapped. “On me.” As he walked across the Bridge to the Briefing Room. Moving past the COB, Harris added. “COB… get Engineering up here and fix my fracking door!” With that Harris plunged into the Conference Room. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Wright followed them to the Bridge, where she walked to her favorite dark corner. She didn’t join them in the Conference Room. After all, that was not her meeting to be in. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : - Capt. Wright, CIO : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Reaching the head of the table, Harris turned and sat. Motioning to the other seats said politely. “So, how can I help you… Lieutenant? : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Harris, CO : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Orin took one of the offered seats and brushed his copper hair back with his fingers. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : “I’ve recently been assigned to the Dresden as an engineer but I was also given a promotion to Lieutenant Commander. I’m concerned that there might have been a bureaucratic error as, as far as I know, it’s highly uncommon for a mere engineering officer to pass Lieutenant under normal circumstances.” Orin said setting the box on the desk in front of him, “I would be grateful if you could make sure this is valid. I wouldn’t want to get brought up for impersonating a superior officer.” : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : LtC Orin Losc, Engineer : : : : : : : : : : : : “We wouldn’t want that either, would we, Colonel?” Manning’s distinct British accent made itself heard from the opposite corner of the room. Her words were clearly directed at Harris. : : : : : : (OOC: Oooooh… this should be fun… ;) – Joana) : : : : : : : : Before he had a chance to say yet another word, Her Royal Highness had to get her blue-blooded two pence in. The woman seriously grated on the Marine. Sometimes from her voice, sometimes from just being under foot. It annoyed the absolute piss outta him and if it wasn’t for the fact she was proving damn good at her job… Cal would have already kicked her ass the frack off his ship… ooor… just told Molly the girl hit on him and the redhead would probably slit her throat or something. Either way, he wouldn’t have to listen to Mrs. Poppins anymore. : : : : : : : : : : : The Dresden was a… peculiar ship. And it seemed peculiar enough not to have a dedicated office space for her Executive Officer. As such, Amelia would often sit on the farthermost corner of the Briefing Room whenever she needed to deal with the paperwork that came with the job. Not only was she undisturbed there as she had a peaceful view of the cosmos. That was certainly a room with a view. : : : : : : : : : : : After a moment, Harris chuckled slightly as he continued his meeting… in his goddamn briefing room. “It was no misprint Commander, I wanted a sharp Engineer to step in as Assistant Department Head and you came highly recommended. I think you’ll fit in quite well with the Dresden and while unique, she’s got long legs and great butt. A fine lady indeed. Make sure to let myself or the Princess and her Pea over there…” He motioned to the end of the table. “… know if you need anything.” : : : : : : : : : Orin nodded, an eyebrow arched, and opened the box an applied the black pip to his collar. One didn’t need to be an empath to feel the tension between the two. : : : : : : : : : : As Manning’s gaze settled on the Dresden’s Commanding Officer, it was clear that she wasn’t happy with his entrance. Might I suggest knocking, the next time? Amelia bit back the remark. If they were alone, she might consider saying it, but since they had company, it would not be the most polite thing to do. Manning had a stack of PaDD’s on her left side, and a cup of tea on her right. : : : : : : : : : : : : - Lt. Cmdr. Manning, XO : : : : : : : : : : Swallowing his own retort to the gaze his young XO was giving him, Harris figured he’d slip into his ‘Jackass Coat’ for a just moment and see if he could get a rise outta the Duchess of Deck Four. “Your first assignment, Commander, will be to convert the starboard Quarters on Deck Five into a proper office for the Countess of the Conference Room over there. I’m certain she’d like to have a quiet place on board to handle her business, have private meetings, or just throw darts at a picture of my face while saying ‘Go frack yourself’ after each little dart.” He then paused and asked loudly enough that the table could be 25 meters long and Amelia would have heard him perfectly clear, his hands cupped like a horn around his mouth. “HOW’S THAT SOUND XOOO?” He sounded, deliberately, like he had just walked off a Western Oklahoma farm. : : : : : : : : : : Harris, CO : : : : : : After their first meeting the day Manning had stepped foot on board, Amelia knew she had put her foot in it. Her usual sarcasm had gotten her into more trouble with the Marine than it had with anyone else, and she was perfectly aware that she had been out of line. : : : : : : From that moment on, Amelia had been terrified of her new commanding officer, but during the past weeks she had found herself growing a new skin. A thicker one. Maybe cohabiting with the man was proving to be more useful than she had expected. In any case, his southern American drawl drove Manning mad, not to mention that Harris had a tendency not to let go of the fact that she was the rightful owner of a British peerage title, even though all she wanted in life was to forget about it. : : : : : : Manning watched the Marine doing his best impression of an American farmer and she wondered how much was theatrics, how much was lack of decent education. She quietly sipped on her tea. After all, Amelia was British, if there was anything she knew how to do best was how to be a prick in a classy way. : : : : : : When she finally placed her cup down, ending a purposely long silence, Amelia replied as if nothing had happened. “That would be lovely, thank you. Although, Colonel…” She looked genuinely apologetic. “I am not the biggest darts fan… you know… pub sports… not really my thing. My delicate princess hands can’t cope with them.” She exaggerated a smile. “However… I was wondering… Since you’ve given me such a great idea… I have been updating my training holodeck routine and I am looking for realistic shooting targets. I was wondering if you be able to join me sometime so I can model some of them after you…? Or should I just talk to Miss Wright about it…? I understand if you are not available…” : : : : Harris laughed out loud. “I have a sneaking suspicion Molly would kill you on sight if you asked her to help program a full size hologram of your’s truly. But… if your highness feels so inclined to do so, knock yourself princess.” : : Harris, CO Amelia shot Harris a sarcastic glare. “That is fine, Colonel. I don’t mind taking risks.” : : : : Orin watched the exchange and looked to the XO for her reply with an expression of befuddlement and body language that said that he was ready to duck if need be. : : : : : : : : LtC Orin Losc, Engineering : : : : : : Turning to Losc, Manning’s expression softened. “I apologize… Amelia Manning, ship’s XO… you probably already figured that out.” Amelia shot him a welcoming smile. “I did not realize we would be getting new Engineering crew. I used to be an Engineer myself. Now, I’m sure Colonel Harris know plenty about you…” She glared at Harris for not including her in the latest ship’s updates. “… but can you tell us a little bit about yourself?” : : : : : : - Lt. Cmdr. Manning, XO : : : : Orin hesitated a moment then nodded . He still looked ready to duck beneath the table at a moments notice. : : : : “You may not be able to tell due to the difference in coloring of my eyes and hair, but I am Betaziod and an officially recognized machine empath. I was fast tracked through the Academy in Engineering, mainly because I had a tendency to have the problems solved before the lesson was explained when it came to the practical exercises. On paper tests, I was like every other cadet. I started my career on station 459, a little backwater place where activities were, at best, legally questionable. I was there for seven years and gained the rank of Lieutenant in three years. Though I wasn’t the Chief Engineer, I was pretty much running the engineering department on station after the second year. My transfer came about at the request of the station Commander with the explanation that I could put my tallents to use much better on a ship. I think he was just trying to get me off the station because he was tired of me questioning certain active elements on the station. But he did give me a glowing review.” : : : : Orin waited for questions. : : : : -LtC Orin Losc, Engineering For a split second, Amelia’s heart stopped when Losc mentioned his Betazoid origin. Ever since Sola, empaths made her uneasy. But then the new officer carried on. “A machine empath?” The excitement in Manning’s voice was hard to miss. She smiled apologetically as she reminded herself that Losc was not a experiment outlet but an actual being. “I’m sorry… Again… former Engineer…” Manning was sure Harris would be rolling his eyes at her behaviour. She couldn’t care less. “If you don’t mind me asking… how did you… become, for lack of a better word, a machine empath? I have done some research on telepathy over the years but I have never found any descriptions that that could even be a possibility…” She paused. With the discovery of possible telepathic ancestry, Amelia had read every book and file on the subject that she had been able to put her hands on. “Again… I am sorry… I am sure you get this question all the time… but I don’t mean to be prying so, if it’s too personal, you don’t need to respond.”

• Lt. Cmdr. Manning, XO

Orin smiled.

“It’s okay. I get that question a lot from counselors. I don’t know how I because a machine empath, I was born with it I guess, and you’re right, by all science knows, it shouldn’t be possible. I’ve also been asked what it feels like but that comes up against how does one explain something to someone else that has never experienced it? It’s difficult to say, hard to put into words when it comes to machines. It’s not like they get happy or sad, it’s more like grades of contentedness or discomfort. But it doesn’t catch everything, like the Captain’s ready room door. I didn’t sense anything wrong, no complaining components or anything, so nothing’s broken, that’s why I suspect there’s been a disconnect between the power systems and the actuator that opens it.”

-LtC Orin Losc, Engineering

Amelia didn’t mean to make their new officer look as if he was in a zoo or in an observation table in a research lab. However, no matter how much she tried to control her facial expressions, her eyes betrayed the fascination that she felt by the Engineer’s explanation.

“That is absolutely fascinating. I can’t even imagine what it must be like… I mean… I assume it would be easier to explain to an actual empath, which I am not.” Manning chuckled. “Although, I guess it makes Engineering challenges a little easier, no?” Amelia smiled. She didn’t mean it as a disrespectful question, but rather one she had genuine curiosity in. For her, engineering was all about the challenge – about figuring out where the problems were… about solving the big puzzle that was a starship. And even though being a machine empath might be something absolutely captivating to her, she wondered if what the officer thought about the subject.

• Lt. Cmdr. Manning, XO

Orin thought for a moment.

“Well it usually makes locating problems easier, but then one still has to do the work to fix the problem. It’s also pretty good for basic diagnostics.”

Orin looked around the room.

“That light fixture ” he said pointing to one of the overhead tack lights, “has about four days of life left. Likely a fault in the manufacturing had lowered it’s power tolerances significantly. Reducing the power to it’s optimal tolerances will reduce it’s intensity by about fifty three percent but will extend it’s lifetime. Maybe another three standard years. I’d advise to replace and recycle in the next seventy two Terran standard hours. I guess you could say that I can feel it’s fatigue or pain.”

Orin turned back to his commanding officers.

“I just kind of pick up on things like that. I usually don’t bother mentioning things that would benefit from minor adjustments as some people get creeped out. And besides, if I went around trying to make every component comfortable I’d never get a break.” Orin said with a light chuckle at the end.

-LtC Orin Losc, Engineering

Harris chuckled and yanked his right thumb toward the aft of the ship. “I might have you have a few… words… with my personal fighter in the main bay. Ever since this transfer, she’s been a bit… temperamental.” The Marine added with a smile. “That is if you don’t mind.”

“On then…” Harris started anew. “Tell me about your last assignment Commander”

Harris, CO

Orin gave a little tilt of his head this time as he nodded.

“As I said moments ago, I started my career on station 459, a little backwater place where activities were, at best, legally questionable. I was there for seven years and gained the rank of Lieutenant in three years. Though I wasn’t the Chief Engineer, I was pretty much running the engineering department on station after the second year. My transfer came about at the request of the station Commander with the explanation that I could put my talents to use much better on a ship. I think he was just trying to get me off the station because he was tired of me questioning certain active elements on the station. But he did give me a glowing review.” Orin repeated, “As for your personal fighter, I’d be happy to take a look at it.”

-LtC Orin Losc, Engineering

With a steady fixed gaze, Harris nodded as the Engineer spoke, clearly taking in every word. He was much more focused and engaged in the meeting now to the point it would surprise Manning. Having another highly qualified wrench turner on board the Dres’ would certainly not be a bad thing and this made Cal rather happy. When Orin got to the part about his fighter, he smiled widely.

“That’d be fantastic, Commander! I’d really appreciate it. The Dres’ might not have a formal fighter contingent, but I’d like to at least get a Support Flight formed and add three additional craft to base outta the lowest Hanger Bay. You know, they are very useful compliment to the ship’s armament.”

Pausing for a moment, Harris raised an eyebrow and turned his eyes to Manning. “You got anything else Exec?”

Harris, CO