Posted by Captain Shock (CO) in One-to-one with Lt Bethany Kovra Gadi – Captain’s Ready Room

Posted by Lieutenant Bethany Kovra Gadi (Chief Tactical/Lead RTF Officer) in One-to-one with Lt Bethany Kovra Gadi – Captain’s Ready Room

Posted by Captain Shock (CO) in One-to-one with Lt Bethany Kovra Gadi – Captain’s Ready Room
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
(takes place immediately after Shock’s meeting with Adam Magnusson. For a description of the room, see also that post )

The door closed behind Adam Magnusson.

Shock remained seated for a moment, eyes on the closed logbook in the display. He had made a few brief notes after the conversation to be recorded later.

“Computer, time.”

“Thirteen forty-seven hours.”

Lieutenant Gadi would arrive at fourteen hundred. Thirteen minutes. He had still not met her in person. But he had read her file.

She intrigued him. She was half Betazoid, one-quarter El-Aurian, and one-quarter human. It seemed to him that she had lived without telepathy for years, relying on observation and, what appeared to be, some kind of simulated empathy. Her abilities had emerged later. Shock recognized the challenge of internal change. He had rebuilt himself under altered conditions. He wondered how this affected her personality and her sense of identity. It would not be his place to probe, however, but he would observe and assess. He needed to give her space to define her role. He would extend her his trust. Whether she would return it remained to be seen.

He stood.

There was no need to replicate anything. If she wanted tea, he would offer what he had. Various options of tea. If she didn’t want that, he would invite her to use the replicator. Hospitality was often a good bridge-builder, he had found, especially in first meetings.

He walked a slow circuit of the room, as he reflected on Gadi’s job on board. She was both the head of tactical and of the recovery task force. The RTF, in its current folded state, seemed misaligned. Its purpose was not the defence of the ship but rapid recovery: anomaly retrieval, containment breaches, short-notice deployment. It was a highly specialized function. It had once been its own department. He did not understand why it no longer was. He decided to ask her.

He paused beside the display. The child’s drawing hung slightly askew. He corrected it with one finger.

Fourteen hundred would come. He would ask his questions about her dual department-head roles. And he would listen to her and trust her assessment.

Shock, Captain
Commanding Officer

Bethany was always prompt. Always where she should be when she should be. If she wasn’t, then something was horribly wrong. At exactly 1359 she stood outside the door and pressed the chime.

Lt. Gadi, CTO/RTF

“Welcome, lieutenant,” Shock said as stood up to greet her when she entered. “Would you like a drink?”

He indicated to her to sit down by the coffee table. There was a pot of tea there, but there was also a replicator within reach.

“There is tea here, and there is a replicator, too”

As he took a seat himself, he explained the purpose of the meeting.

“My aim today is to begin establishing a strong working relationship. I’d like to hear your perspective on your current duties, any challenges you’re facing, and how I might assist you in performing at your best. “

Shock, Captain
Commanding Officer

“Tea is fine, thank you, Sir.” Gadi moved toward a chair and sat down. She wasn’t a tea drinker, but she wasn’t so rude as to refuse. “The biggest challenge is with split duty departments. RTF needs my full focus, and I can’t do that I have to focus on ship’s tactics. Also the RTF is not being fully utilized which makes the mission of the Leviathan much harder.”

Lt. Gadi, CTO/RTF

Shock poured the tea. It was a redspice blend, sharp and clear. He placed the cup in front of her.

“Redspice. Vulcan. It supports focus – at least among Vulcans.” His tone was softer, almost humorous, in as much as a Vulcan would make such a hint.

“I am familiar with it. I’ve always enjoyed it. Thank you, Captain.” Bethany picked up the cup and sipped it without cooling.

He sat.

“I appreciate your honesty and clarity of assessment. I agree with it. RTF is a distinct function. Recovery and containment require different priorities than shipboard tactics. Splitting the departments may serve the mission, this ship, and its crew better.”

“I am not against cross training. I want to be clear there. Members of other departments enrich us and our knowledge, however as it stands now we are spread too thin. These anomalies are too volitile and dangerous to not have RTF dedicated to keeping them and us safe. The security department on board is very good, no doubt, but their priority is ship and crew and external threats. They can’t be split. That creates weaknesses and split orders,” Bethany said.

“If you believe it strengthens the ship, I’ll begin the process. You’d retain RTF. Tactical would need new leadership. Please advise.”

Shock, Captain
Commanding Officer

“Tactical duties on the bridge are already rotated through Security personnel with the training. Lieutenant Mavix is also a competent tactical officer. More skilled than I am. My expertise is in electronic warfare and tactics. I would recommend Lt. Mavix and their people.”

Lt. Gadi, CTO/RTF