Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Alex Winters (Chief Engineer) in Winters reporting for duty

Posted by Captain Dira Myqian (Commanding Officer) in Winters reporting for duty

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Alex Winters (Chief Engineer) in Winters reporting for duty

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Alex had spent her childhood hearing grown-ups lament the lack of coffee in adequate quantities on her home world. Her grandfather made something that vaguely resembled coffee, if you squinted hard enough and stood upwind of the smell. She tried it once. She didn’t get what the big deal was.

Until she got to the Academy. And had real coffee. “Strong and dark is my speed. Bitter and oily, not so much, but it’ll do in a pinch.”

“Perks of being the captain and knowing some people is that I have acquired a really nice replicator program for a blend that has a caramel undertone mixed with chocolate. It’s not sweet, but it’s not overly bitter either.”

Feeling awkward standing there while Dira’s back was turned to her as she approached the replicator, Alex moved towards the couch. “Mind if I sit?”

~ Alex Winters, CE

Dira hid her smirk as she was turned away. Clearly her earlier gesture had not been interpreted, which did happen. “Please do. It’s more comfortable over there than at my desk anyway.”

Alex sat, hands folded in her lap, looking up at the Captain as she fiddled with the replicator.

She ordered the coffees and moved to join Winters, setting their mugs on the coffee table. She moved with ease, clearly comfortable in her own skin, and radiated a relaxed demeanour that was full of warmth. She took her mug in hand, letting the warmth seep into her hands and breathed deeply before taking a sip. “So, tell me about you, Alex Winters.”

Captain Myqian, CO

Alex chuckled, sighed, and took a sip from the offered mug of coffee. Dark and strong, with undertones of chocolate and caramel indeed. But somehow, ‘sweet’ wasn’t a word she would use. The Captain had described it well. This ranked among the five or so best cups of coffee Alex had ever had.

“I’m not sure what there is to tell, Captain, beyond what’s in my service record? You must have found a reason in there to want me here, other than to let me in on the secret of your excellent coffee? What else would you like to know?”

Although she didn’t know, Alex was assuming Captain Myqian had requested her, or at least requested someone with roughly her qualifications, to join the Ogawa. She didn’t know exactly what to expect, but she did know there were people in the engineering department who both outranked her, and had more experience as shipboard engineers. She was genuinely curious as to why the Captain had chosen to take her on as Chief Engineer, rather than promoting one of them.

The other possibility - that Commander Devereaux may have recommended her for a Chief Engineering spot to Starfleet HQ, and this was just the first spot that had popped up - briefly crossed her mind, but she dismissed it instantly. The man had rarely had more than two words in a row to say to her - her work was either “adequate” or “unsatisfactory”, with nothing in-between, and they never really talked beyond that. Alex had doubted he even saw her as anything other than an extra pair of hands to do his grunt work, until he’d brought her the news that she was being reassigned and said “just do what you always do; you’ll do just fine.”

Alex Winters, CE

She sipped her coffee some more, her dark eyes asking in Alex with interest. “A service record can tell me a great deal, but it also doesn’t tell me all the things I’m curious about. I want to know about you, Lieutenant, the person, not the record. The Ogawa is a ship with a lot going on and we all rely on each other a great deal. Our role as a hospital ship means we have a lot of people who need care in various ways. Some outside of the health fields see an assignment like this as less exciting, but it actually means each crew member is supporting very important work, in addition to whatever else we might be engaged in. So yes, I want to know who my Chief Engineer is, because you are a member of the Senior Staff and I need to be able to rely on you. I find that best works when people get to know and trust each other, see each other beyond rank pips, division colours, and a list of previous assignments.” Her voice still had an easy flow to it, but there was something more deeply passionate under the surface. Conviction.

Captain Myqian, CO