Posted by Commander Balfor Kolar (XO/CSO) in Office of the XO - Reporting For Duty

Posted by Commander Balfor Kolar (XO/CSO) in Office of the XO - Reporting For Duty

Posted by Commander Balfor Kolar (XO/CSO) in Office of the XO - Reporting For Duty
Posted by… suppressed (15) by the Post Ghost! 👻
By the time he reached the XO’s office, the Saracen already felt more familiar under his feet.

He’d taken the long way. Letting his feet find the rhythms of the ship, the crew. Ops officers nodded at him in corridors with quick, assessing glances. He’d cataloged four minor systems out of calibration, three awkward turbolift delays, and one ensign who nearly tripped over her own boots rerouting grav-matrix relays. Nothing disastrous. All manageable.

He smoothed the sleeve of his uniform as the door to the XO’s office came into view. One last breath. One last check on the man he was supposed to be here: calm, capable, quietly competent.

He tapped the chime.

-Lt. Cmdr. Harel
Chief of Operations

BUMP

OOC: Sorry. fixing the topic. Didn’t mean to change it.

-Lt. Cmdr. Harel
Chief of Operations

“Enter,” Kolar said, hearing the chime on his door. Checking his watch he nodded. Lieutenant Commander Harel was right on time. He didn’t expect anything less however it was nice to see the man was punctual. As XO he dealt with a wide range of crew on the ship. Not everyone cared about wasting the XO’s time until Kolar gave them a lesson to remember about time. It was refreshing to know that the new DH was ready and eager to start his new post.

Kolar XO

The doors parted with a quiet hiss. Harel stepped inside, posture straight, expression composed.
“Commander,” he greeted with a brief nod. “Lieutenant Commander Llakar Harel, reporting for duty.”
His tone was calm, neither stiff nor overly familiar—just precise. Measured.
He stood at ease, hands clasped behind his back, waiting patiently for the XO to proceed.

Lt. Commander Harel ○●●
Chief of Operations
U.S.S. Saracen

He stood as the Lieutenant Commander entered. Somehow he was very erect without seeming stiff. In fact he actually seemed more relaxed when he stood to. He smiled politely.

Kolar wasn’t too fixated on rigid formality in private. He felt that he was very aware of real and fake respect. “At ease,” Kolar said. Depending on one’s experience, in Starfleet, people reported differently. “Please have a seat. Would you care for a beverage or something small to eat?” He doubted the officer would take food, but perhaps he would accept a drink.

” Was your trip coming here eventful?” Kolar tapped a few buttons on his console, refreshing himself with details about the newest officer, but even with the screen activated he never looked at it. “You transferred over from the USS Leviathan correct?”

Kolar XO

Harel accepted the seat with a polite nod, hands resting loosely in his lap.

“No thank you, sir,” he said to the offer of refreshments. “And the trip was uneventful, which was a welcome change.”

At the mention of the Leviathan, he hesitated—not out of discomfort, but consideration. When he spoke, it was with measured clarity.

“I wasn’t transferred, exactly. I’ve been reassigned following a leave of absence.”

He met Kolar’s eyes steadily.

“My last mission aboard the Leviathan involved an encounter with a sentient spatial anomaly. Temporal in nature. It… detained me for several months. From the outside, I was missing. From my perspective, I was trapped in a recursive sequence of traumatic memory—reliving certain moments repeatedly, with full emotional continuity.”

There was no dramatization in his tone—only the calm of someone who had long since come to terms with the telling.

“After my return, I took an extended leave to recover. Starfleet Medical cleared me for active duty earlier this quarter. This assignment is my first since rejoining the fleet.”

A pause, not for effect, but honesty.

“I’m not here to pretend nothing happened. But I’m not carrying it like a wound. I’ve done the work. I’m ready to serve.”

Lt. Commander Harel ○●●
Chief of Operations
U.S.S. Saracen

Kolar listened to the response with a neutral expression. “Being held against one’s will is something that few can even empathize with or understand. I can relate even not understand. I was held in a camp during the war.” The officer was correct. You never got over it but that did not mean you could not serve and perform your duty admirably. As the XO there were questions he needed to ask that others might shy away from. “So we are your first assignment after your ordeal on the Levi?”

Kolar XO

Harel gave a quiet nod, his posture steady.

“Yes, sir,” he replied. “The Saracen is my first assignment since returning to duty.”

There was no hesitation in his voice—just clarity, and the quiet certainty of someone prepared to get back to work.

Lt. Commander Harel ○●●
Chief of Operations
U.S.S. Saracen

“Excellent. So did you choose the Saracen or was it assigned to you?” Some people wanted to be on certain ships for many reasons. Other people just went where they were assigned. Ship crews became tight, especially ships smaller ships like the Saracen. Either response was fine with Kolar. It was just his way of getting a sense of the officers on his ship.

Kolar XO

Harel’s head tilted slightly at the question, considering how best to frame the answer.

“A bit of both, sir,” he said. “The assignment came through personnel, but when the Saracen’s name crossed my desk, I didn’t turn it down.”

He met Kolar’s gaze, steady and deliberate.

“I knew its reputation. Capable crew. Tight-knit. The kind of ship where people rely on each other. After my leave, that seemed like the right kind of posting to come back to.”

Lt. Commander Harel ○●●
Chief of Operations
U.S.S. Saracen

“It does have a reputation however we are a new crew with a new history to write for the ship. How do you see yourself in that story?” While Colter and Scott remained from the last crew, the exploits of the prior Captain were like reading an adventure novel at times. Balfor was glad he was coming on with a new group instead of filling in an empty seat. It allowed them a clean slate to write a new chapter in the story of the USS Saracen. Everyone had a plan of some sorts that led them through life. Balfor was interested in what Harel saw as his next chapter.

Kolar XO

Harel’s posture remained steady, though there was a faint shift in his expression—thoughtful, measured, as if weighing the shape of the words before he set them down.

“I see myself as part of the foundation, sir,” he said at last. “Operations doesn’t usually make the headlines, but it’s where the crew’s rhythm is set. Systems aligned, departments talking to each other, problems solved before they become distractions.”

His gaze held level on Kolar, the quiet edge of conviction beneath his even tone.

“A tight-knit ship needs someone who can keep the gears meshing cleanly. If I do my job right, most people won’t notice it—but they’ll feel it. That’s the kind of story I expect to write here: one where the crew can do theirs without hesitation, because they know the ship will hold under them.”

Lt. Commander Harel ○●●
Chief of Operations
U.S.S. Saracen

“Keeping the ship together below your feet and around your body does eliminate tension,” he joked. He had been in enough battles with sparking consoles and deck plates buckling below his feet to know it added more chaos than just the battle.

“So what do you do for fun to unwind,” Kolar asked.

Kolar XO

Bump

Kolar XO