Posted by Lieutenant Tandra Mika (Counselor) in Side sim: Another Posting, Another Switch, Another Captain (TAG McBride)
The USS Capitol was a decent, if boring ship. Boring was good, Mika reminded herself but she couldn’t stop herself from wishing for a little more excitement. The most interesting thing to happen recently was the court martialing of the previous counselor, for breach of privacy and gross misconduct. To Mika’s knowledge, she hadn’t been a terrible person, in fact, the crew seemed to like her.

Mika had transferred aboard as a Chief Medical Officer only a week before the incident that got the Counselor court martialed. When the ship had difficulty finding another counselor to fill the post, Mika volunteered to cover the duties until a replacement could be found. Unfortunately, it was only now, several months later that one was assigned successfully.

The work left by the previous counselor had been behind, and Mika found herself buried in things to do. It was only now that she was getting caught up and felt on top of both positions. She was glad there would soon be someone else to take one of the jobs. She would, at last, have free time to catch up on her personal correspondence.

The transfer request was in with her other morning reports and things, and Mika nearly missed it. Then she nearly didn’t open it. In her two years since Academy, she was beginning to lose count of the amount of times she’d transferred from ship to ship. She didn’t mind the frequent transfers, because she was able to work in a large variety of crews and situations, but she also found herself to be rather lonely. There was also the possibility they hadn’t made the transfer a choice. That was a nicety, not a requirement.

In the end, curiosity won out and she peeked at the transfer request. It was optional, another lateral transfer to… Oed V. They needed a counselor, and one with a medical degree would be a benefit. She searched the Starfleet database for the post location, and leaned back in her chair upon reading it.

It was a colony planet, all the way out on the edge of Federation space. A big colony, too. Four million people and ten thousand of those were Starfleet personnel. That was a lot of people! Maybe she could just look at the crew manifest…

Something there caught her attention. She’d have to hope the database was not outdated. A colony was not where she’d get her excitement fix. In fact, with that many people, it would be more like being a family doctor back on Earth, and she had specialized in Emergency med. She was also skilled as a trauma surgeon. Well, it would be more like a regular psychologist, she supposed, as she was being asked to be the counselor. She liked both positions fairly equally, she was okay with being either. She had noticed they had a CMO, and she was familiar with the name. She had a letter ready to send, actually. If she chose to go though, she’d make it a surprise. Sharah would be thrilled.

It was asking her to transfer and keep her present rank - Lieutenant. She was not surprised. She had not done anything to impress the brass recently, and a Lieutenant in two years was a fairly fast progression already. In Academy, she’d had her sights set on Captain, but that was her goal no longer. She was too happy doing her job, or rather jobs, now. She did not want to abandon her work as a doctor and counselor in favor of the duties of a Captain. Because of that, she was not much concerned with ranks.

Mika decided to think on it for a few days. If she stayed, she would have more of an opportunity to make friends, to really get to know people both personally and professionally. She already had a friend there, though, and she had always been good at meeting people.

In the end, she resolved to go. The idea of a boring job similar to what she could get on Earth was unappealing, however, perhaps it was somewhere she would be able to stay, for more than a number of months. Life’s excitements did not have to be space battles or weird infections on alien worlds, after all.

Mika disembarked from the shuttle nearly a week after the initial request had gone through. She had read about the colony during the trip over. It had been a long trip. Mika had never been so close to the edge of Federation space. The space station was a bit like an airport. It seemed decently easy to navigate, but she still found herself stopping to ask an Ensign for directions.

The customs check and health screening were fast, though there was a wait, and soon she was stepping out of the space port. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been outside - actually outside, not briefly for a mission, or in the holodeck. Holodecks were an amazing feat of technology, but they just didn’t get it quite right. A walk outside, even as short of one as it was, was long overdue, and Mika hadn’t realized how overdo until she was there. It was lucky she had arrived in plenty of time. She had no reason to rush over to report for duty.

After she’d had her fill, for now, of outside, she headed into Starfleet’s complex and asked another Ensign for directions. Bag still slung over her shoulder, she headed to the door of Captain McBride’s office and rang the chime.

~ Lt Mika, CNS

“It’s open,” he called out.

Inside the modest office, the new commanding officer was seated at his desk, which was set into the corner, with one side facing out so he could have guests. Two chairs sat on the other side. Behind him was a stretch of windows along the exterior that wrapped around the other corner and led the eye to a sitting area with a replicator. There was a doo just next to the that that led to a small washroom. Other than the basic furniture (including a bookcase with few photos and mementos), McBride hadn’t gotten to much decorating, but at least there were no more crates hanging about.

He turned and ran a hand over his thick brown hair. Rising to his feet, he smiled. “Good day, what can I do for you?”

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO