Posted by Lieutenant Commander Aaron Foley (Executive Officer) in Ready Room - Meeting the new XO

Posted by Captain Briony of Krios (Commanding Officer) in Ready Room - Meeting the new XO

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Aaron Foley (Executive Officer) in Ready Room - Meeting the new XO
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Posted by Captain Briony of Krios (CO) in Ready Room - Meeting the new XO

Posted by Lt. Cmdr. Aaron Foley (XO) in Ready Room - Meeting the new XO

Posted by Captain Briony of Krios (CO) in Ready Room - Meeting the new XO

Posted by Lt. Cmdr. Aaron Foley (XO) in Ready Room - Meeting the new XO

Posted by Captain Briony of Krios (CO) in Ready Room - Meeting the new XO

Posted by Lt. Cmdr. Aaron Foley (XO) in Ready Room - Meeting the new XO
Having taken the chance to get some of the necessities out of the way, Aaron made his way finally to the Ready Room. Taking a moment to adjust his uniform, Aaron took a deep breath and tapped the chime, and waited.

LtCmdr Foley - XO

The door opened to the Captain sitting behind her desk. Her office was a fairly generous, of the same length and width of DS9’s ready room though the decor was thoroughly Federation Standard. Briony had situated her desk where her back was to a wall with several consoles detailing various operations of the station. To her right was a door that led to the Briefing Room and to her left was a line of massive windows that looked out among the stars. A small sitting area was near those windows. Next to that and by the main door and against the wall was a long thin table with several sculptures and what seemed to be a set of bells made of a bamboo like material. There were small tapestries on the empty sections of wall, both colorful and definitely Kriosian in nature. There were too, a set of shelves with delicate figurines. Each was a man and a woman set in some kind of dance embrace. Each was different and obviously very carefully created. Her desk was clear of clutter except for the open console and her cup of steaming coffee.

She motioned for him to enter and looked at her console. “Really mother, I do need to go. I finally have my Executive Officer and as pleasant as you are, I am sure we need to discuss business. I will talk to you in a week.” Before her mother could protest, Briony closed the connection and the console receded into her desk.

“My apologies Lieutenant Commander. Normally my mother is not a worry wart, but she has been since I got stationed here. I think she got used to having me back home and safe… two of her favorite things.” She stood while she said this and came around to extend her hand for shaking. It was a typically human custom but she had adopted it years ago. “Welcome to the Magellan. I am Captain Briony.”

Briony, CO

“No worries Captain. I think it is universal to all mothers, and parents, wanting to keep their kids safe,” Aaron said chuckling slightly as he stepped forward. He took the Captain’s hand. “It is nice to meet you Captain. Lieutenant Commander Foley, your new Executive Officer. It is… quite the station Ma’am.”

LtCmdr Foley - XO

“It is quite the station.” She nodded as she shook his hand for a moment and then disengaged. She wasn’t typically a physical person. She gestured to the sitting area and took a seat there herself. “It has its own challenges too. Unlike a ship we have a multitude of non federation civilians in addition to Star Fleet presence. We have a Marine contingent too. There has been quite a bit of job shifting lately, but I expected that in my first year.”

She paused and wished for a moment that she had brought her coffee, but alas, it was still on her desk. “I did look at your record, but I like to get to know you by talking a bit too. What Science did you specialize in?”

Briony, CO

“Astrophysics Captain, specifically I was working on how stars and their gravitational fields affect planetary shifts. I was researching better ways to predict stellar drift for my thesis back at the Academy. But, since then I’ve had the chance to improve my expertise in a wide variety of science fields. You don’t get the luxury of working in your specialty long when you are out in deep space these days,” Aaron said chuckling.

LtCmdr Foley - XO

She nodded. Science was not one of her better subjects so it was good she had someone more scientifically minded in her command crew. Still she had to wonder why a scientist wanted to be in command. She wanted to understand his motivations and what he was looking for as her XO here. Her head tilted a little as she asked the question, “So why did you want to be an Executive Officer?”

“Well Captain, it’s sadly not that interesting of a story. The Jahde was a deep space science vessel, so as Chief Science Officer I doubled as the ships Second Officer. While I did still participate in the research, I also had the opportunity to help set our longer range research goals. I actually enjoyed having the opportunity to set the ships direction, and the new challenge it presented. So when the XO was recalled, I had the opportunity to move into the XO position, initially in an acting capacity, before being promoted permanently.

“And now I’m here. Not exactly the deep space science missions that I was initially aiming for, but there really isn’t any arguing with Command,” Aaron said shrugging. He had always been an explorer, on the move discovering something new. So to be stuck on a stationary base, it wouldn’t have been his first choice. But he had seen what happened to officers who became to vocal in dissent of their assignments, and things never ended well for them.

LtCmdr Foley - XO

Briony’s lips pressed together. To have someone who was less than enthusiastic working as her XO… it was not ideal. She was glad he had been up front about it though. Perhaps in time he would find a place here, or he wouldn’t. Either way she would know soon enough. Besides, she knew how he felt. It wasn’t as if she wanted to be here when she first arrived. More than anything, she had wanted to return to the USS Atlantis, her ship after they had dragged her away to a dangerous and damaging intelligence mission. They had said no. Another Captain now had her reigns. All that hard work was now gone to someone else’s capable hands. The friendships she made were diminished by a year’s absence. Her relationship with Heathcliff Rinker almost non-existant though he was here for a visit. She couldn’t depend on him staying. “No. I guess there isn’t.”

“Do you have any questions for me?”

Briony, CO

“Well Captain, what are your expectations from your Executive Officer?”

Aaron had learned in his time that every Captain had their own way of running things, and until now he had mostly successfully avoided running into those sorts of issues. The one perk of being on a primarily science vessel, as the Chief Science Officer, he has a decent say in what the ships priorities were, and had the backing of the Federation Science Council behind his decisions. It also helped that he knew his previous Captain, and ship, well before he became XO.

But now he was completely out of his comfort zone.

LtCmdr Foley - XO

Briony thought about this question. She had not had time to really get to know the previous XO here but had found him to be a competent XO. Did she expect the same things from a science backed XO? She sat back and tapped her finger lightly on her coffee mug. Finally she looked at him and said, “I expect that you will be my second in command, handing day to day operations so I can concentrate on larger picture issues or particularly complicated ones. I expect you to lead the crew and interact with them perhaps more than I do. I need you to be visible. Ill need your analytical mind to read situations and advise me. And while I want your opinion about things, I do not want you to openly disagree with me in front of the crew.”

Briony, CO

Aaron nodded. “That’s understandable Captain, and I can respect that. I can work with that, and I will bring my concerns to you in private.

“Would there be anything else Captain? I would like to take the opportunity otherwise to get to know the Station better, and to get to know the crew.”

LtCmdr Foley - XO

She stood up to see the man out. “I think that will be all Commander Foley. I look forward to working with you.” Briony couldn’t help but compare how she had interacted with this XO in comparison to the interim XO here and the XO on her last ship, the USS Atlantis. She wondered if she would remain formal with him or if she would eventually come to relax more in his presence. She was a different person now than she had been on her former ship. Brian had been easy to get along with and his stint here was short lived with her.

They just needed to get to know each other and try to learn how to interact with one another. She stifled her worry and gestured that he could head to the door at his leisure. “If you need anything, there is an Ensign.... Ensign Wildabound who is quite eager to assist you.”

Briony, CO