Come Hither
Posted on Sun Jul 19th, 2009 @ 6:49pm by Lieutenant JG Ryan Warner & Captain Elsie Halliwell
1,200 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission:
Behind the Mask of Familiarity
Location: Captain's Ready Room, USS Archimedes
Timeline: Current
Ryan Warner gave a deep sigh as he pushed his thumb down upon the 'call' button for the ready room of his new commanding officer. These were the moments he hated, the little meetings with superior officers where he would be scrutinised and, in most cases, insulted. Ryan had a lot of pride to maintain and outlandish chastisings from his commanders often hit him hard. Unfortunately, they rarely made much of an impact in terms of changing his behaviour. He had issues with commanding officers who enjoyed throwing their weight around and throughout his career every CO he had came across had done just that. Since his first shift wasn't due to start till the next day, he had very little reason to suspect anything different from Lane.
He took the time to observe the bridge, a glazed look of satisfaction crossing his features as his eyes flicked from station to station until they met the CONN. Yes it was small, there were no doubts there, but it was actually incredibly spacious. There was this idea of a central hub, where ship operations could be conducted freely between the command team and the internal primary systems operators with ease and latitude. The helm itself dominated the fore of the bridge, taking up space at the bottom of the command well. From a crafty, sleepless night of study on the shuttle over, Ryan had already learned that he would have the split-console all to himself with increased access to navigations and operational resources. That meant fast internal communications with engineering and the ability to stretch his limitations. He would be given peace to work, precisely what he needed.
Lane was sat on the other side of the door, behind his desk, with the obligatory coffee in one hand, and Ryan’s service record detailed on a padd in the other. Having already met Kathryn Martin, Lane now had the ‘pleasure’ of being introduced to the other side of the duo, to the other side of the pairing. However, to his surprise, he had found something hopeful gleaming through the smear of Kathryn, and equally wanted to see the same in Warner. After all, being dumped on the Archimedes was their punishment. They hadn’t been sent here to be punished.
“Come in,� Lane called out as the chime reverberated around the bulkheads of his office and the doors parted.
“Ah, Lieutenant Warner,� he said, looking upon the new officer, “please come in and take a seat.�
"Aye, Sir," the young officer responded as he stepped through the office accessway. His eyes flitted to the left and to the right, settling upon objects surrounding the workspace. He had no intention of actually trying to figure out what kind of person Lane was, instead he would let that realisation flow naturally during conversation. Indeed, all that l really mattered was how his new Captain would respond to his presence. So he sat down, carefully and quietly and settled, he could only offer a nod, deliberately leaving a rather bleak facial expression upon his features. "Lieutenant Ryan Warner, Captain, as you already know."
“That I do,� Lane replied, tossing the padd in his hand onto the desk as it clattered about. He looked at the blank expression of Ryan through matching glass-blue eyes. “Lieutenant, what is written on that padd before you is not only your service record, but your court martial reports and the outcome. Needless to say, this is not the situation I would choose to have you serve aboard with us. However, what is done is done, and all three of us have to see if we can move past this…� and he motioned to the padd with his hand before him “…fiasco and start afresh.�
He let a slight smile flutter across his jaw as he continued. “I have no intention of allowing you an easy time with us, Lieutenant. And I must observe by the court’s restrictions for you both as punishment, however, I am afraid that Lieutenant Martin caught me on an off-day. Something that, as Captain, I feel I am entitled to once in awhile. I have decided, now, upon meeting you both, that we shall just forget this ever happened and start anew.�
Warner seemed to take a deep breath, allowing a moment of silence to pass between the two of them. There was a slight buck-wild flash within his gaze, a mild flicker of discontent. He really had an abject dislike for commanding officers. His Australian accent panged through the quiet atmosphere. "Sir, all due respect, there is no three of us. Lieutenant Martin and I will continue to report as we have been ordered to but I am here as your flight control officer." He tilted his head slightly, giving a mild shrug. "I'm a pilot, Captain, I'm here to fly your ship and that is really all I wish to do."
“Unfortunately, Lieutenant, that’s not how Command views the matter,� Lane replied, straightening up in his chair. “I have no desire to lock you two together any more than the orders state, Mr. Warner, however, as part of this crew and the senior staff, you will be required to be lumped together with everyone on this ship. And that means Lieutenant Martin. In fact, should that be all you wish to do, then perhaps we should have you reassigned to the shuttlebay instead. Am I making myself crystal clear, Lieutenant?�
"Yes, Sir." Ryan gave a meek nod of agreement, though the twitch of indignation was clear in his gaze. "I don't mean to be rude, nor do I mean to undermine your command in any way but the situation that Lieutenant Martin and I have found ourselves in should not affect your opinion of me as an officer, or a pilot. I just don't want to be labelled as part of a duo, I'm better than that."
“I completely understand, Lieutenant,� Lane attempted to sympathise. “However, the moment both your sentences were executed, you became part of that duo. In fact, being part of that duo is, for all intents and purposes, your punishment.�
The Trill sighed a little and then refocused his gaze on his new Chief Flight Control Officer before him. “But, saying that, the rest of the crew are unaware of your predicament. And I, for one, will consider both of you officers on individual and unique merits. There’s no need for you to worry about that. Who you both inform what has brought you here, is entirely up to you.�
Warner simply nodded again, that pouting, stoney gaze remaining upon his lips as he reiterated what he imagined the Captain was used to hearing. "Aye, Sir, I appreciate that, Sir."
“Alright,� Lane replied, mimicking the Lieutenant’s nod. “If there’s nothing else then you’re dismissed.�
As Ryan stood to leave the Trill followed him with his eyes until he vacated his ready room. “Looks like this is gonna be one tough year,� he said, shaking his head.
OFF:
Captain Coltan Lane
Commanding Officer
AND
Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Ryan Warner
Chief Flight Control Officer
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