Asking Favors

Posted on Wed Sep 30th, 2009 @ 3:14pm by Lieutenant JG Drew O'Connell & Lieutenant Cress Maven

731 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: The Shining Truth
Location: Chief Engineer's Office
Timeline: Backpost - Before the Mutiny

Drew stepped out of the turbolift as the doors parted with their customary hiss. He'd already spent the better half of two days on the Archimedes and he'd yet to meet the Chief Engineer. It was a slight oversight, one he intended to rectify while also brokering a favor. Crossing the busy engineering section, Drew nodded seriously to two of Sheedy's junior officers. A serious pair themselves. Side-stepping an occupied engineer, Drew barely scraped past the 'ppol table' at the center of the room before coming to stand at Sheedy's door.

Drew stopped a moment, starightening his jacket and brushing his hair from his forehead, he tapped the announcement chime and awaited the CEO's response.

Skanda looked up from a fuel consumption report and sighed. It was the second interruption in the last five minutes and while the report wasn't exactly fun reading, she wanted to get it done. So her voice was perhaps sharper than usual when she answered, "Come!"

Drew stepped Chief Engineer's office and stopped before her desk. Extending a hand, he introduced himself. "Lieutenant Andrew O'Connell, Chief Intelligence Officer. I just arrived and thought it would be polite to introduce myself to my fellow department heads."

Skanda raised an eyebrow. She looked at the hand, then back at the person who owned it. Anyone watching who knew Skanda would have winced in sympathy for O'Connell. Skanda Sheedy did not shake hands. The lieutenant was silent for a long minute. Then she said in her clipped accent, "Skanda Sheedy. Nice t' meet y'." And for once, she meant it. Intelligence Officers were always interesting people and she anticipated getting to know this one.

Drew retracted the hand, making a mental note of yet another among the senior staff who refused to shake his hand. This crew was primed for a paranoid conspiracy theory to erupt. Easily dismissing the handshake, Drew pressed on casually, "And you. I was hoping to collaborate on a project with you, Lieutenant, one of import but also one of secrecy. Not surprising considering the source."

Skanda tilted her head in interest and motioned to the seat across from her own. "Si' down, then, sir, an' tell me abou' i'." The chief engineer leaned forward and rested her elbows on her desk. Any project from the Chief of Intel was bound to be very interesting indeed. Maybe as interesting as the man himself might prove to be.

Drew wanted to be as delicate as possible about the subject, but decided the direct approach was a better tact. "I'd like to recreate a simulation of the Situation Room I had aboard the Rook. Aboard the holodeck and fully functional."

Skanda nodded slowly, thinking quickly along two lines. One line was the technical aspect of the simulation O'Connell was requesting, but the second was more along the 'why does he want this in the first place?' line. She took twice as long to answer as she normally would have, which means it was ten seconds before she said, "Tha'll take s'me doin', Lieuten'nt. I'll need th' specs o' th' room y' wan' an' an expl'nat'n. Bu' I don' s'ppose I'll ge' tha', will I?"

"I can arrange the specs," Drew agreed easily. "As for the explanation...you have your office and you have your department. Main Engineering," Drew motioned to the space beyond her office. "I have my office, now I just need space for my department." Drew shrugged and offered the Chief Engineer a smile.

Skanda gave him a sideways look, unsure if he was telling the truth (she seldom trusted anyone), but she nodded. "I see. Ve'y well, I c'n unde'stan' tha'. We'll ge' i' done for y', Lieuten'nt, soon as possible."

Drew nodded appreciatively. "Thanks for that, Lieutenant. Of course, if there's anything I might do for you, feel free to ask. I'll make the specs available to you before the end of the day."

"An' we'll ge' t' work as soon 's tha' padd hits m' 'and," she promised.

Clasping his hands behind his back, Drew once again noted the alien's penchant for not shaking hands. "Good day then, Lieutenant. A pleasure meeting you."

Sheedy inclined her head to the young lieutenant. "Likewise, Lieuten'nt," she replied, a ghost of a smile flickering around her lips. "I 'ope we'll 'ave the pleas're of workin' togethe' ag'in in th' fut're."

 

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