Meeting the boss

Posted on Friday, 14 August 2020 - 7:38pm by Lieutenant Raith Kolani & Petty Officer 1st Class Siana Ilian

Mission: Operation: Jabberwocky
Location: Lt Kolani's Office
Timeline: MD9

Now that the computer had alerted her of his return, Petty Officer Deeson waited a few hours before seeking out Lieutenant Kolani. While she wanted to get introductions over with as soon as possible, she imagined he would like at least a little time to unwind after returning from the away mission the commander had referred to. Once she had finished checking the replicator subroutines she set off in search of her department chief.

Having completed his work on the Monarch, Raith had returned to his office and was compiling reports on his recent actions and observations during the mission. He'd come back to several PADDs on his desk and was planning to look through those once he'd sent of the report to the Captain.

Reaching Lieutenant Kolani's office, Siana pressed the door chime and patiently waited until he called on his visitor to enter. Moving inside the office she came to a stop on the opposite side of his desk, standing at attention, "Petty Officer Siana Deeson, Sir. I've been assigned to your department as operations officer and wanted to check in with you now that you are back."

Raith looked up as he saw a new member of the crew request entry to his office and smiled as he heard that Petty Officer Deeson was the newest member of his Operations Department, watching as she stood to attention. Raith stood up and offered his hand in friendship to her.

"Welcome aboard the Standing Bear, Petty Officer Deeson, its a pleasure to meet you, please stand easy," Raith said as he walked around his desk to continue talking to her. Raith then guided her to a seat near his desk. "Please, sit down."

Once she was seated, Raith moved over to the replicator. "Can I offer you a drink, Petty Officer?" he asked her as he ordered an Earl Grey Tea for himself.

"Just a water thank you, I've had my caffeine limit for the day."

Once he put down the drinks on the table, Raith picked his up and took a sip, before continuing. "So, tell me some more about yourself, Petty Officer Deeson. Where did you serve before and what are areas of Starship Operations are you skilled in?"

"Aboard the USS Washington, primarily as an engineer," she replied. "She's been my only Starfleet posting - until now that is. Before that, I worked on several private ships, freighters mostly so I have a lot of hands on experience. Especially when things are not going as they should be. I made a switch to ops recently but the Washington had no permanent posts so my CO made some enquiries and, well, here I am."

She paused, considering the final part of his question, "I am still finding my feet so to speak, but I bring with me an indepth knowledge of engineering and I majored in computer sciences at university. There is no computer system I cannot work with sir. I'm organised, think on my feet and like to think outside the box if the situation warrants it. One thing about working most of my time in the engine rooms of older than time freighters is that you learn very quickly that the manuals can be viewed more as guidelines than rules. In an emergency, you need to know which lines in the sand you can cross, I do."

"As to operations itself, I'm here to learn," she finished, hoping he wasn't beginning to regret having her assigned to his team.

Raith took another sip of his drink and smiled as he put it down. It was clear that hands-on experience wasn't going to be an issue for the Petty Officer and he could tell she was eager to get to work.

"I'm sold, Petty Officer, have no fear about joining Operations with only a small amount of experience previously," Raith explained. "From the sounds of things, you already have the ability to adapt to a new situation and serving on the Wahington will have given you the chance to work with Starfleet systems."

Raith sat forward in his chair. "If your willing, I'm happy to help you get more experience onboard the ship and give you the chance to work on various areas that come under Operations. Essentially, I'll take you under my wing and we'll get you up to speed so that you can put that adaptability to good use," Raith explained.

"Have no fear, the Washingtons loss, is the Standing Bears gain." Raith made sure that he was clear with this last statement. "Now, any questions?"

"I appreciate that Lieutenant," Siana smiled, her relief evident. "I've had a few days to see a lot of the ship and picked up a few odd engineering jobs here and there so I could get familiar with the ship... I guess I'm curious as to how you find being aboard? Obviously she is a smaller crew but she still has all the same issues and demands as any other I'd imagine?"

"Oh, don't be fooled by the size, The Standing Bear may be from one of the smaller classes in the fleet, but she keeps us all busy making sure she's running at one hundred per cent," Raith said. He took another sip of his tea before carrying on. "I've served on some larger vessel during my career and I'll be honest, I find little difference here compared to the much larger Vesta Class starships I was on."

Raith was curious to see what the young Petty Officer could offer in the way of helping out in Operations on board the Standing Bear, but he was also glad to have some extra help around the place too. Now and then, being a Senior Officer had it perks and he was looking forward to seeing what Deeson could bring to the table.

"Good to know," Siana smiled. "Perhaps we could have a proper catch-up tomorrow? I'd be interested to see your typical day, to see exactly how you are kept on your toes."

Rith nodded as he agreed to the idea that the Petty Officer proposed. "That sounds like a good idea. Get yourself a good nights sleep, Deeson and then come back and meet me here for the start of your shift at 0800 hours tomorrow," he said.

"You can shadow me on a typical day to see what goes on and get an idea of what I'm expecting from you. Hows does that sound?" Raith asked her, hoping that this would be a good start for the young enlisted officer.

"Sounds ideal, just tell me when and where and I will be ready," Siana promised.

"Excellent. in the meantime, feel free to acclimatise yourself with the ship and get to know its various decks before your shift with me tomorrow," said Raith. "Remember, meet me here at the Operations Office for 0800 tomorrow morning."

Raith was sure that Deeson would be a fine addition to both the Operations Department and also the crew of the Standing Bear from what he'd heard so far.

“I’ll remember, have a great day Lieutenant!” Siana smiled as she headed for the door - so far certain she was going to enjoy her time aboard this ship. And then worrying she had jinxed it in the worst possible way. She sighed. Way to go Siana...

Raith nodded as Deeson left his office. He sat back for a moment and took in the meeting and how it had gone. He was impressed with how Deeson had conducted herself and was looking forward to working with her. He was very happy and confident she would fit in well.

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