Meeting the New Boss
Posted on Wed Mar 1st, 2023 @ 12:58am by Captain Winfield Hood & Commander Zhan V'Trell
Edited on on Wed Mar 1st, 2023 @ 1:00am
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Carthage Rises
Location: Empok Nor - CO Office
Timeline: MD001 1300 Hrs
Commander Zhan V'Trell sat in Captain Hood's outer office awaiting his meeting with Empok Nor's Commanding Officer. He felt a little nervous, he wanted to make a good first impression. He was new to all this, the Carthage being his first actual Command. He'd gone through all the training, but the real thing was a whole other level. He'd be relying a lot on Anahera's experience to help him through this.
"Commander V'Trell, Captain Hood will see you now." The Captain's yeoman told him.
Standing, Zhan adjusted his uniform and took a deep breath before entering.
"Commander V'Trell reporting as requested, sir." He said as he stood in front of Captain Hood's desk.
"Welcome Commander, please have a seat." Hood leaned back in his chair and tossed a baseball up in the air. "Welcome to Empok Nor. I hope your travel here did take too long, and was a bad journey."
"Thank you, sir." Zhan said taking the offered chair. "The journey was uneventful." Noticing the baseball he said. "I have a friend who plays for the Paris Lumières." He said.
"I am a fan of the Pike City Pioneers myself. But, the Lumieres are no slouches." Hood put the ball down on its base and smiled as he spoke. He recognized small talk to get to know one's superior officer when he saw it. "Well please allow me to welcome you to Empok Nor. This station is something else." Winfield knew that the Commander was here to take command of the new garrisoned vessel the USS Carthage. He wanted to get to know the man who would command the crew that would protect his station.
"I've heard the rumours." Zhan said with a smile. "I guess you'd like to know a bit about me." He said. "Well, I was born an raised on a Federation science station, my father is a Physicist and my mother is a hematologist. Growing up around scientists, I developed an interest in it myself, and when I was old enough I applied to the Academy and graduated as a science officer. I worked my way up through the ranks. I was happy to remain a science officer, until I was given temporary command after the CO was abducted during a diplomatic mission and the XO led an Away Team to retrieve her. We were threaten by a starship, but I was able to bond with the ship's Captain over a shared love of science and defuse the situation. After that I decided to transfer to Command with the backing of my CO. I completed Command School and have served as XO on two vessels. Although the Carthage is my first true command, I've been paired with an XO who has a wealth of Command experience, that I'm willing to learn from, sir."
"Sounds like you are off on the right track. But please in private call me Win, just about everyone does. Well I can't say that your assignment here is going to be all excitement. But there will be a lot of exploration to be done around these parts. Now that the Cardassians have granted us full use of their space for exploration purposes the sky is the limit as they say. Of course we will have to share whatever we find with them. Add to that your mission of making sure this installation is safe. You will have your hands full." Hood said as he leaned onto his desk. There was a lot here and he wanted to make sure that the Commander was up to the task.
"I've been reading up on the mission files the Cardassians have provided, all the redacted material, makes for some interesting reading." Zhan said. "I particularly enjoyed reading "The Cardassian vessel [NAME REDACTED] commanded by [NAME REDACTED], left [NAME REDACTED] for [NAME REDACTED] where the crew encountered [NAME REDACTED] and engaged them in battle and were victorious. The [NAME REDACTED] sustained [REDACTED] damage and incurred [REDACTED] casualties. The [NAME REDACTED] then returned to
[NAME REDACTED] without further incident."
"I understand what I'm getting myself into, Win." The Orion said. "I'm excited and I must admit a little afraid what we might find out there."
"Very good! In that case do you have any questions for me? Anything that you may want to know to make your mission a little easier? I am not going to sugar coat it. Life here can get pretty bad. The Cardassians are not all welcoming not to mention the Breen and Tzenkethi being on our backs." Hood wanted to be crystal clear about what may be on the horizon for the young Captain and the new ship.
"I've read about that, Cardassian officers unhappy with their government's less warlike policies defecting to the True Way or going it alone. It was my understanding that the Breen had returned to their isolationist ways since the Dominion War. As for the Tzenkethi, have you personally encountered them, Win?" He asked. "The data about them in the Federation database seems to have conflicting descriptions of them."
"That is the issue that there is not much information on the Tzenkethi, hence we need to keep an eye on them. Add to the Cardassian situation is the return of the Maquis, well the return of sorts. There is an organization known as the New Maquis and they are working with the Obsidian Order. Of course the Detapa Council disavows the Order's existence. However, I am half and half whether I believe that or not." Hood began to toss the ball around again, as his thoughts began to whirl in his head.
"Strange that the Obsidian Order and Maquis are working together." Zhan said. "After all didn't the Maquis begin as a consequence of Cardassian aggregation against former Federation colonies?" He asked.
"It did indeed. However, as the old saying goes strange times makes strange bedfellows. Add to that the New Maquis are being led by former Admiral Rodney Leyton. So, you should have your hands full. I would not be surprised if you wanted to leave that center chair vacant. Heavy is the collar that wears the pips." Hood said and raised his cup in a mock toast.
"Well, I'm here now, I might as well do what I came here for, I may regret it, but that's life." Zhan replied.
"Well said Commander. Now unless you have any further questions I will let you get to your ship and your crew." Hood smiled. Granting a command was one of the pleasures reserved to station commanders and he relished in it.
"Just one thing, what's recommendation for a good bar, Win?" Zhan asked. "I'd like to give my crew good sendoff before we leave Empok Nor."
"For my taste there is only one bar where the bonds like family can me made. That is the White Stag, tell Mickey I sent you." Winfield knew that if Zhan was out to buy his crew drinks he would be a loved Captain indeed.
"Thank you, Win." Zhan said. "I'll stop by on my way back to the Carthage." He smiled. "I'll keep a chair open for you, if you want to stop by." That said, the Orion got to his feet and added. "Good bye, Win. It was great meeting you." He then left the office.
A Joint Post By
Captain Winfield Hood
Commanding Officer, Empok Nor
Commander Zhan V'Trell
Commanding Officer, USS Carthage
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