Reporting for Duty

Posted on Mon Aug 22, 2016 @ 3:28am by Commodore Michael Aravan & Lieutenant Martha Cusack

Mission: An Orion to Die For
Location: Deck 1; Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: MD 0 || 0930 hours

Martha had taken the opportunity to leave the Endurance to join the USS Triumphant. She had arrived with her wife, daughter and pet canary the night before and now she decided to report for duty aboard the Triumphant. After unpacking and placing their belongings away Martha headed for the nearest turbolift and went up to the bridge to see Captain Aravan. She had enjoyed her time on the Endurance but it seemed now as a good a time as any to try some new surroundings.

Once the lift stopped on the bridge Martha walked over to the Ready Room and pressed the chime - waiting for permission to enter.

"Enter," Captain Michael Aravan called his seat at the head of a huge black-surfaced table which dominated the center of the room which had a dozen chairs around it. Plants were at the corners of the room and most of one wall was filled with shelves which contained over a dozen species of bonsai trees, some elaborately sculpted around tree houses, some made to look like homes built into the ground and others that looked like they were just starting. Another table off to one side held a decanter of strong black coffee with several cups around it, a bowl containing sweetener and another for some type of cream.

Martha entered the room after hearing the call from behind the doors. She knew who she was going to be serving under but Martha had no idea what he was like - although she was going to get an idea in just a few moments. Moving forwards the doors parted to allow Martha to enter before they swished closed behind her. This time she was just in charge of the Tactical side of things - something she felt was a good move for her career. Once she was in front of Michael's desk she looked at him with a neutral expression on her face.

"Lieutenant Martha Cusack reporting for duty sir" Martha said.

Michael looked up and nodded as he pulled her information on the large table which came to life like a giant LCARS. "Have a seat, Lieutenant, " he said. "Would you care for some coffee or refreshment before we start? The coffee's the real thing."

Martha smiled and took a seat in front of her new Commanding Officer. So far she was very impressed with the Triumphant and she admired the tactical systems which were unlike anything else she'd ever seen before. A few years ago Martha was sitting down with then Commander Azulas introducing herself on the Nogura - then she felt a lot less confident - but now she felt a lot more confident and relaxed about introducing herself to somebody new.

"A cup of coffee would be great Captain. Thank you" Martha said

The Captain got up and moved over to the table with the coffee carafe and poured a cup for the new Chief of Tactical. "Sugar or creamer?" he asked as he assessed her. She seemed confident and happy while she projected a casual air and he wondered if it were an act or not.

Martha had always preferred a drop of cream in her coffee - she felt it gave the coffee a better taste. She watched as Michael moved over to a table to prepare the hot beverage that Martha had requested. She much preferred hand made coffee rather than the replicated coffee - to Martha it tasted just that little bit better.

"Cream for me please Captain" Martha replied.

Michael added a spoon of cream to her cup and stirred it before he retrieved a saucer and brought it and the cup back to her. "You're lucky, Lieutenant," he said. "Only senior staff gets the good stuff delivered by the Captain. Everyone else has to go to The Black Hole if they want it. Tell me a little about yourself that's not in your file."

"Thank you Captain" Martha said as Michael placed the cup in front of her.

She took a much needed sip of the hot beverage and had a think about what to say in response to his request. Martha thought that her marriage to Lucia would be on her file and he would be aware that Lucia - and their adopted daughter Elsie - came aboard at the same time. Instead Martha thought about telling him about her hobbies instead.

"Well...I enjoy reading, classical Earth music, reading and watching Shakespeare plays and I occasionally enjoy ballroom dancing on the holodeck - although I haven't for a year or so now because I've been trying to find new hobbies with varying degrees of success. I've been married to my wife for four years - but I guessing you'll already know that from my personal record" Martha replied with a smile.

"Not the ballroom dancing, but I suspect if my wife found out, she may want to take lessons for us or our oldest daughter," Michael said as he glanced at her personnel file. "I see that you made a change from Operations to Tactical. What inspired that?"

Martha giggled as she took another sip of the coffee whilst Michael replied. It was very nice coffee - she was half tempted to ask him where he got it from so Martha could have some for herself.

"On the Nogura in 2388 the Tactical Officer left the ship at short notice and I was transferred over to Tactical and Security by then-Commander Azulas. It certainly gave my career a different direction that I've enjoyed taking. I enjoyed Operations but I have to admit I much prefer thinking about tactics rather finding the right balance between the ship's various systems" Martha replied.

"What would you say your strongest point and your weakest point is, Lieutenant?" He asked her as he closed her file again and deactivated the table.

"Strongest point? I like to think I'm good at thinking on the spot and adapting tactics to suit varying environments. Weakest point...well... sometimes I don't know when to stop working...and in 2388 I received counselling for anxiety and depression - although now I feel a whole lot better for it. I owe it all to the excellent counselling I received on Starbase Unity in the Gamma Quadrant" Martha replied.

"I heard that was quite a time in the Gamma Quadrant," Michael said. "The whole Consortium business of pitting Starfleet against Starfleet. It's a shame that so many loyal crews fought against each other. What do you feel you got out of the experience?"

The experience with The Consortium had changed Martha a lot. She fought against people who she thought were her colleagues - but in reality they weren't - even though they shared the same uniform they were enemies. Although a lot of people didn't survive Martha was grateful every single day that she was one of the survivors - as well as her wife and Elsie.

"It was indeed. As for my experience of it - it taught me to value what I have in life a lot more than I did. I nearly lost the two most important people in my life to The Consortium...in fact my supposed best friend was one of them and he stabbed me, his daughter and his crewmates in the back. The whole experience taught me to be a lot more careful with who I choose to call my friend...I guess you could say I'm a lot more cautious than I was back then" Martha said

"Do you feel that distrust coming back with the transfer to the Triumphant?" Michael asked her as he leaned forward, but not aggressively. "We have a top notch counseling department and I can put out the word for people to give you room to get used to everything. However, with a Security and Tactical department with six hundred personnel and over thirty five hundred people total on the ship, it may be a bit difficult to avoid everyone."

Martha had another sip of her coffee and felt reassured in Michael's presence and that moving to the Triumphant was a good move. She missed the Nogura but it was a good time to move on - and she was happy that Michael understood that from time to time Martha still needed to visit a counsellor. It wasn't as frequent as it used to be but Martha felt a lot more confident in talking about it than she was four years ago.

"Not at all Captain. I just felt that it was time to have a change of scenery - four years aboard the Nogura was great but sometimes if an opportunity like this comes up then it's too good to turn down. I appreciate that Captain - I will take a bit of time to settle in but at least I have my family here - and they'll certainly help me as they're familiar faces so I find it reassuring. I feel better than I used to but even so - my anxiety does come back from time to time although it's nowhere near as bad as it was" Martha replied.

"We also have a very relaxing Arboretum if you want to get away from everyone," the Captain said. "It covers four decks and we also have a extensive civilian promenade on deck ten that has a spa and salon as well as a restaurant that my sister-in-law runs that serves real food. That's where I got the coffee from. Speaking of your family, would you prefer a senior officer quarters or a family quarters?"

"I enjoyed the Nogura's Arboretum - it'll always have a special place in my heart as that's where my wife and I became a couple. I think I'll be making use of the spa quite a lot - certainly something I've not had the luxury of since I've been in Starfleet - and I'll be visiting your sister-in-law for some of this coffee because it's fantastic" Martha replied.

Martha took another slightly larger sip of her coffee before continuing.

"We'd love a family quarters please Captain. We've always been a close family and I prefer it when we're all together under one roof - or in the case of a starship underneath the same section of deck plating" Martha concluded.

"When you see Chief Barnes in Operations, let him know. I would prefer that all my senior officers are near the bridge in event of an emergency, but there are family quarters on deck five near the Arboretum and the ground floor of the theater," he said. "Do you have any special requirements for your daughter?"

Martha was pleased that Michael was keen to make sure that Martha and her family were as comfortable as possible aboard their new home. She thought that she was going to get along just fine with her new Commanding Officer.

"Well Elsie is 16 and she's not long finished school. She was hoping to find some work during the day while myself and Lucia are on duty to keep her occupied - and of course gain some work experience. I'm not sure what her future plans are but I'm not sure joining Starfleet when she's old enough comes into it at the moment" Martha replied.

"We do have primary and secondary K through twelve for students on deck eleven, as well as a Starfleet Academy extension on deck twelve," Michael said. "As for employment, there's a wide variety of shops on deck ten on the civilian promenade. I could put a word in my sister-in-law at The Black Hole if she would prefer a relaxed, family style restaurant atmosphere. Or perhaps she could look into The White Lotus Spa and Salon if she enjoys something along those lines."

Martha appreciated the thoughts given to making Elsie feel comfortable aboard the ship as well as herself and her wife. Her family had always supported any decisions she had taken - but she always wanted to make sure that Lucia and Elsie were happy as well.

"I think she'd like to work in a restaurant - she's certainly cooked a lot of great food for the three of us before when Lucia and I have been too tired to cook anything for ourselves. I really appreciate it Captain - it'd certainly give her a confidence boost if she could be given a chance to prove what she can do. Lucia and I have got every faith in Elsie and I know for a fact she'll give her 100% best in anything she tries" Martha replied.

"Then I'll let Piper know to expect her," Michael said. "She owns The Black Hole and her husband Gage helps when he's not pulling Marine duty. Do you have any questions for me, Lieutenant?"

Martha smiled and nodded as she continued to drink her coffee - although now she was now drinking it in much larger swigs as the beverage had cooled sufficiently. She hoped that Elsie would look forward to starting her first job working in The Black Hole - Martha knew her daughter would love every second of it. Elsie had a passion for food and Martha knew she would put that to good use.

"Thank you Captain. As for questions I just have the one - what shift rotation do you use on the Triumphant?" Martha asked.

"Alpha Shift is from zero eight hundred to sixteen hundred. Beta Shift is sixteen hundred to zero hundred and Gamma Shift is zero hundred to zero eight hundred hours, Michael told her. "Each shift has two fifteen minute breaks and a one hour lunch."

Martha was glad to hear it was the standard three shift rotation that she had been used to for the last eight years in Starfleet. It still meant that she would get to spend a decent amount of time with her family in the evening - especially if Lucia was on the same shift as Martha was.

"That sounds great to me" Martha said as she finished her coffee.

Martha smiled and placed the cup and saucer to one side before she stood up and extended her hand for a shake. She felt her first meeting with Captain Aravan had gone very well and she was looking forward to serving under him. Not only that but Martha had managed to secure some employment for Elsie - so there would be a double celebration that evening in the Cusacks' quarters.

"Well I won't keep you from your work sir. It's been a pleasure to meet you and I'm very grateful for the opportunity for Elsie. I'll let her know to go down to The Black Hole when she is ready - and I'll go and speak to the Head of Operations to arrange our family quarters" Martha said.

"It's been a pleasure for me as well, Lieutenant," Michael said as he came to his feet and returned the handshake. "I'll be looking forward to seeing you again."

When the Chief of Tactical headed out, Michael smiled and pulled up he interface on the LCARS table again, but this time he retrieved the menu of The Black Hole and ordered a floral fruit basket for the Cusack's to be delivered when Operations assigned them their quarters. With that done, he leaned back and waited for the next person to come.