Fast Forward

Posted on Tue Apr 14, 2020 @ 9:01pm by Commodore Michael Aravan & Ensign Jonathan Baker

Mission: The Nanjing
Location: Transporter Room 2
Timeline: MD 1 || 0800

Ensign Rayne stepped off from the Transporter pad, after a few steps onto the deck he recognised his impropriety, quickly dropping his personal items which resulted in a loud but short clang as they and the case they were in fell upon the deck.

Rayne snapped to attention, "Acting Ensign, Rh'rh'y," he said but stopped as he noticed the cloud of confusion cover the Transporter Chief’s face.

Baker looked at the white haired humanoid with the purple eyes and tried to make sense of the garbled name. "Pardon?" he asked as he checked the record to make certain his universal translator was working.

Slowly Rayne began saying his name, he found it was easier for aliens to understand it better if he spoke slower and without cadence, "Acting Ensign Rh-rh-y-zyn. Reporting for duty as per Starfleet Academy Order 917.8 paragraph Twelve under the Special Diversion powers of the Junior Command Apprenticeship Program." he spoke each word individually and slowly.

Jon debated putting the man back in the transporter buffer and mentally shook his head. "Well, Ensign, welcome aboard the Triumphant," he said as he grabbed a PADD and held it out to the young man. "This is a basic map of the ship for all the various departments, but the bridge is on deck eighteen, which is where you'll likely find the Commodore or Captain."

Rayne bent down and took the PADD, he studied the map, thumbing around the various points on the ship, not wanting to break this clear line of communication he bent lower to meet his smaller superior, eye to eye, "Thank, you" he said just as slowly as before.

Now the Transporter Chief just stared at him and nodded. "Good day," he said before turning his attention back to the board.

The albino Xenexian nodded in return and made for the Bridge. Following off the PADD, he noticed a button on the side labled, 'Guide' and pressed it.

The disembodied voice of the computer spoke from what seemed all directions, "Ensign, Rh,rhyzyn, please follow the flood lights to your destination,"

Rayne shook his head, even the computers butchered his name. It was a issue aliens had that he just didn't understand. 'You roll on the h, how hard is that?' he thought as he followed the illuminated path leading to the turbolift. He arrived happy, he hadn't made any more mistakes along the way.

When the lift arrived, he walked out to see a command center like nothing he had ever seen on a starship before. It was massive, more like the Operations of a starbase. He stepped out of the lift and rounded a wall where he found steps ascending up to an even more open area, center of the bridge which housed so many consoles including the command chair.

In that command chair was one commanding officer, Commodore Michael Aravan, a very fit human with piercing green eyes and black hair. He came to his feet as the cadet fourth class entered the bridge without being summoned. "Excuse me, Cadet, but do you have a reason for being here that couldn't have gone through either Captain Weisz or Commander Rho?"

Rayne stood a moment like a statue for but a moment before plainly and candidly saying, "I'm sorry sir, I guess I couldn't resist seeing the Bridge," as he looked around the awesome room.

"What's your name, Cadet?" Michael asked as he came forward, noting that he was only about an inch taller than the white haired, purple eyed cadet.

Rayne swore he was looking at another Xenexian as the Commodore rose from his seat, not only meeting the junior officer's height but slightly exceeding it, "Cadet Rh'rh'y'zyn of the Void, sir," the name came out swiftly.

A softly strangled sound came from the Commodores throat as he tried to pronounce it, then he cleared his throat to cover it. "Well, Cadet, Reyreyyzen," he said. "Would you care to join me in my ready room?"

Rayne winced at the murdered pronunciation of his true name but nodded curtly, "Aye sir," was his response but then in a hasty action he snapped at attention and again without care, dropped his items on the floor, with a loud clang!

"Requesting permission to come aboard!" he said loudly as the impact echoed a bit. The words and rehearsals his lecturers practised with him began flooding back into his mind.

Michael arched an eyebrow at the Cadet's enthusiasm, then looked down at what he had dropped. "Granted," he said before he turned and headed for his ready room, entered and moved to the head of the large conference LCARS table.

After collecting his things, Rayne followed after. The power of the Bridge was nothing compared to this room. The Bridge felt like that of a mighty warship to Rayne but this place had a distinct and almost ominous air to it, as if it were the lair of a legendary beast or perhaps some god.

Rayne looked around it briefly and could not help but feel small here. He swallowed hard as his eyes returned back to the CO.

"The PADD, please," Michael requested as he waited for the cadet to stop being awed.

Rayne looked down as he forgot he was holding the small device. He promptly stepped over to the CO and handed over the PADD. He then clicked his heels together and stood at attention, a practice that was so natural as he was so fresh out of the Academy.

The Commodore took the PADD and studied it, then read it again. He had heard of the Junior Command Apprenticeship Program, but never met anyone in it, especially not a fourth year cadet. The subspace Academy on the ship usually handled their cadet needs, but Command School was for cadets wishing to have a Command track and the Triumphant was known for being sent to hell holes.

As he read the information and the cadet's species, he recalled a Starfleet Captain by the name of Calhoun and that he was also Xenexian and had a habit of doing things he hadn't been told he couldn't do.

"Do you believe it's easier to ask for forgiveness or ask for permission?" he asked after a moment.

The question seemed odd to the younger man but he didn't need to think on it much, "I believe if you have to do either, you should evaluate your options again, but if those are my only two then forgiveness... Sir."

"Explain," Michael ordered simply.

Taking a few moments to think Rayne finally said, "If you need to ask permission, it means you are reliant on others which can be a vulnerability. And if you need to ask forgiveness, you are likely doing something you should not. However if the case is that you can only do one or the other. It is better to proceed without relying on someone."

"Give me an example when you'd have to make the choice," Michael said as he pulled up the young man's file on the interactive conference table.

"An example?" Rayne rolled around a few situations he had been in before, but in his short time at Starfleet there was hardly any that came to mind except for one, 'The Kobyashi Maru' Rayne began his recount of the events,

"When the Kobyashi Maru called for help, my ship was the only one in range to asist her. She was adrift and crossed the Klingon Neutral Zone after hitting a gravitic mine. Three Ferengie Mauraders were stationed around her but were not attacking, I reasoned that their actions were to entice us to cross into Klingon Territory. I ordered my crew to use her prefix code and we removed the interlocks between her matter and antimatter injectors. When the ship exploded, the simulation ended and I was asked why I killed them." Rayne sighed, as he remembered the dressing down he received from his crew and his lecturers.

"I had only just been reading that morning on FNN, that Ferengi entrepreneurs were kidnapping Federation peoples and killing them to extract harvest organs, selling them to the highest bidder." taking a deep breath he offered his reflection on the matter, "I thought it unwise to provoke the Klingon Empire into a war and I reasoned either the crew of the Maru were dead already or that they would soon wish to be."

"You read what?" The Commodore asked with more than a little concern. "The Ferengi are members of the Khitomer Accords and have been for almost a decade. I think you got pranked, Cadet Rhreyen. However, for your scenario, why did you take that route without knowing when there were other opens, and how does it relate to asking for permission versus forgiveness?"

Rayne tilted his head, sideways like a confused puppy, weighing the CO's words he mulled over his response again before saying, "It was an article in the Federation News Network. I do not believe it was a prank, but I would not put that past my colleagues." a few came to mind that he would most certainly press about this when he saw them again, "We did not contact Starfleet for permission to cross the Neutral Zone. There was no time for that and I felt it better to end the current or future suffering of the Maru's crew and would apologise to their families. I believed the route we took was... Correct."

"I see," Michael said. "Being involved in a no win scenario usually don't give time to ask for permission or a forgiveness. As for the article, the Admiralty will sort it out. Tell me about yourself. I see that you have a sponsor but not who. How did you attract that kind of high level attention?"

This was a question he heard many times before but Rayne still couldn't give an answer, "I do not know, sir." he said honestly, "They have not been known to me. As for me, I am Xenxian, I am 'of the void" he was hoping the universal translator was helping as he tried his best to speak Basic. "An outcast, because of my hair color. I was alone most of the time." he shifted uncomfortably as he remembered his younger self's strife.

"I used alien technology to call for help and someone received. They brought me to live with a Human family until I joined Starfleet Academy." another wave of unease passed over him except this one was of a different kind as he remember his attraction towards his human mothers.

"Inventive and creative, both admirable points," Michael said as he made a note. "Why pick Command over everything else?"

Rayne suppressed a smile at the comment, "I did not intentionally choose Command. I was initially going into an Engineer or Tactical role however my aptitude scores prompted my superiors to offer me a with the challenge of Command and I accepted. Later on after passing several Command orientated courses, I further qualified for this program and was lucky enough to be assigned to such a..." he gulped his excitement down as he visualised the Triumphant in his head, "Impressive Ship, sir."

"She's the pride of the fleet," Michael said with more than a little pride at being her commanding officer. "But there's a few things about that which comes with a high price. As for Command, myself and Captain Weisz and Commander Rho can teach you what we know."

Rayne nodded, "I'm sure you can, I ask a personal request sir? Why do you think you were selected as my mentor?" the question had been plaguing him since he arrived, there were others far more qualified than Rayne who were assigned to less than prestigious ships.

"Your guess is as good as mine, but once we get to know each other, perhaps I can make a more educated guess. Starfleet didn't inform me that you were coming, so I'm as surprised as you are. Also, before we go any further, your name isn't one that I'm able to say easily. What do you think of Rayne as a temporary name until I can master it?"

The young Xenexian listened with surprise that not even the CO was well informed and at the end he nodded, "I am used to such temporary names sir."

"So, are you ready to learn the ship?" Michael asked.

Rayne moved back to attention after having relaxed a little during their conversation, "Aye sir," he said clasping his hands behind his back. He could not escape a sense of pride welling in him so much so that a smile crept across his lips.

"Then have a seat and start learning," the Commodore said with a smile that would look more at home with a Klingon as he called up the ship schematics in holographic form above the conference table. "This may take a while."