Another New Beginning

Posted on Thu Aug 4, 2016 @ 4:40am by Commodore Michael Aravan & Lieutenant Commander Arrda

Mission: An Orion to Die For
Location: Ready Room
Timeline: MD 0 || 1100 Hours

Another new ship. It was the way of Starfleet, and he was used to it by now. Sometimes, though, he missed the days of being an Enforcer. The Mission changed, but the ship and crew didn't. One ship and one crew, his ship. Those days had gone long ago though. Now he was Starfleet, and they seemed to shuffle crew like a deck of Earth playing cards sometimes.

There was a bright spot in all of the shifting, though. A smile played over his lips at the thought, an image of his wife Danielle clearly dominating his awareness for a moment. He rode the happiness of the moment, then pushed the image aside so that he could do what needed doing. She was likely settling their things into their quarters even as he made his way to the Bridge to meet the captain. They made a good team, he and Danielle. They had since they'd met.

Reaching the Bridge, he glanced over it to determine whether the captain was on it or in his Ready Room. Not seeing anyone with Captain's pips on the Bridge, he crossed to the Ready Room and tapped the door announcer.

"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.

Arrda -- Douglas, he reminded himself sternly; here he was Douglas -- keyed the door at the command to enter and stepped into the room. As the doors hissed shut behind him, he took a second to glance over the room and its contents and decoration. In some ways, this room reminded him more of a conference room than a Ready Room, but that was not necessarily a bad thing. It was possible that this Mission First -- Commanding Officer, he corrected his own thinking again -- wanted to give the impression of approachability. There were some Enforcers like that. The moment passed, and he stepped forward, came to full Attention Stance and saluted. "Lieutenant Douglas Mallory, reporting for duty, sir." The words and gestures were Starfleet, but the training and discipline behind them belonged as much to the Enforcer he had been before coming to Starfleet as it did to the part of him that was now Starfleet. Teleth Norr would have had it no other way.

Michael looked up and found himself staring at a broad chest, then he looked up a bit more until he saw the giant's face. While he wasn't short at six foot four, the Lieutenant was easily a few inches taller and he came to his feet for a bit of compensation. The man had strange mannerisms and seemed to wear Starfleet like an ill-fitting glove, but the man's personnel record and his personal history had been an interesting read when he found out that a non-Federation Security Chief was going to be assigned to his ship.

"Lieutenant Mallory," he said as he straightened his uniform. "Please have a seat." So I don't feel short next to you. "Would you care for some refreshment before we begin?"

A moment's hesitation was given, as the captain stood, to assess the man. The moment passed, and he sat as invited to do, relaxing his stance only slightly. The offer was generous, but Douglas had never managed to get used to the Earth coffee; it was far too bitter for his tastes. He had tried, while on Earth, but it had just never become a taste he cared for. Likely Danielle was programming the personal replicator in their quarters for his preferences (and her own) as well. "I'm fine, thank you." he answered the offer in a tone that was not the trained neutral of the Enforcer, but neither was it entirely warm. Not knowing the man before him yet, Douglas was not sure what level of professionalism the man required and so was sticking to Starfleet-prescribed norms.

Michael took note of the tone and body language, then went to his own chair and sat down again and deliberately raised one leg to put on the edge of the giant LCARS table. "I've read your record, Lieutenant and I have to say I'm impressed. It's not every day we get someone of your age and experience in Starfleet, but I can't help but wonder what led you from your previous life to a career in Starfleet. Would you care to tell me a story?"

The captain's manner and verbal response gave the impression of being relaxed, but Douglas did not follow suit. In the first place, that relaxed air could be a front, a test to see what he would do with it. In the second place, even if it was not a test, it could still be a front, a facade designed to put those opposite the table from him at ease, a tactic (minus the foot on the table anyway) that diplomats used on occasion. And in the third place, even if the man was indeed that relaxed, that was not implicit permission for Douglas to be. In that case, it would simply be a representation of the man's own state of mind, not an invitation to share it.

"A story?" Douglas said with a raised eyebrow. "An interesting way to put the question, sir." He shifted ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly if one was not highly attuned to their surroundings. "How far back do you want me to go?" In a way, it went all the way back to the ill-fated Earth Mission, but the captain may not want to know that much of the story.

"The turning point that led you to where you are now," Michael said simply.

Douglas thought about that for a moment. "I suppose that would be when I met my first wife. She was a Kestra/Human half-breed." He told the captain with a nostalgic smile. "And as much pain as the Earth Mission caused to most of us who were involved in it, without it, I would not likely have met her."

He took a breath and continued. "As it was, I met her mostly by chance. My ship had been sabotaged. We had no navigation, no sensors, and no way to contact the rest of the crew from the Bridge. We were cut off and crashing. And as we reentered Earth's atmosphere, we nearly clipped her ship. Thankfully, she was one hell of a pilot." Another breath. "When we had crashed, she and her father got me out of what remained of my bridge. Fortunately, the Security Bulkheads were in place, which had kept the Bridge from tearing itself apart. Unfortunately, it also meant that they had to cut me out of it." He paused to frown, the memory replaying itself in his head.

"They took me home to Marai, but on the way, we became close and eventually married and had children. Because she was half Human, and we wanted our children to know all of their heritage, I built her a house on Earth," another smile, "an exact reproduction of the one we owned on Marai. She insisted." He paused again, remembering the fight over the mosaic stone floor in one room that had nearly cost them one child. He had not wanted to put it in, but Dekotah had insisted. In the end, he had relented.

"We spent nearly as much time there as we did on Marai and Kestral combined. And as we did, my family became more and more entwined in the planet's culture. My children made friends. My wife and I created social groups with other families. We watched Earth develop and reach out into the stars. And as it joined the interstellar community, at first, it was only a few of my children that joined Starfleet; I remained an Enforcer. But as I watched them, and through them the Fleet, grow and thrive, I decided that perhaps it was time to move on to a new phase of my life as I had done going from Artist to Enforcer. So I followed my children this time and joined."

He had to smile at that for a second. When Aidan had become an Enforcer, it had been the son following the father. But when Douglas had joined Starfleet, it had been the father following another of his children, a bit backwards but well worth it in his opinion. "That's the short version, of course," he admitted, "but I'm willing to share more if you wish." Throughout, he had remained at his sitting Attention pose, not having been given permission to change it. Only his facial expressions, his eyes, and his tone had shown any change to indicate his feelings about the subject under discussion.

Michael had listened with rapt attention and his green eyes were attentive. Thoughtful expressions crossed his face at points in the tale that the Chief of Security was sharing with him. "It had to have been an amazing experience with everything you've been through, Lieutenant Mallory," he said. "And I would be more than interested to hear more of what is obviously a very rich and elaborate tale. I almost feel bad in moving the conversation to other areas."

Douglas smiled. "As I said, I'm happy to share more with you. And I completely understand the need for brevity in this situation."

"How would you compare Starfleet to your previous career?" Michael asked him.

Douglas frowned. "In some ways, they're apples and oranges." he answered thoughtfully. "While Starfleet does appear to be versatile like the Enforcer Guild, each officer is extremely specialized. All Enforcers are trained in all aspects of the Guild. We are all as much Diplomat or Arbiter as we are Protector or Explorer." he clarified. "And then there's the armor issue." he added even more thoughtfully. "While most of Starfleet's uniforms are purely cloth, all Enforcer clothing is armored at least in some way." He did not intend nitpicking Starfleet, but this was one of those little things that bothered him. In Starfleet uniforms, he felt exposed, not entirely dressed. And the captain had asked him to compare the two. Though his tone was merely thoughtful, not criticizing in any way.

Michael listened and then seized on one aspect of what the new Security Chief had said. "What kind of armor?" he asked, intrigued. As a former Security officer himself, he had always found himself envious of the Starfleet Marines and the many types of armor they used on missions while Security was limited to a simple cloth uniform like the rest of the personnel.

Douglas had to smile. Unlike many who would have seen his words as an indictment against Starfleet, this man saw them as a way to improve something. "Well, I use a special fabric in my uniforms. It is made of graphene bonded with synthetic Darwin Bark Spider silk. When tested, it holds up to the maximum setting of a phaser for around sixteen seconds before it begins to take damage." he answered. "Enforcers never go unarmored, even if it is only a thin layer." he explained.

"That sounds interesting," he said. "Do you have the specifications for it; and can it be replicated?"

"The answer to both is 'yes'." Douglas answered, taking a PADD from his uniform jacket and passing it over to the somewhat reclined captain. "The specifications and replicator codes are on this PADD."

Michael took the PADD and activated it, then looked at the armor with interest as he reviewed the specifications on it. "This is impressive. How did we not figure this out centuries ago?" he asked rhetorically before he turned his attention back to the new Security Chief. "You're going to have six hundred personnel to work with Lieutenant Mallory, but you have a grade A Assistant Chief. She's been with me from the beginning and she's on top of her game. Do you have any questions before I let you get acquainted with your department?"

Douglas considered a moment. He had read as much about this ship and her crew as he could get his hands on before arriving, so the rest he would learn by getting to know them. "I take it the armor is approved for use then, sir?" he asked, suspecting from the man's reaction to it that it was; but he never assumed anything, especially where security matters were concerned.

"I need to talk to my Executive Officer about it, but other than that, it looks good," Michael said. "If there's nothing else, you can get things set up."

Douglas nodded and stood. "Not at this time, sir." The last part of the captain's statement was a clear dismissal if Douglas had nothing else, so he took it at face value, saluted and left the room. Now to check in with his Second...

Once the Chief of Security was gone, Michael reviewed the files and updated them, then headed out to meet his Executive Officer and compare notes

Lieutenant Douglas (Arrda) Mallory
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Triumphant

&

Captain Michael Aravan
Commanding Officer
USS Triumphant