A chance meeting on the bridge

Posted on Mon Dec 28th, 2020 @ 3:53pm by Commodore Keiben Haistro & Commander Lillian Carter

815 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Episode 2 - Echoes Of An Empire
Location: Main Bridge
Timeline: MD3 1030

ON:

After meeting the first officer, Lillian went by her quarters to make sure her things had arrived ok. Much to her relief, they had and that evening she looked forward to setting up her quarters just the way she liked them.

She decided to have a look at the bridge. Since the ship was docked, the bridge was currently unmanned and Lillian headed over to the helm and sat down, running her hand over the console.

Keiben entered the bridge and immediately his Betazoid senses were drawn to a new being, someone he had not felt on the ship before. He watched her examining the flight control console, seemingly lost in her own thoughts that she had not heard him enter the bridge. He stopped, crossed his arms and leaned against the small wall by the turbolift doors and just watched her for a moment. Enjoying the sensations of pride, accomplishment and desire to be out in space. It was something that had been missing from the Copernicus for a few months and he found it refreshing, so much so it started to reawaken his own desire to be back out in space.

Lillian suddenly became aware of another presence on the bridge which made her jump slightly. She turned around and saw the ships commanding officer. She jumped out of her chair and came to attention. "My apologies Sir! I didn't see you there."

"Don't worry Ensign, I was just enjoying the sense of excitement and wonder that was emanating from you!" Keiben drew himself up and started forward towards her. "Its been a while since I felt that from anyone on the ship... It was refreshing. Lieutenant Commander Keiben Haistro".
He extended a hand to her, adhering to the Human custom when greeting someone new.

She took his hand and shook it, looking at him with respect. "Thank you Sir. I'm Ensign Lillian Carter, your new chief flight officer. I was just getting acquainted with the helm and making some mental notes on how I'll tweak the configuration to make it more efficient." she added, hoping the Captain would be impressed with her efficiency.

"No need to impress me Ensign... You got this assignment as you were the best candidate for the job. All I ask, don't crash her into a planet".
He jested, still trying to get a read on the young women.

Lillian nodded. "I'll make a note of that Sir. Any other standing orders I should be aware of?" she asked with a slight smile.

"Just one... relax before you strain something!" he teased, flashing her the usual wolfish grin. "We are a small ship Ensign. We follow Starfleet protocol but we are a little more relaxed about it. No need to stand on ceremony here!"
He moved over to his command chair and waved the young women over to sit in the XO's chair.
"The academy speak very highly of your skill Ensign... Why did you pick this posting? With your rating, you could have had any number of higher profile vessels?"

Lillian thought for a moment as she sat down next to the Captain. "Permission to speak candidly Sir?"

"Always Ensign!"

"I felt that upon leaving the Acadamy I would be better talking on a smaller Starship to begin with so I could refine my piloting skills. Sure, there were bigger Staships out there but after my experience in the simulator, I found them to be big and bulky, and you are limited to how much flare you can put into your flying. With something like a Galaxy or even a Sovereign class, they are more or less point them in a sightline and engage the warp drive. Their sheer size makes rapid manoeuvring difficult.
This ship..." she gestured around with her hand as she spoke "Could outmanoeuvre many of the larger ships in the fleet and there is the opportunity here to challenge myself with some precision flying. She may be small, but she's tough and she's nimble..... Sir."

He was about to remind her that as a science vessel it was unlikely they would see much action but his mind flashed the body of the Benzite science officer, her torso sitting several feet from her legs during the opening salvo of the attack... he shook the image off and abandoned that train of thought.
"Well I am glad you are here Ensign. My apologies that I won't have chance to speak to you for longer but I have any number of things on my list to complete ahead of our formal launch in a day or so... Before I do run off though, is there anything you need or want from me?"

She shook her head. "No Sir, thank you." Rising out of the Xo's chair. "I should be getting back to my quarters, or I might try the mess hall."

"Carry on Ensign!"

END

 

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