Reporting In

Posted on Sun Feb 24th, 2019 @ 12:13am by Captain Alistar McKeon & Grace Winters PhD

1,367 words; about a 7 minute read

ON

As soon as Grace settled in to her new quarters, she headed for the bridge to meet with the captain and introduce herself. She'd only been given a short dossier on the ship and its crew and the shuttle had a problem with their main computer so she couldn't do more research in transit. She didn't like going into a new assignment less than fully prepared, but sometimes it could not be helped. She didn't even know if her duties would include helping out in counseling.

She paused as she stepped off the turbolift to have a look at the bridge, then went to the Captain's Ready Room and rang the door chime.

Alistar shifted in his chair and gave an aggravated sigh as he glared upwards at the door once more. Taking care not to move his right arm, he reached out and set the PADD he had been reading down before he leaned back in his chair. "Enter," he called.

Grace took a good look at the room as she walked in, hoping it would give her an idea of what type of person her new captain was.

The ready room was relatively well-kept and tidy. His taste eclectic. Two miniature trees sat on a shelf by his couch: a banzai tree and a miniature Japanese maple tree. A Klingon d'k'tang and what looked like a medieval sword sat on a nick-knack shelf along with a few geodes, a few gens and a large wooden model of a sailing ship. On his wall were two guitars, one electric and one acoustic, and two paintings, one of a sailing ship at sea and one of a horse.

"Hello, captain. My name is Grace Winters and I am your new diplomat."

"I see," Alistar said as he waved his left hand to indicate she sit down. "Please have a seat. I must admit that I wasn't expecting to have a diplomat department assigned, but I'm beginning to see that Starfleet isn't going to give me much of a choice. I hope you'll excuse my bluntness, but it's been a busy couple of weeks," he said.

"I appreciate bluntness," she said, taking the proffered seat. His desk was somewhat organized. He had the usual scattering of PADDs and two holographic images. One of a woman, possibly his wife, and one of a starship. Noting unusual there. "Apparently your recent reports gave them impression one was needed."

"If we're continuing our trend of being blunt and honest, I'm not the most diplomatic captain, Miss Winters," Alistar said. "Commander Silvisi has managed her best to keep me out of trouble, but trouble has a way of finding this ship. There is also the fact that the last time I tried being diplomatic, we had a fire fight throughout the entire ship nearly twelve miles under the surface of an ocean. I will admit that while I'm not used to the idea of a diplomatic officer onboard, I most likely need one. Starfleet has clearly seen fit to send you here, and I'm not about to insult anyone by sending you back."

"Thank you for that." Grace smiled, glad that this interview wasn't as difficult as she feared on arrival. "I actually look forward to this assignment. It will definitely be...interesting."

"That's one way of describing this ship," Alistar said with a chuckle. "Life has never been dull since we launched, but I am looking forward to some boring and dull times. I've had enough of excitement for a while."

"Somehow, I don't think you'll get it," Grace said. "You're a Starship Captain, life for you is never dull."

"That fact is sad, but true," Alistar said. "But still, something different would be a welcome change. Speaking of change, have you settled into quarters yet?"

"I put a few things away. The rest should be there when I return later," she said. "It will give me something to do tonight. Is there anything pressing you would like me to attend to?" she asked.

"At the moment? Not really. Get settled in, get familiar with the ship. I am sorry for the construction and the work crews, but we had a rather bad run of things on our last mission. Things........ didn't go so well," Alistar said, his voice getting hollow. Pausing for a moment, he finally shook his head and returned his gaze to Winters. "We'll have to find you an office, as well. How much space do you suppose you'll need?"

"Ideally?" she shrugged. "An office and a reception area for hosting parties for visiting dignitaries and for holding official meetings. One that is suitably equipped for the occasion--unless you have one set aside for that purpose." She paused for a moment. "I have a PhD in psychology and have worked as a counselor. Do you need me to talk to any of your crew?"

"Lady, I don't think you know what you're asking for there," Alistar said with a short laugh. "I'm pretty sure it's a requirement to be slightly insane in order to be assigned to this ship. But, on the serious side, it wouldn't be a bad idea if someone talked to them. Our last mission was rather.... bad. Some of us lost ship mates, comrades, close friends. It would probably do everyone some good." He grew quiet for another brief moment before he continued. "We have a pretty good sized office compartment on deck one in the aft section. It's opposite of the aft observation lounge, and it's almost as big as my ready room. There's also a compartment on deck two that can be set up for conferences or receptions. It's almost the same size as the main lounge, maybe a little more on the narrow side, but it's close enough to the main lounge that we can use both if needed. I'll get with engineering and see what they can come up with. We don't have much room, but we'll do what we can."

"They sound fine," she said. "Thank you. If engineering can set it up, I will decorate. For the rest, I can hang a shingle outside my office in case anyone needs to talk to me. I don't want to force myself on anyone, but I do want to make my services available."

"I'm sure everyone will appreciate it," Alistar said with a serious nod. "I'll get with Jera.... Lieutenant, Commander Ros and get those compartments set up. Don't be afraid to check in and make sure it's set up and suited to what you need," he said, pausing over Ros's rank as her recent promotion was still taking some getting used to. "Also, I'm pretty sure you'll have an aide or two assigned as well. Do you want us to inform you if and when they show up, or just have them sent to you directly?"

"If you think there will be enough to keep them busy," she said. "Diplomacy on a starship is not always the busiest of departments."

"Well, if you double as the ship's counselor, you'll have more than enough work lined up for you," Alistar said. "Trust me, this ship has one of the most unstable crews in all of Starfleet."

"That could prove...interesting." And a challenge, but she was ready to take on this particular challenge. She hoped.

"Welcome to the Endeavour, Ms. Winters. you don't have to be insane or crazy to be here, but it definitely helps," Alistar said with a chuckle.

She laughed at the comment. "I think I may like it here."

"I certainly hope so," Alistar said. "If you have any questions, or even advise, my door is always open."

"If I think of any, I will let you know," Grace replied. "Do you have anything else for me? If not, I will let you get back to your quiet."

"I believe that's all for now, although you might want to check in with Commander Silvisi too if you want," Alistar said. "She's usually in her office or somewhere around science."

"I will," Grace said, standing. "Thank you for your time, captain."

"Anytime Ms Winters," Alistar said.

____
OFF

Grace Winters, PhD
Diplomat

Captain Alistar McKeon
Commanding Officer

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