Good Meeting Equals Less Than Three Warning Flags

Posted on Tue Aug 17th, 2021 @ 7:06pm by Lieutenant Cassian Pell & Captain Björn Kodak

Mission: The Place of Skulls
Location: Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: Mission Day 1 at 0840

[The Bridge]
[Day 1: 0830 Hours]

Back in uniform and already missing the clothes Declan had provided in his latest care package, Cas paused in front of the Ready Room door to ring the chime. This being a new ship and an unfamiliar crew, he kept his shields up. Many species found the idea of interaction, mind to mind, to be intrusive and even abhorrent. Privately, Cas had trouble imagining what it would be like to be that alone. Even when things were at their worst, the comfort of the healthy minds around him acted in healing counterpoint to the damaged individual who had stalked him. As he waited, his hand slipped into his pocket to finger one of the new puzzles that had been in the package. Not working it yet, just learning its contours.

Piped through the comm system, a voice replied from inside the Ready Room: "Come on in," it said, its tonality half-distracted in combination with its rasp. In response to the invitation, the doors swished open, revealing the office within.

[Ready Room]
[A few moments later]

Captain Kodak sat behind his desk, his human-looking hands manipulating a palm-sized, onyx sphere of some kind. The to eagle-eyed, the sphere's glossy surface was studded with various manners of tiny buttons, switches, levers, and the like. The Chameloid seemed to be absorbed in the object, pressing, pushing, and pulling its toggles with his fingers even as Pell entered. Looking up, Kodak offered a warm smile in greeting and then stood, moving around his desk to settle himself on its forward-facing edge. Behind him, several variety of bonsai -- including a miniature cherry blossom tree, which dropped several tiny petals -- limned the shelf hanging on the wall.

"Lieutenant," the Captain offered his hand in greeting, "welcome aboard the Sojo. How was your time on Risa?" Like others who'd already begun reporting in, Kodak knew that Pell had been on vacation prior to getting his transfer orders. It was a convenient way of picking up new crew without needing to stop in at a local starbase for transfers. Others had been dispatched on the Sojo herself, arriving in orbit with the ship, but unlike himself and Pell, they'd not had the pleasure of a pre-launch vacation on the planet hanging outside the Ready Room window.

"Risa is always a delight," Cas said as he crossed the room to shake the Captain's hand. Unbidden, the voice of his instructor popped into his head: "Clasp firmly, maintain eye contact. No, no, Phillips. We don't want to send anyone to the Infirmary now do we?" And on the heels of that, the night, he and his study group had practiced greetings and did shots when someone got it wrong. "And a pleasant way to begin a new assignment."

"I won't lie," Kodak shook and released Pell's hand, "our own time on Risa was definitely needed. Just what the doctor ordered...literally, in some cases," the Chameloid grinned, his yellow-gold eyes catching the light. "I'm glad we got some downtime in before shipping out once more. Please," he gestured to the nearby coach, "have a seat. Want anything from the replicator? My treat," he rasped warmly, knowing that phrase didn't really mean much when power was currently so plentiful.

Moving to the replicator, the Captain ordered himself a hot cup of kaffee -- the German equivalent of coffee. Though Kodak himself did not speak with a German accent, Pell might know the Captain grew up in the region if he'd read up on the man at all.

"What would you recommend," Cas said as he sat down on the sofa. Every captain had their own command style which meant that first meetings often provided a wealth of information. Relaxed on a couch was vastly different than standing at military attention for one. Good sign, he thought. Good sign.

When asked for a recommendation, the Captain shrugged lightly. "There's literally a billion beverages out there. But I'm partial to this," he held up his kaffee. "Stronger than your normal cuppa and with a hint of cinnamon. Hard to go wrong with it, I think. Assuming you like coffee, that is," he nodded back to Pell, an eyebrow upturned with expectancy.

"Sounds good," Cas said. "On my old ship, the replicator in my quarters was specifically programmed to provide variety. Nothing's truly random and there were limitations based on my own preferences, but ultimately, I'd ask for breakfast and it gave me something. I never knew what until it materialized. It became sort of a habit, you know? Trying new things all the time."

Kodak nodded and materialized the requested beverage, then moved to take his own seat on the couch, offering the drinking vessel over to Pell. "We're quite glad to have you here, Lieutenant. I've looked over your service record...there's a lot there that excites me. My partner will be working with your team: Doctor Andrew Munro, the civilian. I think he's rather excited to meet you." Leaning back with a smile, the Captain blew the surface of his drink for a few moments before taking a ginger sip.

"Thank you," Cas said politely. He cradled the cup within the circle of his hands, feeling the warmth against his fingers and on his thigh where the rim of the mug touched. "I was surprised honestly, not to be returning to the Ark Royal but I'm excited also for this opportunity." He felt as though he were tiptoeing through the mine field, one he hadn't known was there, and hoped that the scientists on this team were as easy going a group as the ones on his old ship had been. Captain's partner and all. "I'm looking forward to meeting him, well, everyone really."

"The life of a Starfleet officer, hmm?" Kodak sipped from his kaffee and nodded, understanding all-too-well the nomadic lifestyle they all signed up for. "I think you'll find your team quite adept at what they do. At least on paper," he said, gesturing to a PADD sitting on the coffee table. "I've only met Mr. Davies so far. Well, aside from Andrew, of course," the Captain noted, "but Davies seems to have a good head on his shoulders. Very easy going. I think you'll like him. The rest? I can't say, though I know they come from varied backgrounds."

Kodak placed his cup on the table and then leaned back against the soft furnishings of the couch. "Tell me, Mr. Pell, what's your leadership style like? You've a highly specialized and diverse team. Any plans on how to bring them together?"

"It changes, doesn't it, from one group to another," Cas said after a moment. He took a sip of the kaffee, complex and satisfying, and nodded in satisfaction. "Quite good. Now, as for the team, its a matter of seeing how they are with each other. What's needed if anything. Me personally, I enjoy what I do immensely. If that's a shared trait among the team, then we'll be off to a good start, don't you think?"

"Glad you enjoy," Kodak said, dipping his head in a nod regarding the beverage. In reference to the team, however, the Captain said, "Enjoyment of one's work does tend to keep people focused and invested. That's quite true," came the Chameloid's rasp. "I find that disparate parts -- even parts happy with what they do -- do not always make a cohesive whole, though. That's where we as Command come in, trying to create an environment where people can thrive together."

The Captain lifted his right leg so that his ankle rested on his left knee. "If there's any support I or our Executive Officer can lend you, please know that we're here, Mr. Pell. I've no doubt, though," Kodak smiled with confidence, "that you'll find a comfortable place here aboard the Sojo. It's a small ship with a tiny crew but in a lot of ways, that intimacy makes us all better."

"You were speaking of the difficulty in attaining a cohesive whole from disparate parts," Cas said. "That can be exacerbated by enforced intimacy just as easily. Still, I'm not one to … what's that expression my quad-mate back at the Academy was forever using …'borrow trouble,' that's it. I'm not one to borrow trouble. We'll make it work, Sir. And if I'm in need, I know where to turn."

"It's a challenging line to walk at times. But it sounds like you've got the right idea of things," the Captain nodded with a smile. He unfolded his legs then and stood, picking up his PADD. "Well, I should probably get back to these readiness reports before we leave orbit later. Mr. Pell," he offered his hand once more, "it was very nice to meet you. I wish you all the luck with your new team. See you on the Bridge," he said, lifting his kaffee in a sort of salute.

"No doubt, Sir, no doubt," Cas said as he shook the Captain's hand a second time and exited the Ready Room. In all, a good first meeting with only the one warning flag. He'd met command personnel that were just littered with warning flags; in his mind, anything less than three made for a good start. So, he thought, as he headed for the turbolift, the Captain's partner. Here's hoping he's a reasonable sort. There are no prima donnas in science … or at least there shouldn't be.