Sitting Around A Table

Posted on Thu Apr 4th, 2024 @ 6:02pm by Captain Etan Kaz & Lieutenant JG Sel PsyD & Lieutenant Commander Athon Scordato & Lieutenant Skot Ryder & Petty Officer 1st Class Xuan Chihyon
Edited on on Thu Apr 4th, 2024 @ 6:21pm

Mission: 03-Guess Who's Coming To Dinner
Location: Deck 9, CO's Office

Kaz entered the small conference room just off of his main office on Deck Nine, and saw that a table and chairs occupied the middle of the room. Per his request light refreshments were set on a table to the side ready for his staff's arrival.

This room had changed quite a bit since its glory days. Notably, the small transporter pad had been removed and replaced with a holographic porthole and a comfortable sitting area. The area still preserved a number of the stations historical design aspects but was now intertwined with modern technology and comfort.

Etan found a spot at the table. There were small monitors embedded in the table at each place and he quickly called up the information he needed.

A few moments later, the door to the room opened and Scordato appeared, a double-wide PADD tucked under his arm. He’d just come from a check-in with his deputies and was still pulling his thoughts together from their conversations.

Like the majority of their colleagues, he and his team were elbow deep in dealing with all the renovations to the department. Not only were they seeing an influx of new personnel coming aboard, they were also having much of the station’s aged infrastructure upgraded. It was a lot of work, to be sure, but it was exciting to think how much more they would capable of once it was finished. Already, their range and capacity for scanning had increased nearly ten-fold.

Granted, they all knew Starfleet wasn’t doing this purely for the scientific value. The same sensors used to study stars, planets, and other phenomena could also be used to gather intelligence on the developing situation in Tzenkethi space. But, while he wasn’t keen on having to delve into that particular field again, Scordato had decided it wasn’t worth looking the gift horse in the mouth…at least, not for now, anyway.

“Captain,” he said, greeting his superior as he made his way over to the table.

Kaz nodded curtly to Athon as the Novan made his way in. "How are you settling in?" He asked, knowing the Science Officer was one of his newest senior staffers. "I'm sure you're eager to have the Engineering teams out of your labs."

"It does make it a little harder to work when they're in there," Scordato admitted, "but I don't think anyone's complaining about the upgrades we've been getting. We are going to be able to run a lot more experiments, once everything is finished."

Skot entered the room, customary coffee in one hand PADD in the other. He barely noticed anyone else in the room as he sat down, his mind stuck deep in his work.

Etan watched the Tactical officer take his seat.'Creatures of habit' He thought to himself. Kaz knew that a lot of the existing crew would need some time to get used to the fact that their station was no longer going to be the free-for-all it once was. They were back in the fold now, and Etan needed to be sure his staff started acting like it. "How's the overhaul on the shield emitters going?" The Captain asked.

Skot was shaken out of his trance by the Captain's question, "Huh wha..." he stammered as he popped his head up from the PADD he was so intimately studying, "Oh right shield emitters. Things are coming along fine, should have complete coverage by the end of the week."

"I need it to be a priority, Lieutenant." Kaz spoke with a seriousness that left no room for questions. He offered a curt nod to the Tactical Officer and then found his attentions drawn to the familiar hiss of the door opening.

Xuan was the next to enter. She'd accompanied the Captain during the meeting with the refit team. Once that had concluded, she'd quickly ran through some of the highlights of the station, including areas were the refit was complete, and those still in progress, in order to cement her bearings. "Captain," she greeted, "I think you were right about this being a better office for you."

"It's nearly bigger than my family home on Trill." The Captain answered with a smile. "Did you get a chance to check out some of the progress after our last meeting?"

"I have," the petty officer remarked, having taken note that she was the only enlisted person in the room. She also registered the Captain's comment about the size of the office, but she kept it business for now. "I haven't been able to see all of it, but quite a bit. We'll get the refit back on schedule in no time."

Doctor Sel, the Counselor, made his way in with a carefully controlled haste. "My apologies." He said flatly, as he lowered himself into a seat next to the Orion woman.

"Alright, I think that's all of us." The Captain sat forward in his chair. "I've just been on with Vice Admiral Virtam, he is en route with a diplomatic delegation who will be conferring with the Tzenkethi to quell any sort of drawn out border dispute that may come with this new regime. He informed that the station will be hosting these talks." He looked around to gauge the reaction of the crew.

Xuan raised her eyebrows in surprise. The station was undergoing a refit, and Starfleet was insisting on having diplomatic talks here? She might be the only person with chevrons in the room, but that didn't stop her from blurting out, "Is the Admiral aware of the station's condition?"

Kaz nodded in the affirmative. "I made sure that it was made very clear to him but the order came from the Federation Council." The Trill man folded his hands on the table. "All we can do is prepare as best we can." He looked towards Xuan. "PO Chihyon, I'll need you to have refit teams focus on getting guest quarters, and the function area on deck 8 are suitably complete. Those are our top priority, we need teams working around the clock to get it done."

The enlisted engineer did her best to keep a frown from forming on her face. Anytime an engineer heard the term around the clock, what they really meant was get this job done yesterday. The last thing she wanted to impress on her team was that their new chief was a slave driver (which was hard to buck anyway considering the green pigmentation of her skin). "We'll get it done," she committed. "When are we expecting them to arrive?"

Captain Kaz frowned ever so slightly. "When I spoke to the Admiral, he indicated that they were already en route." He paused, hoping that the processing time might cushion the blow. "He said there were a few days out. So I'd like everything done in two."

Xuan had a different timetable involved, one that was shorter than what the Captain had estimated. She had limited dealings with the Tzenkethi, and what she knew was they were a peculiar species. One day to get the hard work done, then a day to obsess over the details. "Copy that, sir."

Kaz's mouth pulled into a smirk. He was pleased that the new Chief Operations Officer was diving in to her work. He shifted his focus further down the table to Lieutenant Ryder. "Lieutenant, I want you to make sure the station is adequately ready in case these talks go south. Shields, phasers, the whole nine yards." He paused. "You'll have to take lead of the Security detachment as well for the time being, until Lieutenant St.James' replacement can be assigned. I hope that won't be an issue?"

Skot nodded at the new assignment, "No problem at all sir."

Checking the security issue off of his mental to do list, Etan moved on. "Commander Scordato, I wondered if I might impose on you a bit?" He didn't elaborate yet, waiting for the scientist's response.

"Sir?"

Kaz cleared his throat. "I hoped you would assist me in dealing with the dignitaries and diplomats." He paused. "I know you've been busy with getting the science facilities up to standard, but I would appreciate your help." He wasn't entirely sure how the Novan man would respond.

"Oh...I guess..."

Captain Kaz nodded slowly and turned back to the rest of the gathered staff. "You all have your marching orders. Keep me apprised of your progress." He pushed his chair back and stood up. "Dismissed." He said finally.

"Commander Scordato, can you hang back?" He asked, catching Athon's eye as the rest filtered through the doors.