Commanding Presence

Posted on Thu Aug 8th, 2024 @ 2:43pm by Captain Etan Kaz & Lieutenant Commander Athon Scordato
Edited on on Mon Sep 2nd, 2024 @ 3:54pm

Mission: 03-Guess Who's Coming To Dinner
Location: Deck 9, CO's Office
Timeline: MD01

"Commander Scordato, can you hang back," Kaz asked, catching Athon's eye as the rest filtered through the doors. The conference room emptied out quickly and soon only the two men were left.

Scordato rose to his feet, but at the captain's request, remained where he was near his chair. A part of him was glad the captain had said something. If he hadn't, then Scordato certainly would have. For whatever reason, his being asked to get involved with the diplomatic side of things had taken him a little by surprise (even though it made sense, when one considered the negotiations were the most pressing thing at that moment). Thus, the opportunity for further clarification (on both their parts) was a welcome one.

The captain pressed a control embedded in the table which would summon the stewards to clear the conference room. A few moments after he pressed the control, two grey-clad stewards entered.

Etan made eye contact with Athon, gestured towards a door that led to his office, and began walking himself. The doors hissed as they parted and the well-appointed office became illuminated before them. It was one of the many spaces restored by the engineering teams. It was updated enough, but still held much of the vintage charm of the era the station was built.

"Sir," Scordato said, following Kaz into the office, "About the dignitaries..."

Kaz held up his hand to stop the commander's response. "Why don't we sit, and talk about it?" The Trill indicated a plush-looking sitting area near a large porthole.

At the invitation, the younger man crossed over and took a seat in one of the available chairs. He waited until the captain had taken a seat opposite him, then leaned forward slightly, and continued. "I appreciate you showing confidence in me, sir," he said, "and I want to help in whatever way I can. However, before we..."

Kaz held up a hand, shaking his head. "I'm sure you've noticed we're far from fully staffed." His lips pursed slightly. "Until we are, or at least while we have visitors, I'd be grateful if you'd consider being my interim XO." The Trill man looked like a child who'd asked their parent if they could go to a friend's house.

Silence descended on both of them. Scordato, for his part, did not know what to say. If the captain's request in the staff meeting had taken him somewhat by surprise, then this qualified as a total blindside. It had been one thing, thinking that he was being called upon to serve as aide or something to the negotiations. After all, this was an 'all hands on deck' sort of situation. It was pretty clear there wasn't going to be as much need for science as there was, say, for security. But this...this was a whole different level entirely.

First officer, he thought to himself. Interim first officer, he corrected. For the last few years, now, he'd been thinking about where he wanted his career to go (and the allure of starship command had definitely drawn his attention). Could this be the next step that would take him in that direction? He looked at the captain, a part of him wondering if maybe he'd misheard the man, but the expression on Kaz's face was clear. He hadn't misheard.

The noiselessness was jarring, and Etan was acutely aware of this. He wasn't sure if he'd misspoken, or if the Novan man just needed some time to process the offer.

After allowing a moment to pass between them, the captain cleared his throat and spoke. "Well," he asked, hoping the answer was positive.

"Yes," Scordato replied, "I will accept the interim position."

Kaz couldn't help but smile. He visibly relaxed. "That is incredible to hear," he said, sitting back further in his seat, "Given that you're the most senior member of staff at present, it seemed logical to offer you the opportunity." The Trill man crossed his legs. "I just need...well...a right hand to help me keep everything in line."

Nodding to show that he understood, Scordato was already switching tracks in his head. Obviously, there was a lot that still needed doing in preparation for the talks, and a first officer (even an interim one) was going to have a sizeable role in that. Plus, he would still need to make sure that things were running smoothly when it came to the sciences department (at least, until a more permanent solution could be worked up). He made a mental note to touch base with his deputy about that as soon as he got out of this meeting.

...but he was getting ahead of himself. There would be plenty of time for sorting out those nitty-gritty details later. At the moment, he needed find out more about the direction that the captain wanted him working in. "So, what is it you need me doing, sir?"

The Captain smiled. "If you could make sure that the assigned quarters on decks six and seven are fully prepared no later than tomorrow evening. Rope in whoever you need to get it done." He scratched his chin as he thought. "The function room on deck eight should completed by tomorrow, that will need to be set up according to the specs from the diplomatic team. I have some additional intelligence reports on the Tzenkethi I'll send to your personal terminal." Kaz paused for a moment. "I think that about covers it for now. Did you have any questions?"

As the captain had been speaking, Scordato quietly lifted his PADD from where it'd been resting next to him in the chair and laid it gently across his lap, face up. With a single touch, he activated the speech-to-text recording mode. And now, a quick glance confirmed that each of the tasks had (indeed) been listed out on its display. "No, sir," he replied, raising his head to look at Kaz again, "I'll see to these right away."

Kaz had thought about this next point for a while even before this meeting. "I will ask, at least for the duration of the Tzenkethi visit, that you change to command red." The Trill man rubbed his spotted temple, a nervous habit of his since long before his joining. "I might also suggest getting your dress uniform out of mothballs." He chuckled to himself lightly, most officers hated having to wear the dress whites.

The younger man nodded to show that he understood.

The Captain pushed back from the desk and stood. "We can meet daily, first thing for regular progress reports. Until then, I'll send out a notice to the crew about your appointment, and make a note of it on your service record." He took a breath. "I'll let you get to work Commander." He half smiled, and reached out a hand in congratulations.

Scordato rose to his feet as well, matching movements with that of his superior. “Thank you, sir,” he said. As he spoke, he reached out, accepted Kaz’s offered hand, and gave it a firm shake.

When their hands parted, Scordato turned back toward the chair where he’d been sitting. He reached down to collect his PADD and tucked it securely under his arm. As he made his way toward the door, his mind was already racing, thinking of all the things that’d just been added to his to-do list…and the increasingly limited time in which there was to do them.

OFF