Reporting for duty

Posted on 19 Dec 2015 @ 12:43pm by Commodore Da`nal of the House of Varal & Master Chief Petty Officer Lance Nelson & Lieutenant Commander Michael Garabaldi

1,420 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: M13-C: Shattered Time
Location: Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: present

ON

Michael Garibaldi stood just outside the Ready Room door's sensor range. Making a final check to ensure that he was squared away, he rang the chime.

Lance had informed him that the he had gotten the new chief of security settled in, and that he would be on his way up as soon as he was finished. Not having an issue with that he replicated himself a late lunch and was still eating when the chime sounded. Washing down his latest bite of wamwI’ Ha’DIbaH (Hunter’s Meat) with some synthaholic bloodwine, he answered the chime. "Enter"

Garibaldi came front and center, noting the remains of the Commodore's meal, and snapped to attention. "Lieutenant Commander Michael Garibaldi reporting as ordered, sir."

Rising, he offered the Commander his hand. "Welcome back to the land of the living Commander, have a seat."

"Thanks, Commodore, I appreciate being able to move again and not being called a Popsicle anymore." Garibaldi grinned as he sat down.

As he sat he glance to his platter and back to the officer. "Can I get you anything?"

Looking at the food his commanding officer was eating, he smiled. "No, thanks. Doc told me not to be too adventurous for a few days. Maybe you can fill me in a little on the current sitrep. There must have been quite a need for a security officer to have prompted you to pull me out of storage."

Grinning at the situation the officer found himself in and how he had referred to his meal as adventurous. "Well I've found over the years that most Doctors can be a bit over protective; but is you would like something less 'adventurous' it can certainly be replicated. Just say the word.

"The current situation is not dire from a security stand point. We have the department staffed, augmented with the ships Marines. There are no, major, security issues, the issue is having those capable of leading the department. With the things we could face and the sheer size of this ship and the responsibility of multiple ships, officers of the proper experience and clearance are. Your predecessor, took it upon himself to change his mind and decided to transfer.

"Why the delay in reviving you? It would be dishonorable to say that we just didn't get around to it. There were...concerns."

Michael nodded. "Understood. Care to fill me in on those concerns, so I can look into them for you?"

Da`nal reached for his drink. "I Think you misunderstand Commander...". Taking a pull from the goblet he sat it down with a dissatisfied snarl, "Synthetic swill. Anyway, the concerns were with you not any situation here."

"With me, skipper?"

"Well your pre-Starfleet employment record was colorful to say the least. An accusation of negligence, followed by you bouncing from one position to another intermixed with reported alcoholism. When you finally did join Starfleet you initially excelled but then just seemed to slide by. After graduating you were passed over for promotion several times for shall we say being overly opinionated. Seems you have a history of getting into and out of trouble Commander.

"Don't get me wrong, your record also shows you are good at getting to the bottom of things...which I like. And despite any issues you may have had in the past you have risen through the ranks and you have volunteered for this mission. That and a man with a 'past' could be beneficial to me."

"I have found that good judgement comes from experience, Commodore, and experience comes from bad judgment. I have lots of experience, and it has helped me to gain good judgement. Now if you want a 'by the book' kind of guy, i'm not it. If you want problems fixed, and don't mind how, I can dig deep, and I'm as tenacious as a targ. I'm also as tight-lipped as an Aldebaran Shellmouth when you need me to be. My past is just that: past. But it's made me one hell of an investigator, fixer, and cleanup man. So how do you want to play it?" Garibaldi smiled wryly at the man who could put him back in deep freeze if his style didn't "suit" the Klingon.

Da`nal sat back as the man spoke, his nostrils flared and eyes narrowed slightly as he pulled at his beard slowly and he even raised a brow when Garibaldi grinned at the end of his little spiel. "You must be very sure of yourself to speak so brazenly...especially to a Klingon."

Michael chuckled. "I wouldn't presume to question your honor, commodore, Klingon or not. I just know what I'm good at, and what I'm not good at. That's not boasting in my mind, but I also think that in order for you to properly evaluate me, you need to be told the truth with no sugar coating. You yourself have said that I can be an asset and you must know that, or you wouldn't have thawed me out. I can do what needs to be done, and that's the truth. Word of honor. I also..."

Cutting him off Da`nal continued. "That takes courage, courage in ones self and abilities. I don't want a bridge full of yes men, but those that know who they are, what they can do. I'm not so concerned about your past as other may be. Everyone makes mistakes and as long as one learn from those mistakes. As to going 'by the book', I was a Chief Security Officer once myself and I know that their are time that the rules need to be....bent from time to time. However as a commanding officer I have to treat everyone the same without exception, so I don't have that luxury.

"When it comes to how I want to play things, I play things like this. I do not micro manage. You can run your department as you see fit as long as it falls into my overall plan for the running of this mission. We have no idea what we will find out there and there can be only one way of doing things. Starfleet has decided that that way is going to be my way.

"Now to get down to business. The reason I had mentioned your past is that there is an ongoing operation that could make use of it. We have Cardassians, Romulans, Ferengi and all sorts of other races that are not members of starfleet or at the very least don't necessarily share our philosophy or goals. There may be those here looking for profit or to even establish a black market of some kind. The operator of the night club on the promenade is not the disgraced officer she appears to be, but is an undercover operative to help identify any such operations. You could assist in that, say if we were to become at odds at some point."

"Sounds interesting,' Michael said. What did you have in mind?"

"Well for now nothing. Just go about your business but from time to time be a little more opinionated than normal. I'm sure something with come up that we could take advantage of to add to any...tension. Before we go all out on anything major we need to make sure Lt. Madhava has a need for any outside help, so we can just keep things at a low simmer so to speak."

"Roger that, skipper," Michael said. "For now, I'll just be mildly irritating." he grinned.

"Perfect. Now you care to replicate yourself something and join me or take some extra time to get settled in and familiar with the ship?"

"I'd like to have a look around if you don't mind. Didn't get much of a chance to do so before becoming a Popsicle. I'll take a rain check on the other. and just to keep up appearances," he turned to the doors, which whooshed open at his approach, and blew a very loud, very obnoxious raspberry at the commodore and sauntered out.

Lance, was stand out side waiting as the man he had awaken acted like a child to his superior officer. As he stepped in, "What was that all about?"

Having to stifle the laugh his had initially reacted to the sudden display, he shifted to frustration. "Just a difference of opinion."

Letting out a slight huff. "Not again..."


--------------------------------------------------------------------

Commodore Da`nal
CO

MCPO Lance Nelson
Yeoman

Lieutenant Commander Michael Garibaldi
Chief Sec/Tac

 

RSS Feed