Tempers

Posted on Tue 27th Aug, 2019 @ 7:50am by Lieutenant JG Artyom Mikhailov & Lieutenant Commander Alora Baro

1,514 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: A Diplomatic Affair
Location: Operations Chief's Office
Timeline: MD4 07:00 Hours

"Matthew… it is time to go!" Artyom scolded his son without letting his baritone of a voice get to be too much. He didn't want Matthew to cry or become scared, but at the same time they'd been trying to get ready to go… Matthew to school… and Artyom to work… for almost thirty minutes. By now, Artyom wasn't even sure if he'd be able to make it to work on time. A beany-monkey went across the floor as Matthew dug his heels into the argument. "I no want go school" Matthew cried, standing firm and doing this whole expression that was turning into his angry look. Each time Artyom saw it, however, he wanted to laugh at how grown up his son was becoming.

Artyom tried to remember that his son was only two and a half and wasn't capable of understanding the consequences of his behavior just yet when he knelt down in front of him, giving Artyom and Matthew a close-to-eye level conversation. "Why not? Why don't you want to go to school?" Artyom asked, sounding sincere.

What came out of Matthew's mouth was eloquent and detailed, and yet there wasn't a universal translator on the station that could have made out what he'd said. There were certainly a lot of syllables coming out of his mouth, and some emotion too. But that was about all that Artyom could have gathered from it.

Before he could open his mouth to speak, Artyom's comm-badge chirped. Before he could respond, another voice came through the newly established communication link. It was his boss.

"Lieutenant Mikhailov, this Lt. Baro, is everything alright?" The voice was polite, even understanding after all she had no idea why he was late to their meeting only that he was. If he made a habit she may be more annoyed but for now, especially based on his personnel record and her own desire to give people a chance, she was waiting before she laid into him.

Artyom thumbed at his badge before realizing the background noise of his temperamental toddler would come through as a result. Lacking an immediate response from his father, Matthew devolved into crying again. "Ah, Da, Lieutenant. My apologies..." he said while attempting to wrestle Matthew into his arms which was proving more difficult a task than expected. Artyom felt himself getting hot around his neck and the back of his head, which was usually a tell-tale sign that his frustration was peaking. This was a new duty assignment, and being late to one of his first meetings with his new CO was hardly how to make a good initial impression. Artyom could only help that the ambient sobbing would elicit some understanding... although even he himself could hear a responsible commander say that his duties as a Starfleet officer needed to be met. "I will be there shortly. As soon as possible."


Alora looked at the officers personnel record as she sat at her desk and noted the small child, single parent. Well that would be the crying she heard. She thought for a moment, "I understand, I'll move my paperwork hour to now just come in afterward. I know children can be unpredictable so I can be patient, this time." Her tone suggested to maybe avoid this being a habit, a clear but gentle reminder. After all life happened to the best laid plans here and there, as long he he normally could keep up it likely wouldn't be an issue. She briefly wondered if bribing the child would help, it's what she did with her nieces/nephews unofficial and official but she kept quiet on that score best to get a handle first on her new senior officer, of which she would withhold judgement until actually talking with him.

"Thank you, Ma'am." Artyom replied before cutting off the link.

Almost a half an hour later, a slightly disheveled Artyom Mikhailov was making the final adjustments on his collar and hoping that he'd gotten all of the cracker crumbs when he stepped into his CO's office. After working as a non-commissioned officer for much of his career, he'd gotten used to working with younger and yet senior officers. Now that he was a Lieutenant, however, it felt that much stranger. Then again, there was a certain enjoyment to being a Mustang... even if there some differences he'd yet to appreciate. "Again, apologies, Ma'am." He said, entering her office. He briefly regarded offering a further explanation, but the enlisted part of him felt that anything he'd say would be construed as an excuse if it were being laid out before him. So he kept his mouth shut.

Alora looked up from her paperwork, "Accepted Lieutenant, I take it the youngling was properly sorted?" She asked politely gesturing to a seat across from her as she dropped the PADD she'd been working on with a not so small pile to her right.

"Eh, more or less." Artyom replied as he took his seat. "Sometimes he loves it here, and other times he seems to want to go back to that god-forsaken planet we used to call home." He acknowledged while shying away from admitting that he even missed the simpler lifestyle they had back then. He looked at the stash of PaDDs and regarded them skeptically. Undoubtedly, many were maintenance requests which he presumed would soon find themselves on his plate soon enough. Artyom looked back to Alora and let a small smile form.

Alora returned the smile, catching his eye, "Don't worry only some of this will find it's way to you. I believe in carrying my fair share and balancing out the load..." She gave a small laugh, "Ok I'm working on the last part, I sometimes have a hard time delegating still. Something you're free to call me on in private. In fact, I want you to be free to come to me with any questions, ideas or thoughts you have. I can't promise to agree but I can promise to listen. Fair?"

That was a welcome admission. Artyom nodded, feeling a slight tension in his body that he wasn't quite aware of subside as he relaxed into his seat a bit more. "Yes, ma'am." The Russian replied.

She smiled finally feeling she was seeing the real officer behind the records, "I know what your record says but how comfortable do you feel with being here? There is are complexities and layers not found on normal starbases. Did you have time to review the welcoming packet?" It should have held all the information he needed. Something Alora started after getting here and being overwhelmed herself.

Artyom nodded, albeit a bit hesitantly. "Well, this is my first duty station on board a Starbase. Sufficed to say, it is generously more... complex... than traditional starships. That being said, I have enjoyed the extra busy work that has accompanied it. It is better for an engineer to remain busy. Otherwise, any skill he or she has earned would be come... skoroportyashchiysya... er... perishable."

She quietly appreciated he explained the word she was not as familiar with Russian. To her it seemed complex language full of similar sounding names, she tried to read of War and Peace and gave up part way through. She nodded approvingly, "That's a good attitude, the work will not get any easier if we whine about it." She knowingly, "Not that it will stop us sometimes but there comes a point when one must just roll up their sleeves and get to it." She paused then glanced at his record, "Not to worry though, there is a support structure just as complex as the station to keep us going." She smiled, "As a Senior Officer in the department you may be called upon to act as a Watch Officer or on independent duty, you feel confident in this?"

"Of course, Commander." Artyom confirmed.

Alora smiled, unsurprised. From his record he showed a great deal of ability and creative thought but worked well as part of a team, "Well before we go on the grand tour, do you have any questions for me?"

There were a number of questions that were at least partially formed that Artyom had stowed to the side, and he ran through them quickly in his head to see if one was immediately relevant. Most involved the challenges of starbase operations. As confident as he was in maintaining the systems of a Federation starship, the monstrosity and complexity of an entire starbase still felt a bit overwhelming. But whenever Artyom felt that something was too big to grasp, he tended to break it into smaller and more manageable pieces. After a three or four second pause, Artyom decided that any questions he had at the moment would likely be answered in their tour.

"None at this time, ma'am." He answered.

She smiled and stood, "Then no time like the present, let's open the fire hose. Feel free to stop me when you have questions." And with that she gestured to the door and they headed out.

 

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