Meeting the Executive Officer

Posted on Wed 18th Sep, 2019 @ 11:50am by Commander Mikaela Locke & Lieutenant Commander Kiara Lena

891 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: A Diplomatic Affair
Location: Deck 12 - XO's Office
Timeline: MD: 03 - 1600 hours

Kiara felt it important to stop in and meet the first officer as she would likely be working with the woman from time to time. To make sure she wouldn't intrude on her busy schedule, Kiara made an appointment.

Two minutes before the appointed time, she stopped in front of the office door and rang the chime.

Mikaela Locke looked up from her terminal. She had been engrossed in reviewing personnel reports and had, somewhat unusually for her, lost track of the time. She glanced at the chronometer to confirm that the person at the door was indeed who she was expecting. "She's early..." she mused to herself. "I like her already."

She closed the file that she had been reading, shut off her terminal and called, "Come in," in the general direction of the door.

Kiara walked in and gave the commander a polite bow. "Hello, commander, I am Kiara Lena."

“Nice to meet you,” Mikaela replied, standing and extending her hand to the new diplomatic officer, “I’m Mikaela Locke, the station XO.”

Kiara shook her hand. "A pleasure to meet you."

“Please, sit down,” Mikaela continued, indicating to one of the chairs opposite her desk, “I’m just about to have a coffee,” she added, moving around the desk in the direction of the replicator. “Can I get you something while I’m up?”

"A cinnamon tea would be lovely, thank you." Kiara took a seat and looked around hte office to see how the commander chose to decorate her work space.

“Of course,” Mikaela said with an easy smile back at Kiara. She ordered the two drinks and brought them back over to the desk, handing Kiara’s to her and placing her own on a round metal coaster next to her terminal. “I must say, your file is very impressive,” she continued, retaking her seat. “What made you choose this particular assignment?”

"My mentor recommended me for the assignment," she said. "But I accepted because there is such diversity here. The entire station has grown into a place that attracts races from across the galaxy. I can learn a great deal here. And hopefully, I can give something to the station as well." She picked up her cup and took a sip. "And you? What brought you to the starbase?”

“A couple of things really,” Mikaela replied, taking a sip of her own drink. “I had served here for a little while as a junior officer, so I already knew it was a place where I felt very comfortable. Also,” she continued, “the Commodore’s predecessor was a friend of mine, so when the XO post came up, it was a great opportunity to work alongside someone that I not only already knew and got on with, but also had a great deal of professional respect for.” She took another sip of her coffee and left it there, figuring that if Kiara didn’t know how that particular story ended, she would find out soon enough. “Have you managed to find everything you need?” she asked, changing the subject. “Is there anything I can do to help you to settle into your new duties?”

"I'm still feeling my way," Kiara said truthfully. "So it's hard to say what questions I may have as I go along."

“That’s understandable,” Mikaela smiled, taking another sip of her coffee. “I assume you’ve been briefed on the arrival of the Besm delegation tomorrow?”

"Only a little," Kiara admitted. "Everyone is so busy preparing for their arrival they haven't had the time." That put her at a distinct disadvantage.

"Well," Mikaela smiled, "That I can help you with." She tapped at her terminal and it awakened from its stand-by state. She took a moment to call up the files related to the Besm delegation and turned the terminal round slightly, so that the new diplomatic officer could see it. Point by point, Locke took Lena through the background, the current situation and the plan for the next day.

It was quite a lot to be familiar with by tomorrow, but Kiara would do her best. "I'm glad I arrived when I did, and that others have done so much to get everything set up." She glanced at the XO. "I assume they will be on hand as well?"

“Absolutely,” Mikaela nodded, “Commander T’Len has done most of the leg-work around this,” she advised, “So I would definitely liaise with her, if you haven’t already. Commodore Suzuki will be there for the formal welcome, as will I. A number of the other senior staff will be present too. After that, I believe they’ll pretty much be looking after themselves, but will obviously need a point of contact, should they need anything.”

"I plan on meeting with Commander T'Len, if she'll have the time before the governor arrives," Kiara said. "Otherwise, I'll defer to the Commodore."

Mikaela nodded her approval. "Very well," she said, "If there's nothing else?" She paused to allow the commander to respond.

The diplomat shook her head. "Not at the moment."

Mikaela nodded and stood up. "Excellent," she said, extending her hand to the diplomat once again. "Well, you know where I am should you ever need anything." She paused briefly, as they shook hands. "And, welcome to One-Oh-Nine, commander."

 

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