New Acquaintances

Posted on Thu 4th Jan, 2018 @ 7:00am by Lieutenant JG Kellian Michaels & Lieutenant Commander Andrew Eberstark

1,361 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: A Phaser as Deadly as a Candlestick
Location: Eberstark's Office
Timeline: Stardate 239310.31 (Day of the Halloween party)

Taking a sip of coffee as he sat behind his desk, Andrew was attempting to catch up on some paperwork while also trying to nail down responsibilities for his staff that he was getting to know much better. It had been a process, but Andrew was relieved to finally get a good feel as to how best position his staff.

Frowning, that gave Andrew a thought regarding the coordination of his department with Security's with an acting CSO at the moment. That also led his train of thought to the fact he hadn't met or spoken to the acting Chief of Security. As he put his mug on the desk, setting the PADD aside, Andrew paused. Realizing he was going to be preoccupied with this thought throughout the whole morning, Andrew decided to make the first move.

Touching his communicator, "Eberstark to Lieutenant Michaels. If you have a minute, would you mind stopping by my office?"

"Michaels here," Kellian said. "I'm finishing a readiness report for Commander Locke. I can be by in about ten minutes."

Andrew nodded, although there was nobody there to actually see him, "Very good, Lieutenant."

That gave Andrew some time to finish some of his staff rotation assignments and make his desk a little more presentable.

Shortly thereafter, Kellian reached the Tactical Chief's office and rang the chime.

Taking a seat behind his desk again, Andrew picked up the PADD that caused this sequence of events and called out, "Come in."

Kellian walked into the office, giving a swift glance to his surroundings and then returning his gaze to the man behind the desk. "Lt. Eberstark? I'm Kellian Michaels."

As the man entered, Andrew stood from his seat and extended a hand, "Lieutenant. Andrew Eberstark. Nice to finally meet you."

Kellian shook Eberstark's hand. "Glad to meet you, too, sir. It's hard to believe we haven't already met, but it's always crazy-busy."

Motioning to the chair directly in front of him Andrew decided to get right down to the matter, 'Please Lieutenant, have a seat. I know things must be moving a mile a minute with your current situation. How are you holding up?"

"Thank you." Kellian took the seat Eberstark offered. "A little stressful, but I've worked as acting security chief before, so the workload isn't unexpected. I've delegated some of my tasks to staff with lighter workloads, and I'll be meeting regularly with Commander Locke to address problems and nip things in the bud until we can get a new security chief in."

Andrew nodded, "Good to hear. Well, I wanted to call you here to discuss the situations that have the potential to happen while you will be holding the acting security chief position," pausing and smiling, "No offense intended, but I just wanted to coordinate and establish protocol between our two departments during this time to ensure understanding of the chain of command if a circumstance should arise on the Starbase. Myself and my staff are capable of offering assistance should a situation arise."

"All right," Kellian said. He took out his PADD and a stylus and opened a file so he could take notes. "What sorts of situations are you thinking of? External attacks, obviously, but I suspect you're more concerned with the not-obvious and likely more mundane things."

Andrew nodded, "Yes, you could say that. Normally the former CSO and I would coordinate situations on a case to case basis," pausing, "Honestly, with this being the first time for me serving aboard a Starbase, I've found it to be a little unique dealing with anybody on these matters. Anyway, external situations, I would propose I continue to handle. The more mundane situations I would think you can handle. However, there was sometimes overlap in our department jurisdictions that required some coordination. I wouldn't suggest taking any authority away, don't get me wrong, just that I would request being kept in the loop on some of the...less mundane situations that we all hope don't occur on the Starbase."

Kellian nodded. "I'm trying to remember--Were you here for the Caliburnite and Emorite negotiations that took place here about a year ago? I can't remember how long you've been on Vanguard."

Andrew gave a small grin, "Technically, yes, but..." pausing to think back and let some of the irritation subside, "Only on the peripheral. I just came aboard not long before the situation came to a head. Colonel Drake didn't feel the need to update me on certain aspects of what happened."

Andrew didn't blame the Colonel. After all, it was a critical situation and with a brand new officer coming aboard, Andrew probably would have made the same decision. Although, from the bits he did gather and deduce, it was something he had no doubt he could have helped with.

Looking back at the Lieutenant across the table, Andrew refocused, "I assume you and your staff were key components for the negotiations and the events that occurred?"

"Well, we were present for the negotiations and had to institute checkpoints and escort dignitaries unless they preferred their own escorts. It was pretty fascinating to me, as I'd never done such work before. If diplomats are new to their job, you have to teach them how to properly work with you, and all that. Anyway--yes, we were there for the whole thing. My impression was that those two groups of people weren't really ready to reach an agreement--or had unrealistic ideas of what the other party wanted. I hope the next time we host diplomatic talks, that the parties will know what they want and will want the same end goal."

The man's description of the past negotiations aboard Vanguard brought a smile from Andrew, "Lieutenant, I'm afraid you'll find that most negotiations go that way. Of course, some are worse than others. That's what our diplomatic section's job is. We just try to keep the peace as best we can. Anyway, the past experience with different situations helps, of course. In any event, I think it would be beneficial for both our departments if we keep each other updated on notable events, that is, if you're agreeable to that?"

"Yes, I'm agreeable," Kellian said. "It's better for the starbase as a whole if we work together. I'd rather we not cause problems by allowing rivalries to develop. As long as leadership in both our departments is clear about procedures and when we need to share information, that will help things to be clear to the people under us. Would you like for the two of us to get together for a long meeting where we can hash out what needs to be done when?"

Andrew nodded at the man, "That's probably for the best. I just wanted a preliminary discussion so one of us isn't caught off guard if a situation as we discussed should arise. There's nothing worse then self-inflicted delays that could have easily been avoided with just one talk. I'll put together a summary of my department and we can reconvene at your convenience?"

"That sounds fine. And I'll do the same for Security," Kellian said. "Shall the two of us meet monthly or biweekly, just to keep apprised of issues until a new Security Chief is assigned? Or do you think we should meet only when there's a need for our departments to coordinate? Or even just send an email?"

Andrew gave a small laugh, "Despite our technological advancements, I'd prefer to meet face to face if that's all right with you. Monthly sound good? Unless something out of the ordinary pops up?"

"Monthly is excellent," Kellian said. "I'd rather we meet in person, too. Written exchanges are too open to interpretation, and you can't correct misunderstandings immediately. When the new Chief is assigned, I'll make sure that person knows to keep meeting with you. I look forward to working with you and your team, Lt. Eberstark." He smiled. "Though I hope we won't have to, too often."

Smiling, "My thoughts exactly. And I look forward to it as well, Lieutenant. When the need arises, that is." Rising from his seat, Andrew extended a hand, "You're dismissed Lieutenant."

 

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