08-18-2023, 10:29 PM
==Pre-mission==
"Got a minute, chief?"
Benjamin jumped in his chair, the padd he'd been engrossed in - yet another technical manual he never seemed to be able to catch up on - slipping from his hands and hitting his chest. He swung his feet off his desk and turned to face Orivessa sh'Thanis, his Andorian assistant chief, who was standing in the door. Did she almost seem... timid? That's not like her, he thought as he waved her in.
He'd intended to have a talk with her anyway. She was notoriously aggressive in her social dealings, always leading the small group of friends they had formed - which was part of why he was surprised to see her almost clinging to the doorframe like it was a shield. He had had a debriefing from Coleman who mentioned her... well, the FO had called it her "word choice" in the official paperwork, but privately he'd had a few choice words of his own. He'd only given a verbal reprimand, but had made some notes to Benjamin about instilling decorum in his officers. She was a fantastic engineer and a brilliant officer; she just needed tempering.
She finally took a seat, and Benjamin smiled. "I'd been meaning to talk to you," he said, "but since you took your leave, and then I went home for mine, we just haven't had a chance."
She nodded. "I, uh," she started, and he noticed she was clutching a padd in her hands, her knuckles almost white. "Ben, I just got some news."
He felt his heart sink, his brain spinning through a hundred different scenarios, none of them good. He nodded for her to continue anyway. "They offered me the position," she said, "and I'm going to take it." She was all smiles, but he just felt confused.
"Wait, what?" he asked, blindsided. "Who, and what position?"
Her antennae searched quizzically before her eyes went wide. "Oh, you were gone already!" she exclaimed. "Captain Jerren of the Saskatoon interviewed me for his CE position last week," she said, "and he just offered it to me."
Benjamin smiled, but couldn't shake the aching feeling. It wasn't one of the scenarios he'd imagined, but while that was excellent news for her, it only barely alleviated his own hurt. "That's," he started, stumbling his words as he came out from behind his desk, "that's great! She's a Parliament class, right?"
"Yeah, she is," Ori said as she came in for a congratulatory hug. "Older, not as modern as Artemis is, but she'll be mine." The fierce grin splitting her face was infectious, and he couldn't help but smile back at her.
"That's incredible," he said, meaning it. There was nothing quite like getting to be the chief engineer on a ship, the master of that domain. Behind the command team, engineering was the most important section of the ship; it was a lot of responsibility, but he really felt that she was ready for it. "I'm happy for you, Ori. You'll do great."
The Andorian beamed at him, her long white ponytail quivering almost as much as her antennae at her excitement. "I just wanted to say thank you, Ben. It's been a... it's been a wonderful experience here, and I just wanted to thank you for all the opportunities you've given me these past few years."
He shook his head and smiled. "Don't think anything of it," he said. "You earned them, just like you earned this." He leaned back on his desk and sighed. "So, when do you leave?"
"Tomorrow," she said. "There's a ship heading from DS9 to Starbase 28, where they'll pick me up."
"Oh," he said thoughtlessly. "I... I thought there'd be a little more time. You know that Kat will want to do something for you." It was a lame excuse, and they both knew it; they had all started on the ship together, and the thought of one of them leaving... This will take some getting used to, he thought. But he was still happy for her, and proud of what she'd accomplished.
Ori smiled. "Oh, I think she's got something planned anyway. I expect to just barely catch that shuttle, and my head to be pounding all the way out of the Bajoran sector."
"Got a minute, chief?"
Benjamin jumped in his chair, the padd he'd been engrossed in - yet another technical manual he never seemed to be able to catch up on - slipping from his hands and hitting his chest. He swung his feet off his desk and turned to face Orivessa sh'Thanis, his Andorian assistant chief, who was standing in the door. Did she almost seem... timid? That's not like her, he thought as he waved her in.
He'd intended to have a talk with her anyway. She was notoriously aggressive in her social dealings, always leading the small group of friends they had formed - which was part of why he was surprised to see her almost clinging to the doorframe like it was a shield. He had had a debriefing from Coleman who mentioned her... well, the FO had called it her "word choice" in the official paperwork, but privately he'd had a few choice words of his own. He'd only given a verbal reprimand, but had made some notes to Benjamin about instilling decorum in his officers. She was a fantastic engineer and a brilliant officer; she just needed tempering.
She finally took a seat, and Benjamin smiled. "I'd been meaning to talk to you," he said, "but since you took your leave, and then I went home for mine, we just haven't had a chance."
She nodded. "I, uh," she started, and he noticed she was clutching a padd in her hands, her knuckles almost white. "Ben, I just got some news."
He felt his heart sink, his brain spinning through a hundred different scenarios, none of them good. He nodded for her to continue anyway. "They offered me the position," she said, "and I'm going to take it." She was all smiles, but he just felt confused.
"Wait, what?" he asked, blindsided. "Who, and what position?"
Her antennae searched quizzically before her eyes went wide. "Oh, you were gone already!" she exclaimed. "Captain Jerren of the Saskatoon interviewed me for his CE position last week," she said, "and he just offered it to me."
Benjamin smiled, but couldn't shake the aching feeling. It wasn't one of the scenarios he'd imagined, but while that was excellent news for her, it only barely alleviated his own hurt. "That's," he started, stumbling his words as he came out from behind his desk, "that's great! She's a Parliament class, right?"
"Yeah, she is," Ori said as she came in for a congratulatory hug. "Older, not as modern as Artemis is, but she'll be mine." The fierce grin splitting her face was infectious, and he couldn't help but smile back at her.
"That's incredible," he said, meaning it. There was nothing quite like getting to be the chief engineer on a ship, the master of that domain. Behind the command team, engineering was the most important section of the ship; it was a lot of responsibility, but he really felt that she was ready for it. "I'm happy for you, Ori. You'll do great."
The Andorian beamed at him, her long white ponytail quivering almost as much as her antennae at her excitement. "I just wanted to say thank you, Ben. It's been a... it's been a wonderful experience here, and I just wanted to thank you for all the opportunities you've given me these past few years."
He shook his head and smiled. "Don't think anything of it," he said. "You earned them, just like you earned this." He leaned back on his desk and sighed. "So, when do you leave?"
"Tomorrow," she said. "There's a ship heading from DS9 to Starbase 28, where they'll pick me up."
"Oh," he said thoughtlessly. "I... I thought there'd be a little more time. You know that Kat will want to do something for you." It was a lame excuse, and they both knew it; they had all started on the ship together, and the thought of one of them leaving... This will take some getting used to, he thought. But he was still happy for her, and proud of what she'd accomplished.
Ori smiled. "Oh, I think she's got something planned anyway. I expect to just barely catch that shuttle, and my head to be pounding all the way out of the Bajoran sector."