07-19-2024, 08:50 PM
Jaein walked into the briefing room and still didn't exactly feel like he belonged there. Maybe it was too many years spent behind a desk, maybe it was the very 'finished' feel of the ship compared to the Vestas he had been building at 40 Eridani. Maybe he was just nervous. Prophets, he thought, this is probably the first time you've been leaving your family behind since the kids were born. True, there had been the brief stint as Chief Engineer of the Spirit, but it was a testbed ship which had operated for only a few months, and had been confined to the heart of the Federation.
Now, here he was, taking a post on one of the ships of the line, and heading off to a mission who knew where. Spirit had had its dangers, but now he was quite possibly putting his life in harm's way like he never had before. And while a much younger Jaein would have done most anything for this opportunity... now, at 53, he was much more sanguine about what this meant. Sure, his kids were adults now, but only barely, and he well knew just how important parents could be even for someone of their age. And there was Mary Ellen, the love of his life. He hated leaving her behind, but she didn't need or want to be on a starship like this, away from her work. What would happen to her if he didn't come home?
And he had to face it: this crew had a record of being assigned tough, dangerous missions in places that weren't exactly the friendliest of places. From the front lines with the Borg to the Delta Quadrant, and now a mission that went so badly he couldn't even get any more information out of it than 'things happened in Parhelia and now it's ours again'? He couldn't discount the fact that this crew had also come out of those missions bruised and battered but alive and honored, but it still was enough to make an old man nervous.
But for now, he'd accepted the post. Interim Chief Engineer. It wasn't exactly a permanent position - he still wasn't quite ready to give up his posting at 40 Eridani, and there had even been talk from the shipyard's master of retirement, and Jaein was being considered for that post - but he considered it a favor to a friend. Ben Elias was out - and apparently permanently, though from what he knew the trial still hadn't happened yet - so he had come in to lend a hand. The department was staffed, but they were young. The next most senior officer, Lieutenant sh'Thanis, had evidently just accepted a new posting before the last mission, and everyone else was an ensign or lower. They needed an actual senior officer, and he was the most qualified person in the sector.
It also hadn't helped that they had made the offer two days ago. He'd been packing up to head back to Vulcan after his leave was done when the request came in. A talk with his wife later, and he'd accepted it, at least for the duration of the mission. That thought reminded him, and he tapped a control on the padd he was carrying to set a reminder so he could finish up his needed paperwork for the shipyard. They still had some personnel changes that needed approval before the next keel was laid on his line, and he needed to get it signed off before he handed control over to the yard master.
But for now, he had a briefing, evidently. He gave the room a look, noticing a pair of scientists - junior and senior officer, it seemed, - as well as a tactical officer and an engineer. Captain Givens had also arrived, taking her place at the head of the table but apparently not looking to call the meeting to order at this exact moment. He nodded to her, but let the woman be. She seemed nervous, and he didn't want to break her nerve with an idle comment.
Instead, he walked over to the engineer, a young woman with a single pip on her collar. For a moment he felt the oddest sense of deja vu before he recognized her as the young woman hosting the party he had inadvertently crashed while trying to find out what had happened to Ben. He put on a smile - more sincere than it would have been moments before - and put a hand out to her. "Ensign?" he said, and stopped for a second before apologizing. "I'm sorry, I can't recall your name; I'm still trying to get through all of the personnel files. I'm Omdor Jaein."
==Tag Han!==
Now, here he was, taking a post on one of the ships of the line, and heading off to a mission who knew where. Spirit had had its dangers, but now he was quite possibly putting his life in harm's way like he never had before. And while a much younger Jaein would have done most anything for this opportunity... now, at 53, he was much more sanguine about what this meant. Sure, his kids were adults now, but only barely, and he well knew just how important parents could be even for someone of their age. And there was Mary Ellen, the love of his life. He hated leaving her behind, but she didn't need or want to be on a starship like this, away from her work. What would happen to her if he didn't come home?
And he had to face it: this crew had a record of being assigned tough, dangerous missions in places that weren't exactly the friendliest of places. From the front lines with the Borg to the Delta Quadrant, and now a mission that went so badly he couldn't even get any more information out of it than 'things happened in Parhelia and now it's ours again'? He couldn't discount the fact that this crew had also come out of those missions bruised and battered but alive and honored, but it still was enough to make an old man nervous.
But for now, he'd accepted the post. Interim Chief Engineer. It wasn't exactly a permanent position - he still wasn't quite ready to give up his posting at 40 Eridani, and there had even been talk from the shipyard's master of retirement, and Jaein was being considered for that post - but he considered it a favor to a friend. Ben Elias was out - and apparently permanently, though from what he knew the trial still hadn't happened yet - so he had come in to lend a hand. The department was staffed, but they were young. The next most senior officer, Lieutenant sh'Thanis, had evidently just accepted a new posting before the last mission, and everyone else was an ensign or lower. They needed an actual senior officer, and he was the most qualified person in the sector.
It also hadn't helped that they had made the offer two days ago. He'd been packing up to head back to Vulcan after his leave was done when the request came in. A talk with his wife later, and he'd accepted it, at least for the duration of the mission. That thought reminded him, and he tapped a control on the padd he was carrying to set a reminder so he could finish up his needed paperwork for the shipyard. They still had some personnel changes that needed approval before the next keel was laid on his line, and he needed to get it signed off before he handed control over to the yard master.
But for now, he had a briefing, evidently. He gave the room a look, noticing a pair of scientists - junior and senior officer, it seemed, - as well as a tactical officer and an engineer. Captain Givens had also arrived, taking her place at the head of the table but apparently not looking to call the meeting to order at this exact moment. He nodded to her, but let the woman be. She seemed nervous, and he didn't want to break her nerve with an idle comment.
Instead, he walked over to the engineer, a young woman with a single pip on her collar. For a moment he felt the oddest sense of deja vu before he recognized her as the young woman hosting the party he had inadvertently crashed while trying to find out what had happened to Ben. He put on a smile - more sincere than it would have been moments before - and put a hand out to her. "Ensign?" he said, and stopped for a second before apologizing. "I'm sorry, I can't recall your name; I'm still trying to get through all of the personnel files. I'm Omdor Jaein."
==Tag Han!==