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Checking in with the CO - Pre-Simm

Posted Feb. 11, 2019, 10 p.m. by Warrant Officer Walker Darach (Chief Operations Officer) (Steve Johnson)

Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Checking in with the CO - Pre-Simm

Posted by Warrant Officer Walker Darach (Chief Operations Officer) in Checking in with the CO - Pre-Simm

Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Checking in with the CO - Pre-Simm
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Walker let out his breath as he materialized on the Manhattan, how in the world did he get himself convinced to do this. He had spent a lifetime standing up for his crewmen against the officers, but he let them make him one of those officers. A Warrant Officer, but still an officer.

“Welcome aboard sir,” the crewman at the transporter console said as he stepped off the pad.

Walker just shook his head. “Son, don’t call me sir, I work for a living.”

“Yes si.... um… I mean… Yes Warrant Officer,” he stammered.

Walker nodded. “As you were Crewmen.”

Hefting his sack, Walker made a quick stop by his rack on the way to the bridge. He wasn’t quite sure what he was going to do with all of that space in his quarters. He always traveled light between postings, as an non-comm you never got that much space. So you learned to pack light. But now, it was almost to much space.

As he stepped onto the bridge, he tugged at his collar slightly, and adjusted his uniform. Better to get this part over with, so he could get started on his work. Stepping up to the ready room he tapped the chime and waited.

WO Darach - COO

“Come in.” came a male voice with a slight British accent from behind the door and it slid open to reveal the room inside.

The office was obviously recently moved into, as there were still a few small boxes stacked in a corner of the room and two bookcases on one wall stood with empty shelves behind their glass doors. Pictures had been mounted around the room, and various odds and ends graced places here and there. Displayed prominently, however, on a shelf by itself high up on the wall directly behind the desk that sat opposite the door, was a lone figure of a gold Ox. Lighting had been directed so that it drew the eye of anyone who came through the door almost immediately.

Seated behind the desk was a human male in the red uniform of Command officers. He looked up as the doors opened. His hair was black, making the bright blue eyes beneath the well-groomed hair even more intense. He had a youthful appearance, somewhat more so than the Captain’s pips at his collar would seem to indicate. As Darach stepped in, Cochrane’s face lit up in a smile of genuine pleasure and he stood up, extending his hand. “Warrant Officer Walker Darach. A true pleasure. Please. Come in and have a seat. Captain Alexander Cochrane, at your service.” the man said and gestured to one of the seats in front of the desk.

Cochrane, CO

“Thank you Captain,” Walker said as he stepped in. He took a second to look around, and noticed the Ox above the Captain’s desk. Definitely an interesting choice in decoration, but he was sure there was a good story behind it. It didn’t take long to notice the stack of boxes over in the corner.

“So I see that I’m not the only one just settling in today, sir,” he added after a slight pause, as he slipped into the offered chair. He still had to feel out the new CO, some were a lot more picky about the formalities. Not to mention, the CO was still new enough that probably most of the crew didn’t know him that well either. While most people probably wouldn’t put up that much of a fuss, it wasn’t good to get started on the wrong foot, the first day in a new command.

WO Darach - COO

Cochrane chuckled. “Not even remotely, Chief. Just arrived yesterday, myself.” he replied, using a term he knew most Senior enlisted preferred and it was fitting in multiple ways. The man was the Chief of Operations, so there was that. And Cochrane knew, prior to his newly minted Warrant Officer status, that Darach was a Master Chief. Cochrane always had great respect for the Chiefs he served with. He knew the officers tended to get the glory but it was the enlisted who worked so very hard getting things done every shift, every time. “You want something to drink? As I understand it, the replicator in here is supposed to have just about everything.”

Cochrane, CO

Walker nodded as he smiled to himself inside. It was good to know that the Captain had at least taken the time to check out the service record of his new crew, even though he had just arrived himself. To many officers just trusted that everyone was the same, not taking the time to learn much about their senior staff.

“I wouldn’t say no to a cup of coffee Captain. Black.”

WO Darach - COO

Cochrane nodded and ordered the drink for the COO. Handing it to him, he sat down and said “So, Chief. Who’d you piss off enough to make you a Warrant Officer?” he asked, his face expressionless but with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

Cochrane, CO

“That’s a great question sir,” he said without much of a pause. He seemed like a pretty good person, for an officer. He hadn’t shown a reason not to be given the respect of his rank and position, at least not yet.

“I think it was someone back at the Academy. They tried to pull me back to teach, but I wasn’t ready to be done on the front line. So I think this is my penance. They let me stay out here, but they are forcing me to become an officer. Maybe they think that some of my experience will rub off on the enlisted, and so that when they offer them a chance they won’t say no.” Walker said with a laugh.

“At the very least, I hope what I ever did was something good. Because I’m not sure who I upset. But I put it off everytime they offered. But when you the Summit docked at Starbase 127, I got pulled in front of an Admiral and they didn’t give me an option this time. And when they drag your behind in front of an Admiral, you are kind of stuck.”

WO Darach - COO

Cochrane chuckled. He already liked the Ops Chief. “Yes, Chief. ‘Stuck’ is exactly what you are. But whatever it was you did, I’m glad you did it. Having you here will be a bonus, I think. Now, as to your duties and such. You know what is expected of you with regards to maintaining the operational status of the ship, so I don’t think it;s necessary to go over that. But there are some… additions… I’d like to add. Nothing new to you, but new to the Operations role. You up for a challenge, Chief?” he asked, the twinkle in his eye still present.

Cochrane, CO

“It is definitely more fun when things stay interesting. Though after all of these years, I’ve become leery of an officer offering a challenge,” he said with a chuckle. “Challenge usually ends up being code word for work that you get assigned, that you later regret ever agreeing to. Because do it once, and they keep coming back.”

At that, the Captain smiled and laughed slightly.

Walker leaned back in his chair, “So what is this so called Challenge of yours Cap?”

WO Darach - COO

“You have decades of experience, Chief. I want you to use that experience to keep me heading in the right direction. I want you to be my unofficial adviser. The XO has that task on his plate officially, and I expect him to do the same. But, being an Operations man yourself, you can probably understand my desire for redundancy.” he said with a slight smile.

“It’s no secret that this is my first time in the center chair, Mr. Darach. As such, I am the first to admit that I don’t know everything. I want to utilize your experience and expertise. I want to do right by both the officers and the enlisted personnel on the Manhattan. You are in an ideal position to make sure that I am doing just that.” and he cocked his head to the side and tried to get a read on the man seated before him. “Thoughts, Chief?”

Cochrane, CO

Walker internally sighed, he wasn’t sure if this was a blessing or a curse. Yes he would definitely get the chance to help out the crew for the better, but at what cost.

For whatever the price, it was probably worth it in the end. “Well you are right, I can see the merit in having other options, and I’ve definitely seen a few things in my time,” Walker said with a chuckle. “I can’t say that I will always have the right answers Captain, but I’d be happy to share my thoughts and experiences with you as needed.”

WO Darach - COO


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