Posted by Commander Jennifer Wallace (Executive Officer (Incoming)) in Ready Room - Wallace meets Koraia

Posted by Fleet Captain Ghubari Koraia (Captain) in Ready Room - Wallace meets Koraia

Posted by Commander Jennifer Wallace (Executive Officer (Incoming)) in Ready Room - Wallace meets Koraia
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Cmdr. Wallace stood before the ready room of her new captain with as little nervousness in her system as she could manage. She’d stopped by the Lounge after her conversation with Nightstalker and stood at the door, chime rung and two hot mugs in her hands. One for her, a steaming hot chocolate. The other for the Captain. Hopefully the hot chocolate would quiet her own gut and the other drink would put Ghubari in a better mood. Well, Jenn didn’t know what kind of a mood the Captain was in, but her former XO had just left so maybe she was in a slightly sadder mood. Or mad. She didn’t know. So, just in case… hot drink.

“Enter,” came a crisp alto voice with a heavily rolling accent.

When the door opened, Jenn stepped through and placed the drinks on the desk before giving the Captain a small salute. “Commander Jennifer Wallace, reporting for duty as executive officer, sir. It’s an honour to meet you.” Jennifer Wallace wasn’t a short woman, but at 5‘5” she wasn’t super tall either. Her face was heavily freckled, the kind of freckles that never go away no matter how old you might get, and her eyes were a bright, vibrant green. Her hair, a deep reddish brown, was neatly pulled back into a low bun, although several stray hairs had escaped the confines of the bun and were kinda floating along as she walked.

Cmdr. Jennifer Wallace, XO

Inside the spacious office space, Ghubari was at her desk off to the side of the room, not too far from the door. Two chairs sat in front of it for guests, while a sitting area with a sofa and coffee table sat in the back of the office along the windows that offered a wonderful view of space and wherever their locale might be. In this case, it was space and the traffic coming to and from around their berth at Starbase 157. There were a couple leafy larger potted plants in the sitting area, and smaller flowering plants were dotted strategically in places, including the set of selves opposite the desk where Ghubari kept her personal effects. There was an ebony wood masked, carved in a somewhat abstract manner, a carved statue of a couple entwined in an embrace and sitting on a rock (in a glossy finish of ebony wood), a small handwoven basket, a picture of Ghubari and an older woman (with even darker skin who resembled her) sitting on the steps of a small white washed house, and another photo of Ghubari and Konral taken at their impromptu wedding on the Athena.

Koraia studied the new arrival with keen observation and offered her a small smile as she rose to her feet. “Welcome aboard. At ease, Commander. And while I run a tight ship, I don’t require salutes.” She tapped her head with a couple fingers. “Being an empath generally means I know when people are sincere or not. For me, a salute doesn’t necessarily convey an abundance of respect.”

“It’s, ah… I’m pretty sure saluting the Commanding Officer is standard procedure,” Jennifer suddenly frowned a little, considering the situation. Her hand lifted to brush against the bridge of her nose, but the lack of glasses to push up made the movement unnecessary.

With a smile, Koraia nodded. “It is. And I have often been one for clear rules. But the funny thing about commanding a ship like the Athena is that the universe tends to force you to be more… flexible.” She leaned forward slightly. “You’ll adjust,” she said with a small wink.

“And you brought me chai, I’m genuinely impressed.” She gestured with a dark hand. “Please have a seat and let’s get to know each other,” Ghubari said as she sat back down and pulled the mug towards herself, wrapping long fingers around its curves.

Fl. Captain Koraia, CO

Jennifer certainly seemed a bit nervous as she slipped into the chair that Ghubari had gestured at. Her fingers were long, slim, and clean. Well washed. They were the hands of a physician, although the way she tugged at the edge of her shirt and fidgeted made her seem more like a kid than a Commander with over a decade of experience, including several years as Chief Medical Officer. “Sorry if I seem a little out of sorts, Captain. It… it always takes me a little while to get used to a new place. A new position.” She gestured to the room. “It was easier when the place I was working in stayed the same even when the ship it was on might be different. Now they’re moving me out of sickbay, and I’ve got that to figure out too.”

Jennifer grabbed the mug of hot cocoa she had brought with her and grasped it tightly, hoping the warmth would seep through to the rest of her. She had to be more confident than this. Goodness, if she was going to mess this up in front of the Captain of all people, Shess would never let her live it down. The thought of the smirk on his blue face was just enough motivation to get her to sit up straight and stop fiddling. Confidence. She was the Executive Officer now. She had to inhabit that position.

Commander Wallace, XO

Much of what Ghubari could sense was just that mix of anticipation and anxiousness that came with starting a new job on a new path. She remembered it well, but in her case it had blossomed under rather different circumstances. “Commander… take a deep breath, okay? You’re not on trial here, and while I will absolutely be judging you, I think you’ll find that after all that I’ve experienced in my career, I’m… adaptable.” Sure, the change in XO was hard and she already missed Luka, but right in this moment she was alive. Her crew was alive and they had done something extraordinary. It was a time for celebration.

Fl. Captain Koraia, CO

Jennifer had mostly gathered herself by this point, so she gave the woman a brief smile. Usually, other than short personal conversations, her duty reporting meetings didn’t go long, but she really didn’t know how Captain Koraia ran things, so she decided to ask. “Is there anything you would like to discuss with me before I go? Duties and such, responsibilities that your former XOs took care of that you would like me to cover?”

Wallace, XO

Puzzling out a new XO was something Koraia was well practised at, but it was also something that took time. Not everything would be clear right now, today. Still, that didn’t mean she had to move forward entirely in the dark. “Tell me what you expect to be doing. What do you believe a first officer’s job truly is?” A simple se of questions but their answers could be rather varied.

Fl. Captain Koraia, CO