Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Janna Kingston (Counsellor) in Business As Usual - Redux

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Janna Kingston (Counsellor) in Business As Usual - Redux

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Serena Stone (Executive Officer) in Business As Usual - Redux
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻
The thrum of the ship vibrated through the deck plates. It was a different feeling than the U.S.S. Valkyrie, but Serena had already grown used to it. It didn’t seem like such a strange place now. Slipping inside the main entryway to the neurosciences suite, Serena scanned the space, before landing her eyes on the front desk, looking for Cherry. Surely there were other department people that manned the desk, but Cherry, as far as she could tell, was a fixture here.

“Good morning. Here for my follow-up with Doctor Kingston,” she said brightly. While it was appropriate to use Kingston’s rank, in this case, her salutation was more appropriate. More than that, this was a doctor-patient matter, not commander and subordinate.

Stone, XO

Cherry was indeed working this shift, but was not alone. Beside the blond Risian was a petite Human ensign who seemed very focused on the console before him. “Good morning, Commander. Doctor Kingston is ready for you and said to go right on in.”

Inside the office, Janna was seated in one of the armchairs with her legs crossed at the knee, a PADD she was reading in her left hand, and a mug in her left. She looked up at her door slid open and smiled. “Hello, Serena, come on in and grab whatever you like and do what you need to make yourself comfortable.”

~Janna Kingston, CNS

The redhead flashed Janna a quick smile and nodded. “Hey.”

Making her way over to the replicator she pulled out a hot, fragrantly floral tea. Stuffing a racquet ball into her pocket, she moved over to sit where she had before. The tea, she put in a spot she wouldn’t easily knock over, or forget where it was, and dropped into her seat with a slight bounce. This morning she moved more confidently, owning the space around her, relaxed, free-flowing, rather than stilted, cautious, and almost awkward like last time. The easy grace of an athlete was more evident now, though her positioning and shifting about the space had the nature of a career tactical officer, and just as unconscious as the rest of her manner.

“Busy morning?”

Stone

Kingston grinned. “A department of six for a thousand people. It’s always busy.” She set down the PADD and took a sip of her coffee. “You seem to be in a good mood this morning. Tell me about it?”

~Janna Kingston, CNS

Busy was probably an understatement. “Today has been productive so far. Decent sleep, got in a good run. Logs. Paperwork over breakfast.” She shrugged. “Right now, things are running smoothly. Everything is in the green and all departments are chugging along. So it’s peace and quiet until the next emergency, I suppose.” The redhead sipped at her drink, cradling it between her hands, soaking up the heat.

“Some might say it’s quiet. It’s boring. But I like boring. At least I did as a security chief. It meant my department was doing their job. Things only get exciting when you’ve screwed up. You know?”

Stone

Janna nodded. “Though I would also say that exciting here on the Athena often meant external factors you couldn’t have predicted if you tried. So I would caution you from tying that to your own actions. But yes, from my observations and many conversations, most security folks who have experience prefer it quiet when they can have it.”

Stone nodded. “Yeah, you can’t predict everything. Or control everything. But it’s good to be prepared. Chance favors the prepared mind.”

“How did you manage with the homework I gave you?”

~Janna Kingston, CNS

A thin sigh followed, but the redhead shrugged one shoulder. “The lounge was surprising. As well as the lady who runs the place. Everyone here has been so welcoming and friendly. I suppose some of that is wanting to make a good impression on the Ex Oh. But it feels like that’s only a small part of it. A few things I can’t talk about because of Op Sec. And there’s a lot of top-notch people here, professionally anyway. I mean, sure everybody is an expert in their field. But the Athena doesn’t just run, she hums. And I see how everybody looks out for each other here. The earmarks of a good, solid crew.”

She sipped at her raspberry tea thoughtfully, then cradled the warm mug in her lap. “It’s… eased my nerves. A bit anyway. i still have my worries, but i suppose they are more healthy ones now. People getting hurt, general risks. But that’s all stuff we’re trained for. And I know what bases to cover now too, which helps.

“I suppose the anxiety over all the new, and being thrown into the deep end is a lot lessened. New territory is always scary. but it’s not so bad. More to do, the job is never done, and it always changes. As much as I like the boredom, because it means things are going smooth, I’ve always thrived in chaos, and have been able to make order ou tof it.” She shrugged one shoulder with a small smile. “Probably one of the reasons why I’m here, and Command stuck me on the Athena in the first place. Right?”

Lt Cmdr Stone, XO