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Main Sim - Meeting in Ready Room - Do As I Say Not As I Do!

Posted Nov. 20, 2018, 3:41 a.m. by Captain John Tiberius Glen (Captain) (David Fergusson)

[snip]

Glen had prepared the Ready Room for the meeting he had called. He hoped that his department heads would come along ready to discuss their particular subjects of personal interest or such that could work as a Q/A session at the Academy.

Nkosenye came in, PaDD in hand. He looked at the Captain and said “Sir. Good evening.” and took a seat.

The CoS was followed by Cross ‘’Captain…Lt’‘ she gave them a quick nod then looked around ‘’Coffee Captain? No coffee Sir? Where is the darn coffee?’‘ the female doctor asked as if her life depended on it.

Just then, Faith brought in the coffee machine with milk or cream and three kinds of biscuits.

Cross was surprised to see the Captain’s niece and wrapped both arms around her ,that is once she put the tray down ‘’Faith where have you been?’‘ the doctor asked as she caught sight of her friend ,clearly delighted to see her.Making a cup of coffee she asked Faith if she would mind sitting next to her.

“I’ve been working as usual; my clerical, secretarial and girl Friday duties; and also looking after that cat. Oh! And making coffee for you! And I’d love to sit next to you, but this meeting is for the senior staff and I really have too much to get finished so I can get back to writing my novel, See ya!” replied Faith.

Kord, as usual, stood to the right of the Captain’s chair. He was the silent monochromatic statue watching the proceedings with his piercing blue eyes.

‘’Cmdr’‘ Cross said giving him a slight nod and a sheepish smile wondering if he even remembered.

Once everyone had finished the small talk and poured their coffee, Glen brought the meeting to order. He wanted it to be informal, but on the other hand, they did need to present some kind of list to Admiral Rose by the following morning, which didn’t give them a great deal of time.

“So, if we can all find a seat, has anyone come up with any ideas already?” Glen asked.

William, having sat down, put his PaDD on the table and smiled slightly “My problem is the overabundance of ideas.” He spoke as he poured a cup of coffee for himself “Although seeing as this is my first space faring mission in several years and I can’t hold a lecture on my time in the think tank because classified so a guideline on what I can talk about for this mission, mainly can I talk about the reality-bending stuff we saw on the planet itself?” he asked sincerely.

Kord wasn’t sure what he could talk about. Living for so long there were lots of things he could talk about but would any of it be of interest or relevant to a classroom?

Cross stood silent, not because she did not know about her presentation but rather keep the aim to herself which would ultimately result in a possible course of action.

Glen was a little disheartened that only Lt Grey spoke. Still he could run with that for now. “You can certainly discuss the force field that turned everything upside down. I can’t see anything hush-hush about that. You will need to try to explain it, and how it might have been achieved, or to relate it to work currently underway in Starfleet now, otherwise you could just say how you must always expect the unexpected and explainable. As for your time in research and development, there must be projects that have had tangible results or palpable improvements that you can point to and say, I helped bring that change about, and that it saves time and energy, and how makes life on a Starship better.”

“Myself, I was thinking of not talking about work at all. I thought that the students might be interested in the other opportunities that travelling the Galaxy gives to you. I’ve been able to pursue my interest in archaeology in ways that would have been impossible on Earth. I regret that I have never been on an actual ‘dig,’ though there is still time for that. However, I’ve had the fortuity to be able to visit the Museum of Izurite Antiquity within hanging gardens of Ekkaia, and the Starfleet Museum on Alpha Centauri where I saw a Romulan Vrelnec. I could also speak about some of the alien races we have met, particularly the Romulans. I’ve spent quite a lot of time with Commander Andone, and also her daughter, which undoubtedly would have to be a secret. Still, very few people have met Romulans at all, and we are quite privileged in that respect. The third advantage we have is the culinary delights we get to experience. I think I could give a talk on the unusual foods, drinks and snacks we have encountered. I’d be happy to give that one up to someone else though. Klingon food alone could probably provide material for an entire lecture.”

Cross quietly stood up and the only reason she did was not to disappoint or disrespect Glen in anyway ‘’Captain obviously I’m going with medical, most probably choose a branch from the extensiveness of the subject and well ....guess for now I can say I’ll go with the flow’‘ .

“That makes sense,” replied Glen. “Plenty of unusual medical problems that you’d don’t get on Earth. Never a dull day in Sickbay.”

Nkosenye spoke up after Cross. “I plan on speaking on the integration of on-site scans into real-time security plans for Away Team missions. I think there is a lack of training with regards to that in the current curriculum.”

“That’s also a good suggestion,” said Glen. “Make it a little lighter than it sounds though, without trivializing it or playing down its importance. I see our role here as primarily to provide enthusiasm for joining ships of exploration, as opposed to taking an office based assignment. So, I don’t want to put them off by playing up the dangers of alien conflicts, diseases and parasites. I want to show how fun and exciting our jobs can be. However, there are serious matters to be discussed too. These cadets are the future of Starfleet and they will take the decisions about any changes that will happen. We have an opportunity here to influence them and to make them see things a different way. So, we ought to make use of that.”

“I suppose I could cover something of historical reference that I was present for. I’ve been through federation space a couple of times after the foundation of the UFP, and several times before the UFP’s foundation. I guess it’s a matter of finding the right topics.”

“Of course!” said Glen. “Your unique perspective on the world, having lived for so long, that has to be interesting to them.!

“Has anyone got any ideas that are a little more off the wall and wacky?” Glen asked. “Don’t be afraid! There will be no criticism of any wild ideas.”

This time Cross stood still ‘’Captain fun and exciting ? Are we expected to lie?’‘ the doctor asked ‘’At least from my experience having fun and being excited is way down on the list.Do we want to entice and attract Cadets with a disillusion only for them to feel disappointed , resulting from the discovery that something is not as good as one believed it to be?’‘.

“Doctor, not too long ago we stood on a Planet that didn’t follow the laws of physics, we entered broken reality and survived the unmaking of a whole planet whilst being assisted by a future Starfleet Captain that I’m fairly certain was Romulan,” He said with a wry smile “Even if it’s not constant excitement it’s never dull, Science experiments, Medical practices, engineering repairs, and modification, even whatever the Security blokes do is on some level engaging” He jested “But in all seriousness everything in the fleets mission Statement is true, we do seek out new life and new civilizations and all that. You just have to work hard to get it” He smiled sincerely “Besides the Cadets have already been attracted and enticed, we just need to engage with them a little. Let’s give them an even better reason that they enlisted.”

“Doctor Cross, really!” said Glen. “Until recently, you were the most fun and excitable person aboard. Now that I’ve promoted you, do you expect me to believe that you’ve turned all level-headed and dependable; a slave to your work?”

‘’I was fun since when?Captain I cannot believe this is coming from you off all persons....anyway be careful what you wish for I’m still Cross with the same defective gene though with an extra pip on my uniform’‘ the doctor replied with a calming voice.

“Time is short on this, so I’ll summarise and have Faith, my Yeoman, get it jotted down for the Admiral. So, the CSO will discuss the force field that turned everything upside down on a Planet that didn’t follow the laws of physics, and tell them they should always expect the unexpected. The CMO will explain some branch of medicine from the extensiveness of the subject, but hopefully finding some examples from real missions. The XO will talk about something of historical reference that he was present for, either before or after the formation of the UFP. The CSO will review the integration of on-site scans into real-time security plans for Away Team missions, and I will examine the opportunities provided for pursuing personal hobbies and interests, with a particular regard to archaeology. Now, if we can get our new Comms Officer settled in time, I’m sure her background will be interesting to hear. The only thing left to do is the decided upon the order of speaking. Does anyone have a preference for going first or last?”

“Lieutenant , the calling the of off-ship missions, “Away Teams” rather than “Landing Parties”, that is a very novel idea, but it makes perfect sense as missions are not always to a planet. And Doctor Cross, you have spoken to me before about mental health issues and how you felt that a Ship’s Counsellor might be a useful addition. Might mental health be a good choice for the branch of medicine?”

‘’Yes Captain , both Jasper and Marthese have been kind enough to assist me . I only need the medical students and hopefully a tutor or two to pass on what future ships need and what the present ones are missing, due to certain policies that have shown time and time again to have been detrimental to and for the interest of the whole crew’‘.

“Excellent,” replied Glen. “And what about the order of the presentations? If no one offers any preference then we will have to draw lots.”

Glen quickly torn up some paper in half, and then in half again. He threw away two pieces, and wrote numbers down on each piece that was left, before folding them up. If Tinga came up with an idea then there would be 6 of them to speak, so he put the six pieces of paper into a bowl. He handed it to Miriam first. “Doctor Cross, you pick a number first!”

Cross looked at Glen as if he had sprouted a couple of antennas ,then with a sigh she put her hand inside the bowl picking a paper and handed it back to the Captain .

“So, what number did you pick?” Glen asked Miriam, before passing the bowl to William.

William cocked his head in curiosity and almost childlike interest. doing some quick calculations in his head he considered the Captains seemingly antiquated ways of randomising timing and such.

‘’Captain the number is two ‘’ she replied while handing Glen the paper ‘’ That’s great I’ll have enough time to take the necessary steps , lay the groundwork and hopefully have time for some fun’‘ Cross ended the last words with a hint of humor in her tone while giving William a wink.

Kord looked at the paper in his hand. He still wasn’t sure what he should, or could, talk about in a classroom setting.

OOC: I’m going to move on. I used an online randomiser for the order, but I put Miriam in second.

IC: Faith came back into the room and cleared away the coffee cups. She then took out a pad and wrote down the order and the titles of the lectures to pass on to the admiral. Theses were:

1. Tinga - The Silent Traveller: An Andorian life in Starfleet.
2. Miriam Cross - Ship’s Counsellors: The case for mental health first aid in Starfleet.
3. Mthunzi Nkosenye - Away Teams: The integration of on-site scans into real-time security plans for missions away from ships.
4. Kord - The day I met Nathan Samuels: The Coalition of Planets and the founding fathers of the UFP.
5. John Glen - Less work and more play: The opportunities to see the Milky Way, to study cultures and new life.
6. William Grey - Believe in six impossible things before breakfast: Physics on the edges of Known Space.


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