STF

Starfleet Complex- Senior Staff Meeting

Posted Oct. 23, 2022, 9:44 p.m. by Lieutenant Commander Markus Woods (Chief Star Fleet Science Officer) (Sam Haynes)

Posted by Lieutenant Sharah Fayth (Chief Star Fleet Medical Officer) in Starfleet Complex- Senior Staff Meeting

Posted by Captain Jonathan McBride (CO, USS Centurion) in Starfleet Complex- Senior Staff Meeting

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Starfleet Complex- Senior Staff Meeting
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Tiberius thought and waited to see if anyone else was going to respond and no one else said anything, so he spoke up, “I am Lt Cmdr Tiberius Cattaneo. I just recently joined as the Chief of Security. This is probably no surprise to anyone as I am the Chief of Security but I am very much into the study of battles and engagements and hope to bring my expertise to the colony and help protect everyone and the colony itself.” Tiberius was excited to discuss battles and strategy with the Klingon’s as he loved to engage the race of people who loved discussing engagements.

Lt Cmdr Cattaneo
COS

Sitting next to Sharah, Mark shook his head. It wouldn’t be hard for Sharah to pick up the mental commentary and misgivings that rolled off of him immediately in regards to the man’s self-introduction.

Sharah glanced around the table landing on Woods, there seemed to be no logical order. This felt like those orientation small groups everyone was forced into at the academy. “I am Lt Sharah Fayth, chief medical officer. We arrived about a month ago. If I am not at the hospital I am most likely in the gardens or green houses. I am also a well-known botanist, but I do it for fun.”

Fayth, SFCMO

Mark shifted in his chair, sitting up straighter. “Lieutenant Commander Markus Woods, Chief Science Officer. Or so I’m told. I’ve got a pretty wide background, including behavioral studies and analysis, in addition to all the other stuff crammed into my head.” At that moment his quasi-Texas accent came out a little thick, just for a moment. He stretched out one hand and the large coffee mug resting on the conference table visibly slid a half meter closer into his waiting hand. “And I have some psionic abilities.” There was a lot more to all the ins and outs, but for now, it was best to keep it relatively short and sweet.

The last person to go was the Lieutenant who had entered with Dasca. She stepped forward and gave everyone a friendly nod. “Hello, I’m Sherri Watts, Captain Dasca’s Aide-de-camp. I’ve been an administrative aide my entire career and I enjoy it. My job will be liaise between the Lieutenant Governor’s office and this Complex and help the captain keep on top of what’s going on. I’ll be your point person for the most part.”

Eela listened intently to everyone and smiled, nodding at Watt’s comments. “I know it’s odd, but this setup only has to be as complicated as we make it. Your everyday orders will come from Captain McBride. Departmental issues you take to him. They’re not my concern unless they can or do escalate into something that impacts the colony on a larger scale. That’s my domain. Think of my role here as not only the go-between Starfleet Command and the Starfleet operations here, but as the person who maintains a pulled back perspective. I’m working to balance both the colony’s needs and the areas in which Starfleet is helpful to those endeavours. Because the thing we must all understand is that Starfleet is here in service to the people of this colony. This is not a Starfleet outpost. For many years Starfleet ran the show out of necessity. But this is a thriving, dynamic place. It’s growing at a quick pace and we must start thinking less of ourselves as being in charge and more as helpers. Our role is to encourage self-sufficiency, not get in the way of progress and call the shots. Not everyone is going to be happy wth this change, but it’s one that has been a long time coming. There will be a day when Oed Five does not need even a Starfleet security presence, but until that time, we work as a team. And I want to be very clear about this…” she said, her intense gaze searching the room. “Anyone who feels they cannot do that, cannot be a part of this team, should let Captain McBride and I know immediately. Things are tense enough between Starfleet and the civilian government groups. We cannot afford people actively working to cause more strife.”

She exhaled. “Now, questions about any of that or myself? Now’s the time to ask.”

Tiberius looked up for a moment and responded with, “I am good at this time and I will head to check in with McBride. I look forward to speaking with you in the future and working with you and everyone else.” He then waited for others to respond. He was hoping he would be able to check in with his commanding officer soon to get started working.

Lt Cmdr Cattaneo
SFCOS

Markus had his arms crossed over his chest, looking as though he might bore a hole in all three, the Captain, the Lt Governer, and the aide with just his steely gaze. It wasn’t so much staring them down but there was a wariness, of watching them like they might suddenly turn into vipers and strike. His lips were pressed into a thin line, and though he looked relaxed from a distance otherwise, up close, it wasn’t hard to see he was taut like a wire in high wind, singing as it cut the air.

Like Markus, Sharah had some reservations about things. The Star Fleet crew on Oed was horribly disorganized and went through a lot of leadership. She could only speculate on why. They hadn’t had time to discover if they liked the colony or not, there had just been that much busy work to go through, and then…they shuttle attack. But she had no questions for Dasca about herself. Out of everyone here she probably had a better sense than anyone about the woman, especially after her physical.

“Actually, I have a big one, then,” he said speaking up. “If this is supposed to be a civilian colony and a civilian operation… And they clearly don’t need us. Why the hell are we still here then?” He gestured vaguely in the direction of the city center. The recent attack was still obviously fresh in everyone’s minds.

Lt Cmdr Woods, CSO

Fayth and Woods had been on Oed a month longer than some of the people in the room, and they had seen it. The attack was most clearly on her mind. She was still dealing with the people who had been injured in that attack and would be for awhile. “Adding to that, there is a lot of animosity towards Star Fleet here. I’m not going to argue whether it’s deserved or not. That won’t fix the problem. What are we going to do to fix that relationship. Sacred Heart is probably the only place where all the different groups actually willing work together, but when patients come in…I’ve seen patients refuse treatment because they don’t want a fleet doctor or a civilian one or someone who is new to Oed and wasn’t born here. But the animosity towards Fleet personnel is thick enough to cut.”

Lt Fayth, CMO

Dasca nodded. “I know,” she said, her tone softening. “And those are excellent concerns.” Her left index fingers tapped the top of her cane as she gathered her thoughts. She as not a woman whose thinking was rushed where she had time to actually ponder. She was decisive in a crisis, but when given extra time, she always took it. “And I can understand that on the surface it seems that Starfleet isn’t needed. That you see it that way Commander Woods is actually a good thing, believe it or not. It demonstrates just how far things have progressed here. See, it wasn’t all that long ago that the Governor of the colony was actually a Starfleet Officer. Then things shifted and they were civilian but the Lieutenant Governor was Starfleet, and it was that way ever since until I showed up. I’m Starfleet, but I’m also not. Keep in mind that I was appointed by the Federation to be here, which means they are seeing the need to continue the transition. But it’s just that, a transition.”

“The reality is that while many things are shifting, we’re not there. The CCDA is still relatively new and while they have everything in hand as far as ground forces are concerned, Starfleet is still required to protect the planet and the system. But we are more than just hired muscle, yes?” Dasca’s hazel eyes lit up as she smiled. “So that brings us to Doctor Fayth’s very good point. We do we do about this tension? I want you all to think about your career thus far and your assignments. If you’re fortunate, you’ve had at least one assignment that was truly great. One that you really felt a part of things and that if you happily revisit, even for a short period of time. What was it about that assignment that made it special? Was it the people? Was it something about the work you did? What made it meaningful? I want you to hold that in your mind and then in the next few days I want you to look around this colony, and at this Complex. What’s different? Now, I don’t fully know the answer yet as I’m still pretty new as well, but after forty-five years of service to the Federation I have my suspicions and I’m going to share them with you.”

Dasca shifted uncomfortably for a moment until she found a slightly better posture and continued. “Starfleet has given a great deal to the colony. Sometimes it went over well, other times not. But all this tension lately speaks to a basic lack of appreciation. Has Starfleet Command always made the best decision in regard to Oed Five? Hardly. But Starfleet isn’t perfect. It’s a fallible organization, just like any other, but it’s not too much to expect at least a tiny bit of gratitude for the service the officers and crew have given to Oed over the years. And on the flip side, the civilian colonists and their government are asking Starfleet and the Federation to stop treating them like children who can’t think or make decisions for themselves. That is partly why I believe I was chosen for this role. My job is to help untangle the unnecessary Starfleet threads and allow the civilians to do their own thing with confidence in their ability to handle the tasks at hand. It’s also my job to shift Starfleet’s perspective here to be one of encouragement and support.”

She shifted her attention to Woods. “Medical is probably the most integrated department we have so far, but I fully believe the most potential is with the Scientists. The Terraforming group is actively working on the next phase of the process. But how many planets are terraformed while there are nearly four million people living there? I can’t think of any off the top of my head. So what we have is an incredible opportunity for joint projects. Especially interdisciplinary projects. The way we shift this tension between us and the civilians is to be a part of things here. Get involved in the community on your down time, get out of the Complex. Talk to people. We’re not going to change perceptions overnight, but one by one we can show that we’re here to help them how they need us to help. And to know that, they have to have the opportunity to tell us what they need. So ask, listen and then let’s build a more cooperative way of operating. And I know that’s easier said than done, and that there will be officers and crew that aren’t on board or don’t quite get the memo. Captain McBride and all of you handle the day-to-day operations, and my focus is on the big picture stuff. We’ve identified an issue and now I’ve given you the prescription. It’ll be up to each of you to not only set the example for your teams but also correct misconceptions and weed out the crappy attitudes. We’re far enough away from Black Rock and Starfleet Command that we need to be quick to react to issues. If there are people under your command that are disinclined to adapt to what I am asking you to do here, they don’t have to be here. Simple. This is not a Starfleet dumping ground for uncooperative and malcontent people. This is a thriving place full of possibilities. We have the ability to correct the course here- we just need to decide to do so.”

Dasca blinked, and looked about the room before she settled her gaze on Captain McBride. “Good gods, I normally never talk that much. I really have become a politician, haven’t I?” she said both intense miffed but also amused.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Jonathan gave a wide grin. “Don’t worry, ma’am, we won’t hold it against you,” he said sincerely even if he too was amused.

He looked about the room and nodded, more to himself than anything. “Okay, we have our marching orders. Your first task is to do an audit of your department. Personnel, supplies, project requests. Let’s identify all the issues and all the potential. I will be meeting with each department head in the coming days, so any issues, I want to hear about them. But I also want to hear your ideas for solutions. Also, probably as early as next week we’ll be doing drills as we discussed. This will include patrol runs with the Centurion. I will give you advance notice so you can make adjustments to you schedule, but I want everyone in this room out there for the first run. This is a chance for us to get to know one another and how we think and operate so we can work out any operational kinks there might be.”

“Any final concerns or questions before we get to work?” McBride asked.

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

Fayth shook her head, but reached across the table and handed McBride a PaDD. “Medical audit.” Sharah had been sitting on that for a day or so. It was also something she’d started working on the moment they had checked in on Oed. A good DH always did an audit. Maybe not to change things, but to get a feel for what was going on. She’d been there long enough to complete it, even with all the ‘excitement’ at the hospital.

Fayth, SFCMO

Mark fished a PaDD out of his pocket and tapped at the screen a few times, then swiped upward meaningfully. The files selected synched to the computer and Sharah’s Padd. “Science department audit.” Every posting he’d been to since becoming a department head, performing an audit was the first thing he did. It helped get the lay of the land, find out what was missing, what was needed, and to get to know who he was working with. Joining the Viking had been particularly annoying as half the lab equipment was missing, and the rest was destroyed or malfunctioning. He’d had to replace or personally repair so much of it. Even then, a year after and three crew rotations he still didn’t feel like it was quite up to par.

It wasn’t as bad here. But… It was still under-equipped.

Lt Cmdr Woods, SFCSO


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