Situation Normal
Posted on Sun Mar 9th, 2014 @ 6:59pm by Commander Eliana Masters
Mission:
New Frontier
Location: Starbase 80, Promenade
Timeline: Current
OOC: All of Eliana's posts occur prior to the Merlin arriving to the station. In other words, she will already be on station (and therefore temporarily in charge) by the time O'Shea and company drop in. Also, I'm actively looking for JPs from anyone who's already on station or coming aboard from the Merlin.
ON:
"Commander, if you'll follow me. Welcome to Starbase 80."
"Thank you, it's good to be home I guess?" Masters chuckled and set her suitcase down on the ground to shake the hand of the warrant officer who had been stationed there to greet her. He seemed agreeable enough and even managed not to look too surprised at Ellie's relatively firm handshake.
"Your bags will be picked up shortly and delivered to your quarters."
"Oooh, uh, it's sort of against my religion to leave my bags out of sight, can we walk with them?" Masters was testing the waters a bit.
"Ah, in that case, would you happen to have a moment to discuss the gospel of any one of the numerous gods indigenous to Stratkas IV? If I looked long enough, there may be a god dedicated to the safe passage of luggage. Ma'am," her counterpart in conversation was up for the challenge so it seemed.
"Wow, a warrant officer with a sense of humor and a smile? I like. Say, you wouldn't want to come work for me in flight operations, would you?" Eliana was genuinely impressed. Most were either so fearful or respectful of the rank that they refused to joke with her. A welcome breath of fresh air, which, the station could use by the smell of things.
"I already do ma'am, Daniel Roediger, four oh fifth tactical."
"Forgive me Mister Roediger, I knew there was a reason things were already going so swimmingly. So, while we walk, tell me about what's been going on around here."
Of course, most of the information had already been relayed to her in her position briefing from Starfleet - the main reason Masters asked for a sitrep was to get a sense of how well her team was already communicating before she arrived. Roediger's synopsis included a few more details, but the end result was quite visible to everyone.
". . . in short ma'am, the station needs to be redone all the way from the frame. Only a few areas are running at full operational efficiency or capacity, case dependent."
"That much I can see. I'll have to track down either the work orders going out to the engineers or find an engineer with some spare time to see where we fall on the priority list. I guess it would too much to ask for our facilities to be ready for us already, wouldn't it?" There was always a chance. Ellie was starting to think that maybe she was the eternal optimist.
"No ma'am. In fact, equipment wise, there isn't much left at all. Everything is being brought in a little at a time from ships swinging through the neighborhood. The Bellerophon had a few shuttles, maybe enough to begin assisting with the external repairs. What we're in dire need of, however, are more workpods. They should be arriving along with the most of the rest of the command staff on the USS Merlin."
To some, the amount of work ahead might have seemed like a daunting task but to Masters, the only thing she could see was a gigantic jigsaw puzzle waiting for someone to solve it. Plus, if she could get integrated in the repair and remanufacturing of the base, there was always a chance that she could have some input in rearranging the space in which flight operations would be operating for greater efficiency. It was a longshot, but worth a try.
"That's all fine, I look forward to their arrival. Assuming that Commodore O'Shea and Captain Cleh have not boarded, I'll need to relieve whoever is in command, but first, I'd like to swing by my quarters. I didn't catch the deck number earlier, or did I just miss it?"
Roediger paused a moment, trying to think of a way to answer without answering.
"No ma'am, you didn't miss it. They, uh, aren't complete. Yet."
"Oh good! Maybe they'll let me pick colors," Masters laughed at the thought of a bright blue Federation logo painted onto the ceiling. "That's fine. Where were we going then?"
"Your office on deck fourteen is usable, as are the main operations areas on decks twelve and thirteen. As soon as we're done here, I'll be returning to help with repairs in hangar two."
"You poor thing," Ellie lamented as she came to a realization. "You lost a bet and had to come talk to the boss first? I'd give you the day off, but then what kind of example would I be setting? Don't worry Mister Roediger, I can find my way from here. Feel free to return to your friends. I'm about to go on duty and you won't want to see the amount of PADDs that are about to be shoved in my face."
"Yes ma'am. Thank you ma'am, until next time."
Looking around the promenade, Masters took a deep breath and reached back to pin her hair up before reactivating her HUD. It took a moment to register her location, but almost as soon as her arms returned to her side, her credentials were uploaded to the station's computer. A moving map showed up in the overlay along with her vital signs and other pertinents. Finally, a large notification appeared in the corner of her vision.
"I've been expecting you old friend," Masters muttered as she acknowledged the notification. Almost comically, it asked if she wished to report for duty as acting commanding officer. The slightest of nods was all it took, then a bevy of messages came flying through the ether as her HUD connected to the station's communications network. Eliana was officially on the grid.
By now, she was very nearly to her office, which would also have to serve as her living accommodations for the time being. It hadn't been more than three or four minutes before the chime sounded. Here goes nothing...
"Come in."
Eliana Masters
Director of Flight Operations
Second Officer
