Talking shop...and a bit more.

Posted on Sun Apr 13th, 2014 @ 12:13am by Lieutenant Commander Rosaleen O'Donnell & Commander Eliana Masters

Mission: New Frontier
Location: Flight Operations

Rosaleen made her way into the temporary Flight Operations center, trying to track down and finally meet the stations second officer. She was dressed informally, opting for traditional dress instead of her uniform...her cloak flowing behind her like water flowing through rapids as she made her way through the bay. She made her way to Masters office, removing her cowl as she entered. "Commander Masters?" Hopefully this was the right person. She had no clue what Eliana looked like. But this was a female with Commander's insignia, so the odd were good.

Ellie turned to see who had called her by rank and surname. The possibilities were endless. Pilots were checking in and out, operations personnel were multiplying, and almost everyone seemed to know where they were going. Everyone except the diminutive El Aurian that had been placed in charge of the entire operation. However, Masters knew that appearances were everything. Therefore, she had located herself in the center of the commotion, and eventually, people and projects found their way to her.

"Yes ma'am, how can I be of help?" The visitor was not in uniform, a stark contrast to the ocean of reds and golds wandering about.

She walked forward, hand extended. "Lieutenant Rosaleen O'Donnell. I'm Kathleen's personal assistant. I thought it would be a good idea to meet all of the command team, and to see how everything was coming along." She looked around the room. "Although, I must say you do seem much busier than most of the departments I have visited thus far."

"Lieutenant O'Donnell," Eliana accepted the extended hand, "Eliana Masters. My friends call me Ellie, if nicknames are to your liking. Welcome to the temporary home of Flight Operations." Masters waved her arm around the room as if to show it off. The truth of the matter was, there wasn't much to show other than a desk and a few displays that had been attached to the walls with something that was far from a permanent solution.

"We're doing our best to get enough workpods together in order to effect some of the external repairs," Ellie continued. "Sending engineering teams out in E-suits would take much longer, even with the up front delay of piecing together equipment and personnel. Would you care to have a seat?"

"Thank you. I have been walking quite a bit today." As she sat, she pushed her cloak to one side and smoothed her dress. "I appreciate the time, Comm...Ellie. I'm Rosaleen, by the way. I know you are quite busy at the moment." One thing that she never had an issue with was informality. "How are things going so far? Any major issues?"

"Oh, nothing that the briefing didn't prepare us for. I know it's a cliche thing to say, but I really do have a great team in place already. It's been relatively seamless," Masters nodded. "The trickiest part thus far has been the balancing act. You want to request as many resources as possible, but at the same time, you realize that other parts of the station are in the same or even worse shape. I love my people in Ops and Engineering, but I'm going to have to work them for a little while longer."

"Your operation is second only to Engineering at the moment. Without the ability to bring craft in for processing we cannot get the necessary supplies and equipment aboard. Now...a shipment of Heavy Industrial Replicators should be arriving in the next day or so. Two of them are to be tasked to you. Also, Cerberus Logistics has one of their heavies en-route with equipment for their operations. They want to set up shop as soon as possible. I talked to the sector rep, and he has agreed to allow us to utilize their setup until we start to get ours in place. They have an entire team as well that will be working on their facility." She had pulled out a PADD while talking. Kathleen had given her quite a list of notes on their conference call that morning. "Of course, Vilgi will be most interested in all of that I'm sure. Oh...Kathy also procured a trio of Sovereign Captains Yachts. Not sure where they are tasked to yet, or when they will arrive."

The mention of yachts provoked a raise of an eyebrow from Eliana. They had a reputation amongst pilots - a positive one.

"We'll get room cleared out for them immediately. That's one thing that there's plenty of for now - room," Ellie gestured out of the office towards the drydocks looming outside of the window. "I've yet to discuss it with the Commodore, but hopefully, those are going to be the next project once we get settled in."

"Shouldn't be a problem. Kathy generally leaves departmental tasking decisions up to the individual department heads. She feels that those folks are there for a good reason, so she can trust their judgement. Plus it makes things flow smoother. Oh...have you been to the offices planet-side?" Rosaleen had used her office routinely the last week. It was nice to work someplace that was fully functional. Several times she had lost several hours work on the station due to power or data connectivity issues. She had learned early on not to use the stations terminals. "We even have our own hanger and transporter pads. Plus it has a nice view of the ocean."

"Now that I could get behind - working with an ocean view," Eliana smiled, mentally transporting herself down to the surface. The wind blowing through her hair, the smell of what she assumed would be salt water wafting through the atmosphere...

Opening her eyes, Masters remembered where she was.

"I haven't been, but it sounds like I should go sometime. Maybe hide on the beach in some civvie garb," she laughed. "Just as soon as we're not the choke-point in the rebuild, that's when I'll be able to relax and truly take in all that this new posting has to offer. I have to admit, I didn't think that I would be able to swing a station posting, especially one with a planet."

"It's a beautiful planet. I did the tourist rounds not long after arriving here. But then again, I was here opening the offices planet-side a couple of days before the Engineering team arrived to power up the station. Kathy literally got accepted the assignment and threw me on a shuttle." She put the PADD back in it's hidden pouch...everything committed to memory now. "Have you ever met Kathy?"

Her eyes were still open, but part of Ellie's mind was somewhere on the warm, sandy beaches below.

"No I haven't," Masters shrugged. "To be honest, I haven't met many people outside of my department thus far. I met Captain, uh, Captain Cleh and she relieved me as ranking officer on the station. I'm acting executive for the time being. I don't know what it is. I'm usually outgoing and friendly enough, but people aren't their usual receptive selves. Part of starting over I suppose."

"Everybody is so busy, I guess. This isn't your normal transfer assignment. You usually have a working infrastructure. Here, power and life support isn't even a guarantee all of the time." She paused, staring into Eliana's eyes, quietly studying her for a bit. "Yes, I agree. The beach is a relaxing place to be. You must come down and visit soon."

"That obvious, huh?" Eliana smiled.

Her eyes glistened with laughter. "Oh, not to most. You don't know about us...well, Kathy and I." She watched the puzzled look flash across Eliana's features. "We are both part Ka'bu. During one of our missions we were both exposed to a particular type of metaphasic radiation that brought those abilities unique to the Ka'bu to life in us. To be honest we are still learning about it all."

"Interesting. Fascinating, one might even say," Eliana tried her best to wipe the curious look off of her face, but she had never been difficult to read. Her expression was usually painted for all to see, unless she was making a conscious effort to hide it.

"To be honest, in all the time I've been traveling the stars, I've never heard of the Ka'bu. Of course, I have heard of humans, and I find them all quite fascinating to interact with. There are exceptions to every rule of course, but I can't help but enjoy studying the way they communicate non-verbally," Masters explained. It was the truth, and one of the major reasons half of her specialty was dealing with people.

"We'll have to sit down some time, over a meal or perhaps even on the beach and you'll have to educate the ignorant pilot," Ellie concluded.

"That would be pleasant. And you are not ignorant. It is an old species. There are several descendants of the race, including the Ba'ku out in the Briar Patch, if you recall that little misunderstanding." An understatement. "And your species is one that has a naturally curiosity for all that you encounter. Kathleen's closest friend is El-Aurian. Having known him over the years, I have come to have great respect for your people."

"Well thank you very much," Masters gave a nod of her head before clarifying. "For the explanation and the compliment. I'm glad you dropped in Rosaleen. This conversation has been a refreshing change of pace from zoning permits and business license disputes. I even had one gentleman drop by and file a complaint about the debris that's found its way into his old shop. I love interacting with the locals, it's a different challenge."

An almost mischievous grin spread across Rosaleen's face. "Oh, I have already had my fair share of interaction with the locals. Red hair is not something indigenous to this planet. In fact, there is quite a bit of lore and legend about red-headed maidens. You would think an advanced race like this would have grown passed that, but..." A ribbon of laughter flowed forth. "Just wait until their council meets Kathy. Boy is that going to be fun." Rosaleen had learned to keep a cowl in place when dealing with the various governing members on the planet. Kathleen would do no such thing though. They would just have to get used to her. It was time for them to grow up.

"Ah, lore and legend," Ellie mused, her own mind thinking rather deviously. She used to dye her hair quite frequently. Some investigating needed to be done into the local folklore before she walked into something she wanted no part of. "I'll leave them to their superstitions. Just about everyone has them."

"Remember though. One persons superstition is anothers religion, and a thirds science." Her eyes were full of laughter and joy, but she didn't offer anything further. And suddenly the air seemed quite a bit warmer. "So...back on point. Not sure if you have thought this far ahead as of yet, but Starfleet has quite an abundance of service and maintenance contracts with private companies. That means your shop gets to fix em all. Kathy is leaving the details up to you. I would think that separate maintenance bays would probably be a good plan though."

"Oh yes, separate facilities, common personnel and equipment is the plan for now. I'm still working on coming up with a way to most efficiently utilize the space. We need something modular, because I plan on providing the sort of service people are willing to travel out here to obtain," Masters nodded. The managerial tone was beginning to show in her voice, but her body language was completely relaxed.

"Well, we do have the advantage of being the only shop in this sector, so unless somebody wants to travel a long way for work, we are it. However...I do understand what you mean. Reputation is, as they say...everything."

"Oh, I agree. Word of mouth is the most important thing we have," Eliana nodded in agreement. "Though I wouldn't underestimate the locals. They've been making it work out here without a dependable base for years now. We will have to work hard to prove that we're worth it."

"It is true that they have made it work for quite a while out here, but also remember the state of the Frontier. It's never been an economic zone. The amount of commercial traffic is about to explode out here with our new presence. And it doesn't hurt that Starfleet has designated us as the Port of Entry into Federation territory out here."

"I'm looking forward to the challenge," Eliana nodded.

Rosaleen looked at her chrono...it was getting close to time for her next conference call. "Well, it has certainly been a pleasure, but I must get moving. Before I go, is there anything else you require?"

"I think everything is under control for the time being, thank you Rosaleen," Eliana stood and walked with her new friend to the door. "I really do appreciate you coming to have this chat. You've made a new friend. Please come back, anytime."

"I most certainly will." She replied as she stood. "And if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask." Sh exited Flight Ops quickly...knowing that he conference call would not be anywhere near as much fun.

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Commander Eliana Masters
Director of Flight Operations
Acting First Officer

&

Lieutenant Rosaleen O'Donnell
Commodore's Personal Assistant
Starbase 80-New Frontier Station