Passing the Baton

Posted on Tue Aug 28th, 2012 @ 5:13am by Lieutenant Torin Drell & Captain Tobias Naros & Ensign Marshall Doering

Mission: Episode 1.0 - "Enduring Legacy"
Location: Chief Operations Officer's Office, USS Yorktown
Timeline: Mission Day 07, 1740 Hours

ON: [[Main Engineering, USS Yorktown, Mission Day 07, 1740 Hours]]

"...and I will certainly take this into consideration," Marshall (PNPC) told his engineering counterpart as he grasped the offered PADD, "tomorrow morning." He turned away from the master systems display, made his way out into the corridor, and set off in the direction of the operations office. Hopefully, it wouldn't take too long for him to get enough in order that he could call it a day and still have time to meet up with the others for dinner.

This wasn't the first time Marshall had been involved in preparing a vessel for active duty. In some ways, getting the Yorktown ready for her first assignment was proving to be much less difficult than his previous assignment. There were considerably more personnel available aboard the Yorktown to complete tasks more efficiently in less time, even when one considered the fact they were still undermanned. One also needed to consider the fact Marshall had come aboard after the Yorktown had already completed her yard work and traveled the distance from Earth to Starbase 386. He hadn't needed to help oversee starship operations work while the ship was still in the yard which translated to a lot less mess to be dealing with on a day-to-day basis.

Yet, as he rounded another corner, he couldn't help realizing the ways getting the Yorktown ready was proving to be more difficult than it had been aboard the Eagle. Chief among them was the absence of any Chief Operations Officer which meant Marshall was carrying the added responsibility of serving as acting department head and all the unexpected challenges which seemed to be coming with it. Add to that the fact they'd just learned about the sudden reassignment of their Chief Engineer and Marshall was starting to sense a pattern.

[[Operations Office]]

During his short journey from the Captain's ready room back to the Operations office Torin had found that he had a little extra spring in his step. His first encounter with Naros was amicable and while his morale was just fine Torin realized that something about the Captain had given him a more defined sense of purpose. He wanted to return the favor by showing the Captain that the Operations department was in good hands, Torin was anxious to get settled in.

As he entered the Operations Office Torin realized at once that he wasn't alone, the seat in front of the lone active terminal was occupied by a young Human who could be none other than Ensign Doering. "Good evening Ensign," Torin said without stopping though, he did cast the young man a grin and a polite nod. He activated another terminal a short distance away from the one that Marshall was occupying before turning to face the Ensign head on, "I'm Lieutenant Drell, I've been assigned as Chief of Operations."

Marshall was surprised to hear another voice in the room and he nearly jumped out of his skin before his brain was able to process what the voice had said. "I...uh..." the young operations officer stammered as he reached down to collect a couple PADDs that had toppled to the deck, "...wasn't expecting to see you, sir...that is to say, I wasn't expecting to see anyone around here at this hour, sir."

"At ease Ensign," Torin said with a smile as he approached to help collect the PADDs. He handed Marshall the one that had clattered the furthest from its source and studied the screen behind the young man. "I had expected a little more that would need done but now that I am here I see that the department is about as ready as it can be. I suppose I have you to thank for that?"

"Uh...yes, sir," Marshall answered. He took a deep breath, placed the collected PADDs back in a pile on the desk, and turned so as to face the lieutenant directly. "Sorry about that, sir," he continued, "It's been a long day...more like a long week..."

"Understandably," Torin said as he leaned back against the desk behind him and crossed his arms over his chest. "You've done an excellent job, I've only just met you and I'm already impressed. How long have you been aboard the Yorktown?"

"About a week...ever since she arrived at Starbase 386," the young operations officer replied, "though there are moments when it seems like much longer than that." The clock was still ticking in his own mind and Marshall couldn't help thinking about how he'd expected this to be a quick stop through on his way to the lounge. It had been a very long day in Main Engineering and he certainly hadn't expected to be meeting his new supervisor this late in the evening. He glanced over at the lieutenant, hoping he wasn't coming across as too loose on his remarks. "Is there anything I can help you with, sir," he asked.

"I don't think so," Torin said as his eyes flicked to the chronometer on the wall. "It's after hours and I suppose you are wanting to wrap up for the day, we can get better acquainted in a more official capacity in the morning if that suits you."

"Thank you...uh..." Marshall began, pausing mid-sentence when he realized he'd spoken the words aloud. Way to go, he thought to himself, as if you don't look like a total fool already. He let out a sigh and finished somewhat half-hardheartedly, "...sir."

Torin's smile broadened slightly and he nodded before he turned back to the terminal he had activated. "You're dismissed Ensign, have a good evening."

Without hesitating a single beat, Marshall secured his workstation and made his way out into the corridor. His last thought as the door closed behind him was to wonder whether the lieutenant thought him a complete fool. This first impression certainly hadn't been his most convincing.

OFF

A Joint Mission Post by:

Lieutenant Torin Drell
Chief Operations Officer
USS Yorktown

and

Ensign Marshall Doering (PNPC)
Assistant Chief Operations Officer
USS Yorktown
Played by: Capt Naros