Meeting the Pilot

Posted on Tue Jun 29th, 2021 @ 4:52am by Lieutenant Rey Watson & Captain Temperance Harding
Edited on on Thu Jul 1st, 2021 @ 12:44am

Mission: Mission 0: Have Wings, Will Fly

ON

Thinking about his father, Rey Watson was rather distracted while on the turbolift, which he was sharing with a Trill ensign. Suddenly, the doors slid open to reveal the bridge. After stepping aside to let the ensign go first, Rey made his way to the ready room for his meeting with the CO. As he walked up to the ready room door, he swiftly pressed the doorchime.

With a fresh cup of tea retrieved from the replicator in her office, Temperance returned to her seat. Too much paperwork went into an overhaul and refit of a Starship. Progress, however, was being made. New crew members were coming aboard, albeit slowly.

Reaching for the next PADD, and the next report, Temperance was spared the ongoing nightmare for a time as the doorchime sounded. "Come." The Commander called, wondering who would be stepping through the doors.

Rey walked through the doors and stopped in front of the Commander's desk and stood at attention. "Lieutenant Rey Watson reporting as ordered sir."

Her brow crinkled for just a moment. "Contrary to Starfleet protocol, I have never liked 'sir'; I would ask that you use 'ma'am' instead. Please, stand at ease, Lieutenant." The soft accent landed her heritage as being in the British Isles, and her almost inescapable use of the variant 'left-tenant' cemented that fact. "Have a seat. Would you care for a drink?" She indicated the tea beside her on the desk.

Rey took a seat in front of the Commander's desk. "Sorry about that ma'am, I will make a mental note about it. As for the drink, I am more of a coffee kind of guy." Rey replied honestly.

Temperance ordered a coffee from the replicator, and set it on the desk. "So, Lieutenant, quite an interesting record I see." She had pulled it up, and was perusing the high-lights.

"It is. Especially my previous assignment, given I am related to most of the command staff on that ship. Not the best combination sometimes." he chuckled.

I can imaging that could cause conflicts." Temperance responded with a nod. "Is that why you put in for a transfer?"

"In a way yes. I felt that tensions would rise if I remained. More so than they already were. This was primarily due to my-" he paused. Rey was unsure if he should be telling his new CO this, due to the fact that his father's disappearance was still somewhat recent. "Due to my fathers disappearance last year. He was the CO of Deep Space 4."

"Losing a family member can be hard." She remembered back when she herself lost a brother. "It tends to put a strain on things." Her eyes scanned over his service record. "I see you enjoy music. Any particular genre?"

"While I don't have a specific genre, I like to listen to many bands and groups from the 20th and 21st centuries. In terms of playing music, I like to do more acoustic stuff."

"Playing was never something I could get the hang of. Brain is too mathematical, I didn't... what did my music teacher say?... Have the 'fee' for music."

"Music is different for many people. Some people enjoy it better when playing, or others enjoy better when listening. Some don't enjoy it at all. It varies by person" Rey answered.

"Very true." Temperance leaned back in her chair. "I have found myself enjoying books read aloud. Not by the computer, but a recording of an actual person reading a novel. It's a different way of experiencing a story. Not for everyone."

"Personally, I have always enjoyed physical copies of books, or at least on a PADD. I have always felt that I can experience the situations and stories in the book how I vision it as I read it, if that makes sense?"

"Sometimes it is nice to curl up with a cup of tea, and a good book." Temperance agreed with a nod.

"It is. Though, I personally prefer coffee. Aside from a few different variants, I never really did tea."

Temperance nodded, it wasn't everyone's choice, afterall. "Born and raised in the British Isles. Some things one just cannot get away from." Taking a breath, Temperance moved forward. "Well, Lieutenant, unless there was anything you needed to ask me?"

"Actually, yes. After we depart, what are our orders?" Rey inquired.

"If my recent communique from Starfleet is true, we may be sent out on a SAR assignment. Nothing confirmed, nothing to get excited over, yet."

"I see." Rey said. "I have nothing further ma'am."

"Excellent. In that case, Lieutenant, you are dismissed." Temperance rose as the man left.

OFF