LT Tamio K'Wara - Unintentional Hazing

[LT Tamio K'Wara]

(( Main Shuttlebay - Deck 11, USS Artemis-A ))

((( OOC: Just as a heads-up, Tamio uses they/them pronouns exclusively. )))

The rumours about the staff level of the Artemis were manyfold, especially during Tamio’s tenure at Starbase Academy. It was impossible for Commanding Officers to not develop a sort of ‘reputation’ over the course of their career, and Fleet Captain MacKenzie’s reputation? Well, it was an interesting one to say the least. And the more Tamio heard the whispers of the junior crew aboard the Ship since coming aboard, the more it sounded like Chief Vailani - originally an Ensign posted to the Artemis, before being reassigned to the USS Ronin to bolster the war efforts against the Lattice Alliance - was a ‘chip off the old block’.

Bergmen: No, just… ::shrugs his shoulders:: It slightly transcends factual representation with each person in those chinese whispers, and I'm not sure what you heard already… ::pause:: By my account, they are thoroughly professional, both. And expect the same level of professionalism from each of us.

‘Thoroughly professional’. So, prickly?

K’Wara: ::slight smirk:: Interesting. oO I look forward to meeting her. Oo How long have you been with the Artemis, Olliver?

Bergmen: Soon to be the whole year. In three weeks, I think.

That had to mean that Olliver had some interesting survival strategies that Tamio might be able to learn from - ‘don’t talk at this specific Lt. Commander before they’ve had their two shots of grape juice in the morning’ kind of things - but before they had the chance to ask, a voice rose from behind Olliver, making Tamio look up with interest.

Vailani: If you wanted to know more about me, maybe the more effective manner would be to come directly to the source, Lieutenant K'Wara? 

Tamio saw the immediate reaction from Olliver - a straightened back and a step away, at attention - as a clear sign that they’d been ‘caught red-handed’, and adopted a similarly dutiful posture, though with a slightly less guilty expression.

The female Bajoran who stepped past Olliver to level her gaze at them was short - which was an unfair observation to make when the point of comparison was the massive Gideon Lieutenant JG - with blonde hair pulled into a tight bun and steel eyes, and there was barely any reason for introductions, really. Tamio was instinctually aware of who the Lieutenant entering the shuttle was.

oO Oh no, she’s hot Oo

Bergmen: Lieutenant K’Wara, Lieutenant Vailani, our Chief of Operations, sir. ::glance at Vailani and half-nods:: Ma’am.

Vailani: Yes, I am she. :: consults her PADD :: I trust that the idle chit chat means the inspection of the shuttle has been completed?

Olliver seemed to try and blend in with the surroundings itself, displaying a clear disinterest in getting involved with the response to Chief Vailani. There was no reason he should, after all, Tamio had been the one to complete the check, so Tamio decided to bite the bullet and make the report, even if this conversation - as far as first-hand impressions went - was going very poorly.

K’Wara: Yes Si-

Bergmen: Yes ma’am, A-check maintenance did not uncover any problems with the shuttle or its systems.

Tamio blinked, confused at Bergmen’s decision to report regardless, but shrugged. So long as the report was made, that was the main thing, and the Chief seemed to concur on that point.

Vailani: :: nods :: Well done. Both of you :: to K'Wara :: Next time we can do without the gossiping. :: taps Combadge :: =/\= Ensign Meris, this is Lieutenant Vailani, please report to the Main Shuttlebay =/\=

Wow, this was turning into a legit party.

Meris: =/\= Understood, Lieutenant. May I inquire as the purpose of this meeting? =/\=

Vailani: =/\= We have a shuttle to perform a test flight on. =/\=

For a moment, Tamio was struck with a sense of delight. Flying a shuttle. Before their mind’s eye, they saw the open expanse of sky above the SanFran Campus, lit up in colorful smokes and complicated flight patterns, feeling the shuttle respond to the routine plotted, collaborating with the rest of the team... And then, they were back. And they knew that the summon of Ensign Meris meant that they wouldn’t be piloting the Kerynitis, and it felt like a familiar weight was placed back in the bottom of their feet.

Meris: =/\= Aye sir. I will be there within ten minutes. =/\=

Bergmen: Coffee, tea… anything… anyone?

Tamio smiled at that suggestion. Olliver was an odd duck.

K’Wara: I’ll settle for some help with the pre-flight checks, Lieutenant Bergmen. ::looks to Chief Vailani:: Got a course planned out for us, Chief?

Vailani: Response

(( Main Shuttlebay - Deck 11, USS Artemis-A ))

((( 6 minutes later )))

Tamio was seated in the navigational seat of the Kerynitis, running the shuttle through some mock maneuvers to ensure that the computer had survived their rummaging about in its circuits, as they heard footsteps enter the shuttle. Tamio finished the simulation, as they heard Meris’ familiar voice announce their arrival.

Meris: Lieutenant, a pleasure to meet you. ::nodding:: I understand I've been asked to report here to test a shuttle... However, if you might allow me a moment, I'd like to first present you with this.

A vague alarm bell started ringing in Tamio’s brain as they turned about in their chair to see Meris hand over the PADD directly to Chief Vailani. They wanted to facepalm.

Vailani: Response

Meris: It is the assignment that Lieutenant K’Wara passed on to me yesterday during Alpha shift. The Lieutenant indicated you wanted experienced pilots to evaluate the post-maintenance requests for testing from the Deep Space 224 engineers. I have reviewed those requests and determined that 78% can be satisfied without delaying our departure from Deep Space 224 or impacting our subsequent mission timeline.

Olliver winked at Tamio with a chuckle, and the Cygnian sighed with a resigned expression on their face as they hoped that Chief Vailani would go easy on them

Meris: I have fully annotated and collated my findings, along with an in-depth breakdown of how I reached each conclusion. I believe you will find the analysis thorough and complete.

And the hole kept being dug deeper.

Meris: And... if I may say so, Lieutenant, I am honored you would place this level of trust in a newly assigned pilot before even meeting me. I will work to earn that trust, and I will not allow the faith you have shown in me to be misplaced. ::with a resolute nod of the head::

Watching Chief Vailani’s expression was like a masterclass in how carefully curated professionalism gave way to the broiling emotions underneath, and Tamio watched it, enraptured.

Vailani: Response

Was the misunderstanding on Tamio’s shoulders? Absolutely. They should’ve made it clearer to Meris that Vailani had asked for experienced pilots, and not Meris by name, once they realized that Meris had misunderstood the assignment by an order of magnitudes, but they hadn’t. At that junction, it had seemed needlessly cruel to further demoralize the Ensign, who had already been struggling with the awkward repercussions of accusing Tamio of theft loudly on the Bridge. Regardless, there was legitimate value to be found in Meris’ analysis, even if it had been handed in prematurely.

K’Wara: Unfortunately, the Artemis’ doesn’t have many experienced helmsmen to speak of, Chief, and while I am one, I haven’t been behind a Helm Console for close to a decade, and never on a Luna class vessel. I’ll be happy to look through Ensign Meris’ findings to give a more experienced once-over - as was always my intent - but since Meris is the one who’s going to be performing a majority of those maneuvers, I figured it reasonable to find out which ones they think they can actually perform.

Bergmen: I will fill our flight plan with Flight Ops and log my preflight checklist. ::resolute nod::

It was unclear whether Olliver’s hasty subject change happened because he perceived some tension in the air, as Tamio and Vailani’s vastly different approaches to what it meant being in a leadership position in Operations collided in the small shuttle, but the abrupt change made Tamio’s smile harder to conceal. The abruptness with which Olliver left the shuttle behind was similarly not lost on them.

He definitely had developed some very specific survival strategies serving in Artemis Operations.

Vailani: Response

K’Wara: Roger that, Chief.

Meris: Response

Tamio offered Meris a friendly smile, before they turned back to the navigational computer, resetting it back to a flight-ready state, just as Olliver returned once more.

Bergmen: The flight plan for the test flight has been submitted and approved. The shuttle was fully refueled yesterday after returning to the dock, and my preflight visual and system inspection did not find any problems to report, so you can do yours. Traffic is clean. We can line up for departure against report whenever you are ready in the next thirty, Ensign.

Meris: Response

Bergmen: Traffic Control informed me that our departure window is in the next thirty minutes; just report for line-up and go. Traffic clear during. After that, they have medprio two in and two out; those would push us to be fifth in line to wait as lowprio flyop, ma’am. ::to K’Wara:: Sir.

K’Wara: Makes sense. A spontaneous test flight hardly takes precedence over medical departures. ::to Meris:: The navigational computer has completed the stress test. I’ll check on impulse engine power flow and fail-safes.

Vailani/Meris/Bergmen: Response

Tamio accessed the engineering console, working their way through the necessary systems checks with a quiet humming to themself, not quite able to shake the musical mood from before. After a period of time where the four members of the Ops department handled the pre-flight prep work for the Kerynitis - the Ship of Theseus brought into the modern age - Tamio looked back towards the rest of the group.

K’Wara: ::to Chief Vailani:: All reads green, Sir. ::to Meris and Bergmen:: How about on your end?

Vailani/Meris/Bergmen: Response

K’Wara: Well. ::smiles widely:: Sounds like we’re ready then.

Vailani/Meris/Bergmen: Response

TAG/TBC

LT Tamio K’Wara

Operations Officer

USS Artemis-A
A240006GS1