LtCmdr. Talos Dakora - That Went Well
Travis
(( Captain’s Ready Room – Deck 1, Artemis-A ))
Talos was participating in a rather unique Artemis Tradition– The ceremonial grilling of a new Officer. Addison sat behind her new desk and Talos, having relinquished his chair to the newcomer, leaned against the front of the desk facing their guest.
Dakora: Is that so? ::He crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back into his chair.:: Our Ops officers tend to wear many hats… It’s sort of a necessity for the job. How are you at multi-tasking?
Bergmen: If the nature of the task and the circumstances necessitate, yes, I am proficient in multitasking, sir.
MacKenzie gave a slow nod and Talos kept his expression neutral.
MacKenzie: And so, you’ve been assigned to the Artemis. What do you know of our assignment?
Bergmen: No, I do not know anything yet, ma’am. I did not meet my division chief to clarify on my assignment within the department. But giving my professional history, I would expect the team lead position within supply chain or clerical administration. ::nervously bites his lip, pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts:: I gather from your question, ma’am ::nods:: sir, that my assignments on this vessel will entail rotating through various officer roles within OPS in my first year onboard - similar to your experience during your medical residency in the medical division, ma’am.
Talos risked a quick glance back at MacKenzie. He had answered a version of the question and he wondered if she would let it fly. With the undoubtedly chaotic state of the Starfleet Personnel office, he was sure there were plenty of transfers arriving with the bare minimum of info about their new homes.
At least, it seemed, he knew something about his Captain. Talos uncrossed his arms and placed a hand on the spartan metallic desk to stabilize himself.
Dakora: You’re correct about that Mister Bergmen. You can expect to experience the full spectrum of Ops duties before you settle on a specialization.
MacKenzie: And what about the Borderlands? What do you anticipate will be some of the more difficult aspects of your job, given the area of the galaxy to which we’re assigned?
Addison was going all in now, and Talos sat back a little and just listened to the exchange for a bit.
Bergmen: Sector 04-70, Alpha Quadrant. Borderline region between Federation and Cardassian Union, with Bajor as the nearest major Federation world. This region is known for its massive plasma storms - and these storms severely limit the reach of navigation and targeting sensors, rendering any ships inside the Badlands practically sensor blind. When Maquis were the thing, they used the Badlands as a staging ground and a place to hide, navigating through by using a practice called echolocation. However, this method did not ultimately help them in the end, in early stages of the Dominion War.
Wincing slightly, Talos exchanged a knowing look with Addison. While they had similar names, the Badlands and the Borderlands were two distinct regions of space with very different histories and threat profiles. Clearly, the kid had gotten things a bit mixed up.
MacKenzie: Alright then, Mister Bergmen. Tell me a little about yourself. The things that go beyond what I can find in your dossier.
Bergmen: If you were to talk to any of our elders, they would claim that our people have achieved enlightenment and perfection. Therein lies the irony of living centuries, an irony that will one day kill us - not admitting that the most challenging thing in this galaxy is to live in it. I do not believe we attained enlightenment or perfection. The galaxy around us is in constant flux - as the Federation encountered Borgs, Dominion, and numerous other unfriendly civilizations. Gideon does not exist in a vacuum, and we must roll up our sleeves and work to ensure there will be a Gideon tomorrow. That's why I enlisted. I saw what's happening in the galaxy, and couldn't simply stand by and bask in the comfort of our life in paradise.
Again, he hadn’t quite answered the question. She’d asked him to talk about himself, he’d offered a treatise on Gideon society. The emotions he felt emanating from the Captain’s side of the desk caused him to wade back into the conversation before Addison ejected another provisional Ensign.
Dakora: Gideon isn’t the first civilization to shy way from extracting itself from centuries of entrenched dogma. ::He cocked his head.:: No offense, if you’re a religious type…
Bergmen: No, I'm not personally religious, sir. Religion has had a significant impact throughout the galaxy, just as it has back home. The overpopulation issue Gideon faced three centuries ago serves as the brightest evidence of what religion can take from the people..
Talos nodded once more, happy to have found at least one area of common ground with the new Ops officer.
MacKenzie: Insightful.
Talos fought the smirk that tugged at the corner of his mouth. The Captain was on one today.
Dakora: Agreed.
To his credit, Bergman simply grinned like he hadn’t been interrogated for the past thirty minutes.
Bergmen: Excuse me, sir or ma'am, can I have a question of my own? ::pause:: What kind of service can I expect on Artemis, and in your opinion, what makes the experience of serving on Artemis special?
MacKenzie: I think, for those answered, you should best speak to one of your colleagues. They would be better suited to give you a more pointed answer.
That was nearly universally true. The people who would be serving along side him were likely to give him a more realistic answer than the people in-charge.
Talos pointed in Addison’s direction.
Dakora: That’s good advice. Though I will say in the couple of years since we launched, our missions have run the gamut. The Borderlands are a complex region and our missions reflect that.
Bergmen: Response
As the impromptu meeting neared its end, he hazarded a glance out the recently refurbished observation window, to the blue sphere of Earth beyond.
With every bad actor in the galaxy aware of Starfleet’s precarious position, he doubted things would get any easier when they resumed their patrol.
MacKenzie: We’re going to be heading out of spacedock soon on our way back to the Borderlands. If there’s nothing else, you should finish your onboarding procedure as we prepare to get underway.
Bergmen: Response
Talos reached out and patted the man on the shoulder a couple of times.
Dakora: Again, welcome aboard Mister Bergmen. ::He smiled.:: You’ll get used to it.
A curt nod from MacKenzie was the kid’s cue to stand up.
MacKenzie: Dismissed.
Talos waited for the doors to shut behind Bergmen, before shifting his gaze to Addison with a sarcastic grin.
Dakora: I think that went well…
[END SCENE FOR TALOS]
LtCmdr. Talos Dakora
First Officer
USS Artemis-A
O238811CD0