LT Tamio K'Wara - Free Spirit or Rules Lawyer? Takes all kinds

[LT Tamio K'Wara]

(( Bridge - Deck 1, USS Artemis-A ))

 

K'Wara: You too. ::gestures to their uniform:: You’re on duty, I surmise? Walk me through: What’s Helm Officer Ensign Meris going to be doing? ::smirk:: In the spirit of ‘you can take the Exam Proctor out of the Holodeck’, and all that.

The transition period from being a Cadet at the Academy and a fully-fledged member of a Starship Crew was a long one, and a hard one, for many. There were entirely different expectations and requirements involved with being in the Academy than once you’d actually gotten your assignment, and how new Ensigns transitioned from one role to the other was usually very telling of the kind of character that they were. The creative and free-spirited ones tended to go a bit looser than they perhaps should, finally free of the intense academia of the Academy to live the rest of their life. The meticulous and logical ones tended to only focus even harder on rules and regulations, intensely focused on not making even the slightest mistake, lest the hammer fall.

While a gross simplification of the wonders of psychology - no one person reacted truly the same - it was a general observation that Tamio had made during their years in Starfleet. And they found themselves curious to find out which side of the equation that Meris would veer towards.

 

Meris: Well, we are - of course - running only a skeleton crew on the bridge while we remain in drydock for repairs, so I'll be covering multiple stations so that more crewmembers can enjoy their leave. My role as bridge liaison to engineering doesn't change while in drydock. And, since we're undergoing a maintenance cycle, engineering is basically in charge of everything at the moment - so that portion of my role is likely to be much busier than usual. In addition ... well, it's probably a long shot ... but given the circumstances, the chances of my getting an opportunity to sit in a different chair might be a touch higher today than on a normal day ::Meris glanced pointedly at the Captain's chair, currently unoccupied:: You know, should the right stars align and all.

Textbook answer, apart from the whole ‘sitting in the Captain’s chair’-thing. It was the natural instinct of many an Ensign serving their first duty shift on the Bridge though, and Tamio remembered being the same way once.

K’Wara: ::hum:: Sounds good. Or! You could take a look at this. ::hands over PADD with a flourish:: Requests from the DS224 Engineers, for your perusal. Sounds like they want us to test her limits in these coming months.

 Meris: ::reviewing the PADD:: Has this been approved by Captain MacKenzie or Commander Munro?

Tamio shrugged lightheartedly.

K’Wara: It happened to be on a table in the Operations Center. ::points to entry on the PADD:: This one looks fun. Can’t say I've had the chance to fly a starship that close to a protoplanetary nebula before, given how rare they are. Think the Artie could handle the wind speeds?

Meris looked from the PADD to the Lieutenant and back, their eyes narrowing suspiciously, and Tamio blinked, curiously in response to it.

Meris: Lieutenant, are you trying to ... I believe the appropriate word is 'bait' me?

K'Wara: Hm?

Meris: ::their tone shifting to incensed:: It would be inappropriate of me to execute any 'special testing' of the Artemis requested by the engineers of DS224 without Fleet Captain Rainier’s authorization and the express consent of Captain MacKenzie or Commander Munro. Further, if you have absconded from DS224's Operations section with this data PADD and without proper authorization, then you have committed a misdemeanor punishable by confinement to quarters under the Starfleet Code of Military Justice, and I will be required to report you to the Master-at-Arms. ::pausing, eyes darting, thinking:: Unless this is just another test…

Tamio’s expression didn’t change from their jovial smile as Ensign Meris went through the appropriate way of reporting a senior officer had that senior officer done a misdemeanor. Of course, Meris also did this to the senior officer’s face while jumping to several conclusions, which was hardly the standard, but Tamio could appreciate the gusto. Meris’ adherence to the Starfleet Code of Conduct was as rigid and clear as every Ensign to have ever left the hallowed halls of the Academy, and it was obvious that they’d paid attention. For a freshly placed Ensign, their answer was entirely above board.

K'Wara: Not a test. Though if it was, I’d give you a solid 6/10. ::smile:: Did I ever specify that I’d stolen the PADD from the Operations Center of DS224?

Meris: Response

K’Wara: As a matter of fact, I didn’t. ::leans against the console:: I got it from the Operations Center of the Artemis, from my desk. Chief Vailani wants the input from experienced pilots on the request list so Captain MacKenzie and Commander Munro have a better nuance in terms of how many of these requests we can possibly complete, because frankly, there’s too many of them for us to realistically do all of them.

Meris: Response

K’Wara: Relax, Meris. I’m not here to haze you, or bait you, or any such thing. Not my style. I didn’t get to see you perform as a Helm Officer during your Academy Cruise, so I wanted to see what your opinion would be on some of these maneuvers, to see what kind of pilot you are. ::slight pause:: Though, if you’d rather fantasize about sitting in the Captain’s Chair, that’s fair. It is a nice chair. ::conspiratorial tone:: I heard there’s heating in the seat.

Meris: Response

TAG/TBC

LT Tamio K’Wara

Operations Officer

USS Artemis-A

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