Lieutenant Josh Herrick: Enjoying the Moment
Mark P
((Engineer's Table, The
Writers' Room, Deck 8 Saucer, USS Octavia E. Butler ))
Josh
noticed the captain move her gaze from him towards the emerald man sitting on
the other side of the table. Before Shevon, he hadn’t interacted with any
Orions — they’d only recently started joining Starfleet in growing numbers. Though,
just as he did with her, he suspended any of the normal Orion tropes; his
opinion of the man would be formed through his actions.
Rouiancet: Response
Herrick: Oh yes! Have you two had a chance to meet yet?
It was clear that the man
felt a bit uncomfortable with the gaze of his department chief and captain directly
on him, but it was a rite of passage; he’d get over it… hopefully
Rouiancet: Response
Herrick: I make no promises, but we’ll try to go easy on him ::winking
to Caras::
Caras: ::practically stammering:: No need to go easy on me sir. You can go hard on me. I can take it.
S. Sherlock: (making a face) Yeah I don't think they're going to do that. ::looking at the others:: We're pretty laid back.
Kovacs: ::nodding:: The hard things tend to find us versus us looking for them.
Rouiancet: Response
Caras: Pleasure to meet you Commander. er.. Captain. Er….Acting Captain. ::he shook his head a little to shake himself out of his nervous loop:: Ma’am. My hope is to not let you down. ::he turned his gaze to Lieutenant Herrick:: or you sir.
Rouiancet: Response
Herrick: You’ve won the ship lottery in my mind — state of the art and out here in the Gamma. It almost harkens back to the early days of the Federation. We’ll lean on you just like everyone else ::motioning around the table:: It’s a collective effort. oO Was that a Borg pun? Oo
It was clear that it would
take more than five minutes at the table for the man to get over his awkwardness.
Rouiancet: Response
Caras: Yes, well I will ::he took another nervous pause:: do my best to do so.
Rouiancet: Response
The captain then said a few quick hellos and checked in with some of the other engineers she was familiar with and made her way, yeoman in tow, to the next table.
Caras: oO Things are different now, you’re not with pirates anymore. These are people you can respect, that expect things from you. This woman commands a starship in Starfleet, your ship. Oo
S. Sherlock: ::leaning towards Caras and whispering across the table:: Hey, you don't have to be nervous. You're at the cool table. ::pointing over to the Sec/Tac table:: Those are the ones you need to worry about.
A few raised eyebrows and grins flashed across the table.
Caras: response
S. Sherlock: I mean, most of them are okay. It's just the Chief of Security, she can be a real b...
Herrick: ::cutting her off with a warm warning:: Shevon!
S. Sherlock: What? She can be...sometimes.
Nilsen: She does eat ensigns for breakfast, why do you think they don’t go out past 21:00 hours? ::Almost containing the laugh:: That’s when she’s hunting.
Herrick: ::eyeing Shevon:: Maybe it’s being your sister that does it ::grinning, and then looking to Lhandon:: And perpetually landing in precarious situations.
He hadn’t met a totally care-free security officer in his life, but Aine seemed friendlier than most. Morro was already terrified enough today, no need to send him over the edge.
Caras / S. Sherlock : Response
Kovacs: Don’t worry, like Shevon said, most of us are good… and we got your back. ::patting the man’s shoulder::
Kovacs: ::waving a waiter over for drinks:: Now, let’s relax and take in the rest of the night.
Nilsen: ::tapping Kovacs on the shoulder:: You look so hot tonight cutie-bear.
Kovacs: Err…. ::scratching his head::
It seemed like Eli’s idea of relaxing had gone out the window, the man turning visibly red for the second time in the evening. Josh didn’t know how he felt about the interaction, while he and Eli had gotten back to a somewhat decent professional rapport, they hadn’t discussed the incident between them and likely wouldn’t. There were feelings, but for now they’d stay parked.
And then Lhandon took Eli’s hand and stole him away from the table.
Kovacs: ::waving to the table with his free hand:: Ummm… see you a bit.
Caras / S. Sherlock: Response
((Fast forward to the end of the ceremony))
Rouiancet: Might I have everyone's attention again for a moment? Thank you.
The room quieted down as Rouiancet’s voice carried throughout it.
Rouiancet: Each of you, everyone who served during the mission to Cheyd'lang, is now receiving four ribbons -- the Maiden Voyage Ribbon, the First Contact Ribbon, the Diplomacy Ribbon, and the Joint Meritorious Unit Award -- along with stars, as appropriate. Even those officers whose service has taken them elsewhere for the time being, like Colonel Greaves, will receive these ribbons for service during the mission. Thank you, all, for making Starfleet's first contact with the Cheydalanga as successful as it could be. (beat, then a smile) Now I really am finished talking to you from up here. Please, enjoy your dinners and drinks!
(OOC: As Herrick is in a different sidebar, I pulled out the side chat between Kovacs, Shevon and Caras)
An engineer poked him to get his attention, wanting to talk through several improvements that they’d been thinking of that couldn’t wait. Some had merit while some seemed a bit out to lunch, but rather than discarding them, they discussed how to bring it more into the realm of possibility. As the conversation came to a close, they decided to bring some of the ideas to tomorrow’s briefing and get the team’s input.
As Josh reflected on his proper title of Chief, it seemed less about dictating orders and more about fostering collaboration. Filled with excitement, and a dash of trepidation, he wondered where the road would lead to next.
[End scene for Herrick]
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Lieutenant Josh Herrick
Chief Engineer
USS Octavia E. Butler
O240005JH3
he/him/his (player/character)