Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek: I'm Honored, Sir
Lael Rosek
((Captain’s Ready Room, USS Montreal))
::Lael sighed and straightened her uniform, clutching the PADD in her right hand. After months of hard work and the odd distraction, she and Tim Alentonis, a civilian archaeologist, had finally completed work on the Reskariaerr alloy that had the unique ability to block radiation, particularly tetryon radiation commonly found in the Shoals. The alloy itself held promise in protecting buildings as well as starships. If this worked, it could boost their operational efficiency and communications range by 25%. While communications outside of the Shoals would still be pretty spotty, it would clear them up immensely within the Shoals.::
::The PADD in her hand was the final proposal ready to hand to Mei for his approval and permission to take their research to the next level. If he said yes, she and Tim would start lining the shuttle for a test flight. From there, if the tests were successful, they’d put the finishing touches on their project to pitch to command. She was hoping that once it had gone through all of the proper bureaucratic channels, the Montreal and possibly the Veritas if Captain Rahman was interested, would be the testbeds for new technology that could benefit the entire fleet.::
::She raised her thumb to the door chime and pressed it.::
Mei’konda: Come in.
::The doors parted and she stepped inside, a slightly nervous smile crossing her lips as her gaze fell upon Mei’konda. A couple months ago, standing here would have been intimidating. But ever since she’d become his first officer, there’d been a level of comfort between them that hadn’t been there before. Not that she and Mei hadn’t gotten along well as colleagues before this. In fact, toward the end of her time as Chief Engineer of the Veritas, she’d become comfortable enough to joke with him.::
::She slid into the chair he offered, eyeing the mug he sat down on his desk momentarily before her gaze flickered back up to meet his. So much had changed over the last couple of months. Her mind was still reeling from the fact that in this very office scarcely two months ago, he’d asked her to be his first officer. When she’d walked through those doors that day, that had been the last thing she was expecting.::
Mei’konda: Welcome, Commander. What can I do for you?
Rosek: ::offers him the PADD:: I know I could have just sent it to your inbox, sir. ::smiles:: But I thought I’d take the chance that you’d have a moment to spare.
::Mei accepted the PADD and studied it for a moment before arching his eyebrows. She shifted slightly, hopefully in a way that wasn’t too noticeable to the Caitian as she somehow managed to keep the grimace off her face. Raised eyebrows, she’d learned could convey anything from interest to “what is this supposed to be?” For a moment, she was concerned that the proposal she’d just handed him would fall into the latter category.::
Mei’konda: Interestiing, Commander. Are you ready to begin experimentiing with this?
::At his purred “interesting” she relaxed, releasing a soft sigh. He found it interesting. She and Tim had both spent so much of their own personal time on this project that it would have been like a blade to the heart if her commanding officer didn’t see the promise in it that she did. The fact that he was still asking questions was a good sign. He wasn’t rejecting it outright at least.::
Rosek: ::nods:: Dr. Alentonis and I believe we have solid enough data to test it on one of the shuttles.
Mei’konda: I see. Do you haave any other thoughts on this?
::She followed Mei as he rose, carrying his mug with him, presumably to get another drink from his replicator as he continued studying her and Tim’s proposal.::
Rosek: I thought, if you approve, I could take Ensign Harkrow and Lieutenant Galven along for the ride, sir. Their expertise could prove invaluable.
Mei’konda: ::nods thoughtfully:: Would you like a driink, Commander? This is very interesting.
::A slight blush filled her cheeks as he added the word “very”. She didn’t embarrass easily, but the high praise caught her off guard. Seeing her commanding officer taking an interest in one of her pet projects was humbling and admittedly inflated her ego more than a bit. It was nice to receive any sort of recognition and interest for something that she’d worked so hard on.::
Rosek: Al-Leyan spiced tea, please, sir. ::smiles sheepishly:: And thank you, sir. Dr. Alentonis and I had hoped that it would be valuable to the Montreal and to the fleet as a whole.
::One after the other, both drinks appeared and he offered her one mug, which she took with a grateful nod, before he settled on the other side. She took a drink of the tea, relishing its warm spice before leaning back in the chair, tucking one ankle behind the other.::
Mei’konda: Very well. And we have enough of the alloy avaiilable to maake this happen? Obviously, liining the entire outside of the Montreal with this would be a huge undertaaking. We’d need a drydock. But this will get us more daata.
Rosek: ::nods:: We should be able to easily replicate enough to line a shuttle at least. The alloy itself has been programmed into the industrial replicators and requires only a small sampling of the Reskariaerr itself to create it.
Mei’konda: ::smiles slightly:: In that case, you haave my official approval. I recommend trying this first on one of the type nine shuttles. They haave the lowest mass of our compliment. Should be the siimplest to modify.
Rosek: ::smiles and nods:: I agree, sir. Dr. Alentonis and I are ready to take specific measurements of the Mackinac. Once we do that and finish prepping the inside of the shuttle, we should be able to give you a better idea of how many days it’ll be before the shuttle is ready to launch.
Mei’konda: Response
Rosek: ::smirks:: You know, sir. I don’t believe we were ever able to set up that breakfast.
Mei’konda: Response
Rosek: ::chuckles:: When you first asked me to be your first officer, I had suspicions that you were interested in more than a friendly chat when you asked me to breakfast.
Mei’konda: Response
Rosek: ::shakes her head:: It was a fleeting thought. ::smiles:: In case I haven’t told you so, I’m flattered and humbled that out of all the potential candidates, you asked me.
Mei’konda: Response
Rosek: ::flushes and takes a drink of her tea:: Well, I’m honored, sir.
Mei’konda: Response