Cmdr. Trake Promontory: Office Hours Never End
Avander Promontory
(( Lounge, Deck 1, USS Thor ))
Trake Promontory liked his ready room, but he had been in it far too long. He needed a change of scenery. He checked the chronometer—it was still a few minutes until the official ship change, so he didn’t want to go far.
He made a circuit of the exterior hallways and while stretching his legs was nice, he realized he was a bit peckish and so ended up in the port lounge.
He nodded to the few other officers present and helped himself to a quinoa salad and a kombucha.
A few bites in and he sensed a nearby presence. An unfamiliar officer was looming.
Trake turned to the person and raised an inviting eyebrow.
Meris: Commander Promontory? Ensign Meris, reporting aboard sir.
Ah, that was right. This was the new pilot. He could see it now. He should have recognized them from their file.
Promontory: Ah, yes. Welcome aboard! I trust your journey was uneventful and you’ve been able to get situated on board.
Trake reviewed the schedule—Ensign Meris had delivered a contingent of diplomats for the Solace system, but that wasn’t that long ago. They must be a pretty eager beaver.
Meris: I’ve settled into my quarters, sir, and I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself properly. I’m looking forward to serving on the Thor.
Promontory: Of course. We’re glad to have you. (beat) Won’t you sit?
Trake felt a little awkward, having a conversation whilst looking up at the Ensign. Fortunately they took him up on the offer. And then almost immediately asked another question. An eager beaver indeed!
Meris: If I may, sir, do you have any advice for a new helm officer joining your crew? I understand you began your career as a Science Officer yourself.
Trake stroked his beard in thought. It was as much a stalling tactic as anything, giving him a chance to collect his thinking. He probably didn’t want to caution this new officer against the stereotypical pilot showboating right off the bat. Certainly not without knowing them better. Perhaps he could lead with something more generic.
Promontory: Well… I suppose my first suggestion is to cross-train. Piloting is a valuable and needed skill, but there will be many other opportunities on our missions where having some additional training comes in handy. (beat) For example, on our last mission we had three separate simultaneous away teams on three different worlds and our previous helms officer was an integral part of one of them. Do you have any other interests?
Meris: Response
Trake nodded along and snuck another forkful of quinoa before responding.
Promontory: Good. I’m sure we’ll be able to work with that.
He gave a reassuring smile.
Meris: Response
Promontory: Just planning for shore leave. You came at a good time.
He took a draught of his kombucha and let the flavors play over his tongue before continuing.
Promontory: I understand there’s some sort of shuttle race happening in New Bajor’s system while we’ll be there.
There were, in fact, a number of officers on board who might be interested, maybe he should send out a ship-wide memo.
Meris: Response
TBC