"Helping a Friend"
Previous Post: "Once Again...From The Top"
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Stardate: 60298.1501
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Reading through the departemental reports that were coming in fast, the Romulan/Terran hybrid was pleased to see that the ANUBIS and her crew had done quite well despite the force of the explosion and the fact that the only thing that had stood in the way of them suffering the same fate as the Breen ship had been the ablative armor.
Reporting only minor injuries that were already being attended to for the most part, all of the departments indicated to the COO that the majority of the secondary systems and support equipments were still offline suffering from a complete lack of power. It had been believed that immediately following the energy feedback power would have been redirected back to the systems which it had been taken away from and although the Romulan/Terran hybrid had been trying to do just that her efforts had proven unsuccessful for the time being. The absence of any type of energy shielding between the explosion and the ANUBIS had caused a large number of power conduits to rupture leaving the Intel ship in a less than desirable shape. No breeches in the external hull had been reported which indicated that the ANUBIS was physically intact but the failure of many of its systems to return had been a source of concern for many on the bridge including the Set/Tac and CO.
Doing all that she could to assist the CEO and his team of expert engineers despite the man's laothing of the ship, the COO found the time to occasionally check up on the CSciO's condition. Unable to see the object of her concerns, the Romulan/Terran hybrid had to make due with observing the head movements of the Doctor and nurse who had responded to the call for medical aid on the bridge. It wasn't a great deal to go on but the Intel trained former Sec/Tac officer had learned a long time ago to figure out what people thought and felt by watching subtle movements. Those who were calm and in general control of the situation around them tended to move with more fluid motions, while those under an unmanageable level of stress usually responded to the situation by moving in quick short bursts, jerking around to all sides.
Observing the silent dance of the Doctor and Nurse behind the XO's station, the Romulan/Terran hybrid had been glad to see a complete lack of quick motion which she had been more than willing to accept as a good sign in regards to the Shillian's condition. Looking up at the CEO though, the COO noticed that her ACT Classmate had not displayed the same calmness as he frantically worked to restore power to the ANUBIS' primary systems.
Figuring that she would be able to be of greater help by getting more heavily involved in the repairs, the Romulan/Terran hybrid turned to her CO and asked, "Captain, request permission to leave the Operations station and move to the engineering station to check a few things in regards to the ship's long-range sensors and tactical systems."
Simmons hesitated for a moment debating the benefits and drawbacks of having his COO leave her post in favor of working at a station that she knew little about. Eventually accepting that the Romulan/Terran hybrid knew enough not to jeopardize their safety, the CO granted the request knowing that should the situation change Serenna would not be far and could quickly return to her station.
Wasting no time, the Romulan/Terran hybrid made her way to the back of the bridge glancing down at the conscious and smiling Shillian who had been kept quiet through the use of an oxygen mask. The lack of visible wounds of any sort further reassured the COO that the Shillian would be fine aside from suffering from a severe headache. Timing her arriving to the engineering station as best she could not to disturb David's work in progress, Serenna slid in behind him and took a quick survey of the information being displayed on the rear most console.
Having been too busy to look up while he had been working, the CEO had not noticed the departure of the COO from her station and became aware of where she had gone only when he felt her back pressing against his, triggering an immediate query. "What are you doing? I can take care of this on my own."
The Romulan/Terran hybrid took no offence at the engineer's tone, instead giving her reasons in a calm and whispered voice, "I am not here to do your work or to tell you how to do it, I am just here to help *you*. COT requires an officer to know when to accept help when it is offered, especially when the situation seems to be more than any one officer can handle.
Having been ready to snap back at the COO for having invaded his domaine, the CEO held back his anger just long enough to realize that the Romulan/Terran hybrid had in no way made him appear to be incapable of performing his duties to the others on the bridge but had in fact been there to do just as she had said, to help *him*. With Serenna monitoring a little less than half of the work being performed on the ANUBIS' power systems, David had been given the chance to focus more on the real problems, reducing the stress that he had felt surging within him.
Whispering occasional word of support and encouragement, the Romulan/Terran hybrid made sure that no one heard what she was saying so as to not damage the CEO's miracle worker image in the eyes of the CO and the other officers who respected him for the man that he was.
Feeling that David had regained a more solid control of himself, the Romulan/Terran hybrid left the engineering station after several minutes and returned to her station, but not before having given her ACT classmate and friend one last smile to show her support.
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Serena Switt {serena1141@yahoo.com.au}
Lieutenant Serenna
Chief of Operations / Second Officer
USS ANUBIS
