"Executive Scheming"
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/\/\/\
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Serenna's Quarters
Looking at the clock on her desk the Romulan/Terran
hybrid concluded on thing; that it had been a long
night and an even longer morning. Following the
discussion with the Nausicaan Sec/Tac officer, the CO
of the HATHOR had painstakingly reviewed every word
that had been said, and analyzed every thought that
had led to those words to be spoken.
Wanting to insure that her first mission as CO was
carried out without a hitch had made the
Romulan/Terran hybrid take a decision that had placed
her at odds with the ANUBIS' CEO. Asking Ens. Rostov
to keep an eye on David during the duration of the
shakedown cruise had been the right thing to do for
the CO of the HATHOR, but had it been the sensible
thing to request as a friend? Pondering this question
over the last several hours had made the XO understand
the difficult position Capt. Rikar had been placed in
at the end of their last mission. Seperating personal
feelings from professional requirement had always been
a must for a Starfleet Officer, but even more so for
the CO of any ship, and now Serenna understood this.
Thinking about the request that she had made of the
Sec/Tac officer, the CO of the HATHOR could hardly
believe that this single decision had made her ask for
the help of a Nausicaan to spy on a friend, yet the
decision had been taken and acted upon. Reviewing the
decision though unearthed an even more disturbing
thought; that the choice had been the right one and
that she accepted this.
Wanting to stop thinking about that particular issue
of her new command the Romulan/Terran hybrid decided
to change the focus of her thinking to the HATHOR's
tactical systems. According to the report that had
been provided late last night by the engineering team
finalizing the preparations of the ship, the weapons
systems of the ship would be fully operational within
the next 12 to 16 hours. Testing them would be an
easy task but the XO had wanted to go one extra step
and test the HATHOR's response time as well as that of
the senior staff of the ANUBIS. Thinking that this
would be a perfect opportunity to get the crew to do a
little tactical workout, Serenna began to formulate a
plan.
Desiring to test the crew and ship at the same time,
and maybe even herself, the Romulan/Terran hybrid
decided to approach this problem from a completely
different angle, one that she seemed more and more
pleased with the more the acting CO thought about it.
Having concluded that this would be the best way to
act, Serenna reached for her comm badge and contacted
the one man who would be essential for this test.
"Lt. Cmdr. Serenna to 1st Lt. Pravat, please respond."
While waiting for the Enaran Marine to reply, the
ANUBIS' XO thought about how exactly she would
approach the MCO with her plan and tried to imagine
what his reaction would be. That line of thought was
quickly brought to an end when Prav replied with, =/\=
Yes Commander, what can I do for you? =/\=
Imagining that this could prove to be the highlight
of their upcoming mission, the XO decided to bright
the discussion with the MCO to a more adequate
location. "Can you meet me on the Observation Platform
located on Section A, Level 2? There is something
that I would like to discuss with you."
Responding as the trained officer that he was, the
Enaran marine replied without delay. =/\= I will be
right there. Pravat out. =/\=
Realising that she would need to hurry if she was to
make it there before him, the Romulan/Terran hybrid
scrambled to her feet recalling her days as a Sec/Tac
officer, which had been the last time when she had
been made to move this quickly.
/\/\/\
Arriving at the designated location, the
Romulan/Terran hybrid was mildly disappointed, not
because the Marine had not complied with her request
but because he had done so faster than she had, making
him stand in front of the large glass while waiting
for the XO to show up. Approaching the MCO, the
HATHOR's CO allowed her feelings to show. "As fast as
ever Lt. Pravat, maybe we should add your name to the
list of Running Instructors for the Academy's training
program."
Accepting what the hybrid had said as a compliment,
the Marine turned to face the approaching officer and
snapped to full attention. "Simply reporting as
ordered Sir."
Enjoying the directness and style of the Marine, the
Romulan/Terran hybrid walked up and stood next to
Pravat inviting him to look through the large glass
window at the ship that they would soon be onboard.
"I need your help with something. Testing the
HATHOR's systems is not going to be all that difficult
and since I am not expecting there to be any trouble I
was hoping that you would be able to provide me and
the rest of the senior staff with a little unscheduled
field training."
Looking at little surprised at the announcement made
by the Romulan/Terran hybrid, the Enaran Marine stared
at the XO for a few seconds before speaking. "Sorry
Sir, but I don't follow. How am I supposed to provide
you and the rest of the crew with field training?"
Keeping the grin that had threatened to appear on her
lips in check, the HATHOR's acting CO continued to
look through the window at the ship that would soon be
under her command. "I would like for you to come up
with a way to test both the ship and crew's response
to an outside threat. As a Marine you have the
ability to think in ways that most Starfleet Officers
lack, and I want to use that skill to see just how
well the Senior Staff will react to a combination of
unexpected situations."
Staring once again at the ANUBIS' XO, the Marine tried to make sense of what he had just been told while at the same time already thinking at ways of making the Romulan/Terran hybrid's request become reality. "I am not entirely certain that I am the right person for the task Sir. Maybe someone from the NEW ALEXANDRIA's Command Staff would be better for this."
Turning to face the Enaran man, the Romulan/Terran
hybrid actually smiled as she shook her head. "No,
you are the best man for the job. Not only do you
know the crew, but you are aware of their style, their
strengths and most important their weaknesses,
including my own and that is what I want you to test
us on. You will be given full access to the HATHOR's
computer and systems thus allowing you to create
whatever situation you see best to accomplish this
task. The only restriction that I will need to impose
on you is this, neither myself nor Lt. Cmdr. Maya is
to be aware of what you are planning. This needs to
be a surprise for everyone."
Appearing rather intrigued by the plan explained by
the Romulan/Terran hybrid, the Enaran Marine nodded
his head apparently accepting the challenge given to
him by the ANUBIS' XO. "I will do my best Sir."
Looking at the slightly grinning man, the XO returned
the man's nod before turning back to look at the
HATHOR through the large glass window. "I would not
expect anything less from you Lieutenant, and I know
that by the end of this mission I will have been made
to happily regret having asked you to do this."
/\/\/\
Lieutenant Commander Serenna
Acting Commanding Officer
USS HATHOR 2005 post #484
Stardate: 60328.0900
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section A, Level 2,
Observation Platform
Stardate: 60328.0915
/\/\/\
Serena Switt {serena1141@yahoo.com.au}
Executive Officer
USS ANUBIS
