Good Help is Hard to Find

Posted on Fri Oct 1st, 2021 @ 1:00pm by Commander William Gerhard & Ensign Michael Sloan

Mission: Mission 4 - Eden
Location: Deck F - Chief Armory Officer's Office
Timeline: Flashback to MD 1 15:30 hrs
2080 words - 4.2 OF Standard Post Measure

Starfleet was a rather close-knit organization during the early days of Human exploration. It made the fact that he had never before met this next candidate a bit surprising. As the latest candidate left, Michael picked up his PaDD to skim William's service record and biography a bit. He had thoroughly gone through each candidate over the weeks since he took the Atlantis position, but he did like to remind himself of each candidate. This was especially true since he had been interviewing for a few days. Laying the PaDD on the table beside him, he nodded to the yeoman to get the next candidate.

William waited outside the Chief Armory Officer's office and glanced around at the layout. While most Starfleet armories had a similar layout, 's was bigger and more open than his last ship the Johannesburg. William was coming off his staff tour as the aide to Admiral Carson at Starfleet Command, and he had decided that his time at HQ was profoundly boring. He was itching to get back out on a starship, and he had put in a request for the since her mission was critical to ensuring the fragile peace with both the Xindi and maintaining the fledgling Coalition Alliance with the Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites. At that moment the yeoman stepped outside the office and motioned him in.

He entered the office and stood at attention in front of the desk where the Chief Armory Officer sat. "Lieutenant Junior Grade William Gerhard sir," he reported while maintaining his bearing.

Standing to return the respect given, Michael motioned to the empty chair, "Have a seat Lieutenant." After the two had been seated, the Chief Armory Officer started the interview process. Under normal circumstances, he probably would have exchanged a bit of small talk or asked about a shared contact. But, this mission to the Xindi council was of the utmost importance and Starfleet made it abundantly clear that time could not be wasted. His first glance told Michael that this potential crewmember was a bit more imposing than himself, which was good for the position. Anyone but a Klingon would think twice before starting aggressive negotiations.

"Proficiency in starship weapons systems, excels in hand to hand as well as weapon combat, and earned your way from an enlisted to an officer," Michael repeated from memory as his eyes looked into William's, trying to get a sense of the man inside. Continuing, Michael added, "You had a bit of a rough start but have turned into a dedicated member of Starfleet. That is certainly an admirable turn-around. You also have commendations and letters of recommendation from Starfleet Academy staff, former crewmembers, and an Admiral." Letting his list hang in the air a few moments, Michael asked, "That's what it says in the database, what can William Gerhard the person bring to the Atlantis?"

William looked back at the man seated before him and thought for a moment before answering. He was not one to boast about his own personal accomplishments. His mantra since joining Starfleet had been to just put his head down and work hard. He clasped his hands in his lap as he responded, "Well sir, one thing that I always bring is a tireless dedication to the job. We are still exploring the unknown, and I make it my job to ensure that my people are prepared for anything we might face out there. I've seen my fair share of combat, and I'm not one to shy from a fight. I also believe in leadership by example so I never ask my people to do something I would not do myself. I have found that my prior enlisted service comes in handy on occasion by bridging the gap between officer and enlisted."

Keeping emotion off his face, Michael did like what he was hearing. William did certainly tick the boxes for Michael, experience, work ethic, relatability to the crew, and the look. However, his time guarding Earth from both Xindi confrontations had shown him one main thing. The first was that Humans were outclassed by more than a few species out there. The second was that winning friends could make the difference between annihilation and allies. "It's no secret, our mission will take us to the Xindi Council. The nature of our job is one of combat, yet there are times when we must extend a hand of friendship. Can you tell me about a situation where you've needed to settle a dispute without the need for combat?"

William thought for a moment before answering. Most of his experience had been as a participant rather than a leader, but his time spent aboard the Johannesburg had afforded some opportunities to diffuse tense situations. "There has been a few, the more prominent incident occurred shortly after my posting to the Johannesburg. We had responded to a distress call that had originated from a Tellarite freighter. I was given command of the away team that was to secure the ship. Apparently some of the Tellarite crew were smuggling contraband cargo and some of our engineers had inadvertently stumbled upon this cargo which spooked them. They took our engineers hostage and demanded we leave their ship. I was able to negotiate with the crew that if they released our people the freighter captain would give them a shuttle to leave the ship. They agreed and I had the exchange take place in the shuttle bay. All the while, I had asked the Tellarite captain to remove the flow regulator valve so when they exited the shuttle their impulse drive would go offline. Naturally they were recaptured and turned over to the proper authorities. No casualties were sustained and not a shot was fired."

"That was risky," Michael replied with the same unemotional tone. Smiling a bit, Michael chuckled, "Talking a Tellarite into anything is pretty impressive and you probably saved lives." Looking at the man in front of him, Sloan added, "There's an old saying that says that Risk is part of the business. That was a calculated risk that paid off. You made the right call and I would have loved to have seen that Captain's face when he realized what had happened." Sitting more upright, Michael asked, "I like my department to have people who can think for themselves in a high pressure situation. Do you have any questions for me?"

William thought and he did have one question. He had heard through the grapevine that a potential merger between Starfleet Security and the MACOs was in the works, but so far he had not served on a ship with a MACO detachment. He knew that not every Starfleet captain was comfortable with MACOs aboard ship, but the Xindi threat was starting to change many of their minds. William had initially been interested in pursuing a career with the MACOs, but Starfleet took him the furthest from his parents. "Just one sir, I take it there is a MACO detachment that will be assigned for this mission. How will this affect the shipboard chain of command?"

“Yes, we do have a MACO detachment,” Michael acknowledged. His own career in Starfleet had began in the MACO program before he became the sole survivor of a shuttlepod accident. “For now, MACOs are limited to a heavy role for ground based and ship invasion operations much like the Marine Corps of old naval traditions.” Pausing for a moment, the man added, “However, they are not Starfleet personnel. We will be in charge of tactical ship-to-ship operations as well as security.”

William nodded at Sloan's answer. He knew that the role of the MACOs aboard Starfleet ships was still being hashed out, but he considered them to be an asset to the ship for their mission. "Understood, scuttlebutt at Starfleet Security was that the MACOs and Starfleet Security would be combined to handle all starship tactical and security operations. But, I think that is a long way off from becoming reality." He was comfortable engaging in a little small talk since he was fairly confident the interview was going well. "Other than that, I had no further questions sir. I had already studied the tactical systems for the Atlantis prior to this interview," he said.

Nodding, Sloan added, "That is the long-term plan. Starfleet is on track to become THE military of United Earth. Future threats will come from out there," his hands motioned upward to indicated space, "instead of between former nation states." Having read William's file, Michael knew the man's qualifications. Having also come from an Intrepid-class starship, Michael added, "I've run a few simulations of combat from the bridge. These NXs are really something else. They outclass the Intrepids in every way. Speed, tactical abilities, and toughness."

Getting to a question that had eliminated a number of candidates from contention due to their deep seeded resentments, Michael paused before getting to the big question. "I suppose I should probably let you know that I like what I've seen so far and think you'd be a very good candidate for my second-in-command. But, I do need to know something." Shifting in his seat to lean a little close, "War is on the horizon. It's not discussed much in the ranks, but as an Admiral's Aide I'm sure you've heard rumblings. Some little known species has been engaging in aggressive actions along the frontier, encroaching on our trade routes and giving our allies a hard time. They call themselves Romulans." The name of the species came out with the sound of a person who's been mentally preparing for war against them. "We need to make peace with as many enemies as we can. Luckily, tensions with the Klingons seemed to have cooled off, the Vulcans seem to be easing the pressure. But, we need to settle things with the Xindi. Can I trust that you can keep a cool head when faced with the only species to have ever attacked Earth?"

William thought for a moment before answering the question. He, like many other humans, had felt anger after the Xindi probe cut a swath into the Earth. He did not know any of the dead personally, but he still mourned the loss with everyone. He had read the reports after the Enterprise had made the initial peace with the Xindi, and he knew that the attack had been provoked by interdimensional beings who saw humanity as a threat in the future. Since these beings had been defeated, he felt that the original attack had been avenged. He nodded before responding, "I have heard the rumblings of war with these Romulans. I believe that the Xindi are not wholly responsible for the attack on Earth, and I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Xindi technology is more advanced than ours, and I believe that a peace with the Xindi will be beneficial to humanity. I can firmly say that you will not have to worry about me or anyone under my command going off half cocked with regards to the Xindi."

"Good because anyone under your command is also under my command," Michael nodded with a smile. The Xindi attack had been the low point in Michael's career. He had been one of the first Humans to view an actual attack on Earth from a spaceship. They had managed to stop the attack, but not before a large scar was carved into Earth. Having almost made up his mind about William before the interview based on the recommendation letters and service history, everything had been confirmed by the sit down. "In that case, I feel comfortable in offering you the position of Assistant Chief Armory Officer aboard the Atlantis," Michael offered. "Do you accept?" he asked, expecting a yes.

William did not hesitate in his response, "Yes sir." He knew that this type of mission would benefit him in the long run, but he was also glad he would get to serve aboard a NX class. They were the pride of the fleet. He also knew that Lieutenant Commander Sloan had a prestigious reputation, and he was looking forward to working under him. "You have my word that you will get nothing but the best from me," he said as he reached out and shook Sloan's offered hand.

 

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