Big Shoes to Fill

Posted on Wed Feb 23rd, 2022 @ 6:31pm by Captain Stenn & Commander William Gerhard

Mission: Mission 5 - Babel
Location: Main Armory - Deck F
Timeline: Day 276
935 words - 1.9 OF Standard Post Measure

William sat in his office in the main armory as he tried to focus on the reports that had been piling on his desk while he had been planet side. He was still trying to come to grips with everything that had happened in the collapse, but there was a small glimmer of hope. Captain Steen, the Vulcan MACO executive Officer, had come out of his coma. William and Stenn had at one point been equals when the ship had left space dock. Now times had changed, and with the loss of Major King, it looked like the two would be equals again. He had sent word to the vulcan that he wished to speak with him regarding some of the aspects that Major King and William had been going over while regarding the MACOs and the Armory division. He knew from experience that Stenn was easy to work with, but there was still the question if his being under had changed that.

Stenn knocked and entered. He had not yet caught up on all events during the months he was comatose, but the Captain had informed him that Gerhard was now the Armoury Officer.

"Lieutenant Gerhard" He greeted the man. 'It is good to see you. I take it we are to discuss our new situations. What happened to Mister Sloan?"

William looked up when the Vulcan entered his office. He nodded a greeting in return before looking at the man curiously, "The Captain didn't brief you fully when you spoke with her?" When the man gave him a quizzical look, William sighed before rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Well, it's a long story, but the short version is that he is a Romulan sleeper agent, and he is now the Chief Engineer. The captain made me the Chief Armory Officer not too long after we got lost out here, and after Sloan's true identity was revealed."

"A Romulan agent? If that is correct, he will be the first one ever directly encountered" Truth was, Stenn was aware of the Romulan civilization from his prior service in the Vulcan fleet. While he was unaware there had been any actual contact between them and Vulcans. Other species recounted Romulans to be an aggressive, hostile race, extremely territorial and shunning contact with others.

He further recalled from his Sister, a part of the new Vulcan government, that there was a secret investigation of rumors that some members of the disgraced former High Command had indeed been collaborating with an alien power, the mysterious Romulans being a prime suspect.

However, he personally doubted that. What could calm logical Vulcans possibly have in common with an aggressive emotionally driven species such as the Romulans were alluded to be?

He caught himself for a moment, looking across the desk at a member of a similarly illogical emotionally driven species, also capable of aggression and hostility towards other races. Perhaps Humans had more in common with Romulans than Vulcans did he mused.

"Was it determined what Mister Sloan's mission was aboard this vessel?" He asked

"No, and according to him he's on our side now. But that's beside the point. The captain has seen fit to trust him and i won't let my personal feelings come into it, " he said before he picked up a PADD on his desk.

"Now to the matter at hand, while you've been in sickbay Major King and I had been working on a training schedule to start integrating the Armory and MACOs together. Since we don't know how long we will be stuck out here, we both agreed that each would benefit from learning about the other's roles and duties."

He handed the PADD to Stenn, "Here is a rough outline of what we were working on. I trust you'd agree with Major King's decisions."

"Closer operational integration between Armory and MACO personnel is a logical course of action" Stenn agreed readily enough. The idea made perfect sense. He perused the date on the device. "This appears to be a suitable draft schedule. I would fully support cross-training and cross-deployment of personnel. With our current situation, teamwork and multi-disciplinary training will become more important to our survival"

"Agreed, I'd like to begin once we leave orbit of this planet. I know your people are still processing the loss of the major, as are we all," He said before crossing his hands together and leaning back in his chair as he motioned for the Vulcan to sit in the vacant spot. "Not how we both started this voyage isn't it, but desperate times calls for desperate measures."

Stenn nodded although Vulcan s and Humans did not grieve in the same ways, he was aware of the impact the loss of King would have on his own MACO personnel and the crew in general.

"I believe that would be an appropriate time" He nodded.

"Good," he said as the vulcan had remained standing. It had been a while since William had worked with Stenn, though it looked like his usual behaviors had come through the ordeal unscathed. "Well, I suppose you have more pressing issues to take care so I won't keep you any longer," he said as he turned back to his computer terminal and booted it up.

Stenn nodded. "Indeed, good day Lieutenant"

William watched the man depart his office and leaned back in his chair. While he couldn't recall having a bad interaction with Stenn, it seemed like that was a lifetime ago. He only hoped that the good working relationship he had created within his department and the MACOs could continue.