Meeting the New XO

Posted on Wed Jul 24th, 2019 @ 10:47pm by Captain Gary Alexander & Lieutenant Commander Nicholas Kincaid

1,120 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Mission 0 - Pre-Sigma Iotia II
Location: Bridge / Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: 2167/07/10 1010

Nick had managed to drop off his personal effects in his cabin and unpack fairly quickly. He was always a light packer. An e-reader containing as many books as possible and all Starfleet technical journals. A few notebooks and sketchpads for his art, some partially filled in, some empty. A Martian flag hung proudly on the bulkhead, adding a splash of colour to the drab room. His uniforms and a few articles of off-duty clothes were away in his closet.

He took his time making his way to meet the Captain, whom a pretty Ensign told him was on the bridge. Along the way, he gave a quick tour of the engine room, taking a moment to touch his engine, and also visited the mess hall and the gym.

At close to 1030 hours, he finally reached the bridge. He had been a chief engineer, and thus a bridge officer before, but now for the first time as First Officer, he well and truly belonged up here. Not that he wanted command, but it felt good to be important. He smiled as he looked at the crew, predominantly female he noticed.

He saw seated in the command chair Captain Alexander, whose face he recognized from his file. Though sitting, he looked like a tall man, about as tall as Nick, and about as well built. "Captain?" he asked. "My name is Lieutenant Commander Nick Kincaid. I'm your new XO." He offered his hand for a handshake.

"Welcome aboard, Nick. KAT actually had warned me that you would be arriving," Gary told Nick while rising to shake Nick's hand. "I rather appreciate you coming on short notice. My previous XO decided to resign after signing on for this mission." He shrugged, showing some disappointment.

"Hopefully you will not be doing the same. Tell me about yourself. I did not get to do more than skim your dossier."

Nick held his tongue, thinking of the rumours he’d heard about why the former XO left the ship. He wouldn’t let that interfere with this opportunity. “Well, sir, I’ve been a Starfleet engineer since graduating from the Academy in ‘55. Got my certification to work on matter/antimatter reactors in ‘58, as they started rolling out in the fleet. Spent most of the war on the Bell, working on the giant subspace transmitter and the reactor. Last five years on the du Pont.” He thought about what other details he could give. “Oh, I’m from Mars. I hope that doesn’t affect your opinion of me,” he said with a wide grin.

"If you mean make me like you more, then yes, it affects my opinion." Gary replied heartily. "My old friend Arkady Sjet was from Mars. I had asked him to be the Chief Medical Officer, but alas, he declined. Something about taking care of some personal matters. As to myself, I'm an engineer by trade, myself. Just keep this girl performing up to her potential and we will have no troubles at all."

"That's my plan, Captain," Nick replied with a wide smile. "It's good to know that he who runs the ship is aware of her actual capabilities. My last assignment, the Captain often wanted the impossible. Not the improbable-but-we'll-get-it-done, but the actually-impossible." He looked around at the ship's bridge, admiring her design. "Anything I should know before we depart?"

"Not unless you plan on coming back to Earth in the next five years, because we are not. This is a deep space mission. We finally get to explore this vast universe. It is an exciting time. Peace has done lovely things for Starfleet."

"Indeed it has," Nick agreed, nodding. "The war was a great motivator for miniaturizing matter/antimatter reactors, but we lost too much for it. I'm glad to help keep this ship running as we explore the unknown."

"Can you imagine what we might find?" Gary asked Nick. "Species that have never encountered a human! We would be their first contact." He smiled dreamily. "The things we could teach them, or them us...."

"I've never been part of a First Contact mission," Nick admitted. "A few planetary surveys, some of which had prewarp civilizations on them, but we didn't make contact. I can only imagine what an amazing experience that could be."

"Well, I expect that we will have a number of First Contact experiences, Nick. Can I call you, Nick?" he asked with a sly grin.

"Certainly, Captain," Nick replied. "Most people do. And it's Gary, right? While off duty at least?"

"Absolutely," Gary replied cordially. "And so five years away does not bother you in the least?"

“I wouldn’t say it doesn’t bother me in the least,” Nick admitted. “But I want to spend my life working on he most advanced ships and seeing amazing sights. I can’t do either of those from the comfort of home. I’ll miss my family, but five years isn’t so long. I’ll come home it’s amazing stories to tell, pictures to show off, maybe a wife.” He crossed his fingers.

"A wife?" Gary asked incredulously. "You think you will find one on this ship or out there?" he wondered, somewhat amused. "And what family will you be missing?"

"Parents, a younger brother, and two younger sisters," Nick answered. "I was always really close with the youngest, Hana. She enlisted after the war ended, following in my footsteps, the darling. As for a wife?" He shrugged. "Who knows what the future will bring? Or who we'll meet out there?"

A sly grin crossed Gary's face. "I'm most willing to find out. But, I must admit that I'm trying to put as much distance that I can between myself and my ex-wife."

Nick couldn’t help but match his captain’s smile. “A laudable goal if there’s ever been one, sir.”

"Perhaps that is the best reason not to take a wife," he advised Nick. Taking a deep breath he continued after a pause, "Well, I suppose that I should let you get settled in. We have a lot to get ready for. If you ever have any questions and I'm not around, ask KAT. She knows everything."

“KAT?” Nick asked. He hadn’t yet met anyone with that name.

"My yeoman, Karina Tell. She probably runs the ship more than I do," he told Nick with a winning chuckle.

Nick nodded. "I'll find her if I need her. Glad to know you have a good Yeoman. I'll return to my quarters and settle in. I've already unpacked but it still needs work before it feels like home. Good day, Captain."

Gary gave a nod. "Catch you later, Nick."

 

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