CO's Ready Room

Posted on Thu Nov 5th, 2020 @ 8:28pm by Captain Aurther Winters & Lieutenant Finchley Kerr

Mission: Trial by Fire
Location: Bridge, USS Chuck Norris
Timeline: Current

Finchley had collected and correlated the ship wide damage data he'd asked and now wanted to report it to the Captain for their report. It was going to be a hefty repair when they returned to Starbase Ten, but, it needed to be done before they could go be ready for their next assignment.

Making his way to the bridge, in a few short strides from the turbolift, Finchley found himself outside the CO's Ready Room. Pressing the chime, he stood back and waited on an answer from within.

Aurther rubbed his eyes and leaned back slightly in his chair. He had been looking at reports for almost half of the day. To his right was a stack of miscellaneous reports from Sickbay, Engineering, Science, Tactical, the Hazard team. To his right was a stack of more PADDS, he was not even sure from whom. The door chime to his office went office, and he looked at the time. It was well past the time for supper, and with crew who worked in the mess hall, he figured it wasn't anyone bringing him something to eat. His stomach growled with the realization that he not eaten in almost 10 hours, however a small replicator was installed by his desk, and that would have to do for now. "Enter." He called out and spun himself around. "Winters snack 3" he commanded to the small machine. In a few seconds a large cup of Canadian hot chocolate, made with milk, and marshmelons. A medium bowl of spicy jerky also appeared. Some might consider it a weird snack, but Aurther found them to be satisfying. With a drink in one hand and a bowl in the other, he spun around and placed them on the desk, hoping whoever was at his door would not mind his snacking. A Lieutenant, looking a little younger than him was standing in front of him, a yellow neck collar implied he was an engineer or operations. A new transfer in he thought. The crew was turning over so quickly sometimes he felt he hardly had the chance to meet half of them. "Lieutenant..." Aurther said, allowing his voice to trail and force the man to speak up.

"Kerr Sir, Finchley Kerr, your new Chief of Operations" Finchley replied. He stepped forward a foot or so and stretched out his right hand, offering his CO the PADD he had "I've brought you the correlated damage report after the last mission. As you'll read, we have some structural damage, engine damage, our phasers array needs overhauled even though it's meant to be functioning as per regulations. The torpedo launchers are fine, so I'm told, but I still think we should have them checked over when the phaser array is being overhauled. Shields took a battering and need an upgrade, the ships internal sensors were fried and need replaced.....however, I'm glad to report that food replicators are still working at normal capacity. Basically Captain, we've lost our whizz and bang" he finished, stepping back from the desk again.

"Whizz and bang" Aurther chuckled to himself in his head. He had never heard the the Chuck Norris or her weapons and speed referred to as that, but it did amuse him. He felt like Kerr might have seen the slight grin on his face, even though it was quick action. "I must commend you on this report. It looks to be just as extensive as our Chief Engineers G'ginloss. I would recommend that when we arrive back at Starbase 10, the two of you should work together in getting the Chuck Norris up to her normal... whizz and bang. Normally I feel that we would be told it might be a week to repair the ship, but the two of you maybe able to get it done in a few days." Aurther placed the PADD down on his desk and looked back up at Lt. Kerr, leaning back in his chair. "And how are you doing Lieutenant? Have you find everything to your liking? I didn't see your transfer orders, which I chalk up to our latest situation. Where did you serve last?"

"I'm just fine Sir, thanks you for asking" Finchley replied "As with any new posting, I'm getting my baring's still Captain" he continued "and there are one or two things that are new to me but I'll manage. My transfer orders did come through finally Sir, I believe that there was a slight delay due to the ships last mission and not being in touch with Starfleet HQ for a couple of hours. My last posting was as Chief Intelligence Officer on the USS Bell" he finished.

"They actually let you go from the Bell? I don't hear that too often. But that is good to hear, and good to know. I look forward to monitoring your progress Lieutenant." He took a sip of his drink, placing his cup down on the table gently, trying to not make too much sound. "I don't know how your last Commanding Officer was, but you should know that my door is always open. If you have any problems, don't hesitate to come to me. As you can obviously see, this isn't a large ship, so we need to keep any and all of our problems to a minimum."

"Captain Benedict could only be described as...'maverick'..." Finchley replied "some of her solutions to problems were unorthodox to say the least. I was recalled to normal Starfleet service once my tour as Chief Intelligence Officer was up, so it was a compulsory transfer from the Bell. To be fair, I was given a choice of postings, and the Chuck Norris was the one I chose as it seemed the best fit for me Sir. I'm grateful that you're door is open, and I hope that there's a minimum of problems. If I may ask Captain, how do you feel the last mission went? I wasn't a part of the crew obviously, so it'd be good to get your view."

"Well Lieutenant... the best way I could describe it would be a clusterf...." Aurther was quickly interrupted when another one of his PADDs went off as a new report came in from Engineering. He realized that perhaps he was about to be a bit too candid, and took a moment to compose himself. He took a slight breath, another sip of his drink before readdressing the question. "It was a mess, in the simplest terms possible. Somehow, we were caught up in yet another plans from the Romulans, which I find confusing, and a little perplexed, because although we are not allies, I had not assumed they would so hostile. However, the situation, and the slight loss of life will be a terrible addition to after action reports. However, it was not without some positives. The ship and her crew were able to prove themselves without a shadow of a doubt in their skill and performance. The newly formed Hazard Team, and their actions have more than proved that they shall be a staple of the ship for now. It is these things that give me a slight resolution to the mission, although still a bitter taste in my mouth."

"I'm sorry to hear things didn't go according to plan Sir" Finchley replied "If you believe there was something...suspicious...in regards to the Romulans, I could reach out to my Intel sources and try and get some indication of why they became involved?"

"There's nothing for you to apologize for. I will say, that I find us, on the frontier of Federation space. The sort of tip of the spear as we head into this parts unknown. While I trust this crew and ship with my life, if there was a way to get more intelligence, my ears are always open. We have encountered the Romulans far too many times for it to be a coincidence. If you could find out anything, I would be very interested in it."

"If there's nothing else you need me for, I'll get to it right away Sir" Finchley answered.

"I think that will be sufficient for a first impression." Auther smiled slightly, "Should or if you come across any information that you think will be relevant, you know where to find me." Winters nodded to Lt. Kerr, he nodded back and made his way out of his ready room.

OFF

Lieutenant Finchley Kerr
Chief of Operations
USS Chuck Norris

&

Captain Aurther Winters
Commanding Officer
U.S.S. Chuck Norris