Establishing a Bridge

Posted on Tue Apr 16th, 2024 @ 1:26am by Lieutenant Commander Finnley Keating VII & Lieutenant Xavier Leiko & Ensign Myfanwy Cahiracon & NVeid tr'Rehu

Mission: Character Development
Location: Main Bridge
1629 words - 3.3 OF Standard Post Measure

"The Captain wants his warp cores to stay where they are this time," Zora's words mockingly repeated inside Finn's head as she headed for the bridge. The warning combined with the idea that she was actually being left in charge almost made her feel sick. It was a strange feeling, a mix of nerves and a desire to not disappoint having been given a second chance, but also an underlying sense of pride that perhaps a year earlier would have even been her most forefront emotion. Now, however, that feeling was more subdued with the knowledge that things don't always go to plan and sometimes, despite her best efforts, people get killed as a result. That thought turned her stomach sour once more. Was she really ready for this? What if something happened, could she handle another loss on her watch?

Finn looked at her reflection on the blank screen of the replicator she had stopped at. Get it together Keating, she chided herself, almost disgusted with the pitiful look she saw staring back at her. She shook her head and straightened her uniform. "Coffee, with a splash of mint cream." The machine produced her cup of liquid confidence and Finn grabbed it with a new sense of determination. The next few steps to enter the turbolift and then the bridge suddenly felt less daunting. I can do this, Finn whispered to herself before the doors swooshed open to the bridge.

Myfanwy was on the communications board, ensuring that network would be robust enough to keep the team in contact, losing the Commodore would be embarrassing to say the least. She was also running a diagnostic on internal comm to make certain that everything would work properly if there was trouble. As her gran would say, there is a storm on the horizon.

Feeling a little lost, NVeid stood near one of the science consoles. he turned at the sound of footsteps and his face showed his relief when he spotted a familiar face. Barring the requirement for medical attention, he had never set foot on the bridge before. He had never worked on one of the bridge stations either, so what exactly was expected of him now? Was he just here to observe or.... "Captain," he greeted, knowing it was the proper address for anyone in command, regardless of the actual rank. "What do you want me to do?"

"I appreciate it NVeid, but I don't think you're quite qualified to give me a field promotion," Finn chuckled. "Lieutenant Commander still works just fine. You're here in case we have a need, simple as that. I have no idea what to expect so I thought it best to be prepared and although I could've asked one of the medical corpsmen to be present I've learned to, sometimes begrudgingly, trust your judgement. Besides, you can help monitor the life support systems. That should be right up your alley."

Finn looked around the bridge and noted Xavier already posted off to the side, somewhat between the engineering and ops stations. "I believe you're in the wrong seat, Leiko," she motioned towards the XO spot. "Unless you want to tell me you're not cut out for the role," a sly smirk slid across her face as she said it, knowing that Xavier would never back down from this sort of calling.

"I actually thought I would be more useful to you in my actual station, but if you insist." Xavier pushed himself out of his seat and settled into Zora's chair. He wondered if his bigger frame would ruin her perfectly formed indent in the cushion, but paid it no further mind. "I noticed you didn't get one for anyone else," he said nodding at her coffee with his head. He rolled his eyes slightly and smiled. "As your XO I think I should remind you that the Commodore doesn't like drinks on his bridge, Sir."

NVeid couldn't help but chuckle as he moved to the suggested console. "Isn't it, technically speaking...her bridge right now?" He queried as he activated the console. "Meaning she can do whatever she likes?"

"Know your place crewman or you will be asked to leave the bridge," Xavier barked before he had a chance to hold in the words. He felt a twang of guilt for his outburst but he refused to apologise. There was a chain of command and if he allowed anyone to undermine him in such a way, jokingly or not, it could create discord among the crew.

Myfanwy watched the exchange with amusement but she made no comment on it. She turned back to the communication board as the diagnostic finished, she tsked at a minor glitch in the lower deck relays but easily fixed so she set to.

The Romulan hybrid turned his head sharply at the outburst, his dark eyes fixed on the younger man. They narrowed a fraction, barely noticeable as he studied him for a moment. He considered leaving as he didn't feel comfortable outside sickbay anyway, but he wasn't going to abandon his friend. Not when she had asked him to be here. What he did know, was that the outburst was uncalled for, as he'd done nothing wrong. After a few seconds, he shifted his gaze back to Finn to see if she had anything to say. He still didn't say a word as he shifted in his seat.

Finn looked between the two, but the only words she spoke out loud were to Myfanwy. "I need you to keep a close eye on our comms. If you see anything suspicious, at all, even if it just doesn't feel right, I want to know. The last thing I want is to lose comms with our team on the surface. Understood?" As actual words left her mouth, more flowed from her mind where she knew she could reach NVeid and knew that Xavier might hear too. 'NVeid, you need to know your place. You're a civilian with no rank on the bridge of a Starfleet vessel. This is not sickbay, do not undermine my crew, jokingly or not. If you can't handle the heat, I will politely request that you return to sickbay. I asked you here, but I don't need you here if it's just going to create turmoil or uncertainty." It wasn't ideal to start out the night with conflict and though she understood NVeid's comment to be innocent in nature, Xavier's response was not unfair even if it was a tad more than what might have been expected. Regardless, Finn knew she needed to have her XO's back.

This was certainly unexpected and the Romulan's eyes widened in surprise at the telepathic communication. "I can handle it ma'am," he answered out loud because he wasn't going to respond in kind when he knew how much she hated that.

Finn let out a small sigh as her head dropped and her hand met with her forehead in frustration. She had tried to be subtle with her telepathic communications, but his out loud response did nothing but confuse everyone else and that much was clear by the expression on most of the bridge crew's faces. How in the hell had she already managed to make a poor decision this early into her command time? Was she actually cut out for this? Finn pushed the thought aside and focused how she'd have handled this situation on a smaller level in her own department. As hard as it was to chose between friendship and the right command decision, it wasn't so foreign when she put things back into perspective of her own experience as CEO.

"Actually NVeid, I need you in sickbay. I wanted you here just in case, but when I really think about it, if we came to the point where we'd need you, sickbay would need you even more. So it's best for the ship if you're there. I want a full med systems check sent after you get back. I'm hoping for a quiet night but just case...I want to be prepared." Finn made her decision. It wasn't anything she wouldn't have done if someone had undermined discipline in engineering, but since NVeid happened to be a friend she did hope that he understood her response at some level. If not, she'd just have to try to explain it later, but friendship wasn't as important now. She had to establish a good working bridge order and that had already been threatened. It was best to fix it quick or else endanger her whole sense of command.

Shutting down the console, NVeid stood and gave her a quiet nod. "As you wish ma'am. I'll send up another medic if desired and I'll send a status report as soon as I have one." Did that mean he was 'in charge' of sickbay while the acting CMO was away? If the decision was hurting his feelings, he wasn't giving any outward sign of it because deep down, he was glad for it. He had no place in the bridge even though he was grateful for the opportunity to just see it.

Xavier heard the lift doors closed and didn't say another word. The matter was dealt with and even though he knew his friend would be second-guessing her choice, he was proud of the way she had dealt with it all. Clearly, everything that she had been through was making her a more resilient officer, something she should be incredibly proud of. "The show is over people," he said out loud, noticing that a few of the crew had still not returned to their duties. "We need status updates on both away teams."