Meet The New Boss...

Posted on Sun Oct 22nd, 2023 @ 1:20pm by Lieutenant Commander Devin Hadenbeer & Captain James Phoenix

1,910 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Untested
Location: USS Horizon
Timeline: tbd

ON:

[Ready Room]

The Horizon was well underway at warp with her first stop at the Bohr system. The ship's purpose there was primarily to conduct in-system tests. They wouldn't be there for too long as they had to test everything post upgrade and since the Horizon had other places to go on her shakedown cruise.

Captain Phoenix was in his ready room, looking over various status reports on the Horizon's current state as she sped through space. He had also yet to officially meet both his new science officer as well as his new operations officer since both had only come aboard the day they launched. He decided to page Commander Hadenbeer first just minutes prior.

[Ready Room]

Devin had just left the shuttle bay. After her meeting with the Chief Tactical Officer and the handling of the debacle regarding the runabout she was having quite a full first day. She checked her padd to see what time it was; well, a light lunch might-

*message from Captain Phoenix,* her comm badge chirped.

"Oh, for..." Devin sighed, then altered course for the nearest turbolift, "Computer, location of Captain Phoenix?"

*Captain Phoenix is in the ready room,* the computer replied

Of course, "Bridge," Devin stated. She tapped her comm badge, "Captain, Hadenbeer here. Did you wish to see me face to face?" she had a feeling she already knew the answer.

After hearing Hadenbeer's voice he tapped his badge in return. "If you can spare the time Commander, that would be greatly appreciated."

"Of course," Devin replied, trying to gauge the captain's tone, "On my way."

The turbolift doors swooshed open and Devin strode onto the bridge, making a beeline for the ready room doors. She tried not to fidget as she touched the door chime.

"Enter" the CO called out.

Devin entered the ready room and once inside took a moment to take it in.

I would have probably done something different with the decor, she thought as she made for the desk and her new boss. The piano would have looked nice in that corner.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Devin inquired politely.

James nodded. "Yes Commander" he rose up out of his seat. "I realized that we haven't technically formally met, since you came aboard just before our launch" he said before motioning towards the replicator. "Care for a drink?"

Devin did not see a wet bar and she did not think the man had a bottle of scotch under his desk, "No, thank you, sir." She wanted to sit, almost did so as a petty act of defiance. But...this man was not the reason for her troubles. She stayed on her feet.

"Please, take a seat Commander" He smiled before he moved over to the replicator and pressed a few buttons. A few seconds later a coffee in a Starfleet mug materialized, and you could easily tell that it was hot, with the steam emitting from it and all. James took the coffee and set it on his side of the desk.

He straightened his uniform before lowering himself into his chair again. "I hope your transfer wasn't too difficult? With us launching as soon as you got here and all?"

Ah, so it was to be "small talk". Devin shrugged slightly, "Well, I had a bit of a misadventure with my piano but it is all sorted. Your chief of helm..." she checked her cheat padd, "...Tae is rather pleasant. And has some steel in her. If my opinions matters at all, that is. Does your Chief Tactical Officer play poker? Because I could not get a read on her at all."

"It was a little hard to get a read on her myself" he chuckled lightly before taking a sip of his drink. He elected not to mention Sernia's feelings for Lieutenant Klaz because it wasn't his place to spread that information.

He did however note the observations that Commander Hadenbeer had made. They made it seem like she was a Captain herself at one point. Maybe she was? Her name was vaguely familiar. He had been busy enough that he didn't exactly have too much time to look over her file.

Devin wondered if the captain was attempting to play head games with her. He seemed so...personable. She was waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop. Then she began to suspect something.

"Ah...Captain...my assignment seems to have been...last minute. Have you had a chance to review my service record? My file? When I spoke to your Chief Tactical Officer she seemed surprised at my visiting her, as if no one had warned her I was coming..."

"Unfortunately, I had very little notice myself. I knew I was getting a new operations officer, I just wasn't completely sure who. With the upgrades and getting the Horizon launched on time, I've been busy. It doesn't help that I've been-" he stopped himself before he started talking about things that weren't relevant to the meeting. He carefully re-worded what he was about to say. "Similar thing happened with my new Chief Science Officer too, except I didn't know they were coming aboard until right before our launch."

"Well...I think perhaps in the interest of fairness perhaps you should open my record and see what you are dealing with?" her smile was wry, "Before you get too far from the starbase."

He raised an eyebrow, confused. He set his coffee down and picked up the COO's service record. "I don't see what-" he paused when he saw the information regarding the Commander's circumstances. "I see" he had actually only seen her demotion from Captain, but as he pressed his thumb against the recognition button for the classified information, he realized who she was, from reputation.

He had heard the non classified elements of the case from Admiral Dalton, a few months after she was promoted, and after he was promoted from first officer. Regardless, he wasn't familiar with it extensively. James set the record down on the desk and sighed.

"Before anything else I apologize for not recognizing you Commander. Despite your special circumstances, you're record is quite distinguished" he began.

"But since you are here, I'd like to here about the details of your sentence in your own words if that's alright with you?"

"Distinguished?" Devin echoed, her expression turning bitter, "I...Thank you, Captain. That is...very kind of you to say. But perhaps looking at it from my perspective I am not certain you can call my litany of failures anything but that. My sentencing was just the latest in a line of poor decisions. I have been responsible for the deaths of more than two thousand Gorn, lost half my crew through a hellish cruise. I have destroyed not one, but two Starfleet vessels, assaulted a Starfleet Captain and stolen his ship. And to one extent or another I have regretted each and every one of those tragedies."

She shook her head, "But I do not regret the 'crime' I was sentenced to. My ship was home to an artificial intelligence, Captain. And I understand Starfleet's regulations regarding them, how dangerous a rogue intelligence with the power of a starship can be. But Elle had gotten the Lionheart A home, and when I discovered my chief had smuggled her off the wreck of that ship and aboard the B, well..."

Her smile was sad, "My greatest crime might be sentimentality..."

James made a lighthearted smile. "Sentimentality isn't something to be ashamed of Commander and we have to make those hard calls as we both know. I can't begin to imagine everything you've been through even if I've been through heavy things myself. But, regardless of what happened, you are here now and some officer or two felt that you should be given a second chance, otherwise you wouldn't have been given a choice of sentence" he trailed off hoping what he was saying wasn't making anything worse.

James continued. "I'm gonna be honest, I agree. You wouldn't be here, in this office, if you didn't deserve a second chance."

"Well...thank you, Captain," Devin replied, shifting uncomfortably in her seat, "And your Chief of Helm did point out to me that this position is a much coveted one. Admiral Janeway could have been quite vindictive and I could still be sitting in that cell on Aukland."

The smile, if wry, returned, "Mind you, I am not entirely trusted. As I informed your Chief Tactical Officer I am the 'proud' bearer of a subcutaneous transponder, so I am not quite off the leash. Until I serve out my sentence Janeway wants to know where I am at all times."

"Very well" he scratched his chin. "I'm not gonna be 'checking up' on you 24/7, but in the event that an emergency occurs and we need to find you, is there a way to access it? Or is it for the Admiral's eyes only?" he asked. He was asking in the event that she found herself in danger of some sort. The transponder would be useful for things like that. Though, he was also asking in the event that she did go rogue again. He did trust her, but with anyone even the Captain himself, you could never be too careful.

"Oh, your CTO has access to it, Captain. I doubt very much Janeway is checking up on me on a regular basis, with some dedicated monitor in her office showing a schematic of your vessel with my transponder signal glowing on it," she grinned, "Although you never can tell."

"Thank you" he smiled before speaking again. "The Admiral is an interesting woman. I wouldn't be all that surprised" he chuckled.

Devin shrugged, "Well, that is as safe a word to describe her as I would use, Captain. Anyway, now you are aware of my peculiar position. Hopefully I have left my more, ah, colorful past far, far behind me. I have only just begun meeting my people, so I have nothing of particular interest to report. I will endeavor to put out any fires before you smell the smoke.

"Fair enough Commander. "Do you have any other questions or concerns?"

"No questions come to mind, Captain. And I think my principle concerns were laid to rest, thank you. And...thank you. I suspect if you had raised enough hell to kick me off your ship I would have found myself cleaning bussard collectors at Utopia Planetia. Mind you, they would have been the shiniest bussard collectors Starfleet had ever seen..."

James chuckled at the joke. "I'm sure they would" he smiled. "You sure are welcome. I personally believe that depending on the circumstances, everyone deserves a second chance" he trailed off for a few moments. "If there isn't anything else Commander, then you are dismissed."

Devin nodded and stood. As she stood outside the ready room she thought that had gone...better than she had dared hope. Serving here would not be all bad, she thought.

All the same, she thought as the turbolift doors swooshed shut behind her, she could not help but feel a disquieting sense of...weirdness at being told she was dismissed from the ready room. She knew she needed to get used to being "bossed around" and soon.

That job at Utopia Planetia was always a threat dangling over her head. That...or worse...

 

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