An Accidental Encounter

Posted on Tue Jan 9th, 2018 @ 7:13pm by Captain Michelle Bartlett & Lieutenant Temperance Zachary

Mission: https://wellington.pegasusfleet.site/index.php/sim/missions/id/4
Location: Deck 1
Timeline: Current

Temperance had so far avoided introducing herself to her new Captain, not out of any desire to be rude, but simply because she figured that with the trial that was happening the Captain had already had enough on her plate without being inundated with new crew members vying for a moment of her time. Instead she had taken the time to settle into her position, meet the others in her department and get to know some of the crew.

Now that the trial was starting to wind down, she had decided it was time to introduce herself, which was how she found herself on deck 1, staring down the single most adorable puppy she had seen in a great many years, who was quite proudly leading along the person Temp had actually set out to find. She crouched down, ruffling the puppy's ears and grinning. "Oh, aren't you just adorable!" she exclaimed before standing up and offering a sheepish smile at her new commanding officer. "Sorry..." she laughed and held out her hand. "Captain, I'm Lieutenant Temperance Zachary, newly assigned to Strat Ops. It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance... and I do apologise for intruding on your personal time..." she motioned toward the puppy again with another smile.

Wiggles basked in the attention as Michelle chuckled. "Oh he doesn't mind at all... His favourite person is anyone who notices him." she said. "Isn't that right? And you didn't even bark." she said as she pet him. She then returned Temperance's handshake. "I don't mind either that much. It's good to finally meet you. I'd heard you made it aboard."

Temp nodded in affirmation. "My apologies for not meeting with you sooner. I assumed that with everything going on with the trial you would need some time to focus on the other goings on, I felt it best to just silently settle myself in. But, I believe that the trial is winding up now, I hope you are satisfied with the outcomes? Rather, as satisfied as one can be in these situations?"

"In all honesty, I don't know if it will ever be enough." Michelle said. "But so far, I'm as satisfied as I'll get. It's probably a good thing my fate isn't in his hands. I would struggle to be fair." she added.

Resisting the urge to laugh, Temp smiled instead. "With good reason," she finally replied. "Fingers crossed that the next mission is much more along the lines of peaceful exploration and a little less with the violent treason?"

"I'll try my best though it might be a little boring for you. Not that boring isn't all the rage at the moment for us..." Michelle replied. "There's an anomaly a 4 day distance from No Man's Land that they want us to explore. They aren't sure what it is. There were rumours of a planet that just completely disappeared and yet it seems almost too off to be a black hole."

Temperance raised one eyebrow slightly. "A planet just disappears? That's a new one... I'll have to do some reading I think. I assume the information you already have is available?"

"At least the initial stuff. They can tell it's a mass of some sort but they don't know where the distortion is coming from. It might be a planet but nobody's managed to get close enough without being destroyed, injured or killed." Michelle said.

With a laugh, Temp replied "Almost sounds like a challenge! I'll take a look and see what I think, but I assume you're not planning on going down the path of injury, death and destruction?"

Michelle smirked. "You're catching on quite quickly." she added. "It does make one wonder where the rumours of a planet come from though. Nobody's ever heard of one that we know of."

"In my experience rumours usually have some kind of basis in fact, it just depends on which basis," Temp replied pensively. "Unfounded rumours generally don't just happen without reason. It would be interesting to see what other activity has been happening in the area, that may provide a possible explanation as to where the rumours may have started."

"I have science looking at that part, so feel free to check in... Lieutenant Mordin's people are extremely well versed in the region." Michelle said. "Plus monitoring any chatter or other data might be a good place to start. It does make one wonder how that rumour got started. None of this looks like your typical black hole as far as its composition and structure." she added, almost sounding like she was in her old job.

Temp nodded again. "I will definitely speak with Lieutenant Mordin," she said quietly. "It sounds like this mission might be right up your alley," she finished with a smile.

"Before command and before my stint in the Diplomatic Service, I was a science officer back home." Michelle replied. "Some days, I'd do almost anything to just spend hours in the lab parsing over data. But then I suppose nobody would be around to run the ship." she added.

With a laugh, Temperance replied "That's why you have lackeys! You give the orders and let them sit back and do the grunt work while you do what you like. Captain's perogative."

"One day I will learn the full extent of my authority and on that day, I think a lot of people will be terrified." Michelle said with a smirk as the dog looked up almost in agreement. "Even he knows."

"I think the day you learn the full extent of your own authority even you might be a little terrified," Temperance said easily. "But hey, until then, fake it til you make it, right?"

"That's the strategy. What about you?" Michelle asked. "Getting used to the role?"

Temperance laughed. "There's not a whole lot to really get used to, strat ops is one of those positions that changes with alarming frequency, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that I am incredibly glad that I came aboard now and not a couple of months ago. I would HATE to have been running strat ops with the whole fiasco you've all been through." She shook her head. "But I am looking forward to working with the rest of the crew."

"It's taken its toll on everyone in a lot of ways. Practically everyone aboard lost their immediate superior officer. One doesn't sort of buck up and move on from that if they've been here a few years." Michelle said.

With a nod, Temperance agreed. "Friendships are formed when people work closely together for an amount of time, but sometimes change is a good thing. What do they say? Change is as good as a holiday? I think once the trial is over and we're away from the station and things settle into a new routine, everyone will adjust just fine, especially with a mysterious black hole for them to bond over." She paused for a moment before smiling. "Anyway, I have taken up more than enough of your valuable time, Captain, thank you... and again, I apologise for the unorthodox timing of this meeting."

"Any time." Michelle replied. "You know where I live." she added with a smirk.

"Indeed I do," Temp replied with a smile, crouching down once more to ruffle Wiggles' ears before heading back down to her own office. Wiggles gave a contented look, if not a somewhat disappointed one when the nice lady stopped.

=/\=

Captain Michelle Bartlett
Commanding Officer
USS Wellington


Lieutenant Temperance Zachary
Strategic Operations
USS Wellington