Reporting in

Posted on 20 Oct 2022 @ 1:19pm by Lieutenant Commander Temerant Bast & Captain Bane Plase

1,767 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Outbreak

Temerant Bast had watched the Cygnus go through the docking maneuvers from the gallery atop the Promenade. The Nebula-class starship wasn't exactly the design he preferred, but it was a sturdy ship, and its versatility, thanks to the interchangeable mission pods, made it very interesting, especially from an Operations point of view. He walked the length of the boarding ramp, and checked in with the officer standing guard at the ship's hatch. With his identity confirmed, he was directed to report directly to the Captain's Ready Room to report in.

During the ride up the turbolift to the Bridge, he took deep breaths to calm his nerves. Temerant had already been in Starfleet, but this was a first for Bast. Although the symbiont had worked with Starfleet officers before, this was its first time being on this side of the fence. It was exholarating, but also a bit daunting.

The lift deposited him on the Bridge. He took a look around, at the usual buzz of activity as the Bridge crew shut down non-essential systems while the ship was docked, and headed for the door to the Captain's private office, the Ready Room. He pressed the door chime, and waited for the Captain to repond.

Plase looked up from his computer to the door, a bit surprised that someone was beckoning him. Not that he minded, but it was unusual. He found that Commander Larsen managed to stave off most of the questions and other interruptions, which Bane was thankful for. "Come in," he stated. The doors parted, and a young man, Trill by the telltale spots starting at his forhead, moving to the side and down his neck, and disappearing under the collar of his uniform. The man was a full Lieutenant, wearing the gold of Operations and Security. "May I help you, Lieutenant?"

"Lieutenant Temerant Bast, Sir, reporting for duty," said Temerant, stepping into the Ready Room and handing the Captain his assignment chip. "As Chief Operations Officer. "

"Ah, right," Bane said, standing and taking the chip from the Lieutenant, then shaking his hand. "Welcome aboard, Lieutenant. Please, sit," he said, motioning to the chair. It was unusual for Bane to be so informal. He wasn't sure what it was about the Lieutenant that so disarmed him. "I am glad to see Starfleet has listened to my requests and are getting more qualified and more experienced officers to man key positions on the Cygnus."

"Yes, Sir," replied Bast, taking the seat the Captain had offered. "Though I'm afraid I can't speak on Starfleet's behalf, I'm sure every officer on this ship has done their best to rise to your level of expectation. As for myself, I believe my service record will speak for itself."

"I will have to take a look at it," he said, gesturing to the chip on the desk. There was a pause for several moments while Bane sized the man before him up. "What can you bring to the table that would be superior to the countless other officers that were not selected for this position?" Bane unconsciously was sizing him up to Lisald Vaat, the man that had occupied the position beforehand, and who was still recovering in Sickbay.

Bast smiled inwardly. The prototypical interview question that usually had younger applicants squirming in their seats. There was a nervous energy emanating from Temerant, but Bast was perfectly calm, the question not causing the least bit of surprise in the symbiont. "I'm bringing three lifetimes' worth of knowledge and experience to the table. This might be my first time in Starfleet, but it's definitely not my first time with Starfleet. My previous Host was a physicist. I did extensive research work for Starfleet during the Dominion war, much of it right here on Deep Space Nine. I know how to manage a project, juggle priorities, and deal with crucial deadlines. My first Host was a world-class musician. I played concert venues at several Ambassadorial events, both on Trill and abroad. I might not be a diplomat, but I know the back channels and how to get the right people involved. As for my current Host, my background before being Joined was as a propulsion engineer. I know my way around a starship, and I speak fluent Engineer."

Bane had never had the experience nor the pleasure to work with a Trill, let alone a joined Trill. The answer he got back swept him off his feet. As much respect and admiration that he had for Lisald, he felt the young man's decision to step down was justified. He also felt that Starfleet had made a great decision to get someone into the Operations role that had experience in Engineering, something that Vaat did not have, though he had been working hard to make up that deficit. In addition to the Engineering experience, Bast had experience, which thrilled Bane to no end. "I will not sugarcoat this or try and cover it up at all, I am quite impressed with that answer. Now, tell me something about you, Temerant, and you Bast," he said, referring to both individuals seperately, hoping he wasn't making a faux pas, "That this," he said, pointing at the data chip still sitting on the desk, "Cannot tell me."

Bast considered his new Captain for several seconds before speaking. The Bajoran officer's lack of experience with joined Trill was obvious by the very nature of the question, but navigating a diplomatic answer would be a bit tricky. "That is a good question," said the Trill. "You're basically asking me where does Temerant end, and Bast begin. It's not an easy answer to give. Since the Joining is fairly recent, I could probably try to give you an answer. But ask me in a month, and that answer would undoubtedly change, and eventually the answer would be impossible. It's the very nature of the Joining, the two personalities become completely merged and indissociable. I carry elements of Lamorra and Wilem's personalities, and I'll carry elements of Temerant's personality to the next Host - Gods willing I make it to a next Host."

It was difficult, but not impossible, for Bane to follow along with what the officer before him was saying. However, he was curious about the implications of the last bit of information. "With the memories and knowledge that you will carry on to the next host, what sort of safeguards are in place to ensure privacy and classified intelligence are honored and kept secret? Not that I am anxious to see you pass on, of course."

"I'm not a legal expert. None of my Hosts has ever been one. If you want me to cite jurisprudence on the issue I'll have to do a bit of research." The Trill took a breath. "But I can tell you what they teach us during our Initiate training, and what I believe personally. I think any confidentiality agreement is binding to the Host as well as to the symbiont, which means that it carries on after the next Joining. The same goes for classified information, and privacy."

Bane nodded. He made a mental note to look into the legality of this. He was sure there was plenty of information on it. Although Bane himself had never worked with a Trill before, he knew they were pretty common throughout Starfleet, and in the Federation. "That is good to hear, for sure. However, I do not think you doing research on it is warranted." Bane inhaled, looking at the man again. "Do you have any questions or comments for me?" He was, in effect, opening up any topic the Lieutenant wanted to talk about or ask about.

"I do, actually. I was watching the docking procedure from the Promenade, and I couldn't help but notice the damage to the upper levels of the saucer section. May I ask how that happened? I assume I'll be tasked with coordinating some of the repair work."

The Captain shifted uncomfortably in his seat. So many things went wrong with the last mission. "We encountered the Crystalline Entity. In attempting to communicate with it and find it a new food source, other than planets within the Cardassian Union, it attacked us. We were forced to defend ourselves, and, unfortunately, had to destroy it. It was regrettable, and regrettable that we did not encounter it and stop it before it wiped out a whole civilization. In the attack, we took damage, as you pointed out, and suffered casualties. Your predecessor," Bane said, pointing at the new officer, "Was among them. Concerning the repairs, you will need to talk to Commander Larsen, our Executive Officer. He may want you to get familiar with the department, life aboard this ship and get your feet under you, or," he said with a flourish, "Will want you to help with repairs."

"Yes, Sir," said Bast, taking this as his cue to leave. As he approached the door, he turned back to the Captain. "Sir, when you were a child, did you ever attempt to grow crystals in a jar?"

That was a strange question, Bane thought. "I can't say that I did, Mr. Bast. My childhood and adolescence were marred with the Occupation of Bajor," he said, pointing idly behind him to the window. Off in the far distance, Bajor was just barely visible as a small dot. Much larger than Jupiter looked from the surface of Earth, but also much smaller than the Moon looked from the same vantage point. It was still very clearly discernable as the planet Bajor.

"Of course," said Bast with a nod. "I apologize. I ask because crystal fragments don't stop growing, as long as there is substrate to feed them. The fragments from the Entity might simply spawn new Entities. It might take a few thousand years, but eventually it's very likely that a few of them will reappear."

Basic chemistry that, up until this moment, Bane had not thought about. The realization that maybe, just maybe, the crew of this ship, that he, had not killed the beautiful, the terrifying, the wholly mysterious creature, made him smile. Plase nodded. "Thank you, Lieutenant Bast. You may have just made my day."

"My pleasure, Sir," said Bast.

And with a final nod, the new Chief Operations Officer left the Captain's Ready Room, heading off in search of his quarters to drop off his bag, before searching for the First Officer, and his first assignment.

Bane Plase, Captain
USS Cygnus, Commanding

and

Lieutenant Temerant Bast
Chief Operations Officer

 

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