ZE/D01 - Bridge

[Morad Ameen]

And then there was that private message from Ensign Powl, Ameen thought with a flicker of amusement. 

Citing Starfleet regulations at me about my own title. He's not wrong, but... I'll deal with that later...

Just as he was about to turn his attention to the conflicting messages from Sickbay, his console chimed softly with an incoming message. It was from his yeoman, as expected.

[MESSAGE from PO3 Jensen, H. to Ameen, M. - Priority: Standard - Subject: Draft Report for Fleet Captain Vakir - Per Your Order]
[Commander,
As requested, I have drafted the priority message to Fleet Captain Vakir. It is attached and ready for your review and final authorization.
-PO Jensen]

Attached was a draft that read:
[TO: VAKIR, A., FLEET CAPTAIN, DS9
FROM: AMEEN, M., COMMANDER, ACTING CO, USS ZEPHYR
SUBJECT: Mission Update, USS Zephyr

We have arrived at Trill and made contact. We have received our principal, Mediator Kestir. However, there has been an unexpected change in the specific nature of our VIP. The original host, Aed'na Tlapo, passed away just prior to our arrival. The Kestir symbiont was successfully transferred to a new host, C'had. This new host required an urgent, time-sensitive medical evaluation upon beaming aboard, which is currently underway in our Sickbay. As a result, our departure from Trill has been rocky and slow pending the medical decision but we are now on our way at warp 5. That speed is kept in order to maintain the Ambassador's strict schedule. All ship's systems are green and the crew is performing well. End report.]

Good. She followed the instructions to the letter. Stuck to the facts, left out the... colorful details about our guest...

He quickly typed his authorization. "Excellent work Hanna. Send it."

With that handled, his thoughts returned to the "conundrum" Doctor O'Fee had mentioned, followed by the more reassuring "condition green" message. The hour she'd requested for a full report was nearly up.

Alright, Doctor O'Fee, he thought, his gaze drifting towards the turbolift. What's the verdict?..

His FO was back on the bridge and checking in with the crew regarding the dinner prep too. It was good to see everyone is busy and doing their part. 

== Tag ==

[Amila Ra'an]

A few seconds later Amila's typically chipper voice could be heard over Keir's comm responding back.

[Lieutenant Ra'an to Commander Keir: Smooth as can be down here. Everything is good to go, Torok and I are really just working on little details like music and such right now. But, all the important stuff is locked in and taken care of. The lounge is in order, and the meal service is on schedule as planned.]

[Evie O’Fee]

<<<< Sickbay<<<<

Evie came to the Bridge with her report in hand, there was some information both on and off of the report that should be gone over. The parts she wanted she wanted to go over that were on the report, the information she wanted to go over more wasn't on the report.

At this point Evie wasn't sure how to feel, other than a little strange. She seen a lot of people like him before, but they were in a pub. All of those could be dismissed as Alcohol fueled bad decisions, not in Sickbay unless they came from the pub in the first place.

"Commanders." Addressing both the Commanding and First Officer. "Can the three of us have a private chat, there is parts of the report I would prefer to keep off official records." Evie had a feeling both would have some idea about what she was talking about.

==Tags==

[Keir 77]

Keir was pleased that the mission seemed ready to start. The young replacement ambassador was being checked medically; a prudent decision by the CMO since there could easily be issues with such a rushed and sudden transference of consciousness between the new and likely untested host and the consciousness of the symbiont.

S/he was at that time glad to be unaware of what was entailed in such a complicated and possibly risky medical procedure and remained confident in the skills of the medical staff.
At that time Keir received a report from the CSO who was proceeding very well with the party preparations and all seemed well.

As s/he was considering what s/he had heard; the Chief Medical Officer arrived on the bridge addressing both hir and Cdr. Ameen

"Commanders ,can the three of us have a private chat, there is parts of the report I would prefer to keep off official records.?"

Without showing any of hir confusion Keir prepared to stand and follow the CO.

[Morad Ameen]

The comm had barely closed on his report to Fleet Captain Vakir when Doctor O’Fee arrived on the bridge, her expression serious. She addressed both him and Commander Keir, asking for a private conversation about a 'conundrum' that was best kept off the official records.

A conundrum? After everything else today, of course there's a conundrum...

 Ameen thought, exchanging a brief, weary glance with Keir. He saw his First Officer was already on hir feet, ready to act. It was good to know Keir was in lockstep with him.

"Of course, Doctor," Ameen said, his voice calm and steady. He stood up from his command chair. "Whatever you have to report, we'll hear it privately. The briefing room."

He looked around the bridge to see who would take command. 

Ra'an, Gath, and Powl are all off-bridge. That leaves... His gaze settled on the helm station. Lieutenant Krandall. He's a Lieutenant, he's at the conn. He's the senior officer remaining. It's his.

"Lieutenant Krandall," Ameen said, his voice carrying command authority. "You have the bridge. Maintain present course and speed. Alert us if there are any changes in our guest's medical status or any new communications from Trill."

With that, he gave a nod to his FO and the CMO. 

"Commander. Doctor." He turned and led the way towards the briefing room, the weight of another unknown problem settling on his shoulders. The quiet part of this mission just kept getting shorter.

== Next Post: Briefing Room ==

[Gath]

== NRC Lt Tom Krandall, Tactical (Helm) ==

Krandall stood from his station to face the Captain and give the simple reply, "Aye, sir. I have the Bridge."

In textbook fashion, he repeated the Captain's own orders back to him, making it clear that he had heard them as stated. He then waited, standing at Parade Rest, until the Captain moved to the exit. Only then did he move to the Center Chair and brought up the small display that would give him a view of the current navigation details, so he could continue to monitor the situation.

To be honest, he had nothing to do, sitting at the Helm. He was monitoring various sensor readings, but they were currently all mundane and it was a challenge for him to remain awake. This small change of pace was quite welcome. Still, it was better than being a civilian. He had been a Marine combat pilot and had always been a bit of an adrenaline junkie. He was right at home in a fast paced operations tempo where split second decisions decided life and death. He could accept that he would no longer be part of that sort of life, living on the edge. What was hard was that he was fairly certain that he could never return to a "normal" life as a civilian. He would put money on the fact that he would likely go crazy in about a week. Living the life of luxury on a ship as a Helmsman might be boring compared to his past assignments, but it was still on a ship and facing the vastness of the void. You also never knew what tomorrow might bring.

[Keir 77]

The mission was proceeding at a slow pace. The Trill Ambassador was a work in progress, having very recently had a change of hosts. The new young host was thrust into the heady world of interstellar peacekeeping, as well as the unexpected hormonal pressures which had been presenting a challenge, but following the meeting with Cdr. Ameen , the CMO and hirself there had apparently been an arrangement which hinted at a possible solution, and that appeared to be a situation a bit more under control, and with things a bit more quiet it seemed like a good time to meet their newest Security officer; namely Midshipman Michael Johnson.

Realizing that the Commander would likely want to be present s/he tapped hir comm. badge. "Keir to Ameen; I am going to summon our newest Security Midshipman to the bridge; if it is convenient for you to be present; otherwise I will handle it; Keir, out."

Tapping the bridge comm, s/he spoke; "Commander Keir77, to Midshipman Michael Johnson. Greetings; please make your way to the bridge at your earliest convenience and bring the Paad with your transfer orders. Once you enter the bridge please pause until you see that either or both of the Command officers have no one before them; then you should proceed to stand in front of us. You can then introduce yourself and hand me the Paad with your orders. This is a formality which will officially make you a member of our crew as well as an opportunity for us to greet you and welcome you aboard officially.
Once the formal greeting has been made, I will then introduce you to your department head Lieutenant Gath, our Chief of Security. I look forward to greeting you, Commander Keir77, out."

S/he then tapped hir badge, "Keir to Gath. I have summoned your new officer to the bridge and once he has met the Commander and myself I will hand him over, Keir out."

[Morad Ameen]

>> Briefing Room >>

The briefing room door slid open, and Ameen stepped back onto the bridge, Commander Keir 77 following a moment after him. The productive buzz of the crew working on their various assignments was a welcome sound. Morad had just stepped into his ready room to grab a report PADD when his comm badge chirped with Commander Keir's update. He saw that Keir had already taken the initiative in summoning their newest crew member.

Good, Ameen thought, a sense of satisfaction settling in. Keir is already thinking and acting like a First Officer. Handling new personnel arrivals is exactly what s/he should be doing...

He walked over to the center of the bridge and took his seat, looking at Keir who had taken the First Officer's chair beside him. He gave hir a nod of approval.

"Commander," he said, his voice calm and professional, "I received your message. Good initiative summoning Midshipman Johnson. It's important we welcome him properly."

He settled into the chair, his posture still one of command but more at ease than a formal standing reception. The 'conundrum' with their VIP was an ongoing issue, but the day-to-day business of running a starship had to continue. And that included welcoming new faces.

Alright, Midshipman Michael Johnson, Ameen thought, his gaze fixed on the turbolift doors. Let's see what you've got...

== Tag Keir, Johnson, Krandall/Gath ==

[Michael Johnson]

<<Crew Quarters<<

Michael stepped out of the lift and on to the bridge. It took a moment to take everything in. He waited for the center chair to be clear.  He couldn’t help but smile he had been waiting for this since his brother left for the academy.

"Well Steven, time to make you proud." He whispered to himself

Michael took a deep breath and made his way to the center of the bridge. He stood at attention trying to make a good impression.

“Midshipman Michael Johnson reporting as order, Sir” He said clearly as he held out the padd with his orders on it.

==Tag==

[Keir 77]

Keir nodded gratefully regarding the CO's compliment for hir initiative in bringing their new Security officer to the bridge and kept busy til s/he heard the lift door open and discharge their newest officer.

He paused momentarily, took a noticeable breath and then proceeded to the greeting. [Midshipman Michael Johnson reporting as order, Sir]
He said clearly as he held out the padd with his orders on it.

Keir nodded taking the Paad. Michael would note a slim attractive looking brunette female of average height, with a warm smile she offered; as s/he greeted him.

"Welcome to the USS Zephyr Midshipman Johnson; I am Lieutenant Commander Keir77; the Acting First Officer.

I can see by your records that you come well prepared for your role in our crew. On a personal note, you should be aware that I am Hermat and though my appearance is female I do ask that you continue to address me as Sir.

Commander Ameen will address you regarding our mission and then you will meet the Chief of Security Lieutenant Gath to begin your integration into our team; so Welcome aboard."

Just before s/he took a fresh look over his Paad Keir, turned to address Gabe, "Commander Ameen, at your pleasure sir."

==Tag Gabe, for now==

[Gath]

== NRC Lt Tom Krandall, Tactical ==

As the CO approached to retake his Center Chair, Tom stood and relinquished his temporary control of the Bridge. The CO was engaged in a conversation with the FO, so he knew not to bother with the formality of stating the obvious. Had there been anything worthy of updating the Captain about, Tom would have done so, but in this instance he felt it was wiser to simply let it go.

Tom had tapped the display with his hand as he stood, logging out and returning it to the default screen. He now returned to the Helm, to make sure they didn't accidentally wander into some spatial anomaly along the way.

== Lt Gath, CoS ==

Gath stepped off the lift and the doors hissed closed behind him. He saw the hew officer reporting and did not interrupt the moment for him. There was no rush. This was a big moment for the Midshipman, reporting to his first Commanding officer on his first ship.

== Standing by ==

[Morad Ameen]

Ameen watched from his command chair as Commander Keir handled the initial greeting for the new midshipman. Hir explanation of being Hermat was smooth and direct, a necessary piece of information delivered with professional grace. 

Good. S/he's handling this well. Exactly what a First Officer should do...

When Keir turned the moment over to him, Ameen gave hir a slight nod of acknowledgment. 

"Thank you, Commander."

He then focused his attention on the young man standing at attention in the center of the bridge. He looked nervous, but also determined. Ameen could respect that.

"Midshipman Michael Johnson," Ameen began, his voice calm and welcoming but still carrying the weight of command. "Welcome to the USS Zephyr. It's good to have you aboard."

He gestured towards the PADD that Keir was holding. 

"Commander Keir will process your official orders. As you've probably gathered, you're joining us at a... dynamic time. We are on a high-priority diplomatic escort mission with some unique variables. We're all new to this ship, and we're learning her and each other as we go. Flexibility and a willingness to adapt are key."

Ameen's gaze flicked over to the security station, where Lieutenant Gath was observing. 

"Your department head is Lieutenant Gath. He runs a tight department, and I expect you to listen, learn, and give him your absolute best. Security is paramount on this mission."

He then gestured towards the Klingon officer.  "Lieutenant Gath, if you would." Then looked back to the midshipman. "Midshipman, Lieutenant Gath will see to your station assignment and brief you on the specifics of your duties. Welcome aboard."

Okay. Another piece in place, Ameen thought as he settled back into his chair, trusting Gath and Keir to handle the rest of the midshipman's integration. Now, back to the larger problem of our... guest... and when Sickbay is going to give me a report...

== Tag ==

[Keir 77]

==Security Senior Chief Petty Officer Samantha Reagan==

 As the Senior NCO Samantha had been informed of the arrival and introduction of the newest Security Officer and made it a point to get to the bridge so that she could be a part of the team greeting the Middie.

 But Samantha; as a veteran Security NCO; wanted to be present initially to represent the NCO's that the Midshipman would be dealing with but also to be there to get a handle on how he handled this moment. She had been on the bridge at the station already when the Midshipman arrived and was greeted.

 Lt Gath arrived in time to witness it and she nodded appropriately to her DH as they both observed the intro. Johnson seemed composed and spoke clearly to the command team.

Excellent, he seems to be handling this well.

The handover from the CO was smooth and she waited along with her DH for the Midshipman to approach.

[Jukish Keti]

There wasn't much going on at the moment for anyone, this was a diplomatic mission that shouldn't require too much of anything from Science. It will give him an opportunity to look into something out there, he never really knew what was out there until finding something. 

The other thing was the change in Command, Keir was once again First Officer and he was happy for hir. It was a short lived run the first time around, and now here was another. Here Keir would have another chance to truly shine, it takes a lot to fill the position a lot more for the step above that. The best thing he could do was recalibrate the systems, if there was a need for it Science was going to answer the call.

[Michael Johnson]

"Commander Keir will process your official orders. As you've probably gathered, you're joining us at a... dynamic time. We are on a high-priority diplomatic escort mission with some unique variables. We're all new to this ship, and we're learning her and each other as we go. Flexibility and a willingness to adapt are key. Your department head is Lieutenant Gath. He runs a tight department, and I expect you to listen, learn, and give him your absolute best. Security is paramount on this mission."

“Always Sir.” He said, trying to sound confident.

Michael was excited to start, and diplomatic missions were usually boring, a lot of escorting the diplomats around and keeping them out of trouble, but this would give him time to settle into his new position and have time to learn the ship.

Michael made his way over to Lieutenant Gath at the security station, one of his best friends at the academy was a Klingon, K’Tor. Knowing first impressions meant a lot he approached with confidence and stood at attention in front of his new boss.

“Sir Midshipman Michael Johnson, reporting for duty.”

He stood there in front of Gath and the other security officer next to him.

==Tag LT. Gath. ==

[Morad Ameen]

"Always Sir." Midshipman Johnson said with an air of confidence.

Ameen nodded at him and watched from his command chair as Midshipman Johnson reported to Lieutenant Gath. He saw the Senior Chief Petty Officer, Samantha Reagan, was also there to greet the new arrival and Lieutenant Jukish Keti was now manning the science station. It was a small piece of normal ship business in the middle of a very not-normal mission.

Good. Gath has his team in order. The Midshipman seems to be handling his first day well enough...

He gave a slight nod to Commander Keir, who had handled the initial welcome perfectly. 

S/he's settling into the First Officer role well. Very well...

With the immediate personnel matter handled, he found his gaze drifting towards the turbolift doors, almost unconsciously. He wondered how Amila was doing with the dinner prep. She took charge of it so enthusiastically. A small smile touched his lips before he caught himself and focused back on the console. 

Right. Focus, Morad. Plenty of time for... other thoughts... later...

He pulled up the duty roster Keir had prepared earlier, reviewing the upcoming shift changes. The day-to-day business of running the ship had to continue, no matter what diplomatic (or personal) chaos was brewing in the background.

[Gath]

Gath did not present himself as what one might think of as a typical Klingon. He was extremely well groomed and his uniform very clean and sharp looking. His movements were fluid, yet precise. The expression on his face was almost Vulcan in the lack of emotion and his eyes were unwavering as he took a step forward to greet the newest member of his department.

"Welcome to the team, Midshipman Johnson. I'm Lieutenant Gath, the ship's Chief of Security." He gestured to the Tall woman next to him and added, "This is Senior Chief Petty Officer Samantha Reagan. You would be wise to listen to any wisdom she offers you. It is rare to have such an experienced mentor, so don't waste the opportunity." He paused, then continued, "In the days ahead, I'm sure that you will become well acquainted with the many protocols and duties that you will be expected to become an expert on, as a Security Officer of this ship. However, tonight you will have get to know the other senior members of the Staff and be given the privilege of attending a formal dinner that is being given for our diplomatic guest. You will be required to attend in full Mess Dress Uniform and I expect to see you mingling during the cocktail hour before the dinner. An officer needs to not only know how to be victorious in combat, but needs to also have skills of conversation and tact as well. Are you up for the challenge?"

A hint of a grin appeared on his face and he waited to see how Mid Johnson responded.

== Tag Johnson and Reagan ==
== Sorry for the delay. I was hoping to find who had a copy of your BIO, so I could personalize the introduction a little better. ==

[Michael Johnson]

Gath was not what Michael had come to expect from a Klingon; he was the complete opposite of K’Tor. The slight grin on Gath’s face as he stood in front of Michael, gave him a feeling that Gath might not be easy to impress. Even though Michael did not like social gatherings, and was not expecting to be at a formal dinner on day one. He expected to be patrolling the ship or standing guard somewhere for the first month

I hope I remembered to pack my dress uniform.

“I’m up for all challenges that may come sir.” He said confident.

Michael then turned to the woman standing next to Gath. He was always willing to learn from those who had more experience and he had no plans on wasting any chance of learning from someone with more experience than him.

“Ma’am I look forward to learning from you.”

==Tag Gath and Reagan.==
==Trying to find my bio I saved it to a jump drive and then moved so still unpacking. I will get it sent to you ASAP.==