Meeting the New XO [BACKPOST]

Posted on 01 Aug 2016 @ 8:14pm by Lieutenant Commander Temerant Bast & Commander Thiago Teixeira

1,261 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Risky Business
Location: Talon's
Timeline: MD1 || 1900 Hours

The time had gone by quickly. Up and down the urban hills of San Francisco he ran, pushing himself to maintain a steady pace in spite of the grade changes. He'd started at the Ferry Building and run along the waterfront through North Beach and the Marina, and uphill into Pacific Heights. He finished by dropping down to the Haight and into Golden Gate Park. He briefly considered pushing on to Ocean Beach, but decided that he'd gotten enough cardio for now.

"Computer, arch," Thiago called out. A few feet away, the urban park scene before him disappeared, and was replaced with the telltale entryway of a Starfleet holodeck. He walked over to the small doorway and touched the necessary controls to end the program. The rest of Golden Gate Park blinked away and the doors whooshed open, allowing him to exit to the corridor beyond.

It was a short walk from the holodecks to his quarters; both were conveniently located on Deck 2. He passed a couple of people in civilian clothes and he assumed that seeing a shirtless man, torso glistening from sweat, in running shorts wasn't that uncommon as no one gave him a second look. Entering his quarters, he kicked off his shoes, stripped off his socks, shorts, briefs, and headband before getting in the shower.

Having enjoyed the cleansing freshness of the water, Teixeira dried off and pulled some civilian clothes out of his drawers; a simple black linen pant and a fitted emerald green v-neck t shirt with a horizontal yellow stripe across the midsection. He slipped his feet into some comfortable sandals that he had bought the last time he was back home in Recife. He wasn't on duty again till morning, but it wasn't late enough to sleep and he'd spent too much time in his quarters, so Thiago decided to check out Talon's, the crew lounge on Deck 6.

When he arrived, Teixeira positioned himself at a small table near a window. A server came by rather promptly and took his order. She returned quickly, setting his caipirinha down in front of him. "Thank you," he said to the young woman. "Could I possibly get some roasted ilqa nuts?" he asked. Native to Bolarus, ilqa was a fruit similar to a plum, but inedible to humans. The nuts, however, were very safe for human consumption, and especially tasty when roasted. It seemed that most Bolians never developed a taste for the nuts; it had something to do with the way their taste receptors worked and some enzyme in the nuts.

"I'll be right back with some," the server replied.

Bast walked into Talon's, intent on a late dinner. He'd spent part of the evening reading up on Thalaron radiation, catching up on the latest Federation papers on the topic, in the wake of the Shinzon incident, and in preparation for the coming mission. But now his stomach was beginning to make noises, and he was eager for a crowd, after being locked up in his office for the better part of the day.

He got a pint of Guinness from the bar, and ordered a club sandwich. The waiter asked him to find a table, and promised that the food would be delivered to him there.

He walked around the room to find a table, and spotted the new First Officer, sitting by himself. He approached the table, and introduced himself.

"Good evening Commander," he greeted. "Mind if I join you?"

Thiago looked up at the question. "Commander Bast," he said, motioning for the other man to make use of the currently vacant chair. "Does this place see a lot of use?"

"Actually it does," said Bast. "Tonight's a bit quiet, but that's undoubtedly due to the preparations for the current mission."

Teixeira nodded. This mission was going to keep the crew pretty busy. "So far, I've been pleased with the crew. The few that I've interacted with, at least."

"That's good," replied Bast.

"Commander," Thiago said, his demeanor becoming more serious, "I've been reviewing past mission logs."

Bast chuckled. "I'm sure that must have been quite a fun read," he said.

"I know about what you did, how you helped the Consortium."

Bast grew somber, and looked at the new Executive Officer, unsure how to respond. He could see it as a challenge, as a way of saying that he wouldn't have the Executive Officer's support. "Then I'm sure you've also read about the circumstances of those events. Of what led to my involvement with these.... criminals," he said, after a brief pause to find the right word.

The Brazilian man leaned forward and placed a hand on the Trill's shoulder. "I want you to know that I trust you. I know that the things that transpired weren't of your own design, that you were an unwilling participant." He withdrew his hand, picking up a small handful of the ilqa nuts the server had since delivered. He jostled the small seeds in his hand. "I just wanted you to know that. I trust you."

Bast paused, and searched the man's eyes to gauge the depth of his sincerity. Finally, seeing no indication that the man could have been any less than sincere, he nodded. "Thank you," was all he could think to say.

Thiago finished his drink and motioned to a server for another. "I know that you've had some trouble with your staff."

"I did, yes," replied Bast. "Apparently not everyone was as understanding of the situation as you seem to be, and they decided they didn't want to work with someone who was coerced by the Consortium. They all put in for reassignment."

"Give me a list of your biggest need areas and I'll reassign as many crew as I can to help fill the holes."

"Actually, I do have a bit of a staff now," he said. "Two Ensigns and a cadet. They require a bit of supervision, but they get the job done. At least for emergency maintenance. But yes, I do need more people. I'll identify the most critical areas, and get back to you."

"Good. Ops is a big department with lots of ground to cover. It's not a department I like to see short staffed. I'm willing to pitch in where I can, too."

"I think for the coming mission, the biggest needs will be for sensor specialists, and communications officers. We have to be able to communicate with our fighters inside the nebula."

Thiago nodded. "Agreed. My background is sensors. As I said, I'm willing to pick up shifts myself."

"We'll need qualified sensor specialists," agreed Bast. "I don't like going into this nebula blind as a bat. We have to rely on visuals, but without any direct light inside the nebula, there won't be anything to see. But you should coordinate with Commander Casey, the Chief Science Officer."

As the waiter walked away, Teixeira changed the subject. "Got any advice for someone new to the Black Hawk? You've been here longer than I have."

"Trust the Captain, trust the crew. This is a good crew. They stick together. Give them your trust, and show them that they can trust you in return, and they'll always bring you home."

Opting not to reply right away, Teixeira picked up his caipirinha and took a long drink, mulling over Bast's words. Setting his drink on the table, though his hand still gripped the glass, he finally said, "Thank you, Commander. I'll keep that in mind."

"Any time," replied Bast.

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