Langston Meets the XO (Backpost)

Posted on 17 Jul 2016 @ 3:07am by Commander Thiago Teixeira & Lieutenant JG Felix Langston

1,194 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Risky Business
Location: Teixeira's Quarters
Timeline: MD 1 - 1500 hours

Lt. Langston left Captain Geisler's ready room more confident about his post. Even though the mission seemed dire, he felt an excitement running through his veins that he could barely contain. He looked past the officer manning the CONN and at the console itself. Soon, he thought to himself. He tucked the PADD under his arm and walked to the turbo lift. The doors whooshed open and Felix looked down at his PADD at the next item on his to-do list: meet the XO and grab your duty assignments for your helmsmen. There was a note by the item: "XO is CMDR Thiago Teixeira, new posting."

Another new guy, Felix thought. So I'm not the only one.

He reached out and pressed the panel next to the door. The door chime rang.

"Entrar," Thiago called out in response to the door announcer. At the sound of the doors sliding open, he looked up at a young officer he didn't recognize. "Yes?"

Felix stepped inside the quarters and briefly took note of his surroundings. He saw the commander sitting at his desk. He walked up and presented himself. He quickly looked down at his PADD to check the pronunciation. "Commander Tay-shay-ee-ra," he said deliberately, "Lieutenant Felix Langston, Chief Flight Control Officer. I'm here to pick up the duty assignments and meet the new XO." He politely held out his hand and gave a half-smile. "I hope I'm getting the pronunciation right," he said.

"Ah," Thiago replied, motioning for the newcomer to have a seat. "Close. Tay-shay-ra," he said slowly. "You'll get it soon enough, Lieutenant. Welcome to the Black Hawk."

"Thank you, sir," Felix said as he sat down. "Looks like we're both new guys here. I'm guessing by that pronunciation and the accent that you're from Brazil."

"Sim," he replied, nodding. "I find it helpful to know the crew on a personal level. Makes it easier for me to do my job. So, Lieutenant, tell me about yourself."

"Sure thing, Commander," Felix said while exhaling a little bit. "I'm a Starfleet kid, third generation officer. My grandmother Etta is a retired Vice Admiral and my father Remy is also a vice admiral. He's with Starfleet Command operating near Bajor on the USS Halcyon." Felix took a pause to clear his throat.

He continued, "As for me, I've been flying for Starfleet for almost five years now. I started as a member of Red Squadron, helmsman onboard the USS Talon, then I graduated and took a post onboard the USS Peregrine as shuttle pilot and relief helmsman. We took a lot of fire chasing pirates and criminals in the Beta Quadrant. I then transferred the Deep Space 4 so I could get a relatively quiet post and keep tabs on my younger siblings. Up 'til last year, I was a CONN officer aboard the Sacagawea and helmed the ship under Captain Tovrel."

Thiago smiled as he chuckled slightly to himself. Like so many young officers, the new helmsman seemed eager. And a bit excitable. He remembered his days as a young officer fondly. "Actually, Lieutenant, I was hoping for something that might not be in your Starfleet file. Favorite food. Preferred recreation activity. Dream vacation destination. That sort of thing."

"Oh," Felix said, snapping out of his "on-duty" mindset. The last XO didn't much care for talk like this, he thought. It was always, "get your postings and get out."

"Well," Felix said, "my aunt Imogen has a restaurant in New Orleans, where I'm from. She makes the best shrimp-n-grits this side of the Mississippi. I like all kinds of Creole food too. Then again, there's not much food I don't like, I just don't like stuff wiggling on my plate like the Klingons do."

Felix went on. "As far as recreation goes, I'm a boxer. I haven't fought anyone since my Academy days, but I still train on the holosuites and rec decks. My sibs and I used to go down to Gulf Shores with our family on vacations back on earth. My dream spot would be somewhere warm, possibly tropical..."

He trailed off as he thought of the time he almost went to Risa. He exhaled slowly as he tried not to think of that fateful day. Flashes of memories rushed back in, he fought them back as he miraculously kept his composure.

"Yeah, somewhere tropical is nice," Felix said. "Can I ask you about yourself?"

Teixeira chuckled again. "Do you always take things so literally, Lieutenant?"

"Sorry, sir," Felix said. "I'm just not used to having an XO ask me about my life like this. My last one was pretty much all business. He wanted concise, to the point answers about everything."

"To answer your question, or rather my questions to you," he joked, "I will eat just about anything. But I do have a soft spot for fresh, grilled pineapple. And desserts are always good. So good that I have to spend more than a little time working off the goodness. Running and cycling are a big part of my fitness routine, but my favorite is capoeira."

"I grew up in Brasil. I miss it a lot. I'd love to get back to visit." He shot a mischievous smile at Langston. "But Risa has a lot going for it. Draylax isn't so bad either."

Felix nodded. "I'll have to check those out one of these days," he said. "I've never been to Brazil."

"So many beautiful things to see in Brasil. Iguaçu Falls, the beaches, Pão de Açúcar in Rio, the Amazon." He smiled. "The people."

"I've seen some of the vids," Felix said, shuffling in his seat and chuckling a bit. "People do look spectacular down there. Is there something in the water?"

"Do you have the duty schedules for the CONN department?" Felix asked.

"You're the department head, Lieutenant. You do the duty schedule for your department," Teixeira replied. "Once you've completed it, submit it to me for review. Welcome to paperwork, Lieutenant."

"Oh boy," Felix said softly while putting a hand to his forehead and gently rubbing it. "Well, do you have a roster of all the helmsmen in the department?"

Thiago picked up a PADD from his desk, tapped a few controls to access the proper information, and handed the device to Langston. "It's a small group, Flight Control. Eleven people total. Seven officers, four enlisted. If you look at the list, you'll see that there are four conn officers. The rest are assigned as small-craft pilots. If you want my advice, work the shuttle pilots into the bridge rotation, assuming, of course, they are properly rated."

"Got it," Felix said as he looked at the PADD. "I'll bring them in to have a one-on-one talk with them before we hit the nebula. I'll also make sure our shuttle pilots are helm-ready." He rose from his seat. "Is there anything else you need from me?" he asked, clutching the new PADD as well as his personal one.

Thiago shook his head. "Dismissed, Lieutenant."

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