Getting Noticed

Posted on Thu Mar 17th, 2011 @ 10:33am by Vice Admiral Iluvar & Ensign Matthew Lessly

Mission: Episode 2.1 - "Unanswered Questions"
Location: Mess Hall, USS Pandora
Timeline: Shoreleave 01, 1208

ON: [[Mess Hall, USS Pandora, Shoreleave 01, 1208]]

Matt walked down the hall towards the officers mess. After spending some time helping to clean out the CSO's office, he had run into Sonya and the two spoke about who they thought might be the new CSO, and then he finally had gotten around to starting the simulations he had planned to start earlier that morning. All the information and equations had been plugged in, and the computer was processing it, which meant he had time to grab a bite to eat.

"Good afternoon, ensign," Iluvar said, having approached from behind. Hoping to rid himself of the residual stress from his meeting with Captain Maxwell earlier that morning, he had taken to walking the ship’s corridors when he'd noticed the young science officer a short distance ahead of him. He hadn’t exactly had the opportunity to get to know some of the newer members of the Pandora’s crew as of late and now seemed like as good a time as any to remedy that.

Looking behind him to see who it was that said good morning to him, Matt started saying "Good afternoon..." but trailed off slightly as he realized who it was coming up to him, "... Sir." he said, in a slightly more hushed tone than he had begun with.

Iluvar could tell that the younger man was slightly apprehensive about being addressed by the ship's commanding officer, especially when this was the first time the two of them had really spoken outside of duty hours. It was yet another sign that Iluvar had allowed himself to become too distant from his crew over the past few months. "It's not crunch time yet, Mister Lessly," he said with a bit of a smile, "I'll let you know when."

Matt gave a quick smile and a half laugh, worried that the captain had specifically tracked him down for some reason. "Thank you, Sir." he responded.

Making sure that the Captain had time to catch up, Matt bit his lip subtly, trying to think of what he could say that would make him look personable, but not embarrass himself in the process. He finally decided on inviting the captain to join him, even though he knew the captain likely had more important matters to attend to than having a bite to eat with an ensign from the science department. "I was..." he started, but paused to make sure he actually wanted to say it, "I was just heading to the mess hall for a quick lunch. Would you care to join me?"

"I would, thank you," Iluvar replied. There wasn't anything immediately demanding his attention, now that they had turned over everything related to their investigation, and Oliver (NPC) would certainly have things well in hand by the time he returned. Besides, joining the ensign for lunch would give him an opportunity to get to know the younger man a little better.

Matt swallowed back his surprise and smiled as the two walked up to the double doors leading to the mess hall. The two entered in relative silence and they both walked up to the replicators.

A small tray containing Iluvar's order materialized in the replicator slot and he lifted it carefully out with a steady hand. Turning away from the replicator, he asked, "Have you been enjoying your time aboard the Pandora so far?"

Matt nodded slowly. "It's been an interesting experience so far, Sir. Most of what' I've done in the past has been astrological, so working on the hull fragments was a nice change of pace."

"Someone once told me that everyone needs a little frustration in their lives," Iluvar said as he lowered himself into an open chair and placed his tray on the table before him, "its what helps us to grow and learn. Nothing spurns frustration better than a good mystery." He slowly unfolded his napkin and laid it out across one leg. The salad on his tray might not have looked like much, but it was what he was feeling in the mood for. "Settling in well with the rest of the department then, I take it," he asked casually.

Matt, who sat down shortly after the captain, with a decent sized bowl of cheddar cheese soup, nodded. "Everyone has been very welcoming. Being on a ship again is nice... people get closer to each other than they do on a starbase, or research outpost."

"Yes, I suppose they do," Iluvar said, nodding in agreement, "I actually served aboard one of the deep space stations for a few years. It certainly had a different atmosphere than being part of a starship crew, but I think there were some things you got from being part of a larger community that you didn't get from being aboard ship." Every assignment had its own little quirks that made it unique or different from another, but it could be generally said that there was a considerable difference between serving aboard a starship and serving aboard a fixed installation. Then again, he thought to himself, Deep Space Twelve isn't exactly what most would consider a "normal" station assignment.

"Oh really?" Matt asked, knowing that Iluvar had spent a substantial amount of time in the Briar Patch left him with a pretty good idea of where the captain was talking about, but wanted to hear it to make sure. After all, that much time in the patch meant that he could have been on one of Starfleet's 'deep briar dive' missions.

A small smile tugged at the corner's of Iluvar's mouth. "Really," he replied, "I was stationed in and around the Briar Patch for quite a few years. With Deep Space Twelve being the base of operations for the region, I'd say I've had my fair share of station experience." He paused to take another bite of his salad, chew the leafy morsel, and swallow before continuing. "What about yourself," he asked, "where have you been stationed?"

"I was stationed at Starfleet Headquarters for a little while after graduation to prepare for a stint as a mission specialist." Matt said, taking a quick break to have some soup before continuing. "Then I was sent to the Frontier for a few months and when it returned from it's mission I spent some time at the Cochrane Research Base. From there I transferred here."

Iluvar nodded slowly. It certainly sounded as if the young man had been given several opportunities for diverse experience in just a few short years of graduating the academy. The Pandora was in need of a new chief science officer now that Lieutenant JG Niala Rylen (NPC) had been re-assigned. "Would you be interested in a more supervisory position," Iluvar asked casually, hoping to see what sort of reaction Lessly might have to the idea.

Almost choking on his soup, Matt gagged slightly and blushed of embarrassment. Looking around at the people who were staring at him, Matt gave a slight smile in an attempt to make them look away. Then, after a moment of silence, Matt looked back at Iluvar. "Wha..." he began, but had to clear his throat from some soup. "What exactly do you mean by 'supervisory position,' Sir?" he said, pushing the soup bowl away slightly.

"Well, as I'm sure you are aware, Lieutenant Rylen has received a transfer to another assignment leaving us with a current need for a Chief Science Officer," he explained slowly, "you wouldn't happen to know of any qualified candidates, would you?" There was a twinkle in Iluvar's eye as he watched the younger man's reaction. As frustrated as he had been with Captain Maxwell during his meeting earlier that morning, taking some time to sit down with a member of his crew was certainly helping to improve his mood.

Matt stared at Iluvar for a moment, trying to figure something out. "Surely Sonya... Ensign Masterson would be next in line for the position, wouldn't she?"

"Funny you should mention Ensign Masterson," Iluvar said with a twinkle in his eye, "Miss Masterson has served for quite some time under my command and I am certain that she is most capable of fulfilling the duties of chief science officer, but she seems to be content continuing to serve in her current position. It was actually she who recommended you for consideration..."

Matt blinked a couple times and ran the idea through his head to make sure he heard it correctly. He and Sonya had gotten along well since he had come aboard but he never knew that she thought so highly of him as to suggest him as Chief Science Officer. "I'd hate to disappoint Sonya, Sir. So as long as you're sure you want me there, I'd be honored to fill the position."

OFF

A JP by:

Captain Iluvar
Commanding Officer
USS Pandora

and

Ensign Matthew Lessly
Chief Science Officer
USS Pandora