Lifting Spirits

Posted on Thu Jul 27th, 2023 @ 10:34pm by Lieutenant Michaela Holland & Captain Charlotte Rhodes

4,838 words; about a 24 minute read

Mission: Episode 1S: Shore Leave
Location: Bridge
Timeline: During Shore Leave

Lieutenant Michaela Holland strode through the corridors of the Defiant like she owned the place. In a way, she did. Or at least, in her own way, she thought she did. She knew that her responsibility for the ship was not the same thing, of course, but aboard this new posting, the list of people who could dictate where she went and what she did aboard Defiant had shrunk much smaller. There was a sense of ownership in that.

The new chief engineer was doing her best to not let that go to her head. Not that she had a problem with that sort of thing, but she'd met her share of people in Starfleet who did. She did not want to become that kind of officer, with overinflated opinions of herself. No, Michaela's indiscretions manifested in other areas, and were usually much easier to spot.

A case in point came when Michaela crossed paths with a junior officer while she was on her way to the bridge. The younger woman wearing sciences teal missed a step, expression agog for a fraction of a second as they passed. Michaela didn't even need to turn as she kept on to know that the woman had probably turned her head to watch her go. That expression had spoken volumes, some good, and some bad.

Michaela's particular indiscretion was that when it came to style, she just really didn't care. And some days it seemed that when it came to uniform dress codes, she cared even less. Every engineer had their own kit, depending on what kind of work they did on the ship, and like any other department those ranged anywhere from formal, to casual, to utility. Michaela just kind of mashed all three together at once. A former colleague had best described her preferred style as 'Admiral's secretary meets hazard response team,’ which was fairly accurate.

Michaela almost always wore the older short-sleeve duty minidress, paired with black tights and boots that were usually not regulation. That style in itself was hardly unique, as there were many in Starfleet who preferred the same look. What made Michaela stand out were the other accessories she threw in to satisfy either form or function. Black compression sleeves with a bit of padding over her elbows helped for crawling through Jeffries' tubes. Matching black fingerless gloves featured magnetic strips to help her from fumbling various hand tools, small parts and fasteners. A gaudy wrist chrono/sensor helped her stay on schedule, and made her aware of hazardous environments, in case the ship's sensors decided not to. Last but not least were her safety goggles, held in place by a minimalist harness that struggled to maintain an uneasy truce with her messy, braided bun of hair. The goggles made her look like a secret agent in the up position, and a mad scientist when lowered into place over her eyes.

A tool belt would have ruined the shape of her dress, so instead the engineer carried her small set of custom tools in a small satchel, worn cross-body like an oversize purse. The tools were made of high end lightweight materials, but the whole bundle of them added enough weight to unbalance Michaela's natural gait. This, combined with the high heeled boots on her feet, required an active state of mindful compensation that refined her would-be goofy strut into a more tolerable arrogant sashay.

Reaching the desired turbolift, Michaela entered and moved to lean against the back bulkhead. She passed the time by casually perusing the details of her new assignment on her work tablet for the tenth time. As she did, the engineer was reminded of the officer's reaction in the corridor, and what that might mean for her aboard this new ship. Michaela had not asked around about her new commanding officer, as she was mistrustful of second-hand accounts and gossip. The woman she'd passed a moment ago, her momentary expression had told her far more. Dread, hope and envy. Those were the emotions Michaela thought she had seen... not that she was an expert or anything. Dread meant she was probably going to catch hell for not fitting in. Hope suggested that maybe there were enough quirky people aboard already for her to get a pass. As for envy, well... some people just needed to open up and live a little.

As the lift rocketed its way toward the bridge, it suddenly slowed prematurely. On the lift's display, the destination, 'Deck 4, Circulation Lobby' lit up.

Michaela glanced up at the display only momentarily before returning her attention to her tablet. Some days she could be quite outgoing and would've eagerly awaited the chance to chat up someone in the turbolift, but with this being her first day aboard Defiant, she was feeling a bit hyper-focused on the Defiant, and her upcoming meeting with its captain. With that in mind, she did little more than adjust her stance a bit so that she was projecting just the right kind of relaxed pose.

The turbolift doors hissed open and, standing a mere 2 feet away in full dress uniform, was Captain Charlotte Rhodes, Commanding Officer of the USS Defiant. Looking up from a datapad she seemed entirely engrossed in, she noticed the lift's occupant. A momentary sweep of the eye picked out the many unusual stylistic choices of the woman standing in the lift. Rhodes paused for a second, before a look of recognition spread across her face. An amused smile followed it a second later. "You must be Lieutenant Holland, our new Chief Engineer."

Michaela glanced up from her tablet, and found another pair of eyes doing the same kind of upward glance. Their eyes locked for an awkward moment before hers too made a brief sweep of appraisal. Spotting the captain's bars on the other woman's shoulders instinctively straightened out her relaxed lean, though it was not the sort of instantaneous shift to attention that one would see in a more disciplined officer.

Michaela's own look of recognition was not followed with an amused smile, however. If anything, there was a momentary flash of awe. The woman before her had to be Captain Rhodes. She was taller, toned, and looked tough... yet still very pretty. There was a brief moment of envy where Michaela wanted to be her. Even in high heels she still couldn't quite meet her eye to eye. That flash of envy was gone as quick as it came, however. She was constantly reminding herself not to compare herself to others. She'd been doing that her whole life and nothing good ever came of it.

"At your service, Captain." Michaela said with a sly smile. It pleased her when people could pick her out of a crowd. Even if she was the only one there it still made her feel memorable. As she spoke she performed a slight flourishing bow, with a hint of a curtsy as she plucked out the hem of her skirt on the side where it wasn't pinned down by her satchel.

"Defiant is a lovely ship." The engineer added as she straightened up into a loose semblance of attention. Not only was it larger and more modern than the other ships she'd served on, but it had a more pleasing decor, with new textures and color combinations.

"I like to think so. I know I'm biased, but I'm rather fond of her. I suppose I'll be relying on you to keep her lovely though," Rhodes said, looking around lovingly at the vessel. Defiant might still be only a few months old, but in that time Charlotte had developed a deep appreciation for the craft. "Mind if I join you?"

"No, ma'am." Michaela shook her head and stepped aside to give her captain some room, as she'd been standing near the middle of the lift. She was about to explain that she was actually on her way to report in to her, but the captain's dress uniform stole her attention. Michaela had noticed that she'd been wearing it before, but hadn't thought much of it. There were many reasons for wearing a dress uniform, especially for starship captains. But then she realized that she'd seen several other crew members in formal attire as well. Was that why that other officer had been staring googly eyed at her? Was there something going on? Or did Captain Rhodes like the run a formal ship? Crap.

Charlotte stepped into the lift, indicating for it to continue it's journey to the bridge. Michaela must have been heading there already. "Please don't mind the get up. It's for our XO's wedding ceremony. I assure you these dress stripes only come out when necessary."

Michaela almost breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't really dislike her dress uniform, but it wasn't really her style. And she'd only had to wear it four times, in as many years of service. It didn't fit as well as her duty dresses, which had taken the lion's share of her personal resource allowance to get them to fit just right.

"They suit you, ma'am." Michaela said, then regretting the words as soon as they'd left her mouth. It was an honest compliment, but she didn't want it taken the wrong way. The engineer wasn't the sycophantic type, and she wasn't really looking to be a flirt. The problem with having a Starfleet captain for a father meant that she wasn't really as guarded around them as she ought to be.

"Should I be changing, ma'am? Or is it an invite-only event?" Michaela quickly added, hoping the added questions would keep Rhodes from wondering why her new chief engineer was already complimenting her on how she looked in uniform.

Charlotte's brow furrowed. "You know, that's a great question. I'm not entirely sure how many people they want present. I'll let you know later today if I can get ahold of either of them," she said, making a mental note to check in as soon as she could. "So have you been aboard long?"

Michaela nodded. She did not mind either way. She didn't yet know the couple, so there was certainly no reason to be offended if she wasn't invited. But it would be a nice opportunity to get to know other people in a more festive environment. In either event, she would be sure to check in on engineering, and make sure that the ones not taking shore leave would have an opportunity to go, in case they did know the happy couple.

"No ma'am. about ten minutes. I checked in at the security checkpoint, then got my cabin assignment. The quartermaster's aide was kind enough to take my bag and drop it off. I could go for a decent meal, but I'm otherwise ready for tasking. Figured I'd check in with you first." Michaela shrugged. Some of her father's advice for her was to fight the urge to always impress the captain. Just be direct with them, and let them know what you had planned, before asking for... or letting them load you up with a to-do list.

"Take your time settling in, Lieutenant. We're docked at the station for leave for a bit. No need to rush into it," Rhodes said. She moved to lean against the wall of the lift, but the door opened to the bridge and she found herself awkwardly shifting back to her feet. The damn dress uniform felt so confining sometimes. It was amazing how she felt incredibly at home in her duty uniform, but felt oddly out of place in dress stripes. "From what I saw of your record you haven't really been out this far...well, ever. If you don't mind my asking, why the frontier?"

Michaela nodded as the captain told her to take her time. She'd intended to say something, but as soon as her mouth opened the turbolift doors parted, revealing the bridge. She nearly sighed. There were times when it was good that they were so fast, like when the ship was at red alert, or if she was running late for a shift, but for those times when she wanted to take half a load off and enjoy a semi-informal chat.... they always felt faster.

The engineer couldn't help noticing Rhodes almost imperceptible tug at her uniform, and she knew exactly what the captain was feeling. It seemed she hadn't invested enough of her personal resource allowance into a proper fitted template for her dress uniform either. Maybe this posting wouldn't be so bad.

As they prepared to exit the turbolift Michaela hesitated in answering the captain's question. Delivering a report in a public setting was one thing, but answering questions of a more personal nature within earshot of the bridge crew was not something she was as comfortable with, even if it was only a minimally staffed bridge. Granted, the question may not have been personal for another officer, but it was to her.

"I wanted to do something different." Michaela said with a shrug. "I'm fourth generation Starfleet, but none of my folks ever spent more than a month or two outside of the core sectors at a time." That was the truth, but it was really only half of it. Her father had built a solid career off working his way up the chain on a diplomatic courier. Her grandfather had done the same as an engineer, topping it as XO of a 'Quad-R' rapid-response repair & recovery vessel. Her great grandfather had been a helm officer in the Earth-Romulan War. He had at least lived to see her graduate from the academy, but she knew that none of them expected much in the way of great things from her. She didn't know why... she just seemed to lack some invisible quality that they all saw in one another (and her older sister), but not her. Michaela saw the frontier as her only redeemer. Even if she screwed up, she might still be able to claim to have done and seen things that none of them could relate to.

The Captain nodded as she listened. She could certainly understand how expectations in a legacy family could feel trapping. Her own family dynamic was...different. But she was familiar with the type. Michaela's discomfort was noticeable, though contained. Suppose I can't blame that on the dress uniform, Rhodes thought to herself. With a very subtle gesture to the Comms officer, Rhodes communicate a fairly concise message for the bridge crew to make themselves scares. The Captain wanted the bridge. As they shuffled out in as smooth a way as they could, Charlotte strolled around the bridge loop, speaking a bit louder now as she leaned over the railing. "I'd recommend you watch out for that science officer, Lt. Subat. Don't let that Vulcan demeanor fool you. He's a consummate gossip."

Michaela was surprised when the captain cleared the bridge. She'd never seen that done before. But then again, she was usually the first one off the ship once it reached port, and that was probably one of the few, if only times it was likely to happen. She made room as she exited the turbolift, making subtle appraisals of some of her new crewmates.

The now-quieter bridge made Michaela the dominant feature, if only for the moments that she was moving, as the clitter-clatter of her heeled boots against the smooth deck plating was hard to ignore without other distractions. When Charlotte warned her about Subat she didn't say anything at first, as she was unsure if there was sarcasm in her voice, if the mild concern was genuine. Sometimes expressions said more, and Michaela's mixture of surprise, skepticism and mild amusement seemed to do the trick as she took position at the engineering console.

"I think I can understand where you're coming from though. Families can be...difficult. Some have decades long Starfleet legacies. My mom's side has a few. And some, like my father, decide they'd rather be interstellar criminals. Turns out being an idealistic Starfleet Officer can be quite the form of rebellion in the right circumstances," Charlotte added with a laugh. "Personally, I like the freedom out here. I still am part of a larger organization, but there's not enough redundancies to let everyone be a critic. You have to find your way on your own and you get judged by your actions, not people's preconceptions."

Michaela understood that Charlotte could relate, if not in the same way. She had her family name to live up to, while her captain had a reputation to live down. Both were each confining in their own ways, though the engineer was not oblivious to the notion that her own might have come with the added benefit of a few opened doors.

"I was the first to actually grow up on a ship." Michaela replied as she ran a quick diagnostic, to see how many errors and issues had been piling up in the computer while the majority of the crew was away. "Aside from a couple of months here and there on starbases during the more dangerous missions, and of course my time at the academy, well.... its all I've ever known." In most cases children were still not allowed aboard Starfleet ships, but diplomatic courier ships like her father's, that didn't venture too far out of the core systems were among the few that did allow families.

"I'm very comfortable here, aboard a ship. I think there were a lot of things I had to deal with, or figure out long before I got to put on the uniform. Sometimes I think they mistake that for being too cavalier." Michaela said with a shrug. Some people might point out that wearing a minidress and high heels to work in engineering suggested otherwise, They just didn't know that the heels were adjustable, and could collapse down to a more manageable height that was almost within regulation. As for the dress, who wouldn't want to look good on the job? Whenever she thought about the uniform her great-grandfather's Starfleet wore--utility coveralls--the thought of wearing that all day, every day never failed to make her shudder.

Rhodes nodded as she took in the Engineer's words. "I hope you'll find my command style to be a little...looser than some. Command certainly has from time to time. I try to avoid being bogged down in things governing decorum or hierarchy. The organization has rules and regulations for a reason, so I'm not endorsing any sort of brazen disregard for them. But I think people occasionally forget the real reasons for those regulations. And the fact that officers are, first and foremost, people," Charlotte said, before shrugging. "I think its a combination of the cavalier attitude that comes with being a pilot and the anti-militant views of being a scientist. But at the end of the day, I want my crew to feel at home. Starfleet, Defiant, the stars. They're more than just a job. They are the things we all devote our lives too. So things like having family close, or even onboard when possible, or having a slightly off-standard uniform for example..." Rhodes added with a playful nod. "...aren't going to be things you find me making a big deal about. Do you job well, watch out of the ship and her crew, and you'll be good in my book."

Michaela could've hugged Charlotte. Not that she was in the habit of hugging people she'd just met, or superior officers, for that matter, but it was a relief to basically hear outright that her captain preferred to run a more 'business casual' kind of ship. There was a slightly audible sigh of relief, but the engineer still couldn't wonder that even though she'd seen the carrot, she might still have to be on the lookout for the stick. Captain Rhodes could be more lax than most when it came to uniform dress code regulations, but that didn't mean she wouldn't be a tyrant when it came to performance and results.

"I won't let you down, Captain." Michaela replied when Rhodes finished speaking. She'd struck a brief poster-girl pose when the other woman commented on her style, but was otherwise subtly working as they conversed. None of the reports were particularly interesting, what with the ship more or less dormant, but there were loads of minor alerts piling up. Thousands of them. The vast majority of them could be resolved with only a handful of console commands but without the hands on deck to deal with them they piled up, waiting. Curious, Michaela sorted through the list of recommended tasks, and visibly stiffened when she saw the two she least wanted to see featured prominently on the list.

Recommended Tasks
-Matter/Antimatter Intermix Chamber Inspection
[last inspection: n/a]
-Impulse Fusion Reactor Coolant Chamber Inspection
[last inspection: n/a]


Michaela's expression visibly glitched.

The Captain caught a glance over her shoulder at the pad, before stiffening herself. If Brull hadn't just exited the ship a few days earlier, Rhodes might have tracked her herself. Instead, she let out an uncomfortable laugh. "Funny story about that. We had to leave spacedock with an interim Engineer. Lt. Brull was a...fascinatingly belligerent woman even on Tellarite standards. She didn't exactly like a few of the situations I took Defiant into, and made it increasingly known. At a certain point, I stopped asking for updates until we could drop her off at dock. It seems I foolishly assumed that said aggression meant Engineering was being kept in order."

Michaela blinked as half her mind was registering what had been said, while the other half was starting to brim with mounting dread. "I... uhh..." She stammered for a brief moment, before literally shaking her head clear of things. "It's okay, Defiant technically isn't due for either yet, if it's as new as the registry states. I just rose up as a reactor tech, and it was drilled in us that whenever the ship was docked in home port, you get those inspections done." And as a reactor tech, she could understand why they weren't getting done. Few reactor deck trolls, as they were sometimes called, would volunteer to perform them, and certainly not without explicit orders from on high. Potentially having to explain to the captain that her ship was stuck in port for the next two days due to routine inspections was not a risk any career-minded engineer wanted to undertake.

"It takes three days to get those inspections done comfortably, with about twelve hours of actual labor sandwiched in the middle. Uncomfortably, they can be done in just over a day." Michaela shrugged. Technically they could be done in as little as eight hours if the safety protocols were tossed, but there was a guaranteed risk of radiation exposure, and an unacceptably high risk of someone getting injured or killed. She was certainly not going to volunteer that option unless the situation actually called for it.

"Take your time and get it done right. We've got wedding festivities over the next several days that will keep everyone busy, not to mention a few diplomatic meetings with some travelers we rescued before heading back to port," Charlotte said, as she looked around the bridge. "If it's any consolation, I've become very accustomed to the feel of this ship. I find her little sounds and vibrations surprisingly soothing. And it all feels just fine. She's a new ship, and though she's been in a few tight fixes, she's not been through the ringer quite yet. So other than a lack of inspections, things should be largely in order."

Michaela nodded, she could understand what that felt like. "My first posting was a Kelvin-type, already over fifty years old by the time I stepped foot aboard. I guess I drew short-straw, as the starboard-facing bulkhead of my cabin was seamed right against the base of the mount for the ship's only warp nacelle, Back when they thought mounting them onto the saucer section might be a good idea. I had to wear a mouth guard and ear plugs when I slept, as the constant vibrations made my teeth chatter, and any course correction made the walls buckle and squeal." By the look on Michaela's face, those were not entirely fond memories.

"Still felt the vibrations even a month after I left the ship. Then when they did finally fade, I couldn't sleep for three weeks. It was too quiet."

The Captain let out of soft laugh. "My previous posting was an equally old Walker-class. I loved her, but the Maui felt about ready to fly apart at the seems at the slightest provocation. Every time she took a hit, I flinched a bit inside wondering if that was going to be the one. She had charm though." Rhodes turned to her. "Speaking of which, you've gotten yourself quarters right?"

Michaela swallowed back a bit of apprehension as the captain talked about old scrapes. She had never really been aboard a ship in a combat situation. Not a serious one, anyway. Her father's ship, the Daedalus, had been sent in a diplomatic capacity to deescalate hostile situations, and had broken up its share of fights. But none of those warring parties had wanted to risk angering the Federation by firing on one of its ships, even if it had positioned itself right in front of their targeting sensors. Aside from a few warning shots, Michaela had never witnessed real danger, or had to contend with real damage control. Thankfully the captain was quick to move the discussion back onto a more mundane track, before Michaela's apprehensions could show through.

"I do have a cabin assignment on here somewhere..." Michaela said with a nod, waving the small datapad that had been given to her upon coming aboard. "Haven't paid a visit yet though." The engineer was looking forward to visiting her quarters just a little bit. Maybe more than a little, but she thought she was hiding it well. She was assuming that as a department head she would have her own cabin, and if that was true it would be a first for her.

"Well once you've run whatever diagnostics you need to, get yourself settled in. There's always more work tomorrow, but there's never another first day aboard. Give yourself a moment to enjoy it," Charlotte replied.

Michaela nodded, looking both hopeful and a little anxious. It was sound advice. She should take the day to settle in, explore a little, then relax. She'd been in such a rush wanting to make sure she made the rendezvous with Defiant that she hadn't been doing much of anything enjoyable. The work would still be there waiting for her, and it could wait one more day.

But it was really hard, trying to relax with so many tasks lurking about. And there was also the self awareness that Michaela was naturally quite lazy, and procrastination had always been a slippery slope for her. It had been especially hard finding and maintaining a healthy, productive work/life balance during her academy years, and Michaela was always afraid that if she let her hair down even a bit, she might revert back to what she'd been like as a first year cadet. She almost visibly shuddered at that.

"I will, thank you, Captain." Michaela promised, brightening a bit after her moment of introspection. If she was going to start off her new assignment doing reactor inspections, maybe she should head to the starbase to seek out a spa. A nice soak and a massage would surely help get her into the right head space for the work to come.

"I'll leave you to it then, Lieutenant. In the mean time, I have a very grumpy Ambassador I need to apologize to for...well I need to review exactly what I'm supposed to apologize for," Rhodes said, looking reluctantly at the door to her ready room.

"Oh.... ok." Michaela said, her demeanor still buoyantly cheerful from meeting her new, rather pleasant commanding officer. Her reply trailed off with a hint of a nervous laugh though, not knowing whether Rhodes was joking with her, or if things were indeed about to get a lot more awkward. The fact that the captain had dismissed the rest of the bridge officers did not bode well it just being a bit of humor, and Michaela came to the sudden realization that their rather pleasant interaction may just have been a delaying tactic to put off one that would be decidedly less pleasant.

In any event, the engineer was fleet-wise enough to read between the lines. Best scurry on. Rhodes had all but told her. So she did. "Good luck, ma'am, it was nice meeting you!" Michaela said as she scurried back to the turbolift with as much finesse as her boots would allow.

 

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