Our Forst Pick

Posted on Fri Mar 22nd, 2024 @ 6:52pm by Captain Malcom Llwyedd & Lieutenant Phoebe Baxter & Lieutenant JG Randolf Forst

1,106 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Prelude to Rebirth
Location: Science Labs
Timeline: 07 June, 2396- 0800 Hours

[ON]

Randolf had just settled into the lab for the morning. Puffer and Fish, the two Carnean voles were being prepped for the first set of experiments. Puffer would be the control staying in the labs while Fish would be placed in a pod on the hull of the ship. The pod was fully designed and the larger scale replicator had been fed the designs and would start the construction on the next cycle for increased power draw.

He was now sitting at his desk writing up the first set of notes for the beginning of the experiment. He was hoping that he would be able to get the pod set up by the end of the day.

"Hey there, Mr. Forst!"

The friendly greeting came from Phoebe Baxter, Firebird's Chief Science Officer. She had entered the lab and strolled over to the voles to take a closer look. "How are your volunteers doing today?"

Randolf nodded and tapped at the Padd he was looking at for a moment and then registered who was speaking. He snapped his head up and turned to face the Lieutenant.

"Lieutenant Baxter. The Voles ... volunteers are well thank you." He thought that this was a joke, but he hadn't interacted with Phoebe often enough to really know yet. He also offered the PADD he was working on in her direction if she cared to peruse it.

She accepted the PADD and began to review his work. "Good to hear. How about you?" Phoebe didn't look up, but she was listening intently while she read. "How are you finding your new ship?"

"I am liking it so far. The crew is nice, and the accommodations are excellent as Starfleet accommodations go. And these science labs are some of the best that I have had the pleasure of working in." Randolf tapped out a brief command to lock in the most recent measurements on Puffer. The voles were performing well thus far, but the bulk of the experiment was about to start.

"I was about to deploy Fish to his pod on the exterior of the ship, would you like to accompany me?"

"Yes, I would!" she said, returning the PADD to his workstation. "Great methodology, by the way. Taking into account what I read in your file, and what I've observed since you've been here, I find your precision to be commendable."

Randolf turned to pick up Fish’s pod and tried to stifle a smile as he turned back to his new Commanding Officer.

“Thank you, Lieutenant. I do try to be as thorough as I can be.” He turned and started walking for the Turbolift, Fish’s pod was to be placed on the exterior of the ship in a specific place that Engineering had set up for him. It was a short spacewalk and nothing too taxing, but it was still going outside the ship which was an infrequent occurrence in his line of work.

Phoebe kept pace beside him. "How do you feel on the bridge? Here, or you know, from your time on the Charleston?" Her expression was a friendly as ever, but her gaze did focus a bit in anticipation of his response.

Randolf shifted the pod to his other arm before replying.

“I haven’t really spent any time on the bridge. Aside from a few graveyard shifts to fill in for someone here and there. Although I understand why science officers are needed on the bridge, I have always been more comfortable in a lab setting.”

He internally shuddered remembering the last time that he had gone on an away mission. It hadn’t been disastrous by any stretch, but it had been a less than good experience.

Phoebe nodded. "That's understandable, but given the size of our science team, I want to make sure all of us feel comfortable on the bridge when needed. I'll schedule us some holodeck time so we can run a few simulations."

They arrived at the Turbolift and stepped inside. "Deck 1," she instructed, stepping back to allow room for Forst and Fish. "How about projects you've been in charge of? Can you share some of your experiences as team lead?"

Randolf shuffled Fish's pod again. He had kind of forgotten how heavy he was.

"I led a small group on a project on the Charleston with a few team members. The Chief Science Officer there had a plan for a multi-step cellular project that required a rather complex set of steps. I organized the various different teams over the duty shift to make sure that the project worked."

Randolf felt like there was something that the Lieutenant was driving at, but he had quite figured out what it was.

"Can I ask Lieutenant ..." He trailed off for a moment worried that he was going to be offensive.

"I hope this isn't offensive, but is there a reason you're asking?"

"There is," Phoebe nodded. "The fact is, even though we aren't a science vessel, we've got a lot going on in our department. I need an Assistant Chief Science Officer, and after reviewing all of the candidates, I think you are the right one for the job."

Stepping out into the corridor on Deck 1, she continued. "Now, the thing is, I realize most of your experience has been in the lab. But that's what I need most from my assistant department head - someone I can count on to keep the work going while I deal with briefings and admin stuff and away teams and diplomatic functions. I will get you comfortable on the bridge if you ever need to take my place there, but I think you'll do better at that station than you're giving yourself credit for. What do you say?"

He walked ahead to the Cargo Bay. Placing Fish's container into the tube that had been prepared for this task. Checking the restraints and the various different sensors on the pod before turning to Phoebe.

"I am honored." He turned back to the pod and triple-checked everything. If this part went wrong Fish would end up flying off the hull, and that wouldn't go well for him.

"Yay! Glad to hear. And, um, congratulations!" She stepped around him to the other side of the pod and offered up her hands. "Now how can I help?"

[OFF]

Lieutenant Phoebe Baxter
Chief Science Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant JG Randolf Forst
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

 

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