Operations Team

Posted on Wed May 10th, 2023 @ 4:05pm by Ka'see 'Cassie' Anderson (*) & Nollel Livaam (*) & Delaney O'Callaghan & Chief Operations Trades & Curtis Vaan

Mission: Mission 16: Hysperia
Location: Cargo Bay
1885 words - 3.8 OF Standard Post Measure

Nollel was more than ready for the team meeting but it did not mean that everyone else was. It might be the morning after she had gotten married and it was not at all the way she wanted to spend her morning especially that early but there she was. She was a professional and had kept things stable and running in her opinion but she did not want the top job as it would give her less time to create art or do anything with her freedom. She was dressed in a simple dress and heels like her normal outfit when things were in operation fully holding a huge travel mug and several pads ready to meet the new operations chief spread out over the cargo pod she was using as a seat and desk. The cargo bay was quiet and there was plenty of space for everyone.

Why Humans always had everything so bright was beyond his understanding. Maybe it had something to do with their homeworld. He was definitely going to have to look into reducing the standard setting of lumens throughout the ship. Surely it must bother some of the other species on board? Trades adjusted his goggles as he walked into the cargo bay so he could see better. Some adjustments might need to be made, such a conference room or some such place to have actual meetings.

"Morning!"

For most people, the prospect of straddling two departments and, therefore, being hit with a double-whammy of consultative meetings, might have grated but Delaney typically found an excess of energy for the mixture of socialising and efficiency that was her role and tended to couple that with an annoying capacity to function at overclocked speeds very early in the morning. She made an immediately beeline for Nollel, bakery box in hand, and set down the breakfast doughnuts she'd run out to the market to get in order to give the normally-sedate woman an impulsive hug. "I just heard. Congratulations." Taking up a crate beside the other woman, Delaney's eyes were dancing with curiosity. "Though what a story. You know, Leiddem and I ended up gate-crashing a wedding, we never thought to check to see if we'd accidentally participated in it."

As usual, several beats behind the uptake, the redhead then realised they weren't alone in the room. A furtive glance back in Nollel's direction saw Delaney change tact just long enough to redeem her manners. "And hi, good morning." An awkward pause followed. "I brought doughnuts."

Nollel eyes wide had not realised the news had travelled quite as quickly as it had but there was no use in denying it. Gossip travelled at warp speed on a ship and crew like this. "Thank you." She just agreed taking a doughnut whilst trying to not look too awkward with what a story and accidentally participated in comments that were thrown towards her. It was not malice but it did remind her that not everyone was going to take the news well or understood it. "Delaney, meet our new Operations Chief... Trades. Trades this is Delaney... she can tell you what she does much better than I can."

"I am an asset janitor." Having picked up a doughnut with chocolate frosting, Delaney was trying to find the best way to eat it without smearing the slightly-melted goop everywhere. Pulling a piece off, she popped it into her mouth and chewed as the ridiculousness of her job description sunk in. "At least, that's what it felt like when they first dumped me into Security and asked me to bring the safety equipment up to code. I run asset registry for the Armory," she consented to make a better attempt at outlining a position that had really emerged from a staff deficiency in a couple of areas. "Service tagging, maintenance schedule, manifest upkeep. Stocktaking. Bothering our lovely financial officer here with ongoing requests for more fire blankets because I can't figure out who's eating them."

"Heh...ASS-et janitor..." Curtis snorted, sneaking it as a comment over his own shoulder, but adding nothing to the conversation yet.

"Eating the fire blankets? Would this have something to with the Grotto that I've heard of?" Trades sighed, this was going to be bigger than he thought. "In any case, I needed to meet you to assess your current duties and to find out what and where attention needs to be paid. I have done something of an inspection of the ship's systems, and with the retro fit I would make the presumption that some of the previous issues were eliminated. Not counting, ladders for sick bay or fire blankets..." Trades adjusted his position, readjusted his goggles and continued. "Having said that I would like to explore your experience with the ship and duties you have in order to meet out any lingering issues or ideas that you would like to voice."

"Oh, I have lists for you," Delaney responded cheerfully. "They're a decent bit longer since we had to use up so much stuff trying not to freeze to death. "There are more than us on the team though." She squinted at the door. "Where's Cassie?" She turned to Nollel. "Did she know to come? She's not usually late." The unspoken qualifier was that she was not usually late or beaten to any sort of scheduled event by Delaney, for whom tardiness wasn't so much an issue as a malady. She had a habit of pushing deadlines to their limit.

"Completely. I spoke to her last night." Nollel assured pulling out her padd encase she had received a message but there was nothing on her screen to signify that Cassie was struggling to get there.

As if Cassie had heard the complaints the woman came in pulling on her boiler suit and trying to tame her hair. She looked exhausted and like she had just woken up. "Apologises." She said tying her hair up as she joined the group. “Did I miss anything?”

"No," replied Trades at the new person. "I was merely explaining I needed an update on duties and needs." He indicated Delaney, "I am told there are lists for me to review. Hopefully before departure."

“Well with no departure day set, I am sure that will be possible right Delaney?” Nollel said trying to sound positive knowing the woman would have it al in hand if not more. “Who was next in explaining duties?”

"Heh. Duties..." Curtis muttered in the moment things fell silent. Caught short, he cleared his throat. "What I mean is, hey, how are ya. I'm the resident computer systems genius," he made a point of looking at Laney when he said it, for emphasis. "I make sure all the automation systems do what they're supposed to. Which they usually do. Because, you know. Genius."

"Or the Collector spent much latinum on making sure that it was correct the first time," Nollel commented in a teasing tone. Credit, where it was due Curtis in her opinion, was smart and knew exactly what he was doing but it did not stop her from teasing him to keep him grounded. Every genius needed someone like that in her who was not quite a friend but someone responsible enough to keep him in check.

Meanwhile, Curtis was blessed to have an actual friend always looking out for him. Over a mouthful of doughnut, Delaney rolled her eyes. "I don't know if you should boast too loudly to someone who is currently inheriting the residual mess from a complete system's failure." She pushed the box of treats across to him finally. "It's not like anything was working all that great a few weeks ago."

"For a Cardassian boasting means you are ineffectual at whatever it is you're boasting about and need to make up for the lack with words," Trades murmured. More openly he stated "I would have hoped that the extensive retro fit would have solve a lot of those problems. It was the point of it, wasn't it? I will need to know what needs to be dealt with and not so much what has been dealt with. I will need detail reports and quickly as we need as much resolved before departure as possible."

"Ehh..." Curtis shrugged. "I can tell you we probably want some spare parts for the computer core, but they don't come cheap." He looked at Nollel for help. "Depends what the Captain's willing to spend on things like that."

“Well humans… and Vulcans do occasionally like to boast as it’s our way of getting our accolades out there,” Cassie said quietly jumping to Curtis’ defence.

“The core has some spare parts but I do not believe there are too many,” Nollel said looking up from her scrolling through her PADDs. “Make a list and he can only say yes or no.”

"What do you think, Mr Trades? Would it be possible to 'trade' your way up to a few system upgrades?" Curtis quipped, looking at their newest member.

Delaney threw her last bite of doughnut at him.

Nollel winced at the quip and shook her head. There was no saving him this time if the new operations chief wanted to have at him. "So moving on to other people's roles. My job is co-ordination and secretarial." Nollel explained simply. It was not hard her job but people did tend to default to her as there had been no set Operations chief for a while.

"That would be that you were responsible for for what has been going on up until now? Is that correct?" So far things weren't straight forward but the it seemed that was mostly due to a lack of direction than any one person. He looked over the padds scattered over the cargo crates, pointedly not looking at Curtis, "Do you even have an office?"

“I guess it would be me,” Nollel said slowly. Not sure if she liked where the line of questioning was going. “I do.” She pulled up the map of the ship and showed a cargo Bay that she had commandeered for some space to deal with cargo paperwork as well as be close to the cargo.

"Very well, we might need to make that more suitable." Trades nodded to himself. "I think that is all for now. If you can leave any information or requirements with him. I have also appropriated space on deck 10 as an office, so anything needing my attention can be left there. Unless there is something else anyone wants to raise?"

Nollel said nothing but nodded. She was not at all sure that she liked how this conversation had been going at all. She had Operations running the best she could under the circumstances but she was not going to raise that point when it felt redundant now. "I do not but if you excuse me I have some things that need to be done for stores with vendors." She said quickly gathering her items and leaving the room as soon as possible.

"That went well," Cassie said breaking the silence that descended. "Back to work, I guess before partying tonight." She added as a reminder of the night's ball even if she noticed that not everyone looked as eager anymore.