Moving Securely Forward

Posted on Wed Oct 11th, 2023 @ 11:28am by Captain Rueben Gregnol & Chief Armoury Rormu Yazlin

Mission: Fractures
Location: Deep Base 66
Timeline: December 2397
1879 words - 3.8 OF Standard Post Measure

In the heart of the base’s gritty underbelly, where neon lights flickered uncertainly and the air was heavy with the pulse of electronic music, Gregnol found himself waiting for a potential friend in a run-down space nightclub back room. The club was one of Indigo’s ways of funnelling money around to avoid people tracking her age. It was the kind of place that time seemed to have forgotten, a haven for the restless souls and misfits of the night.

Jeassaho was out there somewhere most likely dancing her socks off waiting for him to come back but he needed to get this out of the way and see if Teav’s friend had any potential at all. He was fed up with being let down when it came to his armoury officers other than Ford himself who had risen to become a solid right-hand figure on the ship as well as someone who the man called a friend. He just needed someone in the position who would be reliable especially now with their status as Fenris Rangers. He heard a voice yell that he was through there so the man stood as was his way to greet the person Teav had sent his way.

The path Yazlin had taken to get here was long and full of twists and turns. Not the physical walk down the promenade, that was pretty straight forward. Getting to a point where settling down was considered taking up a salaried job on a civilian vessel, that wasn't so easy to retrace. Even so, with the help of the connections she had made over the past couple of years, she was now being pointed into a more secluded area of the lounge to be greeted by tall man with chiselled features.

It wasn't difficult to recognise him as the man she was looking for. She had wondered if he would live up to the pictures provided, and there was no photo-manipulation involved, "Captain Gregnol." It was to verify, but said more in statement than question form. "Rormu Yazlin." She extended a hand as was customary for human greetings, unless some of the humans in her squad had played a very long con on her.

The man looked down at the hand being offered to him and raised an eyebrow, just for a moment before he realised that he really had spent far too long among aliens species that he had not recognised a handshake for a moment. He took the offered hand and shook firmly before pulling back and indicated the chair in front of the newcomer.

“Which name do you go by?” He asked not wanting to get on the wrong thirds by getting the new mixed up he’d seen Bajoran’s use either and he wanted to get it right as well as break the ice.

"Rormu will be fine." It was nice to have someone take it into account. To be fair with more and more Bajorans joining the interstellar community people were becoming more aware of the cultural idiosyncrasies of her species. She took the seat across from him and sat up straight, immediately looking around to see if she could attract the attention of a waiter, when she failed to find one she turned back to face Gregnol. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions. Do you want me to just introduce myself first or did you already dig up some intel on me?"

Reuben could not help but smile at the question. He always dug up information on people but he wanted to see if people were willing to divulge information. “Let’s hear your version first then.” He said allowing her to have some secrets knowing that she knew the rangers.

"Just your standard Bajoran post-occupation baby." Yazlin wondered if that meant as much to him as it did to her contemporaries. There were a lot of things that were being said about her generation of Bajorans. "I joined the militia before they merged with Starfleet. I found a better opportunity taking to the stars with like-minded people." She motioned with her hand that she had been weaving her way through the quadrants. "Found some people looking to make a difference." They both knew about the Rangers. "I'm more of a merc, though. I help out where I can. At a reasonable rate." Sometimes that rate was simply room and board, other times it was the pleasure of being the one to pull the trigger on a spoonhead warcriminal.

"Heping where we can is all we can do in the universe," Gregnol said quietly as he watched her intrigued for a moment. The Fenris Rangers did not normally refer people to them as they were concerned that people might like the difference in pace but here they were. "I believe that the reasonable rate has been discussed which is why you are here."

It was clearly never enough with how big the universe was and how few of them seemed actually willing and able to provide said help. "Wouldn't have come if it weren't reasonable." Yazlin wasn't entirely serious but her face never gave any indication of jest. "Now I'm curious what you've been told about me, and what you were able to find on your own."

"That will all come out in time but you at least have told me enough to confirm Teav's opinion of you having not been inflated." He said simply. "So I have some questions for you."

"I didn't take Teav for someone that would embellish." Yazlin leaned back a bit in her chair as the Captain mentioned wanting to ask some questions directly to her. "Hit me with your best shot." She wasn't easily flummoxed so had all the confidence in the world she could answer his questions just fine.

"What do you think makes a good chief of security on a civilian vessel?" Gregnol asked everyone he had ever had apply for the position the same question.

"I feel there should be order and structure within the department. I'm aware of the fact that there's less of a hierarchy on vessels such as your own the security of my team and those we're hired to protect hinges on people doing their jobs at the time that they are asked to do them. I can't have a committee meeting every time we want to round a corner in an emergency." Yazlin could come off strong in that regard, and she'd definitely worked together with some more loose people in her past. Some of the Earthlings had taken to calling themselves Cowboys, to her they were liabilities. "I appreciate that off duty there's more fraternisation, and I will endeavour to partake in that aspect of ship culture." it was perhaps also one of the things she'd been missing bouncing from merc unit to merc unit. Some place to call home with friends and colleagues she could rely on. The only thing she could rely on with her current line of work was the GPL at the end of the operation and the fact that when shit truly hit the fan than she was on her own.

"What are your thoughts on a vessel that is 150 years old." Gregnol did not know if that point had been told to the woman by the rangers. H did not want it to be a culture shock to her.

"Most of the ships in the Bajoran fleet predated the occupation." Yazlin didn't seem to be bothered at all by that little factoid. "It's one of those big headed human ones, isn't it?" she mimed out the saucer section with her hand. "I'm sure I can manage." The amenities on Bajoran vessels were sparse. They had been rebuilt with self-defence in mind. "What can the crew do for downtime?" It was the worst part of space travel, everything was so damn big that there was always way too much time between excitement.

"Yeah, you cannot miss her." The Captain assured not telling her about the figurehead on the ship. That would be a nice surprise but it was something that made the ship unique and not able to be missed when you were drunk. That question had not been asked in an interview like that but it was refreshing to find that the woman was thinking ahead enough to consider her downtime and ways to possibly connect to the rest of the crew. "We have a rec room and a holodeck. Not the most up-to-date holodeck but it works." Unless you let Delaney and Leiddem in it, he added mentally.

"Aren't those holodecks kind of notorious for their malfunctions?" Yazlin wondered out loud, she's heard some pretty terrible stories regarding early day holo technology. "It's good to hear it's been taken into consideration at least." She leaned into the conversation a bit more, "So what are you looking for in a Security Chief?"

“I did not say it was perfect. A refit on an old ship only goes so far.” Gregnol chucked softy finding himself opening up just a little. “Someone who is going to stay. We have not had much luck with security chiefs other than Leiddem and Ford.” He was not afraid to admit that previous owner of the title had not been the best.

"That's a very low bar to clear, Captain." Yazlin gave a bit of a frown, showing that she expected more when it came to things like these. "I'm sure there's preferences and requirements beyond that. What happened with your previous Chief?"

“It’s been a long road with a lot of disappointing security chiefs outside of my current executive officer Jake and the brother-in-law Leiddem.” And they were high bars that no one as of yet had compared to. “The last one had an ego the size of Bajor and it killed him,” Gregnol said simply.

"It got you from there to here." Yazlin responded to his remark of it being a long road, "I hope I can make amends for the sour taste of turned kava that must've left in you and your crew." She appreciated that it wasn't seen as a reflection on her species, although her generation was more often accused of such things by their parents and grandparents. Taking so many things for granted they'd had to fight the occupiers tooth and nail not thirty years ago.

"Only just. Robertson is most likely best not to be asked about to a few of the crew. He caused several people to nearly leave and others to question life choices so people are very much willing and wanting to move on." Gregnol nodded and held out his hand to the woman and offered a smile in the usual human gesture of making a deal. "I am sure that you will help there if you are ready and wanting to." He said waiting.

It took a moment for Yazlin to process the fact that the previous Chief hadn't been Bajoran. She slowly nodded, "Message received. Eyes towards the future, not the past." She indicated with her hand pointing forward. When he offered his hand to solidify the deal she only needed to lean in a bit to shake his. "Ready, willing, able, as your people say."