Out with the old, in with the New

Posted on 03 Sep 2017 @ 12:14pm by Rear Admiral Azura Ashcart & Lieutenant Commander Kit'rin'e & Major Keisha Afton

1,234 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Errand of Mercy
Location: Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: ED 6 0700

ON:

Azura sat at his desk, looking at the communique from Star Fleet Command and he raised his eyebrow. What the communique had informed him was that his Chief Engineer was being transferred, effective immediately, to Betazed. He had of course heard rumblings for a few days now that a certain faction in the Betazed higher ups had become unhappy with the posting of one of their higher ranked citizens on the Redemption. He reread the orders again, which when boiled down stated: "Lieutenant Commander Alexei Joran is to be transferred effective immediately to Betazed to take over an unspecified role planet side."

"In the middle of a mission, that is highly unusual." He blinked as he got a report about the same Lieutenant Commander, he had gone to Medical for a broken nose. He pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose and breathed out. He would make sure that the Commander had a shuttle waiting for him as soon as he was finished packing and checked the orders to make sure they had been forwarded to him as well. They had been so now all he had to do was wait for a few hours, give him time to pack and then escort him to the shuttle. Azura bent back down and began busying himself with paperwork that the Fleet insisted he complete. He almost grumbled to himself as he noticed the the Engineering reports for the past few weeks had failed to be turned in.

===4 hours later, Shuttle Bay

Azura watched as Lieutenant Commander Alexei Joran boarded the shuttle that would take him to Betazed. Azura moved to the control tower to oversee the launch process and check on the ETA of the new CEO. He rolled his head in a half circle to loosen the muscles of his neck and shoulders.

Keisha walked up the corridor, having felt Azura's tension in the back of her mind for hours now. She could no longer stand by and just allow that to continue. ~Do you need a massage husband?~ she sent cheekily to him, attempting a joke, carefully, to gauge his humor.

He responded back to her with a mental snort ~I need the crew to not be transferred during a mission.~ he sighed wearily through their link and continued ~But I doubt that whoever we get next to head Engineering will be as inefficient as our last.~

~One can only hope~ she said quietly with a chuckle as she slipped her hand into his and squeezed.

He looked over at her as the shuttle lifted up and began to make it's way out through the forcefield into the dark night of space. ~So what happened to his eye?~ he looked at her.

Keisha's laugh was wholehearted as she rested her head on his shoulder for a moment, reveling in the moment of contact with her husband that she'd been so missing. ~CPO Donati, you know the Marine Liason to the fleet? She gave him the most beautiful right hook I've ever seen. I looked it up from her office footage. You might enjoy it.~

He let out a sharp exhalation of breath ~And you didnt heal the eye? Wicked woman, you left him something to think about.~

~I healed the eye, just not the bruising. Besides, when you listen to it, you'll see he more than deserved it~

Azura raised his eyebrow at that ~Is that why the Fleet yanked him out from underneath us while deployed? All I got was some hubbub about an 'unspecified' Betazed posting.~

Keisha's snort was audible ~He's been using the uniform to get out of a politically arranged marriage.~

That caused Azura to pause ~You should have left the nose broken then.~ he replied deadpan as he watched the star scape out of the shuttle bay door.

~He was bleeding all over my deckplating.~ she murmerred and then vocally "Who is replacing him? I assume they're coming soon or you wouldn't still be here."

"A Caitian, one Lieutenant Commander Kit'rin'e, they say his shuttle should be here with in the next few minutes. I wanted to welcome him to the ship and let him know that he has some paperwork to catch up on." Azura said a bare hint of amusement in his voice.

"Be kind Azura" she admonished him "Don't load him down with his predecessor's paperwork on his first day."

"He's an officer in Star Fleet, I'll give him until the end of the week to get it to me. I'm not an unreasonable task master." he allowed the side of his mouth to turn up ever so slightly at the edge to show her he was kidding. Though his tone of voice never changed.

Kit'rin'e observed through through the front view two officers waiting, an expected party no doubt themselves waiting for him. When the shuttle landed and the door opened Kit'rin'e stood upright having to bend forward to exit without banging his head. Broad of shoulder in white fur with black stripes he stepped down to the floor with bag on hand and PADD in the other. He gave the bay a very brief look around, habit mostly checking out his surroundings before he approached the two officers that waited, one of which was obviously the Captain, the other a Marine Major. "I am Kit'rin'e, I have been assigned here as Chief Engineer." He handed over his papers for review.

Azura took the PADD and glanced over it taking in the information quickly before handing it back to the man.

"Welcome aboard Commander, engineering will be lucky to have you. This is Major Keisha Afton, Chief Medical Officer and my wife." He paused for pleasantries then continued. "Are you familiar with the layout of the Excalibur Class ship?" He nodded towards the door.

"I am, I used the time of my trip to review recent engineering updates, the last 3 months repairs manifests, supply inventories and power efficiency conversion ratios." Kit'rin'e spoke to answer the question.

Aura looked knowingly at his wife. ~Already better.~ he switched back to verbal speaking and looked at the tall man beside him. "Efficent, I applaud your initiative. I look forward to seeing how efficient you can make the Redemption." He paused and then spoke again "Are you aware of PALLAS?"

"The Photonic Automated Logistical Liaison System, yes, I read about it on my flight here." Kit'rin'e replied as he observed the pair of officers. It was rare to see someone almost as tall as he was but regardless, at least this CO wasn't more fascinated by what he was as to what he could do. "With permission, I'd like to get my medical conducted and get straight to work?"

Azura smirked on the inside, he liked this new officer his blunt nature was refreshing. "Permission granted, and welcome aboard Kit'rin'e." Azura turned to his wife "I will see you for dinner yes?"

"Of course love." she answered verbally and then raised her pale blue eyes to the Caitian "I will meet you in sickbay in 20 minutes- I have one thing to do first."

Kit'rin'e nodded, bowed to the Major then departed. He'd drop his effects in his assigned quarters before heading to Sickbay, no point in carrying around everything before duties.

OFF

Azura Ashcart
Captain
Commanding Officer
USS Redemption

&

Keisha Afton
Major
Chief Medical Officer
USS Redemption

&
Kit'rin'e
Lieutenant Commander
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Redemption

 

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