Straightening Your Collar
Posted on Fri Sep 1st, 2023 @ 3:17pm by Ensign Evie Forde & Lieutenant Commander Matthew Foster
1,342 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Raising the Mast
Location: Chief Science Officers Office, USS Victory
Meeting your boss was never something you looked forward to. Even when Evie worked part-time back home in a local restaurant as a server she still hated those first few days/weeks as she got to know her then boss, Liam O'Shea.
This was different, totally different. Evie wasn't taking food to tables and taking orders (of the food kind), instead she was now on a starship heading out into space to places unknown.
Evie had been standing in front of the doors now for a couple of minutes just thinking. The strange looks of some passers by not causing her to move as she tried to ignore them. All the same she pressed the chime and waited to be called to enter, straightening her collar to a more comfortable sitting on her neck.
Matt scowled at the message on his screen. His older brother George had offered him yet another job Earthside, this time as science advisor to the North American Regional Executive. Matt shook his head. He wasn't sure why George kept trying to get him to come back to Earth, but it was getting old. He sighed and began crafting a carefully worded and diplomatic refusal of his brother's offer.
The door chime reminded him that it was time for his next appointment. He gratefully set aside his response to his brother's absurdity.
He stood and called, "Enter."
The slender, fresh-faced ensign glided into the office. She looked nervous.
"Ensign Forde, please, have a seat," he said pleasantly, pointing to the chair in front of his desk. "Can I get you something to drink?"
All she could think when she walked in was that he had great hair and for a moment she caught herself staring at it.
Quickly she moved to the seat offered and answered, "I'd take a pint of Guinness if you had one but they are never the same replicated." she joked and closed her eyes as if to ask why on Earth she would open with that. Sometimes that Irish speak before you think was more true than she wished. For a moment there was a silence as he just looked at her, "Just a water please." she turned to face his desk so he couldn't see the redness in her cheeks flush.
Make that very nervous, he thought.
Matt went to the replicator and ordered the water and a cup of iced raktajino. He set the cups on his desk and sat.
"Here you are, Ensign," he said. "We'll just ignore that you asked for alcohol while on duty."
Evie had began to take a sip of her water as Commander Foster mentioned the alcohol and she spit some of it back up and looked at him. "I'm sorry, I sometimes don't have much of a filter when I'm a little nervous." she offered an excuse of sorts. "I don't drink on duty, I promise."
A hint of a smile brushed the corner of Matt's lips as he struggled briefly not to laugh at the young woman's response. He sat back and took a drink of the raktajino.
"You can relax, Forde. This isn't a performance review," he said at last. "I just wanted to spend some time talking to each member of the science team. To put names to faces, get to know you a little better, that sort of thing."
He consulted his desktop terminal.
"I see that your specialties are archaeology and anthropology. Fascinating topics, and very important on a ship of exploration. I see that you did quite well in your studies."
Evie did relax a little. Her shoulders loosened, her posture softened and visibly she looked a little less stressed than she did before.
"Yes sir." she replied. "I find the subjects very interesting and am always quite passionate about telling people about historical facts, or the smallest niche bit of information from species we know and love." she smiled.
"Did you know that Vulcans study logic from a young age, and that they have to go through a maturity test called the Kahs-wan? To successfully prove themselves, Vulcan adolescents must survive ten days in The Forge, the planet's largest and deadliest desert, without any sustenance or weapon." she almost lectured him. "Vulcans are such interesting people."
Matt suppressed a sigh. It could have been worse. Earlier in the day, the ship's geologist had gone on for twenty minutes about plate tectonics. He would have gone longer, but when he mentioned the work of Dr. Marie Foster, Matt took the opportunity to let the ensign know that she was Matt's mother. The rest of that interview was awkward as the ensign tried to pretend that he hadn't been lecturing the son of one of the Federation's foremost geologists. He did sigh as he turned his attention back to Ensign Forde.
"I appreciate your enthusiasm, Ensign," he said. "I'm always interested in learning more about our Vulcan friends. It's too bad we don't have a Vulcan on our science team."
He leaned forward after taking another drink from his raktajino. "I have a question for you, and I would like an honest answer. How comfortable are you with working in scientific disciplines outside your specialties?"
Honest answer, jeez! He seemed quite a straight laced man and she wasn't going to lie to cover herself in glory. Evie always felt that you always got caught out in an overly complicated lie.
"I took the required classes in the Academy to pass into the science field. I am proficient in them but wouldn't call myself an expert by any means sir. I can man a bridge station, I took an elective for extra credit." she added at the end of her explanation.
Matt nodded. "That’s good to hear. I intend to have every member of the science team take a shift at the bridge station from time to time. I don't expect you to be an expert on every topic, just so you know where to look for answers."
He leaned back again. The ensign seemed calmer. He took a more conversational turn. "You know, I'm working with the Taylor Institute on a study of long-term population trends of krill in the Southern Ocean on Earth. It gives me something to do when I'm not science-ing for the ship. Do you have anything like that?"
She was grateful that he didn't expect her to be an expert on every subject. She was smart, but her brain not quite that big for all the information she'd need to have to be classed as an expert. Plus, she always felt you never stopped learning in this job.
His outside of work work sounded unique to him she thought but not quite her thing. She smiled nonetheless as he mentioned it, Evie could tell he was proud to be a part of it. "At the moment, no sir. I've been getting my feet under the table so to speak since leaving the academy I've not had any time to look into anything properly unfortunately."
"That's understandable," Mat replied. "I'm not so old that I've forgotten what that time was like for me."
He stood. "Well, Ensign, I've taken up enough of your time. I look forward to working with you. Don't hesitate to talk to me if you have any issues or need anything for your working space. And I encourage you to look into a side project and also to familiarize yourself with a few other scientific disciplines."
Evie stood in tandem with Matt. It felt almost instinctual. "Thank you sir. I look forward to working with you as well. I'll let you know if I need anything and promise to look at the other scientific fields." she stepped to the side of the seat and waited to be dismissed formally.
"Very well, Ensign," Matt said. "You're dismissed."
With a quick nod and step to Evie was out the door. Her boss met, one hurdle over.
Ensign Evie Forde
Alien Archaeologist & Anthropologist
Lieutenant Commander Matthew Foster
Chief Science Officer
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