USS Chawla
Captain’s Ready Room

Aryanna was behind her desk sipping a glass of iced tea, several stacks of PADDS sat in various piles on the desk as she was currently reading one, then placed it on top of the largest pile.

“Captain Rigras, Ensign Tomlin”

“Yes, Ensign” Aryanna tapped on the desk’s console.

“Sorry to bother you ma’am, I’m at the duty officer station and there is a Lieutenant Sh’thehlohr here. The Lieutenant says she has a scheduled meeting with you.”

“I’m in my ready room, send her up.” she looked at the console’s chrono and nodded.

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Several minutes later Aryanna heard the chime for her ready room door. “Enter” as she watched a slightly taller than average, around five foot ten, andorian/aenar hybrid in her early twenties enter the room and stop in front of the captain’s desk.

A low whistle could be heard in Aryanna’s head. “That is one good-looking young lady.”

“Lieutenant Shrishe Sh’thehlohr, reporting as ordered.”

“At ease Lieutenant, have a seat.” Aryanna gestured toward one of the two chairs facing her desk.

“Ma’am?”

“Have a seat, this is an interview, not an inquisition. You’re already assigned to the Chawla, now I have to decide how to best use your skills.” Aryanna picks up a PADD from a small stack on the corner of her desk. “ Let’s see, in the top three of your class.” she looked at the lieutenant with a raised eyebrow “I’m willing to bet your dad…”

“Excuse me Captain, but can we leave him out of the conversation.”

Aryanna put the PADD down, “We could, but understand lieutenant the only reason why you are sitting here in my ready room at this moment is because of his recommendation.”

“Understood, but I want to be here on my own merits not because he asked.”

Aryanna sat back in her chair, steepled her hands, and let out a breath. “Lieutenant, he got you in my door. Your record, while short, got you in that seat. Care to guess what else it says about you in there?” she nodded toward the facedown PADD.

Lieutenant Sh’thehlohr shook her head. “I’m aware. I can explain my actions and why I took them if need be.”

Aryanna held up a hand, “No need, I read the reports. This isn’t training anymore, it’s real life. No more do-overs, understood? I can deal with arrogance and I can handle the flying by the seat of your pants mentality but what I will not allow is second guessing whoever is in that center chair especially when those lights in there” Aryanna pointed toward the door that exited onto the bridge “are red. Do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“So here’s my dilemma. The Frontier Day issue has left the fleet depleted of seasoned, experienced officers. So how do I choose my chief flight control officer? Do I pick the lieutenant who has flown nothing larger than a raven class, or the one who has been relegated to third shift because from all accounts they can’t plot a course out of a trash can if a map with directions is in front of them or do I choose the young, inexperienced, mouthy, arrogant, brash fighter pilot?” A minute or two of silence followed as Aryanna picked up the PADD again and read. “Don’t make me regret this Lieutenant.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Now, you wouldn’t happen to know anything about my new Chief Medical Officer, would you? I hear you two are, how should I say this, close; Or anything about these two ensigns that requested transfers to the Chawla. ” Aryanna looked up from the PADD.

“Damn it, I told them to wait till I could talk to you or the exec.”

“Lieutenant Commander Zh’iqethral was assigned just this morning, from what I have heard there was a bit of a fight in personnel about where she should be assigned. As far as the ensigns are concerned, right time, right place. We don’t have “married” quarters on the Chawla let alone one set up for an Andorian/aenar quadri-bond, the best I could do was to have the four of you assigned to four side-by-side quarters.”

“Thank you, captain.”

“If I may ask, there is nothing I need to be aware of is there” Aryanna quickly glanced toward Lieutenant Sh’thehlohr’s belly area.

Lieutenant Sh’thehlohr let out a soft laugh. “No, ma’am. I’m still several years away from entering my reproductive cycle, it’s just the first chance for the four of us to be together at the same time.”

Aryanna nodded. “Talk to Lieutenant Aidanson, I’ll send him a message telling him to expect you, let him know that you have my permission to have a doorway/opening put in between each of the rooms. It’s the best we can do on a ship like the Chawla.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I would suggest getting used to your console and the ship, she’s a bit larger than a fighter. Remember all you have to do is fly her, others will handle the rest. Get with Commander Altizer, the chief tactical officer, and go over tactical operations with him. I’m going to send you the latest reports from fleet intelligence along with the latest information from Task Force forty-seven command. Plot a course from deep space nine to deep space forty-seven that gives us some leeway in being able to offer assistance to areas of concern. If you don’t have any further questions, let me be the first to welcome you aboard the Chawla, Lieutenant.”