The Old meets The New

Posted on Fri Mar 4th, 2022 @ 12:05pm by Captain Maho Takahashi & Ensign Ruby Kurosawa

797 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Handling the Fallout
Location: Ready Room
Timeline: Between 'First Senior Staff Meeting under Takahashi' and 'Tristana's Reinstatement'

Admittedly, Maho had quite a lot on her plate: Firstly, there was the ever-present issue of the morning sickness, and now Ichika was trying to talk her and Keisuke out of the vow renewal, which neither Takahashi was having any of. Fortunately, in the time since the senior staff meeting, she had eaten a small bowl of ramen that was staying down for now, and Maho was feeling a lot better now that she had some food in her and thus some energy. Energy that she now seemed destined to expend arguing with her XO.

She was in the process of forwarding Alisha the updated wedding registry, consisting of the remaining unpurchased items from the first time when she heard the ready room bell chime. Setting down the PADD on which she had been working, Maho stood up and faced the door.

"Enter!" She called out.

A nervous gold dressed Ensign with red hair walked through the door. "Erm... E...Ensign Ruby Kuro...Kurosawa reporting as ordered!" She managed to say.

It didn't take a genius to tell how nervous the Ensign was. Likely not helped by the fact that Maho naturally looked intimidating: A factor the Engineering staff had been quick to point out when they were looking for a permanent home for her on the Myogi.

Seeing the Ensign before her reminded Maho of how nervous she had been when Miyahara pulled her aside after the Kobayashi Maru, and how warm, almost fatherlike, Miyahara had been to her. She had later heard the term "master propagandist" thrown around by those who disagreed with Miyahara, with the sources citing that he was capable of making you feel the emotions he wanted you to feel at the drop of a hat. However, she just couldn't seem to find reasoning in those claims.

Maho could tell that this would require a different approach as opposed to the last Greenhorn that had come through the ready room, and tried her best to soften her facial expression while still remaining natural, though call it a Nishizumi trait, but Maho felt she just couldn't pull off warm and inviting as good as Miyahara used to.

"Ensign, we have all been where you are;" She said. "Even I, standing before this office's previous occupant, had my fair share of first day nerves, and he was of a much higher rank than I am at the moment." Maho unintentionally gestured towards the portrait of Miyahara when she mentioned him. "However, you will find that the old cadet rumor that Starfleet officers are like sharks smelling blood in the water when a greenhorn is about is quite false. While it is true the occasional unsavory officer does exist, it is more the exception than the norm. And though I strive to ensure that our crew proves that rumor false, if anyone gives you a hard time, I encourage you to come to either myself or another member of the command staff and report the issue, because nobody should have to put up with harassment."

"That being said," Maho said, settling back into the chair. "Allow me to officially welcome you aboard the USS Myogi, Ensign:" She gestured towards one of the open chairs in front of the desk.

Ruby nodded shyly before taking the seat in front of the desk. "I'm sorry if I'm nervous Commander... This is my first posting..." she explained.

"Well, if it helps; you're certainly not alone:" Maho said, picking up a PADD and flipping through Ruby's file. "There seems to be quite a lot of greenhorns aboard; I suppose good officers are in short supply-!" She stopped talking when she saw Ruby's posting.

"So, Chief of Ops, huh?" Maho asked with a smirk. "My old job, or... One of them, at least..."

"Oh..." Ruby replied. "I will try to do my best"

"My predecessor never believed in trying;" Maho responded, knowing she was pulling the rug out on the Ensign by channeling Miyahara. "He used to say that if you were trying, you weren't fully committing yourself to your job. It's a good philosophy to live by; and I stand by that word, meaning that I expect nothing less of my senior officers than 'I can' or 'I will'; so, Ensign; will you be able to handle the responsibilities expected of you? Or am I going to have to find you an assignment that's less demanding?"

"I'll do it" Ruby replied a slight shining of determination in her eyes. "I know I can" she added.

Maho grinned slightly.

"Now, that's more in line with what I like to hear from a senior officer." She said. "So, provided you have no questions for me, you are dismissed."

Posting by

Commander Maho Takahashi
Commanding Officer

Ensign Ruby Kurosawa
Chief Operations Officer.

RSS Feed