An Invitation: Mimi

Posted on 12/10/2020 @ 2:03pm by Captain Cian D'Anvers

Mission: S3E1: Time of Change
Location: Exploratory Corps Offices, Federation Headquarters, Earth
Timeline: Day 91 at 1000

He'd taken a bit of time in the decision for Operations Chief. With Academy and family members on board, Operations would be very busy and Mimi was something of an unknown to him. Then too, her experience was limited to smaller vessels so he'd wrestled with it for a bit and decided to give her the chance. Young and somewhat inexperienced, there was something about her that he liked. And so, having made the decision, Cian made the connection and waited.

Mimi was just walking out of the sonic shower after her morning run when she heard the screen in her temporary quarters beeping an alert, quickly she threw a dressing gown on and slipped into the chair before activating the screen. She was greeted by the face of her new Captain. "Captain Danvers."

"D'Anvers," Cian said. "Names mean something, Lieutenant. In any case, there have been some recent developments that I wanted to share with you. Is now a good time? Or should we meet later?"

"What kind of development?" Mimi asked, her ears twitching with curiosity.

"I'll take that to mean now is a good time," Cian said. Dressed in a navy sweater over gray slacks, Cian leaned back in his seat. "Turns out, I was being considered for a position that I hadn't applied for; now that I know about it, I find that I'm interested in it. I've been offered a position with the Pathfinders, commanding a ship that's going to be heading out into the Omantu Expanse. So that means two things basically. First is that I will no longer be in command of the Crazy Horse. And the second is that I'm looking to fill key positions on board my new ship, the Sitting Bull."

Mimi cocked her head to the side a little, a sign she was a little confused. "The Sitting Bull? I have not heard of that ship."

"Probably, no one has," Cian said. He shifted in his seat, leaning forward to pull a PADD toward him."It’s brand-new and, I believe, there's only been three of them built so far. Inspiration Class based on the old Odyssey design.”

Unseen to Cian Mimi's tail twitched excitedly, a brand new ship usually meant all the shiny most modern tech they could pack into it. "That sounds.... very interesting."

"It would be complicated from an Operations perspective, of course. There's an Academy branch on board and all together, a crew of about 2500," Cian said as his gaze dropped to the PADD. “Arboretum, theater, classrooms. It’s meant to be home to a community, at least that’s how it was explained to me in the briefing. And too, it's an EC ship which is probably most important to this discussion. It would mean a transfer out of Starfleet. Still sound interesting?"

Mimi looked away from Cian for a few seconds, if it wasn't for Starfleet she wouldn't be sat where she was today. "I owe Starfleet so so much. Leaving it would be a hard choice to make."

"I understand," Cian said as he shoved the PADD away, his hand automatically returning to his mug, one hand looped around the base. "It’s not an easy decision to make, I know. I struggled with it a bit myself. If you decide that you'd rather remain aboard the Crazy Horse, I'll make sure that Captain Channe receives my recommendation that you continue in the position."

"I... would like to hear some more about this assignment." Mimi eventually said, her decision would take a bit longer yet but she felt it would be nice to know what she might be getting herself into.

"Of course," Cian said, sitting back in his seat, "so, what would like to know?"

"Would you still want me as the department head?" Mimi asked. "2500 is an even bigger change from 80."

"It is and as I indicated, I do believe it will be something of an adjustment for you," Cian said. He sat relaxed and at ease, his navy blue pullover visible on the screen, a nod to the shore leave he wasn't really taking, his long legs stretched out, crossed at the ankles. "But I'd like to give you the chance to take it on. If we see that it's too much, that it's more than you handle, adjustments can be made."

"I would try my best to make it work," Mimi said after a moment, it was certainly going to be interesting.

"Naturally," Cian said. "I would expect nothing less. Because the crew will be reporting aboard, there's a lot of work to be done, getting everyone settled into quarters and all. So, I'm going to need an answer fairly quickly, I'm afraid."

"How long do we have before we leave for this Omantu Expanse?" Mimi asked although she could tell he was trying to push her towards an answer.

"A week at least, maybe two," Cian said. "We're staying for the court-martial so that those who need to can testify. Shouldn't take much more than that to get everyone and everything on board."

'A week to change my mind if do not think it is right' Mimi thought, a lot of other thoughts went through her mind, it would be a difficult challenge for her but also an opportunity for all kinds of new experiences. "I will do it."

"Alright," Cian said. "Then the job is yours. Because there's some concern here that it might be more than you can manage, we'll be paying special attention to your reports and I expect that you'll be honest about how you're doing." He fixed her with a steady gaze. "I prefer honesty in all things, Lieutenant. Please keep that in mind."

"I understand Sir. My species are a proud people but not too prideful to admit when we need help." She hoped a report of her struggling would never cross Cians desk.

Cian smiled in gentle understanding. “Many worlds have pride deeply embedded in their cultural norms. I’ve met some that would rather saw off their own foot than admit that anything was particularly their fault.” He held one hand, as though warding off an unstated complaint. “Not that I think it will happen to you. The reports I’ve seen indicate rather the contrary with you. So. Here’s what happens. Put in your request for a transfer into the Pathfinders and I’ll start things moving from my end.”

Mimi chuckled slightly, she had come across similar things in her research into all the new species she'd encountered over time. "Aye Sir, it will be in by the end of the day."

A Post by:

Captain Cian D'Anvers
Commanding Officer
USS Sitting Bull

and

Lieutenant JG Mimi
Chief of Operations
USS Crazy Horse