Beware the Listener

Posted on Wed May 11th, 2011 @ 3:19pm by Captain Nathan Cowell MD

Mission: Shore Leave 2; Picking Up the Pieces
Location: Commodore's Ready Room, Bridge, USS Arizona
Timeline: Shortly after 'Tempting Fates'

The administrative reshuffling was, for the most part, going as smoothly as it could possibly go. That being said, Commodore Nathan Cowell detested the very notion of having to replace so many positions, change so many things around because of something as tragic as a battle gone horribly wrong. That, however, paled in comparison to the impact it would have in the future if Nathan didn't do something to stem the tides of uncertainty and idleness. The transfer of their former Chief of Intelligence, Lieutenant Commander Halsey, had left a vacancy in a department that was already rather slim. With only a handful of worth while candidates, Nathan was having a hard time settling on one. With a sigh, the old man leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. A flash of inspiration hit him. There was someone on his ship that had just the kind of inquisitive nature that would be perfect for the task, even if the boy was... well... still just a boy. But, as he'd said for generations on end, nothing in the Universe beat a bit of good old fashioned hard knocks experience.

"Ensign Schenk, report to my Ready Room on the double," Nathan barked after slapping his combadge.

Ensign Marcus Schenk jumped at hearing his name being summoned by the Commodore and put aside the PADD that he was using to write a letter to the family of Ensign Tadesco. Making sure that his desk was free of sensitive documents, he left his quarters and headed to the turbolift, ordering it to take him to the Bridge. Once there, he went to the door of the Commodore's Ready Room and touched the sensor pad to indicate that the Commodore had a visitor. He expected to hear the barked "Come!" any second and took a breath.

On cue, the loud and authoritative command of "Come!" resonated in the young man's ears as the doors opened to allow his entry. Nathan motioned for the man to come inside and take the solitary chair in front of his desk.

Ensign Schenk came in and gave a salute before taking the chair in front of the desk. He looked at the man, having a lot more respect and understanding of him than he did when he first set foot on the Arizona. "Sir?"

"You like to know shit, don't you?" Nathan began, rather abruptly.

Marc swallowed and leaned forward in his chair. "I have an inquisitive mind and was trained by Starfleet, Commodore, to know shi... things, Sir." He wondered what was in store for him by that opening question.

Nathan nodded, "I remember you saying as much the other day. Which brings me to what I want you to do for the foreseeable future. The Intelligence department is suffering from any real leadership. Granted, Colonel DeVries' son is aboard, but that's not a permanent or even a sanctioned addition to the crew. Bearing that in mind, I've made a decision about your place on this ship. You're no longer in security, pack your shit and toss the yellow. Next time I see you, you'll be in Intelligence Grey and you're going to be acting as the Chief of Intelligence for this vessel. If Starfleet sends me someone with more experience or a better excuse to run that department than you do, you'll revert to the Assistant Chief, which is where I was going to put you anyway until Halsey got back. That's not happening so this is my solution... Up for the challenge?"

The Ensign thought about it; he had been in Intelligence training when he was in Starfleet Academy and that sort of thing was tied in with the investigative work that he had been doing as a member of Security. It made sense to think of him despite the redheaded Chief's son being on board, not that he knew anything about the man. He looked at the Commodore. "The Acting Chief of Intelligence. That's a pretty impressive desk that I'm going to have to fill, Sir. Will I have full access to data that is higher than my current security clearance allows, in regards to the Arizona?" He knew better than to deny what the Commodore said and looked forward to sitting in that department.

"Can't do your job right if you can't use the resources, now can you?" the old man grunted, "You've already got the required clearance, took care of that while you were dragging ass getting here. As for the desk, it isn't that impressive, though you are being moved to the Senior Staff Quarters effective immediately. At least now you don't have to share a room.

Marc nodded and thought for another moment, starting to plan ahead but stopped before he got too far. "Is there anything in particular that you want me to focus on, Commodore?" He knew the Romulan threat was gone considering the Arizona was limping towards the Union Gateway, so there had to be something else of importance that he should focus on first.

"Right now, I don't want you to do anything but get your department back up and working. I'm sure they aren't in any better shape right now than the rest of the ship. We'll talk about the little details once we get to Starbase 900 and figure out what we've got to work with and where we need to go. One thing at a time, kid," Nathan chuckled at his eagerness.

Ensign Schenk came to his feet. "Yes sir, Commodore. I'll get things up to par in no time, then take it beyond that. Is there anything else before I get a new uniform and start cleaning up Intelligence?" He made a mental note to move the few things that he had from his old quarters. What had survived at any rate.

"I can't think of anything pressing, no..." Nathan shook his head, "Off with you then."

"Thank you, Commodore Cowell. I won't disappoint you." With that, the Ensign turned and left the room to make preparations for the change to his new position. The challenge excited him, but he knew that the first time he did 'screw the pooch' as an old Earth saying he knew called messing up big time, he was sure that the Commodore would have him on the carpet.