An Admiral's Priviledge.
Posted on Sun Aug 6th, 2023 @ 10:08pm by Rear Admiral Yoshi Minawara & Lieutenant Commander Victoria Moreau
Mission:
Shakedown Shake-Up
Location: Admiral's Office
1264 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure
There is a fundamental issue when it comes to using an Ithaca class station for an Admiral's base, and that was the limited redesignability of the spaces. It meant that the for Yoshi his administrative staff was across the hall from himself. While is meant that there was less access to them as some would want, and less of a buffer if someone wanted to barge in, it also meant that they had more space to work, and more importantly, a separated space to have people wait while he was otherwise preparing for something. An army of yeoman worked across from him, a collection of Petty Officers and Ensigns assigned to the various tasks, overseen by a Lieutenant who was charged with organizing all of them. This had left the hanging issue of his previous Yeoman.
His door chimed, and from his desk, Admiral Minawara's eyes looked up at it, looking back down at his PaDD. "Come," he said, his tone flat and even, as dove back into the various fleet movements. All of Task Force 72 was finally being realigned from Starbase 50 to Esquimalt, with an expectation of future interoperability for the new organization. The doors hissed open, and the subject of his thoughts stepped through.
"You wished to see me Admiral?" She asked, herself the picture Starfleet professionalism. Master Chief Petty Officer Moreau stood at rest in the door. Without looking up from his work, Yoshi indicated the chairs across from himself. She crossed the room, and seated herself on the left chair, waiting. A silence fell on the room, and he typed away, adding his notes and sending orders to various ships. After the silence had extended for a few minutes, he finally settled the last of his work, and closed the display.
His eyes went up to her, settling on her face, a professional smile that was odd between the two of them. "Have you considered your next assignment?" he asked, addressing the changes to his administrative staff. "You could easily return to Strategic Ops, I am sure there are more than a few Captains who would be honoured to have someone of your skills on their ship."
"Respectfully, most Captains would put me to work under a junior Officer who would be excited to take credit for my work," he words came, somewhat cold. She wasn't wrong, a ton of junior Officers in the Strategic Operations field were always looking to look like the hero, looking at the long shadows cast by far more capable officers. There was no doubt in his mind that she'd already been the subject of more than a few of those officer's promotions.
"Then take an Officer position, you have more than enough time in to be qualified as someone's Chief Strategic Operations Officer. Hell, I am sure Captain Penner would be more than happy to have you," Yoshi said, carrying the conversation on. He nodded towards the door. "It would mean being here, and taking over the regional Strat Ops."
"And be replaced by the first person with a Commission? Or perhaps I can take time to go to the Academy with all the young bucks and their dreams of what all of this could be like." Yoshi shrugged, waiting to see what else Victoria had. "I have a degree, you know. Sure, it's an arts degree, but it's just as legit as attending the Academy for a degree for the sake of a degree degree that the teams there get." When Yoshi failed to respond, the woman offered a heavy sigh. "I am too old for that and you know it," she said, pointedly, her eyes narrowing. "So what are you playing at?" It was candid and familiar, and had it been any other Non-COmmission Officer, even one as senior as the Master Chief, it would have earned them a cold look from the Admiral. But this woman had served beside him for years. She knew him better than any, and knew she couldn't work under a Lieutenant with no experience in Yoshi's office. So she watched the man, as he reached under his desk, pulled a box, and placed it down.
"A recognition of service and a commission. Per Starfleet regulations, an Admiral can recongize non-Academy attendance of an NCO in the Fleet, and issue a commission in line with their responsibilities. So, if you want the position, Captain Penner has already accepted having you aboard, you just need to accept the potions." Victoria's eyes studied the large box. It was a foot long, and just shy of a foot wide.
Her hand reached out, and then stopped. "I'd be starting as an Ensign, wouldn't I?" Her eyes narrowed again, studying Yoshi's face, and noticed the edges of his mouth curl slightly, a playful glint in his eyes. Many wouldn't notice, but she did. Sliding the lid off the box, in it sat a commission, the then metal slate missing only two signatures to be official. At the top sat the rank box, which she carefully opened, and looked down at the pips that stared back at her. Her eyes darted to his, then back down, and back up again. For the first time in a while, she was without words. "Lieutenant Commander?"
"You didn't honestly believe I'd let you start from the bottom, did you? Your experience, your leadership skills-"
"My ability to wrangle an Admiral?"
Yoshi laughed. "Yes, that. It's more than enough of a case to be made for your promotion proper. All you need to do is agree to the promotion, and accept a transfer to Esquimalt," he added, and slid a PaDD across to her.
She looked at it, for a good hard moment. Her eyes studied the documentation, and considered everything. "And if I decline?" It was a probing question, one she was used to playing with him, to see where all the angles were so she could make the most informed of decisions. It was also belaying her own hesitations, her concerns with a change in her life. She'd been a NCO for longer than some Captains had been in Starfleet. She was now having to see if that suited her. Lines traced her face in concern, and also a tinge of excitement.
"Then you take the position on Esquimalt, until Starfleet Command sends a thirty-year old Lieutenant to the post, and you get relegated to second fiddle and have to say Yes sir, to someone who was in diapers while you signs your acceptance documents." Her face scrunched up, and the pair shared a laugh. "I don't need an answer today, or even this week. You have until Vesta leaves port again. Take some time, mull it over, and get back to me. Either way, Captain Penner has some work for you to do, and would appreciate your expertise."
Esquimalt Station - 2 Days Later
The ongoing chaos of the hunt for the missing boy had drawn out a constant swarm of work around the Station's Ops centre. Collections of officers moved to-and-fro as they weaved around each other in an effort to coordinate ships in the area as part of the scan. It was a massive movement, and for the most part Yoshi had kept himself removed from the situation. Now, he was on the deck, waiting for a report, when his eye caught a flash of red uniform. He looked over, nodding to the woman, and turning his eyes back to the Fleet display, as Lieutenant Commander Moreau fed her data into the system.
