A Friendly Chat
Posted on Thu Jun 5th, 2025 @ 3:53pm by Lieutenant Ja'sol H'ros & Lieutenant Junior Grade Rachel Sinclair
Edited on on Sun Jun 8th, 2025 @ 10:04am
1,794 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Episode 16 - Silent Cries
Location: Officer's Mess Hall - Deck 2 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD001 1200 hrs
After his shift at Tactical Station, Ja'sol bumped into Rachel in the corridor. "Hey Rachel, I was just heading to the Officers Mess Hall. Would you care to join me? "
"Umm, yea sure why not. Is everything ok Sir?" Rachel asked, feeling a little confused as to why her boss was asking her to join him. Normally, a meal with a superior officer was not a good thing.
Ja'sol looked to Rachel and smiled. "Yeah everything is just fine. We haven't had much of a chance to talk in awhile and I thought it would be nice to get to know each other better, so we can operate as a team better in the long run."
After a moments thought, Rachel nodded, “Sounds logical enough” she said before falling into step with Ja’sol and following him to the mess hall. “I hope you know that I appreciate everything you’ve taught me so far Sir.”
Ja'sol smiled. "You've been a good student Rachel, You have progressed well and I have noted that in you fit rep report. I know one day you will lead your own Security department and be an effective leader and train them well. You have a lot of potential Rachel and I believe that you can take your career as far as you want to."
“But what if I don’t know where I want to go? I mean, before I found out about my biological parents still being alive, Starfleet was my only future. Now I’m not so sure...” Rachel said, letting her thoughts flow as they walked.
"This is news to me. Your parents are still alive? Do you know where they are currently? You should speak with them and see what they're feeling are about your career of course. You could always take a leave of absence as well. I would approve it and send it up the chain of command if you really want it." Said Ja'sol. He sounds like he has mixed feelings about this.
Rachel started to look a little uncomfortable, "Um, yea they're still alive and they are currently on New Romulus. I haven't been in contact with them since my father reached out to me through our intelligence officer. I wasn't sure if it was legal for me to talk with someone in the Republic."
"So both of your parents are on New Romulus?” Asked Ja'sol. "I will look into it for you and find out if there any legal reasons why you can or cannot contact them. I imagine that your parents are curious or worried about you and what your doing with your life."
Rachel nodded in agreement, “I thought so as well. Why else would he make the effort after so much time? I would’ve thought they’d forgotten about me by now.”
Ja'sol chuckled. "Rachel you are a unique person that anyone would have a hard time forgetting. I still remember the first time we met. You were fresh out the academy with a headful of ideas and full of energy mixed with a bundle of nerves at being appointed as the ACSO. You wouldn't have been appointed as my assistant if they didn't think you could handle the situation." Ja'sol looked at Rachel and grinned. "Starfleet trust you enough to make you an Assistant Security Chief of this ship, and I trust you as well Rachel, you've never let me down, so give yourself some credit where it is due. You have always been there for me and if you need any kind of help Rachel then I expect you to come to me to help you as well, Ok?"
Rachel didn't know what to say. Having it all laid out for her was making her sit there in awe at what she'd been through since coming onboard, and for her department CO to speak so highly of her was something she never expected to hear. Blinking in confusion a few times, Rachel found her voice again, "um....thank you sir. I didn't know you held such respect for me."
Ja'sol gave her an amused smile. "Well I do Rachel, and not only you but everyone in our department as well. As far as I'm concerned we have the best security team of any ship in the fleet, I know and trust my people and I know that each and every one of them can and will do they're duty to the fullest of their ability."
Rachel gave Ja'sol a smile. His words comforted her and that was what she needed right now. "I'm glad I've proven myself up to the task." she said, quickly wiping away a tear that had formed in her eye before it escaped.
"You are preforming quite well Rachel and I am satisfied with your duties and actions as my Assistant Security Chief. But there will be times that will be harder on you then you think. As a policy I don't ask anyone in my department to do anything that I wouldn't do myself, But you know as well as I do that Starfleet isn't the safest career choice out there."
Ja'sol let out a slow breath and lowered his voice so as not to be overheard by other personal in the mess hall. "As department heads our first duty is to the safety of the ship and crew, second is to protect the laws and values of federation citizens. There will be times to where you have no other choice but to send your people into harms way and sometimes they don't come back, Being a department head isn't always easy and we have to deal with the aftermath and write the reports and the families to inform them of how they're loved one died. That's a task that never gets easier. Our job isn't an easy one Rachel, But it is simple compared to what the Captain has to deal with, He's responsible for every person on this ship and their actions. That's the downside of command, But I know you will be able to handle it."
Rachel nodded, "Yea, they put us through a short course on consoling loved ones, which I barely passed. All the same, I hope I never have to write one of those messages either."
"When you become a department head Rachel, you will have to write a few of those. You're trying to explain how their loved one died and you hope that you will be able to describe an honorable or selfless act in which they saved others, I assure you that no department head or commanding officer wants to write something like that. Nine out of ten times the person you're writing about was a friend to you to begin with, which makes it that much harder. I have served aboard several ships already and I have written a total of eleven of them so far. There are a lot of perks for Starfleet officers a plenty, but there are also a few downsides to it as well Rachel."
"I understand, thank you Ja'sol" Rachel responded before giving a sigh, "what would you think would be the best way to send a message to my parents?"
" That would be a standard sub space message submitted for transmission to family. Of course there can be no classified details or mention of location or mission parameters until cleared by command. Name of your ship is approved and daily activity's are acceptable as well as what is going on in or with your family and general information. If you want to talk about the Grav Ball championship game for example is always safe. The rest is just common sense. "
Rachel nodded, “I’ll keep that in mind, thank you Ja’sol. I think I just needed to talk this out with someone”
"Anytime Rachel. If you ever need to chew my ear and vent or just need someone to talk to or help you out planning your career advancement, you know where to find me. I want to make you the best officer that you can be, because your a fine officer and a friend. Besides if something were to happen to me, you'd most likely be the one to replace me. So I want you to be comfortable with command decisions and working with the people in our department, They're all good people and some of the finest I've served with. the best way to deal with those under you is fair and just, but there will be times you'll need a firm hand with them. Just think about what you need to do and do it, but do it with respect towards them and they will show respect to you as well. "
“So you want me to respect the crew and yet be firm with them?” Rachel asked, a little confused about all this command talk.
" I know it's a little confusing at first. You want to be someone that they feel that they can come to if they have a problem or need guidance, but when things hit the fan, you have to be a strong leader that they will listen to in a time of crisis and get the job done. Back on Earth they have this skill called a tight rope walker, the real good ones did it without safety nets to protect them. That's kind of what our job is like being in command of a department, At times we're there as a friend and a councilor, at other times we're there as a supervisor and crack the whip to get the job done. It's a balancing act and you have to learn when to be the friend and when to be the boss. But the safety of the ship and crew always comes first. "
Rachel nodded along as Ja'sol spoke taking it in. Right now, the prospect of leading an entire department was a daunting thought, but as Ja'sol laid it out for her, the task didn't seem so insurmountable. "I guess such a skill is something that I'll gain with time. You truly never stop learning, do you?"
"Anyone who'd think that they'd never stop learning could be considered a fool." Ja'sol answered quietly, but with a gentle smile. "you'll continue to grow and learn. I have confidence in you. Ready to get back to work?"
Taking a deep breath in, Rachel slowly let it out before nodding, “yes sir”
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Ja'sol H'ros
Chief Security/Tactical Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Junior Grade Rachel Sinclair
Assistant Chief Security/Tactical Officer, USS Pioneer
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