A bit of a backlog, bringing Andy halfway to the present ... =/\= Starbase 485 =/\= "ENSIGN!" Andy shouted, tapping the man on the shoulder, finally getting his attention. It was bad enough that Bretam had assigned him to Starbase staff while the crew of the Chimera transferred off the Gott and awaited transport to Starbase Bragg, but now he had to deal with junior officers busy staring off into space while there were people who needed to get places. "What!" snapped the blue collared officer in reply. "What IS your MAJOR malfunction lieutenant!" The ensign was forty if he was a day, and Andy was unprepared for the twin incongruities of seeing one so mature with a solitary pip, along with getting yelled at by one. Andy blinked, recovered quickly enough, and stared at the older man more in curiosity than anything else. "As you where, ensign," he said, wanting both of them to regain their composure, and keep hold of the situation. The ensign seemed to pause for a beat, and reasses the situation. "Sorry... Sir, I'm still getting used to the rank ... adjustment." Ah. That explains it, thought Andy, taking another glance at the rank insignia and the battle hardened lines across the man's face, wondering what his circumstances were ... demotion? Was he a former marine? Well. No matter, there were people waiting. "Fine, no problem," said the OPS officer, generously, "just get out of the way would you? You're blocking the exit." The man moved along, and the rest of the shift went without incident. =/\= Two days later, approaching Starbase Bragg =/\= Andy stood in the observation lounge of the USS Thorne next to Lt. Wellington as the transport vessel approached Bragg, gripping the handle of a mug of synthale, and taking a sip. "That one?" asked the counselor. The Operations officer shook his head. "No," he replied. "That's a Galaxy Class ... the Katana B's a little smaller, and its nacelles are a little more -- wait, that might be it!" He peered through the edge of the glass, seeing a ship partially obscured by the base. Sure enough, the ship came better into view, and Andy started seeing more details of the ship that matched the specs that he'd been studying over the past week or so, after he learned that the crew was being reassigned to the new Katana B class. Now he stood next to Athena and waited for the Chief of Operations of the Thorne to announce that Chimera personnel were free to disembark. They chatted for a while, and eventually, the call came over the conn that they were free to go. Andy and Athena made their way to the personnel transporter, and beamed over to Bragg, making their way to the outer docking ring, where the Chimera A was attached by a series of umbilicals. They took their place in a queue, waiting to board, and finally met an ODA sergeant, who requested identity clearance. Offering his thumbprint over the PADD/scanner, he nodded hello to the NCO. "How goes today, sergeant?" "Doing, fine, sir," rumbled the sergeant gruffly. Athena stared at him, and frowned. "Fine? Sergeant, I don't mean to pry, but something is obviously bothering you," she said, pressing her thumb to the PADD. "There a problem?" The marine looked beyond them, saw they were more or less alone and turned to Athena. "Commander Guzman was here earlier, Ma'am, and nearly had me through the ringer." "Oh?" "The Commander was looking to board, see? And Walsh has it drilled into us six ways from Sunday, that it doesn't matter what rank someone has on their collar, if they were going to come aboard the ship, and if they're not yet registered as crew, they need to produce ID." Andy chuckled. "And Guzman pulled the old 'Dammit, I'm this ship's commanding officer' bit?" "Yes, sir," replied the sergeant glumly. "Then what's upsetting you?" asked Athena. "You stood your ground and requested his identification, right?" she looked curiously at Andy. "I'm sure that's what Commander Guzman would expect." "Well, Ma'am," continued the sergeant, "I did. Then the Commander was all commending me, grinnin' and stuff, and I was relieved, y'know?" Athena and Andy both nodded, and the sergeant continued. "But then he goes on with the same grin that I'd better start cleaning the decks and walls, and that he'd be back in two hours to make sure it was done!" Andy frowned. Athena shook her head. "Perhaps I don't understand. You did what was expected of you, he praised you for it, then you think he's punishing you?" "Well, of course, Ma'am!" protested the sergeant. "Why else would he put me on deck scrubbing detail? Of a new ship??" Andy laughed quietly too himself, thankful that he wasn't in the sergeant's position. "Well, that might be the key, Sergeant," said Athena with pragmatic sympathy, "look around you. This ship only came out of the shipyards a couple months ago. It's still spotless." The sergeant looked at her dubiously. "She's got a point, Sergeant," offered Andy. "Maybe the Commander was just saying it jokingly ... after all, he was grinning, didn't you say?" "Yes?" "Well, maybe if you just smile back at him, tell him the ship is spotless," he said, spreading open his arms, and looking at the otherwise immaculate corridor, "and be on your way." The sergeant looked at the two officers and frowned pathetically. "You really think it was a joke? That he wasn't serious?" Athena nodded reassuringly. "Commander Guzman can have a ... unique sense of humor sometimes." Andy looked at her with curiosity, and realized that in the past year he'd served aboard the Chimera, he'd had fairly little interaction with the commander. Andy idly wondered what she meant, and what he should expect from the behavior patterns of the new CO. After a few more words of reassurance, they parted ways with the relieved sergeant, and boarded the Chimera A. Andy and Athena bade each other farewell, and made their way to the Operations office and the Counselor's office, respectively to begin familiarizing themselves with their new ship. Lt. Andersen Foster Operations Officer USS Chimera-A