Dedication over Emotion

Posted on Tue Sep 25th, 2012 @ 11:58am by Captain Benjamin Byrne & Lieutenant Mattias Zekkstrom

Mission: Klingons on the Starboard Bow
Location: USS Endeavour - Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: MD01 1100hrs

Mattias had excellent peripheral vision, and could see where he was going, and what was ahead, even with his eyes glued to his padd. He was a quick reader - borne out of his personal desire to keep whatever activity he was performing short and sweet, to then get on with the next thing on his agenda. He kept his nose buried in his padd through the entire journey - even when he had entirely absorbed the contents. It stopped others from greeting him - and he preferred the peace and quiet.

Entering the turbolift, which had two young smiley cadets inside, Mattias didn't so much as glance upwards.

"Bridge" he called out curtly, once he was in the contraption. He could see the two cadets glancing nervously at him from his peripheral vision, but just shrugged it off internally.

As he stepped out towards the bridge - the bridge was bustling with activity, as he had come to expect from any bridge. He walked over to the side of the bridge, with the door marked ready room. He stood in front of the door and tapped a few controls on his pads, calling up his personnel file and transfer orders, before pressing the chime and standing straight, locked in a fierce staring competition with the door.

Benjamin looked up briefly - purely by instinct, as he knew that he couldn't actually see who had pressed the chime on his door through the solid crimson metal - before returning his attention to signing off the PADD he had been reading through. "Come!" he called to his visitor, looking up as they entered.

"What can I do for you, Lieutenant?" he asked, his eyes instantly snapping to the rank insignia on his collar before looking up at Zekkstrom's face.

Matti stepped up to the table and extended his padd towards his new Commanding Officer.

"Zekkstrom, Mattias Pauli. Rank Lieutenant, sir." he said with his Swedish accent. "Newly assigned Chief Tactical/Security Officer."

"Ah yes, welcome aboard Lieutenant," Benjamin said, standing to take the PADD with one hand and reach out to shake with the other. "Your service record has numerous accolades attached to it, and the captain of the Kingfisher appeared to be sorry to let you go."

"Sir," Mattias said curtly, acknowledging the Captain's words, but offering no rebuke, nor gratitude.

Benjamin gave the lieutenant a perplexed look for a minute, studying the man's posture and body language. It was clear that his new security chief, for whatever reason, wanted to keep strictly to business, and Benjamin was happy to appease him for now.

"Very good," Benjamin replied, with a stiff nod. "Your Security teams should largely be accounted for; I don't believe we have many replacements still to come aboard. If there is nothing else Lieutenant, you may go."