Joshua Niles
Security & Tactical
[TI22]
Posts: 649 Likes: 21
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Tactical Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Joshua Niles on Mar 14, 2021 5:05:19 GMT
[ LT Joshua Niles - Commanding Officer's Office - Front Ear Station ]As the Captain spoke, Niles brought up his prosthetic hand and looked at the cybernetic finger that was exposed through the tear in the synthetic skin. Slowly, his fingers opened and closed several times and he watched the play of servos and actuators. He knew he didn't need to check for function; he was well aware it would take considerably more force to actually affect the structure of his artificial limb and the damage was only cosmetic. "I don't spend a whole lot of time on station," he said softly. "Easier, in a way, to stay on ship, keep things moving, run the tactical sections. It helps when I stay busy. But for now, well, I've been looking after Ms. Fox's cat. I thought it was the least I could do. But really, it's all I can do right now."And then, he actually chuckled and there was even a hint of genuine, if somewhat wry, amusement to his expression. "Dealing with that thing... I don't think I've actually ever really been glad one of my hands isn't part of my factory fit before."
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Mar 14, 2021 21:29:46 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Commanding Officer's Office]"I'm pretty sure they invented dermal regenerators for cat owners," Judy quipped. She was, herself, quite allergic, but she wasn't ignorant. "Taking care of the poor cat, that's definitely a good thing to do. It's helpful, and scratches aside, it's healthy. And yeah, it's the only thing you can do."As a Captain, there was very little Judy can do, and she had far more influence than any subordinate. "But throwing yourself into your work... it feels comfortable to you, because it's what you know, but it's not a healthy way of dealing with anything, and frankly, the state you're in is making you worse at it. If we go back to what happened on Caldonia, you ordering the tactical department to stand by for... essentially for combat, that started an atmosphere on the ship, of fear and aggression, that wasn't conducive to a fragile diplomatic situation. Imagine if someone had accidentally powered up the weapons, or shields, and without me knowing anything of it."She let those words hang for a moment. "That's where your judgement goes when you're cooped up alone with your guilt and anger, and because you're already so isolated, no one under you would dare to call you out on it."
"You don't just have a stick up your butt, young man - you have a whole tree in there. If you don't get it out, bad things will happen."This kind of ringing disapproval, the prognostication of doom, the uncharacteristic bluntness, maybe that would make the point.
Tag Joshua Niles
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Joshua Niles
Security & Tactical
[TI22]
Posts: 649 Likes: 21
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Tactical Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Joshua Niles on Mar 15, 2021 4:25:47 GMT
[ LT Joshua Niles - Commanding Officer's Office - Front Ear Station ]It would seem that referring to that furry demon of Charlie's did not last long as a diversion from having to look long and hard at himself. Despite now being a veteran of a number of engagements and skirmishes, Niles was still very much a young man, and young men, even officers, tended to be less than inclined to engage in that kind of introspection. Hell, he certainly didn't need any more reasons to second-guess himself! However, at the mention of his decision when they had boarded the ship, he shook his head. "Captain, that's one call I actually stand by. Yes, I ordered my people to close up to their stations, because I didn't know what to expect and if things got ugly, we would be able to respond even quicker, especially since we were sitting ducks parked in orbit as we were. And outside of Red Alert, there is no way for any of the mounts to go into local control without the Bridge releasing that authority."One thing Niles could say, he knew his systems, he knew his procedures, and he knew his people well enough to be certain enough such an eventuality wouldn't have come to pass. "But I'll admit I hadn't considered how it might heighten tensions across the ship. I was worried about being ready for the worst more than anything else."Well, if he did make a mistake, he was going to own up to it all right. But he had never considered that getting ready, just in case, was a bad thing. But what followed really took him aback. He knew he was... stiff in his bearing. Truth be told, he had no real idea of where he stood with, really, anyone at any given time. His peers had all been around longer than had had, so they enjoyed a closeness with the others he did not; his subordinates, well, he wasn't sure where he stood with them either. And the senior staff? They clearly knew each other well, and he did not feel as though he had a claim to those bonds himself... And he constantly felt as though he'd yet to have paid his dues to be more than just the ambitious young officer who stood at Tactical and be genuinely a part of that crew... And jumping from one crisis to the next did not help a whole lot. "I'm not going to lie... I'm not exactly sure how... welcome I am at this post. I see you, Commander Baker, Mister Aune, Mister Quinn, the Master Chief, how you're such a cohesive, closely knit group, and I really don't know if I belong in the same wardroom. I feel the outsider here."
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Mar 15, 2021 16:10:51 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Commanding Officer's Office]Judy gently shook her head as Niles defended his decision. He was well-versed in the technical aspects of the Sovereign-class bridge better than she was - she'd served on an Excelsior-class refit for most of her spacefaring career. However, she understood the psychology of the crew. And that's where his second point came in. "Well, if you think about the five people you've mentioned, we all come from different walks of life, we all have differing skill-sets, but we do have one thing in common, and that's that we're all more relaxed than the median officer. We all like to open up to the crew around us. I don't think there's anyone on this station that hasn't seen a photo of my grandchildren, to use one example."Conversations with Judy could only go on for so long before the word "grandchildren" came out of her mouth. No matter the topic, she was a grandma. "The way you get to where we are, is by opening up. You gotta make it easy for people, especially people below you, to approach you, to get to know the real Josh Niles, and not just the cookie-cutter Lieutenant Niles. That's how you thrive in the civvie job market, and contrary to popular belief, it's also how you thrive in Starfleet."
Tag Joshua Niles
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Joshua Niles
Security & Tactical
[TI22]
Posts: 649 Likes: 21
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Tactical Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Joshua Niles on Mar 16, 2021 22:18:47 GMT
[ LT Joshua Niles - Commanding Officer's Office - Front Ear Station ]Opening himself up? That certainly sounded...somewhat counter-intuitive so far as Josh was concerned. Of course it never hurt to have a rapport with one's subordinates and peers, that much he knew. But that kind of openness? He really was uncertain whether it was something he should be cultivating at this time. However, if there was a point in its favour, it was that no one ever questioned Captain Eastman or Commander Baker even with their more relaxed approach, and to take liberties with the Master Chief or Mister Aune, well, was the sort of thing that would require a terminal degree of stupidity or a death wish. Which did leave him with some questions all right. "And how do you maintain that authority you require? You and the others, you have years of seniority and had the time to establish yourselves, with a reputation to match. No one with half a brain would dare not take you seriously at any given time. I don't exactly have that to fall back on."
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Mar 17, 2021 0:33:44 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Commanding Officer's Office]"I think you're misremembering what it was like a year ago," Judy pointed out. She brushed back her hair, to expose more of her white roots, and took off her glasses, to bring out more of her wrinkles. "I'm old, as you know. People assume all the time that I'm tired, or infirm, or too set in my ways, or frankly senile. I have as much reason to 'maintain my authority' as anyone," she explained, before putting the spectacles back on. "If anything, people respect me more because I'm open with them, because I'm nice, and soft. I try to let everyone on this crew know that I care about them, that I see them as family, that they matter to me, collectively and as individuals. And because they know that I care, they trust me."She ran a hand through her hair again, ever conscious of her appearance. "We are in a line of work, you and I, where we have to ask people to place their lives in our hands. In that, the power of rank alone - which is only backed by the threat of discipline - is often not enough. You don't just need the crew to follow orders, but to have faith in your orders, which means they have to trust that the person issuing those orders values them, their lives, their well-being. That precious - dare I say sacred - trust, is something you earn by showing the crew that you care about them. That doesn't mean you have to bake cookies like I do, but it does mean loosening up and opening up."There was a lot of subtext on the table, but perhaps most prominent was the hint that Judy viewed that kind of personal leadership not just as beneficial, but essential, to the kind of job she had; she knew Josh dreamed of the center chair, after all. She helped herself to a second helping of the bourekas.
Tag Joshua Niles
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Joshua Niles
Security & Tactical
[TI22]
Posts: 649 Likes: 21
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Tactical Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Joshua Niles on Mar 18, 2021 4:05:50 GMT
[ LT Joshua Niles - Commanding Officer's Office - Front Ear Station ]Ma'am, I know it can be really bad form to openly disagree with one's captain as a junior officer, but soft isn't a word I'd apply to you." Joshua smiled as he refreshed his plate, taking his hosts' lead in that matter. "Kind, yes. Approachable and open, definitely. But not soft. At first, I honestly wondered if you were the right person for the job because, well, you're not quite the steely-eyed XO one would expect at the far end of nowhere. And you definitely didn't seem like the kind of mentor an ambitious young officer would want. I'm glad I was wrong on all counts."Slowly, he sipped some of his water, using the pause not only to lubricate his mouth and throat, but to find some time to reorganize his thoughts. Even just a few seconds would be plenty. "In fact, I really should've made more of an effort to learn from you. And that's the truth, not trying to butter you up."However, she certainly made an interesting point about letting one's subordinates knew their officers cared about them. For indeed, he meant to have a command of his own at some point in his career. But as a tactical officer, he was already one who literally sat on the power of life and death when his services were required. And if he was going to expect his people, under any conditions, to stand at their post when doing so could mean their death? Rank alone wouldn't keep them there and he knew that. Well, at least he knew it in an intellectual fashion, for he knew that in such a case orders and discipline only went so far and morale was even more important, for they would need to want to stay at their posts rather than abandon ship... But how was he to motivate them to do just that? How was he to show he cared for them? Hell, most of his people were older than he was, and even the rawest Crewman in his department had at least a year more experience on the job than he did...
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Mar 18, 2021 16:54:44 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Commanding Officer's Office]Judy straightened her glasses once again. "Good thing you're not trying, because I'm quite hard to butter up. There's not a compliment in the English language that I haven't already heard from Max," Judy quipped, paying the usual tribute to her loving, beloved husband of 20 years. "If you do want a lesson, well... I think the most important, general life lesson, and this is something young people in general struggle with, is the importance of the small gestures of everyday life. The sum of who you are, and who you're perceived as being, is defined by the multitudes of minor elements. When you go to get yourself some coffee from the replicator, do you offer to get some for the others on the bridge? When you see a colleague coming towards the lift, do you hold it for them? Do you speak softly? Do you smile? At the end of the day, all those small things put together count for a lot more than even the grandest gesture, the freshest cookies, whatever."She took another sip of water. "The big things do matter, though. The small things just matter more."There was something counterintuitive to this, but Judy knew of what she spoke. She'd had thousands of colleagues, in many different environments, after all.
Tag Joshua Niles
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Joshua Niles
Security & Tactical
[TI22]
Posts: 649 Likes: 21
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Tactical Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Joshua Niles on Mar 20, 2021 2:54:12 GMT
[ LT Joshua Niles - Commanding Officer's Office - Front Ear Station ]Well, that certainly was something to be thinking about. During his duty hours, Niles was either on the Bridge as officer of the watch or tactical officer of the watch, in the small office allotted to the officer managing the tactical sections for the Chief of Security, or in various shield and weapon spaces running drills, looking after the work that was being done, and doing his own inspections. At least on the Mac. On the station, he still had the odd duty watch in Ops and had a hand in the station's tactical systems to some degree, but as he was far less familiar with its systems, he had comparatively little to do with them beyond their operation. But when he was on duty, he practically always had two things with him: a PADD, and a travel mug he tried very hard to keep full at all times. And he did remember some of the wistful looks it had drawn before... "It's not much, but maybe I could start making sure some coffee gets to the weapons spaces, maybe around the mid-point of every watch? I can't personally bring it in myself every time I have to visit them, but if I change the order of my rounds, I'd eventually be able to bring a fresh pot to every weapons space every few days?"Once upon a time, the notion of bringing food or refreshments, or even coffee, to his subordinates would have been ridiculous to him. But he'd seen the value of such things from then-Commander Eastman, and perhaps that was something he could arrange. "And I probably ought to hold... maybe some kind of a town hall with my people now and again... and spend the odd watch in a weapons space again?He certainly had no real idea what he was doing in this case, and given he was spitballing, and was pretty much invited to make this a learning experience, it wouldn't hurt to bounce such ideas off of this particular mentor.
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Mar 20, 2021 4:51:43 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Commanding Officer's Office]Judy began to smile. This was a work in progress, but at least there was progress. "Well, I think a town hall is an idea to set aside for... later, or never. It's a bit dramatic. The coffee idea could work, as long as you're doing it yourself. Nothing screams aloof like sending someone else on a coffee run," she advised. "On that note, I don't think it sticks out as much with you - I'm the one with the giant desk and the fancy watch - but elitism is alive and well on the frontier too. You do have to watch your step."For someone already seen as disconnected from the crew, being outwardly of the elite was hardly a good thing.
Tag Joshua Niles
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Joshua Niles
Security & Tactical
[TI22]
Posts: 649 Likes: 21
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Tactical Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Joshua Niles on Mar 21, 2021 3:32:42 GMT
[ LT Joshua Niles - Commanding Officer's Office - Front Ear Station ]Well, the town hall idea had been blown to dust bunnies by the Captain, so Niles moved on from that fairly quickly. However, the notion of coffee, well, there was something there. "To be honest, I was thinking of having it sent to the spaces I couldn't visit in the right timeframe during my rounds, and personally bring a pot to the one or two positions that would fall in that mid-watch time slot, you know? I was even... considering making it a regular thing for every watch to have coffee coming their way. I... might want to change that idea."Well, that was something to be considered all right. And there was the minor issue that he only had so many hours in a day to do so... But then, there was the matter of elitism, and that brought a very open wince to his face. "One thing to be said with Starfleet, cliques like I had to learn to navigate in my civilian life aren't so much a thing... or at least I've yet to encounter them past the odd 'Starfleet dynasty' types I've come across so far."
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Mar 21, 2021 23:58:29 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Commanding Officer's Office]Judy smiled gently. She certainly didn't miss the trappings of old-money society, even if she very much enjoyed the inherited wealth. "That's one of the things Starfleet does well. There's less of all that dynastic nonsense - some, but less - and not so many of the ridiculous high-society circuses like balls."She took a sip of water. "But to the point, for your position and mine, well, when the average officer orders a subordinate to run an errand, anything outside the greater sphere of that subordinate's duties - like a coffee run - the officer is viewed as a power-tripping asshole. When the officer who comes from a... privileged background, they're viewed as a power-tripping, snobby asshole. Better to bake the cookies myself thrice a week, than to order Mabel to do it on the days that I can't. If you will, an ordinary officer treating Mabel like a butler looks horrible because she's not a butler; a rich officer treating Mabel like a butler looks even worse because we appear to think she - and by extension, the rest of the crew - is a butler." Josh was just about on the cusp of that understanding, but Judy, felt the need to bring it home, and with an explanation.
Tag Joshua Niles
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Joshua Niles
Security & Tactical
[TI22]
Posts: 649 Likes: 21
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Tactical Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Joshua Niles on Mar 25, 2021 2:22:02 GMT
[ LT Joshua Niles - Commanding Officer's Office - Front Ear Station ]"I wasn't about to get my people to do the coffee runs on my behalf. That's just... stupid. Though I was thinking filing a standing order with the wardroom stewards." However good he may have thought that notion was, his face twisted some as he found himself wondering if that was indeed a wise call. The officers got to enjoy access to stewards in their lounge, and it wasn't exactly too far out of their wheelhouse. "But now I'm not so sure it's a good idea, might have to rethink that."
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Mar 26, 2021 2:00:14 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Commanding Officer's Office]Judy seemed to raise her finger slightly, as if to speak, but then lost her train of thought. She lowered her head for a moment in contemplation, adjusted her glasses, and realized that it had left the station. "Sorry, had a bit of a senior moment just now," she said, by way of explanation. It happened to her infrequently, but it happened. She was, after all, of a certain age.
Tag Joshua Niles
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Joshua Niles
Security & Tactical
[TI22]
Posts: 649 Likes: 21
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Tactical Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Joshua Niles on Mar 28, 2021 3:56:29 GMT
[ LT Joshua Niles - Commanding Officer's Office - Front Ear Station ]Just as he'd finished speaking, Niles watched as the Captain raised a finger to answer, and then he followed the process in which her train of thought was thoroughly derailed. And just like that, he found himself wondering if indeed her detractors were right, that she was hardly fit for a spacegoing command, let alone one on the far edge of nowhere. But then again, she did have a lot on her mind aside from counseling an eager young officer, so he set those thoughts aside. "As I was saying, I was thinking of getting the wardroom stewards to do those deliveries... but I'm not entirely that's the wisest thing anymore."
Tag Judith Eastman
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