Moving on Up

Posted on Thu Feb 5th, 2015 @ 1:44pm by Lieutenant Commander T'Rowl N'Riss C.Phil & Crewman Apprentice T'ah

Mission: Breaking New Ground
Location: Deck 385, Chief Flight Control Office

With a soft purr, N'Riss tapped away at a PADD that he held in his paws as he remained seated, for the time being, at his desk in the Flight Control Chief's office. He'd been working on collecting credits for his thesis, and while he still preferred a more traditional master-student relationship, he understood that this was going to have to be the way to finish his educational program in Starfleet's terms.

Soon enough, however, the sing-songy notes of the door chime interrupted his concentration. "Enter, murrr..."

With that the door slid open while emitting its customary sound and in walked the wiry form of Crewman T'ah. "You needed me sir?"

"Yes, murr. I had a few things to discuss with you. If you would take a seat?"

"Certainly; what did you need sir?" With that T'ah was soon seated in front of N'Riss' desk.

"As I am sure you note, you have remained a Crewman Apprentice for a time interval that is longer than most. I was afraid that this shows a lack of initiative on your behalf."

While T'ah initially had started to speak, he soon thought better of it and waited for N'Riss to give him the rest of the news.

"...which is why I have decided to place you in charge of support craft for the time being." He neglected to mention why Mister Awf seemed to not be at his post; to be honest, N'Riss wasn't even quite sure. "While I believe Staff Sergeant Kieve Ninian is taking care of maintenance for the most part, I trust you will have no problem handling the numerous other countless jobs, as well as remaining on standby for any flights. Merrow..."

For a brief moment his eyes started to light up, but then T'ah shook his head and sighed, "Are you sure that I'm going to be able to take on this kind of responsibility?"

N'Riss churrled for a moment before speaking, "Not with that attitude, no."

"Sir?"

"Merrow, I honestly believe that you have not given yourself a chance yet. Should you be able to do so, and truly work at it, you will be able to move far beyond your station. There is a reason you are still a Crewman Apprentice even though promotion beyond that rank is generally routine."

Having thought for a few moments, T'ah looked up toward the furry countenance of his superior, "If you really trust me..."

The Caitian cut him off, though it was not in a particularly rude or strong way, "I trust you; now you need to trust you." Even if he were speaking in riddles, it seemed like that master-student ideology was again coming to the surface once more.

Seemingly blindsided for a moment, he looked back toward his commanding officer and blinked again, "What do you mean?" Apparently he had missed whatever meaning that the flight control officer had intended to share with him when he spoke those words.

"Murr, I feel that you have a great deal of potential, but unless you feel the same way you are not going to really move anywhere in your career, or any other aspect of life for that matter. You have to believe in yourself just as much as I believe in all of those individuals whom I am tasked with taking care of."

Perhaps it was due to some patriarchal tendency that was the result of his feline evolutionary chain, but he had started to look at the enlisted men underneath his station as individuals who had the responsibility to care for and cultivate into superior specialists. It was normal Caitian behavior to act in this manner, and he found it difficult to understand mammals that did not due to the lack of the predatory instincts that came with his feline bloodlines.

Pausing for a moment as T'ah was examining the wisdom that his commanding officer had seen fit to dispense, the Crewman Apprentice finally looked up and exchanged another salute, "I will do my best, sir." At this moment, now, he figured that these words actually had some weight behind them. They weren't a dull statement, but something that he could genuinely stand behind.

"I would expect nothing less of you, Crewman." With that, the Caitian presented him with another salute that seemed to indicate that the meeting was over. It would, he had hoped, have been a serious experience for the other individual. He didn't want to see anyone else slip through the cracks, so to speak, as he had seen before on a variety of occasions.

He wanted this one to make it in spite of everything that was against him. Some day he might very well do just that, and that's why N'Riss held the meeting. He thought that he could.

___________________________________

T'Rowl N'Riss C.Phil
I am the Catman

&

Crewman T'ah
Sad Underling