Reporting As Ordered
Posted on Thu May 21st, 2026 @ 8:01pm by Lieutenant Ronan D'Sai DSc. & Lieutenant Stormy Knight
Edited on on Thu May 21st, 2026 @ 8:02pm
1,459 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Friends and Traitors
Location: USS Thunderbird | Office of the CSO | Deck 4
Dressed in a neatly pressed uniform, his long, black hair pulled back with a tie he scrounged out of his carry on, Ronan found his way to the CSO's office. Possessed of an eidetic memory, and having glanced at the layout of the ship during the trip out, he knew where everything was. It was just a matter of closing his eyes for a moment to better visualize the path and, because he remembered past mistakes, he made sure that he wasn't still on the turbolift or standing in the middle of a busy corridor when he did so. He couldn't count how many times he'd been knocked down by security personnel rushing about in his early days aboard the Faraday.
It wasn't until he reached the door that he realized he'd forgotten to have a look at her image which meant that he could have passed her in a corridor and wouldn't have had a clue. Sighing inwardly, he pressed the door chime and waited for a response.
There were still too many reports that needed to be completed for Stormy's peace of mind. They were necessary, certainly, but the need for redundancy was sometimes frustrating. Still, once she was done with this last batch, she could go back to her normal duties and maybe have time for Tyler.
She'd just put her thumbprint to a PADD when the door chimed. "Come in," she said, setting the PADD in the completed pile and slipping the others into a drawer so she could stand and greet the new arrival.
He walked in, smiling easily, as he approached her desk. "Lieutenant Knight," he asked. "I'm Ronan D'Sai. I was ordered to report to you?"
Stormy smiled, recognizing the name and face. "Lieutenant, welcome to the Thunderbird. Please, have a seat. Would you like something from the replicator?"
"Vulcan Yellow Leaf would be great," Ronan said at once. "Straight ... but I can get something for us both."
"I'll do it this time, since you just arrived," she said with a smile. "You can do it next time." She replicated a cup of yellow leaf tea and a cup of sweet cinnamon tea, then took the two to her desk.
After setting his cup in front of him, she sat down and took a sip of her own before asking, "So, where are you from and what is your specialty?"
"Grew up in the San Francisco Bay area on Earth," Ronan said as he picked up his tea cup. He set it on the top of his thigh, his hands cradling the warmth radiating outward. "My specialty is language and while I understand the modern ones, my focus is philology and cryptanalysis. Basically, give me something that's hard to understand and I'm in my element. I do translations as needed so I nearly always have ongoing projects for someone or other as well as my regular duties."
"Definitely. There's a great need for someone who can translate dead languages, especially as we find more worlds with ancient ruins. I'm an archaeologist and spent some time trying to puzzle out some of them. People with your skill set are a great help."
"Thank you," Ronan said quietly. "Always nice to hear." He paused a moment, trying for a delicate way to bring up the rumors racing through the base. "I understand the ship has had some ... problems ... of late?"
"That's one way of putting it. I'd say we've had some issues," Stormy replied. "But that really depends on what you've heard. Sometimes rumors are just that."
"That one of your crew is Maquis," Ronan answered at once. "I didn't believe it, but there has been so much talk about them of late. It's political and everyone has an opinion. Most of them conflicting. But since they can be violent, I thought I'd ask if it's true." He smiled and his amber eyes lit up from within. "That way I'll know whether I have to add a barricade or a trap to my door at night."
"Was," Stormy corrected. "And yes, everyone does seem to have an opinion. But there's a lot more to the story than that. I'm not sure how much of it is official, though." She shrugged. She would need to look that up later, just to know what rumors to suppress. "You know, that might be a good question for security." She took a sip of her tea. "I think they're still investigating."
"Investigations are good," Ronan agreed, "especially the scientific kind. I forwarded a general summary of the projects I've been working on. Finished the classified ones, the rest are just purely translation work. Thought you'd want to know what I'm doing when I'm not taking care of whatever you assign me to. Anything I need to know about the department?"
"I appreciate that. I'll look it over later," she said. "As for what you need to know, there's not much. We work with medical when we can. And all science personnel are welcome to write and publish papers as long as they don't use classified information--or take away from your duties. In my experience, not enough Starfleet scientists publish papers on the work we're doing. It's not mandatory, but it is an option."
Ronan nodded. "I've contributed to a few, usually with archeologists. Shame that won't let us go on digs, eh? You heard of that alien AI they found?"
"I have." She'd also met and worked with the AI, but she hadn't done any additional research to write about it. She did have all her notes and data, but she'd hold on to that for now. "It's a fascinating subject. I'm sure there will be a number of scientists eager to work there." She was one of them, but she didn't think Starfleet would accept her as part of the team.
"Hard not to apply," Ronan said. He looked down, almost surprised to see the tea sitting there, and took an appreciative sip. "I hear that Captain Gray has all but finalized his crew and the Faraday will be leaving any day now. They're keeping the location of the alien ship secret of course but I was lucky enough to do some of the preliminary work before I got assigned here. Fascinating really. An alien vessel of unknown origins just appears in Federation space that's powered by an AI."
"It is. I plan on following their progress as much as I can. The potential for a mission like that is incredible. I wish them all the best. But for now, I have more things here that need my attention." And more people. But that was another matter.
"Of course," Ronan said quietly. "Quite right." He settled back, covering the moment with a long sip of tea, and waited for his new Chief to give him instructions ... or his leave to go ... To his mind, either would be good.
"If I may ask, what do you like to do in your free time? Mostly because that can help inform me as to where you can be most helpful." And she was curious to know more about the people she worked with. Especially her assistant.
"I have an interest in Forensic Science," Ronan answered readily. "Have taken several courses. I read a great deal, walk when I can, and of course, I play the cello. Piano as well but primarily, the cello."
"Excellent." Stormy smiled, pleased to hear both. Having something like a cello to help when puzzling through a problem or just to relax was important. "We don't have many who do forensic science, so that will definitely come in handy. I'm sure the cello will, as well, but for different reasons."
"Good to hear," Ronan said. "I generally request sound proofing for my quarters so that I don't disturb others. Not everyone's a fan."
"This is true. Have you put in a request with the quartermaster?" she asked.
"Came to you first honestly," Ronan answered. "But that's on my list of things to do, no question. As I said, not everyone's a fan."
"This is true--especially if they're trying to sleep." She had to buffer her quarters as well for similar reasons. People were generally annoyed by someone practicing scales. "Thank you for reporting in. I'll let you talk to the quartermaster and get settled in. Tomorrow we'll go over the department and the rest of the staff."
Thank you," Ronan said as he rose to his feet. "I'm looking forward to all that. Settling in and meeting everyone." He nodded politely and left her office in search of the Quartermaster and sound-proofing.
Lt. Stormy Knight
Chief Science Officer
USS Thunderbird
and
Lt. Ronan D'Sai
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS Thunderbird
(written by Captain Erik Norsgaard)
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