The XO arrives

Posted on Sat Dec 16th, 2023 @ 8:44pm by Colonel Josiah McEntyre & Commander Gunnar Magnusson

1,035 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: First Deployment
Location: Unicorn - Main Bridge
Timeline: MD0 - 1500 HRS

Shorty after greeting the new communications officer, Josiah finally got a chance to sit in his ready room just off the bridge. It had been the first chance all day to just sit down. All the running around, trying to get everything set and the new officers oriented aboard had felt like he was running in the MACO-Starfleet Game at West Point.

He'd also finally gotten a chance to eat something while reading over status and mission reports. A pastrami sandwich and a big pile of chips sat on the table besides a large arm chair he'd brought aboard from Texas. A nice brown leather affair that he enjoyed sitting in.

He was sinking down comfortably when the chime to his office rang.

The Bridge was most definitely the biggest that Gunnar had seen…on a United Earth vessel, that is; it was a welcome change of pace from the cramped labs on Jupiter Station. He had not expected deployment so quickly after requesting a shipboard assignment. But this was also the first joint Starfleet and MACO crew, so it was very high profile. And he was CSO and First Officer. No pressure. He pushed the chime on the ready room door, and he was instructed to enter. Gunnar approached the seated man carefully.

“Sir,” said Gunnar evenly. “Commander Gunnar Magnusson, reporting as ordered.”

Josiah looks up from his work, smiling up at the man before him. He liked what he saw.

"Commander, a pleasure to meet you."

Josiah sat the PADD down, getting up to shake Gunnar's hand.

"I apologize for such the rush to get you out here but things are moving rather quickly these days it seems. I hope the flight out from Jupiter wasn't too bad on ya"

Gunnar clasped the Coloner’s hand and pumped it up and down a few times. The MACO was certainly an impressive figure, as impressive as his service record suggested. “I actually piloted the shuttle pod myself. I wanted to see how the impulse engine improvements work. We are now able to achieve up to one third impulse in the pods.”

"That is most excellent news, Commander. With where we're goin, we're goin need our pods to be as speedy as possible."

Josiah liked the cut of this man, his handshake was strong and firm. He could see the two of them growing into fast friends.

"I'll get down to the business at hand, Starfleet is sending us as the tip of the sword. We're goin to Berengeria, to get some rightous payback on them Romulans S.O.Bs for Salem One Starbase."

“And I am looking forward to seeing the Type II phase cannons cutting through Romulan hulls. Since I designed the power grid connection.” Gunnar was excited about serving with the Colonel, and MACOs in general. Somewhat because he had a weakness for them in uniform. And the CO was no exception.

"We're also ordered to see if we can find any trace of the Atlantis NX-05, she was reported at Berengeria but rumor is either she went down at Berengeria or she was lost by some other means..."

Josiah lets out a tense breath.

"I also must tell you, that Earth has also ordered me to use whatever means available to drive the Romulans from Berengeria, up to and including the useage of Atomic Weapons. Earth's stockpile is being cracked open like a piggy bank and we're getting a stock of at least 50 Triton Class Missiles being brought aboad."

“Nukes,” said Gunnar, almost under his breath. “Those are a game changer. I will have to work with Tactical to make certain we have adequate radiation protection if we need to utilize the Tritons close quarters.”

“That would be a prudent precaution. I will say for the record, that the nukes will be of last resort. I intend to use more conventional means to drive the Romulans off. Like you said, I want to break in those new Type II Phase Cannons and our new main batteries. Unicorn has two fixed bow mounted high yield pulse particle cannons, and the new Mark II Photonic Torpedo launchers. Think you can get them to play nice together?”

Josiah smiles at Gunnar, he too had a thing for guys in uniforms, especially hunky science types with tactical backgrounds.

Gunnar gave the Colonel a lopsided grin. “I’m good at getting disparate things to play nice. Some would call me a systems integration wizard…but I’ll let you form your own opinion. Respectfully, Sir.”

Josiah gave him a grin. He’d liked the wordplay.

“Excellent. We’ll have Unicorn ready to fight before no time. I’ll copy over what we have and get you the specs on Unicorn’s system sent over. We’re still waiting for a chief engineer, but I’m sure we’ll be staffed by the time we leave dock. I look forward to getting to know you a bit better myself”

He smirked with that last statement.

Gunnar could tell that the Colonel was enjoying the verbal interplay; the Science Officer was calculating what he said, measuring the MACO’s reactions. This was going to make serving on the Unicorn very…complicated. But he was a Starfleet Officer…Ad Astra Per Aspera and all that. “You know where I live and work, Colonel. Stop by any time.”

Josiah smiles softly.

“I will say the same to you, Commander, my doors are open if you should need me”

It was a sly invitation but he’d hope to see more of Gunnar.

Does it have to be need? Can it just be want?

“Thank you, Sir. With your permission, I will assume my post.”

“Of Course Commander.”

Josiah nodded. Definitely he’d wanted to see Gunnar again, but he had to play it cool, play it right.

Gunnar rolled backward on his heels, exhaled deeply through his nose, and turned toward the door. He could not help but give the Colonel a small, playful wink on his way out the door.

Josiah blushes like a school girl. His heart was thumping. This man would be the death of him, something that would make this assignment most interesting indeed.

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