Meeting the Air Boss

Posted on Tue Jul 21st, 2020 @ 11:57pm by Lieutenant Takeshi Nakazato 'Zack' & Commander Alora Knight

2,907 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: The Elachi Return
Location: Executive Officer's Office

ON

Commander Knight had yet to meet the new Air Boss, mostly because she'd been filling in for the captain while Aisaka was busy with other responsibilities. But, after all she'd seen and heard, she figured it was time to rectify that. She sent the lieutenant a message, asking him to come to her office at his earliest convenience.

Takeshi had been in the holodeck with his daughter Mako when he received the message, and his heart had sunk. He had already been dragged through the dirt enough today, and one of the last things he wanted was to be dragged through the dirt some more. Still, he escorted Mako back to his family's quarters and told his wife Sayuki he would be late for dinner and not to wait for him before setting off towards the Executive Officer's office.

As Takeshi drew up to the office door, he tried his best to put his best face forward, but secretly he was terrified, as he felt like the timing of this meeting was a bit too convenient considering everything that had gone down, and no doubt, he would be leaving with two officers out for his blood, since that was his luck as of late. Yet, he faced his fears and pressed the bell of the office.

Alora turned off her computer screen and stood. "Come in," she said.

Takeshi entered the office.

"You wished to see me?" He asked.

"I did." Alora gestured to the seat opposite her desk. "Please, have a seat. I apologize that we have not met before now. It's been a little busy around here."

"Understandable." Takeshi said as he assumed the offered seat. "Everyone has something to do on a starship and I don't expect people to go out of their way to meet me. That being said, I can't help but feel like the timing of this is just a little too convenient, given everything that's happened."

"Yes, the captain did ask me to talk to you," Alora said. "I'd like to hear from you what's been going on since you arrived on the Tokyo."

Because of course he wouldn't be let off the hook that easily. Takeshi thought. Taiga must really want his head...

Though he thought he knew the direction the first officer's question was going in, Takeshi still felt the need to ask for clarification.

"Do you mean in my personal life?" He asked. "Or in my professional life?"

"Tell me about your relationship with the other pilots and your co-workers," Alora replied. "Your personal life is your own as long as it doesn't impact your professional one."

Takeshi breathed a sigh of relief. At least she didn't have to know of his friends aboard the Myogi or about Sayuki and the kids. At least not right now...

"If you had asked me before all this shit hit the fan, I would have told you that I felt my relationship with the pilots was just fine." Takeshi explained. "But, with everything that's gone down, I'd say my relationship with them is strained at best: I'm fairly certain both Trigman and Hayami hate me, and I've overheard pilots calling me every name in the book."

Takeshi folded his arms.

"You know, I actually had a plan to strengthen my relationship with the pilots with this upcoming training exercise, but it all blew up in my face." He elaborated. "And at the end of the day, the man responsible got away unpunished while I got stripped of my Second Officer's commission. It makes me question the logic of this ship's commanding officer."

Alora didn't want to get into a discussion about Taiga's logic--or lack thereof. "I watched the computer recording of the training briefing and the meeting where you grounded the pilots. How did you intend to strengthen your relationship with the pilots and what do you think punishing someone for what he or she said would help with that?"

"Quite some time ago, a few pilots were interested in how good I was in the cockpit." Takeshi explained. "I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to prove my worth and show the pilots that I'm more than just the guy who sits in the TIC bossing everyone around, and I used the meeting to announce my plans to join the pilots for at least a few of the drills. If you've seen the recording of the briefing, than surely you know of the massive scene that was caused in protest. Just remembering it gets under my skin."

Takeshi was unsure of how best to explain the punishment part without bringing up the Myogi, so he tried to put it in the simplest way possible.

"As for the punishment part," He continued. "It was meant to show to the pilots that their actions will have consequences. The fact that the pilots reacted the way they did showed me that they're so undisciplined that they thought an investigation into their behavior was me abusing my power."

Alora took a moment to think over what he said and compare it to what she'd seen. "You do realize that pilots tease each other, perhaps more than regular Starfleet personnel? At least, that's been my observation. Punishing someone for violating a rule is one thing, but punishing them for saying something you dislike won't foster unity or camaraderie. It will bring mistrust and resentment. Is that really what you want here? As for flying with them, that would be up to the captain and the CAG, not you. I don't think you meant to cause the uproar you did, but it happened. Have you thought how you could have changed things?"

Takeshi took a moment to digest what had just been said to him before formulating his response. Perhaps he had failed to consider that pilots like to tease one another. That being said, though, he had still been the second officer at the time, and disrespect towards the second officer would have been considered a punishable offense back on the Myogi, as it would have counted as an offense of disrespect towards a superior commissioned officer. The fact that the first officer was saying that enacting a perfectly legitimate punishment would only sow distrust and fear further cemented his views that Admiral Miyahara would find the Tokyo undisciplined, and likewise, Captain Aisaka would find the Myogi tyrannical.

"For starters, I could have prevented it all if I had just kept my mouth shut and found a different way to get out there and fly." Takeshi explained.

"Why is it so important for you to fly with the other pilots?" Alora asked. "Especially as it's not part of your job as Air Boss."

"The best way I can describe it is what I like to call an 'action itch'" Takeshi replied. "I've had it since before Starfleet, and its the reason I took several courses in piloting in the academy, even though they didn't count towards my major in command: Basically, every now and then, I yearn to be in a situation that really gets my blood pumping: Not exactly something a cushy office job always provides. Normally, I can address this by running holodeck simulations like what I was doing before you called me here, but with what the pilots said, I interpreted it as an open invitation: If this was all just an expertly crafted troll, then I applaud them in that aspect: Their joke was so good, it fooled even me."

What he said ran contrary to what Alora saw on the video and didn't make sense. "There are flight simulators on the ship that will let you fly with them. Announcing that you're letting your second take over the TIC so you can fly in a training exercise without clearing it with the CAG and the captain is not the same as an open invitation to fly with them some time." She was missing something, but she wasn't sure what. "What was the discussion about fighters and shuttles I observed?" There were some comments about that on the vid. An explanation would help her understand better.

Takeshi sighed. The whole time, he had been spinning things to make him seem not an incompetent fool. But with this bush, there was no beating around.

"Around the same time the pilots were interested in my abilities, I got into an argument with one of the squadron leaders over whether a shuttlecraft could be flown like a fighter." He explained. "Any references to fighters and shuttlecraft you may have heard likely dates back to that argument."

"I can see why they took umbrage with your statement," she said blandly. "Let me see if I can read the meaning behind your words. You said you could fly a shuttle like a fighter, and the pilots naturally brought up physics. To prove that you could, and without clearing it with your superiors, you decided to give your job to your second--who also showed a remarkable lack of discipline--and join them in their training exercise." She raised an eyebrow. "What I am not sure of is why you felt it your duty to call a meeting to punish the person who made fun of your boasts."

Takeshi was taken aback slightly that the first officer hadn't bothered to ask for names, but it didn't matter, as he had been presented with bigger fish to fry:

For starters, it would be impossible to explain his reasoning without dabbing into his personal history a little bit:

"You see, I used to be a street racer way back in the day." He began. "Part of the street racer code was to defend your pride when challenged, so I suppose you could say that was a bad street racing habit coming out."

Next up on the matter was Shingo:

"As for Lieutenant Shoji, well at least that's something we can both agree on." Takeshi said. "Especially if you've read his service record: I'm still scratching my head wondering how he got that temporal violation. You know, Starfleet actually wanted to transfer him here as a pilot, and I made the decision to pull him because I knew how dangerous that would be, and I made him my deputy so I could keep a closer eye on him."

And finally, what the first officer didn't seem to understand: Perhaps the answer she most wanted, but Takeshi felt the need to touch on the other points in her statement first:

"The discipline part comes from how I used to do business on my old ship, the Myogi:" Takeshi explained. "The admiral I served under was very... By the books, to say the least, and he had a very firm code of justice. Have you ever heard of a little something called disrespect towards a superior commissioned officer?" He asked.

"This is Starfleet, lieutenant," she reminded him. "There is disrespecting a superior officer, and there is calling out a fellow officer for his attitude. Most of the pilots are the same rank as you."

"I suppose it has to do with the difference in the command structure between the two ships." Takeshi surmised. "You see, with the Myogi, the way the admiral had the command structure set up, the first, second and third officer were the three highest commissioned officers on the ship, next to the admiral himself of course. So, when I was third officer, even though I was a lieutenant, I was still the fourth highest commissioned officer on the ship. I assumed when I transferred here that the second officer commanded a similar level of respect: I know now that I was a fool to think that way: The second officer here is a joke compared to the Myogi's second officer: So much of one that the position takes a back seat to a department head position. Not like it really matters anymore, anyways..."

"The position of second officer is not a joke. Not here and not in Starfleet," Alora assured him. "The position is generally only utilized when either the commander or first officer are away from the ship and there is a need for both positions to be filled. That is why your primary job was always Air Boss. When the pilots mocked your claim that a shuttle could be flown like a fighter, it was to you as the Air Boss. Calling them out as second officer was out of line because that was not your role at the time." She wasn't sure if the difference mattered to him or not. "At the same time, it is important to note that admirals do not generally command starships. They have administrative jobs. Your admiral clearly chose to go against the norm on his ship. That was his choice, as was his choice to be a martinet. You will find that most commanders are a bit more relaxed--not as much as Captain Aisaka, however. That is her choice."

Takeshi was finding it hard to believe what he was hearing: Concepts that he had been taught were norms were being turned on their heads, and furthermore, he was being told where he had come from was an exception and not an example. For lack of a better term, what the first officer was saying was illogical to him.

"I find it hard to believe and rather illogical that Admirals don't usually command starships." He said. "I've heard of and read about several admirals who have commanded starships before. As for everything else you've said, it makes me question whether or not I joined a completely different organization other than Starfleet, as it appears you and I have read and go by some completely different books."

"I said do not generally, not do not ever," she countered. "Many question the role of Starfleet in the Federation. Some believe it is the military branch and should act as such. Others that it is exploratory in nature and acts as military only when necessary. Both sides have valid points. But as we are not at war and many ships now include families of the officers and enlisted, Starfleet has taken a more relaxed position on discipline. Don't get me wrong. We're still believe in discipline."

She paused for a brief moment. "What I'm saying is that we are not so disciplined that one comment, even if disparaging, justifies grounding all pilots and confining them to their quarters until they tell you who make the remark. That goes far beyond the pale, Mr. Takeshi." She leaned forward. "And, if we were to take punishment to that level of military rigidity, you would be held to the same standard. Your behavior was far worse than any of the comments I've heard about you. That person might get a restriction to quarters, but you would be demoted and off this ship for abusing your authority and for your lack of proper decorum. So, perhaps you should appreciate the apparent lack of discipline here and show us that you can be a team player."

If Takeshi had more energy, he could have spent all day arguing about the severity of punishments. However, he was worn out from the day's events, and right now he wanted nothing more than to be dismissed so he could hit the hay and curl up next to Sayuki.

If he looked like his mind was starting to wander, he didn't care...

"It's clear that we don't see eye-to-eye on several things." Takeshi admitted. "Hell, we may never see eye-to-eye on some, but I think, or at least I hope, we can agree that cooperation is one of Starfleet's core principles, no matter how we interpret the rest."

He sat back in his chair and stared off towards the door.

"That being said, there is one thing this more relaxed style of doing things has given me that I am grateful for:" The words began pouring from Takeshi's mouth before he could apply a filter to it. "Every day, after work, I get to go home to my lovely wife and two kids... I get to see my wife's smile, gosh, how I've missed that smile... I can see the glow in my daughter's eyes as she rushes up to hug her daddy, beaming from ear-to-ear... I get to be with my son! He's three years old, and I barely know the kid! Point being, I wouldn't trade being with my family every night for all the order in the galaxy..."

Alora smiled. "Yes. That's one advantage about a less militaristic approach. It's nice to have family around. As for recent events, let's see if you can show a little more cooperation and a little less dictatorship in future, okay?"

"I can't make any promises." Takeshi replied. "There's this old saying that goes 'old habits die hard', but I can assure you that I will strive to be a better officer in the future."

"That's good enough," Alora said, hoping he really would do better. "That's all I wanted to say. You can go back to your family."

"Well, if this counts as a dismissal," Takeshi said, standing up. "Then, I shall take my leave."

Takeshi turned to leave. If he was lucky, he would be able to grab a quick bite before he turned in for the night.

Posting by

Commander Alora Knight
Executive Officer

Lieutenant Takeshi Nakazato
Air Boss

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