The CEO... a RETROspective

Posted on Mon Jan 27th, 2020 @ 10:27pm by Captain Cynthia Jackson & Lieutenant Kevin Chambers

2,116 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Mission 0 - Christening of Legacy and Crew Arrival
Location: Legacy's Docking Bay

There were a great moments that defined a person's life... a lot of firsts, shall we say. First breath, first laugh, first kiss, first lover... and then? There was His Ship. He had been elbow-deep in PADDs filled with specs for every ship that had been piecemealed together to create...

The Legacy.

The ship was more like a Gestalt... something that was GREATER than all of its parts... and he had been given the immense and unenviable gift of being Her Chief Engineer. Kevin Chambers had received his promotion and then? Without much discussion, he was thrust in front of the Press with a number of other Starfleet Personnel, trying hard to look capable, seasoned... knowledgeable... Instead of fresh-faced, newly promoted, and still with that New Officer smell.

His head had been filled with manuals, readouts, calibration levels... and the speech that they had handed him amidst the rest of the digital documents. He had found it at 5 am, about 3 hours before he had to make it. But if he wasn't great under pressure, had amazing hand-eye coordination and an uncanny way of diagnosing issues... And a mild-mannered reporter with glasses. 'Jeez, Kevin, positive self-talk is one thing, but... modesty can work wonders.' He couldn't think of when, but he was sure he'd figure it out as he went.

But if he hadn't been a bit of a prodigy, he might have been fixing things back home. He looked up and took a deep sigh. He would have never had the opportunity to see those stars up close. Be out in them... and enjoy the complete change from everything he'd ever known. In that moment, he was humbled. By fate, by luck, by... destiny? Or perhaps he was the pimple on the behind of the very individual who would be that awesome and amazing individual.

He might never know.

Cindy threw back her long platinum blonde hair and walked right up to the Chief Engineer. "Found you! Finally!" she told him cheerfully. She smiled widely at him. "Have you been in the belly of the ship yet? I would have expected to have found you there, tinkering. I've never met a Chief Engineer that did not like to put his signatures on the newest ship in the fleet."

She stuck out her hand to Kevin and said, "If you haven't guessed from my speech and Christening, I'm Cindy, Captain of the Legacy. And you're Keven Chambers. Pleased to meet you!" Her green eyes sparkled as she smiled at her Chief Engineer.

“Captain,” he smiled back, matching hers easily. “Pleased to meet you too.” His hand was large, firm and muscular, with callouses that defined him easily as someone who worked with his hands.

“I thought it might have been rude to just head on down there and miss the festivities.” Starfleet Personnel milling about with drinks and small snacks. Thrown together more likely since their coming together as a ship was more of the similar throwing together. A lot rested on their shoulders. They, like the ship seemed to be the remnants of excellence after Nero at Vulcan.

Throwing back his drink, he smiled widely at Cindy and said, “I’ve festivated enough, I think. You?”

Offering his arm, he started walking. “Into the belly of the beast I think.” How could he start changing things until he saw how they piecemealed the Legacy together? But knowing him? It wouldn’t take long...

Cindy liked the strong handshake. "Festivated?" Cindy asked with a huge smile and pretty laugh. "I like that! Do you mind if I steal that word? I could use it at some point, I'm quite sure!"

Giving her the patented Keving Chambers wink, meant to melt icebergs, uncompromising women and small children, and in a pinch could bring all the dogs to his yard, he followed it up with his dazzling smile. Mostly to see if his could even hold a candle to the Captain's.

She looked at the proffered arm and took it with another laugh. "Don't you dare call my baby a beast, though. She's special and we're going to make sure she's the best ship in the fleet!"

"She already is," he whispered conspiratorially and chuckled softly. "Legacy is amazing, and just as a lion is a beast, so too is this gorgeous conglomeration of parts and pieces." He seemed to drift off a little before realizing where he was.

"Yes, into the fray, Captain." Kevin began walking, letting Cindy set the pace. No matter how manly he might be or even what chivalry might remain in his genetic makeup, there was still the fact that she outranked him. In fact, she was his boss. A fact he wouldn't forget anytime soon.

"Nice save," Cindy replied with a giggle. She threw her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder and led her CEO onto the ship. "So, why don't you tell me about yourself? I would like to get to know you as well as I get to know the ship."

"Well..." Kevin started, thinking about what he might mention first. Did he want to be charming? Funny? Or did he not care about any of that at all? He didn't hesitate in answering... it was only the rapid firing of his synapses that made all of those choices for him. "... Captain, I've been passionate about mechanics and how things run since I disassembled my dad's Harley on my 2nd birthday." He shook his head, remembering the incident well. "At least I managed to put it back together by the time I was 3, or I might not have lived 'til the following birthday..."

He smirked to himself. That... had been the making of him. "Dad loved his Harley." Warming to the memory, he continued. "After that? I did too." Sighing slightly, his face lost about 10 years and he looked and felt like a kid again. "It was a family heirloom, and when I got older, just about the time I had decided to join Starfleet, he took me aside and told me that he'd done the same thing to my grandpa."

His face lit up in a full smile. "I guess that was a family tradition. Scaring the bejeezus out of the kids..." Kevin's eyes twinkled and he gave the Captain a small peek at his inner kid.

"I mean, I could go through my record," Kevin said, suddenly reconnecting back to the present, "but I figured you'd have that stuff already on file, and it seems kind of redundant to regurgitate what you already know."

"So, Captain, what can you share with me about you?"

"Nobody wants to hear what's in a stuffy record," Cindy amiably told Kevin. "It is boring and I know how to read," she told him agreeably. "As to what I can share about myself, nearly everything," she told him, ignorant of the innuendo. "Obviously, nothing confidential, though admittedly, that's not much, either." She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling. "So, what is it that you want to know?"

"Hmmm..." he said, looking as though he was pondering the inner working of the universe or perhaps counting the freckles on his hand. Whatever it was, he looked up, met the Captain's eyes easily and asked her quite pointedly, "When did you decide that you wanted to be a Captain?"

"Oh, I knew from the moment that I entered Starfleet," she told Kevin with a light tone. "There's nothing more satisfying than being the best. Besides, just think of all the things that we could explore! There's so much to learn. So much to experience! I can hardly wait!"

'From the moment...' Kevin's reaction was one of admiration and surprise. Mostly because when a woman is determined to do something, generally, she managed to do it. "Huh," was all he could say and thought about when he decided he wanted to be a Chief Engineer.

He decided that it was probably never... it wasn't a conscious decision. It was one that was... well, sort of thrust upon him. He didn't expect it; he just loved figuring things out. Things were much easier than people, but he could still muster a charming smile and some light conversation.

"That's impressive," he followed up quickly, hoping he didn't stand there gaping at his Captain with his mouth open like a fish out of water. "Congratulations," he said. "You deserve the position." Did he recover or just seem like a total idiot? Well, it was too late now. He hadn't meant anything offensive, but certain people might have imagined that he did indeed mean just that.

He smiled, feeling very self-conscious and wondered if the Captain would just leave him there flailing or be kind...

Cindy responded with a shrug and a smile. "I do but there are others that think I don't." Her eyes darkened slightly, thinking of Admiral Wheeler who just told her as much. "I'm much younger than one would normally be in coming to this position but with the majority of the fleet being destroyed at Vulcan and then Khan, well...." She shrugged again, "But here we are, right?" She let go of Kevin's arm.

"We're going to do great things and show everyone that we deserve our posts regardless of the circumstances." Her eyes glowed with a fierce passion. "Aren't we?"

Kevin blinked a little in surprise and nodded. "Yes, Captain. Of course." It sounded convincing, didn't it? That echo of her passion and feeble attempt at sounding enthusiastic. Vulcan. Khan. They were like physical blows being beaten into the collective consciousness of humanity, and a declaration of war on all that Starfleet stood for. He had been fired up too, listened to all of the political rhetoric and even imagined himself in the role of heroic savior.

But was that really him? He had hoped that nothing of his own self-doubt had shown on his face. He had always wondered whether or not he could, or would, step up when the time was right. His past had been a little dicey on the count. After all, he had been pushed through a few not-so-above-board channels to get to this place. And this Captain... Cindy with the platinum hair and flashing eyes, she wouldn't... couldn't... accept anything below absolute commitment.

Her life and the lives of everyone aboard The Legacy... they would be counting on HIM. Was he really up to that daunting task?

He looked at the ship, looked at the Captain and turned to look at the people that had attended this celebration. Why was there a twisting in his gut, wondering if he would be enough? And this personal crisis had no place aboard this ship. It had come from the collective remnants of ships that had been decimated at Vulcan. THAT was the true legacy.

He had been honored to be chosen, and everything had happened so fast... was he really the right choice? How could he question authorities who had been hand-picking the command staff? How could he disappoint everyone he had every known? How could he dishonor the memory of his family?

But he couldn't lie. And he didn't want to. "Captain," he began softly. "I'm..." He looked up and met her flashing eyes. His own vulnerability was plain in his. "I'm not sure I'm right for this post."

Cindy took her arm out of Kevin's hold and looked at him confused. Why would anyone say something like that? Was he trying to be humble? "How could you say such a thing? You would not have been made a Chief Engineer if you were anything less than qualified for the position. I could understand that you might have doubts but I suspect that is natural for most people."

She gave Kevin a playful punch in the arm. "Now, buck up, buttercup. You have an Engineering department to run and I have a ship to run. I'm sure that you will work all the miracles that are necessary when the time comes."

Kevin smiled. "If that's an order, Captain, then let me get back to it." He let the smile reach his eyes, but there was a lingering doubt... and he didn't like it. He'd have time to be able to be good with everything now that he was here. He was good at support, but was he really a Chief Engineer? Well, only time would tell...

"That's an order," Cindy confirmed with a smile. "But still, call me Cindy, alright?"

Raising his hand to his head, he gave a mock salute. "Aye, aye, Cindy." As he turned to head to his Department, he took one last look over his shoulder to watch his Captain retreating into the ship.

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