"Purview"

[Guest Laarell]

Operations was always a sort of central nerve hub for the rest of the ship. Almost everything went through Laarell's console in one form or another, at some point or another. Duty manifests, shift rotations, incoming communications, and the occasional backup monitoring of something science or tactical needed a second pair of eyes on; all were in the Orion's purview.

 

However, it was slightly surreal to be the go-to for the freighter-side away team. She was, for all intents and purposes, the acting executive officer. A good part of her wondered just how desperate Starfleet was getting. The other part was scared as hell.

 

As much as her sense of ego wanted to swell, it was tempered by distinct feelings of worry, dread, and a good shot of nerves to round things out. What was she doing in this position? She monitored comm frequencies, not security operations. And as much as she told herself that she just had to use her brain and let Corizon call the big shots, the power frightened her.

 

Laarell wondered if, for all of the junior-officer-awe of power, it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. For its reputation it seemed to have even less control than someone who was happily buried in the lower echelon of a department, like Science, or even following orders on the Bridge. Be it an experiment or a comm relay, you had an idea of definites: something would work, or it wouldn't. You had tasks rooted in simple principles.

 

When you were in the big seat (metaphorically or literally), you didn't have the cut-and-dried decisions or affirmations that you had when you were lower down the food chain. Besides the cliche of everyone looking up to you (not that Laarell thought that they were), the stakes were a lot higher, and the pressure of dealing with unknown variables was more intense than what she wanted on her shoulders.

 

She hadn't had any specialized training as far as command went. The usual requisites at the academy about covered her education. The Orion hadn't ever been inclined towards running a starship; the desire to lead was a reluctant one. Laarell wouldn't exactly turn down the opportunity, but she wasn't about to embrace it, either.

 

Hence why she found herself in her current situation. Just slightly out of her element, but staying calm, at least, on the outside.