Changes to Come

[Sheng-ji 0]

Lt.(Jg.) Sheng-ji Marish

AENG | USS Reaent

SD 0402.24

 

>Begin<

 

Captain Ty Montiar and his first officer, Commander Raymond DiNazo, sat in the officer’s mess of the as yet commissioned USS AIDA, NCC-87249, Saber-Class, looking over personnel files.

 

“You know,” DiNazo said to his captain, who looked up briefly from the pADD in his hand to his first officer. “Picking a Chief Engineer, it’s a big decision.”

 

“Yeah I know,” Montair said, pointing to a large mug of coffee, “That’s why I have this.”

 

“I am surprised Starfleet didn’t just give us one,” DiNazo said as he leafed through the PADDs sprawled out on the table. “I mean, we’re not going to know what to do if they keep letting us have so much…freedom.”

 

Montair smirked. “Well you know,” he said in between coffee sips, “If this were my first time ‘round they would, but since this is what…my third command, they figure I can pick my own crew.”

 

“Oh,” DiNazo said grinning, “Is that how you got me?”

 

“No,” Montair said coyly, “You I got stuck with.”

 

They smirked and continued looking through the files. Occasionally one of them would speak up, making a comment about a perspective candidate.

 

“What about O’Shannon?”

 

“Maybe,” Montair said, “Put him in the maybe stack.”

 

“Jules?”

 

“I don’t know,” DiNazo replied. “Kind of hot tempered.”

 

“For an Engineer?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“Oh….uhh no then.”

 

Finally they had narrowed the list down to seven PADDs all of which set neatly in front of them.

 

“What about the Dameon?” DiNazo said looking at the seventh PADD, which he picked up from the end of the line. “Lieutenant Junior Grade Sheng-Ji Marish, Assistant Engineer, USS Reaent.”

 

“Michael’s pet dog?”

 

DiNazo smirked. “I don’t think Lt. Marish would see it that way, but yes.”

 

Montair picked up the PADD with the Dameon’s muzzle on it and looked it over. “Hmm, Danm near blew the ship up, that’s promising…”

 

“Has extensive training in weapons, some field experience, and helped build the USS Reno, Saber-Class…and yes…nearly blew the Reaent into a million pieces.”

 

Montair seemed to think about that line of credentials for a moment, “Don’t throw him away yet, but let’s have a look at the others.”

 

A few hours later, the list had narrowed again, and ‘Michael’s Pet Dog’ was still in the running.

 

“Hmm,” Montair said looking over the remaining three finalists. “We keep coming back to Lt. Marish.”

 

“Yeah we do,” DiNazo said, he picked up the PADD, although by now he’d memorized the important points of the Starfleet Bio. “What do you think, should we give the boy a shot?”

 

Again the Captain of the USS AIDA seemed to debate these issues in his head before finally speaking. “Well he doesn’t have much in the way of Command experience and didn’t do all that well in the command level courses, but he knows the in’s and out’s of a Saber-class, and that counts for something. So he nearly blew up a ship, I guess if we throw him out for that, will have to prosecute me too.”

 

DiNazo smirked. “Heh,” was all he said before growing serious again. “We’re going to have a lot of younger crew on this boat…he could be an asset.”

 

“He’s a little older than most of them, and at least has some field time,” Montair said. “The other two are fresh from the Academy…you know what that means.”

 

“They think by the book means ‘by the book’,” DiNazo said looking briefly at the other two PADDS.

 

“Exactly,” the Captain said placing the other two to the side, “At least this one is already house broken…”

 

“No Pun Intended?”

 

“Meh.”

 

“So that settles that?”

 

“Yep,” Montair said leaning back, “You want me to contact him, or would you rather do it?”

 

DiNazo thought for a moment. “Why Captain,” he said. “I wouldn’t dream of bogging you down with paper work, of course I’d be happy to contact Lt. Marish and inform him of his transfer.”

 

“Tell him if he takes the job,” Montair said smirking, “He’ll be promoted to full Lieutenant, and he’ll even get his own office and everything.”

 

“Right sir,” DiNazo said standing, “I’ll get right on it.”

 

____

On the Reaent, a few Hours before Last Week’s Sim.

 

Sheng-Ji Marish had just stepped into his quarters for a moment; he had needed to freshen up before returning to engineering for his duty shift as “chief.”

 

But what had started out as a simple trip, turned into something all together different as he walked in to notice a blinking light indicating a message. Sheng-ji sauntered over to the desk and hit the button with a claw.

 

After entering his personal access code, he started to change uniforms, he really didn’t care about seeing the message—he could hear quite well.

 

The voice on the recording was unfamiliar, it was gruff, but with a paradoxically smooth quality to it, and from the sounds of it, the man on the other end was middle aged.

 

“Lt. Marish,” the voices started. Straight foreword.

 

“My Name is Commander DiNazo, First Officer of the USS Aida,” DiNazo’s voice crackled over the comm. A name to the voice, but why would a commander contact me—directly?

 

“Lt. I am going to cut the crap and get straight to the point,” DiNazo’s voice was all business, “Captain Montair and myself are…requesting…that you take position of Chief of Engineering aboard the USS Aida…”

 

“Pause recording,” Sheng-Ji blinked, and returned to the sitting area where the computer terminal was. With ears like his, he knew he hadn’t missed that. Chief of Enigineering!?!

 

“Computer, Resume recording from time index Alpha 15.6.”

 

A few beeps later the screen flashed back to life, DiNazo’s chiseled distinctly Italian face filled the screen once more. “Captain Montair and myself are…requesting…that you take position of Chief of Engineering aboard the USS Aida,” the message repeated.

 

“I know this is coming as a surprise to you,” DiNazo said. That’s an understatement.

 

“However,” the message continued, despite Sheng-ji’s increasing bewilderment. “The Captain and I think, that after a careful review of your personnel file, that you are exactly the man for the job, I have included a full file on the Aida and her specs, as well you will find attached orders for you to report to the Adalenne Shipyards, where the Aida is in the final stages of completion. However, since I know that the Reaent is currently a fair distance from Adalenne, I have put your transfer orders on hold until you complete your current mission. I look forward to hearing from you. Captain Micheals and Commander Ridire will be informed shortly of your transfer. Congratulations Lieutenant Marish, Godspeed. This Message Ends Now.”

 

>End<