Still have my marbles

Posted on Monday June 13th, 2022 @ 2:33am by Lieutenant Commander Niali Deval Dr

Mission: Days of Our Lives
Location: USS Oberon
Timeline: R&R

::ON::

Niali Korial Chief Counselor had requested to see Trensu the only thing he ever avoided or ran from was doctors physical or mental. in her message, she had said there were some things she needed to discuss. Trensu had thought about it for a while and tried to avoid it. after the second message came through and there was talk she was looking for him Trensu gave in and let her know she could meet him in his office.

Trensu had straightened his office up and was waiting for her to show. The tasks as chief security and XO were mounting. He had his XO PADDs on one side of his desk and the Security department PADDs on the other. He took a sip of his tea and looked at the monitor on the wall as the ships and crew data were displayed. Looking around the office his desk faced the door he had two chairs in front of his desk and a small couch against the wall to his left. there was a collection of weapons behind him. a small table and replicator to his right.

The Security Senior Chief pop his head in and smiled. "Sir she is almost here, I hear she is good looking," said the Chief.

Looking up "She?" replied Trensu sounding a little sharp tone.

The Senior Chief's smile faded "Is there a problem sir?" asked Senior Chief.

Trensu gave a sigh. "Chief, we have talked about this," said Trensu.

The chief "Sir, I know ok" he put up a hand in surrender. "Ok, Sir, Lieutenant JG Niali Korial is almost here." said The Chief

"Thank you when Lieutenant JG Korial arrives just to show her in. Chief thank you," said Trensu

Niali arrived a little late at the XO’s office. It seemed that the Senior Chief was waiting for her.

“I’m sorry I am a little late, I am here to see Lieutenant Trensu, I am Niali Korial Chief Counsellor.” He appeared to be looking at her in a certain way she had gotten used to. She smiled.

"Yes ma'am, Lieutenant Trensu is expecting you. You can follow me Ma'am." said the Chief they walked to the back of the Security Office was his door was open. The chief knocked on the side of the doorway. "Sir, Lieutenant Niali" Senior Chief announced.

Trensu looked up and smiled. "Chief Counsellor Niali, come in and have a seat would you like something to drink?" Trensu said standing up.

Niali smiled, “no, no thank you I am fine, pretty caffeinated up if truth be known.” She sat in the seat he offered to her and readied her PaDD.

Trensu sat back down and took a sip of his tea. He had not seen Niali in person yet. Niali was Tall, well proportioned a fit body. Long black hair down to the waist. Usual Trill markings from her head down her neck. Trensu could see why the guys found her attractive. But she was a little young to him. "I guess you are here to see if I have lost, how do they say it, my marbles?" ask Trensu.

Niali smiled he seemed nice enough but there was an undercurrent there, a feeling of anger always waiting ready to break to the surface. “Pleased to meet you, Lieutenant Commander, I am sorry I am not sure what you mean by ‘marbles’ whatever they are? and, I am not here to see if you have lost anything. Assessing the mental Heath of an El-Aurian is nigh impossible so I would rather just chat and have you answer a few questions.
Would you be amenable to that?”

"‘Oh sorry let me explain. 'Losing your or my marbles is old earth meaning losing one's mind, I believe. and marbles were little balls made of different materials through the centuries. I guess if someone lost one it would be upsetting. They use them to play a kid's game I think." explained Trensu. Taking another drink of his tea. Trensu slowly became more guarded his facial expression became more blank.

Niali looked at her PaDD and crossed her legs. “Well let’s get on with this shall we, Lieutenant Commander you have a history of appearing rather cold when dealing with people. How do you think that fits in with you being the XO of the Oberon?”

Trensu thought about the question. "Cold? I do come across as a Vulcan sometimes. I know I have to work on being more empathetic with crew members. I go straight to the problem and solve it. That can seem harsh to others. I need to have more of an ear and consider more what they feel." Answered Trensu.

Niali smiled, she had noted the subtle change in his demeanor. “Can I ask what you think are the main qualities for a Commanding Officer?”

Trensu took a sip of his tea his demeanor changed some ahis tone in his voice sounded like an instructor at the Academy. Niali might have even heard this lecture.
"I will tell you what I think of command should be and why. this should answer your questions on command.
this is my personal opinion list me list some of it for you." answered Trensu taking a sip of his tea.

"Here is the list. Integrity, Accountability, Initiative, and Toughness. Just to start." Trensu started his philosophy.

"A leader must lead but also be ready to follow.
A leader must be aggressive but not overbearing.
A leader must be calm but not robotic.
A leader must be confident but never cocky.
A leader must be brave but not foolhardy.
A leader must have a competitive spirit but also be a gracious loser.
A leader must be attentive to details but not obsessed with them.
A leader must be strong but likewise have endurance, not only physically but mentally.
A leader must be humble but not passive; quiet but not silent.
A leader must be close with subordinates but not too close.
A leader must exercise Extreme Ownership. Simultaneously, that leader must employ Decentralized Command.
A leader has nothing to prove but everything to prove."

"Now let me explain all of that.' said Trensu
"A common misconception the public has about the Starfleet is that subordinates mindlessly follow every order they’re given. In certain situations, subordinates may have access to information their superiors don’t or have an insight that would result in a more effective plan than the one their boss proposed. Good leaders must welcome this, putting aside ego and personal agendas to ensure that the team has the greatest chance of accomplishing its strategic goals." Trensu stood up and walked over to his display showing incoming information. "As displayed here. Some of this comes from the NCOs of this ship and tells us what's happening in real time." explained Trensu.

"As an Officer, we needed to be aggressive. Some may even accuse me of hyper aggression, but officers differentiated being a powerful presence to a crew or command team from being an intimidating figure. I will do my utmost to ensure that everyone below me in the chain of command felt comfortable approaching me with concerns, ideas, thoughts, and even disagreements." said Trensu sitting back at his desk.

“That being said,” he adds, “my subordinates know that if they wanted to complain about the hard work and relentless push to accomplish the mission I expected of them, they best take those thoughts elsewhere. While leaders who lose their tempers lose respect, they also can’t establish a relationship with their crew if they never express anger, sadness, or frustration." says Trensu taking a sip of his tea.

"Leaders should behave with confidence and instill it in their crew members. But when it goes too far, overconfidence causes complacency and arrogance, which ultimately set the crew up for failure, Whoever’s in charge can’t waste time excessively contemplating a scenario without making a decision. But when it’s time to make that decision, all risks must be as mitigated as possible." He continued his explanation.

"In many situations in which delaying an attack until every detail about a target was clarified, even when it frustrated other ships they were working with, resulted in avoiding tragic friendly fire."

"They must drive competition and push themselves and their teams to perform at the highest level, I am saying They must never put their drive for personal success ahead of overall mission success for the greater team. This means that when something does not go according to plan, leaders must set aside their egos and take ownership of the failure before moving forward. The most effective leaders learn how to quickly determine which of their team’s tasks need to be monitored for them to progress smoothly, but cannot get sucked into the details and lose track of the bigger picture,” Trensu said taking another drink of tea.

"Leaders need to push themselves and their teams while also recognizing their limits, to achieve a suitable pace and avoid burnout. The best leaders keep their egos in check and their minds open to others and admit when they’re wrong. But a leader must be able to speak up when it matters, They must be able to stand up for the team and respectfully push back against a decision, order, or direction that could negatively impact overall mission success." trensu kept explaining to Niali.

"The best leaders understand the motivations of their crew members and know their people their lives and their families. But a leader must never grow so close to subordinates that one member of the team becomes more important than another, or more important than the mission itself."

"Extreme Ownership is the fundamental concept of mine and my leadership philosophy. It means that for any crew or organization, all responsibility for success and failure rests with the leader. Even when leaders are not directly responsible for all outcomes, it was their method of communication and guidance, or lack thereof, that led to the results." Trensu paused to let what he said process.

"That doesn’t mean, however, that leaders should micromanage. It’s why the concept of decentralized command that what I use used in the battlefield. In which they trusted that their junior officers were able to handle certain tasks without being monitored, translates so well the even outside Starfleet."

“Since the team understands that the leader is de facto in charge, in that respect, a leader has nothing to prove,” said Trensu. “But in another respect, a leader has everything to prove. Every member of the crew must develop the trust and confidence that their leader will exercise good judgment, remain calm, and make the right decisions when it matters most. And the only way that can be achieved is through leading by example every day." This is what I think of Command and plan to lead. I hope this explains what I think." finished Trensu.

“Well that was extremely comprehensive Lieutenant Commander, I have actually heard the lecture and it, while commendable to my mind denotes a perfection that is impossible. The stress of constantly striving to reach an almost impossible goal, coupled with the ever-present fear of failure can be a major source of stress. do you fear failure?”

"Honestly, no Lieutenant. Something else I said over the years Success is not final, failure is not fatal, and it is the courage to continue that counts," he said with confidence. Just because you fall does that mean you just lay down and not try to get up? Would you quit on a patient because he or she failed in addiction recovery?" Trensu asked her politely and respectfully.

“This is not my evaluation Sir, respectfully, but yours, and it is important that I understand you. I am going to ask that you see me again as I feel we need to talk more?” She waited for him to answer.

The new CO smiled "I am glad you are here on board. My door is always open to you Lieutenant Korial. I hope you have a better insight into your CO." replied Trensu standing to walk with Lieutenant Korial. out of the office.

She remained sitting for a second or two. Sir, do you agree to further appointments?”

The CO pauses. "Yes, of course. I will meet with you I don't mind at all. I do know you have a job and I will not stop you from doing it." replied Trensu.

“Thank you, Sir.” Niali stood and left the room.

Trensu watched as Niali walked away. Trensu knew she would be trouble. But what He did not know was was she on the right should hr the left shoulder He thought. As the old earth Angel and Devil of conscience. He just smiled and walked back to his desk.

::OFF::

Lieutenant Commander Ahkhsu Trensu
Commanding Officer
USS Oberon

Lieutenant JG Niali Korial Dr.
Chief Counselor
USS Oberon