Welcome to the Valdore (Rayek/Sorik)

[Rayek trLhoell]

Erei'Riov/Subcommander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office] (the night previous to S14 E11)

Rayek stood before the Commander's desk waiting while Riov tr'Siedhri read over the decrypted messages that had been received earlier from the Romulan Free State Military Command. (RFSMC).   The encryption used was one of the more highly classified codes.  There was no computer decryption program that could break it.  The messages had to be decrypted painstakingly by hand.

After finishing reading the fleet update, the commander deleted the file from the tablet and then handed the tablet back to Rayek, who would upon return to his own office wipe the memory of disposable tablet and reformat it for the next encrypted message.

Rayek withstood the other Romulan's silence for a minute more as the Commander leaned back in his leather seat and looked him over judgingly.   When the man did speak Rayek almost preferred the silence.  "I'm told that you handed off the welcoming of the Federation exchange personnel to Arrain t'Nennien.  Why is that?" he questioned with an unpleasant expression.

Rayek would have thought the answer obvious.  The Commander had feigned an illness all day so that he could tryst with his medical staff mistress, leaving Rayek to cover the Commander's duties as well as his own.  But saying that outright would likely end with him in the ship's brig, so Rayek chose to answer tactfully.

"I had an unexpected increase in tasks today that I was unable to manage appropriately.   I judged the decryption of the RFSMC messages to be of higher importance than the arrival of the Federation officers.  As you noted I assigned Arrain t'Nennien to fill in - from her report it went well and the officers have settled into their quarters for the night.  I intend to meet with them one on one over the next few days, so it should be fine."

The Commander scoffed.  "Are you complaining about the amount of work you are assigned?"

Rayek frowned - that wasn't what he said at all. "No, Riov.  Today was an exception due to your absence on the bridge."

But that was the wrong thing to say. "Oh, so it's my fault you can't manage your duties, Subcommander?"

Rayek kept the grimace from his face only by focusing on the pain of his nails biting into the palm of his hand as he clenched it tightly.  He forced himself to fall. "No, sir.  The fault is my own.  I should have planned better.  It won't happen again."

His answer didn't seem to impress or mollify the Commander in the least, as the man scoffed again turning his attention to the various personnel profiles of the Federation crew.

"We shall see."  muttered the Commander as he paused to take a closer look at one of the profiles.  "You are dismissed."

Erei'Riov/Subcommander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[RFS Valdore - Subcommanders' Office] (following S14 E11 Conjoinment Crisis part 1:  Ship of Horrors)

Rayek had thought yesterday's talk with the Commander was the end of the subject of his 'poor' time-management skills but after dealing with the Klingon ship, Rayek returned to his officer to write his report and found a set of orders from the Commander that were clearly meant to antagonize him.  The wording in the orders, however was clear.  This was going to happen whether Rayek liked it or not.

Putting off the unwelcome task for as long as possible, Rayek wrote his report first and sent it off to the Commander.  Only after that was done, did Rayek send a request for Erein Sorik to attend his office for a meeting within the hour.

[Sorik]

Ensign Erein Sorik
[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office]

Sorik was in the middle of a routine check of the communication's systems of the Valdore when he received the notification on his PADD that Commander tr'Lhoell requested a meeting with him. The young Vulcan paused a moment to estimate what the reason for that meeting might be. The Commander had  neglected to make any mention of that in his message.

Since his task would only take about 20 minutes and since he had been given a time frame of an hour to show up in his office, Sorik chose to complete the check. Once finished, he gave over his position to the next on duty and then made his way to the office of Commander tr'Lhoell.

Making his presence known, he waited until he was called in and then entered the office. He took three measured steps into the room, his PADD held in his right hand as he regarded the Romulan Commander with a perfectly straight face.

"You wished to speak to me, Sir", the Vulcan prompted him.

[Rayek trLhoell]

Erei'Riov/Subcommander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office] (following S14 E11 Conjoinment Crisis part 1:  Ship of Horrors)

Though the Vulcan had arrived within the stipulated time, Rayek was a bit annoyed that he'd been made to wait 25 minutes for him.  Putting aside his irritation for the moment, Rayek looked up from his PADD where he'd been looking over Sorik's file, towards the overly tall Starfleet exchange officer.

"Please take a seat, Erein."  Rayek nodded towards the chairs placed facing his desk.  There were three to choose from.  A comfortable reading chair on the right, a utility folding chair in the middle directly across from Rayek and a four-legged wooden stool to the left.

Had he been on a Federation ship, Rayek would have offered the junior officer a replicated refreshment to help set an amiable atmosphere, but on a Romulan ship such pleasantries would be viewed as suspicious.   That he even offered those he spoke to a seat was often misinterpreted as a weakness.   But Rayek continued the practice as he used it as a means to gain insight into the others personality.

"We have much to talk about."   

[Sorik]

Ensign Erein Sorik
[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office]

Sorik regarded the chairs and took but a second to make his decision.

Unhurriedly he walked towards the comfortable chair to the right and took a seat. His posture sitting wasn't less perfect than when standing. His back perfectly upright, the Vulcan put down the PADD on his lap before he then directed his gaze directly at Rayek. His statement thst they had a lot to talk about was redundant to him as he still didn't know what the reason for this meeting was. Any impatience that might have come up was controlled immediately. As it was obvious to both of them that Sorik had no idea what this meeting was about he simply kept looking at Rayek expectantly, trusting the Commander would fill him hin now without him prompting once more.

[Rayek trLhoell]

Erei'Riov/Subcommander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office] (following S14 E11 Conjoinment Crisis part 1:  Ship of Horrors)

Rayek observed the junior officer as the Vulcan swiftly chose the more comfortably cushioned reading chair, but then sat upon it stiffly.  What was the point of choosing comfort then? he wondered.  Though he tried not to, Rayek couldn't help but make comparisons between this Vulcan and Solluk, the only Vulcan he ever considered a friend.  Solluk, though logical and professional, had tempered that logic with emotion.  It had made his Vulcan superior far more reasonable and likeable.

Rayek didn't anticipate being at all on friendly terms with this one. Civil was probably the most either would be able to muster.  Without warning this thought brought to mind a similar barely civil working relationship he'd once had with a Vulcan science officer.  The thought of Verlok and the man's sacrifice for him prompted a frown, which Rayek chased from his face by taking a sip of a bitterly strong Romulan tea.  He missed having his chai.

When Rayek lowered the cup from his lips, the frown was gone.

Rayek picked up his PADD, opened to the screen noting the Vulcan's new orders and handed it over to the Erein.

"You've been selected for a special assignment as my..." Rayek chose the position title carefully.  In Romulan culture, the one that attended the Commander and his senior officers was often a servant or hfai not a ship's officer.  If the Vulcan was aware of this cultural fact, his assignment might be seen as an insult... which is likely how it was intended by the Commander.  Rayek however attempted to put a Federation perspective on the role - that this was a step-up, in having additional responsibilities.  "Personal Assistant.  In addition to your regularly scheduled Operational shift, your duties will also include such tasks as organizing my daily schedule.  Sitting in on all non-classified meetings I attend to take notes and action-points.  You will pre-screen all non-classified correspondence within my inbox and sort for content and  provide briefing notes on all non-classified departmental reports."

Rayek watched the Vulcan's face closely for any sign of what the Ops officer thought about his new orders.

[Sorik]

Ensign Erein Sorik
[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office]

Sorik's gaze was fixated on Rayek the second he had taken a seat in the chair. His eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to analyze what prompted the frown that had appeared on the Romulan's face. Unmoving, Sorik observed as Rayek took a sip of his beverage, which was some kind of herbal tea judging from the scent that wafted over to him. Then the frown was gone and finally, the Erei'Riov handed him a PADD.

He leaned forward to take the device before he resumed his previous perfectly upright posture. Glancing down he skimmed over the missive's content, which he noted was only signed by the Romulan Captain and not his Starfleet one, while simultaneously listening to Rayek.

The fact that someone thought it necessary for the Commander to receive a personal assistant wasn't surprising to the Vulcan. From what he had read about the First Officer the man had a remarkably - not meant in a positive way - fluctuating service record regarding both rank and assignments. To the Vulcan, this service record was a mess. It rose the suspicion in Sorik that Rayek had gained his promotions by corrupt means and earned his demotions due to his actual incomptence to fulfil a position of responsibility and authority, no doubt rooted in his species' inability to control their emotions and tendency to let those emotions dictate their words and actions.

Outwardly, Sorik's face remained perfectly blank as he nodded his head once in acceptance of the new role. "I see."

Leaning forward once more he placed the PADD back on Rayek's desk, before he picked up his own one and held it in front of him, ready to take notes on it. "With your approval, Sir, I suggest setting up a meeting at the very beginng and the end of each work day to go through appointments, problems and developments. If you agree, I will prepare all of the paperwork regarding authorizations I will need, especially on your inbox and other documents to administer them." Actually, Sorik was already on it to do just that while he spoke. "Are there any routines or other items you would like to include in the schedule that is not involved in the typical duties of your position?"

[Rayek trLhoell]

Erei'Riov/Subcommander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office] (following S14 E11 Conjoinment Crisis part 1:  Ship of Horrors)

Rayek didn't know why he'd expected some sort of actual adverse reaction from the Vulcan.   Even if Sorik knew he was being insulted, it wasn't like the Vulcan would allow himself to express how he must certainly feel.

Just the bland way that the Vulcan acknowledged the new assignment  - with an 'I see'  was so frustratingly annoying to Rayek at the moment.

Even more annoying was the Vulcan's suggestion to meet before and after each work day - but logistically it was a sound plan... which was of course why the Vulcan suggested it.  Rayek would prefer to have less interaction with the Vulcan, not more; but the Riov, with this special ordered assignment, was clearly still unhappy with having Rayek assigned as his Executive Officer by the Romulan Free State Command.

His first month aboard had been a nightmare with nearly every Romulan officer on board challenging his authority.  It had taken some pretty ruthless disciplinary actions on his part fix that.  He'd tempered such strictness by going out of his way to be in the field as much as possible with the crew showing them that he'd earned the right to the position with skill and ability.  His efforts that first month made a huge difference in how respected he was by the junior officers.  The difference was less noticeable with those more senior positions who felt slighted by his arrival and felt they could have done the position better.   And as for the Riov... Rayek had thought the worst had been behind them - but perhaps pointing out that he was merely 'on loan' to the Free State - though accurate - had been the wrong thing to say.

Focusing his attention back to the Vulcan, Rayek nodded his acceptance of the man's suggestion.  "I start my work day at 0500hrs - unless called in earlier due to a problem.  I generally will do a tour of the ship first - speaking with the third-shift crew before they go off shift and are replaced with first-shift.  At 0700 I am in my office preparing my report for the Captain on any third-shift occurrences.   Staff briefing is at 0800."

Rayek 'walked' the Vulcan through a typical day for him - noting that he scheduled crew meetings during the 'quiet times' when he wasn't assisting the Riov on the Bridge or assigned to some field mission, or keeping his combat skills honed through sparring practice using the ship's holographic training programs.

"Though it isn't required of me, I will generally 'Sit the Bridge' for most of second-shift, while the Riov.. enjoys his leisure time.  As such, my 'work day' generally ends at 2400hrs.  You, however, are not required to work that entire time - you can schedule our end meeting for when you go off shift."   Rayek suggested, trying to be cognizant of the fact that not everyone had his drive to work so much.

Too much downtime only made him much more aware of Tess and Fvienn's absence; so he figured if he was here to work that he'd work as much as possible.

Which reminded him... "I record a personal log to my wife daily.  That file is off-limits.  Consider it classified though it is not marked as such.  Similarly, any messages that might come in from her - they are to be left untouched.  Is that understood?"

[Sorik]

Ensign Erein Sorik
[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office]

Sorik listened as Rayek walked him through a typical work day. There were several things the Vulcan noted. For one he wondered, why he felt the need to take a tour of the entire ship, when it would be more efficient to just have the third shift report any incidents to him, which he could read in the morning? It seemed a waste of time to him. Another thing was that the Commander 'sat the bridge' although it was not required of him. And still, he did waste time with it, when he probably would do better to organize his days better, so he wouldn't even need an assistant for that. The Romulan really seemed to have very poor time scheduling skills. He would make a whole new plan for him, later, when he had a quiet minute. So he didn't comment on his internal musings just now.

He noted the time frame Rayek gave him on his PADD. Eventually he lowered it and looked at Rayek. "I suggest to schedule our morning meeting following the staff meeting at 0800. For the meeting in the evening, I consider 2000 an appropriate time." The Vulcan planned on working longer shifts than what would be expected of him as well since he didn't really need leisure time. He was actually surprised the Commander didn't make use of his. Which prompted him to breach another topic. "Do you have preferred times to schedule your breaks?" He stopped typing away on his PADD and lifted his gaze to regard him.

When told that his personal logs for his wife and her messages to him were off limits, Sorik nodded his head once. "Perfectly."

[Rayek trLhoell]

Erei'Riov/Subcommander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office] (following S14 E11 Conjoinment Crisis part 1:  Ship of Horrors)

Rayek considered the Vulcan's suggested meeting times.  While after the 0800 meeting, and 2000hrs, were far from the actual start and end of his work day, it seemed reasonable to plan out his day after the briefing meeting as his priorities tended to change following them, depending on the Riov's disposition and 2000hrs was beyond what most main shift crew worked.

"Those meeting times are acceptable to me as well."

The question of his break times was easy to answer.  "No, I prefer not to have set meal breaks." It was harder for his meals to be tampered with if he didn't have a set meal schedule.  "I eat when I feel the need, and my work priorities permit time away from my duty."

In regards to his privacy, Rayek was satisfied - not necessarily because of the Vulcan's assurance but because Rayek would encrypt and bio lock his personal log and move any messages to or from Tess to a locked folder that only he could access.

"Excellent.  Any further questions?"

[Sorik]

Ensign Erein Sorik
[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office]

Sorik nodded, satisfied that the Commander approved of his suggestion.

Regarding his answer concerning his meals, the Vulcan was surprised someone would make their meals dependable on something unreliable like the duty schedule. He refrained from commenting on it at this point. He would see if he could get some regularity into his eating habits with time. "Very well", therefore was all he said.

When asked if he had any further questions, Sorik took a moment to think about that. Eventually he shook his head. "No, I am quite satisfied with the informtion I have at the moment." He paused briefly. "Is there anything you would like to know?"

[Rayek trLhoell]

Erei'Riov/Subcommander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office] (following S14 E11 Conjoinment Crisis part 1:  Ship of Horrors)

Initially, Rayek had wanted to end this meeting as quickly as possible.  However, after answering all the Vulcan's questions about his habits and preferences, Rayek felt at quite the disadvantage.  So when the Vulcan offered for Rayek to ask questions of his own, the Romulan decided not to turn aside this opportunity to balance their knowledge bases.

"Actually, yes.  During my time on Katra, I often found it beneficial to learn a bit of personal information about the crew I was charge of."  Rayek had tried it with the Valdore crew but their suspicious nature made it rather challenging and he eventually stopped, deciding to stick to just learning about them through observation.

"So with that in mind... Please tell me a bit about yourself.  What interests and hobbies do you have outside of work usually?"

[Sorik]

Ensign Erein Sorik
[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office]

When the Erei'Riov started to speak of personal information, Sorik was not pleased. Vulcans didn't like to give away personal information just like that. Privacy was something greatly valued by them. He was wondering what kind of information his superior was looking for, when Rayek specified his question.

His face remained a mask of perfect control as he answered. "In the time outside of my duties, I strive do deepen and extend my knowledge in fields of profession I have chosen." If Rayek wanted to hear something more personal, Sorik was not ready to provide any such information if not specifically asked for it. After all, personal hobbies was not something he had asked the Subcommander about. Why he shifted the topic to something personal was not something the Vulcan understood. But should he really wonder with a Romulan? "Astrophysics is a subject area that is highly interesting and about which there is much to learn." He had graduated the Academy with a major in Astrophysics, but of course he couldn't learn everything about it, since his focus in study was Engineering. "At the moment, I study astroparticle physics and cosmochemistry in more depth", he shared.

[Rayek trLhoell]

Erei'Riov/Subcommander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office] (following S14 E11 Conjoinment Crisis part 1:  Ship of Horrors)

There was no outward sign of any emotion from the Vulcan.  The man was like a statue.  It was unnatural.  When the Vulcan finally spoke, it was barely an answer at all - telling Rayek nothing.

The Romulan Subcommander fought the impulse to eye-roll or face-palm in frustration at the bland response.  Waiting a moment to ensure his tone wouldn't be considered aggravated, Rayek thought of how to prompt for something more from the Vulcan, but before he could, Sorik expanded on his answer.   Finally!

Rayek leaned forward a bit and nodded in a manner that suggested he was interested. "Astrophysics.... very interesting. That's more Sciences is it not?  Perhaps I will assign you to observe the Astrometrics and Science departments on board the Valdore while you are on Exchange.   What prompted your decision to choose Operations?" he questioned.