round 6 JP FltCapt Renos, Cmdr Rhyn - Strength comes in many forms

[Randal Shayne]

((USS Darwin, Deck 1, Captain’s Ready Room))

 

::The door chimed bringing in the second interviewee. Ne was lucky to have so many capable officers serving aboard the Darwin and after one candidate had taken a career break unexpectedly to deal with an emerging family problem, it had thrust Emery Rhyn into the spotlight. So where ne’d previously thought ne would only be interviewing one candidate face-to-face, now ne had the pleasure of interviewing two. Renos was lucky to have worked with both candidates personally and know more about their capabilities but ne also had to be mindful not to give them preferential treatment too. Like with Icavoc, ne didn’t know Emery Rhyn particularly well, though she was a somewhat newer addition to the crew culture and psychology ne felt Commander Rhyn had a lot to bring to a command role as a joined Trill officer. She had lifetimes of experience to draw upon. The only question was how useful some of it would be. If one of her past hosts was a famous sculptor then Emery’s quarters might well be a work of art but ne wasn’t sure how that would help her deal with building relations with species that felt Starfleet being the (relatively) new kids on the block, weren’t to be trusted. Ne let the officer in and they started off with all the usual rote questions such interviews necessitated.::

 

Renos: While you have excelled in every task we’ve asked of you to date, you’ve not had a lot of opportunities to lead from the front. How would you describe your command style and how do you think people would react to you as commanding officer?

 

::Emery hated this question. It had come up numerous times in interviews with supervising officers, Academy instructors, and other commanding officers she’d had that were trying to help her along the path to command. The short and easy answer was - she didn’t have one. Not one she was conscious of, anyway. She’d never really been in a position of command long enough to try out different approaches to see which she was comfortable with and which would work for her. Obviously, she couldn’t tell Renos this. She was in an interview for a command position. She couldn’t come out and say that she couldn’t command.::

 

::She relaxed and thought about her symbiont’s previous hosts. Ellaan had been a politician, and was used to dealing with people. But her strengths lied more in the diplomatic arena - diffusing problems, negotiating and such, and not in the command area. Yaren had been the captain of a merchant vessel. But he mostly had a crew of one - himself. He did what he wanted and never had to worry about ordering others around. Kilanda had been a university professor and was in charge of a large body of individuals daily. But teaching and command were two different beasts. The other hosts had nothing to offer either. Emery was on her own here. What kind of a commanding presence was she?::

Rhyn: One thing they’ve taught us in Tactical, ner, is to always assess your situation. Know what and who you can count on, and where your greatest assets and weaknesses are. My greatest assets as a CO would be my crew. Knowing their strengths and weaknesses, I would be able to pull from their knowledge base, and not place personnel in situations that would set them up for failure.

 

::Emery wasn’t sure this answered Renos’ question, but it was the best she had on the spur of the moment. She waited nervously for nir reply. The captain nodded just a little. Having been at this now for a few years ne had learned a lot through trial and error. There were a lot of things ne had little to no knowledge of. No one could be expected to know it all, or handle everything alone. It was imperative a commanding officer know their crew, trust in them and know how to get the best from them and that was about tasking them appropriately. This was a good start.::

 

Renos: Do you see yourself as being someone who prefers to maintain a more professional distance, or would you be more open and approachable to your crew?

 

::There was no right or wrong answer here. It was a matter of style and each person had their own preference. Ne had served under captains who were more distant and unapproachable. One in particular ne had only ever seen in passing. Ne hadn’t worked on the bridge and since ne hadn’t been their physician they’d had no reason to talk. That had been strange to nem at first. Ne on the other hand was happy to talk to the crew. There was no question that you couldn’t be completely chummy with the crew. If everyone was your best friend it was going to be hard to separate the personal from the professional at times. That could lead to trouble.::

Rhyn: By definition, a CO needs to have a certain level of professionalism. But being approachable by your crew allows for a bond of loyalty and trust to be developed. There’s a fine line between them, but I think I’d like to lean a little more to the approachable side.

 

::Emery hadn’t needed to think about that question much. She was a people person. She liked to get to know who people were, to invest herself in their lives, their hopes and dreams. Her parents had thought that she would maybe become a psychologist, or even a social worker. Took them by surprise when she applied to the Tactical track at Starfleet Academy.::

 

Renos: Sounds like you have a similar philosophy to me then. How would you deal with a situation in which one of your crew is not responding to your orders? It might be that they think because you are friends they have greater authority to shape a situation than is the case.

 

::Emery thought of those crew she was closest to. She had started a friendship with Isabel, and by association Shayne. She liked Logan, and knew what kind of a soul he really was, even if he didn’t show it openly. And she liked Brell and his family...suddenly she realized that all four of those people had been assigned to the Atlantis with her. A situation like the captain’s question suddenly had a lot of merit. She could very well be surrounded by people she considered friends, and have to order them to do something they didn’t agree with. How would they react? How would she react to their reaction?::

 

::Alternately, what if it was a sticky situation? Would she send another crew member she wasn’t as fond of into a potentially dangerous situation just because they weren’t as close? Would she protect her friends, and sacrifice others? Emery liked to think that she was a bit more professional than that. That her training as a Starfleet Officer would override any personal feelings in matters like that. But when it really came down to it, how would she respond?::

 

Rhyn: Anyone under my command would have had the same training I did. Starfleet personnel understand that anyone can be called upon at any time to do anything. If we’re not prepared to answer the call, then we shouldn’t be in this business. They may not like my orders, they may even disagree with my orders. And I’d never order anyone to do anything I wasn’t personally prepared to do myself. But I’d remind them of who they are, what this uniform stands for, and count on their professionalism to see that they get the job done.

 

::Again, Emery wasn’t sure that was the answer Renos was looking for. She was being as honest as she could...she just didn’t know if she was understanding the meaning behind the questions. Was she too vague? Should she be more specific? It was hard to know what Renos was after without being able to read nir mind. Sometimes she wished she was telepathic.::

 

Renos: You’re right that everyone will have had the same training but how would you react when people choose to abandon it, to betray that uniform and all it stands for?

::This was not something that should ever come up but unfortunately ne had been betrayed not once, but twice. As much as Recruit Iy’s betrayal had hurt nem, Lieutenant Logan’s was arguably worse because he had Starfleet’s training and lifelong exposure to Federation culture and ideals. To Iy, ne was entering a whole new world vastly different to what he was used to, where betrayal was expected by a lot of people. The reason ne had asked however was completely unrelated to nir own misfortunes. It was all very well saying ‘I’ll remind the crew of their uniform and the ideals they swore to uphold’, but what if that is not enough? Renos had made tough decisions, even unpopular ones that made nem feel isolated from the crew, especially from the more openly disapproving ones. It took a very strong personality and complete confidence in one's decision making to stand strong in the face of criticism and in the face of betrayal.::

 

::”Betray the uniform.” The question screamed of Renos’ personal history. Emery could say she empathized, but it would really just be words. She had no idea how the J’naii had emotionally dealt with those situations. How would she deal with a situation like that? She’d be hurt, certainly. Would she keep it in? Would she explode? Emery supposed it would depend on the situation and the person, or people, involved. Renos was probably remembering the incident with Logan. He was assigned to the Atlantis. Was ne worried that something like that might happen again with her command?::

 

::Emery had spoken with Logan, both before and after his meeting with the captain and Varaan. She had given her support to Logan’s genuine concern for Renos’ well-being, but had made it clear that she had to side with command when it came to the plan’s execution. If only Kurt had said something before hand. She would have even gone with him to present the idea. She’d also talked to Kurt during shore leave on Trill. She felt that the two of them were in a good place. She was fairly certain that she didn’t need to worry about him going off and doing his own thing again.::

 

::But the question remained. And it wasn’t Logan-specific. Anyone could be anti-Rhyn, either personally or professionally. How would she deal with it?::

 

Rhyn: I guess it would really come down to how far they’ve gone. Is it just words? Or have they taken some kind of action already? If it’s only words so far, I think we’d have to have a little chat, just one-on-one, and try to iron out the difficulties. ::That was Ellaan, trying to the political track:: However, if something had happened...if action was taken...then ::Logan’s face unfortunately flashed through her mind:: appropriate consequences in relation to the action would have to be taken. That could be something as simple as a reprimand on their record, or incarceration in the brig. We’re not military, per se, but there are rules and regulations in place, and for a reason. Rules need to be followed and enforced, or there’s chaos.

 

::Renos had absolutely no concerns about Rhyn’s respect for the rules and regs or her ability to manage a crew and ensure they also had the same respect for it. While Emery had less experience than the other candidates ne was considering, they couldn’t discount the experience and knowledge that she had as a joined Trill. Her professionalism spoke for itself. There were some follow up questions - there were always more questions to be asked but like with the previous interviews it was from nir point of view a success. The J’naii had learned what ne’d hoped to learn and it was increasingly clear to nem that this was going to be another of those agonising choices.::

 

Fleet Captain Renos - Commanding Officer, Andaris Task Force

* Executive Council & Captain's Council Member

* Academy Commandant

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Cmdr Emery Rhyn - Chief Tactical Officer - USS Darwin-A, NCC-99312-A

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