For posts in security.

As the ship leaves spacedock, there's nothing of concern to Security at this time. There was a security officer stationed at the two gangways that connected the ship to the base, mostly just as a precaution, but when the ship was ready to depart, it was that officer's responsibility to remove the gangway and seal the hatch.

With Lt. Commander Vinzz on the bridge, everyone else in Security had just two major functions: make sure all the weapons were secure and in working order, and make sure the holding cells were functional.

In reply to StarMaster (msg # 2):

The doors into the Security Office slide open and Shard comes storming in, barely waiting for the doors to fully open.

"Report!" he snarls at the Ensign sitting at the Duty Desk, "Did the X-O get escorted to her quarters as I instructed? Have anymore Security Personnel shown up, and..."

Shard turns in place and confronts an alien standing there - more like hovering off to his side - who was wearing a Security NCO uniform.

"Who the frell are you?" Shard demanded of the alien.

The sophont was very thin, and would probably have stood taller than Shard, if it stood straight up; instead it adopted a hunched over stance, always moving, bouncing up and down from the knees and bobbing its head around.  While the NCO's body was more or less of a standard humanoid form, it's head was most definitely of an avian appearance; like a yellow-feather covered ball on a narrow neck with a huge Adams apple, a pair of intensely blue eyes that looked more feline than avian, and a squared-off beak that looked, somehow, odd.

"Petty Officer T'chak'k'k'ki Caw'Riii, reporting, sir." the Petty Officer said in a deep baritone, "But for convenience, you can call me Chak.  I'm your Administrative Clerk."

Shard was staring at - Chak - as it spoke, fascinated by the fact that what appeared to be a solid, keratinous beak was actually some kind of mobile skin or muscle, which appeared to work the same way that lips did for mammalian species.

"Sir?" Chak prompted.

"Right. You're my Yeoman. I've been expecting you.  There's a note in your file about using non-standard pronouns?"

"Yessir." Chak explained, "My species remains biologically gender neutral for the first three decades, usually, then we go through something akin to what the Humans call 'puberty', but it's really much more than that, sir.  After all, we're having our internal organs rearranged, aren't we?"

"But, no offense, sir, there's very few Races that can speak my people's language.  We mostly communicate through the Universal Translators.  The one I'm wearing is programmed to recognize the pronoun 'it' as a reference to me, and it will usually catch the use of either 'he' or 'she' for me, based on the context of the statement - but that's not one-hundred percent, so occasionally I might not realize you're talking to, or about, me.  Basically, don't worry about it, sir, just assume the U-T is handling it."

"Right. Got it. Distribute a memo explaining all that to all Security Personnel, informing them that they are now educated, and I will allow one slip-up per person.  After that, if it comes to my attention, it's disciplinary action.  Got that, Yeoman?"

"Yessir." Chak said, rapidly typing one-handed on a PADD, "But, sir, really, we aren't called Yeoman any more.  I'm an Administrative Clerk.  I assist you with your paperwork. I have high security clearance, just for that purpose."

"What, you want to be called a Clerk?" Shard asked incredulously.

"Well, Administrative Clerk..." Chak answered, a little confused.  He could see other Security officers, behind Shard, trying to hide their amusement.

"As if that makes a difference!  No, Chak, you must think bigger!  Bolder!  Anyone can be a clerk, Petty Officer Chak!  Youngsters in food service are clerks! Office drones answering business comms are clerks!"

"You are a member of Starfleet Security!  You require a more honorable job title -- you, Petty Officer Chak, are a Security Yeoman!"

"Now get together with Ensign Pulliver, over there, and get up to speed on the protocols aboard Mongoose.  Then assist him in double checking that all the Security personnel that have checked in have been assigned to housing that's appropriate to their needs."

"I'll be in my office."

In reply to Shard Vinzz (msg # 3):

Shard enters his office still fuming over the incident in the Briefing Room.  The cool 4-degrees Celsius of the office's environmental setting immediately starting to calm him.

Shard walks over to his desk and throws his PADD down - an act which a standard PADD would probably not have survived, but Shard, having learned this lesson some time ago, made a point of using the kind of tactical field PADDs that were issued to Marine Officers. Those could take a little abuse.

** That frelling little puke! ** Shard thinks to himself, as he agitatedly paces back and forth in front of his desk, ** I'd kill him, but then I'd have to arrest myself, and that would be terribly embarrassing … I can't challenge him to a duel, both because Starfleet doesn't allow dueling between officers, and while the Federation Charter allows Andorians the right to keep their ritualistic dueling traditions, it's only allowed between Andorians … If I challenge anyone from another species they have the right to refuse, and it becomes another embarrassing fiasco. **

** Sure, I shamed myself by laughing out loud at the little … stop with the slurs … man … But I offered the Lor'Tal! … That Ferengi could have cut-off both my antennae, if he was pissed enough, and I would have just stood there … Considering he probably had no idea what a Lor'Tal ritual was, that little … serenity, Shard … Ferengi probably would have just said it was okay, just a misunderstanding, no hard feelings … **

** But, no! … Anther has to pull up his Captain's big-boy pants and tell us to put it aside for later! … And what happens? … That damn … no slurs, you are a member of the One Hundred Families, you are above using racial slurs … Napax … his name is Napax … that damn Napax gets the jump on me and says he accepts my apology if it's sincere … If it's sincere! … I offered Lor-frigging-Tal! … It only gets more sincere if I offer to cut my throat open in public! **

** Alright … I have to figure out something appropriate for each of them … I could always bad-mouth Anther to Aveena, get him in hot water with her … no, she'd never buy it … What am I going to tell her? … Anther interrupted me in a Lor'Tal ritual to a Ferengi, you need to punish him? … I don't think so … And if I tried to tell her he'd done something to piss her off, she wouldn't believe me, because she knows I'd challenge him if he did anything seriously bad … Dammit **

** Okay, then, the Ferengi … Him I could … **

Shard suddenly experienced a muscle twitch - it felt exactly like someone had poked him, hard, in the side. He halts his pacing and looks over at an antique Andorian chronometer on his desk, does a quick mental calculation, and realizes that he's been at his scheming for a few hours.

=/\= Felis to Vinzz, If you're ready we can train in the holodeck now. =/\=

Shard taps his comm-badge, a puzzled expression on his face.

"This is Vinzz.  Pardon me, please, Lieutenant Commander, but to what training, specifically, are you referring? I'm afraid I've had my head down in … getting my Division settled, for the last few hours.  Had we scheduled something?"

<A> Captain agreed that The doctor you and I should get our teams some training done to learn how to work with each other.<A>

In reply to Silviene Felis (msg # 5):

** Dammit! I want to plan the Ferengi's social downfall … not run through tactical sims! ** Shard though to himself, but responded with,

"Ah yes, of course. And you'd like to get together with myself and the Doctor to plan the training maneuver.  Excellent idea.  Let me check my schedule..." Shard called up his schedule on the desk terminal and glanced at it, "I'm free for the next little while.  If you've got the Doctor available, we could meet and plan this right now.  Whose office would you prefer to meet at?"

=A= Lets meet up with Commander Kondratev in the medical bay and we can sort out a plan of action.=A=

In reply to Silviene Felis (msg # 7):

"Very Good. I'll meet you there, shortly, Commander."  Shard signed off.

~~ Hmmm … this could actually work out to be beneficial … the Ferengi … Napax … might be in the Sickbay … he is part of Medical Division … maybe the Doctor can even give me some insight … meanwhile, I'll need to look into the Engineers … see if there's anyone up to a little 'practical joke' on the new Counselor … I hear Ferengi hate the cold … maybe drop the temperature in his quarters to one degree? … he couldn't possibly fail to figure out I might be behind it … I'll get him to come groveling to me … asking me for forgiveness! … Ah, yes, he will come to me, and my honor will be repaired … And I won't give Anther anything to bitch about … ~~

Shard shut down his desk display, grabbed up his heavier than normal PADD, and exited his office.

"People!" Shard called out, upon entering the Main Security Office, "I'm called to a Division Head meeting at Sickbay.  Shouldn't take more than an hour or two. After that I'm going to get dinner, I'll inform you where I am when I decide, myself."

"Until then, Pulliver, Petty Officer Chak, continue to get our people settled, then have the Security Team Leaders get together with their people.  Assign Team Two immediately to Ship Patrol and Team Three should take over here, at Main Security; they should begin unpacking and checking all weapons assigned to the armory.  At that time, Team One, you are all off duty."

"If we have enough personnel, Team Four will relieve Team Three in four hours, then Team Three will go on Ship Patrol for four hours."

Shard headed for the exit, "I expect every person in this Division to perform gloriously!  Or I shall flog you, myself!"

Shard pauses at the door as it opens, and turns to look back into the Security Office,

"Just kidding, of course, people.  I'd never flog anyone for sub-standard performance," Shard's smile suddenly shifted to something more menacing, more feral, "As you all know, I'm an Aristocrat - I have people to do that kind of grunt work for me.  Chak will flog you!  Good luck, everyone!" Shard calls cheerfully, as he heads for the Sickbay.

"I what?!" the avian Chak shrieked, "I … no … wait, no … what?" he continued gobbling, as the door slid closed, and everyone in the office started to laugh.

"What was that? What was that?" Chak spat out, turning to Ensign Pulliver for some answer.

"Relax, Chak." Pulliver responded, "That's just the three faces of Our Dear Commander Shard." Pulliver raised a hand with three fingers sticking up, then folded one down as he made each point,

"The Commander is an Andorian, so he's already half-crazy by anybody's definition." Pulliver dropped a finger, "On top of that, he's an actual blue-blooded Aristocrat. He can trace his genetic ancestry all the way back to just before the Andorian Imperial Council voted to join the Federation and adopt more democratic government.  That's big social ju-ju among the Blues.  So he says." Pulliver smiles as he pulls down a second finger, leaving only his thumb still sticking out,

"And finally - it's all an act, Chak. The Commander is an okay guy, for an Andorian Homeworlder - those guys all have attitudes.  I guess, if Commander Vinzz has any big faults its that whole Honor thing.  Andorians and Klingons are crazy about personal honor, but Shard is absolutely obsessed with it.  And if he feels his honor has been violated, he gets all twitchy.  I mean, he really, really wants to hurt somebody, but unless they're Andorian he can't legally challenge them to a fight."

"So don't worry about it, Chak, the Commander is alright." Pulliver waves it off.