One of the Sharshana's briefing rooms, located comfortably near the forward bridge.

Captain Reziilka snapped off a salute to his senior command and then motioned for everyone to be seated. As he spoke his finger hit a panel so that maps and briefings would appear on the command table synchronized with his commands.

"I do not know or care how briefings have been conducted on other ships but under my command there will not be any socializing bullshit. I will learn your names when you have proven your name worth knowing. Until then when you speak state your name and posting. You can get to know one another on your own time, not on mine.

Our mission is two-fold. Primary mission is to conduct a shakedown cruise to appraise the refit of the Sharshana. While command wants us to document every issue and defect Engineering and Operations should be advised that if the ship is not viewed as being combat-ready then they will consider pulling the ship and we will all be reassigned. This is a prime posting so do not waste high command's time with any trivial bullshit that cannot be fixed or worked around on deployment. Unless the reactors are about to explode or the turrets are going to fall off the ship high command does not need to know.

Once the ship has been confirmed fit for service we will proceed via Sestos and Mtesnc to patrol area Gulf-Central-Formative."

The holo display of the galaxy zooms in to highlight the area triggered by his speech. This area of space includes the systems of Iruku, Taman, Nouakchat, Tuwayk, Beaxon, and Noghon.

"High command wants us to be a visible and overt projection of power in these systems so we are to keep an eye out for high visibility missions. Something flashy to cow local systems and deter smuggling and piracy. We are here to remind nobles and criminals alike who the real power in the galaxy is. High command would be very happy if we crack a pirate's nest or disrupt a smuggling ring. I will expect every department to submit a proposal for how we can find targets of value to engage.

Twenty days into our patrol a supply vessel will depart from Mtensc. Taking on supplies is considered part of our mission parameters as an exercise to ensure the operation of the ship and the competency of the crew. This will also consider the end of our shakedown period and the official start of our patrol.

Our patrol is expected to last four to six months and once complete we will return to Zeng for our next set of orders."

While he spoke the holographic map detailed out a patrol path looping through the mentioned systems while a counter displayed approximate time ranges for which day of the journey they would hit which system before the red ship icon looped back to Zeng. Upon its conclusion the holodisplay showed <Mission Accomplished> before winking off.

Captain Reziilka leaned forward, eyeing the other officers.

"This is the time to shine, gentlemen and women. You only get one chance to make a favorable impression to both your captain and high command. If you perform your duties with utmost competency and we can give high command a few high profile successes that will set the velocity of your career into overdrive. If you stumble, if you fail on this first assignment that black mark will follow you for a long, long time. I meant what I said to the crew. I consider this a privilege to serve aboard a ship like this and anyone...anyone who does not thank their lucky stars and put their fullest effort into their duties will be tossed out at the next port. I demand absolute perfection and you will not achieve it but you should strive for meeting that impossible standard every single hour of every single day.

If you try and I find your performance satisfactory you will find me to be one of your greatest allies to success both in and out of the Navy. If you fail me then I am sure I can find a garbage scow to station you on."

As before there was steel in his voice, a passion that supported everything he said. It might not be the right way to do things but he believed in himself completely and seemed to have a black and white view of the world. Either you worked yourself to the bone or you weren't fit for duty. When he spoke next it had a dangerous undercurrent, a veiled threat attached to his every word.

"One last thing to help you under my command. Never lie to me. Ever. Lie to your crew, lie to high command as much as you would like but do not lie to me. I expect to know everything that happens on this ship, the good and the bad. I must have perfect intelligence on the capability of this ship to make tactical decisions and while the official regulations might not view it that way, I consider misleading the captain of a vessel as nothing short of treason. If you screw up, you tell me. If something is broken, you tell me. If I am about to plot this ship into a collision course with a star, you tell me. While I expect you to obey and follow every order issued you are in your position because you are the best in your field. I am not an engineer, I am not a pilot, I am not a doctor or whatever the fuck you are. If you see a problem, you will say so. However if you are given an order, you will follow that. Is that understood?"

After the round of affirmatives Captain Reziilka leans back and lets the steel bend in his voice and the tension drain from the room.

"Now then, report in."

  Gvoellaekh remained silent throughout the captain's briefing, seated in a chair that seemed a couple of sizes too small for him, with his arms folded across his chest and his face locked into a neutral expression save for the ever-so-slight hint of a frown that suggested concentration rather than displeasure. Even the slow shift in the set of his ears as the briefing turned into a menacing exhortation was strangely... neutral in its aspect.

  "Commander Gvoellaekh. Executive Officer." The self-introduction was exactly what the captain had demanded of them, and he didn't linger.

  "Refit notes of I.N.S. Sharshana: the ship is ready to begin space trials," Gvoellaekh became slightly more animated - which is to say, he unfolded his arms and called up some information on his personal briefing screen with a few quick taps, the hint-of-frown fading away as he began to speak. "Crew is a mix of new assignments and those who've been working on it for the last few months. Informally, we can expect this to be a training mission as well, not because they don't know what they're doing as individuals, but because they haven't spent much time working together. Senior officers are all new assignments. Ditto."

  "No major issues reported with the ship's systems. Minor ones are to be expected; we'll just have to deal with them as best we can while underway. There are a lot of little things out of place thanks to all of the years of damage and repairs. Bits sticking out at odd angles, panels where they aren't supposed to be, and so on. Enough to get in the way and not much to be done about it; this was flagged in the notes."

  "Supply and crewing levels are reasonable, especially if we'll be taking on resupply in twenty days. We're short a few people by the book, but not enough to affect operations." A few simple visuals came up on the main projector to illustrate. There were some departmental subdivisions, but the overall picture was clear: the Sharshana was at 96% of formal crewing levels and 84% of its formal supply capacity.

  The image winked out. Gvoellaekh's attention shifted fully onto the assembled department heads and senior specialists. "I know that we've all just boarded and haven't had much time to take in details or get comfortable with the new systems, so we'll all just have to improvise a bit and see what works and what doesn't. Better that we have a bit of comedy now than in the middle of a real crisis."

This message was deleted by the player at 00:48, Mon 27 July 2020.