Disruptive Presence
Posted on Thu Jan 8th, 2026 @ 10:17pm by Lieutenant Kev Walker & Lieutenant JG Maxine "Max" Lewis
922 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission: Respite
The quiet hum of the Eclipse’s systems filled the operations office with a sense of calm order. It was the way that Kev preferred it. The consoles were spotless, data padds arranged by priority, and every data stream was filtered and labeled. To Kev, operations worked best when it was run by the book and with structure, and while there were always times when order wouldn't be possible he was determined to keep those chaotic times to a minimum. He sat at the small desk reviewing status reports with a carefully focused mind. The internal deck layout changes had been completed, which had been the main concern. Crew quarter assignments had been changed to reflect the changes, and there had been no complaints so far.
The doors to the office opened, drawing his attention. The operations office was informally his private domain, but formally he didn't run his department as such. He had made it known that anyone could come in his office without having to ring the door chime. He didn't look up immediately, but Kev could feel a change.
A woman stood inside the threshold, her posture relaxed. Her expression was a mixture of dangerous mischievousness and curiosity, although her eyes were sharp and assessing. Her dark hair was worn loose, but it seemed to stay put as she moved across the office with a slight smirk. “Let me guess,” she said, dry humor threading her voice. “You're the Chief Operations Officer?”
Kev straightened, wondering if this was the new operations officer he had been expecting. “Lieutenant Kev Walker,” he replied. “Yes. And you must be Lieutenant Junior Grade Lewis.”
She stepped forward and extended a hand. “Maxine Lewis. Most people call me Max,” she said.
Kev blinked once, then shook her hand in a professional, controlled manner. “I’ve reviewed your transfer orders. I'd like to welcome you aboard,” he said.
Max's eyebrow arched. “That sounded almost like a compliment,” she said.
“I meant it factually,” Kev said.
Max smiled, seemingly amused. Her gaze drifted around the room, taking in every neatly aligned console. “It looks like a recruitment brochure in here,” she said lightly. “I take it that you’re big on order.”
“I find order prevents failure,” Kev replied.
“And I find breathing prevents untimely loss of conciseness,” Max countered. “We all have our priorities.”
He chose not to respond to that, instead pulling up her assignment file. “I’ve also reviewed your service record,” he said. “You have high marks on being exceptionally skilled in shipboard systems management and resource coordination, high marks on cross training in engineering, as well as being somewhat creative on problem solving. You have very high reviews from the senior officers on your last ship.”
"The Ardennes," Max said. "She's an Intrepid class. Very similar to the Eclipse, from what I hear."
Kev nodded and frowned at one small notation. "It also says that you received an informal disciplinary action from the first operations chief on the Ardennes in your first month on board," he raised a questioning eyebrow towards her.
Max sighed. “I improved a superior officer’s maintenance schedule. My wording was just brutally accurate and he took offense,” she said.
“You referred to it as ‘structurally incompetent and mildly embarrassing and that he should be embarrassed to call himself an operations officer much less a member of Starfleet’,” Kev said.
Max shrugged. “That was the polite version,” she said in a dismissive manner.
Kev stared at her for a moment before he finally and very slowly nodded. "I'm assigning you to system maintenance. I trust you can create and maintain a schedule that will allow you to follow procedural guidelines.”
“I usually do,” Max replied.
Kev felt his jaw tightened just a fraction. Somehow, he sensed that this woman was going to fracture his nerves simply by being there. “On the Eclipse, Lieutenant, you will not act independently,” he said.
Max's expression shifted, the tone of humor softening into something more genuine. “Understood,” she said.
Kev considered her carefully. She seemed capable and direct, but potentially disruptive and definitely potentially invaluable. Sometimes, he thought quietly, there had to be a balance between control and chaos. Clearly, this woman was going to be just that. “I expect nothing less than your best,” he said, handing her a data padd. “You’ll your rotation schedule as well as my operational expectations outlined there.”
Max accepted it, barely glancing down as she did so. “I’ll read it,” she said. “Probably take notes and make some corrections.”
Kev gave her a look.
Max grinned. "I'm kidding," she said. "Well, mostly."
Kev took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Do you have any questions before beginning your duties?”
“Just one,” Max said, tilting her head. “Are you always this serious or is this just the new officer version?”
Slightly surprised by the question, Kev thought about it for a moment. “I take my responsibilities seriously. This department supports the entire crew.”
Her tone softened in return. “Yeah,” she said quietly with a nod. “That is something that I know all too well.” She tucked the Padd behind her back and nodded. “If it's alright with you, I’ll get to work.”
"Dismissed," Kev said. Watching the young woman leave the operations office, he finally sighed and wondered just how disruptive she was going to be to him. With another heavy sigh, he sat back in his seat and silently hoped that there were no more surprises in store for a while.
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