“I gotcha. For the most part I believe it’ll be you and I utilize these rooms for the most part for Blackwatch unless it is someone else that has a specific intelligence role. I was looking to do most of the taskings and briefings in the secure Blackwatch briefing area on deck nineteen, unless they have a clear reason to be up here in the suite. My main thought is then there’s less risk of something that is more critical not being overheard up in here. However we can always direct them to conduct team briefings and the like up here once they have received taskings, they could go over more sensitive data up here like recordings, photos, and whatnot.” The wheels in his head were turning on how best to break everything up between each set of dedicated facilities. He rubbed the back of his neck, even though he couldn’t feel it, the thought of the device being implanted certainly made him feel odd.

Oksana was about to reply, but she paused when she saw him rubbing the back of his neck. She knew exactly why, and met the gesture with a sympathetic, kind smile. “You stop thinking about it eventually, but it does take a while.”

He was a bit embarrassed about being so obvious “I appreciate that. I know I volunteered for this part of the job but in ways it doesn’t make it any easier. But I suppose not having any close family to leave behind in the event something does happen, helps some…” He caught himself and refocused. “My apologies. As for the suites, how does all of that sound to you? I am looking forward to working closely on everything going forward with our mission here.”

“That sounds perfectly workable, and if we need to adjust how we do things, we will. This is a bit of a learning experience for us all, after all.” She looked around the currently inactive office then finally back to him. “You don’t need to apologize, by the way. It is a difficult adjustment for most people, and you won’t be alone in your feelings. Now, if you like, we can step to my office.”

“I’ll do my best to remember that, thank you.” He took a quick scan around hte room, making note of how sterile it was other than the display and table with a few pieces of equipment. It all made sense however. This wasn’t the place to hang out.

“Lead the way, please. I think your office is a good place to end up in here.” Wade motioned for the young woman to step out first.

Oksana stepped out and without glancing back proceeded across the room to the door directly across from the entrance. Again she gestured for Samstone to request his access, and once he was verified the door opened and she stepped inside. It was the same size as the other offices, but it was of course set up as an office. An L-shaped desk sat to the side of the room with chairs for two other people to sit with her. At the back of the room a large holographic display mimicked a typical viewport, below it sat a couch that took up the wall from edge to edge. On the wall opposite from the desk was a display that was currently inactive, and settled into the wall next to the desk was a replicator. She hadn’t had a chance to give the room any character, but the different layout made it more welcoming than the workspaces that surrounded it.

“Would you like a drink, sir?”

He thought for a moment on what to have “Yes please, coffee will do. I have been trying a few different blends to see what I can find best from the replicators.”

The captain waited a moment for the woman to place the order and hand him the mug before he took a seat. “I wish my office was this clean. But I suppose that is all part of the job here, isn’t it? Nothing left out, nothing forgotten. How are you coming along with your preparations for Blackwatch?”

Given he was experimenting with blends, she selected one she enjoyed herself and brought two cups from the replicator, one made the way she liked and the other simply black since he hadn’t indicated any preferences for sweetness or other additions.

“Well enough, I believe,” she said as she sat down. “While I am more used to a structure similar to what we are using given my previous assignments, I know it may be a bit of a struggle at first for others who aren’t used to working in something similar and only have the general fleet structure as a reference. I’ve been trying to think of anything I can do to help ease the transition for them, but since I’ve worked this structure more than the fleet’s structure, I’m struggling a bit to bridge the gap from the fleet end.”

He listened to her, happy to hear she was settling in just fine with the structure of the new organization, however the changes toward more fleet operations did cause him a little concern. “On the fleet side is it the chain structure or how information is disseminated and received… something else?” Taking a sip of coffee, he was genuinely trying to decide if it was better than in his own office, or the mess hall…

“In my experience, there can be a struggle to go from a very defined rank structure to a structure where everyone besides one person is equal in standing regardless of their rank and then back again. You’ll usually find when together, people have a hard time accepting equality, and then occasionally when stepping back into the ship’s command structure, subordinate officers forget they are subordinate. It is a conundrum to solve, but one that is important to be solved for the sake of harmony,” she paused and studied his face.