Lt. Ashford Introduces Himself to Colonel Patton
Posted on Sat Jul 25th, 2026 @ 2:21pm by Colonel Jack Patton & Lieutenant Theodore "Theo" Ashford
1,480 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Mission 6 - Candy Leads to Cavities
Location: Station Operations
Timeline: Current
[ON:]
The corridor outside the Executive Officers office was quiet except for the steady hum of the stations systems. Lieutenant Theodore Theo Ashford stopped a step from the door and checked his uniform one last time. Everything sat sharp. He reached out and hit the chime.
The door slid open and he stepped inside, moving easily but alert. His steel gray eyes swept the room once before he came to a stop a few paces in, hands clasped behind his back.
"Colonel Patton," he said, voice calm and level. "Lieutenant Theodore Ashford reporting aboard as Chief Operations Officer. Thought I should come introduce myself in person before we get buried in duty rosters and threat assessments."
A small dry smile touched the corner of his mouth and vanished just as quickly.
"Glad to be aboard, sir. I'm ready to support the station however I can."
Ashford stood at ease, waiting.
Jack gave the newcomer the once over. Young, and filled with piss and vinegar. Jack was like that once and he made a habit of breaking those that were like that. Officers had to understand the importance of what was done here, especially this far out. "Welcome aboard Lieutenant. Chief of Operations you say? Well perhaps you can have a look at the door chime on my office when we are done here." He motioned toward the seat in front of his desk as he tossed the PADD with the reports on Warlock on his desk.
Colonel Patton’s office was quiet when Theo stepped inside.
“Colonel, thank you for seeing me. I’m grateful to be serving aboard Faltan Station. It’s a real privilege to be part of something this important out here.
On Warlock… I’ve checked the shuttle bay logs and sensor data from the Katsura. No signs of pursuit so far. Still, it would be wise to have Security sweep the runabout and his temporary quarters for any tracking devices or planetary contaminants.
He’s on a tight 48-hour timeline. If Intel wants to keep him longer, we may need to move him to a more secure section. I’ve also got my team ready to quietly increase internal patrols if you want to keep this from affecting normal station operations. Just wanted to bring the ops side to your attention, sir.
"Yes, quietly step up the patrols. As to the Intelligence side of things I will handle that personally." Jack could not allow Candy or even the Captain to know what he and Aer had planned.
"Understood, Sir." Theo made a note as he then looked around the office. "So your door chime. What's wrong with it? Not chiming? Chiming by itself?" He breathed outward, relaxed, crossing his legs for the moment, acting interested in the Colonels door chime.
"Actually I believe it is working fine. Just operator error, as in you didn't ring it. In the future please do." Jack looked around wondering what the visitor took in. There was the memorabilia from his ancestor. The uniform and the pearl handled pistols. "So, what brings you out this far? Did you request assignment here?"
Theo gave a short, dry chuckle and inclined his head.
“Operator error. Understood, sir. I’ll ring the chime properly from now on—no more assuming the doors read minds. Old outpost habits.”
He remained seated, relaxed but attentive, one ankle crossed over opposite knee.
“As for what brings me out this far… I requested the assignment. After running Chief of Operations on a listening outpost, I wanted Faltan Station—where every system and patrol actually matters this deep in the Delta Quadrant, and there’s no quick backup if things go sideways. Your reputation for not tolerating shortcuts was a factor to. I’m here to make Operations run so cleanly it’s disappears into the background until it needs to step up. Whatever you and the Captain need from my department, we’ll deliver.”
Theodore met Patton’s gaze.
“On that note, sir… I’ve been reviewing the duty rosters and noticed the Marine detachment runs its own training cadence. How would you like Operations to coordinate with them on joint drills or shared sensor coverage going forward? I’d like to lock the protocols in early so there’s no friction.”
Jack had not thought about joint training between Marines and Operations. However, there may be an idea there. He leaned back in his chair. "Joint drills? What did you have in mind?"
Theo gave a short nod, posture still relaxed.
“Sir, nothing elaborate. Basic joint drills on realistic threats... Intruder alerts where Ops seals sections and feeds sensor data while Marines handle the tactical push, or damage control scenarios with coordinated evac and containment. Low impact on roster, just enough so we don’t trip over each other when it counts. I can draft a short proposal and have it on your desk tomorrow for review.”
He met Patton’s gaze evenly waiting.
Jack realized the Lieutenant's faux pas almost immediately. "Drills like that would be something beneficial to the station. However, I would coordinate them with Lieutenant Sidero the Chief of Security. As Marines The Kingsmen handle threats from without. That is to say, boarding parties, perimeter patrols on unknown worlds, recon missions and the like. Any threat from within, that is to say anything that boards this station or is already aboard the station, is the purview of Security. Intruder Alert scenarios as you mentioned is for Security. But, I would like to see a proposal for Ops and Security joint training."
Theo absorbed the Colonel’s words without interrupting.
He’d overstepped... assuming Operations could fold into Marine training on internal threats without checking the proper channels. That was sloppy.
He uncrossed his legs and straightened, hands resting on his knees. His steel-gray eyes stayed level.
“Understood, Colonel. My apologies... I should have confirmed the division of responsibilities first. Internal threats and intruder scenarios are Lieutenant Sidero’s domain. I won’t step on it again.”
He gave a short, dry nod.
“I’ll coordinate the joint training proposal directly with Sidero and outline how Ops can support... sensor integration, section lockdowns, that sort of thing. I’ll have a clean draft on your desk tomorrow morning. No friction intended, sir.”
Theo paused a beat, voice even. “Old outpost habits. Sometimes you assume everyone pitches in where the gap is. Won’t happen again.”
He stayed seated, attentive, waiting for whatever came next.
"No apologies needed. The idea of Marines integrated into Starfleet chain of commands is not a new one, but it is a new one all at the same time. If that makes sense. A division of responsibilities has to be established so that there is no proverbial stepping of toes. If it means anything I do agree with you about chipping in and the such. It is for that reason that I will have Marines participate in your training once it is set up with the Lieutenant. She would be in charge and the rest of us just grunts." Jack smiled at his small joke.
Theo let a small, genuine smile surface at the Colonel’s quip, steel-gray eyes warming a fraction.
“Understood, sir. And appreciated.” He gave a short nod, posture easy but attentive. “You’ll get the draft tomorrow so you can green-light Marine participation. Having the Kingsmen in will make the drills count.”
A dry edge returned to his voice.
“Noted on the grunts, Colonel. I’ll try not to make Security’s life harder than it already is.”
He shifted slightly, still seated, gaze flicking once to the ancestral uniform and pearl-handled pistols before settling back on Patton.
“Anything else from Ops right now, sir? Warlock, roster scrub, or just slotting me in? Ready either way.”
"At the moment everything seems okay. Just make sure that you settle into your life here before settling into your duty. There is a lot of work here, so personal time is a high commodity." Jack shared something he learned back when he was first assigned to Poseidon Station. "Go have some fun, work can wait until tomorrow."
Theo gave a short, genuine nod, the dry edge softening into something more relaxed.
“Understood, Colonel. Appreciate the advice… and the reminder. I’ll make sure to settle in first.”
He stood, straightening his uniform with a quick tug.
“Thank you for the time, sir. I’ll have that joint training draft ready for Lieutenant Sidero tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
Theo offered a clean nod, then turned and stepped out of the office, the door sliding shut behind him.
Jack watched the other man leave. He was on the fence about this Ashford. But, in due time Jack will choose his true thoughts about the man and when that time comes we will see what is what.
[OFF]
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