The Measure of Experience

Posted on Sat Jul 18th, 2026 @ 1:34pm by Captain Alistar McKeon & Lieutenant Marcus Kane

1,228 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: New Horizons

Alistar sat behind the desk in his ready room, surrounded by a small mountain of personnel files. If someone had asked him years ago what command consisted of, he likely would have spoken about exploration, diplomacy, or difficult decisions made from the center seat. Rarely would he have mentioned the endless reports that accompanied every new assignment. His first experience with the endless reports had been when he had commanded the Endeavour, and he had been unprepared for it. It had plagued him, and ironically, the two years he had spent at Starfleet Command had changed that. He had learned to manage the reports, even though he still disliked them. He had become specially adept at reading through service records. Every transfer request, commendation, disciplinary notation, evaluation, and reassignment formed a portrait of the officer behind the uniform, and somewhere between the official language and carefully structured recommendations lived the truth about a person. Alistar had become surprisingly good at finding it.

A soft chime interrupted his reading. Alistar glanced up from the padd he had been reading towards the door before he called "Enter" and set the padd down on his desk.

The ready room doors parted to admit a broad shouldered officer who stepped through with measured confidence and paused just inside before coming smartly to attention. "Lieutenant Marcus Kane reporting aboard, sir," the officer said. There was little stiffness in his posture despite standing at attention. His movements were economical, practiced, and devoid of any desire to impress. His uniform was immaculate without appearing obsessive, and there was a quiet steadiness in his expression that veteran officers had learned to associate with those who had spent enough years in Starfleet to understand that confidence rarely needed announcing.

"At ease, Lieutenant," Alistar said.

Marcus relaxed almost imperceptibly. "Thank you, Captain," he said.

Alistar rose from behind the desk and walked around its edge rather than remaining seated. He had at one time would have remained seated, but he now preferred meeting officers face to face instead of interviewing them from behind furniture. It made conversations feel less like interrogations and it also seemed to produce more honest answers. "I'm glad you've finally made it aboard, Lieutenant," he said.

"I appreciate that, sir," Marcus said. "I'm actually glad to be here."

"I have to admit that I read through your service record rather thoroughly," Alistar said.

One corner of Marcus's mouth twitched upward. "I hope they left out the embarrassing parts," he said.

"I don't know about that," Alistar said as he picked up a padd and glanced at the screen. "I found a report from a number of years ago where you disarmed three armed slavers with nothing more than a maintenance spanner."

Marcus kept his expression carefully neutral as he spoke. "I was improvising," he said.

"The report says you described it as 'creative negotiations,'" Alistar said with a slightly raised eyebrow as he set the padd down on his desk again.

"It worked," Marcus said very simply.

"It certainly did," Alistar said with a slight chuckle. He waved his hand towards the chairs situated in front of his desk. "Please have a seat."

Unlike most new officers reporting in to a new captain, Marcus simply sat down and leaned back in the seat comfortably.

Alistar sat back down in his seat and picked up Kane's service record again. "You've had quite a career," he said.

Marcus shrugged modestly. "I've stay busy," he said.

"Busy is one way to describe it," Alistar said as he glanced through the service record. Kane had served in assignments along the Cardassian border, to anti piracy patrols, diplomatic escorts, disaster relief operations, and several years assigned to a starbase. It was a record that almost any officer in Starfleet would be proud of. Alistar nodded slightly before he set the padd down and turned his gaze towards Kane.

"You've been in Starfleet almost twenty years, with one hell of a career, and yet you're still a lieutenant. Most officers with your record would've made lieutenant commander, even full commander, years ago. So please understand that I'm a little curious as to why you're still a lieutenant," Alistar said.

Marcus nodded once, simply to acknowledge the facts for what they were. "I've been offered promotion three times. I declined each time," he said.

Alistar felt his eyebrows raise in surprise. "Why?" he asked.

Marcus's answer came without any hesitation. "Because I enjoy being a security officer," he said. "I've watched good officers chase rank because they thought that's what success looked like. Some of them became excellent commanders. Others became administrators who missed standing beside their people, being the ones who were making a difference. I don't want a desk. I like leading security teams, training junior officers, walking patrols, and being where the work is. Accepting a promotion would have taken me away from that."

Alistar considered the officer seated across from him for several moments as he thought over his words. There was something deeply refreshing about such uncomplicated honesty. Starfleet had no shortage of ambitious officers, that much was very true as many viewed every assignment as just another stepping stone toward command. There was nothing inherently wrong with that, although Alistar had his own views that he kept quiet on. But command also required people who had no interest in sitting in the captain's chair, people who simply wanted to excel at what they loved. Those officers often became the backbone of great crews.

"I have to be honest," he finally said. "When I first saw your age compared to your rank, I was curious and the more I read the more I had to wonder if there was something in your file I hadn't reached yet. When I finished reading your file, I realized that I had found an officer who had spent his career becoming exceptionally good at what he does, I just couldn't find a reason as to why. The Helvetia is heading to unexplored space with a young crew. There are a few of us older and experienced officers, but over half of this crew are fresh out of the Academy. They're young, and they're going to have much to learn. I want them learning from someone who has already made most of the mistakes, or at least experienced them first hand. I need people who will make sure every member of this crew has the best possible chance of facing whatever we'll find out there and come home alive."

For the first time since he had entered the room, Marcus's demeanor shifted just slightly. It was just enough to reveal the depth behind his calm professionalism. He nodded before he spoke. "You'll have that, Captain," he said. Standing, he smiled just slightly. "If you'll allow, I'd like to get started right away."

Alistar stood and extended his hand. "Welcome to the Helvetia, Lieutenant Kane," he said.

"Thank you, Captain," Marcus said as he accepted the captain's hand with a firm handshake before he turned and walked quietly out of the ready room.

Alistar watched the doors slide close before he allowed a bit of a smile. The crew of the Helvetia was still taking shape, slowly but steadily. He had no doubt that the ship and her crew would be ready for anything when they finally departed for the unknown.

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