" Distraction "
(Previous Post was Julian's "The Return")
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Stardate: 60327.1745
The young woman sat at her desk, her attention fixated on the images
being displayed on the small screen resting on top of her desk… and on the
memories that each was associated with. The news of David's miraculous
recovery had been welcomed news but the redheaded woman could not help
but feel that she had been the victim of a grave injustice committed
against her by the universe. If the ability to bring someone back from the dead existed, why had it not been used to bring Enaii back?
Maybe the young woman had been too selfish in her debating of the
reasons why one had been more deserving than the other, but the reality still
pointed to a wife and mother being dead while a man with few family
connections now enjoyed the renewed gift of life. As the ANUBIS' CO
the redheaded woman could not have been happier to see the expertise of the
CEO not lost, but in the same capacity the young woman could only mourn the
loss of the skills and extensive knowledge that the ILO commanded.
The sound of the door chime drew the young woman out of her thoughts
and memories, reminding her of where she was and of the responsibilities
that her position required of her. Sabrina glanced one last time at the
pictures of her and her former wife which were being displayed on the small
screen before turning the monitor off and shifting her attention to the door.
"Come in." Sabrina called out, half expecting Ens. Mei to be the one
who would appear as the door slid open… after all the responsibility to
check up on the CO did fall upon the shoulders of the Cns. Because of that
expectation the young woman was surprised to see a man standing in the
doorway to her office. Not only had she guessed the gender wrong, but
Rikar could not have been any farther as to the rank of the person she had
anticipated to see.
"I hope that I am not disturbing you." Commodore Simmons offered as he
walked into the room. As unexpected as his presence here had been, the
young woman had been unable and unwilling to hide her pleasure at
seeing her former captain in this particular setting. Several times Sabrina had found herself sitting on the opposite side of the 'big desk' and she felt a certain feeling of comfort in rediscovering this scene even if from the
other end.
"Not at all James… you know that you are always welcomed here. What
can I
do for you?" The CO happily inquired hoping that the visit of the NEW
ALEXANDRIA's COO had been an official one.
James seemed to hesitate for a few moments which immediately made the
young
woman understand that the visit of the high-ranking official had not
been
meant to be as informal as Sabrina might have liked it to be.
"I know that this may be a bad time, but I needed to talk to you about a rather important project. NEW ALEXANDRIA has just commissioned a new ship which requires a good test run and given that no other experienced crews are available and that the ANUBIS will be undergoing repairs for quite a while I had hoped that you would take on the job." The COO explained while trying as hard as he could to make the request sound more like a favour than an order.
"You are right… it is a bad time." The young woman countered with in a
less than pleasant tone, not at all happy with the idea that the crew of the
ANUBIS, including herself, would be asked to go onto another mission so
soon after having dealt with so much.
"Maybe so… but a change of scenery may be exactly what you and the rest
of your senior staff need." The NEW ALEXANDRIA's COO pointed out letting
out the detail that only the members of the senior staff would be going on
this mission.
"I will not be going on that mission… the last thing I *want* right now
is a change of scenery. My ship needs me… my crew needs me… and most
important of all *Talia* needs me." The redheaded woman stated with force and
determination leaving it clear and beyond any doubt that she would not
lead her crew on this new ship and its shakedown mission.
"So bring Talia along with you… this is going to be a simple 'once
around the block' mission, away from any type of danger. One of the reasons
why I want you to lead this mission is because of your experience and because
I truly believe that a change of pace will do you a world of good." James
offered as he tried to convince the ANUBIS' CO to go along with his
plan. Of course as the base's COO he could have easily ordered the redheaded
woman to go on this mission but Commodore Simmons had not wanted to make this
a compulsory mission… at least not yet.
"James… I truly appreciate what you are trying to do… but I really
don't think that I am up to *lead* anything at this point in time." The young
woman admitted hinting that she had been more than happy that the
ANUBIS would have to remain in the docking bay for a while as the repairs
proceeded which in turn would give her and the rest of her crew time to heal some of the wounds they had suffered.
"Alright… I can understand your position… but you have to understand
mine as well… I am under increasing pressure to get that ship and its system's
tested… so how about a compromise?" The Commodore offered as a playful
grin danced on his lips.
"I'm listening… but I am not making any promises." The young woman
replied as she leaned forward over her desk, curious to see what devious plan
had been brewing in the head of her former CO.
"Serenna has been your ExO for a while and she has as of yet taken
command of a mission… this could be the perfect opportunity for her to get her
feet wet." Simmons explained keeping the rest of his idea to himself for the
time being while he observed the reaction of the redheaded woman.
"I am not so sure she will appreciate the idea that she is going to
take control of a mission that you yourself described as being nothing more
than 'once around the block' mission." Rikar pointed out while trying to
imagine her ExO's reaction to the Commodore's suggestion.
"Be honest with me Sabrina… when you were ExO, wouldn't you have jumped
at the opportunity to command your own ship, even if it was for a routine,
or even boring mission?" James queried knowing all too well that the young
woman would agree with him.
"Alright… you win… so I would be there as an observer only… no orders
to give… no reports to file… just me and my daughter going on a ride on
this new ship of yours?" The redheaded woman inquired obviously having
warmed up to the idea of this new mission.
"Absolutely… you could have Lt. Cmdr. Maya take on the role of ExO for
that mission. I am sure she would welcome the chance of trying something
new… plus part of the mission profile does include a full rundown of the
sensors of the ship. One of our cruisers picked up a comet that is roughly 2
weeks from crashing into an uninhabited planet. I am sure that as CSciO she
would be thrilled to get close to it, and as the ship's ExO she would be able
to see that there are other aspects than science to even a research
mission." James explained in more detail making it clear that he had thought of this well before having walked into the Ready Room of the ANUBIS' CO.
"Why do I have the feeling that you had all of this already well
planned in advance?" The young woman questioned, wondering if she truly had been given a choice or had simply been expertly maneuvered into this plan.
"Are you accusing me of some wrong doing?" James teased as he leaned
back into his chair.
"No… what I am accusing you of is apparently spending too much time
with your wife and learning from her experience as a Counselor. I don't
remember you being that sneaky, but then again you have always been quite good
at convincing others to see things your way." Sabrina grinned as she shook
her head.
"That was why I became CO of a diplomatic vessel..." James said with a
smile as she rose from his chair indicating that his visit had come to an
end.
"So when are we expected to board this new ship of yours?" The young
inquired, wondering if she would have the time to inform her crew of
this new mission before they would be asked to report to this new ship.
"Don't worry about that… the HATHOR is at least 5 days from being
ready. That will give your ExO and your CSciO the time they need to get better acquainted with her and it will give the rest of your staff some well
deserved time to rest." The NEW ALEXANDRIA COO said adding a wink for
good measure before leaving the ANUBIS' CO to her affairs which now included
informing her crew of their new mission.
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"We are Grey, we stand between the Candle and the Star, between the
Darkness and the Light" 2005 post #469
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Captain's Ready Room
Sabrina Jones {sabrina_sweet@hotmail.com}
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
-Entilza Delenn, Babylon 5
