From: "Amy Gross" <agross@m3.sprynet.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 01:43:03 +0000
Subject: USS CHESAPEAKE: Catch-up, Part I
SD: 90603.0530
MD: 6.0630
Scene: USS CHESAPEAKE, Captain's Quarters
Despite the apparently unbalanced nature of much of her crew, the
Captain of the CHESAPEAKE's sleep patterns had not been noticeably
disturbed. Still, this morning, Amanda Bell had risen early, and had
already showered and dressed before 0630. She wandered over to the
rear wall of the living room of her quarter, trying to decide upon
breakfast options. Granted, the age of the repilcator had made those
options so wide as to be nearly limitless, but you still had to
figure out what it was that you wanted.
After several ponderous moments, she decided she wasn't in the mood
for apple pancakes just yet. Instead, she punched up two chocolate
chip scones and a large mug of coffee. She carried the items over
to a low-sitting table, setting them down and sitting heavily on her
couch. Her mind wandered as she began to eat, traveling inevitably
back to the previous day's festivities regarding the escapee from the
science labs. She could not even think of any words to deal with it
in her own mind, let alone figure out how she would have dealt with
O'Greach. She was grateful it had been Brenn who had.
She sighed, attempting to focus upon something a little more
productive. Nothing jumped to mind immediately, and she resolved to
head in to the ready room. Reports should be coming in within the
next few days, and some of the last-minute departure details needed
to be attended to.
******************
MD: 6.0815
Scene: USS CHESAPEAKE, Ready Room
Bell set down the PADD she had been reading carefully and sighed.
The Counselor's report, while not particularly comforting, did
explain a certain amount of Murray's increasingly erratic behavior
The CO frowned. It was, she realized, an abuse of so many positions
on Mallory's part that her head was beginning to spin even
contemplating the edges of the issue. The CSciO had obviously
not dealt with this fully, and certainly not to the extent that she
was not in danger of something even more drastic than the previous
events on the bridge.
All the same, Bell realized, she was not the warmest of figures, and
she doubted her own ability to gauge Murray's reactions to whatever
decisions might grow out of the report. It was one thing to be
sympathetic-it was quite another to put aside crew considerations
over personal revulsion. She sighed-this was going nowhere. Leaning
back a bit in her chair, she closed her eyes for a second, her left
hand going to her temple and rubbing in circles that utterly failed
to soothe. She shook her head, and snapped out:
"Bell to Brennan."
She waited, growing vaguely annoyed as the silence lasted a second
or two longer than it should.
<Brennan here, sir.>
"In my Ready Room Commander. Bell out."
The CO straightened in her chair, drumming her fingers against the
desktop as she waited. Again, vague annoyance crept in as she waited
for the XO, even as she knew, intellectually, that it was
misdirected. After what seemed an eternity, her door chime rang.
Abruptly, she stopped drumming and straightened further. "Come," she
called out clearly, nodding a curt greeting as the tall frame of D.J.
Brennan appeared in the doorway.
She waited until the doors slid softly shut behind him, then
gestured to the chair opposite the desk. "Good morning, Commander,"
she said automatically. "Sit. I trust you know what this is about."
"I think I can guess, Captain, yes," Brennan affirmed, the slight
frown on his brow and lips magnified in his eyes.
"It would, at the very least, help explain her behavior towards
your on the bridge before," Bell commented, grappling for a better
hold with which to begin the discussion.
"It would..." he affirmed again, waiting for her to get down to the
matter.
Instead of continuing right away, Amanda Bell's dark eyes traveled
over to the tank beside her desk, following the slow, serene
movements of the pair of seahorses within. She gazed at them
carefully, a slight frown crossing her face as well. She looked over
at Brennan finally. "Do you think she'll press charges?"
Brennan shrugged, returning her stare. "That's somewhat difficult
to say, Captain. It would be tragic, I think, to have him get away
with it."
"True..." the CO agreed quickly, her expression thoughtful. "It
certainly would. But I wonder, privately, what could really be
accomplished..
"Accomplished?" the Brit raises his eyebrows.
"Accomplished," Bell agreed. "At the very best, such action would
involve dredging up unpleasant memories for her and disrupt two
ships, yet I doubt it would do much to heal her. At the very
worst, she goes through this and is not vindicated. That seems more
likely to harm than to help." She sighed, giving up and slumping
back a little. "Off the record, of course."
"Of course," Brennan parroted, nodding slightly.
"Which still leaves us with the question of...what to do about
Lieutenant Murray."
"What to do about her," the XO repeated, keeping his face carefully
neutral.
"That's what I said," Bell replied, nodding somewhat irritably. "I
asked you here for your opinion. Mine is that she's not stable
enough to go on as she is," she said bluntly, glancing over at him.
"I doubt she will become so if she continues to hide behind her
drills and readiness reports."
Brennan nodded slowly, "I see..."
Bell laced her fingers together, tapping the tips of the index ones
together a few times. "You've observed her more closely than I have.
Am I missing something?"
The XO shook his head slowly. "I agree, Captain. I think
Lieutenant Murray is a bright, capable officer who has the potential
to perform her duties quite well. But it's clear to me that she
needs time, even if only a few days, to pull herself together."
A silence followed, stretching out to about ten seconds. The
Captain exhaled slowly, then nodded to herself. "This makes the
decision a bit easier. Bearing that in mind, I plan to speak to
her soon. Keep me advised."
**********************
MD: 6.2300
Scene: USS CHESAPEAKE, Ready Room
Amanda Bell looked up as Anne Murray stepped uneasily into her ready
room. She nodded, gesturing to the seat opposite her desk. Anne
seated herself gingerly, and the CO could almost see the sick feeling
growing in the pit of the SCI's stomach.
"Good evening, Lieutenant. Before we begin, can I offer you
anything? Tea, maybe?"
Murray shook her head, her hands knotted in her lap. She stared at
the woman on the other side of the desk, her shoulders set in a tense
line.
"Commander Brennan and I have reviewed the documents sent to us
today," Bell began, her voice smooth and controlled. "We have
discussed the matter thoroughly, and I have done a great deal of
thinking myself." She paused for an instant, then went on. "As of
right now, you are relived of duty." She held up a hand, the
slightly downward turn in her lips warning Anne not to interrupt.
"This not a punishment, but your behavior has indicated that you
have not dealt with your...trauma to a satisfactory extent.
"I am sending a message to the Counselor reflecting this." She held
up a PADD, apparently containing said message. "She will be speaking
with you, and will complete a fitrep concerning your readiness to
return to duty within thirty-six hours. In short, this is by no
means a long-term arrangement. I need a Chief Science Officer, but
not one who leaps at my First Officer."
Murray listened quietly, her face betraying little beyond the tight
line her mouth had formed. She nodded once, sharply. "I see, sir."
Bell stared back at her, then sighed inaudibly. "Take this time.
Pull yourself together. And if you decide to go forward with
these...charges, we will provide all assistance. Understood?"
Understood? The woman was taking her off-duty...still, the CSciO
nodded slowly, her mouth working for several seconds before she
managed to say, "Understood, sir."
"Very well, then, Lieutenant. Consider yourself off-duty. The
Counselor should be contacting you soon."
NRPG:
All: Part one of my catching up. Part two will be out Wednesday,
dealing with some more general, mission-related things. Yes, I am
alive (sort of) and slowly digging out. Thanks to all of you for
your patience, and for continuing to do great things while I've been
away.
Takako: Hope this meshes with what you had in mind for Brennan.
Fire away if it doesn't.
Masako: Same goes for Murray.
Michael: As the only person who has been quieter than me, I'm pinging
you one last time. :)
Respectfully submitted,
Captain Amanda Bell, CO, USS CHESAPEAKE
Amy Gross, agross@sprynet.com
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