From: MFielding@aol.com
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 1997 10:47:35 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: USS CHESAPEAKE: Brave New Experiment
SD 90626.1344
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CSciO's Office
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MD 9.0900
Fielding had just walked into the office, to see if the report
had been successfully transmitted, when he noticed that his superior
officer was looking glumly at a glass full of pale green liquid.
"What are you doing?" he asked solicitously.
"Thinking," she answered.
"About what?"
"The New World Order."
"Huh?"
"Oh, you know." Anne stood up, threw the glass into the
recycling receptacle. "You know all about it."
"Look, why don't you tell me what's bothering you, and..."
"Lieutenant Sereh," said Anne with a sigh, "is just... so..."
"What?"
"VULCAN!"
"I thought you *liked* Vulcans!"
"She calls me 'Murray' all the time."
"So? Don't you *like* your last name?"
"Well, yes, but how would you feel if I called you 'Fielding'
all the time?"
Fielding considered it for a moment, then shook his head.
"I wouldn't mind," he said, "though I'd hardly expect it
of you. What's the matter, anyway? You didn't allow her to get to
you so much before. You're back in your office, aren't you?
Back to..."
"Terrorize you?"
Fielding didn't answer; he had been about to say just that.
"Why is it," she demanded, annoyance dripping in her voice,
"that everyone finds me so *intimidating*?"
"Because you *are*," said Fielding. "You jump on
people, you expect results *right now*, you don't tolerate mistakes."
"Are you saying that it's *okay* to make mistakes, Mister?!"
"Yes, that is *exactly* what I am saying!" answered Fielding.
He was too kind to point out that *this* was just the sort of
outburst that made her such an unpopular character in the
Science Department.
"But you don't understand!" cried Anne. "This is SCIENCE!
We *can't* make mistakes! Do you know that we could kill *millions*
if a critical calculation has errors in it? Oh, maybe not now, maybe
not for a long time, but *there it will be*!"
Thinking of the structural collapse in her elementary
school, the children running. It was a scientist's error; she was
convinced of it. Anne glared at her assistant.
"Hey." Fielding sounded almost obnoxiously calm. "Let's
have... a little talk." He rose to close the door.
"Don't." Anne glared at him, getting ready to throw a PADD
to stop him.
"Okay, okay... just simmer down, will you?"
Fielding sat down.
"You might get to talk with the delegates from ShipOres and
Delta Corellis, you know," said Fielding matter-of-factly. "That's
four days away, do you realize that?"
"Yes."
"You can't make a convincing case if you're always worked up
about little things."
"THEY ARE NOT *LITTLE* THINGS!"
"Yes, they are." Fielding sounded as calm as a spring breeze.
"No, you be quiet and listen to me for a bit. Yes, you are human;
yes, you've had some kind of trauma; and yes, you are upset because
the world order as you know it has been upset. More about that later.
"But, Anne, you can't go screaming your head off at every
detail that doesn't fall your way. It's not professional."
"Who are *you*," demanded Anne fiercely, "to talk to *me*
about professionalism? Do you realize how *hard* I had to fight to
maintain that oh-so-wonderfully-professional pose?!"
"Anne, I hate to tell you, but you haven't been 'professional'
on this ship for the last week... and hardly much the days before
that, even."
"But..."
"Yes, I know, the drills and tests and all that. Look, it's
not as though we're doing away with supervision of students and
training of crew. We're just changing the format a little."
"WHY?"
"Because you scare them out of their minds," said Fielding
calmly. "They keep leaping up every time you approach. That's not
good for the procedure, that's not good for morale... that's not
good for *anything*."
He paused.
"I know you like to project yourself as the 'mad scientist,'"
he said, "but you really aren't, Anne, and I wish you'd start being
who you *are* rather than who you *think* you are."
"Who said I *wanted* to be a mad scientist, Mr. Fielding?"
"See, that's what I mean." Fielding reached forwaard to take
her hands in his, then stopped himself in time. "You're yelling at
me again. I don't know what kind of life you've had up to now, but
from all I've heard about you, Anne, you weren't this... volatile
before your assignment here. I've read your papers, and they don't
sound like papers written by someone with the kind of temper you're
displaying now."
"A lot's happened since those papers."
Fielding sighed.
"Yes, but..." he shrugged. "You seemed so... *logical*
when you came on board. And now? You're like a *basket case*. I
don't buy it."
"What is this, another amateur Counselor on the make?"
demanded Anne sarcastically. "No, thank you! I've had enough of
that... and from real ones, too!"
"I'm just saying," said Fielding, "that we'd all be a lot
happier -- yourself included -- if you'd just... calm down and be
more logical and... oh, brother, don't start CRYING!"
Fielding lost his calm demeanor for one panicked moment...
but only for a moment.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you, Anne. Look... I know
you like working with people, and you want to get along with them,
but that's not accomplishing much right now. It's not because you
aren't lovable. Okay? Can you accept that?"
"Your choice of words," grumbled Anne, "is abjectly tasteless."
"Well, okay." Fielding shrugged. "Sorry. But *can you accept
the meaning of what I just said*?"
"Ye-es."
"And it's not as though you'll be alone all the time... I'll
be working with you."
"At this point," said Anne wearily, "that sounds just as
ghastly as if I were stranded in Antarctica."
"Gimme a break, Anne!" said Fielding with a laugh. "You're
not really a 'people' person!"
He glanced over at her and noticed that she wasn't smiling.
"I think," he said quietly, "that I should apologize. I don't
know why, I just think I should. So I'm sorry. I just hope that
you'll not feel too badly that we'll have to work together a lot from
here on in." He went to the door.
"Derek," called Anne.
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
Respectfully submitted,
Masako Goto
Lt. Anne Murray, Ph.D.
CSciO
USS CHESAPEAKE NCC-31813
MFielding@aol.com and mgoto@indiana.edu
<<NRPG>>
All: Yes, another GCD piece...
James: Well? Do you think they'll make it? I think they will...
Melvin: Murray just thinks that Sereh is a Cold Fish... we'll see
what she thinks if she ever realizes Sereh was capable
of laughing...
Lynnaea: After Aelyria's remarkable recovery, I tried to follow suit...
didn't quite go the way I expected it to. :(
Chris: Will be bringing Melissa on board sometime Saturday, probably...
unless you want her around on NEBULA or GAMMA for a short bit.
I'm thinking that her arrival will be sometime on MD 12.
Takako: Hope you're having/you had a nice time in California!
Naomi: Hope your trip is going/went well!
Amy: Yes, I enjoy writing these GCDs... and I didn't want to mess
up anything by writing any scientific reports... <EG> Any
word on our CEO? <insert innocent look here>
Fabian: I haven't forgotten about Oz... or the silver egg. :)
Trevin, Greg: Looking forward to seeing your people come aboard! :)
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