From: Takako Nagumo
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 1997 11:45:34 -0500
Subject: [CHESAPEAKE] SB DELTA: CINCGREEN's Office - LCDR Daniel J. Brennan Reports
SD 90211.0415
----------------<<<<< INCOMING MESSAGE, BUPERS >>>>>--------------
TO: LCDR BRENNAN, Daniel J., OPS, USS ADDISON
FR: CAPT SPENCE, Edgar B., BUPERS, SB ALPHA
CC: VADM JOKINEN, Matti, CINCGREEN, SB DELTA
CAPT BELL, Amanda, CO, USS CHESAPEAKE
CAPT KURODA, Joanne A., CO, USS ADDISON
You are hereby directed and required to report to RADM Matti
Jokinen, CINCGREEN, to be posted to the USS CHESAPEAKE (NCC-
31813), GREEN Fleet. Fail not in this at your peril.
-- CAPT Edgar B. Spence, BUPERS
--------------<<<<< END INCOMING MESSAGE, BUPERS >>>>>------------
* * * * *
****************************************************
Scene: Brennan's Quarters -> Ready Room, USS ADDISON
****************************************************
LCDR Daniel Brennan, the USS ADDISON's OPS officer, walked down
the corridor briskly. His usual, friendly greetings were nowhere
to be found, but he did not realise that the crew noticed their
absence.
Brennan played with the PADD in his hands. Some of his thoughts
were on the orders which were on them, yet his foremost thought
was of the person he was hurrying to see.
As he waited for the turbolift, he leaned against the wall,
thinking back to his days on the ORLEANS, his previous posting,
and the ADDISON.
He had met *her* there, on the ORLEANS bridge. Joanne Kuroda's
small frame had surprised him, as Kuroda had developed a
reputation for her excellent battle records, even before New
London. He had expected someone more -- dare he say? --
physically imposing.
He was just a Lieutenant, then, the ORLEANS' new Chief
Security/Tactical Officer. He knew she did not deserve his
reservations this early, but doubts had lingered in his mind about
this small, delicate being's ability to command a ship into
battle.
She had proven him wrong. During the lifing of the siege of New
London, he had seen her work. Even during the darkest hours, she
was strong and steadfast, and her standing figure in the middle of
the Bridge, her calm, controlled voice as she gave her orders, had
kept the ORLEANS crew together.
He had been there, with her, during the darkest hour of them all.
He was in the Ready Room when the report came in of the death of
LCDR Tereval, the OPS officer. He knew that the Captain and
Commander Tereval had been good friends, almost best friends. For
one single moment, he had thought that Kuroda would collapse. But
it was only for a moment. When she recovered, she had looked at
him straight in the eyes and had spoken, her voice solid as
duranium.
"Mister Brennan, I hereby grant you a field promotion to
Lieutenant Commander, and, under authority granted me by Starfleet
Command, billet you to Operations Manager, USS ADDISON, this
Stardate and time."
He had stood there, stunned, for one split second too long.
"Well, get to it, Commander! We have a siege to lift!"
He realized that the turbolift doors had opened in front of him.
He stepped in, but his memory of his run to the Bridge as he took
charge of the ORLEANS' OPS Department continued to flood his mind.
He had felt he was being put to the ultimate test -- managing
resources in the midst of battle. During those first agonizing
seconds of confusion as he looked over the OPS console, he had
thought that he would fail, fail miserably. But as he sensed the
calm presence of Captain Kuroda behind him, he had regained his
cool, his calm under duress, and, in the end, they had won the
battle and lifted the siege.
In the ecstatic confusion of victory, he had held her, tight,
against him. He had quickly let her go, embarrassed. But for a
long time afterwards, into weeks, then months, he could not shake
the feeling that he wanted to hold her. Again. Forever.
He had told no one -- not even the ship's counselor, either on the
ORLEANS, or on the ADDISON. It was not a question of trust; both
Commander Dunois and Dr. Fox were fine practitioners, and they
each had helped their respective crews in incalculable ways. But
Brennan had never been one to be open about his feelings. His
sculptures said everything he wanted to say, and he preferred it
that way.
But now, he was being transferred off the ADDISON -- and away from
her. From Captain Kuroda. From Joanne.
He was out of the car as soon as the turbolift doors opened onto
the bridge. He acknowledged the OOD with a nod, and breezed
through the bridge and up to the doors of the Captain's Ready
Room. He rang the chime, and, at his Commanding Officer's
acknowledgement, the doors opened to admit him.
He stepped inside and started without preamble. "Sir, did
you...?"
Kuroda put a hand up to stop him. "Please, D. J., sit down."
As he sat down in the chair in front of the desk, she stood and
walked toward the replicator. "The usual?"
He did not answer immediately. His thoughts were on her -- but
not on her. "Yes, sir. Thank you."
There was silence as she retrieved the two cups of herbal tea and
walked back to her chair. He took the mug offered him. She held
the other mug with both hands as she carefully sat back down. One
sip, and she put the mug on the desk, sat back, looked at him, and
sighed.
"CINCGREEN asked for you," she stated simply. "I'm not about to
say no to Admiral Jokinen."
Brennan permitted himself a faint smile, his speech regaining some
of the English charm. "I thought I'd committed some faux pas to
be transferred off the ADDISON."
"I assigned you to OPS under the worst of conditions because I
trusted your ability to exercise judgement under duress. And I
was right -- as were your previous commanding officers. I
appreciate your work aboard the ADDISON, but...."
"But...?"
"This is an opportunity you shouldn't miss, D. J.. I mean it.
GREEN is launching a new ship, and you'll participate in shaping
that crew."
His eyebrow rose a fraction. "I'd assumed this was going to be
another Operations position, Jo. Or Security. Do you mean...?"
She nodded. "The grapevine tells me you're on the up and up.
And," she added with a mischievous smile, "believe me, I had
nothing to do with it. I was tempted to give you a bad report to
keep you here."
"Captain Kuroda, sir!" he exclaimed in mock astonishment. "You
ought to be ashamed of yourself!"
Joanne laughed. It was a rich, hearty laugh. He liked her laugh.
No, he loved it. And, in the past few weeks, he had finally
admitted it to himself.
He loved her.
"... and you know Jokinen doesn't go requesting officers from other
fleets all the time. It's an honor, D. J., and you deserve it."
He realized his mind had wandered away. "I'm sorry, Jo, I didn't
quite catch the last part."
"Hmm." Her lips twisted in amusement. "You seem to be doing that
a lot these days, Mister Brennan."
"I'm sorry, sir."
"You're a funny man, D. J. You're far calmer in chaos than in
order."
"You're not too far from that yourself, Jo."
"I admit disorder does get my adrenalin going." She laughed
again.
He was going to miss her.
"Well," she said, standing, "I won't keep you, Mister Brennan.
Admiral Jokinen, and your new post, await you. Best of luck on
your next posting... we'll miss you on the ADDISON." She put her
hand out for him to shake.
He realized that he had been staring. He managed to smile back,
and shook the proffered hand. "Thank you, sir." Then, trying not
to show his pain as he came to attention, he turned smartly on his
heels, and left the Ready Room.
* * * * *
********************************************
Scene: SB DELTA, CINCGREEN's Office
Time: A few minutes after CAPT Bell reported
********************************************
Brennan was tired from his shuttle ride from the ADDISON, but he
knew the Admiral could not be kept waiting. He walked through the
doors into the office suite.
The receptionist, a female Lieutenant, looked up from a pile of
PADDwork and smiled at him. He nodded acknowledgement.
"Lieutenant Commander Daniel J. Brennan, to see the Admiral." The
first word was pronounced "Leftanant," out of habit.
"Yes, sir." Her hand moved to the comm panel, but her eyes did
not move off of him. He started to feel rather uncomfortable
under her gaze. He walked toward the windows facing the docks,
many with ships connected to them. He first wondered whether one
of those ships was his next assignment, but soon his gaze, and his
thoughts, pointed beyond DELTA's docking bays and into the
infinite void.
"The Admiral will see you now, Commander."
The receptionist's voice brought his mind back into the office.
"Thank you, Lieutenant."
He made a cursory check of his uniform in one of the the panels,
then walked up to the doors, which slid open to admit him.
He entered, and found the Admiral standing by the window. Another
officer, a human female, sat in a chair in front of the desk. As
he came to attention, he managed to take in her four pips on her
collar.
"Brennan, Daniel Justin, Lieutenant Commander, reporting as
ordered, sir."
Respectfully Submitted,
Takako Nagumo,
LCDR Daniel J. Brennan
currently unassigned, SB DELTA
NRPG:
Jari: Here you go, the XO for the CHESAPEAKE. :) Btw, I don't know
if you noticed, but he's the new COMREC's twin brother. D'Maris'
influence, I imagine.
Amy: I guess both the senior officers have emotional baggage.
Jari or Amy: Which GREEN Fleet TF is the CHESAPEAKE in?
Melvin: I took the liberty of forwarding this post to you as well.
I'm glad you've decided to join the CHESAPEAKE. Welcome aboard!
--
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Takako Nagumo
http://www.oocities.org/TimesSquare/6318/
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CDR Daniel J. Brennan XO USS CHESAPEAKE, Green Fleet
LCDR Sian-Mairead Flynn, MD CMO USS ALEXANDER NEVSKY, Green Fleet
LTjg Alex Ripley SCI USS SARATOGA, Silver Fleet
LCDR Duncan A. Morrell INS ALB Holodeck 4
CDR Julianna M. Sforza COMREC Commander, Starfleet Records
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