From: MGOTO@indiana.edu (Masako Goto) Date: Sun, 2 Mar 1997 01:05:42 -0500 (EST) Subject: USS CHESAPEAKE: Speak, O Murray...
SD 90302.0500 ----------------------- Main Science Laboratory ----------------------- MD 1.0930 "But, sir...!" Serak followed Anne around the Mathematics and Logic Department laboratory. "No, my mind is made up, Mr. Serak. I will *not* have twenty computer consoles, lined up in two neat rows, be the entire contents of this space. It's preposterous!" "But...!" "A laboratory, Mr. Serak, has *things*, don't you see? Things that an ordinary room lacks!" Anne went forth into one of her favorite topics. "Modern science is a wonderful thing, Mr. Serak." "Yes, sir..." "So long as we use it!" snapped Anne, making another turn. She nearly bumped into Serak, who had been unprepared for the sudden change in direction. He hurriedly stepped back. "But we *are*..." "Computer consoles," said Anne, "are wonderful things. Yes, I agree with everyone on that point. However, a science laboratory must not be limited to such things. It is too... *cramped*, Mr. Serak!" "Er..." "Even a long table, Mr. Serak," said Anne, looking distatefully at the large space in the center of the room, "will be an improvement! Spread out your PADD work, strew data chips around, make it *look* like there is mental activity going on in this laboratory. Not... not *this*!" She waved at the consoles. "*That* belongs on the Bridge. No, I am not budging on this matter. I will request that *something* be installed in this space! Do you have a *problem* with that, Mr. Serak?" It was a definite challenge. Serak coughed. "Sir, while I admire your perseverence, I cannot stand idly and watch you install something we don't need..." "Mr. Serak, let me tell you something." Anne leaned against the wall. "*You* may not have a problem with this lab. The *entire MLD staff* may not have a problem with this lab. But *I* have a problem with this lab, and I happen to be the Chief Science Officer. I have to come *in* here every morning, since they so thoughtlessly decided to place the MLD *in* the Main Science Lab, so I WANT SOMETHING INSTALLED. Do I make myself clear to you, Mr. Serak?" "Yes, sir," sighed Serak. As Anne disappeared into her office, he shook his head. It was most illogical, this proposition of the Lieutenant's; but, as she had said, she *was* the Chief. If she wanted something installed, something *will* be installed, logical or not. --------- Mess Hall --------- MD 1.1130 Anne sat at the table sipping some hot cocoa. Though she did drink coffee from time to time, she still felt that hot chocolate had a comforting quality that coffee lacked. Perhaps it was because her mother used to make it for Myron and her when they were younger... A well-built woman appeared from the replicator line, headed straight for Anne's table. Anne raised her eyebrow in an oddly Vulcan gesture, quietly watching the approach. Then she smiled, recognizing the Lieutenant (jg). "May I sit here, Anne?" asked the new arrival. "Of course, Karen, go right ahead." Anne moved some of her PADDs so that Karen could place her tray on the table across from Anne's. "All students on board," said Karen, sprinkling her food with plenty of spice. "I'm impressed, actually... I was afraid that some of them wouldn't even be here until tomorrow." "Well, the MLD kids wouldn't have far to go, anyway," said Anne, watching Karen to see if the woman would choke on her red-speckled mashed potatoes. She didn't, to Anne's great surprise. "Mmm." Karen nodded, spooning another bite of extra-spicy potatoes into her mouth. She was silent for a moment or two, busily spicing up her green beans and toast. Anne was starting to feel just a bit uneasy watching the process when she spoke again. "I tracked down the kids' teachers. Pretty straightforward, actually. The MLD kids all study with Serak, the Bio department..." Anne listened, looking directly into Karen's eyes, glad to have an excuse to stop watching Karen's food get redder and redder. Karen Decker had been the second ranking officer Anne had met that morning, and the two had hit it off beautifully from the start. Anne had already asked her to serve as Resource Manager, and Karen had accepted most agreeably. "So who's your aCSciO, Anne?" asked Karen when she was done with her student personnel report. "I'm not sure yet," confessed Anne. "I have the list of Lieutenant jaygees, but I'm just not sure which would be a good match. I mean, Serak's been volunteered for the MLD already, and besides, we seem to have a... well, a difference of opinion regarding... some things. Nice fellow, but... no. I don't know any of the others, and for all I know, they might be attached to a department already, too. I wish I had the time to look over everyone's files, but I don't." "Just concentrate on the agenda for now, Anne," advised Karen. "You'll find your assignments soon enough." Anne had to admit that Karen was probably right. She wished, however, that the RM wouldn't put so much chili powder on her food. -------------- CSciO's Office -------------- MD 1.1445 "Sir." Anne looked up from her desk. Derek Fielding was standing there, looking painfully uncertain. "Come on in," said Anne, automatically sending her updated files and the unmodified ones to her quarters. She would work on them later. "What can I do for you?" "I was thinking, sir..." "Please. Call me Anne." "But... but, sir..." "What did I just say?" Anne looked at him, her eyebrows arched. "Understood, s... Anne." "Good." She smiled at him encouragingly. She knew that Fielding was a bit uptight about proper protocol. "May I call you Derek?" she asked on impulse. "Of course, ...Anne." A quick learner, Anne noted. She had taken several months before she could call her former CSciO "Jon" without flinching. "What were you thinking?" asked Anne. "I was just thinking about the way you want to run this department, actually," said Fielding. "I mean, I just don't understand. On the one hand, you're so... relaxed, and on the other hand, you're practically an iron pole!" "I think," said Anne with a smile, "that you mean an iron *hand*. However, I can understand your confusion." Her smile grew a bit crooked. "It's all I really know how to do," she confessed. "I served on one ship since graduation, I served under one man for that entire time, and I saw the results he got. We had a good team, Derek, a very good team. Part of the reason was because the executive officers -- you know, the assistant, the Research Coordinator, the Resource Manager -- were comfortable around each other. We had a good working relationship. We knew who was boss, of course. But we could also trust each other as human -- or otherwise -- equals, as individuals. "Of course, we couldn't do that with the rest of the staff as much. For one thing, the department was too big. For another thing, we had to have *some* guidelines. Besides, it was impractical. We had seventeen Jennifers in our department, and four of them had the last name Mellon. Don't ask me how that happened, because I don't know. "Anyway... Jon believed that we should be unyielding in our demands for excellence. The only way to achieve excellence is to expect it, he used to say, and I agree with him. So..." Anne shrugged. "I crack the whip and expect great things from the staff. Including my executive officers. It's just... I think I want more out of this department than just excellence." Anne was silent for a moment, unwilling to admit to herself that Jon and hers was not just a working relationship; it was a friendship. She couldn't very well tell Fielding that she wanted him to be her *friend*! But Fielding was smiling. "I like that, Anne," he said. "I think my cousin would approve." "Your cousin?" Anne was disconcerted. Cousins seemed to be a common commodity in this department. "Yes. Melissa. She's a bit older than I am, but she used to call her gymnastics coach 'Emerson' all the time... Emerson was his given name, by the way. She's a doctor now, serving on a Starfleet ship. She drives her CMO *crazy* calling him 'David' all the time." Anne had to smile at that. "Yes, one must be very careful when using given names," she said, nodding knowingly. "That's part of the reason Jon kept it confined pretty much to executive officers. It could become a habit otherwise." She shrugged, then smiled again. Derek Fielding was an easy person to smile at; he was so earnest and friendly. "Understood, Anne." He winked, then stood up. "I think I'll go check on the physical science lab. Have you been to your quarters yet?" "No, I haven't." "In that case, I'll just make the preliminary rounds for the PSD, and I'll call you if there's anything unusual." "Okay. Thank you, Derek." "You're welcome, Anne." Anne smiled at the young man as he left. He wasn't even stumbling on her name any more. Yes, Fielding was a fast learner. ----------------- Murray's quarters ----------------- MD 1.2045 Getting ready for dinner wasn't quite as difficult as Anne had thought it might be. She simply straightened her uniform, glanced into the mirror, and quickly looked over the list of questions on a sheet of paper. She put the paper in its folder and put it back in the bookshelf. She had attended some rather boring dinners in her past, and she had found that people become less cranky and more *themselves* when she asked some of the more general questions from one of her psychometric testing kits. Besides, she thought as she glided out of her room, it would be *most* interesting to unobtrusively "test" some of the Senior Officers' aptitudes. Respectfully submitted, Masako Goto Lt. Anne Murray, Ph.D. CSciO USS CHESAPEAKE NCC-31813 *NRPG* Well, I *should* have called this post a backpost, but I made a loophole by including the little tidbit at the end. :) Yes, Anne does love to play psychometrician, and she'll be looking for any unwary officer who happens to talk with her.Don't worry, as she would say, it doesn't hurt at all. This post should explain how "Mr. Fielding" became "Derek" and "sir" became "Anne." :) Don't worry, though. Anne won't up and start calling *everyone* by the given name... Melvin: this should explain why Anne wants something installed in the SOC. Since I had Serak welcoming Anne to the Mathematics and Logic Department when she walked into the Main Science Lab, I figured that the ship designers decided to have some fun and located the SOC in the MLD lab. After all, they have all the computer access they need... Takako: Please note the introduction of Lt(jg) Karen Decker (Resource Manager) on the NPC list. Thank you! :) Chris: Thanks for seeing to Kirko. :) And in case you are wondering, the "cousin" to whom Fielding refers to is, of course, Melissa Kirk Fielding herself. All: I am including the timeline yet again. All errors *should* be fixed; but if not, please let me know. For the moment, I am leaving Chris's Sivaoan NPC in the timeline. I may remove her at a later date (Takako, any suggestions?). ------------------------------ USS CHESAPEAKE Timeline v. 1.2 ------------------------------ MD 01.0700 CAPT Bell reports to CINCGREEN MD 01.0715 CDR Brennan reports to CINCGREEN MD 01.0730 Bell and Brennan board CHESAPEAKE MD 01.0745 LCDR th'Tellan reports to CINCGREEN MD 01.0800 LT Murray reports to CINCGREEN MD 01.0845 LT Murray reports to CAPT Bell in Ready Room MD 01.0900 Murray inspects Science Department MD 01.0915 ENS Keyrin reports to CINCGREEN LT(jg) DawnFire to-Ennien boards CHESAPEAKE MD 01.0930 Brennan on the Bridge LT(jg) DawnFire to-Ennien inspects quarters Murray expounds on Meaning of Modern Science in SOC MD 01.0945 Keyrin boards CHESAPEAKE MD 01.1000 LCDR Ledoux reports to CINCGREEN MD 01.1015 ENS Keyrin reports to CDR Brennan on Bridge MD 01.1030 Keyrin settles into her quarters Ledoux still on DELTA, feeling depressed MD 01.1100 Ledoux boards CHESAPEAKE MD 01.1130 Ledoux inspects quarters, reads mail Murray has lunch with her department's Resource Manager MD 01.1200 Tats-Marush heads for CHESAPEAKE MD 01.1205 Tats-Marush beams aboard CHESAPEAKE Tats-Marush inspects quarters, reads mail MD 01.1230 Murray holds Science Department Meeting MD 01.1300 Keyrin holds Security/Tactical Department Meeting (in Conference Room 3A) MD 01.1315 LT(jg) Tats-Marush reports to CDR Brennan in XO's office MD 01.1330 Brennan and Tats-Marush's discussion draws to a close MD 01.1400 Brennan visits the Science Department MD 01.1415 Brennan reads messages, calls twin at ALPHA in quarters MD 01.1445 Murray chats with aCSciO in her office MD 01.1500 Keyrin adjourns SEC/TAC meeting aCSciO contacts Murray in her quarters about PS Lab MD 01.1510 Murray arrives on Deck 17 MD 01.1515 Murray sends injured crewman to Sickbay aCMO tends to crewman in Sickbay th'Tellan boards CHESAPEAKE MD 01.1530 Murray and aCSciO speak in her office MD 01.1545 Murray and aCSciO meet with Keyrin in the CSO's office MD 01.1555 Keyrin and Murray head for Deck 6 MD 01.1600 Murray settles into quarters MD 01.1630 Keyrin reads mail in quarters, calls mother Murray reads mail (in quarters) MD 01.1645 Murray visits injured crewman in Sickbay MD 01.1900 Murray submits status report to Brennan in XO's office MD 01.1940 Murray reads mail in quarters, writes to cousin MD 01.2000 Murray speaks with th'Tellan on Bridge MD 01.2030 Keyrin prepares for dinner in her quarters MD 01.2045 Murray prepares for dinner in her quarters MD 01.2100 Senior Officers' Dinner MD 02.0545 Keyrin sends message to Brennan requesting meeting MD 02.0630 Brennan and Keyrin discuss status report in XO's office MD 02.0650 Brennan and Keyrin's discussion draws to a close MD 02.0705 Keyrin heads back to quarters MD 02.1130 Keyrin and Torr discuss matters in CSO's office MD 02.1430 Keyrin submits status report to Brennan in XO's office
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