From: Masako Goto
Date: Sun, 9 Mar 1997 01:37:04 -0500 (EST)
Subject: USS CHESAPEAKE: The True Temperament?
SD 90309.0424
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CSciO's Office
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MD 2.1300
The eight individuals sat around the rectangular table. Some
stared straight ahead while others looked nervously from one person to
the other. Finally, Anne called the meeting to order.
"Mr. Fielding," said Anne, looking at the aCSciO, "I want to know
exactly what it is that you told the department at the meeting last night."
"We discussed emergency procedures as you asked, sir," said
Fielding, a bit ill at ease. "We also discussed laboratory safety
protocol, but I didn't get into it in detail."
"I see." Anne looked at Fielding with a stern expression. "Can
you explain why they all fell apart this morning?"
"I'm at a loss, sir," said Fielding.
"I thought as much," said Anne softly. "I noticed, too," she
went on, "that the students were not the only people falling apart." She
looked around at her staff, resting her gaze on each of them in turn.
"You let the situation get the better of you.
"Derek, it was your responsibility to assess damage in whichever
division you were stationed at the time. Other than that, you let the
chairman take care of the division. You have to see to *all* the
divisions, not just one.
"Suvok, you let Derek flounder around for far too long before
realizing that he didn't know what he was doing. You knew what was
probably going on; you told me so before we got started just now. Just
because he's aCSciO doesn't mean that he is infallible.
"Karen, you have to train the students. There's no other way for
it. I don't know *where* you found such inexperienced kids, but they're
not going to be able to handle real crises if they stay the way they are
now. As for the drill, you needed to assert more authority than you
did. Yell over the klaxons if you have to. Don't be afraid to come
across as the harsh lady; that's what you have to be in an emergency.
"Mr. Stenford, you need to forget about reasoning with the students
once they start panicking. Just get them to where they're supposed to
be, and they should be able to figure out the rest eventually.
Concetrating too much on making them understand made you unavailable to
the more experienced staff, which then made them incapable of handling
the students. The crew members look to us as examples, you know. If we
waste time taking care of trivialities, they're going to do that, too.
"Mr. Oxmyx, you're going to have to show your students the proper
way of handling laboratory equipment. You also need to do something
about their excitablilty; this was the second time they'd gone to
pieces. Let the Researchers and Specialists do all the scientific
studies for the next three days. I want you to conduct lab procedure
refresher courses during that time. I don't want to see any more
disasters hitting your division because of hysterical students.
"Mr. Lee, your students must learn to keep out of the way when an
emergency occurs. You weren't able to discover the drill program because
your students were occupying all the consoles and the rest of your staff
was too timid to take over. I want you and your staff to go through
Authority Systems Training. I will let you know the location when I find
out where it will be.
"Mr. Serak, well done. Most impressive job this morning."
Anne sat back, thinking.
"Mr. Serak, Suvok, and Mr. Stenford, you are dismissed. The rest
of you... we're going to have to *talk*."
The three Vulcans (and Vulcan hybrid) left the office, and Anne
began the arduous task of chastizing her staff with renewed fervor.
-----------------
Murray's quarters
-----------------
MD 2.1500
Anne felt a little tired; she supposed that it couldn't be
because of the medical exam; those never really tired her. She got
herself some hot chocolate and looked at her computer console with blank
eyes. No, she was tired from all the yelling she'd done at her staff.
Though she was always doing it, chewing out her staff took a heavy toll
on Anne. But then, most things in life worth doing tended to do that.
Now, though, she needed to put some vivacity in her voice. She
activated the message recorder.
"Mr. Keyrin, the Mathematics and Logic Division has come up with
a solution for the consistency problem in the food replicators. Knives
at future dinners may, therefore, be ill-advised.
"Also, members of my Physical Sciences Division will need
extensive training in emergency procedures. As a Security expert, I am
wondering if you have any suggestions.
"The Iotian members of my department will participate in a series
of combat practice sessions. Please let me know which exercises will be
most useful and whether or not I will need to have a Security officer
present during the simulation exercises.
"Finally, I am wondering if you have any dinner plans." Anne
paused, feeling a flush come to her cheeks. Initiating a friendly
overture was not her forte. "I will be dining around 1900 hours, and I
am wondering if you'd like to join me." She paused again. "I know we
might run into each other in any case, but... well, I just wondered."
Anne was glad that the machine wasn't recording her facial expressions;
the one she made now was quite indecent. Why she could ask so many
embarrassing questions of strangers and have so much trouble asking a
potential friend to have dinner with her was a mystery.
She quickly finished the message and sent it, closing her eyes so
that she wouldn't have to see the confirmation message on the computer
screen. If Ensign Keyrin replied, wonderful. If not... then at least
Anne hadn't seen herself send the message in the first place.
Anne thought for a few moments before reaching for the message
recorder again. She was about to give the Ship's Counselor one chance, a
single opportunity to rise above all the other counselors and
psychologists Anne had ever known.
"Counselor Tats-Marush," she said, her voice managing to hold
steady, "I will be available either this afternoon and evening or
tomorrow. Please let me know your working hours and I will report to
your office as requested."
Anne kept her gaze firmly fixed on the console as she sent the
message. This was one message that she wanted to remember sending.
Respectfully submitted,
Masako Goto
Lt. Anne Murray, Ph.D.
CSciO
USS CHESAPEAKE NCC-31813
*NRPG*
Lynnaea: Here's the message. :) Feel free to accept, ignore, or reject
as you see fit.
James: Same goes for Counselor Tats-Marush. Anne promises to behave
herself if she gets a response. ;)
Chris: I'll hold off on the sickbay until I figure out whether or not
Anne is going to even mention the night before...
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