From: Masako Goto
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 05:56:39 -0500 (EST)
Subject: USS CHESAPEAKE: Then it was the Fourth Day...
My apologies... this doesn't do much for either ship, except to give Anne
a chance to chat and to have breakfast with somebody. :)
CHESAPEAKE people: I think it's evident why you got this post... Anne's
doing the talking. :)
NEBULA people: I thought you might be interested in how others might
perceive Fielding... and to see what her cousin thinks of her. :)
SD 90330.2108 (GMT)
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Officer's Mess
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MD 4.0600
"You're here awfully early," remarked Anne, moving her tray as
Fielding sat down. "How are you today?"
Fielding smiled at her, obviously relieved that her disposition
had improved since their last encounter.
"Just dandy, thanks," he answered, sprinkling sugar on his French
toast. Anne looked on with approval. No red hot chili powder from this one.
"How about yourself? You look bright and chipper today."
"I'm *always* bright and chipper, my good man," said Anne
sweetly. She really was in a good mood. Eight hours of sleep did
wonders for her mood.
"Glad to hear it," said Fielding, letting his judgement rule the
day. He could discuss her... *stability* at some other time. For now,
she was fine... and that's what mattered to him. The two attacked their
respective breakfasts in silence for a moment, then Anne suddenly spoke.
"Heard from your cousin recently?" she asked, looking up from a
hideously deformed excuse for scrambled eggs.
"As a matter of fact, I did," asserted Fielding, his eyebrows
rising a tad. "It seems she got promoted to Lieutenant Commander.
*That* should help her grow up some."
"Why? Is she so immature?" asked Anne, nervously recalling her
own recent conduct. Yelling at everyone in sight and shutting out the
outside world -- quite literally -- were not hallmarks of adult behavior.
"Not really," said Fielding. "She's quite mature, as a matter of
fact. It's the way she comes across. It's just... she's so... so...
*bubbly*, you know?"
"Actually, I don't..."
"She's the type," said Fielding, "who jumps up on a table if
someone approaches her about something she doesn't like. Of course, that
was years ago... she also likes to scare the living daylights out of
everyone by BOOMING into her sickbay..."
"Booming? In *sickbay*? What kind of doctor *is* she, Derek?"
Anne was starting to feel quite happy. With such a strange cousin,
Fielding might not be so quick to denounce her own abilities, given the
past several days, as quickly as she might have feared.
"Oh, an okay one, I shouldn't wonder," returned Fielding. "Bit
of experience with it first-hand, on the other side of the desk, as it
were. Sports-related injuries."
"A good patient does not necessarily..."
"...a good doctor make. Don't worry, she gave them all a very
hard time. She used to terrorize the hospital when she was younger.
Anyway, she's got experience as a professional, too. Many many *many*
years of experience."
"So what's her specialty?"
"Virology."
"Yuck." Anne didn't much care for viruses. They were small, they
were invisible, and they caused nasty things to happen to nice -- and,
just as often, not-nice -- people. "What made her choose *that*?"
"Sure can't say... we used to kid her that it was because of her
height. She's about 4'5"."
"A midget?" inquired Anne.
"No, more like a combination of congenital anomalies and rigorous
athletic training... but she makes do. She can make patients behave,
though I certainly can't say how."
"Interesting person she must be," commented Anne.
"I suppose so." Fielding smiled. "She signed her last message
'The Next Mary Lou.'"
"Mary Lou?"
"Mary Lou Retton... Anne, don't you have *any* outside
interests? Is science your *whole life*?"
"Yes," said Anne firmly. She wasn't about to denounce
psychometry as a non-science. "Work is pleasure, pleasure is work. I
only wish that our students could recognize that fact without setting the
place on fire."
"They'll learn," said Fielding, sensing danger. He knew that the
incompetence of the students was a sore point with Anne. He bit into
his muffin, then made a face. "Anne," he said in a low growl, "what in
blazes is *this*?"
"Why are you asking *me*?" asked Anne. "I just happen to head
your department. I don't program the replicator, you know."
"Don't tell me the Comp. Sci. kids got into the replicating
program!" wailed Fielding, forgetting about his resolve not to mention
the students again. "They've messed up just about everything else!"
That was true; the Computer and Intelligence Sciences Division
was still not fully recovered from the massive disconnections of
terminals effected by the students two days earlier.
"Here, stop complaining and give me that," said Anne from long
practice with *her* cousin. She snatched the muffin away from Fielding
and bit into it herself. "Not bad, Derek. Don't you like bran?"
"I didn't *ask* for bran muffin, Anne!"
"You should've," commented Anne. "It's good for you." She
finished off the muffin with relish. "Or," she asked rather pointedly,
"would you consider that too... 'controlling'?"
"I don't know, Anne," admitted Fielding. "I might. But then
again, coming from you, it might not be so bad."
"Derek!"
"I meant it in the nicest way, Anne," said Fielding quickly.
"Hey, let's go see to those test set-ups. We don't want our students
*cheating* on their review exams."
"Right." Anne stood up, completely forgetting about the rest of
her breakfast. "Let's go!"
Fielding shook his head, picking up both their trays and
followeing his superior officer.
Sometimes, it was just best to do as he was told.
Respectfully submitted,
Masako Goto
Lt. Anne Murray, Ph.D.
CSciO
USS CHESAPEAKE NCC-31813
(Also
Lt(jg) Derek Fielding Lt.Cmdr. Melissa Fielding, MD
aCSciO CMO
USS CHESAPEAKE NCC-31813, cousin of USS NEBULA NCC-2001)
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