Captain's Log - 020 (Part 3)

Posted on 03 Dec 2017 @ 3:20pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm

691 words; about a 3 minute read

Title: Application Review (Part 3)
Location: Rigel System - Rigel Shipyards
Timeline: MD 84, 2031 hrs

Previously...

The captain grabbed her glass, took a long sip of brandy, then stretched her arms and leaned back as she savored the warm and flavorful spirit. She was suddenly grateful she'd done so when her eyes fell on the next application file. "Franklin, Amaranai..." She stared at the slim brunette's cute portrait and smiled to herself. "Applying for...chief security officer? With an attached application for promotion?" She frowned and tiled her head while she considered the requests. At 26 years old, Franklin already had five prior starship postings under her belt and was deserving of a promotion. But would she, as the captain, be able to set aside her feelings and order the woman into danger? Rejected.

Downing the last half of her drink, she reached for the bottle and refilled her glass before returning to the stack.

[CONTINUED]

"Computer, resume log," she said to the terminal with a fresh glass of amber liquor now clutched in her hand.

"The next applicant is a...Cadet Bethany Armstrong. Second year, goes by 'Jennifer', her instructors encouraged her to apply but she..." the captain squinted and leaned close to the screen to read the text correctly, "...personally thinks they need to stop drinking because with everything that has happened to me, I don't know why anyone would want me..?"

Leaning back with surprise, the captain wondered if this application was some form of comedic relief at her expense. Maybe drummed up by one of her superiors as a prank of sorts? Her light green eyes focused on the screen again as she kept reading. "I think you'd want me. I really want to learn what it takes to be a Captain. I think an experienced leader, like yourself could really take me to the next level! This is your chance to mold a young mind into a leader of tomorrow."

Well. It was certainly an interesting duty application -- possibly the best example she'd seen of how to incorrectly present one's self as a valuable candidate. But the cadet was young, barely 20 years old, and this was no doubt one of the young woman's first forays into Starfleet's administrative machine. Some of it could be forgiven. "Rejected.." the captain mumbled to herself as she pressed the large red prompt at the bottom of the PADD.

After taking another swig of brandy, she reached for the next two PADDs and laid them in front of her on the desk. "Ensign Mimi. Yes...I remember her," the captain quietly mused to herself. She was familiar with her prior service record from her time spent aboard the original USS Galileo and thought she would make a capable Operations officer. That was, if she could control her apparent natural intuition to provoke species such as the Klingons and instead represent herself as a mature Starfleet officer. Rejected.

The application on the other PADD belonged to an unfamiliar name, a Mister John Hollenday, petty officer third class with engineering skills. "Hollenday, John, raised on a rural farm in the southern North American continent and now a dock worker at Starbase 25..." Though his higher education was lacking, it appeared he had many years of hands-on experience with Starfleet engineering systems to compensate for it. "I think he is a strong candidate," the captain nodded to herself. Rejected.

As she pushed the two PADDs away and towards the 'processed' pile, she suddenly couldn't stop thinking about John. Not the one that had applied, but the John she'd come to know and trust as her first officer aboard Galileo for so many months. Jonathan Holliday had been her rock and had helped guide her through thick and thin, and she suddenly wasn't sure if she could handle a doppleganger-in-name whose identity sounded so similar to that of her former XO's. But perhaps it was doable. In time. But her thoughts now drifted away from her task at hand.

"...Computer, pause log.."

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

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