The Final Word
Posted on Sat Nov 2nd, 2024 @ 7:30am by Captain Paul Griffon
764 words; about a 4 minute read
Mission:
Rescue Interruptus
Location: Earth, Office of the President, UFP
Timeline: MD4, 0900
“The President will see you now sirs”, an aide said to two Starfleet officers as he opened the door.
The two men nodded as they entered the rather opulent office.
One man who was in fact the Commander in Chief of Starfleet, said “Madame President.”
The female Risian stood up from behind her desk and motioned to some more comfortable chairs.
“Terrance, it is good to see you.”
“You as well”, the CINC replied. “This is Captain Richards, Director of Starfleet Personnel.”
The President looked at Richards curiously and then said, “We’ve met before, at Ambassador Spock’s ceremony, right.”
Richards smiled and said, “I am honored you remembered.”
They all sat down and the President said, “So what can I do for you today Terrance.”
“I won’t mince words”, the Admiral said. “I am a bit irritated that you overruled my appointment of the Captain of the Athena. Commander Sharpe is more than qualified to command the Athena, she was entirely vetted from a security point of view, and she has numerous commendations and recommendations. The person you appointed. well I wouldn’t appoint to be the captain of a rescue dinghy in a bathtub let alone a ship as advanced as the Athena.”
“Tell me how you really feel”, the President remarked which caused Captain Richards to hold in a chuckle.
The CINC cast a brief scowl at Richards and then said, “Very well. Looking at his record, you can see he has been court-martialed three times and the last time there was a no further promotion clause put in his record. I am surprised JAG didn’t kick him out after the second one. And now my god, he is teaching at the Academy.”
He paused briefly.
“The only thing he seems to be good at is blowing things up, killing things, and causing chaos. I think between the Klingons, Romulans, Borg, and Breen there is enough of that out there without adding him to the mix.”
“Tell me Terrance”, the President said. “Where were you when the Dominion War started?”
The Admiral looked at her with a cock of the head, not quite certain where she was going with this. “I had just been promoted to jay-gee and was Admiral Anjar’s yeoman at Starbase 42.”
“Mmm hmm”, the President murmured. “Behind a desk, many light years away. While he was an Ensign, on the front lines, doing a job that most in Starfleet were foreign to and didn’t want to be doing, which was fighting super soldiers for the lack of better words and winning. Now where were you when the Cardassian rebels took over the Starfleet Embassy at Givara?”
“I was working at Starfleet headquarters in Operations”, he replied, “but…”
She held her hand up, and continued, “Behind a desk, many light years away while he and a team of 7 rescued the hostages and drove the Cardassians out. Where were you when the Tal’Shiar were stealing ships from the Bentares Shipyards?”
The CINC’s face went a bit pale, “I was the Director of Administration of the Bentares Shipyards.”
“And who covered your ass by returning all the ships that were stolen and part of a Romulan ship and then took his second court martial for his whole team because some jack-ass Director of Administration tried to get them all in trouble on some minor technicality to cover his own ass.”
The Admiral just looked down at the floor.
“I know more about this man than you think I do Terrance. I didn’t approve him just on a whim”, she half-growled. ”My niece was at Givara. His team saved her. So, I know how much he is capable of. You say we don’t need more people like him out there because the Klingons and Romulans and whomever else are causing chaos. I disagree. Officers like him rarely are available because most of them from the Dominion War era are dead, retired, or hiding behind desks.”
She paused for a moment, noting her hands were balled up in a fist.
“If I am wrong, I’ll publicly apologize to you and resign”, she said. “If I am right, I expect you to be shaking his and the rest of his crew’s hands, handing out medals, like you should have been doing after the Bentares fiasco. Good day gentlemen.”
“Madame President”, they both said and left the room, leaving the President pouring herself a drink.
A Post By
President Ahjine
Admiral Terrance Krall
CINC, Starfleet
Captain Jeff Richards
Director of Starfleet Personnel
(NPC's)
RSS Feed