From: Shawn _ (alamo_nate_at_yahoo.com)
Date: Thu Nov 08 2007 - 13:54:19 PST
=Paying The Piper=
(cont'd from "Anger Management")
LOCATION: GATEWAY Station
SCENE: Cricthon's Quarters
STARDATE: [2.7]1108.1406
*Chirrup!*
Crichton poked his head out of the bathroom door. His hair was wet, and beads of water were running down his skin- he'd just stepped out of the shower.
"One minute!" he called to the door, ducking back inside the bathroom again. He toweled off quickly, then wrapped the towel around his waist to cover himself, then moved into the living room.
"Come in."
The doors parted, to reveal Lt. Eishnala Kor standing, her arms folded behind her back. She tilted her head as she saw Crichton's appearance.
"Ensign," she said. "I apologize if this is a bad time."
"Oh, no, it's fine," Crichton said, glancing down at himself and blushing slightly. "Umm... let me just put some pants on."
"Of course."
Crichton ducked into his bedroom, giving Kor a chance to look around his quarters. Crichton had only been on the station as long as she had, but it seemed he had wasted little time in adjusting to his new surroundings. His quarters were terribly cluttered, with PADDs covering the tiny table between Crichton's two couches. Behind that, Crichton's workbench lay covered with all manner of mechanical devices. Some of them were intact, but many appeared to have been partially disassembled or scavenged for parts. In addition, Crichton's tools also lay scattered across the desk. Kor privately wondered just how the young Ensign could find *anything* in this mess.
After a minute, Crichton stepped back into the living room, wearing civilian clothes: brown pants, boots, and a blue shirt. His hair was still wet and uncombed, but Crichton didn't seem to notice, so Kor didn't mention it.
"What can I do for you, lieutenant?" Crichton asked, sitting on the back of one of his couches and folding his arms. "I'm not in trouble, am I?"
"I'm afraid I don't know," Lt. Kor replied. "I have been ordered to escort you to Ops. It appears your superior, Lt. Salor, has lodged a formal complaint against your conduct with Captain Kane."
"Really?" Crichton asked, hopeful. "Kane wants to talk to me?"
"You don't sound very worried," Kor pointed out.
"Truth be told, I've been trying to find a way to get in and see the man myself," Crichton said. "So you really have to escort me there?"
"I'm afraid so, Ensign," Kor said. "If you'll come with me now, please."
"Lead the way, lieutenant," Crichton smiled.
-------------------------------------------------
LOCATION: Operations Module
SCENE: Captain's Ready Room
Crichton stepped through the doors, to find Kane's chair facing away from him. The captain was staring out the window behind his desk, into space. Crichton stood silently for a moment, before clearing his throat.
"Uh, you wanted to see me, sir?" he asked.
"Have a seat, Mr. Crichton," Kane said.
Crichton sat down, but Kane did not spin around to face him. Crichton was growing increasingly uncomfortable.
"I understand you've been a bit of a strain on Lt. Salor," Kane said finally, still not facing him.
"With respect, sir, I have suspicions that Salor is suffering from a Vulcan neurological condition called Bendii-"
"Be quiet, Ensign," Kane said sharply. Crichton, stunned, shut up. Kane finally spun around to face him, and when he did, Crichton could see that the Captain did not appear to be in a good mood. "Do you remember what my instructions were, Ensign, regarding Lt. Salor?"
"I was ordered to watch him, collect enough proof that he was unfit for duty-" Crichton began.
"Exactly," Kane said, frowning. "But I also warned you about rocking the boat. Salor has been the CEO of this station for quite some time, ensign, and you're still new here. What you were doing was not observing and collecting evidence, ensign. You decided to *provoke* him into acting instead."
"With respect, sir, it worked."
"In it's own way, maybe," Kane said. "I've sent Salor to sickbay for a full physical and psyche evaluation. If he's suffering from some kind of degenerative condition, Bendii syndrome or whatever it is, we'll know soon enough."
"And if he's unfit for duty, he will be removed from his post?" Crichton asked.
"Yes," Kane said. "Which leaves me with the problem of who to put in his place. As it stands, you're not even eligable for the position, since you've been suspended from active duty. And to be frank, Mr. Crichton, I'm not sure I can think of a reason to reverse that decision. Salor had every right to kick you out of Engineering."
"I understand, sir," Crichton said, feeling his career slippin away even as he said it. The idea that his Starfleet career might now be over shouldn't have bothered him this much- they technically weren't even a part of the Federation anymore- but Crichton knew that losing his opportunity to serve aboard GATEWAY would be the worst punishment he could face.
"I'm not sure you do," Kane said, frowning again, his golden-eye seeming to sear into Crichton's chest. "Salor's condition, whatever it is, may not be your fault, but you damn sure didn't help the situation very much either. And now, GATEWAY station may be about to lose two of its best engineers. We can't afford waste like that, Mr. Crichton, not in our current situation. Anything that weakens the operation of this station jeopardizes all our lives. I will not let the people under my command and protection suffer because you wanted to play 'hot-shot' with your superiors."
"Yes sir," Crichton said. "Am I permanently relieved of duty, then?"
This question stopped Kane, and the CO leaned back in his chair as he seemed to consider it. Crichton sat calmly, but he had to fight to keep from squirming in his chair.
"I haven't decided," Kane said after a moment. "Return to your quarters, ensign. I will talk it over with Commander Teague, and you will be notified of my decision. Dismissed."
Crichton rose and started for the door. He stopped at the threshhold, and turned back to face Kane.
"Whatever you decide, sir," Crichton said, "...I want to thank you for the opportunities you've given me. This has been an experience like none other."
"I'm sure it has been, ensign," Kane said, his expression finally softening a little. "I'm quite sure it has been."
===================================================================
NRPG: Just feeling bored, thought I'd send out another one.
Shawn
a.k.a.
Jake Crichton, Ensign
Assistant Chief of Engineering
GATEWAY Station, GS-2
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
From HyperNews_at_youth.net
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sun Feb 17 2008 - 03:10:18 PST