Setbacks and the Future
Posted on 03/20/2021 @ 1:36pm by Rear Admiral Thomas Rice & Captain Cornelius Harrington
1,343 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Mission 21: The Trouble with Technology
Location: Deck 17: Sector Commander's Office
Timeline: Just After Neil's Arrival
On:
Neil had left Liam with the intention of heading to Ops, but something pulled him in another direction. He knew the layout of the station well and knew where he needed to go in order to get the more painful part of this over with; a visit to see Rice. He couldn’t avoid the man, after all, he was now his boss. He navigated the station making his way to deck 17, his old office. He couldn’t quite bring himself to admit that he wouldn’t entirely miss this job. There was an awful lot of headache that came with the extra brass.
Neil stopped short of the Yeoman’s desk but didn’t have to worry about seeing Tom as he was standing there. It was almost as if something or someone had told the man he was coming.
“Neil,” Tom gestured to what was his old office, “come on in, let’s talk.” He looked over to the Yeoman, “Miss Winterbottom, hold all calls for a bit, please.”
Neil followed the man into the room and took note that he had already started to personalize the space. Neil assumed what was left of his belongings had already been moved up to the Ready Room in Main Operations. “Commodore, let me just say...”
Tom cut him off, “Neil, stop. We don’t need to grovel or exchange any time of greetings. I think you understand what Starfleet has set up and I have already made my expectations known. Now, we both move on. Either one of us expected this, but here it is. We can either accept it and continue to work together as we have or buck the system and protest.” He pointed to an empty chair, “sit.”
“One of the things that truly impressed me about you is the fact that you never used your rank to lord it over me, after everything that happened,” he added, “you called me Tom, and you tried hard to make it work. No, I don’t agree with all that happened. You made some stupid, stupid mistakes. However, I can’t pass judgment on you, that isn’t my place.”
“Thank you…”
“I’m not done, yet. You follow the guidelines; we will be good. You fail to meet any of the requirements set forth, I will personally remove those pips from your collar. Until this, we can continue being Tom and Neil. We’ve worked together well. The Admiral wasn’t joking, I feel, when we were referred to as the different sides of the same coin. Our strengths and weaknesses complement each other well.”
“I think you can at least agree with that,” he looked to Neil as he nodded.
“I do, Commodo… Tom,” Neil stated. Why do I feel there is something else you mean to tell me like this isn’t everything? He looked at the man, something else was brewing behind those eyes.
“I won’t mix words, there is.” He sat down, “there has been a development in your wife’s hearing with the Department of Temporal Investigations. Some feel that the Jag Officer overstepped her authority in telling Adira that she can remain. The law gives that authority solely to the DTI, not the Jag Office.” He could see the man’s wheels starting to turn.
“Don’t panic, it is very early on but I am sure that Adira will do fine,” Tom added, “currently they have taken your wife into custody and her release is pending the results of her DTI Investigations.”
“What about my children, the kids?” he asked as he started to go concerned. He shouldn’t have left them all on Earth.
“Your children are fine; a Representative from the Social Services Child Advocacy group has taken the children and currently they are traveling here to move them back into your custody. They don’t have the luxury of a QSD so it will take a bit longer.” Tom looked at Neil, “things will be ok. You still have your career, you still have a home here, and your children will be here in about a week. Until then you need to get yourself in order. I don’t have to tell you that you have a lot of eyes on you. Many are just waiting for you to slip up.”
Neil was relieved that the children were ok. He didn’t like strangers caring for them and was certain they were scared. But at least they were safe and coming home. Liam was right, the silent evenings were not going to be silent for long. “And what of Adira, how did all this happen? I’ve only been away from Earth for a couple of days. I don’t understand.”
“Your case was related to your crimes,” Tom replied, “the JAG Officer didn’t have the authority to rule on something unrelated to the courts. Adira’s status was not in question, yours was. It’s a complicated mess that Adira is trapped in the middle of. But I am assured that the top-level brass is working on this and will get your family back together.”
“Neil, he stressed, don’t do anything harsh,” he almost demanded, “your children will be here soon and will need their father now more than ever.”
Neil just sunk into his chair, as the thought that Adira might not get to stay settled into his head. He had assumed the Jag Officer’s ruling as final. He never questioned the outcome. He never said goodbye, only see you soon. “Do we need a lawyer?”
“Starfleet has already provided her with Counsel,” Tom replied, “they will be handling her investigations and petitions from here.” He sighed, “you need to understand, you brought her here illegally. You violated several statutes in the process to keep her here. Some have taken offense to that as it sets a dangerous precedence for others. How can they allow your Adira to stay and tell someone else no?”
“Do you think you are the only person who has lost someone? How many others would like to go to the other side and replace a lost loved one?” Tom asked. He was being blunt, something Tom was good at, perhaps a little too good.
Neil was pissed, he was angry, and he was upset. However, there was a small nagging feeling in the back of his mind that the Commodore was right. Where did Starfleet draw the line? How could they tell him yes, and then in turn tell everyone else no? He wanted to hop the first shuttle back to Earth, he wanted to rush in and save the day. However, he knew that right now that would only hurt the process. He had to give the process time to work, even if it tore him up on the inside.
“Look Neil, I want to sit here and talk, see what we are able to work out,” Tom continued, “but we both have a true problem here. We have a murder, a bunch of nanites loose on the station, and dozens of pissed-off Delegates. It’s a bitch, but you’re going to have to muster up whatever you are feeling and bottle it down deep, till you get home. I need your mind and your attention here.”
“For now, head to your office,” Tom ordered, “get things together, figure out where we stand on this EMP and how long it will take to get this station fixed.” He paused, “if you need to talk…” He spoke the words, but they were not sincere. Tom was not the Counseling type, not unless you enjoyed hearing brute honesty.
Neil stood up, “understood, Sir.” He didn’t want to mix words, he needed to get to his office and figure out what he could do. He couldn’t get to Earth, but he certainly could do something here, on this end to help. “If that will be all?”
“Dismissed.”
Commodore Thomas Rice
Sector Commander
Captain Neil Harrington
Commanding Officer
RSS Feed