An Administrative Conversation

Posted on Mon May 9th, 2011 @ 8:18am by Captain Nathan Cowell MD & Rear Admiral Ricky Wegener

Mission: Shore Leave 2; Picking Up the Pieces
Location: Commodore's Ready Room, Bridge, USS Arizona
Timeline: Immediately following 'Decisive Action'

Commodore Nathan Cowell waited for a few minutes after Commodore Pike had departed the room... more like he had drifted off for a few minutes... before he sucked in a breath and decided it was time to make that call. Nathan straightened up in his chair, more for comfort than image since he was still caked in both blood and grim from the ordeal that had played out. He reached over to the small command console imbedded in the surface of his desk and hit the communications command, which prompted the screen that normally rested underneath the table's surface to rise and blink on. A few more taps on the console and the screen indicated it was attempting to establish contact with his desired target, which meant that all he had to do was wait for the man on the other end to pick up.

Ricky's monitor lit up and chimed an alarm, letting him know of the incoming call. He finished donning his dress uniform for the wedding he had to attend and then sat in front of the monitor and activated it. "Cowell," he said, somewhat surprised. "What can I do for you?"

Nathan took note of the rather polished look the Admiral was sporting and grunted, "You could start by throwing some mud on that thing so we at least match."

Before the man had much chance to register the slight, or indeed have any real reaction at all, Nathan launched into his report, "Enough about you, we need to talk about the Arizona. Since the last time you and I spoke, we've been in two separate engagements, one in which we lost twenty-two good men and women, and the second in which we lost nearly fifty, my First Officer among them. Thanks to some good old fashioned hard work and effort, we managed to pull this one out of our collective asses but only barely."

Though it wasn't a lie in the least, he intentionally had left out the aid they'd received from the Casey, "We've got repairs underway, but for the time being, we're running on Impulse. Now, ignoring for a moment the fact that we haven't got a real clue as to how the three scout ships managed to kick our asses so effectively, it's clear that there's some tricky shit going on out here. Granted, we aren't attached to this area anymore and once we cross that gate, we pretty much leave this whole affair behind us... I just don't want to see other people going out into that Corridor unprepared. Might want to pass the word along that there's some grade A, fuck-boy bullshit going down out here to whoever needs to know."

Ricky listened intently to his TFXO. "My condolences on the loss of your crew, Nathan," he said. "Send me everything you have on the attack. I'll forward it up the chain with a red flag attached so they can disseminate the information quickly." He paused. "How far out are you from a starbase?"

"We've got that covered," Nathan promptly cut that line of thought off, "I took on enough supplies to get us back on our feet, at least enough to make it to warp speed in another day or so. Once we're at full propulsion capability, I'll be heading for Starbase 900 for the rest of the repairs. I heard they have a big enough station to accommodate our needs."

"It is, Immense Class. And speaking of which," Ricky replied, "I'll no longer be on the Berkeley. I've been ordered to take command of 900. When you get there, we'll need to have a meeting or two. If you would like I can get preparations underway for a memorial service aboard the station? And even assign guest quarters for the crew that would like to have it. That's quite a heavy loss you all took. I'm sure a little time off the Arizona wouldn't hurt."

"I've got the funeral arrangements planned here. They died here, they're going to get their send off here. It's the only proper thing to do... But I appreciate the sentiments," Nathan said in a firm tone before relenting a little, "If you want to get some space cleared away, I wouldn't tell you not to. But I think what we need right now is fresh bodies and a focus. Just because too little down time is bad, it doesn't mean a little too much is what the Doctor ordered... I should know, I'm a Doctor. So, once we're up to snuff, I'm going to head right back out there and follow some threads of my own. Hope you don't mind."

"Handle your business, Doc," Ricky replied. "I'll make sure I have a steady stream of replacements for you to pick and choose from and there will be room for any of your crew that wants a few days on the base. I'm sure after this they've all earned it."

"Hell, I don't think there's a man or woman on this boat that hasn't earned an early damn retirement from this..." Nathan sighed, "But like I keep telling them, this is part of the job. Sometimes the ship almost goes up in a puff of smoke. Seen it too many times not to know for sure that I'm right. But anyway, that's neither here nor there... I just wanted you to know what was going on and have you throw the welcome mat out for us once we get there. Unless you have something you need, I'm going to get back to picking up the pieces around here."

Ricky shook his head. "Nothing else from me. Take care of your crew and ship. We'll see you when you get here. Wegener out."

Nathan watched the screen turn black. That had gone about as well as it could have, everything considered. With a sigh, Nathan sank back in his chair and took a few minutes to himself before he went back to work.