<USS Eagle> Questions

  • From: solandahl@xxxxxxx
  • To: usseagle@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2006 09:01:54 -0500

 :ON:
 
 Hailey sat in the mess hall, eating her food alone. It wasn't like she had to 
eat alone, she chose to. She just didn't feel like company at the moment. 
Sometimes, it was too much work to pretend to be interested in what others were 
saying when you had your own issues that you had to deal with.
 Vanik grabbed his meal from the replicator. He looked around the mess hall for 
a group to eat with. Anyone of the tables with two or three officers at it 
would welcome him. He saw Hailey sitting by herself. THAT would be interesting 
conversation.
 "Someone was a bad girl," Vanik said in a sing-song type voice. He sat down 
opposite her without asking, or waiting for an invitation.
  Hailey looked up from the PADD that she was carrying and automatically hit 
the auto-lock feature that had been built in. Within fractions of a second the 
screen was completely blank. She glared a little at Vanik, if only because she 
didn't need to be reminded of what had transpired earlier on the bridge. To 
her, she still felt she hadn't done anything wrong.
 "I'm not in the mood for company at the moment Lt."
  "Funny thing is," Vanik replied, while putting some butter on a piece of 
bread. "I didn't ask if you did or didn't want company."
 "You just stopped by to tease me, huh?" Hailey looked up into Vanik's eyes as 
she leaned back in the seat, her voice a little less hostile and possibly a tad 
bit playful?
  "Tease you? Me?" Vanik said, mock tone of surprise in his voice. He stirred 
up the food on his plate, mixing everything together. "Of course I am. Did 
everything go okay with the captain? It had nothing to do with....THE PADD, did 
it?"
 Hailey couldn't help but let a smile cross her face.
 "What? You mean this PADD?" She picked up the PADD that she had set down a 
minute ago and touched one of the keys. Automatically it brought up her "cheat 
sheet" view. "No, it had nothing to do with it." Her eyes clouded for a moment 
before clearing again.
 "Can I ask you something? I don't want it to get around the ship and 
especially not back to the Captain."
  "Yes, that PADD" Vanik said, humor in his voice. "Sure you can ask me 
anything, and if you want it confidential, it will stay that way."
 "Do you . . . trust the Captain?"
  "Implicitly," Vanik said without hesitation.
 "Why? I'm not asking to question you per say. It's just that from what I heard 
before coming here . . . I guess I pretty much got the impression that he was 
reckless and ill fit for command."
  "Stories you hear out there," Vanik pointed out the viewport for emphasis, 
"And what is truth aboard the ship are often miles apart, Hailey. The captain 
knows what he is doing, and ninety percent of the time is following rules. 
There are occasions, I am learning, where you may have to bend some rules 
because that is the only way for a good outcome."
  Hailey nodded and looked down at the PADD. It still showed the display of her 
cheat sheets. But she knew what lay underneath it, a report back to Stryker. 
Actually, two reports. Both different from each other. She wasn't sure which 
one she would delete and which she would send. Hailey knew which one the 
Commodore wanted to receive, which one would help advance her career. Still, 
there was something stopping her from actually sending that one. Even after the 
Captain went off on her.
 "I suppose you're right. Still, there are rules for a reason. What may bring a 
good outcome in the short term, may have disastrous results down the line."
  "Oh absolutely," Vanik said after shoveling some of the mixture from his 
plate to his mouth. "Rules are definitely there for a reason, but the rules and 
books were all written by a bunch of desk jockeys. You look back at the history 
of all the most famous and successful captains. You tell me they all followed 
rules explicitly."
 For a moment, she genuinely smiled and chuckled a little. "Very true. I 
believe Captain Kirk was well known for his propensity for rule breaking."
 "What do you think of Commodore Stryker?"
  "*HE* is a desk jockey," Vanik said. "You look up his service record. He 
can't stand Commodore Fyrstk because Lukas has to think on his feet, not on his 
derriere. Stryker's ..... a desk jockey, plain and simple."
 "True. But a very powerful desk jockey. It's not wise to get in his bad side."
  Vanik made a "you've go to be kidding" face. "Stryker's only as powerful as 
the admiral above him. You really think they'd take his word over Commodore 
Fyrstk's?"
 Muttering to herself, "Whoever said I was referring to the Captain?"
  "It doesn't take a astrophysicist to figure out who you might be referring 
to, Hailey."
 "Even astrophysicist can be wrong Lt." She looked down at her PADD again, and 
then to her finished meal.
 "Well, it's been nice chatting with you. Maybe when I'm in a better mood we 
can have some more fun." She stood up, "As for now, I have work that I must 
attend to."
  "They can be wrong, Hailey," Vanik said, watching her rise, "But, i don't 
think they are." He gave her one of his "award-winning" smiles.
 She picked up her tray and walked by Vanik, leaning down and whispering in his 
ear, "They are this time." With that she walked away to recycle what was left 
of her meal.
 
 :OFF:
 
 Lt. Vanik
 Helmsman
 NPC by Roman Haas 
 
 Cadet Hailey Piper Wren
 Ops Officer
 NPC by Tru Lee Lost
  
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