[ussgeorgetown] "Called on the Carpet" by Aileas McKay, 5 of 12 and John Butler
- From: Elizabeth Bethell <ejbethell@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Georgetown <ussgeorgetown@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 01 Apr 2005 21:35:10 +0100
Called on the Carpet
by Lieutenant Aileas McKay, 5 of 12 and Ensign John Butler
The change of shift was always a fairly disorganised affair in Science but
Aileas and 5 of 12 had it down to a fine art. She stood from her cluttered
desk, made herself one cup of strong, sweet tea and watched people faff
around through her office door. Some of the more enthusiastic members of her
team were staying late to finish whatever experiment or research they had
been conducting before shift change had begun but most looked tired and
stressed. She'd told them all that she was putting together a small team of
the best to work on the murder investigation so they seemed to be working
that little bit harder to impress her. Bless them, she thought as she
drained the last of her tea.
As she started to turn to place her cup back on her desk, one of the new
shift strode in. Butler, ah yes. 5 of 12 slipped through Aileas's mind and
control was exchanged. "Ensign Butler, I would see you in my office for a
minute," she called out.
Butler knew his face must have registered surprise but it was a smug
surprise. I bet she wants to congratulate me for all the work I've been
doing. I worked through my last shift without going to Sick Bay. Damn that
Pax...
He stood at sharp attention in front of the chief's desk. "Ensign Butler
reporting as ordered, ma'am."
Leaving him at attention, 5 of 12 scanned him over. "You are damaged, did
someone take offense to your face, Ensign?"
Butler bit his lip, trying to decide what was going to work out the
best--lying and saying it was an accident or trying to screw over Pax and
tell the truth. That psycho. He doesn't belong in the Fleet.
"I, ah, got into a fight with Ensign Pax, Lieutenant. In the gym yesterday,"
he said simply.
"I see. Would you care to tell me the nature of this fight?" She clasped her
implant-tipped fingers on her regimentally tidy desk and pierced him with
her eye.
Shit. Now he was screwed. What exactly did he say to piss off Pax anyway?
Some off-hand comment about Ensign McCallah. "It...I...it's hard to
explain," Butler said, a sweat starting to break out on his upper lip as he
tried to figure out a way to explain his provoking Pax.
"Then perhaps I can make it a little easier." She rose from her seat and
prowled around the desk to stand in front of the sweating Ensign. "You
provoked him and he hit you. Am I correct?"
Shit. That son of a bitch actually told somebody what happened and not even
his own department head. Damn it. What do I do now? "He started it,
Lieutenant. He's crazy. Shouldn't even be in Starfleet, not somebody liek
him..."
"Be silent." Her voice was low and dangerous as she watched the man stutter.
"Who do you think you are to decide who should and who should not be in
Starfleet?"
Butler was caught between a rock and a hard place. What do I do--answer her
or shut up? He decided that a display of confidence was in order. "My dad's
a captain. My grandfather's a commodore and so is my grandmother. My whole
family history dates back to Starfleet's founding. I know when somebody
doesn't belong," he said with a hint of arrogance.
"You do? You believe that you can tell when someone is out of place?" 5 of
12 leaned a little closer, her face turning to stone. "So when you see a
non-commissioned officer in the general area of the Officers' Quarters, what
would you do?"
"They aren't supposed to be in officers' decks, not in the quarters area,
ma'am, unless they're on an assignment," Butler replied. "I'd ask them if
they were lost and, that being negative, tell them they'd have to leave." It
was said wioth dead seriousness. His grandfather always warned him about how
regular officers and NCOs shouldn't fraternize.
"An NCO? Let me get this quite clear in my head. You would TELL an NCO to do
something? Who do you think you are to tell someone to do anything?" He
opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off before he could get
out one word. "You are nothing, Ensign, no one. You don't have the
intellegence to know what you are talking about nor the years of experience
to carry it off. NCOs are some of the most highly trained, knowledgeable
people in the fleet. They are to be respected AT ALL TIMES. Is that clear,
Ensign?"
His spine stiffened as the lieutenant yelled at him. It wasn't Pax at all.
Damn it, that chief must have been a friend of hers. Damn, damn, damn. "Yes,
Lieutenant," he replied sharply, not able to look at her face, choosing a
spot just over her left shoulder instead. That ocular implant gave him the
creeps. "I apologize if Commodore Butler gave me incorrect information."
"And don't presume to drop names at me, human. Is the Commodore here? Do you
intend hiding behind your family for your whole career?" Observing his
discomfort with being so close to her, she smiled. "Look at me, Ensign."
His face, by then, had to be covered in sweat and he could feel its cold
trickle down his neck. He forced himself to look at her face, at the one
green eye and that god awful implant.
"What am I to you, human?"
"I...you..." He couldn't figure out what to say and not screw himself in the
process. He cursed every part of him at his next words. "You're a Borg,
Lieutenant. That's obvious."
"I am your Commanding Officer, Mr Butler. Anything else that I am to you,
all other feelings that you have toward me are irrelevant. You will afford
me the respect that I have earned by dedicating years of my life to
Starfleet. Is that clear?"
"Crystal clear, Liuetenant," Butler said crsiply, his back so straight it
felt like it would snap. "Shall I apologize to your friend?"
A slow, tiger-like smile clawed over her face. Ignoring his question, she
said, "Tell me, if you respect my years in Starfleet, why don't you give the
same level of respect to enlisted personnel that have more years of
experience than I do?"
"I...well...I mean, they're not regular officers. Couldn't cut it at the
Academy so they can't be on par with us..." he stammered, warming to his
subject.
"Let me explain something to you, human. It is not so much 'not cutting it'
at the Academy, as it is having an entirely different academy. You do
realise that without NCO's helping to shoulder responsabilities you wouldn't
have had the time to gloat about getting your degree before joining the
active service, don't you?" 5 of 12's eye glinted as she added with a smirk,
"And just for your information, the NCO in question has enough field
experience to qualify him for an advanced degree, rather than your simple
bachelors."
Butler bit his lip then paled almost completely. He'd actually seen the
chief before. The man had been on crutches at the time but Captain Lee had
invited him to guest lecture in one of his fourth year classes. The subject
was, he remembered, made less dry by a rather animated presentation. "I'm
sorry, Lieutenant," he said simply. He still didn't think an NCO should be
in regular officers' country but he was wrong about the Academy.
"Dismissed, Ensign." 5 of 12 turned her back on him and moved to pick up a
PADD. "And I will not be discussing your fight with the Chief of Security
nor will I mention it again."
Butler spun on his heels and left the office as quickly as dignity would
allow. Maybe he'd apologize to the chief anyway but not to Pax. Never.
Other related posts:
- » [ussgeorgetown] "Called on the Carpet" by Aileas McKay, 5 of 12 and John Butler
