Dreams

Posted on 20 Aug 2009 @ 10:55pm by

641 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: M2: Aggressive Negotiations
Location: Executive Officer's Office
Timeline: 36 hours from SB-47

ON:

Andrew Fienneman slumped into the chair behind his desk and rested his head in his left hand, rubbing his temples as he did. It had been a long and hellacious day, one that he never seemed to be able to get in front of. Every time he turned around, someone else had some other report to hand him or question to ask. He'd never talked to so many people in one day in all his life. It seemed like every minute detail about the running of this ship fell on him to decide.

He sat quietly for a few minutes behind his desk, absorbing the silence of the room and letting his slow and steady breathing ease the tension that had been building in the back of his neck, before finally looking up at the desk. It was littered with data PaDD's regarding everything from Tactical readiness, to optimum power settings for the ships lighting relays. None of it was of the utmost importance, but all of it needed to be sorted out.

"Why did I let them convince me to take this spot?" he asked to the darkness, picking up a data PaDD and activating it.

Slowly he began to make his way through the data PaDD's, pausing only to make notations for himself and to replicate a tall, steaming cup of coffee in an effort to keep his ever sagging eyelids open. By the twelvth data PaDD, Andrew was fast asleep, his head lulling back over the chair and the data PaDD hanging limply in his hands.

[5 Years Previous]
[USS Intrepid - Battle of Chin'toka]

Sparks flew from the security panel, sending its controller backwards in a flurry of flame and sparks as the ship shuddered with the weapons impact.

"Report!" called the Captain, barely holding himself in his own chair.

"Tactical console is down." a young Andrew Fienneman called back, "The Chief's down." he added.

"You have Tactical, Ensign." the Captain replied, "Return fire!" he ordered, turning his attention to the Conn for the tactical maneuvers.

On the viewscreen beyond, the Battle of Chin'toka was raging wildly as both Federation and Dominon Forces attempted to assert control over the battle.

"Shields down to sixty-five percent!" Andrew called out, waving off the emergency medical team trying to tend the laceration along his arm.

The Captain sat up in his chair just as another explosion riddled the Bridge, sending the entirety of the crew to the deck as the fire suppression systems kicked in. Andrew pulled himself up and looked towards the center to see the Captain sprawled over the railing, his eyes shocked upon in a gruesome death pose.

It was if time stopped for that moment, the Captain's face suddenly crystal clear, as if it was being amplified. Without warning the eyes looked up at him and the contorted face whispered.

"Commander Fienneman....."

[Commander Fienneman's Office]

"...Commander Fienneman, are you all right?" asked a young Ensign standing inside the doorway to his office. Andrew snapped up from his daze and turned to him.

"Yes." he croaked, "Yes, I'm fine. What is it?" he asked, wiping his face quickly.

"Enginnering supplemental reports you requested, sir." he said, holding out three overly large data padds.

Andrew sighed inwardly and pointed to a not so cluttered area of his desk. "Put them there." he said.

"Aye, sir." he replied, setting them down. He smiled politely at him as he walked to the door and paused. "Have a good night, sir." he added as he stepped through.

Andrew winced, it was the last thing he had wanted the young man to see. The new ship's XO having nightmares at his desk. Great for morale and confidence.

"Back to work then." he sighed, turning back to his desk. "Fun, Fun, Fun...."

OFF:

Lieutenant Commander Andrew Fienneman
Executive Officer
USS Freedom

 

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