Captain Addison MacKenzie - No Room for Mess

[Addison MacKenzie]

(( Captain’s Ready Room – Deck 1, Artemis-A ))

In front of the commanding officer of the Artemis stood one of their newest recruits: a Bajoran officer sent to serve as their helmsman from Denali Station. The officer had been a cadet in one of the Academy classes MacKenzie had proctored – a class that had been memorable for all the wrong reasons.

MacKenzie: Do you have your orders, Ensign?

Lyara: Yes sir, right here.

Addison took the PADD and started reviewing the document.

MacKenzie: Denali Station, eh? Not a very long posting…

It was a question that wasn’t a question.

Lyara: Yes, it was short…

Addison’s eyes narrowed slightly as she folded her hands, rested them on her desktop, and leaned forward.

MacKenzie: Why are you here?

Lyara: Well, after… ::She hesitates:: frontier day, I was ordered to be stationed on a ship to help out.

She nodded slightly, persisting in her quesitoning.

MacKenzie: And we need help?

Lyara: Yes, sir. I was ordered by Starfleet to be reassigned here as helm and ops.

Addison continued to nod along.

MacKenzie: And you think here is the right place?

Lyara: Maybe the prophets guided me here, maybe I was just needed elsewhere. But, I feel like here I will be able to help others and assist the crew.

The commanding officer placed the PADD down on the desktop before clasping her hands and bringing them to rest on the desk’s cool surface, also.

MacKenzie: Your academy class was a memorable one.

Lyara: Response

Addison closed her eyes and quickly shook her head.

MacKenzie: That was not a compliment. Your class was a mess.

Lyara: Response

She leaned forward.

MacKenzie: What did you learn from that class? Clearly enough to pass, obviously, but I’m not interested in the information you gleaned from working with your colleagues than anything else, because if there’s one thing I don’t tolerate on this ship, it’s mess.

And that was the truth.

Lyara: Response

Tag, and TBC!

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Captain Addison MacKenzie, M.D., Ph.D., FASFS
Commanding Officer
USS Artemis-A
Captains Council Member at Large
V239601AM0