Captain Addison MacKenzie - Knock It Off
Addison MacKenzie
(( Captain’s Ready Room – Deck 1, USS Artemis-A ))
Addison sat across from one of the newer members of the Artemis crew.
The Galadoran hadn’t been onboard during the attempted assimilation of
Starfleet, but it had been on the Kitty Hawk – a ship that fared far
worse during the whole ordeal. Still, it seemed as though the commanding
officer’s attempt to ascertain the scientist’s well-being were coming across as
accusatory…
MacKenzie: Lieutenant, do you think I would have promoted you if I
thought you had anything to do with the destruction of the Kitty Hawk,
or could have prevented it from happening?
Gnai: ::long pause:: No.
Her eyes narrowed again, her head rocking to the opposite side this time. She
couldn’t figure out what had prompted the scientist’s excitement. Did it feel
as though it was under inquiry? Was it having difficulty adjusting to its new
suit? Or was it struggling to cope with the events that happened?
MacKenzie: Lieutenant, why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind.
Gnai: It’s just… with everything this saw on Frontier Day and the new
suit and the promotion and the new quarters… it doesn’t feel real. This
isn’t ready for all the responsibilities ::gestures to the hollow pip
with its suit’s hand:: that come with being a Lieutenant JG. ::pause:: Are you
certain it wasn’t a mistake?
Addison’s lips parted slightly and she offered a half-eye roll.
MacKenzie: Do I look like the kind of person who haphazardly issues
promotions?
It swayed back and forth in its tank, trying to imitate the same head shake
that humanoids used so much.
Gnai: But why now? This didn’t do anything important during
Frontier Day… ::pause:: Or anything at all. Except watch, unable to do
anything, as the previous suit was assimilated.
MacKenzie: Why do you call your worthiness into question? Particularly
as you define it according to a singular event?
Gnai: ::shrugging its suits arms:: It just feels… unearned. Not when
there are others who have been here longer. Or better officers who aren’t here
anymore because of what this watched its previous suit do…
The red-headed commanding officer of the Artemis folded her arms back in
her chair and leaned backward.
MacKenzie: You had no control over what the Borg made your suit do
– any more than anyone else did who was assimilated. You, and the others, would
do well to remember that.
Gnai: Response
This time, she put forward a full-fledged eye roll in a way that only Addison
MacKenzie could. One of her hands slapped the desktop.
MacKenzie: Alright, I’m ordering you to knock it off. ::pointing:: Your
first order of business, if you want to demonstrate you deserve the pip I put
on your suit, is to stop acting like you don’t. Do I make myself clear?
Gnai: Response
She nodded.
MacKenzie: That’s the thing about Starfleet – we explore the unknown. And
sometimes it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. We can only do our best in any
given moment.
Gnai: 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