[Gar] Capt. Cassandra Egan Manno: The Assignment (no tags)

[Tony]

(( Captain's Ready Room, USS Garuda ))

:: The ready room -- Cassie refused to think of it as hers; it could only be the ready room right now -- was empty. Not only of other officers, but of any personal decoration. In truth, there hadn't been time, but she also had to admit that she wouldn't have known what to include anyway: She was used to a communal workspace and she'd filled hers with very little of a personal nature. Yet she'd been in plenty of captain's ready rooms, and she knew that artwork and decoration was not only encouraged, it was often required. Some captains even kept pets! Cassie didn't even have a signature drink to place on her table (which was, of course, also empty save for her computer monitor). To avoid looking at the empty office, she stood by the replicator, listening as the computer read off every drink from Aacaban curried tea to Zzzzzzz-grog from the insectoids of Fomalhaut 9. Eventually she settled on an Andorian leaf brew, something that was pretty much the opposite of tea but which did help settle her nerves as she sat down at her desk. ::

EGAN MANNO: Captain's log, stardate 239012.25. (beat) Computer, halt.

:: A starship's captain's log? How strange was that? ::

EGAN MANNO: Ahrm, computer, resume. (beat) The Garuda has arrived at Deep Space Ten with the Mercury; between the Garuda's sickbay and the Mercury's, all injured crew members have been attended to, though I think that some will require longer recuperation periods. Councilor Prianna's starship also remains on station and will until a replacement warp core for the Mercury arrives, which should be within the next three days. At that time, the councilor's ship will escort the Mercury back to Federation space, after which the Mercury will need six months minimum in a drydock facility. The Garuda will be the only starship assigned to the Menthar Corridor mission for that duration. (beat) End log. Computer, begin captain's personal log.

:: The computer burbled happily, and Cassie jumped right back in where she'd left off in the official log. ::

EGAN MANNO: And I do mean the only starship. Certainly there's Deep Space Ten and its support vehicles, but I imagined I'd be getting advice from a veteran starship and her experienced captain. And speaking of which, there's been no sign of Captain Kells, if I can still call him that, since the rescue of his crew from Nygel II. The shuttlecraft he was in has disappeared, and I've been informed by Lieutenant Commanders Rahman and Saveron that he has resigned. Apparently this wasn't a split-second decision, though, as I've followed a strange trail that involves some sort of hush-hush hearing and the Mercury's counselor, an Ensign Calavera, with three additional pips. A hell of a battlefield commission, hm? But while there's quite a lot that doesn't add up, I have been trying to avoid too much of it for now, as it's my hope that -- with Kells gone -- they'll pull me back out and assign Commander Ross or Captain Reynolds to the Garuda. 

:: That was her hope, truly. Cassie wasn't a climber, and in fact she'd achieved her current rank without having set foot on a starship since she was a lieutenant. She was a captain in recognition of her work with fleet deployment, which was a completely different usage of the rank and title than most Starfleet captains who were actively deployed in starships or starbases. In fact, she'd never heard of someone without starship command experience being assigned from Admin to the captain's chair, and she'd hoped every day since she woke up that it was a mistake and that an admiral would finally, finally correct her. 

Speaking of which, she'd completed the logs as a way of waiting. Admiral Moday, who had given her the Garuda's orders, was due to contact her shortly, and she hoped to receive some of the news she wanted. At last, the monitor signaled the incoming communcations, and Cassie switched it on. ::

MODAY: Captain Egan Manno. I've received your preliminary reports, and it seems you were thrown in quickly but performed well. You have the official thanks of Councilor Prianna of the Detapa Council.

EGAN MANNO: That's (beat) gratifying to hear, Admiral, but--

:: She cut herself off. How could she protest before he'd said anything? He waited a few polite moments for her to continue, and when she didn't, he spoke instead. ::

MODAY: We've also received word of the Mercury's need for repair and the disappearance of Captain Kells. Both of those events are quite unfortunate, but I am especially glad that the Garuda is assigned out there now. You will continue to command her, with much of the Mercury's former senior staff transferring over into key positions.

EGAN MANNO: Ah! (beat) Admiral, I must respectfully protest. I am hardly the ideal candidate--

:: However, Admiral Moday only arched his eyebrow and continued over her. ::

MODAY: The crews of the Mercury, Garuda, and Deep Space Ten will be mixed and used to fill the station and your ship. In the end, we should have a much larger staff on the station and you should be able to fill every key position on the Garuda while the Mercury retains a skeleton crew to allow her to re-enter Federation space. 

EGAN MANNO: I-- I understand some of the logic here, sir, but if not at my own inadequacy to lead these officers, I must protest that I didn't get to pick any of them. It seems to me highly irregular, at least, that I had no say in my assignment of first officer.

MODAY: Then you don't know Commander Ross, Captain? Because if you did, if you'd seen his record and now his months of experience in the Corridor, I'm sure you'd agree that he's the ideal candidate.

EGAN MANNO: Yes, sir, of course, and I didn't mean to imply that Ross's -- Commander Ross's record is not exemplary, only that I had no say in his assignment--

MODAY: I expect you to come quickly to terms with this, Captain; you'll have very little time to get to know this new crew before the Garuda embarks upon its first mission, and it's something we wouldn't have assigned to the Mercury: You're going even farther out into the Corridor, and you're going to meet a new and -- from what we've heard -- a very powerful race....

TBC!

Captain Cassandra Egan Manno

CO, USS Garuda