"Chief to Chief"

[Christie Farron 0]

(Note: This log actually takes place a couple of weeks ago.)

 

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Joint Log, Lieutenant Commander Kyle Mele and Lieutenant Commander Christina Farron

 

Christie looked around Sickbay as she walked in, noting some changes that had been made during their Shore Leave. She approached Mele, with a smile. "Is that coffee I smell?"

 

He allowed a tight grin despite the information he’d just learned from Garnoopy. “Yes, yes,” he said with a sigh. “The finest, as always. I had it shipped in just yesterday.”

 

She nodded "I'll get a up of it when I leave." She motioned for his office. "I have something we need to discuss. We should probably talk in your office."

 

He gave a nod, then motioned toward the door to his office, the upper part of which was made of frosted glass with the Caduceus symbol etched into it. “After you, Chief,” he said.

 

Farron sat down as the door slid shut. "Kyle, something needs to be done about Lieutenant Bell-Krasner. He repeatedly broke several orders while we were on that imaginary planet." Farron looked for a hint of emotion on Kyle's face.

 

Kyle walked around his glass topped desk, then took a seat in the chair, leaning forward and resting his elbows on either side of the console area inset into the black desktop “Done to?” he asked. “Explain.”

 

She nodded, and looked at his desk for a moment. "I spoke with the admiral earlier. He told me to get with you, and decide what type of reprimand Krasner deserves for his knowingly disobeying of several direct orders."

 

Again, he nodded, and then leaned back in his chair, putting his fingertips together, tent fashion. “What sort of disciplinary action did you have in mind?” he asked.

 

Farron sighed. "I don't want him removed from the ship, or anything like that. That doesn't even fit the proper coarse or action. But, something must be done for him to understand that the type of actions he displayed cannot be tolerated here."

 

“ Certainly.”

 

Farron nodded in return. "I really don't think a reduction in rank is out of the question, but I don't want to go that far just yet. But, other than that, I really don't know what type of punishment would be just."

 

He thought for a moment, then began, “While I can understand and even agree with your grave concerns, I cannot fathom stripping Doctor Krasner of his rank. We must remember that, although he engaged in willful disobedience of several direct orders, this still was done in his imagination, if you will.” He nodded, more to himself than anything, and then finished, “I will talk to the Admiral, and will recommend the Lieutenant be issued an official reprimand.”

 

She smiled "Isn't that something like what I just said?" she said, with a slight laugh. "A reprimand on his record sounds like a good course of action," she said in agreement

 

“ Indeed. I'm simply reiterating the obvious to make sure we understand each other,” he grinned.

 

At that, Farron nodded and stood up. "Anything you wanted to talk about, Chief Mele?" she asked.

 

He gave a curt nod, his mood suddenly becoming more somber. “Actually, yes.”

 

Just as abruptly as she stood, she sat back down. "Ok. What is it?"

 

Mele leaned forward in his chair a bit. “Commander Garnoopy left moments before you arrived”

 

Farron scanned Mele's face. "Oh?"

 

He nodded in the affirmative. “He just finished telling me about this implant the Admiral somehow has.

Quite frankly, this worries me. I've seen A9 make some rash decisions in the past and, while the end result has always seemed to justify the means, I cannot help but wonder if this has perhaps taken it too far.”

 

Farron nodded, as if she knew what he was going to say. "I didn't figure you had authorized that," she said with a sigh. "I'm afraid of what may happen, should Atragon be possessed by a S'aar or something. We could all be destroyed because of him. But, then again, it is possible that we could all be saved by him... but I figure that is a lost less likely." She thought about the last sentence, and decided not to change the wording for better understanding. It could have been taken in two different ways, each being acceptable to the situation.

 

“You are not Terran,” he started, “so perhaps you have not heard this expression before. I remember reading it in some research I was doing in the Academy. Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely."

 

She shook her head. "No, I've never heard it, but it makes sense. I'll agree to it, but what can we actually do about it?"

 

He gave a small shrug. “That I'm not sure of. Garnoopy and I were talking a bit, and have yet to come to a solution. To be honest, I'm not sure if I can trust Atragon any more. There have been several ... incidents ... recently, with this being just the last in a series of chilling bad judgment calls on the admiral’s part.”

 

Farron gave a slight chuckle. "When have we ever actually been able to trust Atragon? Think about it. An admiral is in charge of a tugboat. Now shouldn't that be weird enough to show that we shouldn't be trusting him?" She smiled.

 

He returned the chuckle, “Regardless, I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page.” He glanced up, searching her face for some sort of clue; some show of support.

 

She gave a slight head tilt, and closed her eyes for a moment as she nodded. "I think we are now," she said. "Anything else?"

 

He gave a small shake of his head, then flashed a grin, “Just a mug of coffee for the road, I'd think.”

 

She nodded "I was going to steal a cup even if you didn't offer," she said with a hint of laughter. "But, I was hoping you would say that." She took the cup from the table, and started toward the door. "Say Kyle, did you ever get that data PADD text message I sent to you?"

 

He allowed a chuckle, and then asked with a wink, “What message?”

 

Farron nodded with a smile, thinking about the hypo-belt lying in her office. "Never mind," she said while walking out the door. She stopped for a moment, though. "By the way, how are things down here without me?"

 

He thought for a moment, and then gave a wry grin. He responded, “Things keep moving right along in the Medical department, but they're not the same.”

 

She smiled "They never will be. I'm just that unforgettable," she said with laughter.

 

He laughed. “Remember, the coffeepot's always on.”

 

She looked at the cup of coffee in her hands. "Its the only thing that keeps me coming back," she said as she continued out the door. "Thanks, Kyle."

 

“No problem, Christie,” he finished, redirecting his attention to one PADD in particular as the glass doors swished shut behind her retreating back.

 

Farron walked down the hall, toward the turbo lift. She had spent more than a year in that sickbay, and it was actually a bit hard to leave it... even though she was only going a few decks above. "I'll miss this place," she muttered to herself. It would always be in her heart, no matter what position she would have in the future.