Going for the Captain

Posted on Mon Jul 1, 2019 @ 7:26pm by Captain Madelina Weisz & Admiral Zachary O'Connell

Mission: Refits and Reviews
Location: Promenade - Bake My Day
Timeline: MD 5 || 1100 hours

Having finished talking with Master Chief Barnes, Admiral O'Connell knew his best course of action was to track down the elusive Captain before anyone else could. As soon as he was in the turbolift, he cleared his throat and requested, "Computer, located Captain Weisz."

"Captain Weisz is currently on deck ten in Bake My Day," the computer replied.

"Bake my day?" Zachary muttered, halfway intrigued by the notion. He had two options here, the first being give the Captain some space and connect with her when done. He chose the other option, just going right into it. "Deck Ten," he instructed the computer.

Maddy stood in the middle of the bakery surrounded by so many cases filled with different types of pastries, cakes, breads, cookies... just about anything someone with a sweet tooth could imagine. In fact, there were so many options, the Captain wasn't even sure where she should start. Would it be bad form for her to get one of everything and hide away in her office until she'd finished it all? Probably not, lest Tom and his team of engineers have to remove a wall to get her out.

"What do I want?" she asked, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

The entrance to the bakery opened, allowing the Admiral to enter the establishment. He'd served on many a starship before, but never had he seen so much room, or any, given to a civilian to open a business. He supposed it was a way to help the crew feel a little more at ease with their long-term assignments, especially seeing how little opportunities they had for proper shore leave.

Zachary noted the room was almost devoid of people, save for the clerk and the woman Captain he had sought out. He also took note of how deep in thought she was, and he had arrived just in time to overhear her inability to make a decision. He took a step up to the counter, gave it a quick lookover and declared, "I'll take a cinnamon roll," he said, pointing to the assortment of rolls the size of a dessert plate. "And a cup of coffee. Plus whatever the Captain wants."

Maddy blinked when she heard the voice and found herself looking in that direction. How long had he been there? Did he hear her talking to herself? She'd been so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice anyone else come inside. Finally, her brain kicked in. "I'll have the same," she said, glancing toward the clerk, then back to Zachary. It didn't take long for her to notice his collar. "Admiral." She gave him a respectful nod, and hoped she'd eventually learn his name so she could address him properly.

The clerk nodded his head and moved to get the two enormous cinnamon rolls, then went to pour two cups of coffee.

“Captain Weisz,” Zachary greeted her, holding out a hand for a customary shake. “Admiral O’Connell. Impressive ship you and Commodore Aravan have here.”

It didn't surprised her that he knew who she was. On a ship such as this one, one would likely familiarize themselves with the Command staff prior to come aboard. With a smile, Maddy took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "Thank you, Admiral O'Connell. I've been on board this ship for five years, and she continues to impress me daily."

"That's the true testament of a ship you know," the Admiral stated, leaning over the counter to pick up both of the cinnamon rolls, hoping that she would follow suit with the coffee. "It was like that with me and the O'Carroll, and yes, that does get confusing. I commanded her for years and the old girl never ceased to amaze me with what she could do."

Maddy grabbed the coffee and gestured to a small table tucked in the corner of the shop, then began to make her way toward it. She didn't know why she was curious about his statement, but she was. "Do you miss it?" she asked, setting both cups down before taking one of the two available seats. "Being an Admiral, I assume you're stuck behind a desk now, not to mention you spoke of the O'Carroll in the past tense."

Zachary followed her to the table, setting the rolls in front of each seat before finally claiming the vacant chair. "I haven't had the O'Carroll for a few years now. Since then I've helped manage two Task Forces, as well as a few special projects. Some might call that a desk job, but it's more than just paddwork. But, yes, I miss it. In fact, there are days I miss the engine room more than anything."

"It sounds like you've been quite busy as of late," she observed, reaching for her cup to take a sip of her coffee. "Former engineer?"

The Admiral nodded before taking a sip of the coffee. He tried not to wince at the flavor; after all, nothing compared to Wilkins in his book. Alas, this one was certainly among the worst that he'd tried. Hopefully the roll would be better. "I am. And you used to be security, correct?"

"You are correct," the Captain confirmed, taking another sip of her coffee. She just didn't understand how this place could put out such amazing sweets, but their coffee tasted like dirty dishwater. "There are times when I miss the gold collar, but lately, I've been able to step back into my former security role."

"Such is the burden of promotion." Zachary smiled before cutting off a piece of the roll. "We can't all stay ensigns and lieutenants forever. Experience pushes us all to the front of the pack, and either we must lead it or leave it."

"Even as a leader, everyone eventually leaves. How else would others behind us move up in the ranks?" she asked, pulling a piece of her own cinnamon roll off before popping it into her mouth.

"Gunning for my desk, Captain?" Zachary remarked with a chuckle. "Its yours if you want it, provided of course you continue to build upon your service record."

"I plan to continue building upon my service record, Admiral, but I don't think I'll be gunning for your desk any time soon," Maddy answered truthfully. "It's not that I don't want it... someday. I'm just not ready for that kind of responsibility looming over my head. My position as an Executive Officer is as far as I want to go for now."

"Oh?" Zachary's tone was filled with mock surprise. He had been warned by both Breckenridge and Aravan that this was coming. There was no more playing anymore. It was time now for business. "One doesn't jump straight to brass ranks anyway. You've got to start with something small. Commanding a starship for starters. Nothing too big either. Vesta, Steamrunner, even a Saber would be a good starter home."

Maddy reached for a napkin and began to wipe her hands as she leaned back. Her blue eyed gaze locked on him. "So, your presence here isn't a chance visit like I originally thought, is it, Admiral O'Connell?" she asked, sizing him up. No longer was she intimidated by the fact he was brass. In fact, the redheaded Captain was quite annoyed.

"Respectfully, Captain," Zach said after finishing another bite of the roll, "as amazing as this establishment is, it's not something I go out of the way for." He did glance backwards to see if that statement was overheard, and thankfully, it wasn't. "But at least hear me out before you say no."

"I'm all ears, Admiral," she told him. However, regardless of what he had to say, Maddy's answer would quite possibly remain a no. She had her reasons, and if the Captain needed to tell him what those reasons were, then she would.

"The Triumphant's had its share of crap assignments," Zachary led, placing both hands in visible view, as if he was showing that he had nothing to hide. "Orions, ethereal lifeforms, Romulans, ambushes ... it's more than average for anyone. A lot of people join Starfleet to see the universe, explore strange new worlds, seek out new life, and so on. Since the Dominion War and other conflicts, Starfleet hasn't done much by the way of exploring. I've been commissioned by Command to change all of that. I'm assembling a Task Force, if you will, of the best and the brightest, getting back to our roots, and I need experienced people at the conn. People like you. People like Tom Barnes."

"Wait... you're here for Tom, too? Why?" Maddy asked, finding that she really wanted to know the answer. "Do you want to stick him behind a desk somewhere where he'll be completely miserable and count down the days until he can retire?"

Normally, Zach kept personnel matters confidential, however, he had already intentionally brought up Tom's name to make sure the Captain was actually listening and not about to arbitrarily blow him off. "Master Chiefs are few and far between, and the best ones are those not stuck behind desks. As for what I offered him... that's something he'll have to discuss with you."

The redhead was sure Tom would fill her in the next time she saw him, and that wouldn't be too far off. But for the time being, she needed to focus on what was going on at the moment. "Why me? Aren't there other Captains in the galaxy without ships? Ones who might actually want their own ships?"

"Ships are in great supply," the Admiral explained. "But we've still been reeling from a personnel shortage, especially with those whom are experienced. Besides, the frontier requires experience. We can't send out greenhorns. They'll get eaten alive by cosmozoans or black holes. Wisdom is what's needed out there, and that's what you have."

Maddy pushed her barely touched cinnamon roll away and crossed her arms before leaning against the table. "Do you think they fed my father the same line to get him to take command after he was promoted?"

Zachary did not immediately reply. He'd studied her file while in transit to the Starbase, but he hadn't noticed any connection to her father, or that her father had been a Starfleet officer. "I honestly couldn't tell you what happened to your father, nor can I make any assumption as to what sort of career he had or its effects on you."

"I can tell you what happened to my father," she said. "He was a newly promoted Captain and was given a starship to command. I was nineteen when it happened, still in the Academy. He wasn't even two months in when he was killed."

The Admiral frowned. "You do realize that his promotion was not what sealed his fate, don't you? I hate to tell you, Captain, but death is all too common in Starfleet, and the reaper is no respecter of gender, creed, or rank. Your background is security, and I'm sure you have seen shipmates die, both those that have served with you, and those you have been charged to protect. Associating his death with a promotion is nothing more than a sign of immaturity, Captain, lest it be a fear that you follow in his footsteps towards an early grave as well. And, if that is the case, why even accept the fourth pip? It must have taken some doing to receive the promotion without the obligatory command."

"I don't associate his death with his promotion, Admiral," Maddy stated, struggling quite hard to keep a level head about herself. She'd managed to curb her annoyance earlier, but now it was beginning to come back once again. "I've done what I've done, because I love it. I do what I do, because I love it. We're all going to die one day, and there's nothing any of us can do to stop it. It's what we do while we're alive that matters. The legacy we leave behind. My father, and what happened to him, drives me to be the best I can be... to do the best that I can. I'm aware that I'm a Captain without a ship, but I'm also aware that this ship, and her crew, need me. So, unless you're here to order me to take a command of my own, I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline."

Zachary didn't reply immediately. Instead, he sat still with narrowed eyes looking at the woman across from him. None of what she said made sense to him. In fact, he mused that so much illogic would have made smoke come out of a Vulcan's ears. He could sit here and argue, but he could tell at this point it was pointless. Part of him actually feared for the Triumphant now, especially if its Executive Officer was pushed too far.

The Admiral reached inside his jacket for a couple slips of latinum to cover both half-eaten meals. He rose to his feet and started to leave. He'd only taken one step when he stopped and looked down at her. "I can get behind passionate people, support them even. Sooner or later, responsibility will catch up to you. The center chair is as much rewarding as it is risky. It's also only patient for so long. You and Barnes have twenty-four hours to think it all over. I'll be on the Lakota for whenever the two of you make up your minds. Good day, Captain."

With that, Zachary left the shop, leaving the Captain alone with her pastry and coffee.

Maddy watched as he walked out. Her reasons made sense to her, and that's what mattered most. She waited for a few minutes before getting to her own feet and heading out, leaving her coffee and barely touched cinnamon roll behind. The Captain had things she needed to do, and sitting there wasn't going to get them done. One thing was for certain, though, she'd be spending quite a bit of time in the gym the moment she was able to.