CAPTAIN'S LOG – ANDREA THOREAU
JARVIK STATION

IT'S NOW BEEN FIVE FULL WEEKS IN COMMAND OF JARVIK STATION. I HAVE A FIRST OFFICER, A SECURITY OFFICER AND A CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER. WE STIL HAVE SEVERAL KEY POSITIONS TO BE FILLED. I'VE ASKED DR. DAVIES AND COMMANDER LONG TO MEET WITH ME THIS MORNING SO THAT WE CAN BRAINSTORM AND GET A GOOD HANDLE ON WHAT OUR NEXT MOVE SHOULD BE. I'VE ALSO INVITED ENSIGN ZOLA AND A NEW MEMBER OF OUR STAFF, ENSIGN KEEGE, TO JOIN US AS WELL.

Jake and Drew sat in the two wing chairs across from Andy's desk. Ensign Zo and the new assistant for Dr. Davies, Ensign Keege, were seated to the Captain's right, fastidiously taking notes as the senior staff spoke.

"I still can't believe I have an assistant," Drew spoke to Andy, smiling at the young ensign.

"Well, the powers that be at Starfleet agreed that the demands of your position were going to be almost as significant as mine. If I merit an attaché', you should, as well."

"Believe me, I'm thrilled. And, just so you know, the ensign has been wonderful to work with."

The young ensign from Wadi, a small planet not far from Deep Space Nine, beamed under the praise of her superior officer. Ensign Keege had been out of the Academy for two years, assigned to a menial support position at Fleet headquarters. When the opening appeared for an assistant at Jarvik Station, Keege jumped at the chance. She was bright, quick to catch on, eager to please, but her most charming (or annoying) trait, depending upon the circumstances was her garrulous nature. She loved to talk. And when she got excited, she would sometimes forget protocol and plow straight ahead on whatever point or subject she needed to express.

"Thank you, Doctor." Was her simple reply.

"So, Drew, where are we on filling your two remaining positions?" The captain asked, getting to the business at hand.

"Well, first, let's begin with Dr. Lor. His transport is due at 10am. His quarters and staff office are complete so as soon as he arrives, we'll get him situated and tour the facility. I'll arrange for your appointment and physical for 11 tomorrow. Acceptable?"

Andy nodded and glanced at Zo who made the notations to the Captain's schedule.

Drew continued, "As far as the two remaining positions, I have the medical school dean arriving this afternoon. You and I will need to discuss that further but I believe we need to do it privately."

Andy quirked a questioning brow to Drew and then to Jake. She knew the Security Officer would have had to perform a formal background check if the position were to be filled. Jake smiled briefly and suddenly became very interested in the information on his PADD, refusing to give away Drew's secret.

"Very well, gentlemen, I see how this is going to work." She voiced her disapproval but let Drew continue.

"As for the Chief Research Officer, I want this man."

He handed Andy a separate information PADD that contained all the particulars of Drew's preference. Andy smiled when she saw the name. "You don't want much, do you?"

Drew laughed, "He would be perfect. And, I believe you're already acquainted with both he and his mother."

Andy looked across at her first officer, "Dr. Veersa of Vulcan is a friend as is his mother, the Ambassador, but I'm not prepared to use that as influence to get him here."

"But, Captain, if you could just get them here, I believe I could convince Veer he's the man for the job."

"I'll think about it, Doctor, but I would suggest you have a couple of other candidates ready. Veer is a respected scientist and I feel quite sure his mother, Ambassador T'sao will expect him to stay on Vulcan in their Science Academy. His father is one of the main researchers there. I feel like they would want to keep that family tradition."

Drew nodded. He knew Andy would help, if she thought she could without creating any type of incident. He'd trust his captain on this one. His bigger fight would come later when he told her who was going to be the new medical school dean.

"Alright, Jake, what about our staffing needs?"

"Well, I've been thinking about the Chief Engineer and I wanna bounce something off the two of you," Jake spoke. "Seeing as how this isn't a starship, what we're really looking for is a Chief Maintenance Officer."

Andy thought about what Jake presented, "Go ahead."

"Well, all he or she's really going to have to do is maintenance on the station. The doctors and researchers will have their own maintenance and repair crews for all of their equipment. You're not going to want some space jockey tinkering with highly sensitive medical equipment."

Drew nodded his agreement, "Very true, but there ought to be a central hub that can route requests and supervise to avoid redundancy."

"I agree. I think we can hold off on this position until we get our doctors and researchers here. A good candidate may present themselves from those ranks. We'll pay special attention for someone who's had Starfleet training and give them priority."

She looked to Drew for agreement. "I think that's a great idea," Andy answered.

"Kee and I will make sure, as we get the manifests of the doctors, researchers and their staffs, to keep an eye out for someone meeting those qualifications. You'll get part of that same information, Jake. You'll have to run security."

Jake nodded his agreement, "Between the three of us, we should be able to find the right person."

"Okay, that's settled. What about a communications officer?"

"Well, again, this person's gonna be more than just a check the mail kind of staffer. They're going to have to be able to coordinate communication among all four of our entities and all personnel." Jake began.

"It would be helpful," Ensign Zo contributed, "if they were well versed in many different languages and dialects."

Andy shook her head, "Of course. We're talking about an intergalactic station here. Just the common communication tools won't be sufficient."

"If I may," Ensign Kee spoke up, "I might have a solution."

"Please," Andy ordered, waving her to continue.

"I was at the Academy with a young lady…She was two years ahead of me and my friends…Well, see, we used to get hazed quite a bit from some of the older cadets and she sort of stepped in and made them quit…Became our protector and bodyguard, you see…So those of us she helped, we all decided we would recommend her or promote her whenever we got the chance…She was really quite intelligent…Did very well at the Academy…She's one of the staff translators at Federation headquarters…I would see her occasionally while I was assigned there."

Andy looked across at Drew and Jake and smiled at the young ensign's speech. Given without a single breath, Andy waited for an opening. "Does this wonderful young lady have a name, Ensign Kee?"

"Oh, yes, Captain, I'm sorry. It's Lieutenant Lessa Couchatta. I believe she's also got some family who was Starfleet. High ranking or ship's captain, something along those lines." The ensign finished.

"Commander?" Andy looked to Jake.

"I'll check out Lt. Couchatta right away. If she's as good as young Kee here says, I'll have her here tomorrow afternoon."

Andy looked at the notes she had made. "Well, people, we know what needs be done. I'd like to have the rest of the senior staff in place no later than the end of next week. We're almost complete with construction and we'll need to get the rest of the rank and file in place over the next month. I don't think we'll get much more time than that from the Federation before they'll expect us to be ready."

The staff present nodded their agreement and understanding. "Very well, then. Get to work people."

And with that, Andy dismissed her meeting. Drew remained behind.

"So, who's the mystery person, Drew?" Andy asked after everyone else had left.

"Pasha Coe." Drew said simply.

Andy glared at her First Officer. Pasha Coe was Mintankan. Similar to Vulcans in their logic and look, they were thought, originally, to be an offshoot. However, early contact revealed that, although logical like Vulcans, they could also possess feeling and emotion. Pasha was one of the Mintankan's success stories. She had gone to the Academy, excelling in her studies. Her aptitude for all things medical and scientific made her a favorite of Andy's father, Dr. Thoreau. However, it was Pasha who first noticed her father's failing health and made it an issue with the Academy. Shortly, after that, he was asked to step down and a recently graduated Pasha Coe was tapped to fill the now vacated position. Mere months after his removal, Dr. Thoreau died. Andy knew, logically, Pasha had nothing to do with Doctor's death but his removal from the beloved Academy teaching staff broke his heart and, in Andy's opinion, hastened his demise.

"I can't…"Andy started and then stopped, searching for the right words. She rose from her seat at the desk and turned, walking toward the bank of windows looking out into the void of space.

Drew watched his commanding officer fight a battle of wills. He knew she had strong emotions about Pasha Coe. That wasn't why he selected her. Pasha was well trained and well respected throughout the galaxy. Her Vulcan-style logic gave her an organizational and analytical edge second to none. Her sense of humor and fairness made her easy to get along with and well liked by her staff. Her security clearance had really been better than Drew's until he was named Andy's First Officer. He waited for his captain to speak.

Refusing to face Drew, Andy asked, "Does she know I'm in command?"

"She does. I couldn't ask her to give up her current position without knowing something like that."

"And she's still willing to come?"

"She is. Pasha knows what we all do; that Jarvik Station is an exciting and unknown new adventure. It has such potential and to be in, from the beginning, it's quite an honor."

Andy still refused to face Drew, listening to his explanation, but continuing to stare out into space. "You're asking a great deal of me, Drew, to accept her, here."

Drew thought before responding, "I'm only asking you to perform your duties, Captain."

Andy turned on Drew, "And how do you see accepting her as my duty, Commander?" Her tone was venomous.

"By putting aside your personal feelings and doing what's best for the success of the station, Captain."

Andy turned her back again to Drew as he continued, "If you were under the misguided impression that this was going to be an easy job then you were mistaken, Captain. If you thought you could make this your own personal world where you filled it with only the type of people you would like and would like to know and work with then, again, Captain, I believe you were mistaken. In my opinion, Captain, it is your job…no, your duty, to make Jarvik Station successful. That means using the right people in the right places, regardless of how you may feel personally. Your personal feelings have no place in your command, Captain. And for that opinion, I make no apology."

Andy let Dr. Davies comments play through her mind. Damn him, she thought, because she knew he was right. Command is not personal; it can't be. The decisions and demands to be made on the people that surrounded her meant that any one of them could give up their life. Even friendships couldn't be placed above responsibility to position.

She turned back to face Drew, totally composed, and returned to her desk. Picking up the PADD with Pasha's information, Andy added the necessary codes to confirm her appointment. "Very well, Doctor." Andy replied, handing it back to Drew, "will there be anything else?"

Drew accepted the PADD and the victory, no matter how bitter it now tasted, "No, Captain, that's all."

Andy nodded without answering. Drew turned to leave but stopped and turned back to the Captain, "Thank you, Andrea." And then he left.

Andy watched the doctor leave her office. Picking up a small glass from her desk, left from her lunch earlier, Andy hurled it at the wall and watched it shatter into many tiny pieces.