Chapter Seven

As my ship drifted powerless around Bajor's star, I could take it no more. It was bad enough that a little girl had defeated my ship once, and engraved that phrase into my ship's hull, but the second defeat was an injury which I could not bear.

I stood from my chair and began pacing the bridge. The orange-lit smoky haze on the bridge caused me to cough. The Chief Engineer had managed to get a remote out and was sending it around the ship to see our damage.

"Sir?" my second officer interrupted my pace. "Message from the Order Gul. All ships to strike colors."

We were surrendering. We couldn't be surrendering.

"Central Command has ordered us to withdraw and apologized to Commander Sisko for the attack"

We couldn't be apologizing to that weak Commander who inhabited Terok Nor. As I spun on my left foot, I caught a glance of the Chief Engineer's display.

There was that engraving we'd been given by that little girl just a couple days before.

Beaten by a little kid and the Enterprise's second string.

I gripped the command chair hard. It had happened again. The chair shifted lose under my grip.

"The Enterprise-C will tow us to the border."

I lifted the chair with a bellow of rage, and hurled it towards the words. Glinn Gusat was lucky I slipped.

Admiral Theresa McGuire was aboard the Roanoke, and I was the next most senior officer in the area, which made it my duty to charge her and relieve her of duty. I put off rejoining the saucer until afterwards, we had a docking clamp on the Stardrive section to repair anyway. In addition, if she protested enough we might need Marrissa to testify and as the saucer's commander she's legally an adult. I took Lieutenant Worf with me, and Commander Sisko asked to join me in this duty.

She was on the bridge when we found her, sitting in the center seat, against all tradition. Captain Szustakowski had been forced to take a seat across the bridge at Science One. I did not let her greet me.

"Admiral Theresa McGuire, by the order of the Commanding Admiral, Star Fleet, I am relieving you of duty and remanding you to lock up on Deep Space Nine pending trial on charges of unlawful orders, endangering civilian lives, endangering those under your command with the aforementioned unlawful orders, and inappropriate and restrictive classification of mission orders."

"How dare you," Admiral McGuire replied, standing up from her chair. "Don't think that by filing charges against me you'll get out of yours, Picard."

Commander Sisko stepped forward to stand at my left. "I filed those charges," he said, his voice low and dangerous.

"Then you'll go down as well, Sisko," McGuire replied.

I was simply amazed by the Admiral. "Admiral, I've seen too many good officers ruined by your vindictive orders. I am willing to put my career on the line if it means that no more good officers will be lost. Mister Worf, I believe that Commander Sisko has had Constable Odo arrange for Admiral McGuire's new quarters on the station. Please see that she arrives."

"With pleasure, Captain!" Worf said. Bringing Worf had been a good decision. McGuire didn't resist Worf's directions once he got a firm grasp on McGuire's left arm.

I'd assumed that we'd reconnected when Captain Picard entered Sickbay. "I see you're awake, Lieutenant," he said. "Doctor Crusher says you've been trying to finish up paper work."

"Yes, sir," I said. It was a little hard to work with one hand stuck in a pressure bandage, but I was managing. "I've almost finished with the evaluations, but I'm afraid I'm going to be unable to write up our latest commander's post action report, as I was out of it for most of it."

"I'll make sure Marrissa does it," the Captain said. "I'll be endorsing the draft of her first one as soon as she removes a few editorial comments about herself. Overall, what do you think of the Bridge Crews I left with you?"

I was silent for a moment, trying to find the words to sum it up. "They're good, for the most part. Beta Shift worked together best. All of them had some trouble at first with Marrissa being in command, of course."

The Captain's brow furrowed a bit, then relaxed. "And what do you think of Marrissa?"

This wasn't going to be easy. "She did well given that she was thrown into a situation for which she had no training for. Some of the crew had some trouble taking orders from her, but I backed her up, as her orders were sound and followed proper procedure. Tactically, I can find no other word for her performance but brilliant. Outside of battle she seems a little bit timid, and seems to prefer bringing up problems in private. She usually first double checked with me before bringing in someone for a chat, which I think was a good idea. I don't know what she said to Crewman Santos, but since she talked to him, he's been a model officer." I trailed off, lacking more to say.

"It sounds to me like you think she was a rather good Commanding Officer," the Captain said.

I had to confirm that. "She was. It's been a long time since I've served on a bridge run as well."

"I'm sure you had something to do about that as well. However, I'd also like to know what you think about Marrissa as a child. You've been her teacher longer than I've been her mentor."

This was something I felt a little more sure of. After all, I'd been teaching Marrissa Science for over three years. "Marrissa has always been a precocious yet shy child. She doesn't seem to make many friends among her own age group, but the ones she has seem to be tight ones. When I've seen her with Jay Gordon and Clara Sutter she always seems to be laughing. Marrissa is always determined. When she sets her sight on something, she'll do whatever possible to obtain that goal. Her father treats her like his little princess. She took her parents deaths hard. Marrissa spent a whole day locked in the Ready Room after Riker told her, crying until the tears won't come. She really needs a hug, but won't accept any."

"Then she shall get one," the Captain said, pausing for a moment before going on. "I talked to Ensign Guilliona. She says you did a good job in command. Commander Riker was also very impressed with what he's seen of you during the last couple evaluations. So, I looked back at your record, and after considering the incident which McGuire kicked you out of the Command Track and your actions since that, I'd like to offer you one of the Enterprise's Command Track slots."

I was greatly surprised at the offer, however, recent events left me with one option. "I'm sorry, Captain, but I'm afraid I must turn that down. I've grown used to my post and have made several interesting discoveries in the last year. It would not be appropriate for me take one of those posts at this time."

"I think it would be," the Captain said. I shook my head. "Very well, if you are sure, I will log that you were offered the slot but chose to remain in Science. I can at least rely on you to take a few shifts until those Command Track slots are filled again, I hope."

"Yes Captain," I said.

"Thank you for your time, Lieutenant," the Captain said. "I'll see you on the Bridge with those reports when we reconnect tomorrow."

I was curled up under a blanket on the chase lounge in the Captain's Quarters when he woke me up. I'd slept on it every night I'd been in the Captain's Quarters. It wasn't night time, but I'd decided to get a nap after I started yawning on the bridge near the end of Alpha Shift. I'd wondered why we hadn't reconnected yet, but Lieutenant Commander Data had sent word that the Stardrive required a minor repair after the battle before we could do so.

"Captain," I greeted sleepily. He was opening a compartment below the leftmost book case. I started to get up, letting my blanket slide down a little.

"Don't bother getting up, Marrissa," he said, standing up. "I just came to get a bottle of the '49 for a dinner on the station."

I glanced at the chronometer I'd put so I could so I could see it. "I should be getting up anyway, sir," I said, sitting up and letting the blanket slide off my chest. "Since Lieutenant Markovic is still in Sickbay I have to go get the end of shift report from the Beta Shift Duty Officer."

"You could have Ensign Guilliona handle that," the Captain said, moving over to the replicator. Guilliona was my next most senior officer. "Ice Bucket, three quarters full for wine bottle."

I stood up. "If she weren't the Duty Officer, yes."

The Captain turned back towards me as I stretched. He fumbled with the ice bucket. "Marrissa, do you always take naps in just your panties?"

I blushed and scrambled to find where I'd tossed my uniform. The Captain had given me special dispensation to wear a Star Fleet command uniform while I was in command, and I wore it as much as I could. I heard the bottle placed in the ice as I put the black uniform pants on.

"I see that life with you around is going to be rather interesting," the Captain said. "I have to go back to Deep Space Nine now, but I need to talk to you when I get back. You can remain in my quarters as long as you wish."

"Sir, before you go, can I ask what is going to happen to me now?" I couldn't find where I'd tossed the uniform shirt.

"That is what we'll have to discuss," the Captain said. "For now, though, you are my responsibility. How long that lasts is up to you."

I immediately rushed over to the Captain and hugged him, tears beginning to flow from my eyes. He lifted me so I was sitting on his desk and held me close, my head over his right shoulder. I caused his comm-badge to beep as he held me there for a bit. I don't know why I did it, but we held there for several minutes before I pulled away.

"Feeling better?" he asked. I shook my head yes. "Then I believe that you are due on the Bridge, and I have five Admirals to offer wine to." I jumped off the desk. "And you might want to put that on first." He pointed to my uniform shirt, draped over the edge of a chair.

I put on the shirt, and attached the comm-badge. "Thank you, sir," I said before I departed for the Bridge. I'd forgotten the boots.