Not Indefatigable Chapter 9, a startrek: the next generation fanfic

Chapter Nine

Captain Berganmister Portinmire had cleared all the other chairs from his office. He would be the only one sitting down at this Captain's Mast. Beside him stood his First Officer, back from his temporary command of the Dagger. He needed Antonio at his side for this, and had kept all five Lieutenants in the Brig until he'd come back.

All five were now waiting outside the Captain's Office, in full dress uniform. They were guarded by a dozen security officers. He had hopes that two days in the Brig would help adjust their attitude, but wasn't counting on it. "Commander Luciani, send in the first one," he ordered.

The door opened to reveal Lieutenant Justina Nunn. The Lieutenant stood straight, at attention, as Portinmire read the charges. "Lieutenant Justina Nunn, you have been brought before this Captain's Mast with the charges of participating in illegal hazing of an officer, showing disrespect for a superior officer, conduct detrimental to morale, and conduct unbecoming an officer. Do you have any words to say in your defense?"

"No, sir, there is no defense sir!" Nunn replied.

That reply surprised Portinmire. He'd expected something more on the lines of defiance. "Commander, what evidence do we have in Nunn's case?"

"Ship's sensors reveal that she was present in the cargo bay at the time of the incident," Luciani said, looking at his PADD. "Lieutenant Commander Picard has identified her as the one who ripped off her rank pips, but indicates that Nunn may have been a restraining force."

"Very well," Portinmire said, staring right at Nunn. "Lieutenant, I find you guilty as charged, but given your willingness to take your punishment, and the testimony given by Lieutenant Commander Picard, I am only sentencing you to and additional three days in the brig and assigning you to assist Engineering in picking up all the J-clips that have been dropped during repairs in Jefferies Tube Twenty-Five. Perhaps the latter will teach you not to throw small important items around. Commander?"

"Attention!" Luciani ordered. Nunn had slumped a little as the sentence had ended. She straightened up now. "About Face! Forward March!" Luciani directed Nunn out with a Drill Sargent's precision.

The next officer entered as soon as she was gone. "Lieutenant Constanza Hernadez, you have been brought before this Captain's Mast with the charges of participating in an illegal hazing of an officer, showing disrespect for a superior officer, destruction of Star Fleet equipment, conduct detrimental to morale, and conduct unbecoming an officer. Do have any words to say in your defense?"

"Yes, sir. I did nothing to a superior officer." Hernadez said defiantly.

That had been more what Portinmire had expected. "Commander, what evidence do we have in Hernadez's case."

"Very well," Portinmire said, making eye contact with Hernadez. "Lieutenant, I find you guilty as charged. I am sentencing you to and additional three days in the brig, and a formal reprimand for conduct unbecoming will appear in your record. Commander?"

"Attention!" Luciani ordered. It really wasn't necessary in Hernadez's case, but forms must be followed. "About Face! Forward March!"

The next officer swaggered in. "Lieutenant Kenward Warwick, you have been brought before this Captain's Mast with the charges of participating in illegal hazing of an officer, striking a superior officer, conduct detrimental to morale, and conduct unbecoming an officer. Do you have any words to say in your defense."

Warwick said nothing, merely dropping to an at ease stance. Portinmire found the action to be quite galling. "Commander, what evidence do we have in Warwick's case?"

"Ship's sensors reveal that she was present in the cargo bay at the time of the incident," Luciani said, looking at his PADD. "Lieutenant Commander Picard has identified him as the one who ripped off her rank strips from her sleeves, and a scan of her face revealed the Lieutenant was one of two officers that had slapped her."

"I find no defense for these actions," Portinmire said, looking at the relaxed stance of the Lieutenant before him. "Furthermore, I find your deportment before this court to indicate a lack of understanding of the serious nature of a Captain's Mast. Therefore, I sentence you to an additional three days in the brig. A formal reprimand for conduct unbecoming will appear in your record. Commander?"

"Attention!" Luciani ordered. The volume that Luciani had put behind the order caused Warwick to snap to attention. "About Face! Forward March!"

The next-to-last Lieutenant practically stomped in. His hefty nature was no doubt part of the reason, but it indicated a defiance that Portinmire was prepared to deal with. Murdoch didn't meet his glare.

Luciani read from his PADD, "Lieutenant Nicodim Murdoch, you have been brought before this Captain's Mast with the charges of participating in illegal hazing of an officer, assault on a superior officer, conduct detrimental to morale, and conduct unbecoming an officer. Do you have any words to say in your defense?"

"She's just a little girl, why all the fuss?" Murdoch said, causually.

"That little girl holds a Captain Pike Metal for Valor," Portinmire snapped, but brought himself back under control. He was beginning to think the rumors that Murdoch had gotten into some bad Engineering hooch were true. "Commander, what evidence do we have in Murdoch's case?"

"Very well," Portinmire said looking at the solid stocky form of Murdoch. "I find you guilty of all charges, and sentence you to the maximum sentence I am allowed without calling for a formal court martial. Ten days in the brig. You shall incur no seniority while under sentence. A reprimand for conduct detrimental and another for conduct unbecoming will be entered into your record. Commander?

"Attention!" Luciani ordered. Murdoch lazily moved into the proper stance. "About Face! Forward March!"

The last Lieutenant to enter was the one that Portinmire was the most disappointed in. He'd also been identified as the ring leader. Portinmire had seen the Lieutenant as an officer with a brilliant career ahead of him.

A glace at Commander Luciani revealed look of great disappointment as he read out the charges. "Lieutenant Balyse Donner, you have been called before this Captain's Mast with the charges of organizing and participating in illegal hazing of an officer, striking a superior officer, conduct detrimental to morale, and conduct unbecoming of an officer. Do you have any words to say in your defense?"

"Yes sir. I have spent the last two days reflecting on my actions," Donner said. "I have come to the conclusion that my actions are indefensible."

Something about the Lieutenant made Portinmire think he wasn't sincere at all. He couldn't prove it, though. "Commander, what evidence do we have in Donner's case?"

"Ship's sensors reveal that she was present in the cargo bay at the time of the incident," Luciani said, looking at his PADD. "Lieutenant Commander Picard has identified him as the person in charge of the hazing. A scan of her face revealed the Lieutenant was one of two officers that had slapped her. Furthermore, the Lieutenant's hard copy of 'Ceremonies of Dishonor' was recently annotated on the ceremony used."

"I see," Portinmire said. He was familiar with the work. It had been required reading when he was taking Tactics 310 at the Academy. He looked straight into Donner's eyes. He saw Donner flinch back a little. "I find you guilty, Lieutenant, and sentence you to ten days in the brig. A reprimand for conduct unbecoming will be entered into your record. We will be reevaluating your assignments on the Indefatigable. Commander?"

"Attention!" Luciani said. It was an unnecessary command. "About Face! Forward March!"

Captain Portinmire sat there for a while, wondering where he'd gone wrong. Over the last three days he'd found six of his Command Line Lieutenants to have serious lacks in judgement. He blamed himself for not finding out earlier. He blamed himself for bringing a promising officer into what in hindsight was an unstable and stressful situation which she never should have been in.

After a few minutes he looked up at his First Officer. "Where did we go wrong, Antonio?"

"I don't think we'll ever know, Captain," Luciani said. "I still think we can salvage them, but they've made it very hard for us. Perhaps this bitter pill will teach them to think before acting on their prejudices."

"We can hope," Portinmire said. "Any word from Star Fleet on replacement ships for the squadron?"

"We're getting a Medium Cruiser Division, but no word yet on replacement units for our Light Cruisers," Luciani replied.

"That means we're going to need some sims to work them into our Squadron," Portinmire said, putting away the PADDs. "And I know just the person to play OpFor Commander."

...

Captain Washington had summoned Lieutenant Pizarro to her ready room for a final evaluation. With Marrissa back, and on duty, the Stargazer's command team was back to normal. Unlike his initial visit to her domain, she hadn't invited anyone else.

Pizarro didn't appear to be looking forward to the interview. He moved into the room tentatively, hesitating as Washington directed him to a chair. Washington decided to start up with something unrelated to his performance, at least as an officer

"Bertin, I must compliment you on your choice of music for the Yellow Wing Memorial Service," Washington said. The piece he'd played on his flute with the back up of the Indefatigable's string quartet had been a poignant tune that had dragged the grief out of everyone in attendance. She'd had a hard time maintaining the stoic face which was expected from her race. "It was a welcome change from the traditional Amazing Grace. I've long felt that Amazing Grace was much over used, especially when there are no remains. May I inquire as to the title and author of the composition?"

"It was Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings, sir," Pizarro said. "Jay said that Marrissa had been listening to it, and since I and the Indefatigable Strings knew the piece, I decided to bring it up instead."

"A most appropriate piece, Bertin, and you did a good job arranging the memorial service," Washington said. "Kasumi was most appreciative of the way you honored her brother and wingmates. She asked me to pass it along to you."

"I was just doing my duty, Captain," Pizarro said, beginning to relax a little in his seat. "How is Ensign Akabayshi?"

"She won't be Ensign much longer," Washington said. She almost had a hint of a smile. "Her promotion papers are on their way. Kasumi appears to be handling the loss fairly well. Humans do tend to take a while to recover from losses, but I believe in time she will recover."

"That's good to hear, Captain," Pizarro said.

"I have heard nothing but good words about your performance on the Stargazer the last few days," Washington said. "Chief Quimby was impressed with how well you handled working with his command."

"I simply did what you told me, Captain," Pizarro said, his tone dismissive of his efforts.

"Bertin, I just pointed you in the right direction," Washington said. "I did not tell you to take charge in the Fighter Bay during the return of the fighters. You managed to get all the fighters back into place in near record time, despite the fact that three of the fighters were stopped in the middle of the bay. You kept the majority of the fighter pilots away from Kasumi as Mikor and T'Par took care of her and organized the wing seconds to begin post-flight activities as the Wing Leaders were busy. None of this was listed in your assigned duties. You were there for other reasons and showed initiative beyond what was required of you. You volunteered to handle the memorial service, and did a fine job with it, as well. For these reasons, I have decided to add a commendation to your record, and have let Captain Portinmire know just how well you preformed on board the Stargazer in the strongest possible terms."

"Thank you, sir," Pizarro said. It was obvious that Pizarro had not expected such a glowing review. He was blushing.

"Captain Portinmire was quite surprised that you turned out so well on the Stargazer," Washington said. "That, of course, could have had something to do with how the other half of the exchange went. I believe you're aware of recent events on your home ship?"

"I am," Pizarro's mouth moved to a thin straight line.

"Captain Portinmire will have a new assignment for you when you return to the Indefatigable," Washington said, standing. "While I may not reveal its nature to you, I believe you'll excel in it. It has been an honor to have you in my command, Bertin."

Bertin stood and shook her proffered hand. "It has been an honor serving you, Captain." At the gesture of dismissal, he began to leave the room. He stopped for a moment though to ask one question. "Captain, may I ask how Lieutenant Commander Picard is?"

"If the sound of her shower is any indication, she'll be feeling a lot better soon," Washington said. "Jay and I will be watching her. I believe she'll bounce back from her experience on the Indefatigable. Marrissa is rather resilient."

Pizarro nodded, and turned to exit the Captain's Ready Room with a definite swagger to his step.

...

Lieutenant Commander Marrissa Picard exited her shower, tying her robe. She believed it was unlikely that she'd be called to duty soon, as the Stargazer was currently moored off Starbase 375. So, she could for once relax in her silk robe, relax and recover on her comfortable bed, while listening to Pachabel's Canon in D.

Her week had been the week from Hell. The assignment on the Indefatigable hadn't really been that bad, in itself. She'd actually enjoyed talking with Sub-commander Saavik. Living on the Indefatigable had been the real problem. The Lieutenants on that ship had to be the worst officers that Marrissa had ever encountered.

She shuddered as she recalled their little ceremony. Commander Luciani had made her go over that over and over again. When he'd left, she'd told him that she didn't want to know the results. Marrissa could do without seeing those Lieutenants ever again.

It hadn't been all bad, though, even if the bed had been the most uncomfortable place she'd slept in since that chase lounge when she was twelve. Jay had given her one of his really good massages. Portinmire had told her that she had done a good job. Her Saber Dance Routine had even managed to get a good reception, though she had injured herself on the second routine.

She was so glad she was back on the Stargazer again. It had become her home, her first place alone, away from her parents. She was almost sixteen now. It wasn't an age that a girl was expected to be on her own, but Marrissa was. She was alone. She was all alone facing a hostile world that seemed to be devoted to crushing her. No one was there to help her, to say that everything would be okay.

Marrissa slumped against the structural member that was by the left side of her window, and allowed tears to go down her face again. An Excelsior Class Starship was going by, just like the Indefatigable, the ship whose crew had been so bad to her. A deep sob escaped her, and she slid to the floor.

...

Lieutenant Jay Gordon had just finished all of the paperwork that came with new transfers to the Stargazer, and now was walking to see Marrissa. He had only himself for the late hour. He wanted the best Squadron of Fighter Pilots in the Fleet, so he'd gone the extra mile, especially for the new Yellow Wing. Lieutenant Matt Grubb, the Fighter Commander on the Victory had suggested the plan and gotten the Hathaway's Fighter Commander to join in. The Commandant on Essex had been eager to send his top two graduates to join Yellow Wing as well.

Jay was sure that the newly promoted Lieutenant (junior grade) Kasumi Akabayshi would soon have one of the best, if not the best, wings on the Stargazer. Jinn, Mishra, Jaehwa, and Sin all had good records from the Victory and the Hathaway. The two new ones from Essex were untested, but if there were problems, Jay wasn't above switching pilots around.

He'd had to do it a lot when Purple, Yellow, Black, and Orange were forming up at the beginning of his command. Yellow had a core of four that had remained from the original assignment along the DMZ, but it took a while before all of Akabayshi's Kami had been found. The Kami . . . Jay had wondered about the meaning of that word. Most of the fighter pilots on the Stargazer had the brash charge into danger attitude that early wet navy fighter pilots on many planets usually had. It was something that most of the Fighter Commanders believed was essential to the job. Until he found out the meaning of Kami, he'd thought that Yellow Wing as a whole did not have it. However, any group of pilots who considered themselves gods, or at least divine had that brash attitude.

Jay already missed the six late members of Yellow Wing. He would have stopped by the Yellow Wing Common Room to see how Kasumi was doing, but he'd seen T'Par entering with buckets of paint. He had no idea what Green Leader and Kasumi were doing with red and gold paint, but he didn't think he wanted to be involved.

So, he reached Marrissa's quarters. She didn't respond to the door's chime's, but after a couple minutes, Marrissa's programmed override kicked in, and the door opened for him. He swiftly entered the office room, which was empty. Marrissa apparently wasn't using her usual drown herself in work technique

The door slid open to Marrissa's main room. He could see the open door to her bathroom, the mirror still steamed. His gaze moved from the bath to her empty bed, and then to the table before finally spotting her slumped up against the support next to her window. Her hair was still damp and limp, and a tear was running down her face from her left eye. Jay moved to her side. Vivaldi's Four Season: La Primavera was playing.

"I thought you said you were done crying for the month," Jay said, kneeling next to her.

"I thought I was," Marrissa said, sniffing and wiping the tear from her face.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jay asked as Marrissa moved like she was going to stand up. He stood up first, and provided her a hand up.

"Not really," Marrissa said. "I just want to forget about the last week."

"I don't blame you for that," Jay said. "I'm glad I've never had to face anything like those Lieutenants."

"You get along with everyone so well they'd never think about doing something like that to you," Marrissa said stretching. "Ow. Doctor Johnson swore there was nothing wrong with my back after last night's performance . . . I think he was lying."

"Distracting me isn't going to work, Marrissa," Jay said, his tone flat. "I know that the Indefatigable hurt you, not your Saber Dance routine last night." She'd done the routine in the middle of the Fighter Bay at the fighter pilots requests. Jay had instigated it in order to get her out of her quarters.

"You mean you won't give me another back rub," Marrissa said, pouting slightly. Jay remained straight faced as Marrissa sat down on the bed. "Okay, it hurt me. I've never felt so unsure and depressed as after that damned 'dishonorable discharge ceremony' that those Lieutenants put me through. I work hard to be the best I can be in everything I do, Jay, but if you'll pardon the pun, I'm not Indefatigable."

Jay moved to sit behind Marrissa on the bed and began to rub her tense shoulders. "Go on," Jay said, tapping his communicator thrice. His set of oils materialized on Marrissa's bedside table.

"Just once, Jay, just once, I'd like to go on a ship and be complimented for what I did from both those over me, and those under me," Marrissa said, moaning at the end as Jay massaged out a particularly bad knot. "It's an uphill battle every time I meet someone new. They take one look at me, deduce my age, and it's all over. I practically have to save their life in order to get any respect. Why is it Jay? Would anyone be better if I wasn't here?"

"Lay down," Jay ordered, after taking her robe off, so he could massage her back better. "I don't think so, Marrissa." She laid down on her stomach, and Jay placed her robe to cover her bare behind. "Someone else would be First Officer here, but that wouldn't mean that they'd be better off. We've gone over the ranks and officer thing too often anyway."

Jay dipped his fingers in his medium oil before continuing. "You're a good person, Marrissa. You're always there to help someone when they need it. You don't do things for people, but you help them along. You're always there for me, and any of your friends. Even someone that others wouldn't think to help, you do. Dukat may have been subdued in his thanks, but no one can deny that if it wasn't for you he'd be in jail right now, not a Star Fleet Officer fighting for what he believes in."

"You never seem to let people down, or get discouraged, at least in public," Jay said rubbing down her spine. "You have no idea how much the pilots look up to you for that. You've been their inspiration, their rock in the midst of troubles. They know that events like that on the Indefatigable must have hurt you, but you still go on. Most think they would have resigned after that ceremony. However, Marrissa, you came back here. Your face may have been streaked with tears, but you immediately reported for duty and stood watch for a full shift. Everyone knew you didn't have to, but you did."

"It's very hard to find an crewman or officer on this ship who doesn't respect you," Jay said, rubbing her lower back. He probably could find a few, but he wouldn't tell Marrissa that. "I know I do. I wouldn't be here without you. I'm not speaking about my posting, or even being an officer. I'm from a Fleet Family, those would have probably happened in time. Without you, I wouldn't have a goal, an inspiration, a reason to serve. Duty is all well and good, but to be a really good officer, or person, it takes more. You challenge me to be a better person every day, by just doing what you do. I know I'm not the only one. Clara, Alexander, Dukat, Kasumi, they've all told me the same."

"Really?" Marrissa asked.

"Yes, they have," Jay said. Of course, he'd had to think to come up with that list. For almost ten minutes he rubbed the oil gently into her back as Vivaldi's Four Season's L'Estate played.

"Thank you," Marrissa said, as the piece finally ended. She soon slipped into sleep. Jay finished his work, then covered Marrissa gently with her sheet, turned off the music, and dimmed the lights. He took one last glace at the sleeping girl before slipping out, leaving a single red rose on her desk.