Chapter V
When Kristen Ferris saw the memo, she was confused. On her PADD was a list of names from the Pathways team that were to be part of the transition team that would work with the Starfleet Corps of Engineers to help them prepare for implementation. She couldn't find her name. When she ran a search for it in the file, she saw that her status was designated for reassignment.
No, she had discussed this with Captain Pavlik. She wanted to be on the transition team, and he had agreed. Once they were done handing things off to the engineers, she would be free to pick her next assignment. She hadn't planned that far ahead, but she was inclined to stick with the captain, as he had become something of a mentor.
She went to his office to see if he could offer something in the way of explanation.
"So his alarm goes off in the next room, waking me up. I can hear him stumble out of it and into the washroom. After a few retches, there's complete silence... and then I hear him say in a low voice, 'Oh God.'"
Delighted laughter rang through the room as Ferris surveyed the room. Two people were sitting on her side of the main desk, a woman in civilian clothing and command officer with tan skin and light blonde hair who had been telling the story. Behind the desk sat Pavlik, whom she barely recognized. Gone was the hair that lingered over his ears, replaced by a standard Starfleet cut that was entirely utilitarian and not at all stylish. As too was his beard, his face now completely smooth. Even his uniform changed, the science blue that brought out his honey coloured eyes was now a rich burgundy, which instead suppressed them.
Captain Pavlik stood up when he saw Ferris standing in the doorway, and following his eyes his companions stood and turned as well.
"Ah, Kristen, I was hoping to speak to you," he said. He gestured to his companions. "This is Commander Treyvin Smyne, and, as you probably recall, my sister Natalie."
They smiled. Treyvin said, "Nice to meet you" and Natalie added, "Good to see you again."
"If you two would excuse us, I'd like to have a chat with Kristen here," Felix told his friends as he sat back down.
"I have to get back to Paris anyhow," Natalie replied, grabbing her purse. She grinned at Felix and pecked Treyvin on the cheek. "I'll see you boys later. Try not to get into too much trouble until then. Lieutenant."
"I guess I will wait outside. I'll just wonder about the lab until you guys are done," Smyne said as he followed Natalie out of the room.
"Don't touch anything!" Pavlik warned.
"Yeah, yeah!" Treyvin replied as the door closed, waving a hand dismissively.
Kristen made a couple of steps to the now unoccupied chairs by Pavlik's desk and sat when he made a gesture for her to occupy one of them.
"What's up, kiddo?"
"How come I am designated for reassignment? You had told me I would be on the transition team."
"That I did, and I'm specifically holding one spot open for you if you really want it–"
"I do," Kristen interrupted.
"Jesus, let me finish," Felix exhaled exasperatedly as he sat back in his chair. "This isn't one of those 'do you really want it?' bullshit tests some officers pull, that's not how I do things. Look, there's another opportunity that has just come up that I would like you to consider."
"Sorry, sir. What is that other opportunity?"
"I've been given the Surprise, an Intrepid-class cruiser," he explained. "I need a Chief of Operations."
Kristen hesitated, and then frowned. "I am flattered that you would ask, sir, but I'm afraid I can't just answer that question. The only time I've been on a starship was during my academy cruise. My whole life is here. My family, my friends, my girlfriend – I can't decide to put all of that on hold and gallivant across the stars."
"I understand completely and I don't expect an answer right now," Pavlik replied soothingly. He pushed a few buttons on his desk and some data began streaming to her PADD. "Let me sweeten the pot for you, though. You stay on Earth, you'll have to join another team, and you'll be an integral cog in their machine. But just a cog.
"You come with me, and you'll get to head up your own project. I can promise you a laboratory and a full-time crewman officer as an assistant, the use of any science or engineering cadets we can attract for their cruise and any other resources the other departments can spare. It's all laid out in the file I sent you.
"In addition, you'll have a chance to experience life aboard a vessel and pick up some other skills that will be valuable to your future career prospects. You'll need to make at least full commander if you want to be given a project at Starfleet Research, and with bridge experience and a project of your own under your belt, it would be a good way to jump the line and get a couple of promotions more quickly than SR's standard policy of promoting on a schedule. I'd only be a lieutenant commander if I had not served off-planet."
Kristen knew what he said was true. She had seen officers from vessels get parachuted into roles at Starfleet Headquarters because of their experience abroad where they could work on their own projects. She wasn't sure the value of such experiences prepared them to be effective project leaders, but she couldn't argue with the fact that it was an effective way to climb the ladder.
"Sir, I appreciate your generosity. I will consider it."
"Take your time. Talk it over with your family – with Sunita. We are not due to ship out before the end of the month, so I don't need to hear from you until then," Felix explained. They both stood up, and Felix continued with a more modest tone. "If you have the time on Saturday, there is the change of command ceremony aboard the Surprise. She's being refitted at Utopia Planetia Shipyards, so you'll have to grab a shuttle to Mars. Commander Smyne, as well as a couple of other members of the senior staff will be in attendance. It might be nice for you to meet your potential colleagues, and I'd appreciate the friendly face for my big day."
"Sure, captain, I'd be happy to," Kristen said with a smile. She stood up and headed for the door. "And congratulations, sir, for being given a ship."
Felix beamed at her. "Thank you, Kristen."
Kristen looked over the file on her PADD as she made her way back to her desk. Here was the entire offer, in slightly more detail than the captain had outlined, but he had not misrepresented anything at all. Aside from the occasional miscommunication, she had never known the captain to fail to live up to his word about assignments and promotions, and that was generally her experience with her senior officers throughout the service. This led to most agreements and special arrangements to be made unofficial, without any supporting documentation.
However, Captain Pavlik was never comfortable with such informality. He insisted on providing his entire staff at Starfleet Research with a detailed outline of responsibilities and rights, making note of any special arrangements or requirements, and he left the files freely accessible on the project database for any team member to review. She hadn't heard anyone ever complain, and she doubted anyone actually ever accessed the outlines from the database, but she knew that mattered little to Pavlik, who insisted on such bureaucratic procedures to 'protect everyone involved.'
Kristen sat down at her desk and drew a deep breath. She placed her PADD down on the desk and put a call to her girlfriend.
"Hey," came a voice from Kristen's display, but no image accompanied it.
"Where are you, love?" Kristen asked, eager to see the radiant dark brown face of her partner.
"I'm at soccer practice, my hair's a mess," was the reply. Kristen kicked herself when she remembered that she knew about the practice.
"Oh, stop, you're gorgeous," Kristen replied. After a moment, her screen flickered to life and her Sunita appeared. They grinned at each other, before the mood turned more serious. "Look, babe, I have been given a big choice to make for work, and I want to talk to you about it."
"OK, sure, I can be back home in an hour. I'll see you then?"
"Sure, sounds good."
With the feed gone dead, Kristen collected her things and packed them neatly into a shoulder bag and logged out of her console. She took her bag with her to Starfleet Research's transporter room and was beamed to the lobby of the building where she shared with Sunita a flat in a posh part of Manchester, England.
She knew she had beaten her girlfriend home by a good forty five minutes, and so Kristen took the time to make herself at home. She changed out of her uniform, let her hair down and waited on the sofa, quietly reading over bulletins and stories on the Interstellar Data-Sharing Network. There was little focus outside of the big story, the collapse of the Romulan Star Empire and the continuing humanitarian crisis Shinzon's coup had caused. She had read all about it over the last few weeks, and more tales of woe would only depress her. There were a couple of news reports of civil unrest in the former Cardassian Demilitarized Zone and some experts were saying that former Maquis sympathizers were galvanizing into a political movement.
Before she could read any more about it, Sunita had arrived at home. Sweat still glistened from her brow and it appeared she had skipped the shower to beat the rush to the stadium complex's single transporter pad. They embraced, kissed and sat down on the sofa.
"What's up?" Sunita asked tentatively. It was a rare thing for Kristen to take time off work. "You said something about a choice at work? If it's something you have to come home from work to talk about, it must be something important."
"It is. It's not a question of whether I work with Starfleet Research or Starfleet Engineering," Kristen explained as she waved her PADD. "Captain Pavlik has offered me a spot aboard a ship – the Surprise. I would work as Chief of Operations, but more importantly I'd been given the freedom and resources to lead my own project!"
Sunita remained guarded. "And your other option?"
"Remain on Earth, first as part of the Pathways transition team, and then look for another project that is short a good systems analyst."
"Mm."
"What?"
"Knowing you, it doesn't sound like much of a choice," Sunita remarked firmly and simply.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, I don't know why you want to talk to me about this, seeing as I know what you'll do."
"How do you know what I'm going to do when I don't?"
"Let's add things up. First of all, I know your Starfleet career was partly inspired by that rah-rah gung-ho wave of Federation patriotism following Wolf 359, where even academics such as yourself turned down Daystrom to serve in Starfleet. But the wars are long over. The Klingons are our allies again, the Dominion are back where they belong, the Borg are nowhere to be seen and even the Romulans are no longer a threat. Why haven't you resigned your commission? There's no one left to fight: we've won.
"Then there's the fact that you keep your bridge credentials up to date, even though you had claimed no intention to take an off-world assignment."
"That's not fair," Kristen interjected, her face turning red underneath the verbal assault of her lover. "I keep those up to keep my chances of early promotion high, as recommended by Captain Pavlik."
"Oh, I'm glad you brought him up," Sunita replied, now in full stride. "I always thought that you are so practically straight for him that you'd follow him to the edge of the galaxy and back and damn you for proving me right."
"Hey, I asked to talk to you so we could have an adult conversation about what career path I should take. I didn't do it so you could insult my life, my choices or who I respect," Kristen shot back, her hands clenched so tight they were shaking. "Captain Pavlik is a good boss and a good man. That doesn't mean – "
"I am sick of you mooning over him!" Sunita interrupted, tears welling up in her eyes. "Why don't you sleep with him already and get it over with already?"
"I don't… I don't even know what to say to that," Kristen said, her face scarlet. She stood up and took a step toward the door. "Maybe I should spend the night at the Officer Barracks in San Francisco and let you cool down."
As she walked to the doorway, Sunita stood up and called after her, "As if I'm surprised. More often than not, you spend the night there anyway! It's not like you made this place your home."
At that, Kristen paused in the doorway, fists still clenched, her face entirely red. She started up again without saying any more when she realized that Sunita was right.