The Dragonfly was finally back in Sector 001 where Captain Seth would depart for his mandatory leave. He had nearly cleared out his Ready Room, which didn’t have a whole lot in it to begin with, thank goodness. He really had only a few PADDs and some books, just enough to fit his small bag that he had on his shoulder. Seth thought that he might enjoy one last drink before he had to leave, and set his bag down to the ground.
“Green tea, hot,” Seth commanded. He gingerly sipped the tea, and as it hit his tongue he couldn’t help be once again impressed by the computer’s version of the drink. The flavor of real green tea was not at all easy to replicate.
The door chimed as he took his second sip. It was Admiral Roth. “Come in.”
Seth set his tea down as soon as the Admiral walked in. “At ease, Captain.”
“I assume that Admiral Kim informed you of his decision with me and the Dragonfly,” Seth initiated.
“Yes, he did. I won’t give you the same lecture that Admiral Kim did. I’ll just say that I thought he was lenient. I’m not sure that I would have been in his place.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You are lucky that you weren’t demoted, or court marshaled, or ejected from Starfleet. Genocide is an extremely serious offense. It’s not the way we do things in Starfleet.”
“Yes, sir…”
“And Alan…I don’t even know how to begin with him…” he said. “You know I considered you both to be outstanding officers. The Federation Council thought that both of you were too young to be put in command of your own vessels. But I pushed for it. I put my name on the line, and now I have lost face in front of the Council.”
“…I’m sorry, sir.”
“Well, that aside…” he began, “I read the report. It could not have been an easy decision to make.”
“No, sir, it wasn’t. I wasn’t even sure that I could go through with it.”
“All things considered, the outcome could have been a lot worse,” the Admiral admitted. “The human population was at least saved from disaster.”
“I wish that made things easier,” Seth said. He paced around the room. “You know, when I was serving aboard the U.S.S. Chicago, I had to make risky command decisions before. And whenever the outcome was favorable, I patted myself on the back for it, and attributed its success to my boldness. Worse, I was promoted on every occasion. I think the worst part of this whole thing is that it made me realize that in many instances where I’ve made those command decisions, I got lucky.”
“A risk is still a risk. You will win some, and you will lose some. There is no way to be sure of the outcome of all of your decisions, otherwise, it wouldn’t be a risk. It is your job as captain to carefully weigh the benefit with that risk.”
“Yes, sir, I understand.”
“What will you do now? I understand that you’ll be spending time on Earth. Six months, I hear.”
“Yes, I’ll be taking a leave of absence in Tokyo,” Seth told him. “I have old friends there that I haven’t seen in a long time. They helped me through a tough time when I was young, and they’re willing to help me now.”
“Well, whatever you need to do, do it. You’ll have a lot of time to think things through, I’m sure.”
“Thank you, sir. I wanted you to know, Admiral…I want this assignment. I want to be captain of this ship,” Seth said. Never so sure was Seth about anything in his life. “I won’t disappoint you again.”
“Neither Admiral Kim nor I would have given you a glimmer of a second chance if we didn’t feel you wanted it, trust me,” the Admiral said. He started to turn towards the door. “Oh, and while you’re on Earth, don’t miss out on the inauguration of some of the newest ships to be launched. I think you’ll be surprised to see what’s in store.”
Seth smiled. “I won’t,” he promised. He extended his hand to shake the Admiral’s hand one final time.
“Good luck, captain. I’ll see you in six months.”
Admiral Roth left the Ready Room, leaving Seth all to himself. He lifted his bag, and took one last look around. He realized that he almost forgot the small model of the U.S.S. Chicago that he had left on the side table. It still looked rather lonely there all by itself. Seth realized that he wouldn’t be able to add another until he was finished with his current assignment, and even then it wouldn’t be until he got a new command that he could get a model of the ship to put in a Ready Room. Seth was considering how he was going to be able to fit the Chicago model in his bag, since despite being a model, it was still rather large. He could always just carry the thing in his hands. But then he considered that it would not be completely inappropriate to leave it there. After all, he would be back.
He swiped the model with his finger for dust, and walked out of the Ready Room.
THE END
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