Stardate: 61125:2320
Title: Following Orders
Author: Executive Officer Abigail Winters
Time: After "The Big Bang"
Scene: USS Relentless – XO’s office


Abby took a quick look at her watch for probably the tenth time in a minute.

"Done." She was surprised by the claim.

"I told you, less than a five minute job." The engineer smiled. "Now if you excuse me I have about a hundred other five minute jobs to do.

"Thank you Kal." The Executive Officer really was grateful.

With an inbound force less than twenty minutes away Abby didn’t have much time to talk to Relly and make sure she would cooperate with the orders of the Captain and the crew. Maxine had suggested that Kal might be able to put holo-emitters in her office so she wouldn’t have to be far from the bridge if she was needed.

When she had checked to see if it was possible with Kal she had expected him to send one of his crew. Instead, he had turned up himself. As the door closed a new holo-image appeared before Abby. The woman was in her 50’s and looked remarkably like Admiral Foster.

"Why do you want to speak to me?" Relly’s projected image may have been that of an older woman but the voice had remained the same one she had used when she presented herself as a child. Abby wondered whether this was a glitch in program or a more accurate assessment of Relly feelings.

The ship had only been sentient for a short time and the situations she was now finding herself in would be bewildering for most adults.

"Relly, we need to talk about you following orders." Abby waited to see how she would respond.

"Captain Khavok doesn’t like me." The statement shocked the XO; this wasn’t the conversation she had planned out in her head.

"What makes you think that?"

"He was angry with me and now he has sent you to tell me off." The assertion again showed that Relly was very young and could not quite grasp the reality in which they were in.

"Captain Khavok is responsible for the safety of you, the crew and many other people. When you disobey an order from him you put all those people at risk." Abby watched as Relly thought about that.

"I was wrong not to follow his orders and lock the crew out" she said after a long time. "I was scared that we would all be destroyed and running seemed the logical and right thing to do."

"Sometimes the Captain will order you to run, but he had a responsibility to protect that civilian vessel."

"What if the Captain makes a wrong decision?" This was tricky; Abby had the greatest respect for the Captain and his ability to run the ship. However, he wasn’t infallible and she didn’t want to jeopardise her future relationship with Relly by lying to her.

"You have to trust that he will make the right decision, and you have to trust me as well."

"Will that make the Captain like me?" Relly’s childish voice sounded very vulnerable.

"I am sure that the Captain already likes you. But following orders and trusting in his decisions would certainly make him happy." Relly nodded her understanding.

"They need you on the bridge." The holo-image said before she disappeared.

Abby hoped that Relly meant what she said as this universe looked set to test them all.


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Commander Abigail Winters
Executive Officer
USS Relentless
NCC–11966
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