Normal Is Relative

Posted on Sat May 21st, 2022 @ 11:08pm by Rear Admiral Joshua Whitford & Commander Marlena Glenn & Rear Admiral Richard Brannigan
Edited on on Fri Jun 10th, 2022 @ 12:57am

Mission: Episode 2: 18th and Constitution
Location: Whitford's Office
Timeline: Mission Day 3 at 1000

Things were far from normal at Starfleet Command these days. But then, what was normal? Jen was fond of reminding him that "normal is relative", and Richard understood what she meant by that. And yet, he couldn't help but to feel that things were definitely not anywhere resembling normal now. And yet, some of the normal things that were done prior to this incident still needed to be done. Like reporting.

It was for this reason that Richard found himself walking the corridors of Starfleet Command, heading for Admiral Whitford's office. That thought brought him to why these reports were being given to Whitford instead of Sturnack, and he was once more reminded of how not normal things were here these days. And it would likely be some time before they were normal again.

Reaching the office, he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. This reporting did not make him uneasy; he was just taking that moment to clear his mind and once more present the facade of the unflappable Starfleet Admiral. Then he keyed the door chime and awaited permission to enter.

"Come on in," the warm voice of Commander Marlena Glenn could be heard as the door slid open to reveal the waiting area outside of the CinC's office. "You can go on through Admiral. He's expecting you." Glenn indicated a door just beyond her own desk, a glance through confirming what she had said.

"And no one can tell me why the simple act of accounting for all attendees of this shit show has not yet been completed?" the raised voice of Rear Admiral Joshua Whitford could be heard through the now open door. "I expect those officers accounted for yesterday. No, not yesterday, a week ago."

A quiet voice could be heard responding though it wasn't clear what was said, however, the response was clearly not to the Admiral's liking. "I know the incident was only three days ago. I was there for heaven's sake. Just get me my body count."

Richard smiled at the lady Commander, though he found himself wondering if that look shouldn't have contained sympathy. She had likely been hearing this for some time. But ultimately, it wasn't for him to react to, so he merely gave her the smile and a quiet, "Thank you," before moving past her desk and keying the door open -- she had said go on in. Entering, he moved far enough in to allow the door to close once more, but no farther. There, he waited patiently for the Admiral to finish his call.

The voice on the viewscreen came into clarity as the new arrival entered the space. "... our best sir," the Bolian on the screen was saying, expression pained. "This is still an evolving crime scene..."

The man behind the CinC's desk actually growled. "I've got another meeting. Get the job done," he ground out, smacking the console to close the channel before the man on the other line could answer. He turned, noticing Brannigan then and his expression shifted to something not dissimilar to an oily attempt at disarming. "Admiral Brannigan," Whitford quipped, hands spreading to either side. "Welcome. Shame you had to hear that. Sometimes folks need a bit of a fire lit to get the obvious done around here."

Richard noted the expression but let it go as the man was obviously stressed out -- and why wouldn't he be given the situation they all found themselves in -- and trying not to take it out on Richard. Instead, therefore, he simply addressed the words themselves. "I think that's likely the case in most large organizations, sir," he responded with a smile, trying to ease the tension in the room if only a tiny bit and if only for a moment. "If I'm interrupting, I can come back," he offered.

"Nah, you're fine," Whitford said, shaking his head. "Thanks for understanding." With a nod, he rose from the CinC's desk and made his way around it, moving instead to take a seat in one of the plush armchairs in the sitting area. The Starfleet Command seal sprawled beneath his outstretched legs, which he crossed to rest his feet on the carpet. "Have a seat, Admiral," he half offered, half ordered, gesturing to another of the chairs.

A sound from the side drew Whitford's attention away from Brannigan for a moment. It seemed Commander Glenn had opened the office door and was poking her head in, an expectant look on her face. "I'll have one of those green water bottles Chambers is always going on about. Admiral? Anything for you?" he asked, looking at Brannigan.

Richard had moved to another of the very comfortable-looking chairs and started to sit when he noticed Whitford's attention drift to the door. Turning, he noted the commander's presence and smiled kindly at her. At Whitford's question about whether he would like anything or not, Richard became contemplative for a second. "Chai Tea, please? Thank you."

"A water and a chai tea," Marlena nodded, flashing Brannigan a smile. "Can do," she said, withdrawing out of the office and letting the door close behind her.

"So," Whitford began again, lifting one leg to rest on the opposite knee, "How are you settling in? Got enough PADDs?" It was a joke, clearly -- the amount of PADDs at SFC could probably fill a shuttle bay -- but it was Whitford's way of trying to put the Admiral at ease.

Richard had offered a return smile to Marlena then chuckled softly at Whitford's joke. "More than enough, thank you. In fact, I think they breed when we aren't looking," he jested in return.

"You know," Whitford smirked back, "I think you may be right. But all joking aside, tell me about your onboarding. Getting up to speed well enough?" It was clear the Admiral wanted details on how Brannigan was diving into his department and getting everything straightened out. The look from Whitford wasn't hard, per se, but it did invite Brannigan to be forthcoming.

Richard thought about how best to answer Whitford's question, simply rolling with the subject change effortlessly. "Well, the person before me had things pretty well in hand and kept good notes, but there is still a lot of reading for me to do in order to be completely up to speed on what he had in the works," he admitted. He could see many nights of reading long into the night in his immediate future, and that was to say nothing of the situation which had exploded for all of Starfleet Command. He was sure that even his department would be involved at some point.

"I do have a question for you though, Sir?" he continued. "Starfleet has a lot of discarded projects that were never fully realized, and I feel that some of them might be worth giving a second look. I'd like permission to create a sub-division under R&D for this. Obviously, the current situation takes precedence, but I thought it worth bringing up." If permitted, he even had a name for it already. Special Projects.

At Brannigan's request, Whitford merely shrugged. "I sincerely doubt Fleet Admiral Sturnack would have an issue with that. Assuming, like you said," the man nodded, "that higher priority tasks are getting the lion's share of your focus. Knock yourself out," he half-grinned before Marlena signaled him from the door. He waved to signal his understanding and then turned back to Brannigan. "I'm afraid I've got to run to another meeting. Filling in for the Fleet Admiral has really been keeping me on my toes." Rising to a standing position, he held out his hand once again. "Congratulations on your new position. If you need anything, reach out to Commander Glenn," he jutted his chin to indicate Marlena, "and we'll get you sorted."

Richard was not the type who needed to be told twice. Standing with Whitford, he took the offered hand and gave it a firm shake. Thank you again, Admiral," he responded to the congratulations. To the rest, he added, "I'll be sure to remember that, sir." And with that, he turned and left the other admiral to his meetings, giving the beautiful Ms. Glenn a warm smile as he passed her. Richard had his own work to get back to as well, after all.

=/\= A joint-post by... =/\=

Rear Admiral Richard Brannigan
Director, Starfleet Research and Development
Starfleet Command

and

Rear Admiral Joshua Whitford
Deputy Commander-in-Chief
Starfleet Command