An Unwanted Promotion

Posted on Sun 3rd Feb, 2013 @ 4:47pm by Colonel Horatio Drake

950 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: http://sb109.sim-station.net/index.php/sim/missions/id/3
Location: Deck 27: Drake's Quarters
Timeline: MD-02: 1158 Hours

ON:

Drake had been sitting at his desk in his Quarters for the past three hours and had completed absolutely no work… he hadn’t even started any. Instead he simply sat there, sipping various cups of coffee and contemplating the events that had transpired over the past couple of weeks.

He knew that the kidnapping and torture of a Starfleet Officer and the failed negotiations that Protector was hosting were all very important subjects and more than worthy of some consideration… but the only thing he found himself considering was what Dr.Nyx had informed him of a few weeks ago after he had recovered from his little excursion on the Bretagne... that the pathogen that infected him, Graves and presumably the entire crew of the Bretagne, looked as though it had been engineered… that is to say is was man-made. For some strange reasons, the discovery in Section 49 Alpha had made this echo through him.

His thought processes were interrupted by the voice of his old friend Chief Winchester. “Ops to Drake” the thick Scottish accent came through the comm. System.

“Drake here, Chief.” He replied.

“Ashton, Starfleet Command are hailing... it’s your Uncle”.

‘My Uncle?’ He thought to himself... ‘he stopped all contact after the death of Patrick? He thought I was a nut-case when I was forced into taking compassionate leave... what the hell does he want?’

“Put him through, Chief”

Within seconds the standard Federation logo on his computer terminal was replaced with the relatively young looking face of his uncle. Despite being in his late fifties, he had very quickly gotten used to the more white-collar jobs that Starfleet had to offer… he wasn’t even sure he ever actually commanded a starship.

“Admiral” he kept it professional “what can I do for you?”

“Ashton!” he opened his arms out in a welcoming gesture “It’s fantastic to see you, how have you been?”

“How have I been?”Surely he was joking with him. “You’re not serious, surely? I haven’t heard from you in over a year... what do you want, Jonathan?”

If the truth be told, he couldn’t blame him for what he did. He was possibly more even more career minded than Ashton before the death of Patrick. He had seen his nephew as a star pupil and wanted to create a type of protégé… when Patrick died and Ashton went off the rails, to save face the only thing he could do was to sever contact with him. After all, many of the promotions he had received thus far were mainly due to his uncle.

A grave look of embarrassment took over Jonathan Drake’s face. “Listen, Ashton, I’m sorry about not speaking to you for so long... it’s just...”

Suddenly he thought of Paul... there was no need for Ashton to be angry at everyone and everything these days. “In fact, Jonathan, I understand... have you been well?” His tone was more than just calm, but also reassuring.

A smile was now evident on the Admirals’ face. “I have indeed, thank you. I’m contacting you today for two reasons... firstly, we’ve been having a bit of a shift up here at Command and the Asuran System is now falling under the Alpha-Three-One sector which, as you may know, is my remit so we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other. What’s more I intend to setup a temporary office on Protector to my visits to the sector, providing that’s alright with you?”

Despite knowing his politeness was an etiquette related thing, he still appreciated it. “Of course it is, let me know closer to the time and we can easily get something sorted.”

“Excellent.” He stopped and briefly looked down… Ashton could have sworn he saw a brief look of guilt.

“Secondly, Command has been very impressed with your performance so far on Protector… it seems that your presence is having an impact on a system-wide basis. As a result you’re hereby promoted to the rank of Colonel... well done, Ashton!”

“Admiral, this is very kind of you but I don’t want any more special treatment... “. He reverted back to formalities.

“No, no” Jonathan held up his hands in protest. “This is nothing to do with me, Ashton. This has literally come straight down from Command.”

“Er... right, well...” Drake was caught off-guard.

“Listen, I’ve got to go Ashton, I’ve got a rather busy schedule today… but we’ll talk soon regarding some minor sector changes I’m planning on introducing and well done again! Drake out”. With that the Admiral was replaced by the ever-looming, standard Federation logo.

Leaning back in his chair, he now had something else to contemplate. His Uncle as the Sector Admiral was certainly going have a big impact on things… more on a personal level, but nevertheless. Secondly, he considered why on earth Starfleet Command had seen fit to promote him to the rank of Colonel… even if his efforts so far had had impacts and were of note, they must be aware that normally he would surely only be a Major if all of his promotions had been based on merit alone... as they should have been.

He stood to collect another cup of coffee from the replicator. “Colonel Drake” he spoke out loud... “I suppose it does have a certain ring to it!” For the first time in a long time a genuine smile started forming on his face.... until the ever familiar feelings of guilt and remorse returned. He had one hour until the Senior Staff briefing, he decided to get there early.

OFF:

 

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