From The Letter

Posted on Wed Dec 21st, 2011 @ 1:08pm by Captain Alexsa Kendrick

834 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Fishing
Location: Personal VIP Guest Quarters
Timeline: Twenty-Five minutes after "To The Letter"

From the outside, Kendrick almost appeared to be in a trance as she looked, reading the data currently on the computer monitor. She'd most recently been breezing through logs of various officers, mainly the senior staff, including a few personal logs that were not locked down when suddenly the screen froze, and the information would no longer scroll. A few seconds passed and the data on the screen disappeared. Alex narrowed her eyes slightly and touched the glossy black control only to hear error buzzes. "Computer, redisplay the last log viewed of Lieutenant Shepherd."

"Unable to comply," came the ever increasing monotonous reply of the computer.

"What about Crewman Birsi?"

"Unable to comply," repeated the computer.

"And why is that?" Alex asked matter-of-factly.

The computer didn't hesitate to answer, it's A-I not aware enough of any consequences, "The duty log of Crewman First Class Sessan Birsi is restricted."

"Restricted." Kendrick repeated in an extremely deadpan tone. It wasn't a word she was use to hearing in her profession, or her position. "Why? What is it restricted to?"

"Staff duty logs are restricted to ship board personnel with Beta One clearance."

It was as if the words were falling on deaf ears, as Alex couldn't quite believe what she was being told by an inanimate object with more logical fibre than a Vulcan. Her delicate features, save for her her scars crinkled slightly in disbelief. "Perhaps you aren't aware that I have Alpha One clearance and should be able to view any files I choose." Alex stated to which the computer fell silent, taking the last sentence as a rhetorical statement. If Alex didn't know better, she would have thought the computer shrugged its shoulders and attempted to look innocent. "Computer, display the last sensor report of Taylforth and its surrounds, include all bio..."

"Unable to comply," interrupted the disembodied computer voice. "sensor data for the Taylforthian sector is restricted."

"Let me guess, Beta One clearance."

"Correct."

Kendrick stood in disgust. It seemed that her rights to any shipboard information had just vanished into the vacuum of space. And the it suddenly dawned on her--the correct question to ask, "So tell me computer, what clearance do I supposedly have aboard this barge of the incompetent and insane?"

"Delta Two." came the reply with the computerised equivalent of a slap in the face.

"What the... so what you're basically saying to me is that my access is limited to data according to my specific duty functions?" Kendrick detailed incredulously, as she stepped away from the terminal knowing what her short fuse would give her permission to do. "No duty logs, no sensor data, and no location control? No nothing since I'm not permanently posted to the ship?"

"Correct." It was nice that the computer was agreeing with her, even though Alex in no way wanted to hear what it was saying as she stepped forward, grasped the computer tight enough to crack both the screen and the backing, and hurled it across her temporary quarters hard enough to insert a terminal base dent in the opposite wall. Barely noticing the damage, she whirled back and leant while grasping the wall mounted desk she was sitting at, and closed her eyes.

Control.

She was use to control, use to having it, use to employing it, and use to utilising it. Breathing slowly in and out, she attempted to control her actions, but her volatile emotions were continuing to bubble to the surface quicker and more efficiently than a raktajino when mixed with a piece of makapa bread. Alex couldn't stop it any more as she wrenched her torso up and back, the desk creaking and splintering from the wall as the fixings gave way. Letting go, the desk gave one final jolt and then fell to the floor as the last of the stembolts left a stembolt sized hole in the wall.

Shoving, or more throwing the chair onto its side, Alex brushed past it and walked to the window. There wasn't anything calming out there but it was one of the only things that seemed to be able to curb her destructive drives, her thoughts and anger-filled tendencies able to escape into the black void where no-one would, or should ever know. She stood there for a few minutes while she was able to quell her emotions enough to do something a little more productive. "Fine, you want it that way Shepherd, I have a few spare nails for your coffin too." she mumbled to no-one in particular.

"Kendrick to Lieutenant Shepherd and Captain Halliwell, meet me in the briefing room in five minutes, Kendrick out." Re-tapping her com badge to close the channel without even waiting for a response, Alex turned and glanced at the damage a beat before leaving the confines of her now half trashed quarters on her way to Deck 1 and the briefing room--like most of her meetings here on the Ranger, this was likely not going to be pretty.

 

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