Moving On.... Unexpectedly

Posted on Fri Oct 23rd, 2026 @ 6:45pm by Captain Bayre Lockwood & Lieutenant JG Anna "Elonat" Letchers

1,963 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: The Silence of Archanis
Location: Starbase 12
Timeline: 1/21/2267- 1500

Brad and Anna waited in silence as the lift brought them up to the station's command centre. There wasn't much for them to talk about; neither of them knew why Haldane called them, and Brad knew that Anna didn't really engage in speculation.

It didn't mean Anna wasn't curious.

The brunette stared at the turbolift door in front of them, her hands folded behind her back. It was bizarre for more than one of the medical staff to be summoned. It wasn't a staff briefing, because Brad generally knew about those and he was confused by the summons. Anna had formed a habit of listening to Haldane's tone whenever she heard the commodore's voice over comms to guess the reason for the call. From the most recent summons, it didn't sound like a staff meeting, but it also wasn't particularly urgent. Whatever it was was something the commodore felt inclined to include Anna in, which was what held her curiosity. Medical residents usually didn't catch this kind of attention.

The lift came to a stop. When the door opened, she stepped out and to the side so Brad could exit and she could follow.

There were those, though not in the hearing of the base commander, who called the Command Center 'the Big Top' primarily because of its circular construction. The nickname had confused many, having not had the experiences of a life on Earth or, failing that, a knowledge of history but one enterprising officer had explained the whole thing in vivid detail and thereafter, the name stuck. The center circle, the lowest point, held key stations concerned with monitoring day to day activities on the base. It was surrounded by a second ring, slightly higher in elevation, that held a number of support and monitoring stations which fed data into the center ring. The third, outermost ring, held the entrance of course as well as offices and a good-sized conference room. It was a hub of activity, a low hum of conversation, amid of sea of lit displays.

To get to the commodore, one had only to circle the outer ring and find the gatekeeper, one Chief Petty Officer Lark Denali, a diminutive ball of energy topping at 5'1" with a mass of dark brown curls pinned up on her head in some unfathomable fashion and, despite her sweet appearance, was frankly impossible to get past. Tiny or not, she would not be bullied or moved and was completely loyal to the commodore having followed her from post to post. She looked up as the pair approached, recognizing Brad from previous meetings. "Good morning, Commander," Lark said in a honeyed southern voice ill-suited to the shark she really was. "One moment, I'll let Commodore Haldane know that you're here."

Brad gave Lark a warm smile. He learned early on to not get on her bad side and that her loyalty to the commodore was fierce. "Thank you kindly."

Lark nodded and headed into the office to confer with the Commodore and then returned a few minutes later, gesturing toward the two of them. "The Commodore will see you now."

With a nod, Brad led the way, sensing Anna close behind. He'd been under Haldane for... well, since he'd been a Lieutenant. Being summoned to her office wasn't anything new, as she'd done it many times before. With one of his residents was. Normally he'd just send progress reports to her because she had a whole station to run. When he spotted her, he smiled, "morning, Commodore."

Commodore Margaret Haldane nodded pleasantly as Brad and his resident entered her office. Twenty years serving aboard starships had gifted her with an ability to face any situation with a remarkably calm visage; the term 'unflappable' had been bandied about though never within her hearing. "Lieutenant, if you would wait outside," she said, "Brad, have a seat." She gestured toward the chairs in front of her desk. Designed for brief conversations that did not invite one to sink into their depths, the chairs were similar to those that had graced her Ready Room aboard the Endeavour not too long ago.

She waited until he were seated before continuing. "I have a starship that will be leaving on an important mission soon. The physician that was to have joined the crew has been delayed for personal reasons so I'm looking for a replacement. My staff suggested Lieutenant Letchers for that role."

Anna hadn't gotten far beyond the threshold before Haldane addressed her. Brad watched her acknowledge with a simple "ma'am" before she stepped back out. He gave the commodore a slightly confused look but didn't question it, instead waiting for her to explain as he took a seat. When she did, the confusion waned and he nodded thoughtfully. "And you want to know if she's ready," he offered.

"Exactly," Haldane answered. "Its not without precedent for a doctor just out of training to take on the Chief's spot. I just need to know if she can handle the job." Her gaze met Brad's own, level and frank, as she continued. "There have been some ... questions ... about her personality quirks."

Brad's lips curled into a grin. "She is intriguing, isn't she?" He settled into the chair as he mentally reviewed what he'd observed. "What kind of questions?"

Haldane's expression tightened somewhat at the non-answer but her answer was readily given. "Can be a bit obsessive about unnecessary details for one. Any truth to that?"

With a steady intake of breath, Brad let his grin fade into something more reserved. He knew he didn't answer her question of whether Anna could handle the job. He was looking for anything he might have missed, and giving Haldane the floor to ask questions was the way to go from where he was seated. "It was true early on, but she has improved, especially over the last year."

"Its your assessment then that the Lieutenant can handle interactions with the Captain and First Officer without driving either of them crazy?" The commodore hesitated a moment, choosing her words, before continuing. "If she isn't ready, if she needs more time, I can find someone else with no damage to her prospects. I need an honest evaluation. Strong points and weak ones, Brad."

Brad slowly nodded as he thought for several long seconds. He was deciding the future of one of his residents, after all, and it wasn't something to consider out of whimsy. "Experience-wise, she's capable. She's learned and done more in her residency than most do in the same amount of time. It's probably the fastest I've seen someone progress. Eye of the beholder, but her Vulcan-like mannerisms can be either. She can remain calm and professional, even in emergencies, but she's also... to the point with her words. She doesn't sugarcoat. I don't think she'll be a pain to the captain or first officer, but I do believe it depends on how much they like Vulcans. At present, the area that needs the most improvement is her bedside manner, but that's the one thing I can't teach her. There's no curriculum on how to talk to a patient, because each one is different."

He paused again, taking in a slow and deep breath. "With all of that combined, I do think she's ready."

"Very well,' Haldane said. "Bring her in and I'll make the offer."

Brad grinned as he stood, his age producing a low grunt. "Forgive me for saying, Commodore, but you need better chairs," he said, straightening his jacket.

Haldane nodded, her face retaining the impassive look she had long ago perfected, and waited. Truth was, uncomfortable chairs meant guests got down to business and moved on. People weren't likely to overstay and with her workload, that was a blessing. The chairs stayed though she appreciated anyone who actually had the guts to say something about it.

The commodore was a busy woman, and Brad knew that, so he didn't dawdle as he went to the ready room door to bring Anna inside. He spoke quietly to Lark before he gestured into the room, and a second later he was accompanied by his resident.

While the two had conversed, Anna stood quietly to the side of the door, hands placed neatly behind her back. Discussion with Lark wasn't really necessary, as the woman had a job to do and Anna wasn't really one for small talk. Instead, she took the opportunity to simply watch the bridge operations. Her eyes tracked officers with no critical urgency as they moved between stations and conversed with each other. Almost all of them were Human, so she was watching their mannerisms, studying them. Then the door slid open and Brad asked Lark to let Anna in. With a slight inclination of the head, she entered the office for real. She knew Brad was behind her as she approached the desk and came to a stop just shy of the chairs. "Commodore," she greeted.

"Please, have a seat, Lieutenant," Haldane said. "This won't take long. You've been recommended for a posting aboard the USS Veritas as their Chief Medical Officer."

Anna sat down as requested, placing her hands neatly in her lap. While she had no idea what to expect, she was still surprised. Her eyebrows lifted beyond Vulcan-like tolerances, and she glanced to Brad who gave her a slight grin as he sat next to her. "I thought the plan was to eventually replace you."

Brad shrugged. "It was, but I think you will get more out of a posting on a starship than you will here. Besides, it's bad luck to be posted in the same place you did your residency." He gave her a wink, "all birds leave their nests eventually."

Haldane listened and then responded dryly, "Starfleet had its own plans apparently. Truth is, you lack the experience to run medical here on the starbase. We're a much larger facility and the work is vastly more complex than what you'll find on the Veritas. There may be other opportunities but this is the one available now. Are you interested?"

It was fairly common for Brad to make such idioms, and Anna had learned to just not question it. Her focus returned to the commodore, appreciating the honesty that might have sounded blunt to anyone else. "I concur, Commodore. A starship is the more practical first step after residency than a starbase. I am interested in this opportunity."

Haldane studied her for a moment and then, having come to some sort of a decision herself, said, "alright. You're to report to the USS Veritas within the next twenty-four hours. The commanding officer is Captain Lockwood. I"ll make sure your orders get sent ahead."

Anna gave another respectful nod. "Aye, Commodore." Attuned to the subtleties of a conversation ending, she prepared to depart but made no immediate motion toward the door, lest she wanted to leave a questionable final impression by not waiting for dismissal. "Thank you both, for the space and resources to complete my residency."

Several thoughts bubbled to the surface of Haldane's mind among them were questions about the wisdom of putting a less experienced officer in charge and the need to encourage more young officers to enter Starfleet Medical. The shortages in that field, and others, were well known. She hoped that Lockwood could forge a working relationship with Letchers and knew that, at least, was out of her hands. She said none of this, however, because the decision had been made and once made, it was time to move onto other things. And so, she nodded and said, "You're dismissed, Lieutenant."

---

Commodore Margaret Haldane
Commanding Officer
Starbase 12
(Written by Captain Bayre Lockwood)

and


Lieutenant JG Anna Letchers
Medical Officer
(Formerly) Starbase 12

 

RSS Feed