Internal Torture Chamber

Posted on 26 Nov 2017 @ 3:08am by Lieutenant Amaranai Franklin

747 words; about a 4 minute read

Amaranai lay in bed in her quarters on the Hathaway. The room wasn't large but it was nice enough and she didn't have a roommate, which was even better. Not that roommates were bad, she had dealt with them for the past several years, first at the Academy, and then her first few assignments. But sometimes the brunette just needed her privacy. That would change soon, though.

Looking at the monitor across the room, Amaranai saw the three messages, unopened, waiting for her. She didn't want to look at them. Not yet. Not ever?

Her time with Miraj filling out the applications had been a way to remind herself that she wanted to be in Starfleet despite the fact that her girlfriend was serving time in prison on Earth. But the past few days working with cadets also reminded Amaranai that her job was stressful. She looked at these cadets who were not much older than her sister and wondered about Charlotte's future and if she would rather not join Amaranai on a deep space mission.

Was that even a possibility?

Amaranai had already relied on Commander Nara for three years that it seemed almost an imposition to ask the woman to care for her sister further. Plus, the two were beginning to get along again and Amaranai didn't want to lose that. And Amaranai also knew that eventually her father would try to come back for the younger girl in an attempt to return her to the family fold. That was something that Amaranai would not let happen.

She looked at the monitor again, left on purposefully so she would eventually have to make up her mind to get out of bed and read the messages or ignore them completely. After ten more minutes of staring and not sleeping, she chose the first option.

Sliding out of the covers, Amaranai moved toward the monitor and looked at each message. One from the Saratoga. One from the Geronimo. And one from the Galileo. Which to open first? She pressed the message from Galileo.

***

Rejected.

***

Wait.

"That was it?" she said.

Amaranai looked at the message and even checked the computer to see if the message had been garbled or had lost data packs. Nothing. Just one word. Had they found out about her relationship with Lirha? Was she going to be punished because of Lirha's actions? She closed her eyes in an attempt to keep from crying and moved on to the message from the Geronimo.

***

Lieutenant Franklin. Unfortunately, though you possess many of the skills that we are currently looking for in a Chief Security / Tactical officer, we feel that you don't have enough experience to grant you a full promotion to Chief. However, we would like to offer you the position of Assistant Chief Security and Tactical, with the hope that a little more experience could put you in prime position to become Chief someday.

Sincerely, Captain Amadeus Howell

***

Another rejection. Well, not really, but it may as well have been since she would not have been promoted to Chief or full lieutenant. She was discouraged and despondent. Amaranai felt that her time on the Galileo and on Kreanus had made further attempts at career progression nearly impossible. As she had already read the first two messages, Amaranai reluctantly opened the final one.

***

Lieutenant Franklin, it is a pleasure to offer you a position as Chief Security and Tactical Officer aboard the Saratoga. This would also come with a promotion to full Lieutenant. Your qualifications speak for themselves and our inquiries to your references have proved valuable in learning about you as a person and an officer. Please contact us at your convenience to speak with our Captain regarding further details.

--Ensign Thea Black, Captain's Yeoman

***

Did she read that right? Amaranai looked at the message once again. They actually just offered the position outright. Without an interview. And with a promotion. There had to be a catch, though. No one would simply offer the position outright without even talking to the candidate. Despite the fact that she should be happy about the news, Amaranai was now suspicious and worried. Maybe there was some self-doubt thrown in as well, but whatever it was, Amaranai turned off the monitor and lay back down on her bed and instead of sleeping, which she didn't do a lot of anymore, Amaranai stared at the ceiling and wondered just what she was going to do.

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