The Hubris of Commander Tarin

Posted on 01 Jul 2022 @ 4:39am by Commander Marisa Wyatt

562 words; about a 3 minute read

Marisa was pacing her quarters, still angry at the acting captain's turpitude. Okay, maybe that wasn't the right word, but in her current mood, the word fit.

"Computer, activate personal log, restrict it for my eyes only." She waited for the computer to chime its readiness, still pacing.

"Today, in my estimation, the acting captain reached a new low. Not only is she unwilling to accept that the crew had only four days of shore leave after a difficult and emotionally-draining six months where we lost far too many crew—not counting the half of the colonists we should have saved—she is unable to acknowledge that the ship was still undergoing repairs and is not running at full capacity.

"She is now doing a department-by-department evaluation to find any tiny flaws she can and order corrections in order to justify her existence, or some such nonsense."

Marisa paced her room again before continuing. "Today she came to science and told me that anything that wasn't considered essential research was to be abandoned until we get back to the starbase—if we even get back. I'm losing any faith I may have had in her ability to lead us effectively—which wasn't much after hearing her speech to the crew.

"On top of that, she went to Ensign Ullswater's lab—a woman who is highly skilled in her field—checked over the entire lab, then made some adjustments to her tricorder, and scanned every piece of equipment. Then she informed Sophie that some were off by .02 to .03. While it was within acceptable parameters, it wasn't good enough for her. Sophie has to take the rest of the day to correct the error."

Marisa ran a hand through her already-mussed hair. "I've taken Ullswater off the list for remedial damage control training for the next two days. She doesn't need that on top of everything else. I can't go to Blake with this because she was there and clearly isn't willing to say anything in defense of the crew. So, this, too, will go in my report for when we get back. And in the event I do not return, I've set up a program for all my encrypted logs to be sent to Luke Wyatt on the ship's return. If we do not, to be sent to any other Federation starship come in the event one comes looking for us. I want the record to show that the crew of the Galileo performed in an exemplary fashion in spite of the hubris of the acting captain.

"This mission has all the hallmarks of a Greek tragedy exacerbated by Tarin's inability to command effectively. Sometimes I wonder if she sees herself as a tragic hero. She's certainly sowing the seeds of her own destruction. I just hope she realizes it before it's too late."

She pushed the button to end the log and encrypt it. When that was done, she added it to her file. Yes, she was personally invested in her department and the other members of the ship, so she did have a bias, but there was more than enough evidence to show that Tarin was trying to prove to Starfleet that the crew was incompetent and she singlehandedly whipped them back into shape. Unfortunately, her EQ and her compassion—not to mention her narcissism—would continue to be her albatross.

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