Breakfast of Champions

Posted on 14 Mar 2018 @ 10:35pm by Captain Harvey Geisler & Lieutenant JG Felix Langston

1,927 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Crossing Over
Location: Captain's Mess
Timeline: MD2 || 0700 hours (backpost)

Lt. Felix Langston's alarm clock blared wildly as he sat up. Bleary-eyed, he took a swing at the clock on the nightstand and clobbered it in one swoop. The clock tumbled from the night stand to the floor. Felix rubbed his face and turned to place his feet on the floor.

"Um, computer," Felix said through a raspy voice, "Lights, please."

Immediately the lights brightly illuminated the cabin. Felix winced as the light entered his eyes. "Computer, easy does it." The computer chirped affirmative and the lights dimmed slightly. "That's a bit better," Felix said while standing up. He made his way to the dresser and pulled out a crisp jacket and pair of pants. He quickly changed and looked at himself in the mirror. He checked his hair, making sure it wasn't messier than normal. He took his watch from atop the dresser and made his way outside his quarters.

* * *

Captain Geisler had already arrived in the Captain's Mess, waiting to consume his vegetable omelet and mug of darjeeling. Though he'd still tried to sneak in a cup of coffee on occasion, for the sake of his pregnant wife, he kept trying other forms of caffiene in hopes to find a suitable substitute. His first thought, raktajino, was an instant failure, forcing him to try alternatives, ranging from Bequino sylag to Terran black teas and chais. Earl Gray, expected to be a favorite, was found to be extremely lacking. So far, this darjeeling seemed promising, but it lacked the sweet smoky texture of the roasted bean.

While his breakfast began to grow cold, Harvey reviewed the day's duty roster on his PADD and began to mentally prepare himself for his later inspection.

* * *

Felix made his way down the corridor to the Captain's Mess, reminding himself to breathe slowly on the way there. He had no idea why the captain wanted to have breakfast and why he should have this great privilege. Upon arriving at the door, he pressed the chime on the outside and waited to be called in.

Harvey looked up from his PADD, hopeful that his appointment had arrived at last. "Come!" he called out, wondering for a brief second if his yeoman had come looking for him.

Felix entered the Captain's Mess and came directly up to the table where the captain sat. "Good morning, sir," he said. "I hope I haven't kept you waiting for too long." Felix winced as he saw no steam or visible signs of heat rising from the captain's breakfast.

Harvey merely responded with a weak smile and gestured for the lieutenant to have a seat. Meanwhile, the chef, having seen the pilot enter the mess, arrived with the Lieutenant's breakfast. "You know," Harvey remarked, "I never did get the chance to compliment you on how well you handled the Ferengi, Dosi, and Rakhari back at Finnea Prime."

"Oh, wow, thank you, sir!" Felix said as he sat down. "I'm honored that you chose to hand over the bridge to me. I haven't had an opportunity like that since my days in Red Squadron." He smiled at the chef who immediately brought out a plate of Eggs Benedict with a side of bacon and fried potatoes. "This looks delicious!" he said as he immediately started eating.

In between bites, he tried to speak to the captain. "Before I ask why you picked me and asked me to be here," he said, "I have to apologize for not asking how you are first. How are things with you, if you'll permit me asking?"

"Things are well," replied Harvey, having started at last on his omelet. "There isn't much I can do at this point besides wait for sound theories on entering this Convergence Zone. Aside from your hunger, how are things with you?"

"Things are going pretty well for me as well," Felix said. "I think I'm finally getting used not only to the new Black Hawk, but also to the realities of being a department head." He took another bite of the Eggs Benedict on his plate and then dabbed a nearby napkin to his mouth. "Sorry for digging straight in, I get really hungry in the mornings."

Harvey's dormant doctor side considered making a comment or two about eating habits. The same doctor side calmed itself down, knowing he didn't have access to a medical history or charts to provide details of Felix's metabolism. He, therefore, brushed all of that aside. "Life is certainly a bit different when you're not looking over your shoulder every second. It allows you to focus on people now, not just the mission."

"Yes sir," Felix said, "and there are certainly a lot of people in the Flight department now, as I've found out while starting our personnel evaluations. There wasn't this much paperwork when I was just a helmsman."

"Thankfully, the department isn't as big as engineering or science," Harvey observed. "Between that and studying what we know of the Zone, I imagine you have your hands quite full."

"Yes sir," Felix said. "Somehow when Dad was telling stories about his time as a department head, he always left out the parts about all the admin that went with it." He shoveled in another bite of food, trying his best to find the balance between gorging himself and maintaining decorum in front of his commanding officer.

Felix dabbed his mouth with a nearby napkin. "I really do have to ask, though, why did you choose me to sit in The Chair during the situation on Finnea Prime?" he inquired.

"You don't plan to stay behind the helm forever do you?" Harvey answered the pilot's question with a question of his own. The Captain did have a real answer to the question, but would hold it secret for now.

The captain's question hit Felix square in the stomach. He weakly smiled, a sign of the flyboy charm that was hard to exorcise from even the most senior of flight controllers, helmsmen, and fighter pilots. "Well, sir," Felix said, "to be honest, flying a ship is natural to me, but it's not what I want to do forever. My Dad and Grandma Etta set some pretty high expectations for me, and I'd like to achieve them one day." He shifted in his seat and sighed a little. "I guess I've always wanted my own command some day, but I always thought that was something far off, something that I would do when I was old." He paused, realizing his verbal mistake. "Um, no offense," he quickly backspaced. "You'll have to excuse me, I've never verbalized that to anyone before."

"None taken," Harvey quickly replied. "The command chair was nothing I ever sought. In fact, before wearing the red uniform, I was a medical researcher. I loved to tear a virus apart and figure out how to kill it. I thought command would not bring me the same satisfaction, but after nearly a year at the conn, I'm happy to say I was wrong. Still, you won't get to that chair when you're old without a bit of experience. A few weeks ago, at the beginning of the crisis, we were stretched thin. I have to know that I can count of my crew, especially when they're placed into uncomfortable and different positions."

Felix smiled. "That certainly was a different position," he said. "The Academy doesn't really have any specific classes for brokering peace treaties." He took another bite from the food on his plate. "I'm really grateful for the opportunity, Captain, I hope I've been living up to your standards."

Harvey nodded. "If there's one thing I've learned about Command, it's that it can't be taught. It has to be learned. Which is why normally, it takes years for someone to get a starship. But, as someone rises in the ranks, even without the burden of command, much is expected to be able to lead the other individuals under them. Bureaucracy is just part of becoming a Lieutenant Junior Grade or above."

Felix nodded in return, taking a minute to dab his face with the nearby napkin. "You know, Dad said nearly the same thing when he was giving a lecture at the Academy," he said. "He always said, 'No one's ever truly ready for the chair until they sit in it. One can read all the books about it, but experiencing it is something else entirely. I also don't know why, but he loves the administrative side of command."

Felix took another bite of the food on his plate. "This is absolutely tremendous," he said. "Thanks again for the breakfast."

"You are welcome," Harvey said, continuing to eat as well. He was grateful that the meeting had been revealing as it was. But, as he consumed his breakfast, he'd hoped Lieutenant Langston would provide the next course of the conversation.

"If you don't mind me asking, sir," Felix said tentatively, reading the captain's expression. "When did you know you were ready for the chair?"

Harvey considered his answer for a moment while enjoying a bite of his meal. "I can't say I really knew I was ready," he replied at last. "Ever since... since the war, I lost my drive for medicine. Retirement wasn't an option, simply because I wouldn't know what to do. Command, however, just came more naturally than I thought."

"I certainly hope it doesn't take a war to have me take up my own command," Felix said. "Dad always spoke of how he'd hoped I would never have to witness something like that." Felix heaved gentle sigh. "I just hope I know what to do when the time actually comes."

"Honestly, I prefer alternatives to war," Harvey said, setting down his fork and leaning back in his chair for a moment. "Nowhere in Starfleet's mantra are we told part of our job is conflict or conquering. Everywhere the Federation travels, we do so in the name of peace and freedom. It is a difficult challenge, going to each new corner of the galaxy and not wanting to whip out the phasers at every turn. What you did a few weeks ago, keeping everyone from shooting at each other, that was a better act than what I was forced to do with the Starbase a day later. My decisions cost lives. Yours did not. When your time comes, I think you'll do just fine."

Felix beamed with a smile. "Thanks, Captain," he said sincerely, "coming from you that means a great deal." He mirrored the captain's action of leaning back in his chair. "I'm sorry about what happened at the Starbase," he added, "that couldn't've been an easy call to make."

"It's not the worst call I've made," Harvey mused, recalling the fatal day a couple months prior. Making the decision to leave auxiliary control during the battle with the Consortium to deal with an internal struggle was the worst decision he ever made. To this day, part of him thought if he'd remained on the bridge, the Akira would have never received her fatal wound. It was, perhaps, foolish thinking, but it was how he felt. "And I hope I never make a call worse than my biggest regret. Such are the things we do to strive to do better than the day before."

Finishing his breakfast, Harvey rose from his chair. "That's what makes us human, and that's what keeps us going every day. Keep up the good work, Lieutenant." Patting the man on the shoulder, Harvey left the room, ready to start the day.

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