=Starfleet Command=
=San Francisco, Earth=
Following Rick's release from Dehner Institute, he and Mai were
invited to stay at Trent and Sarah's home in San Jose. Rick, though,
wanted to be alone with Mai and Rachel so they got their own place
overlooking the San Francisco Bay with a grand view of the Golden
Gate Bridge.
Now, Rick was sitting in front of a board of Starfleet brass, trying to
decide if he was capable of returning to work. He was wearing his
uniform for the first time since that day on UNITY.
"Commander Rodgers, as you know, you have been cleared by Doctor
Montalban medically to return to duty. It is up to this board to decide
if you're fit mentally in accordance to Starfleet regulations," the head
of the panel, a rear admiral stated. "During the past few days, you
have been given a number of tests to determine your mental capacity."
The five person panel (a rear admiral, a commodore, two captains and
a commander sat on one end of the room, while Rick sat alone on the
other. He was grateful for the table in front of him as his hands
shuttered under the table, out of eyesight of the panel.
"The results of those tests, given by Admiral LaForge's staff, show that
your knowledge of engineering is in the top percentile of all officers in
Starfleet. Your understanding of basic Starfleet skills are of that of an
officer of your experience," the admiral explained.
Rick allowed a soft sigh, even though his hands still trembled.
"Even so, your verbal exam was not on par to Starfleet standards,"
the admiral continued. "Dr. Montalban explained that this would be
the case, so we lowered the emphasis on the oral exam and allowed
it to be retaken as part of the written exam, which you excelled. So,
it if the decision of this panel to allow you to return to active duty
effective this date."
"Thank you, sir," Rick said.
"While you are able to return to duty, it is also the decision of this
panel that you are, at this time, unable to hold the position of a
department head or higher," the admiral said.
"May ... may I ask why?" Rick carefully asked.
"To run a department, you have to have the ability to give clear
and concise orders. Your verbal tests show that you are unable to do
this," the admiral said. "While you may know what needs to be done
in any situation, being able to explain that to those under your
command, without question, is critical to running a department."
Rick closed his eyes and nodded. As long as he was able to return
to duty, he didn't care if he was in charge of anything or not.
"You will be able to retain the rank of commander which you have
earned through your years of service to Starfleet and the
Federation," the admiral said. "Do you have any questions,
Commander Rodgers?"
Rick shook his head, "No, sir."
"Then I declare this board of inquiry adjourned," the admiral said.
"Welcome back, commander."
"Thank you, sir," Rick said as the board members stood and walked
out of the room. Rick remained seated.
He allowed a smile to cross his face.
Commander Rick Rodgers
Engineering Officer
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