Episode 29. A New Command

Rodriguez. Chen.

Good morning. Have a seat.

Let us begin without delay, if you do not mind.

I have read your reports carefully.

The Mercator's logs.

As well as all data related to your mission since last Monday's Russian attack.

Final assessment:

You brought back all the Alliance heads of state alive.

You lost seven members of your crew.

You scanned ten thousand seven hundred twenty-five refugees... of whom one hundred seventy-one did not survive.

Of those losses, one hundred fifty-eight people died during transport, out of a total of two hundred fifty-five dematerializations.

The other thirteen deaths were due to the extreme conditions aboard the vessel.

Given the circumstances... I take my hat off to both of you.

But.

There is a but.

Is there not, Rodriguez?

Exactly.

You know that using transporters on humans is strictly prohibited by our constitutions.

And that this offense is punishable... by capital punishment.

Commander Chen.

Please sit back down.

There are also other charges being brought against you, Rodriguez.

The President of the United States holds you personally responsible. She will do everything she can to obtain your conviction.

Do not get ahead of yourself, Rodriguez.

I have assigned you to the USS Enterprise.

And from now on, you are its captain.

It is very simple.

By coming here, you are now under my authority.

Our human resources are limited. And as you know, training senior officers is not done with a snap of the fingers.

There will be no court-martial.

There will certainly be debate. Discussions. Pressure.

But in the end, you are supported by all our officers.

To them, you are a hero.

Say nothing.

That will not stop the American President from attempting civil lawsuits.

But let us be honest: I strongly doubt they will succeed.

Here, nearly eleven thousand people owe you their lives.

And I have a hard time seeing how they would accept your conviction without protest.

On Earth, yes.

But here, we are an isolated community.

Everyone crosses paths. Everyone watches.

And under those conditions, believe me... everything eventually gets out.

Now, I am asking you.

Do you accept my offer?

Were you not following, Rodriguez?

I am talking about taking command of the Enterprise.

Not anymore.

All the senior officers had returned to Earth for their weekend leave.

None of them came back, for reasons you know perfectly well.

So I have to entrust the vessel to someone experienced. Immediately.

That is precisely why I am offering you the post again.

I have assigned Chen to you as first officer.

Perfectly.

Do not misunderstand me: I still consider Chen a hothead.

But the world has changed.

And today, we must all learn to adapt.

Stop grumbling, Chen.

I know perfectly well that you do not like me much.

When we are off duty, I will invite you to have a beer at the mess.

We can talk quietly. Like adults.

As you wish, Chen.

So, Rodriguez...

Do we have a deal for the Enterprise?

I am listening.

Granted, Rodriguez.

You are free to choose your officers.

Anything else?

The vessel is far too damaged to be repaired.

It will be dismantled. The parts that can still be used will be recycled.

Did you know its internal structure was broken in two?

In a hurry to leave me, Rodriguez?

I understand.

But stay a little longer.

We are not finished.