Commodore

Chapter 1: Commodore

"Ensign Johnson, if you do not get warp working I will have you off this ship before you can 'yes ma'am.'"

    "Yes-- yes Commodore, I'm working on it."

    Every officer aboard the USS ABSOLUTION was terrified of the Commodore. They were honored to serve in the fleet of ships she led, yes, because she was widely known as one of the best Commodores in Starfleet, but she was terrifying and brutal, and would not hesitate to punish an officer if they did something wrong. She wouldn't go as far as to fire the officer, but she'd often threaten it, and nobody knew how far she'd go.

    No one knew this, but the only reason she threatened to fire officers was because it made them work faster, and better. Her three and a half years as Captain and Commodore had shown her that threats were usually the best way to go if one was in a crisis, or at least a time-quenching situation. In two years she had been promoted from Commander to Captain to Commodore, so it wasn't her fault that she was cruel and emotionless; she had to be, to avoid someone taking her job. Starfleet wasn't supposed to be this mentally gruelling, but she had chosen it as her job, and she was going to do everything she could to keep it.

    That wasn't to say she wanted to be Commodore. She'd been much happier (though she rarely showed it) as Commander, even Captain. She had five ships under her care as Commodore, currently at five different parts of the galaxy, and although technically the ABSOLUTION was her ship, it was a lot of responsibility, and she was beginning to hate her job.

    Still, she wasn't going to show it. She didn't show anything these days.

    "Engineering to Commodore Zhi'Rev."

    Rev pulled herself out of her deep thoughts and pressed the button on the intercom.

    "Rev here."

    "I've got the warp factor working."

    "Good. Warp factor three, Lieutenant Myers. Let's get out of here."

    "Yes Commodore."

    Then, closing her eyes, Rev shook her head and pressed the intercom button again.

    "Ensign Johnson?"

    "Yes?" Her voice was shaking. She was terrified of Rev, everyone was. Rev, though she didn't like that very much due to the fact that it left her with no friends and no one who would approach her, didn't do anything to change their views on her. Now, however, she felt she needed to calm the terrified Ensign.

    "You're new, correct?"

    "Yes ma'am. I just transfered a week ago."

    Rev stared at the space before her for a few moments, studying the stars as they flashed by.

    "Good job, Ensign," she said after a moment, and clicked off the intercom. Rev noticed the stares she got from her bridge crew when she stood up, but she didn't show it. She was aware that she just praised an officer, something she rarely did, and sort of felt bad that she didn't do it more often.

    "Commander Kruse, you have the conn."

    "Yes, ma'am."

    Kruse had been a Lieutenant Commander on her first ship, the USS VALIANT, and was now her first officer, and was the only officer aboard who had seen her transition from Captain to Commodore, from happy to cruel. Even she was not sure exactly what had happened, but had seen and been through everything Rev had, and moderately understood why Rev acted the way she did. She still kept her distance from the Commodore, though. Who knew what Rev would do.