Subject: Grail: Great Brightness: More Questions (Brinn)

<<Stardate: 47307.31>>

<<Corridor Deck 12>>

Athalya Anne took a deep breath and looked at the man asking her to

'accept him'. *Don't you be no Marine!* Birgit Brinn, then Lieutenant

Major, was screaming at Athalya Anne. *The Corps'll eat you 'live!*

Quite obviously, Athalya Anne hadn't listened. And even more obviously,

the Corps did eat Athalya Anne alive. And now, she was looking at a way

out. Maybe if she was lucky, Verde down in 10-Foreward would let her

sit in a corner and play the guitar. Or she could learn how to play the

piano. Or she could take up the Tholian language. Or she could brush

up on the trombone. How long had it been since she had played the

trombone? *At least a decade...*

Staring at the silver pips, Athalya Anne knew it was time to leave.

This was like when they wanted her to take the admiralcy and chain her

to a desk. There was only one logical thing to do and that was to stand

by her decision. Otherwise, she'd wind up going to hell in a

handbasket. Still, there was one thing that was annoying her.

"Look, Cap," Athalya Anne had taken to calling him by the abbreviation

of his title ever since their last physical fight, "There's one thing I

just don't understand: one minuet you're telling me that I'm not fit to

wipe your boots with my tounge and the next you're begging me to come

back? I'm sorry. Something's not kosher here. Either I'm the worst

danmded XO or you're so hard up for an exec that you can't live with out

me, which, coincidentaly you're not. There are several others on your

bridge or in that freezer who could easily replace me, or I'm

acceptable. Frankly, sir, I have a problem with being told all that in

about ten minuets. So, sir, whether or not I accept you is

illrelevant. I have no choice in the matter. The questions here are:

do you accept me? Do you agree to respect me? Do you agree to keep me

informed? And, most importantly, do you agree to abide by the laws of

the United Federation of Planets?" Athalya Anne stood there, glanced at

her pips and then walked out. "Think about it and get back to me."

LMaj Athalya Anne Brinn