“Why Did the Captain Choose Me?” (Backpost)

Posted on Wed Aug 26th, 2026 @ 8:41pm by Ensign Fiona McCarthy & Commander Alexander Espersen

1,066 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Die Hard: Chimera Edition (side posts)
Location: USS Chimera, XO Ready Room
Timeline: After “The Worst Love Triangle Ever”; before Orgrann arrival

Fiona went straight from from her quarters. She went from sickbay to her quarters to change. Fiona was told to report to the XO in his ready room. She was told to report to him today. She got the notification last night, right before she met up with Azrael. She needed clarity. Her emotions were already tighten, after her encounter with Kally and Azrael. She took a deep breath, before tapping on his intercom. She took a breath trying to compose herself.

Luckily for Fiona she knew the XO, he was a former professor of hers at the academy. She appreciated his course. She knew where she stands with him. And right now she needed that. She had no idea where she stood with the Captain,The Doctor and now Azrael.

With a voice command, the door to his office unlocked, and Alexander Espersen, formerly the instructor of Intro to Engineering, and now First Officer of the Chimera, stood from his seat behind his desk.

He remembered her. He remembered most of his former students to some degree or another. She had made an effort. She asked questions. Sometimes the questions were good, too. Others, not so much. ‘Put your hand down, Cadet’ had been something he’d said more than once. Though he could respect the attempt. And here she was. Exiled along with so many of the crew. It meant Command recognized her competence, which was a good start. A great start, even.

“Come in, Yeoman. Take a seat. It’s been a while.”

Fiona was a little surprised, that she was not allowed to report in properly. But she knew he better than to challenge him. He had a reputation for making the cadets cry during her academy days. And she had done all the crying she was going to for the foreseeable future. She made her way over to the chair and had a seat. She debated about what to say to his inquiry. "It has been a while sir." Was all she could think to say in the moment.

“Welcome aboard,” he told her. “I’m sorry we had to schedule your check-in with me so long after your arrival. It couldn’t be helped.” It was the truth; he’d spent the better part of the past three days in consultations with Deep Space 16, planning for the Chimera’s future. “Aside from an introduction, I have two main goals for this meeting. The first is to make sure we both understand your duties here. I’ve been serving under Captain Skyie for more than two years now. We’ve not had a Yeoman in that time, so if I’m to be responsible for your work, I need us to agree on what that work is.”

"So if I may ask, why did the Captain choose me?" Fiona asked, hoping he would not snap her head off for asking the question. She was surprised to hear him say, that for two years, the captain did not have a yeoman. She wondered, why that was? Did she try to sleep with them all, she wondered? Was it her wild personality. She was not certain, she hoped that the first officer would shed some light on it.

“That’s a good question,” he replied. “To start, you probably understand already that very few of us chose to be here specifically, or chose who was assigned to us. I’ve read your file; you understand why you were sent here. But that was for security. As for her choosing you to be her Yeoman…” He leaned back to think more on it. “I think it’s because of how incredibly organized you are. She needs someone to cut through her chaotic nature and install some sense of order to her workflows.” He smiled. “Honestly, that she saw the need and picked you says a lot. In the two years I’ve been here, she’d have needed to mature a lot as a Captain to see that she needed a Yeoman and to pick someone to fill the role.”

"That's reassuring. I was nervous she choose me because she thought I was cute in a bikini." Fiona said, hoping he would not ask any follow up questions about the bikini. She knew she had to change the topic quickly to avoid that topic all together. "I can help her get organized, and find structure. I will also provide her flexibility, given her unique structure, I want to set her up for success."

“You do that,” Alex said, “and you’ll have my gratitude. Our Captain is many things. She has many positive traits which make her a natural leader. Those who’ve been aboard more than a few weeks would follow her into the depths of Hell. But her weaknesses don’t line up exactly with the traditional shortcomings of a Captain. With you in the Yeoman role, those shortcomings won’t be quite so short.”

"Understood sir, do you have tips for me?" Fiona asked him, not afraid to ask for his professional opinion. She was a little surprise how calm and collected he was. She really did not know the first officer, had a gentler side. In the academy, she never saw this side of him.

“Be patient with her,” he suggested. “Expect playfulness, but know that she does understand that no means no. If you feel that lines are crossed, come to me. It may not have seemed it in the Academy, but I’m on your side, and I have your back. But really, I don’t think you’ll have any problems.”

Easy for him to say, she thought to herself. He wondered if the Captain tried getting down his pants on day one? "As her yeoman, I will learn how to be patient with her and learn to look the other way, when the situation calls for it." She said, hoping that addressed any concerns, he may have. The one thing that Fiona was not, was a snitch. She despised snitches. In her eyes, snitches get stitches.

“Very good,” Alex said. “Well that’s all I wanted to discuss, unless you had anything else?”

"No sir, but your information is invaluable. I will definitely utilize it." Fiona said.

The XO nodded. “Good to hear. Dismissed, Ensign. And again, welcome aboard.”

END

 

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