“You wanted to see me, chief?”  Lieutenant Elizabeth McKee stood at the door of her department head’s office.  

Lieutenant Greer Moore glanced up and gestured to the chair, “Close the door if you could.”  She watched her deputy chief’s eyes widen the implication.

Elizabeth sat down gingerly, “You’ve never asked me to close the door.”

Greer half-heartedly smiled, “I’ve put in a request for a sabbatical…and a transfer.”  She watched Greer’s eyes widen even more.  “You’re the first, aside from the captain, to know.”

“Why?”  It was the only thing McKee could think to say.

“In the last year, I’ve nearly lost my life twice.  Coming back from what happened in the engine room was hard…and you had a front-row seat.”  She tossed over a PADD, “In November of 2400, I was a deputy chief on the USS Mackenzie in the Delta Quadrant.  Devore tried to take the Mack…and, in the process, took me hostage to try and force the saucer separation process on the battle bridge.  They were brutal in their torture.  The pain was so much - my life flashed before my eyes.  I thought I was going to die.”

Elizabeth read over the details further, “This is horrifying.  I’m so sorry you had to go through this.”

Moore accepted the PADD back, a sad smile crossing her lips. “Well, I had hoped I wouldn’t go through it again. Once is a chance occurrence. Twice…I know when to take a hint. I know plenty of engineers out there who’d brush it aside and just…keep powering through, thinking their luck will hold.”  Tears appeared at the edges of her eyes. “Plenty of engineers whose luck ran out would loudly challenge that thinking.”  She brushed away the memories of friends who hadn’t returned or survived.  “It’s that feeling knowing that I couldn’t stay - my heart wouldn’t be in it.  I’ve seen and felt enough death in my lifetime…I’d like to avoid feeling that wound open again so soon.”  She pointed to McKee, “You’ve come back repeatedly, lieutenant.  You are the right person for this office.  I was, for a time.”

Her subordinate stared at her, “I’m not sure I am the right person for this office, Greer.  My dossier is a warp trail of dubious distinction and haphazard actions.  I don’t have any awards of substance…and my only positive notes in my file have come from you.”

Greer leaned forward, “Commander Katsumi would be livid with you if she were with us.” The sad smile returned, “Katsumi Okada was my first chief…and she was a force of nature.  Do you know why Commander Harris went and dragged her off Starbase Bravo?  He knew her worth and wouldn’t take no for an answer.  She didn’t think she was good enough.  Part of why she fought promotions and higher assignments was because she didn’t think she was qualified…or didn’t think she’d be able to handle the more responsibility that came with it.”  Tears threatened to return, “I miss her.  She was meant to be a chief engineer.”

McKee frowned, “You think I’m meant to be a chief engineer?”

“Ambrose Harris saw something in you. If you were worth his time, he worked to make you the best you could be. You’ve told me what he did for you. People don’t invest in worthless causes, Elizabeth. They invest because they believe in it and want it to succeed.”

“My first best destiny is to be a chief engineer?  I’m not sure I believe that.”

“Bringing in the Spock-isms. Clever.  You know I’ve got a weak spot for him.”  Greer lessened her smile, looked at her deputy chief, and spoke as directly as she could, “When Spock confronted Kirk then, he’d not given the idea much thought.  He’d taken the promotion to admiral because that’s what you did - you moved up and did what admirals did…but James Kirk was no admiral.  He was a cowboy who needed a horse.”

McKee groaned, “Heavy on the metaphors.  The horse was Enterprise, and the saddle was the command chair.  You’ve made your point.”

Greer replied, “Have I?  You have a mind for engineering, Elizabeth.  You have a love for it that doesn’t come from a book.  You want this ship to be the best she can with the best crew to run her.  You may not believe it now, but you have to admit somewhere in there is a small part of you agreeing with me.”

“A small part, maybe.”  She shook her head, “I understand your why, chief…but I don’t have to like it.”

“Well, you're first in what will probably be a long line.”  She looked to the soon-to-be Chief Engineer. "You are the right person for the office, Elizabeth McKee.  Treat her like a lady…and she’ll always get you home.”

McKee rolled her eyes, “You know I have a soft spot for the McCoy-isms - early, middle, and late-period quotes.  Damn you.”

Greer’s smile widened, wiping the sadness away, “You’re welcome, Chief.”