Matters of Demotion and Reassignment

Posted on 11 Apr 2026 @ 5:00pm by Captain Harvey Geisler & Commander Madelina Barnes

2,916 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Acceleration
Location: Conference Room
Timeline: February 1, 2391 || 1200 hours

Harvey remained in the seat at the head of the table. In front of him was the velvet box presented to him by Admiral O'Connell. Harvey's right hand was on the table, close to the open box, and the digits slowly tapping on the tabletop while his brown eyes remained fixed on the four circles the box contained.

He never wanted, coveted, much less desired a flag rank. In fact, it was a small comfort that the current uniform style lacked the gold admiral trim so fondly used in the uniforms of the sixties and seventies. It meant that only those close to him could have recognized that he bore a Commodore's rank. For months now, he'd desired to be a simple Captain again. Now that privilege was here, and as liberating as it was, the primary emotion was defeat.

Perhaps that was because it had all unfolded around an audience. For all of the years he'd known Zachary O'Connell, Harvey had no problem attesting that this was one of the admiral's most cruel actions. It didn't matter that the Admiral performed this act in person and painted it as an act of kindness.

It was just fucking cruel, especially after everything they'd been through.

What would Joey say to all of this? Harvey imagined that his wife would go mad, probably even dress down the Admiral if she were in the same room and not allow rank or station to stand in her way.

Maddy shifted her weight quietly as she stood off to Harvey’s right, just far enough from the conference table to give him space but close enough that she could step in if he needed her. Her hands rested loosely behind her back, fingers laced, the posture meant to be neutral but unable to hide the tension running through her shoulders. She watched the slow, rhythmic tapping of his fingers—an outward sign of an inner storm she couldn’t read.

For a long moment she let the silence sit between them, watching as his gaze never left the velvet box. She swallowed, her voice soft when she finally spoke. “Are you okay?”

"Hmm?" Harvey asked, his eyes shooting upward to meet Maddy's. For those last few moments, he'd unfocused so much that he'd forgotten she was there. "No, I'm fine," he confessed.

Harvey leaned forward and picked up the box. "Honestly, I prefer being a captain. Boxed pips always lead to a desk, and I'd take retirement over giving up the center seat."

Maddy nodded slowly, the motion small but full of understanding. She eased into the chair at his right, settling carefully as though she didn’t want to disturb the fragile space he was in. Her hands came together on the table, fingers interlacing. “I get it,” she said quietly, eyes moving to the box. “I don't want the headache that comes with being chained to a desk. I probably should have been promoted and given my own ship by now, but I keep asking myself if I'm ready to take that on.” She let out a breath, not quite a sigh, more like an admission.

Her gaze softened, guilt flickering across her expression. “I’m sorry. Again.”

The freshly-restored Captain grunted, almost smirking at her expression. "And here I thought you were assigned to keep an eye on me."

At that moment, Harvey lifted his right hand to his breast to remove the single boxed pip from the large red shoulder yoke, only to reminded yet again that it was such an odd placement. "One thing you'll need to learn with these command uniforms is that you shouldn't be apologizing for things that aren't your fault."

“I’ve been in Command for a long time,” Maddy said, eyes on him rather than the pip he was wrestling with. “Long enough to know when something is just… wrong. So when I apologize, it’s not because I think I screwed up or anything.” Her fingers tightened briefly around each other. “It’s because you were wronged. And I hate that I had any part in the machinery that led to it.”

She exhaled, a quiet breath that carried more weight than sound. “And yes… I was brought in to keep an eye on you. A watchdog if that's what you want to call it.” Her mouth twisted, not quite a grimace, not quite a smile. “But after what I just watched? After the way O'Connell handled that?” She shook her head, searching for a word and coming up empty. “I don’t even know what to call it. Cruel doesn’t feel strong enough. Disrespectful doesn’t cover it. It was just—”

She stopped, letting the unfinished sentence hang between them, because nothing she could say would match the ugliness of the moment they’d both witnessed.

Her voice softened. “So no, I’m not apologizing for something that was my fault. I’m apologizing because I feel you deserved better than that.”

"I've known Zach a long time," Harvey explained. "He's a decent guy, but he's also decent at being a dick. He and I were roommates back at the Academy, so I know him very well. He probably had his reasons, but I do agree that he could have handled this one very differently."

The Captain sighed, looking up from the box and over to the seated redhead. "But, that's enough pity for me for now. You got handpicked for this assignment... to keep an eye on me. What exactly are you looking for?"

She let the question sit for a moment, her gaze drifting to the velvet box, then to Harvey’s hand still resting near it. She thought about everything she’d read in his file before arriving. Then everything she’d seen since stepping aboard the Black Hawk. And finally, everything she’d just witnessed in that room.

When she finally spoke, it was with a quiet steadiness.

“I had a checklist when I came aboard,” she admitted. “Not a literal one, but… you know. Things Command wanted me to watch for. Signs of instability. Signs of burnout. Signs that you weren’t necessarily ready to be back in the center chair.” Her fingers tightened together on the tabletop. “But after being here? After seeing your reaction to what just happened and how Commander di Pasquale came to your defense—I’m not sure any of those make sense anymore.”

Maddy glanced at him. “You’ve survived things most people never even read about outside of classified case studies. And your crew? They’re still here. Still loyal. Still willing to serve under you. That says more than any report ever could.”

Her voice softened, losing its formal edge. “So what am I looking for? Honestly… I’m still figuring that out. Because whatever Command thought they were sending me to find, I’m just not seeing it. Even in this short time. And after what O'Connell just pulled?” She shook her head, the disbelief still fresh. “I’m starting to think the problem isn’t you at all.”

The redhead let that hang for a beat before adding, more gently, “I’m here to observe, yes. But I’m also here to understand. And right now, Harvey… I’m trying to understand how someone goes through everything you’ve gone through and still shows up for their crew the way you do.”

He sat there for a moment, listening carefully to her statements and reasons. He wasn't at all surprised that she was here as a sort of plant, to report back on his true character and command culpability. It also pleased him that she found Zachary's antics inappropriate and misguided, but Harvey did have to remind himself that Zachary did everything for a reason. The Admiral had been under a microscope for the last couple of years, and the Black Hawk would make a great scapegoat for any negative changes in the Gamma Quadrant.

"Let me be clear, Commander," Harvey said, leaning forward while still holding the velvet box. "I know Starfleet is becoming more and more isolationist since Mars. They're looking for any excuse to reduce or remove our presence out here." He sighed and shrugged. "It doesn't excuse what he did, and it only further disillusions me on Starfleet and its current command structure. But there's still no better place to me, at least for a man who's found renewed purpose in life. I can't give up on what Starfleet always strove to be, especially before and just after the war."

Maddy took a breath, thinking of everything she’d read, everything the Black Hawk had endured just to still be flying. “Starfleet isn’t what it used to be. Not the version you and I signed up for. Not the version most of this crew still believes in. But the idea of it? The purpose behind it? That’s still worth fighting for. And I want that, too.”

Her gaze softened. “I didn’t come aboard looking to tear you down, Harvey. I came aboard because I wanted to understand what was really happening out here. And the more I see, the more I realize that the people who are actually living Starfleet’s values… are the ones out here on the edge. You. Your crew. The ones still trying to do the right thing even when Command makes it harder. I'm beginning to get a much better understanding on why your ship and crew have gone through so much now that I've had the opportunity to speak with you directly.”

She paused for a moment. “So yes. I want what you want. A Starfleet that remembers what it’s supposed to be. And if that means standing with the people who are still trying to uphold that? Then that’s where I want to be.”

For the first time, an expression that bore a passing resemblance or a smirk appeared on his face. "Well, Commander, meeting people like you still gives me hope." He set the box down right in front of him, right next to the boxed pip, and began to take the four circles out of the velvet container. One by one, he started to attach them to his breast. "And perhaps that's why you're really here. To keep the true flame of the Federation alive out here in the darkest reaches of space."

His visage was still downward as he applied the new rank insignia to his uniform. "But there's a difference between true ideals and what we have to do to survive out here, which I suppose the Admiral is coming from. Our security protocols are stricter than most, and those aren't going to change any time soon. I've done well in the past to ignore Commander Di Pasquale's advice and wisdom. Heeding it a lot earlier could have saved our skin earlier or lives altogether. Or at least better safeguarded us against trouble."

The Commander's expression softened into something thoughtful, almost introspective, as she listened to him. She let a few quiet seconds pass before speaking, weighing his words against everything she’d seen since stepping aboard the Black Hawk not all that long ago.

“You’re right,” she said finally, her voice low but steady. “There is a difference between ideals and survival. And out here… survival wins more often than any of us would like to admit.” Her fingers loosened slightly where they were clasped on the table, her posture easing as her thoughts settled into place. “But we’re still human, Harvey. All of us. We make mistakes. We misjudge. We overcorrect. It’s what we learn from those moments that matters.”

Maddy glanced toward the door, remembering di Pasquale’s earlier comments about the protocols, then back to Harvey again. “And from what I’ve seen? You have learned. I haven't had an opportunity to look over Commander di Pasquale's protocols yet, but I did have the opportunity to participate in one, and I can tell based on that they’re tighter, smarter and more deliberate.”

Her eyes moved to the pips on his chest, then back to him. “Captain or Commodore your crew trusts you. And you trusting your crew isn’t a weakness. It’s the thing that keeps this ship running as well as it does despite everything you've all been through. They’re capable. They’re loyal. And they’re here because they believe in you, even when you may not always believe in yourself.”

His weak smile found an ounce of strength, reinforced only with a small glimmer in his eyes. "Thank you, Commander," Harvey said, adjusting the pips on his uniform. "I appreciate your candor. Though I must say, I don't expect you to have to cheer me up all the time. This is certainly my most unusual way of meeting a new first officer."

What Harvey didn't say was that he hoped that it would be the last time he'd have to break in a new XO. The bar set for her was high thanks to some of his previous Commanders, including Walsh and Kos. Somehow, Harvey thought she wouldn't have any difficulty raising that bar.

"Any questions for me before you go settle in?" he asked Maddy.

Maddy’s expression warmed at his gratitude, and she gave a small, reassuring nod. “It’s no problem, Captain,” she said, her tone sincere. “And… honestly? I can only imagine it isn’t easy commanding a ship with the Black Hawk’s reputation. Everything this crew has been through, everything they’ve survived—it leaves a mark. On the ship, on the people, and especially on the one sitting in that center chair.”

She drew in a quiet breath. “But I’m up for the challenge. Serving as your Executive Officer… helping shoulder some of that responsibility… I’m ready for that. Even if this is, without question, the most unusual way I’ve ever met a new commanding officer.”

A faint, rueful smile tugged at her mouth before she took a moment to gather her thoughts. When she spoke again, her voice carried a thoughtful clarity. “Every CO runs their ship differently. Different expectations, different rhythms, different ways of leading. And I want to make sure I’m meeting whatever expectations you might have, not just what Command thinks they should be.” She turned slightly toward him. “So tell me, Captain… what exactly do you want to see from me?”

Harvey could not contain his sigh. Just a few minutes ago, he would have had a completely different answer to that question, and that was defer much of the day-to-day to the Commander while he focused on Task Group Belvedere. The left corner of his lip turned downward at the thought of Graham Holmes turning the last two years of Harvey's work on its side. Each CO just had to make their mark.

"Simple," Harvey answered a beat later. "I intend to run a tight ship, so I expect the same for you. That's not to mean that we shouldn't be lenient with the crew and forget that they are people with personalities and opinions. But we will brush against the unknown on a daily basis. Complacency is how people get hurt or killed."

“You’ll get that from me, Captain,” she said. “I can, and I will, live up to those expectations. A tight ship, a sharp crew, and no room for complacency… that’s a standard I believe in, too. And I’ll do my part to take some of that pressure off your shoulders so you don’t have to carry it alone.”

A stronger smile appeared on Harvey's face as he straightened in his chair. "Excellent. In that case, you should get your personal effects brought aboard and get settled. We have a couple of days before the next run, so that should be plenty of time."

Maddy rose from her chair with a small, understanding nod. “Of course, Captain,” she said. “My husband and I will get settled in before we get underway. A couple of days should be more than enough to get our feet under us.”

She paused, letting the moment breathe before adding, with quiet sincerity, “And if you need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m here, and I’m ready to step in wherever you need me.” And with that, she left the conference room to begin the process of getting settled in.

Harvey sat alone in the conference room for a minute, allowing himself to sit unwatched and unmonitored with his emotions. His damp eyes gazed out the window, past the planet below and into the vastness of space. Today had been cruel, even with the new opportunities and faces it brought in.

What hurt the most was the relationship he'd finally been building with Zachary O'Connell. At the end of the day, the Admiral was just that, an Admiral. Harvey did not want that responsibility, and he knew all too well that duty had to come first, especially in this nearly lawless frontier. The re-minted Captain scoffed, allowing that pain to sit once more.

And, when he was done wallowing with the pain, he stood up. The emotions remained, and Harvey knew there was only one thing to do next. He wiped away a tear, turned, and exited the room, bound for his quarters.

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