An Interview with the old, the new and the. . . Cadet. By Rob Versteegt.
(Written with the help of Martin Miller.)
Hi dear readers of this excellent Tribune!
The change of Command within the Academy caused this Interviewer to seek out some information. And what better way to do that than with an interview? So here goes:
Interview with the new Academy Commandant, Admiral Anyanka.
Interviewer: "Admiral Anyanka. I think congratulations are in order?"
Admiral Anyanka: "Not really no, but thank you for asking me for an interview, I mean someone was going to have to be picked and just happened to be me.
It was not all that difficult, there were a few other good candidates beside me, and well I hope there was… I mean it wouldn’t be much fun if I found out I was the only one who applied for the job. Not that I wanted to compete with anyone for the job, but I suppose I had to run against someone."
Interviewer: "So, Academy Commandant Anyanka. That must be pretty exciting, doesn't it? A new title, a new job, new people to work with. . ."
Admiral Anyanka: "Well I maybe new to the job, but by no means the Academy, I was here when it was first built… hmmm, no that doesn’t sound right does it. What I mean to say I was here about 40 years ago, not an exact time, a lady never reveals her true age.
But I’ve been here a few years as an instructor and it seemed only natural that this would be my next step, I mean no offence too my predecessor he did a damn good job. I intend to exceed him and being the second female Admiral to command the Academy, one would say I have a lot to live up too. I do not see it that way, but as a new challenge, I don’t do all the hard work, I have to thank the Instructors for that as without them things would be hard here in the Academy.
I do intend to take some cadets under my wing at some stage, but I am still new to the job and there is all the meetings, and admin to be taken care of, organising training schedules and various other tasks. So we shall have to wait and see what the fortunes bring me."
Interviewer: "I bet it's difficult too. Admiral Baine has certainly made an impression on the Academy. How do you feel about filling his shoes?"
Admiral Anyanka: "Oh I don’t worry about it, besides my feet are not as big as his so I’d be lost if I tried to fill his shoes.
If I was to think about every second of my job of how he did it, or how well he has done it then I am afraid I wouldn’t get any work done, as I would be too worried what everyone would think of me. I am not the same person as Admiral Baine, so expect things to be done differently here at the Academy as if it wasn’t then things would get boring and people would be expecting so much of me.
This way I can do things my way and if people don’t like it then I am afraid I am not going to change my ways, as to speak from our not so distant past, ‘It is my way, or the highway.’
As I said, its my now my turn as the head of the Academy and I do intend to do things differently and I am not going to let Starfleet Officers dictate to me what I can and cannot do, I of course will dictate to them."
Interviewer: "We all know that every Academy Commandant had a different style. Admiral Karna for example, could change from being strict into being casual amongst cadets. Admiral Baine seemed to dislike talking to Cadets in his office, and preferred to go for a walk. What can you tell us about your style of commanding the Academy?"
Admiral Anyanka: "An interesting question, If I were on a Starship then my style would be very much different, my last command the USS Magellan I held with much respect and dignity so there for it came naturally to command with confidence and not such a sharp hard or barking orders just when necessary.
Its very much early days here at the Academy, the cadets are as fresh faced as I was when I was finally accepted. It feels the same almost now, I am doing something new and new horizons have opened too me. I hope you can understand I cannot answer this question fully as I do not yet understand how to approach the cadets. If I was to give an answer I would say this, I hope to bring myself to their level, treat them as an equal and as a friend as there will be plenty of time for the whole spit and polish appeal found on most Starfleet vessels. I am not overly fond of the idea of being in the ‘brass’ so to speak and looking down on everyone, as it’s not the way to be.
I will however keep my wits about me, and make sure they know if there was ever a problem they can come to me about it. I will have to apologise to you now, as I have given you too much of my time, as I have missed the start of a meeting and they will be waiting for me too attend.
Good day to you, and again thank you for asking me for an interview for the Federation Tribune."
Interview with a Cadet:
Interviewer: "Cadet, a few questions, if I may. Now that Admiral Baine is leaving, can you tell us what kind of an Academy Commandant he was?"
Cadet: "Oh I don’t know. Baine wasn’t a terrible Academy Commandant, but to say that he was excellent. . . well, that would be overstating his importance. I mean, sure, he liked to socialise with the Cadets: at times, he looked like a Cadet himself. Heh, I remember the time when he had surprised us with a New Year’s Eve celebration. Fireworks all around! That was a great time indeed."
Interviewer: "But I thought you just said that Baine wasn’t an excellent Academy Commandant. And yet you are telling me all kinds of possible things. What’s up with that?"
Cadet: "Well, you see, as a person he was great. Excellent, wonderful, loved by all. He socialised all the time, and we loved talking to him. But whenever he stepped back into his role as Academy Commandant, we still saw him as ‘just one of the guys’, at times. Not all the time of course, but still. . . that could be difficult. You always had to try to find out whether or not you should be polite to him, or just be yourself. It was. . . confusing, from time to time."
Interviewer: "Ah, I see. And what about this new Academy Commandant, Ms. Elizabeth Anyanka? What can you tell me about her?"
Cadet: "Pfff. Tough question. I don’t know, actually. I mean, she looks like an Academy Commandant, sitting at that desk, but. . . well, that’s about it. I haven’t talked to her, personally. I just don’t hope that she’ll be a by the book kind of Admiral. I mean, I don’t mind the casual atmosphere which exists here right now. It would be a shame if some new Academy Commandant would ruin such an atmosphere."
Interviewer: "Thank you Cadet. I’ll let you carry on with your studies."
Interview with departing Academy Commandant Robert Baine:
Interviewer: "Admiral, I think it's safe to say that the question on everyone's lips is. . . why?"
Baine: "That's a very good question. Allow me to try to explain. You see, being Academy Commandant was a great job. It allowed me to interact with various interesting people, command an institute which is the very beginning of Starfleet for most, if not all people, and of course, it allowed me to watch those people -both Cadets and Instructors- grow each day. I loved that part. What broke me up though, was the paperwork. And the time away from my wife. Life was too hectic for me. I always told the Cadets to live life to the maximum, since most of us only live once. And here I was, not following my own advise. When I realised that, I also knew that it was time to go."
Baine: "I'd be lying if I'd say that I didn't care. I'm still very fond of the Academy. However, I have personally chosen Admiral Anyanka from the list of candidates. I've talked to each and every one of the potential Academy Commandants, and there was something special about this woman. Plus of course the fact that she had plenty of experience as a Commanding Officer as well as an Instructor. I can easily say that the Academy is in perfect hands. I know for a fact that I won't have to worry about leaving this place behind. Things won't explode just because I'm not there. It took me a while to realise that of course, but when I did, it made going away so much easier. Well, relatively speaking of course. Saying goodbye to everyone was not easy at all."
Interviewer: "Yes, I've heard you were given a farewell reception, with all the Cadets and Instructors. What was that like?"
Baine: "It was an emotional event, to be sure. We laughed, cried, remembered. There were so many memories which I'm leaving behind now. So many wonderful people whom I most certain am going to miss. I'll try to keep in touch, but unfortunately I cannot keep in touch with every Cadet. Even though I'd love to. So it was mostly an evening of goodbyes. . . And when I left my office for one final time, I knew that it was over. The end of an era for me. The beginning of a next."
Interviewer: "Speaking of which, what are you going to do now that you're no longer on such a busy schedule?"
Baine: "I'm going to relax, of course! Spend time with Mrs. Baine. Talk to Starfleet to see what my next job will be. I hope, of course, that it has something to do with Science, and of course without all that annoying paperwork."
Interviewer: "Then I wish you a great time Admiral. Thank you for participating in this interview.
And there you have it folks. Some reactions to the news of Admiral Baine's departure from the Academy, and Admiral Anyanka's rise to power. What exactly this will have for effect on the Academy? Nobody knows. All we can do is watch, and wish the new Academy Commandant lots of luck. Looks like she's going to need it.
The Academy Commandant is gone.
Long live the Academy Commandant!
