A/N:

This is a collection of short stories for Full Metal Panic! Yes, these seems to be the only kinds of FMP stories out there at the moment, and I wish I could contribute with something more, but so far, my attempts at writing more than drabbles for this fandom have failed miserably. So, in the end, I decided I'm just going to stick with the drabbles. At the moment, there aren't very many of them, but I hope to write some more in the future; however, I'll probably only write these when I have time and am bored, so updates will most likely not be very frequent. But still, any kind of feedback will be very much appreciated! (: Enjoy!

1. Captain

Teletha Testarossa, Captain of the Tuatha de Danaan, had from the beginning felt that she hadn't chosen her work and title, as much as her work and title had chosen her.

She was a Whispered, perhaps even one of the most powerful Whispered. She was intelligent, her brain and intellect superior to most people on this planet. And she was strong, her force and competence making her one of the most capable leaders in the organization.

But she would like to think that it wasn't her Whispered abilities, her intellect, or even her strength that had made her a perfect candidate for this position. She believed that what had had the biggest impact on her fitness to be Captain on the Tuatha de Danaan was her compassion, consideration and her belief in others.

Teletha Testarossa was well aware that though her commanding officers were pleased with her Whispered abilities, her intelligence, and skilled leadership, they were less happy with those other qualities. She knew that what she considered to be compassion and belief, they considered to be weakness and naiveté.

Still, Teletha Testarossa valued those traits in herself. She knew that it was her intelligence and strength that had gained her the respect of her crew, but it was her considerate nature that had gained her their trust. And on the battlefield, trust was much more important than respect. On the battlefield, trust was what made people fight to the bitter end for what they believed in.

Of course, this point of view was what often made people question her fitness to be Captain.

"Are you sure that you're a real Captain?" people would ask her.

"You know…" she would respond. "It hurts when people say that."

After all, Captain of the Tuatha de Danaan, Teletha Testarossa hadn't chosen her work and title. But her Whispered abilities, her intelligence, her strength, her compassion, and her belief in others had made her the perfect candidate for such a position. And so, her work and title had known to choose her.

A/N: Just a short story on Tessa's thoughts of her fitness to be Captain. Even if she does sometimes seem to be tired of her job, with all the strains, losses, and tragedies that come with it, I think that in the end, she really does believe that it's what she was meant to do with her life. Please review!