Posted Jan. 9, 2019, 10:18 a.m. by Lieutenant Faye Calloway (Mission Specialist) (Lindsay B)
Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Ready Room - Setting Up
Posted by Lieutenant Faye Calloway (Mission Specialist) in Ready Room - Setting Up
Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Ready Room - Setting Up
(snip)
Cochrane smiled. “I have no doubt, Lieutenant. And yes, you record is a bit… convoluted. But nothing in it would give me pause as to think you can’t be trusted, far from it.” and he rubbed his eyes for a moment and then looked back at her. “Look, I’m not trying to come in here and smack my… um.... hand… on the table.” he said catching himself from speaking in the informal and sometimes (mostly) vulgar manner of Klingons and most Security staff. “I am just trying to be clear with what I expect. To be honest, Lieutenant, up until a week ago? I was a Lieutenant Commander and an XO on the Ark Angel. I’m still trying to find my way around this.” and he thumbed the four pips on his collar. “I really did just want to talk to you as soon as possible so I could try and grasp what the hell is going on. The only thing more nerve racking than your first command? Your first command with a classified experiment being conducted on it by a person who really shouldn’t be a junior officer in the Science section… I read your file.” and then he shook his head in frustartion knowing that there were simply some things he wasn’t going to know, even though it was now his ship and his responsibility.
Calloway gazed at him deeply. If you only knew. “Hey, I get it. I’m still pretty new here too.” It did help that this was a more concrete assignment then she had had in awhile.
Looking up, he said “You want to know a secret?” and he leaned forward and stage-whispered conspiratorially to her. “I’ve been on this ship less than a day. The only reason I did all this?” and he pointed around the room at the sparse unpacking he had done. “Is so that by the time I pass out from exhaustion in trying to get my bearings I can say I actually got something accomplished today. Well, that and I have been chained to this desk getting all the Change of Command documentation done, so while it synched up and did it’s thing, I figured why waste the time.”
Leaning back, he said in a normal manner “I didn’t mean to imply that I don’t trust you or what you are doing. I’m just hypersensitive to unknowns on my ship. Enough of it is already unknown; this just adds to it. But it is what it is. And I meant what I said. I’ll stay out of your way, and I’ll make sure the rest of the crew does, too. Even if that means having a Security detail posted outside the door of your lab, or sealing off the passageway.” He stressed the word to make sure Faye knew that was how he saw the Computer Lab… at least for now. “All I ask is that if you feel something is wrong… tell me immediately. I’m a big proponent of going with your gut.” and he sighed heavily and waited for her to respond.
Cochrane, CO
“I haven’t managed to survive this long without trusting my instincts. Of that you can be sure. And I also think the security detail isn’t really necessary. I just lock the door when necessary. And probably have sharply worded conversations with anyone that tries to bypass that,” she said with a slight smirk. A part of her had relaxed and at least she felt like they were on the same page. It was good because the rest of her assignment was going to depend heavily on if this man trusted her or not. She might be playing the long game, but it had to be delicately. It wasn’t her strong suit, but she was a fast learner.
“Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?” Faye asked.
~Faye Calloway, Data Specialist
Cochrane nodded and visibly relaxed a bit. Leaning back, he said “Yeah, if you don’t mind. What are your impressions of the ship and the crew? You haven’t been here long, as you said, and I’d like a bit of an outsider’s view before I go meeting everyone.”
Cochrane, XO
Faye considered her words carefully and she almost smiled. Almost. “Surprisingly open. Now, I haven’t met everyone, of course, but I’ve met most of the senior staff by virtue of needing to establish resources and what not for my work. At the same time there has been an edge of suspicion that tends to fade to more curiosity, because as you noted, my work adds an element of uncertainty that is uncomfortable.”
She opened her mouth to speak again but closed it, letting her thoughts gather more clearly before she voiced them. “If I can offer you a piece of advice for this ship, don’t try too hard to be The Captain. They know it. And they will follow your lead, if you let them.”
~Faye Calloway, Data Specialist
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