STF

Brig, Day 2- Disentanglement

Posted Nov. 23, 2020, 7:05 a.m. by Lieutenant Pretha Oberon (Security Officer / CRIT Leader) (Melissa Aragon)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Zef Rollo (Counselor) in Brig, Day 2- Disentanglement

Posted by Lieutenant Pretha Oberon (Security Officer / CRIT Leader) in Brig, Day 2- Disentanglement

Posted by Lieutenant Faye Calloway (Mission Specialist) in Brig, Day 2- Disentanglement
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

=/\=I am headed back to the brig, but there is one more think I wanted to share. After Faye shared certain things with me and I was going to leave to gather her things, I asked if she had any messages she would like me to pass on. There was only one and it was for you. She said “If things don’t go well for me today, do me a favour and tell my mom… thanks.”

Oh dear Gods, Calloway thought.

“I thought it was important for you to know that.”=/\=

She waited to hear what the Cmdr might say in response.

—Rollo, CNS

The moment Rollo had called her, she had been prepared for a variety of things. But that message from Faye was not one of them! Shara gazed up at the ceiling as if that might stop the tears from falling. But it was useless. How many years had they both been wandering? How many years had she wished she could create the perfect opportunity for a reunion? So far her presence had been not only shocking to her daughter, but potentially traumatizing simply because of the circumstances. Yet again circumstances were trying to tear things apart. But they had both managed to navigate their way forward before and she had this thread of hope running through her that they could do so once again.

Silence filled the comm and Shara wouldn’t have blamed the counsellor for wondering if she was still there. But she swallowed and exhaled slowly. Shara fought to keep her mind in the here and now, where the demons were not allowed to have their say. Not now. Not today. But Faye’s words lingered in the air and Shara realized the truth. She wasn’t ready to lose Faye. Not again. It would destroy her. It had been hard enough on Voyager when news travelled slow and inquiries were hard to make. But there had been that inevitable moment where she had had to give up on the idea that maybe Edward and Faye had survived. Then when they had returned home to the Alpha Quadrant and she had to figure out what to do with her life alone, only to miss the moment when Faye surfaced in the galaxy again and joined Starfleet. By then Shara was elsewhere and it would take several more years to find out that her daughter was indeed alive.

Zef stood by, silently. Letting the Cmdr process all that the message meant. From a daughter who had been through so much, to a Commander who had a reputation for strength and cunning in times of trial, the counselor knew the message was not a simple thing. She kept the channel open in case Shara wanted to pass a message of her own to Faye. She could hear the woman breathing, but no words were spoken.

She wished she could tell Faye that everything would be okay, but she couldn’t make that promise and neither could anyone else on the ship. But she believed in her daughter. She had watched her over the course of many months do what others might not have been able to. She had not just survived her time with the Tal Shiar, but she had resisted them. No matter what they did, how much pain they inflicted, and how close to the brink of death they had brought her, Faye had refused to let them claim her mind. Did Faye even realize that? She had been drugged and in pain so often that she knew her daughter’s memory was iffy, but did she know deep down that she had had the final laugh? If not, then Shara craved the moment when she could reassure Faye that she had seen that her beautiful, smart, and passionate daughter had never once broken. Ever.

It was the realization that there was nothing she could say back to that final message. If there was a ‘later’, then the things that had to be said would be far more than she could convey over the comm to a woman who really didn’t know her at all. Closing her eyes, Shara said, “Okay,” in a soft voice, still deeply moved by that one tiny word her daughter wanted to sum up as much as possible. Always, Baby Girl. Always.

~Commander Shara Calloway, Starfleet Intelligence

Finally, a response. In that one word, ‘okay’, there were volumes of emotions, promises and memories. The weight of the uncomplicated yet heavy communications between mother and daughter were so substantial, that Zef felt them weighing her own body down. She did not envy the next conversation Shara and Faye would have—especially if it had to be edited for others that might be around them at the time.

=/\=Cmdr, I need to get back to your daughter. What I’m carrying to her could be the difference between fighting for herself and just giving up. The old Faye was feisty, but the prisoner…? She’s walking a razor thin line and trying with everything she has not to give up. I’ll be in contact if I have any more news. Rollo, out=/\=

The counselor left Calloway’s quarters and made it back to the brig before Blue’s arrival. She put the items on Oberon’s desk to be scanned or searched, then stood outside Faye’s cell with her arms full and a small smile on her face. “I’ve brought the things you requested and thrown in a couple I thought might help.”

—Rollo, CNS

Pretha went over the objects with her eyes, then with the tricorder to be sure nothing was hidden within the pieces. She nodded and lead Zef back to the cell.

The glass containing the protein drink was empty and Faye had been sitting on the bench (still on the blanket) with her legs stretched out and feet crossed at the ankles. She had her pillow between her back and the wall. Turning her head to meet Zef’s gaze, Faye’s eyes held curiosity and determination. “Oh?” She wasn’t sure what the counsellor thought would be good under the circumstances but it would prove interesting. “Please tell me it’s something useful like Yridian Ale…”

~Faye Calloway, Prisoner Awaiting Her Fate

Rollo laughed as she took note of the empty glass and much improved demeanor or the prisoner. As soon as the active field dropped, Zef was through it and walked over to Faye. “Boots, as requested. I had the quartermaster whip this up.” She held out the black garment that resembled a uniform. Then slipped a hand into her pocket and opened it to reveal a lipstick and silver necklace. “These were on the vanity in your bathroom so I thought you might want them.”

—Rollo, CNS

As Zef stepped in, Pretha closed the forcefield once more and nodded with a reassuring smile to Faye. “I’m still here if you need anything.” She then went back to the desk and made a log of the items brought it. The uniform like clothing was a good idea and one she hadn’t thought of. The cut would be like a security blanket to the woman, without actually being the uniform they had taken from her.

Faye turned and stood, reaching out to take the lipstick first and then very carefully pick up he necklace by the pendant. She wiggled the lipstick. “I don’t wear make-up a lot but I like this shade. It’s half-way between a dark red and black and I always thought it made me look dangerous.” She flicked her gaze back Rollo as she set it on the little table. “You know, just in case my patented glare isn’t doing the trick.”

She gestured to the outfit. “How very black ops. Seems somehow appropriate,” Calloway said nonchalantly as she carefully undid the clasp and slipped the necklace around her neck.

Tucking the necklace underneath her shirt, even though she was about to change, Faye seemed quiet and introspective for a moment, placing her hand on her chest where the pendant lay. “Would you believe after all my experiences, this object is the most valuable possession I own? It was given to me by an elderly Romulan who taught me to meditate,” she said with a smirk, knowing the multitude of questions that might bring up.

“Well, that sounds like a story for another day. Since Blue is about to arrive I think I should make myself scarce. We don’t want him thinking you have too many allies on the ship before you decide to trust him with that information.”

Rollo gave Faye the once over. There were differences in the scientist from even an hour ago. Calloway seemed more focused and hopeful, more determined and in control of herself now. All of that gave Zef hope that the interview coming up would turn in her favor. She liked Faye and believed in her. The last thing she wanted was for the woman to be railroaded into a bad or worse situation.

~Faye Calloway, Prisoner Awaiting Her Fate

Pretha
Sec / CRIT Ldr

—Rollo, CNS

About that time, Pretha noticed the time. “Counselor, I have to ask you to wrap it up. The Captain will be calling for her shortly and want her to rest a bit and catch her breath before that.” The warning was a polite one and marked with a smile. She didn’t want to have to chase out the CNS if she didn’t have to. But Faye was going to need to calm and think before the Captain showed up. Whatever the two of them were discussing probably wasn’t conducive to that frame of mind.

Pretha
CRIT


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