Posted Jan. 14, 2021, 3:43 p.m. by Lieutenant Faye Calloway (Mission Specialist) (Lindsay B)
Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Side Sim - You Want The Good News Or The Bad News? - Tag Calloways
Posted by Lieutenant Faye Calloway (Mission Specialist) in Side Sim - You Want The Good News Or The Bad News? - Tag Calloways
(snip)
Faye’s head snapped in her mother’s direction and rather than be shocked, her eyes were filled with amusement. “Really?” she said with an unexpected laugh. “Fine. I’ll be good. Or… I’ll try at least.”
Shifting her attention back to Alex, Faye was sad, and thoughtful. “I get the situation is complicated, and the desire to keep me out trouble. But just be careful that in your efforts you don’t make the Manhattan itself a prison. I’ve been in far prettier prisons before. I know what they feel like.”
~Faye Calloway
Alex looked at her, his cocked to the side a moment. His expression was one of slight confusion, then amusement. “Lieutenant… the Manhattan will never be your prison. Not now, not ever. You are free to leave us at any time of your choosing. But you said once that this ship had come to feel like home, correct? Well, one has to do what one must to care and protect one’s home.... and all of those that live in it.” and he smiled at Faye a second.
That’s what she had been doing this entire time, hadn’t she? Wasn’t that what the over one thousand hours of work on the data security system represented? Faye didn’t want to go and that wasn’t what she was saying. Why was this so hard to explain. Faye’s gaze dropped to the top of his desk.
“You can’t have this ship be your home without this crew being your family. It just doesn’t work that way. And as family, we protect our own… even from themselves. But I will never keep you here unless you want to be here. Same as with anyone on this ship or any other under my command. If you ever feel like you are being made a prisoner… against your will, that is… just say the word and you won’t have to worry about that again. My promise to you.” It was evident that the ‘prison’ comment may have struck a nerve in the Captain.
Cochrane, CO
“I do want to be here!” she exclaimed, though her voice was barely above a whisper. Her shoulders slumped and she was just so tired all of a sudden.
Shara bit back a response that once again would not be helpful and reached a hand out to her daughter, resting it on her shoulder. Under different circumstances, Faye might have shrugged it off, but instead she leaned towards into the hand slightly.
“Faye… you’re exhausted. Still. We’ve received the update and for the moment we just have to trust that Blue is in good hands, okay?”
Closing her eyes, Faye nodded slowly. Back in the brig, it would be a moment like this where the buzzing would return and she’d have to fight to stay in the present. But that’s not what happened. She should have seen it coming but after all this time it seemed an unlikely occurrence.
Faye braced her hand on the desk and went to stand up to ask to be dismissed, but suddenly her head felt like it was on fire. She didn’t have the ability to speak, but her face was contorted in pain. Her eyes couldn’t see anything because her sight had been replaced by flashing images and rows of data much like her scrolling computer screens when she was working code. She lost her balance.
Wide-eyed, Shara reached out her arm to catch Faye as her daughter slumped back to her seat, all too familiar with what was happening. “Faye! It’s okay. It’s going to be okay. You need to breath though,” she said as she tried to keep Faye from falling out of her chair, despite her daughter’s inability to keep herself upright. “Help me get her to the floor!” she shouted over to Cochrane.
~The Calloways
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