Posted Jan. 20, 2023, 12:50 p.m. by James Sinclair
Posted by Lieutenant Commander Faye Calloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Hammor / Calloway Quarters - Calls Home Are Odd When You Never Had One
Posted by Lieutenant Commander Daggum Hammor (Chief Operations Officer) in Hammor / Calloway Quarters - Calls Home Are Odd When You Never Had One
Posted by Lieutenant Commander Faye Calloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Hammor / Calloway Quarters - Calls Home Are Odd When You Never Had One
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻(snip)
An uneasiness wended its way through her. Yes, of course she had understood that in pursuing command she was allowing other people to make determinations about her character and abilities. As a lower ranking officer (and one who had gone out of her way to remain small and somewhat hidden) she hadn’t cared. But what people though of her mattered now. It shouldn’t, but it did. Her brain worked so fast that the thought of rapid-fire questions twisted her stomach. “Great,” she said. Faye was a great student- her near-eidetic memory in particular helped a lot. But on the spot Faye could be hit-or-miss. Then again she was pretty quick on her feet in a practical situation, and most emergencies didn’t faze her. Would that count in her favour if her brain got high-jacked and she said the wrong thing? Faye leaned back in her chair and tipped her gaze towards the ceiling. “Never thought I’d have anything to say to Admirals that didn’t involve a curse word.”
Tess, of course, wasn’t content to let her person stew and the fluffy feline jumped into her lap. Faye’s hand automatically moved to stroke her soft fur.
~Faye Calloway, CIO
=/\= Back it up, Calloway. =/\= Cochrane said with a chuckle. =/\=You aren’t there yet. The exams are no picnic. And after you get through those… which I’m sure you will… you’ll know how they think. The oral boards for you will be a breeze. =/\= and he laughed softly. =/\= And you don’t get to have that view of the Admiralty until you get your fourth pip. Another perk of the job. =/\= and he winked.
Fleet Captain Cochrane, CO, USS Manhattan
Faye cocked an eyebrow. “In what reality will these boards be a breeze. You know as well as I do that once words start coming out of my mouth when I’m stressed that anything can happen. And too bad, I’ve had that view of the Admirals since the Academy, so… bite me, Cochrane,” she said rather seriously, though there was a familiar gleam in her eyes.
~Faye Calloway, CIO
Alex laughed out loud and threw just head back. =/\= PERFECT! That is exactly the right attitude! =/\= and he laughed some more. =/\= And Im fairly certain there is only one man allowed to bite you now, Commander. And I don’t think he would take kindly to me trying. =/\= He took a deep breath and said =/\= Faye… you’re going to be fine. I know it. You are going to dazzle them with your brilliance, and probably piss them off more than little when they try to confuse you and they can’t. Trust me… you got this, Sister. =/\= and he smiled.
Fleet Captain Cochrane, CO, USS Manhattan
It was the first time he had used that word as a identifier in their conversations and it made Faye smile. Sister. Yeah, they were pretty much best friends who annoyed they hell out of each other on the regular. From what Faye knew from others, that was about as sibling-like as a person could get. “I suppose I could argue with you on that, but I do know that it would be pointless,” she said.
Bracing her elbows on the desk and lacing her fingers together, Faye was quiet and contemplative for a moment as she felt a tightness in her chest. “Alex… I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. I think I only just realized now talking to you that that is what the unease is right now. Everything in my life is good, amazing even. And it’s only got better in the last while, despite all the hard stuff, despite the changes, and going to Orion. But… if feels to good to be true. I know in my head that isn’t true, that I’ve paid my dues and earned some peace, but there’s this strange edge to everything, like something will jump out and cut my if I’m not careful.” This is how it had been since Dag re-entered her life- Alex and Daggum oscillated as to which one prompted the new understanding in her. It had been a wonderful moment when she had realized not only did she need both men in her life, but they both wanted to be there for their own unique reasons. So she could admit these things to Alex and know that it would prompt a conversation with Daggum after (who incidentally was likely hearing every part of this conversation and she never minded).
~Faye Calloway, CIO
Alex smiled and said =/\= Listen to me. One thing you have to get out of your head is that there is something waiting for you. There isn’t. Life isn’t set up like that. Life is a journey. We take roads and paths and trails as we choose; and those take us to different places. Some of them good… some not so much. But the only thing that remains constant is that we keep traveling. You have reached a good spot. You’ll reach bad ones… that’s a given. Especially in our line of work. Just live in your moment, Faye. Enjoy the good times and let the bad ones come as they will. We can’t stop them… but we can accept them and make the best of them when they come. =/\=
Cochrane, CO, USS Manhattan
For a moment it was like she was standing on a precipice, looking down at the skittering rocks her feet sent over, fully aware of the danger. All she had to do was take a step back. She inhaled a shaky breath. “I know… I do, but…” But. There were so many buts. But he didn’t have a treasure trove of information the enemy stashed in his brain waiting to one day be useful, or kill her (though she thought the later was increasingly unlikely the more time passed). Faye shook her head and gazed off, suddenly lost for the right words.
~Faye Calloway, CIO
Alex smiled. =/\= No, you don’t know. You are aware… but you haven’t internalized it. And that is wholly and completely normal, Faye. Circumstance has piled a lot on you in the past. It makes it hard to separate those times into individual moments. And we as humans seek patterns and balance in everything. Probably because we are so chaotic. We yearn for a balance. It’s just how we are. You see all the negatives you have had, and now you have a positive. So naturally, you think something has to balance that out… but it doesn’t. Life just is… and right now yours is amazing. So enjoy it, Faye. You are allowed to be happy. =/\=
Fleet Captain Alex Cochrane, CO, *USS Manhattan
If she were wanting balance she’d want more positives to balance out the negatives, and she did. She truly did. But maybe he was on to something, maybe she had to actually allow herself to be happy, just like she allowed herself to have relationships and build family. To accept love. She exhaled and nodded. “Stay tuned… we’ll see how it goes. But I guess i should go. My Mentor has ordered me to go to the holodeck, which is a bloody weird order to follow, but not the first weird one he’s given me, and I’d hate to think what he’d do if I disobeyed this particular order.”
~Faye Calloway, CIO
Alex chuckled. =/\= Oh, it would be most unpleasant, I can assure you.” he said with a grin. “Probably something like sober karaoke or poem recitations from the collected works of some obscure Pakled poet.” and he chuckled. “Go on, Commander. And enjoy your happiness. That’s an order, too. =/\= he said and smiled at her.
Fleet Captain Cochrane, CO, USS Manhattan
“Geez, pushy aren’t we with that extra pip?” she deadpanned. Faye snapped out a salute, which was almost always irreverent. “Yes, Sir, going now Sir.” Faye leaned in and studied him more seriously. “You’re allowed to be happy too, Alex. Don’t forget that in all natural chaos of running a ship in the Delta Quadrant. If it applies to me, if most definitely applies to you.”
~Faye Calloway, CIO
Alex smiled a rueful smile. “Geez, pushy ain’t we with that husband?” and a laughed softly. “I’ll keep it in mind. Take care, Faye. Don’t be a stranger.” and he waved and let comms close.
Cochrane, CO, USS Manhattan
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