Posted by Lieutenant Commander Renveer (Executive Officer) in Side Sim: Me, Mysymbiont, and I - Guest Lounge (Open to all)

Posted by Captain Molly Holloway (Commanding Officer) in Side Sim: Me, Mysymbiont, and I - Guest Lounge (Open to all)

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Issac Forgrave (Chief of Security) in Side Sim: Me, Mysymbiont, and I - Guest Lounge (Open to all)
Posted by… suppressed (8) by the Post Ghost! 👻
(Snip)
The call came as a surprise. An issue of internal security? Molly’s hand flew to her commbadge as fast as she could, and her short reply came shortly afterwards. =/\= I’m on my way. =/\=

It didn’t take long for Holloway to walk in the conference room, holding a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. Given how fast she seemed to have been walking, it was astounding that the hot liquid hadn’t spilled over.

Molly didn’t immediately sit down. Instead she stopped just enough away from the doors to allow them to close and stood there. Her gaze jumping through each of the three occupants in the room, finally settling on Renveer. She wasn’t angry, but rather surprised. And Molly Holloway didn’t like surprises. Especially when three of the ship’s senior officers were involved and the words ‘internal security’ had been mentioned.

Finally, after taking a sip of her coffee, she asked in a nonchalant tone, which those familiar with Molly would know, it was not always a good sign. “Anyone care to update me on what is going on?”

Holloway, CO

Renveer felt his stomach drop as Molly stood in the doorway. He considered the captain to be a friend, but despite their many conversations, Renveer had remained rather tight-lipped and private about his personal life. It was only when she entered the room that Renveer realized that summoning her to participate in this conversation would change that entirely.

The trill man gulped subconsciously before extending a hand to invite Captain Holloway to join them at the conference room table. “We have a visitor aboard who’s been acting… irregularly.” Renveer couldn’t fight the urge to downplay the situation. “His name is Dr. Cyon Cet, and he’s a researcher at the Trill Science Ministry. He apparently traveled to Earth to speak with me in person, though my understanding is that he just wanted to… bury the hatchet. I guess that was a false pretense. He’s really here because he believes that the Cet symbiont should be removed from himself and placed inside me.” Renveer had no desire to go into why Cet might request this of him specifically.

Molly had intended to stay standing near the door, if anything to let the officers present know that she didn’t intend on staying long. However, as Renveer revealed a much more personal subject than what she had expected, her expression shifted to a warmer one and she found herself moving away from the entrance, and settling down on a vacant chair. There was a hint of worry behind her gaze. Taking another sip of her coffee, she let her First Officer continue.

“Dr. Cet is in distress, having told medical officers that his life is miserable with the symbiont, and that he feels like an embarrassment since he has not, in his opinion, lived up to the level of greatness many who are joined achieve.” Renveer sighed through his nose. “I care about Dr. Cet’s safety, and honestly I’m not quite sure what his next course of action would be if we simply ejected him from the ship. He may harm himself, the symbiont, or both.” Renveer straightened in his chair slightly. He considered this situation to e his responsibility, though exactly why was not clear to the others. “But contacting the Symbiosis Commission threatens to make Dr. Cet spiral further, as ideation of this kind is… extremely taboo.”

(Lt. Cmdr. Renveer, XO)

Holloway would never understand Trill culture. Somehow, choosing another being to live inside of oneself was not exactly a concept she found particularly enticing. But even though she couldn’t wrap her mind around the why, she needed to respect the fact that other cultures behaved differently than her own, and she would strive to make sure whatever was happening between Renveer and this Cyon Cet person would be treated with the utmost care.

Taking some time to ponder, Molly took another sip from her mug after Renveer finished his account of the situation. They had never spoken about the fact that he was not joined with a symbiont, and Holloway was perfectly fine with respecting his silence. She was quite the private person herself, and if it wasn’t for the fact that he had been her Counselor for the past many months, Molly would probably not have shared many of the facts of her own past, regardless of their friendship.

After what seemed like a long silence, Holloway finally spoke. “I take it you don’t want to be joined with this symbiont?” She paused again for a moment, before continuing. “You said Cet travelled all the way from Trill to the Dresden. Are there no other suitable hosts for his symbiont? Why you specifically? I’m sure that if he wants to experience what it is like to be the Executive Officer of a starship there are other ways that could be done…” The last sentence was an attempt at lightening the mood. However, as good as Molly was at lighthearted jokes and at reading the room, there was no telling how it would be perceived.

Holloway, CO

Uncharacteristically, Renveer did not react to the jest and instead remained silent for a long moment after Molly’s questions. Hiding his emotions was never Renveer’s strong suit, especially around people that he implicitly trusted. But usually, this wasn’t a problem for Renveer. In almost all other circumstances, the executive officer tended to be calm, cool, collected, and steady. In this circumstance, it was obvious that he was not. Despite his best efforts to keep his inner thoughts beneath the surface, the turmoil within his mind was likely plainly obvious. There was more to this situation than Renveer was letting on, and it was a more distressing subject than he was communicating in words.

When Renveer did eventually speak, it was in a halting manner. “I decided to leave the joining program many years ago, to instead pursue a career in Starfleet. I believed that being a Starfleet counselor on a ship designed for exploration would be too dangerous of a post for a symbiont.” That was at least part of the story. “As for why me specifically…” There was a telling change in Renveer’s pitch and tone. Molly and Isaac would likely be able to tell that he was no longer simply omitting parts of the truth, but actively lying. “Well when I was part of the joining program of course they take our bioscans to see if we could be compatible with any symbionts. Apparently Dr. Cet was able to use his access and contacts at the Trill Science Ministry to track down bioscans of trill that would match the Cet symbiont and found me. And he sees my position as a executive officer as an opportunity, rather than a liability.”

(Lt. Cmdr. Renveer, XO)

Molly sighed softly. There were a lot of things that Renveer was, and a liar was not one of them. And even if she didn’t know it, the fact that he was incredibly bad at it made it even more apparent. At least, it was painfully obvious to Molly, someone to whom the detection of deceit had been an integral part of her job for the past few years. But she didn’t press the subject. It was clear that the topic at hand was an incredibly personal matter to Renveer and even though it was only her and Forgrave present in the room, she didn’t want him to feel pressured into sharing anything he didn’t want. Holloway chewed on her cheek for a moment, as she carefully pondered her next few words.

Issac was quiet; and feeling distinctly uncomfortable. Granted, he’d been feeling unsure and out-of-place ever since Heimdel had alerted him of the situation… but his commanding officer was lying to them. He could… rationalize that, he supposed. This was obviously an incredibly personal, embarrassing, and painful thing for the Trill XO - and add unexpected on top of that for extra spice. But he didn’t like it. But to push him now.... Renveer was fresh to his position, and they all expected to be sent out on a mission soon. Issac had read stories and reports of officers ‘breaking’, and even in the best of situations it was disastrous. He felt helpless, and found himself unwilling to speak, and looking to the Captain for a direction to follow. Forgrave’s direct, hard-line tendencies weren’t the right tool for this job, and he knew it.

“Alright.” Molly finally started. “I understand that this is a sensitive topic among the Trill and that you don’t think that contacting the Symbiosis Commission is the proper way of handling the situation. Now…” She paused again and tapped her fingers on the table, clearly organizing her thoughts. “I also understand you fear that Dr. Cet may harm himself or the symbiont if we send him on his way.” Molly took a moment to breathe. “When it comes to this ship and her crew, they are ultimately my responsibility. That includes you, Commader, and that means I have an obligation towards you and your safety. Not towards Dr. Cet and his symbiont. You are a vital part of my crew, while they are simply guests on board my ship.” Molly’s gaze never left Renveer, and in her face, there was a warm albeit worried expression. She wanted him to understand that he was not the one to blame, but rather that she had the power to make the problem go away, at least for the time being.

“If that’s what you want me to do, I will do it. That way whatever Dr. Cet’s course of action ends up being, it is my responsibility and not yours.” She paused again, the worry in her eyes more apparent. “I should probably have a conversation with our guest as well, but I am not sure if it would be a good idea for both of you to be in the same room together. At least not before I understand a little more about who he is. From what you said earlier, Commander, I take it you never met Dr. Cet before?” If Renveer was lying, Molly was playing along, for now at least, as she tried to look for inconsistencies in his words, and for something that told her more about what they were dealing with.

Holloway, CO

Some of the color drained from Renveer’s face, but moreso from the continued discussion of this topic than from anything in specific Captain Holloway had said. His eyes flickered at her last question. “No, I haven’t met him before. We’ve exchanged communications, but our discussions were brief and unremarkable. I don’t understand why he’s decided that now is the time to confront me in person with this request.” There was a layer of nervousness and even a very light hint of fear in Renveer’s voice.

Renveer folded his hands together and squeezed them. “I’d prefer to be present when you talk with him. He might say things that are difficult to make sense of without the proper context.” There was a double meaning behind the request. But as much as Renveer understood the security risk that Holloway and Forgrave perceived, he was considerably more worried about what Cet would say if given the chance to speak uninterrupted.

(Lt. Cmdr. Renveer, XO)

Like what? Molly wanted to ask, but kept the question to herself.

“Sir…” Forgrave could stand it no longer, but he managed to catch himself before he jumped to the attack. He settled back in his chair with a long sigh, willing himself to relax and dropping the accusatory tone from his voice. “Renveer; is… is there anything else we should know? Anything that might be… important? Ain’t no-one else here.” Issac’s tone was gentle; pleading almost. His eyes had lost their hard edge, but his gaze didn’t leave the Trill man.

Issac Forgrave, CoS

Renveer opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He forced his jaw closed and considered for a moment. Renveer knew that they knew that he was lying. Molly was letting him, but Isaac’s pressing made this a deliberate choice for the executive officer: was he going to be deceitful or honest going forward? He had to commit to one option or the other now.

Unfortunately, being truthful in this specific situation was quite possibly the most painful thing Renveer could be asked to do. And after ten years of avoiding the subject, it had become second nature for Renveer to deflect. “What’s important is that we find a way to help Cyon Cet,” Renveer said finally. He looked to Molly. “Can I accompany you to talk with him, or are you going to speak with him privately first?” Asking the question implied there was an answer he wanted. But whether or not that was the best idea was up to the captain now.

(Lt. Cmdr. Renveer, XO)

Issac let out a long sigh; and turned his head away from Renveer; somewhat managing to keep the disappointment in his face hidden. “If you say so, Sir.” His tone was respectful, but distant once more. He was torn on having the XO accompany them when they talked with Cyon Cet - while it’d likely be best to keep them separated (for safety, in Issac’s opinion); it may prove very illuminating to let them meet. And at this point in time.... Issac was interested to have some light shown on this strange matter; so to speak. But the Captain had final word in this decision - Forgrave viewed his role as one of advisement; at least for the most part. Turning to Holloway, he rose from his chair. “Ma’am?”

-Forgrave, CoS

Molly knew a deflection when she saw one. She knew it, because she had used the tactic it many times before. However, she hadn’t expected the usually quite approachable Renveer so adamant on doing the same. Holloway sighed, biting her lower lip slightly as she pondered on the best course of action. She found herself torn between two options, none of which she really liked – on the one hand, she didn’t know what would happen with Cet and Renveer in the same room, so in order to get the most benefit out of a meeting with their guest, meeting alone with him was the best way to do it; on the other hand, Renveer was more than just her Executive Officer. He was her friend. And she wanted nothing more than to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Finally, with yet another sigh, Molly nodded. “Alright.” She said, more to herself than to anyone in the room. Holloway turned to Renveer. “You can come with on one condition: I can send you out at any point. No questions asked.” Molly’s gaze was laser sharp on the Dresden’s XO, waiting for an agreement on his part. The truth was, she wanted to know what Cet had to say, regardless of how truthful it was, and she didn’t want Renveer’s presence to taint the message. Not to mention, she had done her fair share of interrogations in the past and she was used to getting the information she was after, one way or another, and from the most deceitful people. The last thing she wanted, was for Renveer to witness exactly what tools an Intelligence Officer could use.

Holloway, CO

Renveer’s brow creased for just the tiniest moment before his face settled into a more normal and collected look for the executive officer. “Understood, Captain.” He wasn’t sure how easy it would be to abide by Molly’s terms, but at least he would be present to defend his reputation from the accusations Cet might levy against him. Renveer had hoped that Cet would keep certain details private, but he had the growing suspicion that Cet intended to show all of his cards. The Lieutenant Commander rose to join Forgrave and Holloway as he followed them across the hall to the guest lounge.

Cyon Cet sat at the same table he had been when left alone earlier, although it appeared the tray and utensils he had used to have a light snack had been returned to the replicator. The man had removed his lab coat and hung it around the back of his chair, leaving the bald trill man in a dark blue jumpsuit. His attention snapped to the door as it opened, but he made no move to get up as he expected the entourage of Dresden crew to join him at the table.

“You must be the captain,” Cet said as a way of greeting. “I’m Dr. Cyon Cet, Trill Science Ministry.” His dark eyes flicked to Renveer. “An interesting choice, bringing him along. I doubt that I’ll be able to speak my piece with him here.” Then Cet addressed Renveer. “What makes you so willing to talk to me in public but not in private?”

“I’m intend to provide context,” Renveer stated flatly. Cet grunted in amusement.

(Lt. Cmdr. Renveer, XO / Cyon Cet, Trill Science Ministry)

Forgrave remained silent; content to watch both Trill carefully. Seems it’s already kicked off… Issac sat himself in between Renveer and Cet; not making a show of it, but not bothering with subtlety either. Sighing, he turned to face Cet directly. “Sir, I know you’ve explained the purpose of your visit several times now, but could you do so once more? Given the nature of.... all of this, I know I’d sure appreciate hearing the story first-hand; even if in brief.”

Issac was sure he knew what was going on, but his words were honest. And if nothing else, Renveer’s clarifications (and “clarifications”) could prove enlightening…

Forgrave, CoS