Posted May 31, 2021, 4:08 p.m. by Lieutenant Junior Grade Achilleas Petrakos (Chief Science Officer) (Matt Evans)
Posted by Commander Dira Myqian (Executive Officer) in Side Sim: Exhausted and Bedraggled
Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Achilleas Petrakos (Chief Science Officer) in Side Sim: Exhausted and Bedraggled
Posted by Commander Dira Myqian (Executive Officer) in Side Sim: Exhausted and Bedraggled
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Achilleas found himself in front of the XO’s office. He knew he could talk to the CO about anything but felt that she was under enough stress as it was without his adding to it. So his next best option was to seek out Dira. He hesitated, with thoughts of whether he really should bother her, before he finally sighed heavily and reached out to press the chime.CSO Petrakos
“Enter,” Myqian’s Vegan-accented voice sounded through the door’s comm.
The office space was clean and orderly, which would surprise people who ever set foot in her quarters. Situated in the corner, there were two chairs in front of the desk. A tall open bookshelf sat across the adjacent corner to her left and held many books, including some old texts on psychology from different worlds, as well as some potted plants under lights that trailed down the sides and small silver frames with photographs of family members. Behind her hung from a wooden dowel was a weaving in pale blues and greens that mimicked waves.
On the other side of her office was a small sitting area with small black sofa and an oversized teal velvet chair. A handwoven blanket in shades of grey was draped over the sofa. Dira was at her desk, her ebony eyes fixed on her screen. “I’ll be with you in just”-she tapped a couple keys-“a… second.” Looking up, Dira took in the CSO and smiled. “Achilleas, come on in and have a seat, she said gesturing to the chairs at her desk. “What can I do for you?”
Commander Myqian, XO
“Thank you Commander.” Achilleas replied with a weak smile as he took a seat in front of Dira’s desk. He looked around her office for a moment, taking notice of the various arrangements and also to get up his nerve a bit. He looked back at Dira before stating why he came. “I’m conflicted about the media presence aboard the ship. Not so much for myself, as I don’t really mind, but because of the impact on Ensign Iyun. With her and my relationship things are naturally complicated and I don’t show her favoritism over the rest of my staff, but this sudden and public attention seems to have rattled her. My first instinct is to run interference for her and take away some of that pressure. I’d like to think I’d do this regardless of the relationship status, mainly because not everyone handles that sort of in your face attention well, but it doubly pains me to see her in distress like she was. I know she’ll not grow as a person without overcoming trials like this, but there are also those who never grow in that regard. So as a boyfriend I want to shelter her from all the uncomfortable bits of life while realizing that it won’t help her and as a department head I want to make sure she can handle the pressure with being overwhelmed so that she has a chance to grow.” He finished as he took a big breath. He’d said that all in one spurt and it probably showed his agitation over it all. A closer inspection would show a little darkness under his eyes as if he hadn’t been sleeping well lately.
CSO Petrakos
So it’s not just me, Dira thought to herself as she folded her arms on the desk. “I’m going to do one of those really annoying therapist things right now and turn it back to you. If you were in my shoes, and listening to you lay out the issues as you see them, what do you think you’d tell me?” She wasn’t avoiding helping him, nor was it a cop-out. She was genuinely curious to see if he could come at the issue from a different angle.
Commander Myqian, XO
Achilleas was surprised. Normally the superior officer would lay out a plan of action or give advice but not flip it around. His surprised look shifted into contemplation as he thought out loud. “I’d likely tell you to approach the situation as a department head first and a boyfriend second. The two aren’t mutually exclusive but the one takes precedent over the other in the case that they conflict. While I’m conflicted it doesn’t mean that my objective from both sides are completely in conflict.”
CSO Petrakos
Dira winked at him. “Very sound advice there, Lieutenant,” she said with a modicum of mock-seriousness. But her expression softened. “One of the challenges of having a relationship with someone you have power over in a work situation is that you subconsciously are always aware of the optics. Part of Ria learning to navigate her career requires her to be okay with receiving constructive criticism and also support as she faces new challenges. I see these media folks as an opportunity to step outsides of ourselves for a second and look at the bigger picture. What are we doing here when we’re doing what we do on the Ogawa? Why does it matter? Help yourself and your team do that and I guarantee you this whole filming nonsense will get on all your nerves just a tiny bit less.” She said less, not at all. By the end they were all going to need a day off. Or two.
Commander Myqian, XO
Achilleas pondered for a moment before he shook his head. “It’s hard to imagine the big picture. I’m so focused on the day to day stuff. While I think I know the Ogawa’s mission statement… not being involved with the medical side of things makes it a distant concept to me. I run experiments and analyze scanned things.” What he left unsaid was that the optics of their relationship and interactions was a very big part of his considerations. He wasn’t sure if he put too much focus on it, or not enough.
CSO Petrakos
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