STF

Quarters - Dekker

Posted May 16, 2019, 11:35 p.m. by Lieutenant Sage Brennan (CMO) (D Grisham)

Riley thought back to a drunken conversation he’d had with the XO, at Marius’s instigation. It had nothing to do with promotions or rank, but it was insightful enough for him to know that Sage and Marius had issues in the area of communication. The new CO had a stubborn streak, especially when he was certain his course of action was correct and it could act as a barrier to his understanding of others’ perspectives. Riley’s dark eyes found David for a moment. He knew the type well. Of course, Riley’s empathic abilities helped him navigate David’s more individualistic traits. Sage had a good read on people, but it wasn’t the same.

“Okay,” he returned his attention to his friend, “tell me what happened. What did you say to Marius when you found out about his elevation to the center seat?”

Dekker, CNS

She shrugged. “I don’t honestly remember word for word, but it upset him.” She frowned as she tried to remember exactly what was said. “It all happened very fast. Julien’s departure was a surprise to all of us but he managed to promote Cal before he left. He’d just shown me the new pip. I remember I still had the box in my hand when he turned the monitor in our quarters towards me and said Fleet had decided to give him the Genny.”

Sage rose from the couch and began to pace the floor slowly. “I told Cal I didn’t want him to be the Captain and things escalated from there.” There was a lot more to explain, but Riley had asked her what she had said and as bad as it sounded, she told him.

—Sage

At Sage’s admission, David gave Riley a look with his eyebrows raised. No doubt it was that he shared her concerns and disdain for the decision to make Calvin the new Captain of the Genesis.

Riley could only imagine Marius’s feelings at that. He doubted the man saw it coming. He could ask Sage how her husband responded, how their discussion spiraled to the point she’d found herself at his door, but he had a different curiosity.

“Why don’t you want him to be Captain?”

Dekker, CNS

She sighed and turned to look at the two men. “I need to explain something first. Cal has never wanted to lead, never wanted to be part of command, but he’s taken every promotion and step up that’s been offered to him. I, on the other hand, have always wanted command. I’ve been on the Genny for 11 years now and not one promotion that would help me reach that goal. When Cal and I began seeing each other, it was just for fun.” She saw Riley and David exchange a look. “You two don’t know him like I do. Cal can be very critical and very distant, but I know the ‘soft’ side of him and its a wonderful thing.” She knelt down on the opposite side of the coffee table and set her glass on its surface. “Anyway, he was an Ensign back then. As he grew through the ranks, we realized what we had was more serious and I put off looking for another position on another ship in order to be with him. When I found out Julien was leaving I thought I would finally have a chance to start up the command chain under someone new and eventually have a ship of my own. But now, HE’S my captain!!! Plus, he’s already said he won’t have children of his own on a star ship, which means I don’t get to have the career I’ve longed for forever, OR the children I hoped to have, because I won’t give up my position here. That’s why I don’t want him to be the Captain. But all he can see is I’m selfish of a promotion he didn’t want in the first place.” She felt moisture pooling in her eyes and looked down at her hands in an attempt to hide it.

—Sage

Riley sidled up next to Sage and put his hand around her shoulder. She was a strong person and he knew she could see a person attempting to comfort her as acknowledging weakness, but he was certain they had too much history for her to make that conclusion now. He shot a look at David, too, indicating any word against Marius was ill-advised. Airing the scientist’s own grievances would be counter-productive in this situation.

Only after he’d given her a side hug and moved to provide more space between them did Riley respond, “It’s ironic, I suppose that Julien didn’t see or promote the command potential of someone whose professional background is so similar to his own. I always believed he wanted a counterweight to his own impulses and Marius provided that. Julien had his harder edges, but he wasn’t the soldier Marius is and your husband’s elevation filled a void in leadership. Perhaps my own appointment as second officer was meant to balance Marius. Understanding our former CO’s mindset, though, doesn’t negate the blind spots that have left you feeling stymied in your own career. And now you feel a sort of permanency to that stagnation. I’m thinking your conversation with Marius tonight was an unloading of pent up thoughts and emotions of which he was unaware. He doesn’t understand the context. Only with that can you two move toward a solution.”

Riley took a sip of his drink before continuing, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, “The new Captain knows he’s not married to a Captain’s wife, even if he hasn’t figured it out yet. I’m an optimist at heart Sage. There’s a workable path forward.”

Dekker, CNS

She sighed. “I don’t know…I really don’t know. Cal and I have been through some devastating situations in our relationship—the time I hemorrhaged and almost died. The time I left the ship on orders from Intel that was only supposed to be a couple of days, then the accident and amnesia that followed. The loss of our chance at having our own children when the Genesis A was destroyed…” Sage shook her head. “We’ve weathered a lot, but I feel like I’ve grown about as much as I can on the Genny. Today I was looking at open postings on other ships.”

—Sage

David sighed. He could understand her need to get away, start fresh. No doubt a transfer to a new ship would come with an automatic promotion, any Captain in their right mind would give her one.

“You have to follow your heart,” David said. “If it’s taking you away from here, away from him, then maybe that’s where you need to be.” He sighed. “I may utterly loathe the man, but he always was more tamed with you by his side. More rational. Sometimes change has a way of rattling someone and exposing fears and realities that are difficult to swallow. Lord knows he’s not good at admitting his faults.”

-David Michaels, CSO

The last sentence brought a sad smile to Sage’s lips. She understood that one too well.

Riley quietly took in what Sage was saying and let David respond. The scientist was more blunt than the measured Betazoid, but he echoed a lot of what Riley felt.

“As a friend I have two things to say. First, don’t you dare leave me. I’ve lost Julien, if you left I’d be lost. I mean David’s great,” he shot his partner a smile, “but I can’t deal with him alone. Second, do what you need to do. You can’t stagnate just because a bunch of guys need you around to make them better. You aren’t a supporting character Sage, you’re a lead.”

“Well, I guess Julien didn’t think so. Part of me is furious with myself for waiting around hoping something would happen.”

Riley shifted in his seat, taking another swallow from his drink before continuing.

“If you don’t mind me speaking as a counselor, in our profession, as you well know, we talk about crises in relationships. It’s not a negative term. Marriage is a crisis, buying a home is a crisis, loss is a crisis. It simply means an event that’s transformative and a relationship can handle only so many crises before it’s underlying reasons for being become strained and blurred. Take what you’ve listed and add the crisis of Marius’s promotion, each of them, the crisis of Julien’s resignation, the crisis of La’kia leaving for her homeworld. You’ve had one crisis after another come at you. It makes sense you’re feeling ungrounded. So how do we find you solid footing? I won’t lie, Julien’s departure sent me toward David, made me realize it was time to move forward and move in together. We’ll see how that turns out, but it was a reaction to a significant event.”

Riley looked toward David. The man had grown accustomed to the blunt honesty of a Betazoid boyfriend, but he wanted to reassure himself that David wasn’t taking offense to how he described his motivations for moving in together. In it’s raw form, it was less romantic than one might hope.

“You need a path forward professionally,” he returned his attention to Sage. “Can we find one here? That seems to be the big question.”

Dekker, CNS

She cast her eyes downward as she thought about what Riley had said—‘how do we find you solid footing? You need a path forward professionally.’ With the jumble of her love for Calvin and the frustration it often led too, the counselor had pinpointed a straight line out of the turmoil she felt. “That gives me a little more clarity. I guess I’m too caught up in the middle of the situation to see it the way you two do.” Sage rose to her feet and headed toward the bar, “Do you mind?” she asked, placing a few ice cubes in her glass.

“Maybe I just need some distance from Cal for a little while…” Green eyes almost rolled out of their sockets. “Oh, I’m sure that will go over well with our new Captain.”

—Sage


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