Posted Sept. 25, 2022, 3:59 p.m. by Major General Charles Tenkiller (Vice-Commander, Colonial Customs and Defense Agency) (James Sinclair)
Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in CCDA HQ - One Small Shift In Respo sibilities, One Giant Shift In Perception (Tag Lt. Gov.)
Posted by Major General Charles Tenkiller (Vice-Commander, Colonial Customs and Defense Agency) in CCDA HQ - One Small Shift In Respo sibilities, One Giant Shift In Perception (Tag Lt. Gov.)
Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in CCDA HQ - One Small Shift In Respo sibilities, One Giant Shift In Perception (Tag Lt. Gov.)
(snip)
There were plenty of reasonable and measured responses one might expect, that even Eela expected of herself. But how many times had Cory and her argued only to him tell her she was being irrational and unpredictable? That was wasn’t herself. Well, of course she wasn’t. You try waking up after a 3-month coma after a massive brain injury and see how well it all works for you. Tipping her head down, she nodded ever so slowly. “I know.”
So the irrational part of her, the one that was more reckless and explosive, wanted to bolt from this table where five people knew too much and were forcing her to confront painful realities. But the measured part of her that was seasoned and understood people (including herself), had the stronger will-power. It imagined weights holding her down in her seat so that she take a moment to process.
It was that damn painting. This whole meeting right now was precipitated by that painting she bought last night that had deeply shaken her. Here on her third day on the colony, she could use all her psychology training and rationalize her thoughts and feelings, make sense of them, but it didn’t change reality.
Eela lifted her head, her eyes fierce. “I’m not trying to be different. I am different. That was made apparent within minutes of arriving. But you’ll have to forgive me if I’m reeling a bit from not only the mistrust tossed my way constantly, but also the fact that I arrived in the middle of a crisis surrounding government personnel being shot out of the sky. So I’m a little on edge. And since you all read my file, you’ll also know that that the brain injury I had caused personality changes. I know I’m not being rational about this, but it doesn’t have to make sense to any of you. I can’t help how I feel, but it’s like you said, you’re going to do your jobs to best of your ability and I’m going to work with you and not intentionally do anything that makes that harder than necessary. But understanding the mentality of the woman you’re protecting is important right? So, here’s a truth, as irrational as it might be, that I have struggled with for the last six years, that if anyone at this table gets, it might be those of you here who once wore the same uniform as me.”
Eela inhaled and breathed it out in as measured a way as possible. “I’m a starship captain who didn’t go down with her ship. I woke up from a coma to find out that I had lost thirty-two percent of my crew. We had a crew complement of seven-fifty. You do the math.” She sighed. “I’ve moved on, but I will never get over it. And all I’m trying to do right now is try to reclaim a shred of dignity.” She had been the poster-child for a Starfleet Captain. But something Starfleet was terrible at was helping people transition when they no longer met the grade. Not every command individual was meant to rise to become the brass, nor did everyone want to be. Eela had never wanted to be. And as murky and messy a process as it was, she had come to Oed to find out if she still that that special something that made her so damned good at being a leader. There was a good chance that answer was a resounding no, but her brain injury hadn’t taken away her stubbornness and persistence. She was determined to defy the odds and change the answer to a Hell, Yes, whether people around her liked it or not.
~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.
Mangioni looked at her, his black eyes filled with understanding. “Captain… we are here to protect you and ensure your safety. Part of that role is also making sure that you aren’t put into situations that could get out of hand… physically or reputationally. While we are protecting you, we are protecting every aspect of you.” He looked at Tenkiller with questioning look and Tenkiller smiled and nodded once with a slight gesture of his fingers that said ‘Go ahead.
Mangioni looked back at Dasca and said “We appreciate your candor in letting us know about you. Please… take a moment and let us tell you about us.” The foir looked around at each other and Mangioni nodded dto each, and each nodded in return. Chuck spoke first. “As I am sure you are aware, I am half Betazoid. As such I’m sure you, being an emparh yourself, would expect some of the same abilities from me. However, due to an odd genetic marker in my DNA, I am not an empath. I am a null-path. I cannot sense emotions in others well, but I can suppress them. I am quite adept at reading people, as I have had to learn to anticipate emotional swings in order to keep people calm.” He looked at Gam.
Gam smiled slightly and said “I came to the CCDA directly from Star Fleet,so I understand the anger and resentment you face daily. But I also know that the people here aren’t mad at you, they are mad at Star Fleet. I am proud, like you, to have been an officer in Star Fleet. But also like you, I wasn’t blind to their shortcomings. Fleet does a huge amount of good… but sometimes things get lost in the shuffle of the bureaucracy of such a large organization. Oed is one of the things they have kind of dropped. And its up to people like me… and you… to make sure that Oed isn’t overlooked. And maybe we can, by our own actions, repair some of that perception… hell, Captain… maybe we can even make enough noise Fleet hears us. As for me, I was a Security officer., and I was fortunate enough to be trained by some of the best in all of Star Fleet. Captain Grainger, Admiral Fortune, Fleet Captain Cochrane… even the General here was one of my mentors.” Tenkiller grinned and said “I hired her within an hour of her submitting her retirement request. Yep,, she’s that good.” Gam smiled at Tenkiller and then continued. “I worked primarily as Lead Security Planner for First Contact and Diplomatic contingents. I retired as a Commander. Now I handle security for special details for the CCDA and the Oed government.”
V’ter then cleared his throat and said “As a Cardassian, I understand the feeling if being an outsider. Many of the people here on Oed were effected by the War… displaced, hunted, and having lost loved ones to the conflict. And I am no stranger to being held responsible for the actions of those I never met. But I will say that there is something about this place… I don’t know… but the people here are much more open to letting an individuals actions speak for themselves more than their past affiliations. Oed is a place of second chances, Captain. Perhaps this is yours. I was Cardassian military officer, but I didn’t agree with the war. There were many of us who didn’t. Some, like myself, were fortunate enough to have escaped early. Most who disagreed, as I’m sure you know, were… less fortunate. I was an investigator in that life, focusing mostly on inter-military criminal activities. The equivalent of your Federation Security Agency.” He then looked at Nord.
Nords smiled, his filed and sharpened teeth visible. “Me? Oh, I’m just really mean.” and the CCDA group laughed, as did Nords. “Loyal to a fault, though. Thats why Zorbo fired me. I took the side of his aide over him because he was being an asshole. And I told him so to his beady-eyed little pig-face.” Tenkiller smiled and said “Nords also happens to be one of our lead C.A.S.T. agents. Colonial Anti-terrorism Security Team.”
CCDA Security Detail
Eela had laughed along with them, feeling a tension in her release. She felt more confident that they understood that she hadn’t made this request for a change in security detail as some sort of stunt to earn her political goodwill. She wasn’t that kind of person. Her candor here was a symbol of the unflinching honesty that she had always carried with her. The only difference at this point in her life was that she had had to relearn tact and then had it tested heavily in the Diplomatic Corps. She exhaled and leaned back in her seat. After a couple more moments, a smile slipped onto her face. “Alright then. I think we can all agree that this is going to work out just fine. And that means we can get down to more practical matters.”
She then reiterated her residential situation. “I have a housekeeper, Sinna Elz, who has already been through the clearance process. And my health care team all have access to the penthouse as well, as most of my physio and massage therapy will happen there. And Cort, my Exec Assistant will have access as well. But yeah, I’m drawing a blank on the best way to prevent unauthorized access. Biometrics are a great barrier to the building and the floor, but a clever person with skills might be able to fake those. And the lift opens right up right into the foyer. There’s no door to guard, so people essentially walk right into my home. And I’d like to not terrify the other people in the building, so please, let’s talk options since I’m not at all used to whatever this is supposed to look like. I’ve never had people guard my home before.”
~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov
Nords shifted slightly and leaned forward. “Your concerns are solid ones. So just spitballing here, but what if we did all plainclothes detail? Maybe rent some apartments in the building and have covert observation posts tied into regular building security? You could even leave Fleet Security in charge of building security. We’d just be your personal detail and such. Might save some egos, rather than just kicking them out entirely.”
Tenkiller said “It would be tricky, but we could do it. Fine line between covert observation and somebody thinking we are babysitting if they found out. But I like the idea of a constant presence in the building. Captain? Thoughts? Think you’d like some of your neighbors being CCDA assests?”
CCDA Security Detail
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