Posted Jan. 26, 2023, 3:23 p.m. by Civilian Molly Holloway (CEO - Holloway Industries) (Joana Ribeiro)
Posted by Civilian Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi (Governor) in Government Building – Meeting with the Governor
Posted by Civilian Molly Holloway (CEO - Holloway Industries) in Government Building – Meeting with the Governor
Posted by Civilian Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi (Governor) in Government Building – Meeting with the Governor
Posted by… suppressed (10) by the Post Ghost! 👻(snips)
Eela drew in a deep breath and shook her head slightly. “It’s been a whirlwind!” she said with a light laugh. “Not a bad one, but it’s a lot different than I’m used to, and it’s not just the job, but I’m enjoying it here so far.”
Molly knew the feeling far too well, especially coming from prior Starfleet service, much like the new Lieutenant Governor.
Looking over at the security line, Dasca let out a frustrated huff and called out loudly over the hum of people, “Lexin…” The guard moving people through looked over apologetically, but Dasca tapped her wrist and pointed up. The guard nodded with understanding.
Eela looked at Molly and gestured with her head. “Come with us. I’m perfectly happy to wait in line with everyone else, but some days it’s just not feasible. There are benefits to rank, and some days you need to use them.”
“Oh… I…” Molly started in protest, but she stopped herself before continuing. She didn’t want to be an inconvenience, but she knew that Dasca was right. Following the pair, Molly gave the woman a quick nod and muttered a quick thanks. Holloway wasn’t usually very fond of people in Eela’s position, but she liked Dasca’s attitude already and they had barely met.
Moving out of the line, Eela and Cort approached and Lexin held the next person in line back and she spoke quietly to the guards. “This needs to be dealt with for the long term. There are hundreds of people passing through here on a daily basis. It’s not good enough.”
The guard nodded. “Yes, Ma’am. We’ll have it sorted out.”
“Good , Dasca said before she tapped herself through unapologetically and crossed over the scanner line.
Cort followed and they simply waited for Molly to cross through before the headed for the bank of lifts.
~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.
Molly followed up to the lifts, where she quickly glanced at her wrist chronometer again. It looked like she might be just in time for the meeting. If memory didn’t fail her, the lifts were quite time efficient when it came to reaching the top floors of the building.
“Thank you.” She said more clearly to Dasca now. “You didn’t have to let me through though. I’d have been fine just waiting… I’m sure Governor Hyrushi would understand.” Molly smiled before offering a thought that had just crossed her mind. “You know… if you’re short staffed in engineering, I’m sure we’d be able to send a few of ours to help out with the security station’s maintenance.” By ‘ours’, it was clearly Molly meant Holloway Heavy Industries. After all, the company was in a line of business where engineering knowledge was a requirement.
Molly Holloway, CEO Holloway Heavy Industries
Dasca grinned as she tapped her security pass to the screener and summoned the lift. “I was just commenting to Cort here that I was sorely tempted to tell them I knew a few Starfleet engineers who would be more than happy to help out,” she said with a gleam in her eyes. “That would light a fire under a few asses. But I’ve made my point and we’ll give them a few days before we call in the cavalry.” She glanced Molly. “I appreciate the offer, though. As for the Governor, always put your best foot forward when you can,” she added with a subtle wink.
“No problem. I’d imagine that would work too.” Molly said with a chuckle. She nodded slightly in acknowledgment at Dasca’s words about the Governor but didn’t follow up on them.
The lift opened and Eela and Cort stepped in, Dasca tapping her pass to the scanner and hitting her floor. “Just tap your pass and hit the top button and it’ll allow you access to the Governor’s floor.”
~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.
Following the pair into the lift, Molly did as instructed, tapping her pass and pressing the button that would take her to the highest floor in the building. She vaguely remembered all the procedures from the last time she had been there, but that had been when she had first arrived on the Colony about a year ago. Since then, her mind had already replaced many unimportant details with more pressing issues.
As the silence fell over the party inside the lift cabin, Molly was not sure about what to say. She hated small talk and it was in occasions like this one that Molly found herself wondering if it had been the brightest idea to trade her Ready Room on the Dresden for an office at her uncle’s company. The truth was, she missed the void more than she cared to admit.
As an empath, Dasca would be able to sense a faint aura of sadness that seemed to emanate from Holloway. Its weakness only possible by Molly’s several years of regimented Intelligence training, which was why it had been almost impossible to pick up on on the previously crowded lobby. Still, it would be hardly surprising given what the woman had been through recently, with two of the people closest to her still in the hospital recovering from the events. If there was anything else troubling her, it would be impossible to discern.
“Thank you again for letting me through.” Molly said awkwardly trying to fill in the silence. “I owe you one.”
Molly Holloway, CEO Holloway Heavy Industries
Eela smiled warmly. “Not a problem at all. From one former captain to another, I know that it’s not always easy to do different work. The Governor is a perceptive man but respect and signs of it matter.” It was a simple thing really, and it was something Eela could do for the woman whom had bene through a lot and probably needed something like this to not just go right, but start off well.
Molly smiled and gave Dasca a nod in understanding. “Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.” The truth was, she had met briefly with the Governor before, when she had first landed on the planet, but not only had the change of pace been incredibly overwhelming at the time, as of all the people he was one of the few she couldn’t really figure out. That fact alone unsettled Holloway more than anything else.
A few moments later, the lift stopped at her floor. Cort had maintained a respectful silence, clearly used to hiding in plain sight while his boss did her thing. Eela bowed her head to Molly. “Have a good day, Ms. Holloway, and I hope your meeting goes well. And at some point it could be nice to chat more casually, one captain to another.”
~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.
Bump
OOC: Oops! I could swear I had replied here… I’m so sorry! – Joana
IC:
“You too!” Molly said courteously. “And thank you again.” She smiled more broadly at the new Lieutenant Governor. “Yes, absolutely! I’m looking forward to it.”When the doors closed behind the pair, Molly laid back against the wall of the lift cabin as it took her to the top floor of the tower. She looked at her wrist chronometer — 1130 exactly. Finally, the doors opened, and Molly stepped into the small waiting area that preceded the Governor’s Office. She had been there before, but that had been almost a year ago, and the current situation was very different.
Walking to the reception desk, she smiled at the woman manning it. “My name is Molly Holloway. I have a meeting with Governor Hyrushi now at 11h30. He’s probably already waiting for me. Ah… one of the security gates was down for maintenance and the line was incredibly long…” Molly gave the woman an apologetic smile. “I am so sorry.”
Molly Holloway, CEO Holloway Heavy Industries
The woman behind the desk smiled and said “It isn’t an issue, Ms. Holloway. The Governor is running a bit behi-” and there was a chirp on her desk comms and she gkance down and said “Oh! Excellent. The Governor is ready for you. Go right on in.” and the doors swung out and open.
Molly sighed softly in relief at the mention that the Governor was running a little behind schedule.
“Thank you so much!” She said with a smile as she walked towards the office.
The Governor stood by the seating area to the right of the room and bowed slightly. “Miss Holloway, welcome. It is a pleasure to see you again. Do be seated, won’t you?” and he gestured to the couches on either side of the low table. “Would you care for tea?”
Hyrushi, Gov.
“Governor Hyrushi.” Molly smiled warmly adding a small courteous nod in way of greeting. “Oh, thank you!” She said motioning to the indicated couches and sitting down. “Thank you, but I’m fine.” Molly always felt awkward accepting drinks in meetings, even if, in her Commanding Officer career, she had offered them many times. Yet, she never accepted them herself.
“I’m sorry for the late changes in the meeting. I know you were expecting Ms. Bruner to come in.” Molly started. “However, given the fact that both General Harris and my uncle are awake and out of danger, I thought that I should be the one to personally come here.” She smiled.
“I know that you have a busy schedule, so if you don’t mind, I’ll get right to the point.” One of the biggest distinguishing factors between the two Holloways currently in charge of Holloway Heavy Industries, was their expediency. Lucas enjoyed the socialization, and he liked to savor the journey of topics until they reached what was necessary to discuss. And even then, he would savor the discussion. Molly on the other hand, was much more succinct, never wasting time in unnecessary small talk or pleasantries. “First of all, I would like to personally thank you for intervening in the protests… I…” Molly’s face grew worried as she tried to put her thoughts into words. “We never meant to bring any trouble to the Colony… much less trouble to the people… We really appreciate it, Governor.” Her tone was sincere.
“Secondly, I would like to address the matter of the damages dealt by the shuttle crash. We will cover any repair costs, as well as the salary and profit losses of all the businesses and private citizens that were in any way affected by the incident. Name the amount, and we’ll write the check.”
Molly Holloway, CEO Holloway Heavy Industries
bump :)
The tea was set on the table and while Holloway spoke, Hyrushi made a cup for himself in a slow yet efficient fashion born of practice. As she finished, he set the small spoon aside and leaned back, cup in his hands, and looked at her with his obsidian eyes. He took a sip and then set the cup on his knee and said “While we certainly appreciate the offer, and the affected people will as well, I would like you to hold back on making such an announcement public. There is someone who is responsible for this. The Colonial government wants to hold them accountable. And rest assured… we most certainly will. And anyone tied to them will be similarly dealt with. The police and Colonial Intelligence are looking into the matter. And they are best served to handle the investigation.” He took a slow drink of tea, his eyes never leaving Holloway’s, and then he said “I certainly hope such inquiries do not tread on the toes of anyone close to you, Ms. Holloway. I very much appreciate the relationship HHI and the colony has. I would be averse to doing anything to damage that. But… justice is paramount. And those who committed this act… and those who failed in their duty to warn us of the possibility of such an occurrence… will be held accountable. Quite publicly and quite severely.” and he took another drink.
Hyrushi, Governor
Molly observed Hyrushi’s practiced movements as he poured his tea, her eyes never leaving the Governor as he spoke.
“This is not to be a public matter.” Molly replied after giving some thought to what she had just been told. “And even though I, or anyone else at HHI for that matter, have no doubts that those responsible will be brought to justice, I am also aware that these investigations take time. As they should, if I may add.” Holloway added quickly. “For as much as we would like for justice to be as swift as possible, some things are better looked thoroughly before reaching a definite conclusion. I’m afraid that this might be one of those instances.” She paused. “There’s no telling how long the investigation will take, but the people who were affected by the accident can’t just wait until it’s done in order to rebuild what they lost. HHI can help right now, and we want to do so.” Molly’s eyes held Hyrushi’s gaze. “Unless of course, the police and the Colonial Intelligence are very close to wrapping it up, in which case what I’m saying does not apply anymore.” She gave the Governor a warm smile. As an empath, Hyrushi would be able to feel a hint of joy coming from Holloway at the thought. It seemed genuine enough, from what was otherwise a mostly unemotional person.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think there was any chance we could have been given warning of what happened.” Molly said with a sigh. “And I have no reason to believe anyone at HHI will be in any way upset with the inquiries. We just want to let the police and the CIA do their job, and to help them in any way we can. My uncle would tell you the same.” She smiled. “But I would be lying if I said we are not grateful for all the support you have been giving us. Even after having been the target of protests afterwards.” She paused. “The Colonial Government is doing more than its fair share, and we at HHI want to do our part in helping.”
Molly Holloway, CEO Holloway Heavy Industries
Hyrushi bowed his head slightly in thanks, and then said “And your desire to help is immensely appreciated. We must take care, however, to not allow the public to get the impression that we, the government, are somehow beholden to HHI to care for those affected. This is a tumultuous time for the colony and, to be frank, there is something occurring that will require the people to trust us to lead them through it.” He thought for a moment and then said “Let me propose this.” and he leaned forward and locked eyes with her. “We announce, jointly, that after high-level talks about the incident and its direct ramifications to some of the citizenry of Oed, the colonial government and HHI have developed a program for those affected to request assistance in getting their lives back to normal. This will entail HHI directly financing any needed repairs or property replacement and the government ensuring that any needed mental health or medical needs are addressed as a priority. We will also be working with HHI to increase the capabilities of our First Responders- medical, fire, disaster response, and the like. We will also be sure to extol the openess and willingness of HHI in their cooperation with Oed law enforcement in finding and dealing with the perpetrators of this heinous act.” He paused and let Holloway’s emotions tell him how she was feeling about the proposal.
Hyrushi, Governor
Most of those that had ever had any contact with Molly Holloway would describe her as unemotional. So much so that the nickname ‘Ice Queen’ had chased her for the better part of her life. And as her career with Starfleet Intelligence had progressed in the course of the past eight years, the detachment from her emotional side had only become greater (or so she had strived for). Through the years, and out of job necessity, Molly had learnt how to hide how she truly felt, both from those who could read her body language, as well as from those who had the innate ability to read her thoughts. Yet, she would also come to understand how useful emotions really were, especially when there was something to gain from them. For all of Molly’s disdain for emotions, she is awfully good at naming them, better than most people in therapy. The sentence had been logged two years prior in one of her many counseling reports, and it was a testament to how much of a student of emotions Holloway had become.
Given her training, and largely due to paranoia, Molly chose to keep her mental walls up all of the time, impenetrable to anyone who tried to read her. Still, for telepaths they were evident, clear that she had something to hide. For empaths, it would feel unnatural to talk to someone that emanated no emotions whatsoever, particularly so when that someone was human, a species known for their emotional presence. Which was why, despite her mental walls, Molly had chosen to ‘let on’ to the Governor select emotions that complemented her words but might or might not reflect her true views. She found it was especially effective if the disingenuous emotions were softly woven through her genuine ones. It was one of the few things Molly was very good at.
“Oh, of course.” Molly understood now what the Governor had meant. She had in no way thought about how OED’s Government might have looked in the eye of the public should HHI just announce that they were covering the damages. She kicked herself mentally. Her uncle might have thought about it, but she wasn’t used to managing this side of the business. “I never meant for OED’s Government to be made to look like they were holding us responsible.” She smiled apologetically. No matter what, Molly prided herself in a job well done, and as far as she was concerned, that was a mistake on her end. It would not happen again. “Your proposal is more than fair, just please…” Holloway smiled more warmly. “Don’t offer HHI too much praise, or people are bound to think that we’re using the disaster as a publicity stunt, when we genuinely just want to help the Colony.” She kept her smile, pondering for a moment. “I know as well as I do that my uncle never intended to bring trouble to people’s lives when he decided to bring the Company here. We want to keep it that way, and we’ll do anything to help. That includes, of course, collaborating in any way with the local law enforcement to find whoever is behind this, and make sure that they are swiftly brought to justice.” After a brief pause, Molly sighed softly, her eyes locking with Hyrushi’s. “Now if you don’t mind me sparing the business talk… I almost lost two of the most important people in my life in that shuttle crash, Governor Hyrushi.” Her tone more personal and less business like. “Rest assured, there is no one in OED who wants to see the perpetrators behind bars as much as I do. Whatever help you, the police, or the Colonial Intelligence need, just let me know.” Every single word uttered by Holloway and the intent behind them seemed nothing but genuine.
Molly Holloway, CEO Holloway Heavy Industries
© 1991-2024 STF. Terms of Service
Version 1.15.11
RSS Feed