Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Cochrane’s Quarters- Loose Threads

Posted by Shara Calloway (Intel Liason) in Cochrane’s Quarters- Loose Threads

Posted by Lieutenant Faye Calloway (Mission Specialist) in Cochrane’s Quarters- Loose Threads
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Cochrane nodded and opened a drawer. He set a small bottle on the desk. “I took the liberty of stopping by Sickbay. Mild sleep aid, nothing more… if you need or want it. Dismissed, Lieutenant.”

Her stormy grey-green eyes drifted up and finally actually settled on Cochrane. She had no words left. Need. Want. Both? Reaching out, Faye took the sedative and left without another word.

Naturally, the elder Calloway was worried, but there were steps to take on that front that had to wait until she was done here. Shifting her attention to Cochrane, her expression was more than a little hostile. He had to know what an incredibly difficult position he was placing her in. And yet… she had lived most of life ignoring or skirting many of the rules others clung to, so what the hell, live a little right? “Agreed, but with some obvious objections. You’re asking me to ignore orders from someone who outranks us both, but… I can conceded the necessity.” She remained sitting.

~Commander Shara Calloway, Starfleet Intelligence

Cochrane waited for Faye to leave, then focused on Shara. “So what are your objections? And I’m not asking, Commander. I’m ordering. If things go sideways, you have that to help deflect some of the s^%t that is headed our direction, right?” and he reached into the desk and produced a bottle and two glasses. Without asking her, he simply filled a glass and slid the empty one and the bottle her direction.

Cochrane, CO

~Faye Calloway

Well, he sort of saved her a step. She had to appreciate that. Reaching out, Shara poured a healthy amount of of whatever was in the bottle and proceeded to knock back half of it in one go. The glass hit the desk with a small thud. “Honestly? I’m still working through what all this means. Faye…” She shook her head and sat back in the chair. “I’m still technically involved in this investigation, but… I was going to talk to Greyson about stepping down from it. You’re right, we don’t know how far this goes, but I’ve been in Intelligence a long time now and I trust my instincts. Greyson is good. However… as we’ve seen, things can be not always what they seem.”

Shara took a deep breath and reached for the glass, this time siping more reasonably. “Captain… to be quite honest, I’m done. With the investigation, I mean. I’m no good to it. My only concern right now is for Faye and her well being. She needs Blue to be okay. She needs him to call her Mercury and be the friend she always thought he was. We just upended her life- that much is obvious. But a lot more is going on than you might realize. It’s been a really long 48 hours… and yet the work won’t be done for some time now. I say, however we can get Strickland out of the situation he’s in, I’m all for it. Because it’s the best thing for him and for Faye. I’m not claiming objectivity here, so take it as you will.”

~Commander Shara Calloway, Starfleet Intelligence

Cochrane took a drink as she spoke. The rum was strong and smooth… and the burn helped settle his mind slightly. When Shara was done, he looked at her and said “All right.... so. I called in a favor… a big one, actually. Those coordinates will have someone at them within the next few days. The transmission was stalled, but we need to decode it before it goes anywhere.... but as you said, we are pressed for time. I can tell you this… if Strickland is alive, the odds are greatly improved for him. Now, I can’t and won’t guarantee that we will get him back. But at least now we know he is gone, and that is a solid first step. And until we have Faye up and running… you are the best shot we have at getting a favorable conclusion. So done or not, you are still a part of this… so is Faye. Neither of you have to like it, but there it is. Until we can get to the bottom of this… you’re both in for the long haul.” He refilled both glasses and then leaned back.

She downed some more, grateful for the mental reprieve. She wasn’t one to overindulge most of the time but some days called for it. “I always was,” Calloway said softly. “Faye wasn’t given much of a choice.”

“I know you are worried about her, as you should be. But she set this in motion… its up to you to help her see it through. Me… this ship… this crew… we will do everything we can to get through this with you. Because Faye is one of ours. And we don’t leave our own swinging in the wind.” and he gulped down part of his drink. “Same goes for Strickland.”

Cochrane, CO

“I’m glad we’re on the same page,” Shara said. “But I’d like to make a… personal request. When this part is done, I’m planning to take leave. And I’d like your permission to stay awhile… if Faye is okay with it, of course. Because here’s the thing, Captain. Faye and I haven’t seen each other in twenty-five years. And it’s neither of our fault. It’s just what happened. But I’m going to share something with you that Faye only just learned when I went to see her in the brig.”

Shara downed a bit more rum and continued. “When Faye was recovering from her imprisonment, I was doing my own recovery. You see, I had been undercover for a long while… in Romulan territory. And very long story short, I was at that facility when they brought Faye in. And I was the one who helped her eventually escape. It was abad situation for 8both of us. It’s not a secret, but I have PTSD, and right now Faye and I have a lot to work through with each other. Our lives were brought together in very unexpected ways but the other truth is that Faye wanted this, me here, I mean. She wanted to know what happened to me. It was one of her requests after she escaped. So while I wasn’t expecting her to be caught up in my investigation, she got her wish. And now there is a bigger mess that needs to be sorted through.” She leaned forward. “You can count on me to do my duty. I’m exceptionally loyal to my cause. But also understand that under the circumstances I have* to put Faye first but no one else is going to. Even those who call them her friends.”

~Commander Shara Calloway, Starfleet Intelligence