Posted by Lindsay B in Ready Room - Long Distance Charges Are Gonna Kill Our Budget

Posted by Fleet Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Ready Room - Long Distance Charges Are Gonna Kill Our Budget

Posted by Lindsay B in Ready Room - Long Distance Charges Are Gonna Kill Our Budget
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

He smiled proudly and said “You are looking at the proud father of a dozen assorted hot pepper plants and one rather exuberant marigold.” and he laughed. “And I am also proud to say that all are alive… at least for now.” and he grinned. “How about you? Had a chance to see where you’re going to build your next plant paradise?”

Cochrane

She shook her head. =/\=Not yet. There are three arboretums, but this ship has been around several years now and they are well established. They’re green spaces for the crew and civilians, which is needed, but…=/\= Faye shrugged. =/\=It’s not my place to walk in and start making changes when others have already put in a bunch of hard work. I can probably grow a few things here in our quarters though. We’ve got room for a couple light gardens.=/\= That garden on the Manhattan had been an extraordinary project and not something one just replicated. She hadn’t expected to do anything like that here either, but Faye had held a certain amount of love of pride for that space she had designed and helped build and plant. She missed it more than she could express.

~Faye Calloway, CIO

Alex could see the longing for her space in her eyes, and he smiled. “You know… you really should check your Command Course lesson plans. You haven’t opened it since you left. Just because you were galivanting all over the galaxy playing ‘newlywed’ doesn’t mean you get to permanently skip out on your training, Commander.” and he grinned.

Cochrane had sent a ‘training course’ entitled ‘Maintenance of Morale During Extended Tours’. It was blank, but had a file designed to be ran on a holodeck.

Cochrane

=/\=It’s kind of been the last thing on my mind, what with not only a new ship, but a promotion in position too.=/\= Faye leaned in her eyes wide. =/\=I run a department now. It’s weird. I’m no longer the scary person hiding out in my lab. Now I’m the scary person stalking the ship with people to help her out.=/\= She smirked. =/\=But I’ll get around to it soon, promise.=/\=

“Get to it today, Faye. That’s an order.” he said with a grin. “They need to see that you are still invested even with all the changes. I mean… that’s ninety percent of the job. Doing the mundane in the face of the overwhelming.” and he chuckled.

She frowned slightly. =/\= What happens after I’m done all the modules? I know there are the exams, but do I do them here?=/\=

~Faye Calloway, USS Athena CIO

Alex nodded and said “Your first exams you will do from there, yes. Those will cover protocols, command systems, logistics (no, you can’t have Daggum do that part for you), and leadership theory. Once you pass those, you will do three comm-based oral boards where some Commanders, Captains, and Admirals will ask you rapid fire questions and try to trip you up and doubt yourself. Once you get past those, then you will be called to Starbase One for your in-person oral board. That will be in front of an Admiralty Board. Who is there varies, just have to be Admirals or above. The Command Admiral of Star Fleet was at mine. Yeah… no pressure there.” and he laughed.

Cochrane

A swirl of thoughts played through her eyes, and it was hard to miss the fear. “Great,” she said. Comsumed with a rabbit-hole of thoughts Faye leaned back in her chair and tipped her gaze towards the ceiling. “Never thought I’d have anything to say to Admirals that didn’t involve a curse word.”

Tess, of course, wasn’t content to let her person stew and the fluffy feline jumped into her lap. Faye’s hand automatically moved to stroke her soft fur.

~Faye Calloway, USS Athena’s CIO

Alex chuckled. “Back it up, Calloway. You aren’t there yet. The exams are no picnic. And after you get through those… which I’m sure you will… you’ll know how they think. The oral boards for you will be a breeze.” and laughed softly. “And you don’t get to have that view of the Admiralty until you get your fourth pip. Another perk of the job.” and he winked.

Cochrane

Faye cocked an eyebrow. =/\=In what reality will these boards be a breeze. You know as well as I do that once words start coming out of my mouth when I’m stressed that anything can happen. And too bad, I’ve had that view of the Admirals since the Academy, so… bite me, Cochrane,=/\= she said rather seriously, though there was a familiar gleam in her eyes.

~Faye Calloway, CIO

Alex laughed out loud and threw just head back. “PERFECT! That is exactly the right attitude!” and he laughed some more. “And Im fairly certain there is only one man allowed to bite you now, Commander. And I don’t think he would take kindly to me trying.” He took a deep breath and said “Faye… you’re going to be fine. I know it. You are going to dazzle them with your brilliance, and probably piss them off more than little when they try to confuse you and they can’t. Trust me… you got this, Sister.” and he smiled.

Cochrane

Faye smiled at him with warmth. =/\=I suppose I could argue with you on that, but I do know that it would be pointless,=/\= she said.

Bracing her elbows on the desk and lacing her fingers together, Faye was quiet and contemplative for a moment as she seemed to hold her breath for a moment. =/\=Alex… I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. I think I only just realized now talking to you that that is what the unease is right now. Everything in my life is good, amazing even. And it’s only got better in the last while, despite all the hard stuff, despite the changes, and going to Orion. But… if feels to good to be true. I know in my head that isn’t true, that I’ve paid my dues and earned some peace, but there’s this strange edge to everything, like something will jump out and cut my if I’m not careful.=/\= The vulnerability that she only ever showed a select few people was splashed across her face as she gazed at her person, her best friend.

~Faye Calloway, USS Athena CIO

Alex smiled slightly, but inside he took a deep breath. One of the hardest lessons he ever had to learn would be even harder for Faye to with how her mind worked. “Listen to me. One thing you have to get out of your head is that there is something waiting for you. There isn’t. Life isn’t set up like that. Life is a journey. We take roads and paths and trails as we choose; and those take us to different places. Some of them good… some not so much. But the only thing that remains constant is that we keep traveling. You have reached a good spot. You’ll reach bad ones… that’s a given. Especially in our line of work. Just live in your moment, Faye. Enjoy the good times and let the bad ones come as they will. We can’t stop them… but we can accept them and make the best of them when they come.”

Alex