Posted by Lieutenant Faye Calloway (Mission Specialist) in Auxiliary Bridge- Late Night Tinkering

Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Auxiliary Bridge- Late Night Tinkering

Posted by Lieutenant Faye Calloway (Mission Specialist) in Auxiliary Bridge- Late Night Tinkering
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Cochrane shook his head. “Nope. I am not getting wires crossed with you again. Take a seat, Lieutenant.” he said in a voice that indicated ‘No’ wasn’t really an option and he inclined his head to the next chair down.

Her eyes widened slightly and their storm y grey-green depths considered him acutely for a moment. But she grabbed a chair and rolled it over, turned it around and sat facing him. Her arms rested on the back and she considered him at length. “Okay,” she said uncertainly.

“I read your file. And what I gleaned from that was that you are an absolutely remarkable individual, Lieutenant. To come from where you did, to accomplish what you have, is a testament. Not just to your intelligence, which is considerable, but to your strength of will. You have taken the burden of your past and shouldered it with a strength most people can’t fathom. You have flaws, yes. We all do. For instance, I apparently cannot compliment you without coming across as a berating jerk.” he said flatly but there was a bit or mirth behind his eyes.

Her expression shifted into a slightly sheepish smile, if a tiny one. She would likely replay this conversation later and try to figure out nuance she had missed, but what was it about her interactions with him that made her so defensive? Besides him being her commanding officer of course. It was more than that though. She just didn’t yet know what.

“You have made a name for yourself, and a name that you should be proud of. Just don’t let your past override what your future can be. Don’t let it overshadow your accomplishments now. I guess, in short, what I’m saying is don’t let your past color your present. Especially in your own mind. And don’t think that your past is an issue with me. I have no reason to distrust you, no matter what politics you come from, because you haven’t anything to warrant that. You are my crew. That means I trust you. I rely on you. And I want you to know you can rely on me.” and he paused for second.

” Am I clear now? Or still a condescending jerk?” and he smiled slightly.

Cochrane, CO

Calloway looked slightly amused. “Well, I think for the time being I can forgo muttering dha’rudh when I’m in your presence. The crew might get the wrong message.”

She glanced over at the blank viewscreen, imagining it held one of the amazing vistas she had seen over the course of her very bumpy career. “It was actually better,” Faye said quietly. “I actually had managed to let the past be the past, and I was doing really well at the whole living for the present thing. And I’m not going to tell you this as an excuse or anything, but I basically was re-set. I have to do the whole terrifyingly difficult work all over again, because the Tal Shiar ruthlessly ripped it all apart.” She had to will her voice to be above a whisper as she returned her gaze to him. “You read my file, but there are parts your don’t know or don’t have the full picture on. That’s fine and probably just as well. But I am going to make a crucial point by telling you that I spent nine months either out of my head in drugged-up hallucinations or cognizant and wishing they would just kill me already and be done with it. Because that would have been better. But they didn’t, and I somehow escaped that hell.” She had to fight the emotions in her gut that were threatening to take over. Thank goodness the one perk to that time was her ability to still herself entirely. Faye took a calm breath. “And I’m here now, and I will do my best. But it’s going to be bumpy at times. For me, for you, for everyone. And when it is, just remember that for me it’s like standing in a small space with shattered glass all over the floor. And in order to piece my life truly back together, I have to pick up the glass and make something with it. No matter how careful I am, no matter what I do, at some point, I’m going to get cut. And anyone around me risks the same.”

~Faye Calloway, Data Specialist

Cochrane considered her words carefully. He watched her body language, her tone, the small inflections that hinted at true meaning when people were either trying to hide something from him… or from themselves. It was something he had grown somewhat adept at in his time in Security. Interviews, interrogations… one had to get good at reading people if one was to get to the truth. And what Cochrane saw that what she was defensive, but truthful. He remained silent a few moments more and then spoke.

“If you get cut… tell me. If I get cut in the process, so be it. You are my crew, and I’ve gotten more than a few stitches on behalf of my crew before, and I’ll do it again. But do me a favor, okay? Please. If the crew is about to get cut… tell me as far in advance as you can. I’m not going to leave here thinking you are some ticking time bomb, because you aren’t. But I know there is more going on than I’ve been told, that’s just obvious, and that’s fine. It really is. It’s part of the job. One of the worst parts of Command is being told half of something, but it happens… a lot. I just don’t want the ship or her crew caught in the middle of something unaware.” and he leaned forward, his whole body emphasizing his next words. “Classified operations and need-to-know garbage aside… If you need my help, with anything… anything at all… you ask. And if you think there is something I need to know that I don’t know or haven’t been told, tell me. I won’t let it blow back on you. I just want you, the crew, the ship… I just want you all at the best levels I can get you. Period.” and he leaned back again and took a breath.

Cochrane, CO

There was an earnestness in the way he spoke that assured her he truly meant what he said. It wasn’t just some spiel a CO might give to someone to placate a difficult crew member (which she had definitely experienced before). Faye took a moment to study his face, and it’s particular angles and the way his eyes held a certain intensity. Yes, under the right circumstances he could be intimidating if he chose to, but here that intensity was entirely out of a need to protect his ship and crew and lead them the best he could. Well, if nothing else, she would have some interesting notes after this encounter. But regardless, her response was also incredibly sincere. “You have my word.”

Inhaling and then forcibly exhaling, she sat up a bit. “Which… means I will tell you this much: yes, there are things you aren’t allowed to know… right now. But that will change and when it does, I promise you you will know everything. Some thing at that point might still remain need-to-know, but you will know everything there is to know.”

~Faye Calloway, Data Specialist

Cochrane remained still and silent for a moment, and then simply said “Good enough for me.” and he looked around. Changing the subject, he said in a manner that seemed as if the intense and important conversation they just had had never happened. “Need a hand with anything? I’m rubbish at electronics, but I follow direction well.” and he laughed a bit.

Cochrane, CO