Posted by Lieutenant Faye Calloway (Mission Specialist) in Deck 5, Faye’s Quarters- Pizza Night (Cochrane)

Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Deck 5, Faye’s Quarters- Pizza Night (Cochrane)

Posted by Lieutenant Faye Calloway (Mission Specialist) in Deck 5, Faye’s Quarters- Pizza Night (Cochrane)
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Alex poured the wine and took a glass over to her. “Actually, I am more the ‘floating on my back in a sensory deprivation chamber’ type. As far as Holodeck goes… my favorite program is a massive den filled with books, whiskey, big leather chairs, and a giant fireplace. And no door, so no one comes in.” and he laughed. “What about you? Are you a standard ‘beach on Risa’ type? Or do you go for something more eccentric?” and he smiled.

Cochrane

She gave him a slightly disgruntled look as she accepted the wine from him, as if he had said something mildly offensive. But that quickly gave way to a slight smirk. “Well, not Risa, and not your lounging about sort of thing, but I have a beach program from Earth, from when I was at the Academy actually. I used to go over the Golden Gate bridge into Marin County. Muir Beach was one of my favourite places. I went there to clear my head instead of lose it on my classmates. It was good for all of us,” she said with a slight laugh that was a bit forced. “But there’s a great hike to there and at the end I’d go swim in the ocean, or just sit on the end on the rocky shore and let the waves wash over me.. in the warmer months, of course. In the winter the weather was miserable but it was better than stewing on campus.”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Anyway, I got a program of Muir Beach and sometimes I like to visit there. Otherwise I can’t say I venture onto the holodeck much. I think I got worried for a long time about confusing reality. It’s less of a problem these days,” she added before taking a tentative sip of the wine. It was quite nice and she could appreciate it, but she had to remind herself that it was fine, and so was she. She had come a very long way over the years and it wasn’t the issue it could have once been.

~Faye Calloway, Data Specialist

Cochrane noted the pause. That, coupled with the ‘confusing reality’ comment, prompted him to speak up. “Faye, I want to tell you something. Now, I don’t know all of what you have been through. But I want you to know that here, on this ship, you are doing an amazing job. Professionally and personally. I have received nothing but good reports regarding you and your work and interactions with the crew. I know that your posting here comes with challenges for you. But you are handling that really well. I, for one, am very impressed. And I know I’m not the only one. I’m no Counselor by any stretch, but I’ve seen you change since you’ve arrived. And it’s a solid, positive change. You should be proud of what you’ve done… and how you’ve handled everything.” and lifted his glass to her in a silent toast.

Cochrane, CO

For a moment Faye was confused by the response he elicited in her when her cheeks suddenly felt rather warm. She momentarily tried to hide her reaction by sipping her wine but knew that was pointless. Surely it wasn’t a stretch for him to imagine that Faye wasn’t used to receiving compliments and she wasn’t exactly sure what to do with them? But the fact that he felt comfortable enough with her to speak that way on more than one occasion told her that maybe this wasn’t all in her head. Maybe he felt something of a connection too? “Thank you, Alex,” she said softly. “I… actually really appreciate that.”

Shaking her head slightly, she gave a slightly lopsided grin. “It’s been hard to make people understand that this is it. The Manhattan was my last chance. I’ve done everything right since I escaped the Romulans and it’s not like I’m doing my job poorly or anything. But this was the last chance I gave myself to prove I could actually stay in Starfleet. There’s still a part of me that wants to say ‘screw it’ and resign my commission and just go… somewhere. But where? I’m in more danger out there on my own and at least here, the enemy, such as it is, is known to me. I can deal with them.” She smiled wider. “And like I said, I’m happy here. My brain seems to have… calmed down? I don’t have as many days where I feel outside of myself and am wanting to tell myself to calm down because I know I’m being crazy. And I have to thank you for being so supportive. Right from the get-go you called me on my shit but also went out of your way to make me feel at ease. You didn’t have to do that, but you did. So thank you.”

~Faye Calloway, Data Specialist

Cochrane looked at her and said “You’re part of my crew, Faye. That means I support you, no matter what. At least in public.” and he chuckled and winked.

Cochrane, CO