Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Janna Kingston (Counsellor) in Business As Usual - CNS Office - Tag Kingston

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Serena Stone (Executive Officer) in Business As Usual - CNS Office - Tag Kingston

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Janna Kingston (Counsellor) in Business As Usual - CNS Office - Tag Kingston

(snip)

it sounded like good advice. She opened her mouth to reply but then seemed to think better of it. Then nodded. “I’ll try.” She pursed her lips together for a moment, making a thin line out of her mouth. “Best I can do is just aim for excellence,” she murmured quietly, her voice hardly carrying in the quiet confines of the office. Misgivings and uncertainty rolled off of her, flaring up in particular at the mention of t he crew and being compassionate. And perhaps a feeling like she’d bene holding her breath for a long time, afraid to really breathe lest she fall apart.

Lt Cmdr Stone, XO

Janna leaned forward, searching for Stone’s gaze. “Hey, we’ve got you, just like we know you’ll have us. There’s an old saying that extreme pressure can create diamonds, but sometimes that pressure shatters things as well. We’re not one thing all the time Serena. We don’t need you to save us, to hold it all on your shoulders. We’re in this together, and trust me, after all this crew has been through, you won’t find a tougher group. But they are also a traumatized lot. We’re all learning to be softer at the same time. You just have to choose to join us.”

~Janna Kingston, CNS

The redhead said nothing for a long moment, her gaze locked with Janna’s, seeing, searching. Though she kept a good poker face, it was a mask. Beneath it swirled uncertainty, skepticism, dashes and splashes of hope, descending into a long note of resolve. Finally she nodded. “I don’t even know how long I’m going to be here. This happened so suddenly. It could be for a few weeks, or it might be for the next decade. For now, I’m just going to have to play it by ear.” She finished with a shrug. Best she could do for now was to just do what she could and roll with the punches for now. At least she knew how to take a beating, especially a tactical one. Flashing Janna a small smile she shifted in her seat, getting a little more comfortable.

Lt Cmdr Stone

“How long do you want to be here? If you had a choice, of course,” Kingston asked, sipping on her cooling coffee. Her newfound perceptiveness only went so far and thus she was still relying on her skills and experience to guide her and Stone through the conversation.

~Janna Kingston, CNS

That question gave her pause, and for a moment she lapsed into silence to consider. But no answers came. “I don’t know,” she said. It was filled with earnesty rather than confusion. “I feel like things are off-trajectory for me. But that may not be a bad thing. That might turn out to be the best thing actually. But right now I just don’t have enough information. I know I’m quick to pull away from rapid changes, or from uncertain ground. But given time to check my footing, and feel my way forward, I adjust well. It’s out of my comfort zone. Which is good. It’s an opportunity for growth. I always expected if I ever did make it to XO, it would be on a warship. And yeah, I know the Mythology-class types can fight. But it’s a different culture. A lot more people to deal with. And well, people. Civilians. It changes the rules of engagement. It changes risk factors. It changes so much about how I would operate. There’s now a thousand liabilities I have to account for. A thousand corners I have to be ready to see around before I get there.” The prospect was daunting. There were a bunch of departments to deal with, each with their own problems, and individual concerns. And that didn’t even account for the people that fell under no chain of command. And of course if they got into a firefight… The idea of the losses there, or having to run and hide instead of taking the fight to the enemy because Tiny Tim might get vaporized … Granted, Orvos would shoulder much of that, but it wasn’t his to do alone.

Lt Cmdr Stone, XO