Posted by Captain Orvos Legen (Commanding Officer) in Ready Room- Main Sim

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Faye Calloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Ready Room- Main Sim

Posted by Captain Orvos Legen (Commanding Officer) in Ready Room- Main Sim
Posted by… suppressed (12) by the Post Ghost! 👻

<snip>

Faye would discover a lot of barriers to information on Silas Morgan. But eventually she would discover that he was there to discover if indeed the Dawn Treader was smuggling stolen Breen weaponry. There was no record of him sending a distress call of his own to Intelligence. But there was also no sign his investigation was compromised. Intelligence never found any sign of him, but part of the rationale of sending the Athena, was that Faye would be able to help exfiltrate him if he was captured.

Liam found it to be a relatively ordinary asteroid belt, but there were stray pieces of scrap, possibly connected to the attacks on the ships in question.

-GM

Faye sat there and stared at the screen. After a moment she realized she hadn’t taken a breath and inhaled sharply. Just in time too, since she was starting to feel that all-too familiar tingly in her fingers and toes. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, willing herself to stay present in this space and moment.

~Faye Calloway, CIO

“It seems like an ordinary asteroid belt aside from stray pieces of scrap, possibly connected to the ships in questions.” Liam relayed.

-CSO, Liam J. Madison, Sci.

Orvos was picking up the feelings on the bridge, particularly from Faye. He mentally noted the strange shift, recalling what they had spoken of earlier pertaining to her own needs. He stood up from his seat and moved about the bridge slowly, inspecting various stations, wiping the stray particle of dust from somewhere.

He soon came upon Liam working at his station. “Mr. Madison, why don’t we investigate some of the stray scrap. The more information we get, the better. We need to determine who our culprit is for certain.”

He then came upon his Chief Intelligence Officer at her station. She hadn’t outright said anything about her findings, not had she mentioned her own mental issues popping up. He spoke in a subtle, yet low tone. “Find anything helpful yet?” he asked her as he glanced at her screen.

-Captain Orvos Legen, CO

At a glance it was clear Faye had dug into classified Intelligence files that she had access to.

His voice cut through the buzzing and at first the only sign she had heard him was her tightening her right hand into a fist, digging her nails into her palm. As strange as it might seem for some, it helped. It created pain, and pain was a tangible sensation that connected her to her body. “Helpful…” she said. “Not the word I’d use. May we talk in private?” Faye said.

~Faye Calloway, CIO

Upon feeling Orvos come to rest behind him, Liam’s symbiote twitched. It curled against his spine as he fought not twist about in his chair. Instead, his eyes shifted sideways to acknowledge the captain. “Of course.”

A simple reply for a simple request. His hands flickered across the console, focusing in on the stray scraps of metal. He compared it to the missing ships and to see if they were man made vs naturally occurring.

-CSO, Liam J. Madison, Sci.

The captain seemed content with Liam’s reply for now and that the man was busy at work. After he had moved to his CIO and heard what she shared with him, he nodded. “Ready Room,” he said low to her before turning back to his CSO.

“Mr. Madison, you have the bridge,” he said aloud for the bridge crew to hear as he made his way to the ready room.

-Captain Orvos Legen, CO

OOC: We can split from here until we Faye and Orvos return. :)
-Tony

Faye got up and secured the terminal before beelining for the ready room.

She had barely let the door behind Orvos close behind him when she spewed the jumbled thoughts as she paced his office. “There was an Intelligence operative on the Dawn treader. He was undercover with an alias. He’s gone missing and there’s been no contact with him since the ship disappeared. There was a note in the Intelligence file that said the Athena was suggested for this investigation because of me and my experience.” Her whole body vibrated with anxious energy and she suddenly felt like she might vomit. Faye stopped and looked at him. “If I can find Silas Morgan I am tasked with his exfiltration, whatever the circumstances.” Did he get it? Did he get why this felt like a cruel trick?

~Faye Calloway, CIO

Orvos stood by and listened, his mind focused on her attitude and emotions. He remained absolutely calm, not wanting to push the emotions more. Yet, he could feel it within him. He could feel the same anxiety rattling despite burying any obvious signs of his empathy to her. He leaned back against his desk with a sigh as he considered what she said. He shook his head before looking back up at her.

“It’s never easy being put in positions like that again. I’m not a counselor obviously, but I’m sure it’s unsettling. Who did the order come from specifically? Are they associated with your previous experiences in the department?” he asked. He was curious as to whether this was simple brass being unfamiliar with a situation or if the order had some intent behind it.

-Captain Orvos Legen, CO

Faye shook her head. “It’s not a formal order. It’s a notation in the record on Silas Morgan. I’d have to go digging to see who put it there, but honestly, I’m not sure it matters. They know I’m bound by duty and well, I guess empathy, to rescue him if he’s been captured. We can’t leave him in that situation, Captain. I won’t turn a blind eye knowing how a person can suffer in the hands of those that object to the ruse of an undercover agent.” Faye planted her hands on hips and looked down with closed eyes, forcing herself to breath.

When she lifted her head, there was fear and despair in her eyes. “I’ve intentionally put myself in harms way before. We’ve talked about that. But this might run alongside or away from the Athena’s main assignment. You know I can’t walk away, but I also have my two biggest supports on that away team.” Daggum and Janna knew the nitty gritty of her experiences. Few others did. Serena came close but she too was planetside. Faye knew objectively she wasn’t alone, but it felt awfully lonely in this moment, trapped as she was between her memories and what was right. Hell, she’d call the Delta Quadrant at this time if she could, but that wasn’t necessarily an option.

~Faye Calloway, CIO

Orvos nodded sympathetically. “I would never ask you to forget about a rescue. I would offer to help you in a heartbeat with my own knowledge and expertise if I wasn’t left in charge of the ship. You’re a part of this crew, and thus its resources are available to you. I’m not going to stand in your way.”

Faye nodded and took a steadying breath.

He paced a moment before turning back to the commander. “Have you considered Dawson and Marishka? Both have experience in intelligence work. And I can assure you that I know Dawson well enough to know he would sign up for whatever you have in mind. I know they aren’t exactly official on the roster, but they are exceptional assets.” He paused to gauge her reaction.

-Captain Orvos Legen, CO

“I trust them to help with the practical part of the operation, so yes, I can ask for their help. But that’s not the part that concerns me.” Faye had a hard time letting herself be too vulnerable in public, but this wasn’t in public, and he had told her last time they had had a chat like this that she always had permission to speak freely. She drew nearer to Legen, doing her best to tame her worry.

Orvos picked up on her body language and overall emotions. He made no retreat, choosing calm warmth for this particular situation.

“It’s been a challenging transition, coming to the Athena. More than I expected. And I’m working on that. But something possibly separate from my usual symptoms is happening and we’re still trying to figure it out. Before you agree to whatever my plan ends up being, you should be aware that I am having… blank spells. We haven’t 100% ruled out a form of dissociation, but it’s been very different. I lose time. I blank out entirely for long periods of time. Hours even. Not often, and fortunately for us, usually when I’m calmer. So I don’t think it would be an issue for any operation I conduct. But, I’m dysregulated more than I would like. And I can’t predict what sort of traumatic response I might have to seeing someone else in a similar position to what I had been in.” She sucked in a breath. “Those nine months with the Tal Shiar were a haze of pain and misery and while I have done a great deal of work to move past it, sometime it pops up when I least expect it. Marishka and Dawson are both aware of my mind dumps and the circumstances surrounding them, so I will warn them, but I wanted you to have this all in mind as well before you say yes.” Faye was accepting the risk and willing to go through with it. Already she knew Dag would be upset, even if he fully understood and agreed with the plan after the fact.

~Faye Calloway, CIO

Orvos listened intently to her every word, letting the feelings and facts mingle inside his mind. There was no stopping her. She had already made the choice. The question was, would he be there to bring her back if things got bad. What he continue to keep her in mind? The facts were laid bare, and her feelings made apparent. He would simply go with it.

“Allowing you to go on this mission puts you at risk. The choice is ultimately yours as I have said. I trust you to make the right choices. Taking Dawson and Marishka with you would be ideal. I know that this has been a massive transition for you, Faye. I’m not going to step on your toes. You feel led to do it, then I say make it so. But I will advise you to be cautious and trust your team. Every good leader learns how to do that. Sometimes through times such as this.” Deep down, he knew Dawson extremely well. And Marishka he knew on a bit of an intimate level as well. The three of them working together would be much like a three stranded cord. Together, they wouldn’t be easily broken. He wasn’t entirely sure what Faye’s future would hold. She was a wild card at the moment, but he cared enough to take the risk if that was her desire.

-Captain Orvos Legen, CO

Sometimes her fears were just that: fears. She could wrestle with them and work out how best to make sure they didn’t get int he way, but Faye also knew that her fear quite often kept her alive. If there was one thing that Faye Calloway had in spades, it was a finely honed survival instinct. Yes, she was driven to do this because it was the right thing to do, but she wasn’t going to be foolish about this.

It was that moment on the Manhattan all over again- that moment when Alex handed her the phaser and she took it, knowing the outcome, however good int he end, would cost her dearly on a personal level. It was that moment that Alex had later told her solidified her personal progress and put her on the path she was now on. If there was one thing she was damned good at, it was staring risk dead in the eyes and saying I accept. At least at this point in her life she was level and the risk was calculated.

Pulling her shoulders back, Faye nodded. “This isn’t a reckless path. I know what needs to be done even if we’re searching for the proverbial needle in the haystack. I trust Marishka and Dawson, and I know they will look out for me.” She blew out a breath. “Now, would you prefer me to stay close to the bridge, or will you be fine up here? I get that I am leaving you short-handed up here, but you have Madison.”

~Faye Calloway, CIO

Orvos raised an eyebrow and paused to weight his options. Holding her back just didn’t feel right. Sure, she could stay close to the bridge. But in a pinch, he wanted her to have options. Though she was right. Madison was still on the bridge. And Orvos was certainly captain enough to try and use what he could as a training opportunity. Though he was confident that the man would be nervous. Orvos could handle it.

“Do as you see fit, Commander. We’ll be fine. And keep us apprised if you can. We’re not leaving you here.” he said, hoping she understood that he meant it.

-Captain Orvos Legen, CO

Faye felt the surge of emotion within her and, to her credit, didn’t allow it to overwhelm her. Instead she let them out in a shaky breath and nodded. “Thank you,” Faye said. “I’ll be in the Intelligence offices if you need me. I’m going to call down and brief the other two and once we have a clear plan, we’ll let you know.”

She waited till she was dismissed and left the ready room.

~Faye Calloway, CIO