Brushing off her hands, Faye stood up and admired her handiwork. her plants were coming along well and even though she was technically back on duty, she didn’t have anywhere specific to be. Things seemed to be up in the air as far as the running of the science department so she hadn’t yet been placed in the active duty schedule. The XO told her they were working on it and to just continue with whatever she had been working on. : : : : So here she was, in her uniform once again. The day she had passed her fitness test, she had tried it on for the first time in what felt like ages. And then promptly had to go to the Quartermaster to get a set in her new size. Even now she wasn’t entirely sure how to feel but what she was sure was that it felt right. : : : : After cleaning off her hands, she went back to her corner and surveyed the hybrid plants that were growing in three containers. Though mostly busy work to make her feel useful when she was still in recovery, she felt like these plants that were adjusting to their environment and growing in new ways. : : : : ~Faye Calloway, Science : : “So what are we growing here,” Kelly said coming up behind the science officer. She had come down to talk to Faye about something else but a bit of time to get to know the officer wouldn’t hurt. Kelly was working on meeting the whole crew but there were a lot of them. “Tell me it is not Cannabis indica,” Kelly asked half joking. The plant was off in the back corner and not the first time the plant would have been found growing surreptitiously in a botany lab. : : Captain Kelly Shultz Looking over her shoulder and turning to the voice, Faye snorted. “Not this time,” she deadpanned. Calloway gestured to the containers. “Nothing too crazy, just felt like getting my hands dirty. But we might be able to make a salad when all is said and done-“she grinned slightly-“heavily drought resistant veggies. Can’t promise they won’t be tiny. It would be a really, really small salad.” ~Faye Calloway, Sciences

“Then we take really small bites and not share with anyone,” Kelly shrugged. “Besides salads should be small. I am a meat and potatoes type girl so the smaller the better.” Kelly leaned back against a table and took a long hard look at Faye. “Okay Calloway I have read the reports and my XO seems to have a very high opinion of you. Me…I am the type that does not micromanage the people below me. I don’t know you past some words on a report but Fell-Drakye has a hell of a lot of faith in you. We need a chief science officer. Relann suggested you. I am willing to give you the chance. Interested,” Kelly said in a formal tone.

Captain Kelly Shultz

Faye’s stormy grey-green eyes went wide. For a moment she had a flashback to the Curie when they tried to force the position on her when not only was she clearly not ready but there were significant issues that should have made anyone else laugh at the idea. But then again, she hadn’t had too high of an opinion of her Captain at the time and the XO, well, the less said about him, the better.

“Uhhh,” Calloway stuttered and momentarily looked at her plants before gazing back at Kelly. “Captain, as much as I am extremely flattered, I know myself. I’ve just come to a good place and I’ve only just got back on duty. While I technically have helped run a department before, that was before… stuff happened. I’m not sure it’s a great idea.” ~Faye Calloway, Sciences

“And less than a month ago our Marines were on Rho Puppis where stuff happened but I am darn sure that they are not doubting their ability to perform the job they were trained for the next time we need them.” Kelz Shultz was all about fun and having a good time at all times. Captain Shultz though was not afraid to give tough love when it was needed. She wasn’t sure she liked this Calloway but liking her crew was not her job. Making them the best officers they could be however was clearly in her job description. “Calloway you are not the only person that has ever gone through crap while serving in Starfleet. Nash watched his ship be destroyed with 70% loses saving a colony only to get court marshaled for saving countless civilian lives. Fell-Drayke lost her just about everyone she knew and loved yet is able to perform her duty. I stood once at Captain Knight’s side as a warlord executed 100 men, women and children before us and there was nothing we could do to stop it,” Kelly tried to keep the annoyance out of her voice. Everyone in Starfleet had experienced or would experience a tragic event during their career. Most not as extreme as the cases she listed above but Kelly was the type not to dwell on her past. As a Captain, she was expected to always show in public the image of a strong leader whatever the cost. She could sympathize with the science officer off duty but this was on duty.

“Your story is tragic and it is yours to process and find a way to live with but you are an officer in Starfleet. You are here to do a job. You are not some virginal civilian who was thrown into a maelstrom and then expected to act like nothing happened. You were trained and prepared for less pleasant things to occur. No one ever wants it to happen but it does. You have also had months to recover. Our Marines get far less and are asked to endure and execute things that would give most of us nightmares. You are more than capable of performing this job. You have been cleared by Rinker and Ryley for active duty. I am giving you the chance to show the rest of the crew how senior officers perform even after the worst happens to them. If you don’t think you can do it I won’t pressure you but you need to tell me now. I don’t care if you doubt yourself but that has to be in private. On duty, you have to act like you have everything together because when and if there is an issue I need you to be a leader because the people below you might break. So are you going to dig deep and lock it down tight while on duty or spend the next few months doubting yourself and playing in the dirt?” Her words might have sounded harsh but Kelly needed to know she could count on Calloway. She also knew that the woman was far more capable than she was letting on.

Captain Kelly Shultz

: : : Faye frowned. “I didn’t say I can’t be an officer on this ship, Captain. But being a Department Head is an entirely different situation and not one I can confidently say I feel prepared for. If you want to toss me in and let me sink or swim, fine, so be it. But I figured you’d prefer the truth, rather than just a nod and ‘yes, ma’am’. I’ll always do my best, no matter the circumstances, but I’m just being realistic.” Faye had barely wrapped her mind around anything after getting back on duty and so far she hadn’t even begun to think about what might be next. She just wanted to get settled into some sort of normalcy after working so hard to move forward. And all of this wasn’t even factoring in the crazy memory dumps that continued to show up randomly. At least she seemed to have an a handle on them lately. Otherwise, this conversation with the Captain would be vastly different.

: : :

: : : ~Faye Calloway, Sciences

: :

: : This was not the answer she hoped for but it was the answer Kelly was given. “Okay then,” Kelly said with a neutral expression. She had hoped Faye would take the role but as Calloway pointed out, Kelly could not force her into a job the officer was not ready for. “You can remain a junior officer. Hopefully one day you will be ready and when that time comes, come to see me. I have an open door policy. Thank you for your time lieutenant and good luck with your botany projects.” Kelly nodded at Faye and walked to the door of the lab.

: :

: : Captain Kelly Shultz

:

Faye stood there and nodded mutely, feeling her heart racing. As the Captain left, she exhaled to herself.

: Tyler walked in at that moment. He was surprised to pass the Captain on his way in. : : : “Captain,” He said, giving the woman a nod. : : : Walking over to where Faye was working, he leaned back against the bulkhead, crossing his arms across his chest, looking at her quizzically. “What was that all about?” He asked, nodding his head towards the doorway. : : : -Tyler Michael Wells, science Faye looked up at tyler and there was a strange mix of emotions on her face. “Committing career suicide, apparently,” she said, with a surprising amount of sadness in her voice. She frowned and shook her head. “The Captain asked if I wanted to be Chief of Science. I said I was unsure, so… yeah, that conversation ended quickly.” She laughed without humour. “At least I have my plants. Yay me.” Ahh, sarcasm- that felt better. ~Faye Calloway, Sciences