Posted by Lieutenant Commander Renveer (Executive Officer) in First Day on the Job

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Renveer (Executive Officer) in First Day on the Job

Posted by Captain Molly Holloway (Commanding Officer) in First Day on the Job
Posted by… suppressed (10) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Molly stared at the empty walls of the ready room, and the empty walls of the ready room stared back at her. Everything felt ethereal. As if she was walking on a dream she hadn’t awoken from just yet.

She hadn’t slept that night. Instead she had snoozed on the shuttle with Cal’s shoulder serving as a pillow, but even then it hadn’t been enough to hide the dark circles under her eyes.

In her hands she carried a few personal objects: a blue mug with UCLA spelled in large yellow letters, an old and battered copy of Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, a small spherical glass terrarium, and a framed picture of her and Cal laying on the grass of a holographic version of Oklahoma City’s Scissortail Park.

There was something eerie about the emptiness of the place. Like a distant memory she’d repressed for a long time that was only now coming to the surface. Her grip faltered and the book slipped from her grasp, hitting the ground with a thud. Promptly placing the other objects on the desk, Molly crouched down to pick up the book that had once belonged to her mother, only to notice that two pictures had fallen from inside of it. One of them was a picture of two little red haired girls smiling at the camera. It had been her uncle that had taken the picture, in one of the rare occasions where his nieces had enjoyed a day out. A soft gasp left Molly’s lips as she looked at the second one and at the half-Korean man smiling beside a five year younger Molly — Ashton Young. The first man to truly steal her heart. She would never forgive herself the pain she had put him through.

Take care of Ashton, yeah? The words, uttered in the holodeck of the Montgomery by none other than Lai Lysis, now seemed so distant. She had failed Lai, and she had failed Ashton. And yet, here she was again, on the center chair of a ship. She had promised herself she would never take the job again, but just like the promises she had once made to both Lai and Ashton, this one too had been broken.

Blinking, hoping to stop the tears threatening from falling, Molly slid the pictures into random pages of the book and placed it on the desk, near her terminal. The terrarium on top of it, and the framed picture and the mug sitting by its side. It was everything she had at the moment. In fact, together with the small gold Rosary currently around her neck, these were the most important things she owned. Everything else she could do without.

With the soft tap of a button the terminal’s screen came to life. Sitting down on the chair that had up until a few weeks before belonged to Cal, she brought up her messages. Her eyes still didn’t want to believe what they was seeing.

The first XO Command had placed with her had been Gren Aullar. An Orion female and granted, a peculiar choice for a newly minted Captain, but Molly had learnt a lot from her. The second one… well, she’d rather forget about him. And now, once again, instead of letting her choose, Command had determined who her right hand would be. Only this time the choice had been certainly intriguing.

Taking a deep breath Molly tapped her commbadge, opening a commlink.

=/\= Holloway to Renveer. Please report to the Ready Room as soon as you can. Holloway out. =/\=

Why a counselor? Molly didn’t trust counselors. She didn’t like them one bit. And yet, on more than one occasion she had found herself opening up to the Trill officer with an easiness and peace of mind she hadn’t shared with almost anyone before. Had that been why he had been chosen?

Propping her elbows on the desk, Molly rubbed her eyes. Staring at the naked walls around her she waited for her new Executive Officer to arrive.

Capt. Holloway, CO

=^= Acknowledged. =^= Came the uncharacteristically short response from Renveer. About a half hour passed before the chime finally sounded, indicating that he had arrived.

When the door slid open in front of him, Renveer offered a smile that was a combination of a greeting and an apology. “I’m sorry for the delay, Captain. I was finishing up a counseling session.” He moved forward, a hand extended and his smile widening. “Congratulations, Molly. Well deserved.” Should his handshake be accepted, it was firm but not tight, and he would clasp his other hand over the back of hers in a gesture of genuine warmness.

Renveer, for his part, was still in his counseling teal. He had spent the day operating almost as if nothing had changed. He assumed the new orders meant nothing without Captain Holloway’s approval, after all, and his obligations to his clients did not evaporate with the promotion. So the counselor looked as he always did, calm and nondescript with an air of approachability about him. If there was a part of Renveer that knew this was a bit of an awkward meeting, he did not show it. But he was a counselor by training, after all.

(Lt. Cmdr. Renveer, XO)

Even though her thoughts had been roaming through the different possible reasons that could have led Command to assign her a Counselor as First Officer, Molly found herself smiling at Renveer when the doors opened, promptly getting up as he walked in.

Even though the handshake was promptly accepted, Hollway’s grasp was somewhat loose. It always had been. Almost as if she was afraid of physical contact, even if that contact came in the form of a simple handshake. Despite it all, she had made considereable strides during the past few years.

“Thank you, Commander. I believe congratulations are in order for you as well.” She said warmly, motioning towards a small sitting are with a sofa, a coffee table, and an armchair. Every single piece was standard Starfleet issue.

Moving to the area she had indicated, Molly let Renveer pick between the armchair and the couch and sat on the one left unoccupied. “I see, however, some habits die hard.” She gestured towards the teal uniform the new Executive Officer was wearing. An understanding smile played on her lips. “Hard to move on?”

There was a different air about Holloway, as if she was still getting around the fact that now she had a full crew under her command. It was clear that she wasn’t as much at ease in Command Red than in Intelligence Black. “I’m sorry…” She said apologetically, shaking her head. “Where are my manners… do you want anything from the replicator?”

What already had the chance to become an awkward meeting was clearly being exacerbated by Molly’s attempts at small talk.

Holloway, CO

Renveer settled into the corner of the couch closer to the armchair, leaving the more formal seat for Molly. In his office, Renveer was the one in the armchair. But this wasn’t his office, and he didn’t intend to transfer that dynamic into this new environment. At least not directly.

The former counselor looked down at his tunic and exhaled a laugh through his nose. “You caught me. I’ve always worn blue, no matter how many different versions of uniform we’ve cycled through over the last decade. I’m not sure red is quite my color, but someone back at headquarters seems to disagree. I must admit it’ll be a little bit of a mental shift to think of myself as part of the command staff now.” The way Renveer spoke about the promotion, it was likely clear that he had mixed feelings about the transition. Undoubtedly, he had loved his job as ship’s counselor. He just hadn’t had time yet to fall in love with being an executive officer.

Renveer shook his head lightly at Molly’s last question. “No thank you, but I appreciate the offer.” He set one elbow on the arm of the couch and crossed one leg over the other at the knee, leaning back slightly. “Although if you want to give your new accommodations a whirl, by all means. A captain’s ready room is quite the space to be proud of, and you have to break it in sooner or later.” Renveer raised his eyebrows, obviously being light-hearted. With grace, Renveer was seemingly unphased by the forced small talk, his brown eyes regarding Molly with no hint of judgement or expectation. His body language indicated that he was relaxed, perhaps even moreso than he had ever been during their sessions. Knowing Molly well enough, though, he didn’t intend to drag out the pleasantries.

(Lt. Cmdr. Renveer, XO)

“Is that an offer to help?” Molly chuckled, sitting down on the armchair. “Because I may take you up on it.” She paused for a moment. “In all seriousness though… I never figured how to decorate a space. I mean… That’s all I have…” She pointed to the four objects sitting on her desk. “Everything else seems rather pointless. Do you have any suggestions or advice when it comes to interior design?”

Even though Holloway had been the one calling the former Counselor, she had done so out of formality. She didn’t really have an idea to where the meeting might lead other than it felt like they should probably talk about the fact that they were going to be running a ship together.

Renveer grinned widely at the question, his interest obviously peaked. “In my opinion, the ambiance of a room sets the tone for everything that occurs within it. So I’d recommend considering what type of atmosphere you want to create in this ready room, and go from there. Art is a personal favorite of mine. Not prints or recreations, but original pieces by amateur of independent artists from across the quadrant. Art is great for conveying emotion, and a room with a personality is always more engaging than one with none.” His thoughts wandered to the paintings he had yet to unwrap in his new quarters.

It was a different take on Molly’s usual ‘decor is not useful’ stance. She pondered Renveer’s words for a moment before continuing.

Clearing her throat Molly finally worked up the courage to ask a question that had been weighing on her mind. Having considered all the options as to why Command might have appointed Renveer as her First Officer, she could not stop herself from thinking about yet another option. The more serious tone in Holloway’s words was clear when she spoke again. “Now… before we start talking about more… ship related things, I would like to ask you… if you don’t mind, that is… And I hope I won’t offend you when I say it but I feel like it will trouble me if I don’t at least mention it…” It was clear that she was slightly afraid of the reaction her question might cause, even though Renveer had seemed to bring nothing but peace to her. After all, the Counselor’s support had meant a lot to her in the past few months. “The XO position… did you personally request it, or did Command assign you?”

Holloway, CO

The former counselor hesitated. Not to formulate a lie, but instead to consider how to present the truth. His tone was even, but his gaze flickered slightly as if trying to figure out why the question was being asked as he was answering it. “I was asked, by Command, to accept the executive officer position after Captain Manning returned to Earth. I said yes, so I suppose it was a combination of both. It wasn’t my idea, by I’m certainly here by choice.”

Molly nodded, acknowledging the answer, but she gave no signs of what she was thinking.

Renveer’s brow creased slightly, creating ripples in his trill markings. “You said it was troubling you. May I ask why?” A very counselor-like question, but the slight display of emotion showed that Renveer was perhaps personally concerned that his acceptance of the position had offended or upset Molly in some way.

(Lt. Cmdr. Renveer, XO)

Holloway smiled at the question. “It seems that Command likes to interfere in my own job. And…” Her tone trailed off for a moment. “… I couldn’t shake off the feeling that you were assigned as my Executive Officer because ’someone needed to control the crazy one’.” Molly added air quotes. “You know my history with counseling… and you know how extensive it is. I just wondered if it was Command that had found me crazy enough to warrant a counselor as my Number One, or if it was you…” She chuckled softly. “It doesn’t surprise me that it was the former.” Molly shook her head. “I’m sorry if that was too honest. But I think it is better to put everything on the table.” It was a rare statement for Holloway. She shrugged. “After all, paranoia is part of my previous job.”

“Which leads me to another question about counseling…” She pondered for a moment. “How are our meetings going to work from now on? Is there any way we can continue with them?” A pained expression momentarily crossed her face. “When we find a new counselor I’ll have to go back to the beginning with them… and I am really not looking forward to it. But I also understand if you don’t feel comfortable keeping our meetings…” Even though her expression didn’t quite show it, for the first time in her life Molly felt as if an important part of her support structure was being taken away from her. It seemed that Renveer’s guidance through her past events had had a bigger impact on her than she would ever admit.

Holloway, CO

Renveer had to admit (to himself) that he had shared some of Molly’s suspicions. He had never considered an executive officer position before this one had been offered, so he hadn’t told anyone to consider him or that he wanted his hat thrown in the ring for such promotions. Renveer knew that he was a loyal, steady officer who tended to play by Starfleet’s rulebook on most everything, and considering Molly’s background in Intelligence and her previous assignment as a captain, he wouldn’t be entirely surprised if Starfleet had chosen him to help manage Molly in some way. But Molly and Renveer had developed such a good relationship over the past months that whatever Starfleet’s intentions, Renveer himself really did think that they would be a great team, and that they complimented each other well.

He didn’t say any of this out loud, and perhaps with Molly’s training she could tell that Renveer was holding something back. But Renveer gave a reassuring smile at her question. “I’m still a trained and licensed counselor, so I don’t see why it would be a problem to continue to meet in that capacity as well. There might be some…” he paused to consider his wording, “overlap of our professional relationships, but I don’t anticipate that being a problem. And if it becomes one, we can reevaluate at a later date.” the counselor shrugged light-heartedly. “Besides, now I get to be your personal advisor and confidant on a daily basis, rather than weekly.”

Molly couldn’t fully hide the smile that formed on her lips. It wasn’t too obvious, but it was there. It was something that had been on her mind ever since she had found that Renveer had been assigned as the Dresden’s new First Officer, and knowing that he could still counsel her brought Holloway an immense sense of relief.

Renveer’s grin turned nervous. “I’ll admit that I’m a little less prepared on the logistical side of things for this position, so I’d appreciate any guidance and patience you can give me as I get settled into the new role. I’ll need your support too, which will be a little different, but refreshing for me as well.” There was something behind those words, an innate relief in being able to say them. Renveer was usually the one who supported others, and he had often found himself needing to look outside of the ship for more personal relationships where he could vent about the stresses of his job, for example.

Holloway nodded in understanding. She knew what it was like to step into Command for the first time and how confusing and overwhelming it could be. “Of course. Anything you need. And don’t worry about the logistical side of things. You’ll get the hang of it, and until you do we’ll walk through it one step at a time. I still remember my first Executive Officer placement, and how overwhelming it was at times. I’ll hope I can mitigate that.” Her gaze was warm and her willingness to help genuine.

“But how about you, Captain?” He leaned back slightly, watching Molly as he tried to ask the next question nonchalantly. “How are you feeling about being in command again?”

(Lt. Cmdr. Renveer, XO)

Shrugging, Molly took a moment to think about what she wanted to say. “To be honest, I missed it.” She finally said. “At least in my old Command I was very much involved in the well being of my crew… people would come to me and I felt comfortable to go to them… it truly felt like a family.” She smiled. “Intelligence took that away… it’s easy for me to distance myself from people and…” Holloway shrugged again. “… my work with Intel just made it easier to do so. It was a convenient excuse, if you will. People tend to move out of the way when they see a black uniform, and it’s easy to not to chase them either, if what I’m saying makes sense.” Molly found herself confused by her own words, trying to put out in the universe feelings that she had felt for a long time, but Intelligence had also given her a cushion to land on when no one else seemed to do it. That’s why, even though she had her own ship and had been moved back to the ‘regular side’ of Starfleet, she was still very much involved with them.

“Before you arrived on board, I got into a particularly heavy argument with Colonel Harris, and one of our Security officers, Ensign Osten, came to my door to make sure I was okay. We ended up having a lengthy conversation in the lounge, and it made me realize how much I really missed being involved with the crew.” Molly chuckled. “Little did I know that I would be back in the center chair at the time.”

Renveer nodded in approval, and internally considered how good this change might be for Molly. A lot of the things they had talked about in the past had related to intelligence, so if she could start to feel less like an agent and more like an officer again… maybe that would be healthy for her.

Pausing she looked back to Renveer, a more serious expression on her face. “In line with what you said before, there’s something I feel I should stress out harder… no matter your rank or position on this ship, Executive Officer or not, you are a member of this crew, so… I will tell you the same thing I would tell anyone else – if you need anything, work related or not, night or day, I’m always here to listen and help. This was true in the past, even if I may not have seemed very approachable, but it is true now more than ever.” Molly’s eyes met Renveer’s to make the point that she was serious. “I dated a counselor once.” Dated was an understatement… they had been engaged after all. “He used to worry about everyone else, and never enough about himself. It comes with the job, I guess.” A hint of sadness was present behind her gaze but it quickly faded away. “You know what they say… you need to help yourself in order to help others. And I really want to know that no matter what, my door is always open.”

Holloway, CO

Renveer sighed through a smile, breaking the eye contact. “Yes well… I think that is a very common trait among professionals in my field. And of course, fighting against that impulse is easier said than done.” He breathed out deeply from his nose and recentered himself on the couch. “But like you, I think the transition, the change of pace from counselor to executive officer, will be good for me as well. I too needed to have an extra layer of barriers in my relationships with others as a counselor, to guard against compassion fatigue and over-investing. Now…” he smiled with a hint of relief. “I get to care for the needs of the crew as a person, rather than a counselor. And hopefully, that will leave more room for me to take care of myself as a person as well.”

The trill man extended a hand toward Molly, acknowledging her point. “All that is to say, thank you for your reassurances that I am supported in this role. And of course the same goes for you. I have no doubt that we will both be invaluable resources for the other as we tackle whatever it is that Starfleet throws at us.”

(Lt. Cmdr. Renveer, XO)

Molly smiled. Possibly the most joyful smile Renveer had seen on her lips the few months they had known each other. It lit up her face in an unusual way, almost childlike in nature. “Thank you. And yeah, I think we will make a good team, even if an unexpected one.” Holloway chuckled lightly.

There was a moment of silence as his words returned to Molly’s mind. And hopefully, that will leave more room for me to take care of myself as a person as well. The sentence made a few laps in her brain before Holloway looked back at Renveer. “I realize something… and… well… I hope you don’t take this the wrong way…” There was clear hesitation in her tone. “But… I guess I’ve been so used to perceiving you solely as the ship’s counselor for so long, that I don’t think we have ever met under more informal circumstances.” Molly paused again, shaking her head slightly in frustration. “I guess what I am trying to say is, if we are going to work together closely, it would be nice to know Renveer, the person, and not just Renveer, the Counselor. I’m sorry… I really hope this makes sense…” Molly felt that the more she tried to say something, the worst it sounded like. “You have had a few months of listening to me describe who I am in detail, and access to all my past counseling records. I’m sure you know me better than I know myself at this point.” Holloway chuckled. “But I know nothing about my new First Officer with the exception of his official file and that he likes art, from what you mentioned a while ago.” She gave Renveer a warm smile. “What do you like doing on your free time?”

Holloway, CO