Posted by Commander Amelia Manning (Executive Officer) in Trouble in Paradise - CO’s Quarters

Posted by Colonel Calvin Harris (Commanding Officer) in Trouble in Paradise - CO’s Quarters

Posted by Commander Amelia Manning (Executive Officer) in Trouble in Paradise
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
His fists bounced repeatedly off the sealed doors of the Intel Chiefs Quarters as the Marine’s booming voice echoed out in all directions. “What the actual frack is wrong with you!? Open this goddamn door right now Molly! How dare you override MY fracking Access Codes! I said…” BANG “…open…” BANG “… this…” BANG “… fracking…” BANG “… DOOR!” The last strike to the door, still firmly sealed, was much louder and slightly lower on the entry. As Harris’ right foot kicked the metal followed by the pained cry from the Dresden’s CO. “Goddamn it!” With that, the Marine limped away from the door toward the nearest Turbolift to carry him back to his Quarters.

Harris, CO

The day had been mostly uneventful and mostly routine. She had done her regular Bridge shift hours, followed by her usual hours spent reading DH reports in her office, a drink in 8-Forward, a long bath, and a long needed call with Pete. Just seeing his smile made her day a whole lot brighter. Not to mention, after his short stay on board the Dresden, she knew he was as eager as her for him to return, and talking about it always made her feel better.

That was until a rather unwelcome voice made its way to her ears.

“What the actual frack is wrong with you!? Open this goddamn door right now Molly! How dare you override MY fracking Access Codes! I said…” BANG “…open…” BANG “… this…” BANG “… fracking…” BANG “… DOOR!” A last much louder bang echoed through the deck followed by a clear cry of pain. “Goddamn it!”

“What was that!?” A slight Southern California accent tainted Pete’s Received Pronunciation disbelief.

Amelia stared silently into her husband’s wide blue eyes, before her brain was even capable of forming a reply. Her own eyes as wide open as his. “Harris.” She finally said shaking her head.

“Is he still harassing that poor girl?” Came Peter’s words on the other side of the terminal screen. “You would think that she would have left him by now…!”

Amelia chuckled. “It’s not as easy as it may seem… They’re both quite…” She pondered for a moment before finishing the sentence. “… dysfunctional…” She sighed. “But believe me. There’s nothing ‘poor’ about her. If Holloway wanted him away from her, she would have had him gone for a long time. The last mission was… rough. I’m just glad you were not here when it happened.” A pained expression crossed Amelia’s face.

It was Peter’s time to smile. “No point thinking about what-ifs. I’m okay, and more importantly you’re okay. That’s all that matters.”

Amelia smiled sadly. “I know, I know.” She paused for a moment. “I should probably go see what’s happening. So I won’t get my own ship tomorrow morning after our CO’s found dead in a Jefferies tube.” She chuckled. “Same time tomorrow?”

Pete laughed before nodding. “Same time tomorrow. Although I mean… Captain Manning has a nice ring to it.” He said with a wink.

“Shush.” She winked back. “I love you Pete.”

“I love you, Ami. Have a good night.”

“Good night.”

A final blown kiss left her lips before she hang up the call. Standing up and tying her silk robe around her waist, Manning left her quarters towards Harris’s door.

It didn’t take long for a limping Calvin Harris to show up, as Amelia leaned against the door frame blocking the Dresden’s CO from accessing his quarters.

Crossing her arms, Manning cleared her throat in a scolding tone. “So… now that the whole ship has heard the headline, can I have the full length scoop?”

Lt. Cmdr. Manning, XO

OOC: Splitting to keep the locations separate. Ensign Osten & Captain Holloway will continue in the other thread.

IC: Harris glared, clearly annoyed by the arrival of his Executive Officer as he approached his quarters. “There’s nothin’ ta’ talk ‘bout Amelia.” He snapped rather unceremoniously in his distinct Oklahoman accent. “I’m goin’ inta my quarters. Kindly move yer ass or I’ll move it for ya.” The Marine motioned toward the door as he approached.

“I’m serious Commander… make a hole!” His tone was gruff and he was clearly focused on reaching the refuge of his personal space on board the Dresden.

Harris, CO

There was a slight eyebrow raise on Amelia’s face. So slight it was almost imperceptible.

“No.” She said steadily without moving an inch as her eyes seemed to drill holes on the Dresden’s CO. “I was on a call with Peter and your voice made it all the way to California.” There was a long enough pause for the words to sink in, but not long enough to allow Harris to speak. “With all due respect, sir, I held you in higher regard than this. But maybe you really are the redneck I thought you were when I first came on board…” If looks could kill, the Marine would already be dead. It was amazing how Manning could go from casual to menacing without moving a limb. “Where I come from, we don’t wash our dirty clothes in public. And we certainly do not make such a loud scene that half the ship can hear it.” Well… or at least most people didn’t. Her mother was not one of them. Maybe she should introduce her to Harris. For a short moment, Amelia entertained that idea, before continuing. “Every single person on board this ship is a member of your crew, Colonel. They see you as the highest authority, and as the prime example of what a Starfleet officer should be. Acting like this not only damages your reputation within your ship, as it makes you look terribly unprofessional and quite frankly, a lousy human being. I do not care what problems you and Captain Holloway are going through, but humiliating a crew member does not sit well with the rest of the crew.”

At this point, Calvin knew damn well better than to argue with the woman. She was as smart as Molly and as stubborn and hardheaded as his mother. She had a point. Hell… she had several points and the dumbest damn thing he could do right now was to further argue with her.

Finally, Manning sighed. Uncrossing her arms, she took her shoulder from the door frame where it had been laying through her piece. “I will let you into your quarters on one condition, Colonel. I’m walking in with you and we’re going to talk this through.”

Lt. Manning, XO

“Fine goddamn it.” Harris said in a huff as his shoulders unsquared from hers. “Come on in. God knows I’m not getting rid of your stubborn ass otherwise.”

Harris stepped into his quarters, followed by his Exec and limped to the replicator. A moment later, he turned… a glass with a ball of ice in it in his hand and he walked to his liquor cabinet and poured two fingers of Scotch. Glancing up, he sighed. “I’m not some neanderthal Amelia… nothing of the sort.” His eyes shimmered, rimmed in tears that refused to fall. “I’m fracking worried about her.” He took a sip before motioning to the bottle. “Care for drink… the least an old Marine can do for ruining your evening.”

Harris took a slow, deep breath as he ran his hand through his hair, the scars of his own bout with torture still clearly visible to anyone who knew where to look.

Harris, CO