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 - CO’s Quarters
Posted by… suppressed (7) 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.”

“That you are not.” Amelia whispered softly under her breath, before following him into the room.

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.”

“You know I never refuse a drink.” Manning said to the offer. She was going to suggest that maybe he shouldn’t be drinking at all, but eventually decided against it.

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

Amelia remained quiet as she watched the Marine pouring her own drink, only speaking when she finally had the glass in her hand. Sitting down on the couch in the living area of his quarters, Manning spoke after taking a sip from her drink.

Harris followed Manning into the living area, settling into his chair and carefully propping up his still sore foot on his other ankle. He waited patiently as the woman began to speak.

“I know you are not some neanderthal, Calvin.” She finally started. “But you sure act like one sometimes.” Amelia took another sip before continuing. “I know you’re worried.” She said, pausing for a brief moment to ponder her next words. “We all are. You’re not the first to notice that she hasn’t been the same. But… who really is anyway?” She paused to take another sip. “I hear whispers here and there… Comments during my poker games… The lower decks crew…” Manning shrugged. “But kicking in her door is not the solution to your problems. If anything, it will push her away even further. She will come to you when she’s ready.” She sipped some more of the whiskey.

“It just…” Harris sighed softly, taking another sip of Scotch. “… it just sucks Amelia. I want to be there for her and all she does anymore is shut me out. I feel…” Calvin looked down into his drink for a long while, his hand once more running through his hair and exposing the scar in the hairline above his right eye. “… I feel like I’m losing her, Amelia. It’s scaring me to death and has me almost unable to function.... constantly wondering how I can help her after what she’s been through and how to get her back. Molly’s my…” A single tear rolled down his cheek as Calvin looked up at Amelia through hazy eyes. “… she’s my world.”

Motioning to the scar on his forehead, Amelia continued. “You can’t pretend to know what she went through. And you need to accept the fact that you may never know. It’s out of our reach… Terrans are… vicious. And you probably know that better than me.” Manning paused, pondering, before placing her glass in the coffee table and draping her robe over her bare legs. “I think you need to accept the fact that we were all changed by that encounter… and that maybe the person that changed the most was her… The only thing I can tell you is that, the more you try to make her talk, the more she will retreat.”

Lt. Cmdr. Manning, XO

“I know…” Harris sniffed. “… God do I ever. The ‘War took Ness’ from me Amelia… after her first embedded assignment… she was… different. Vanessa and I had known each other since we were kids. We’d do everything together… the light within that girl fueled my very soul. But after she started covering the War, she became cold… hard. Sure…” Harris shook his head and sighed deeply. “… I wanted her back, I married Ness’… she is… was…” Harris corrected himself. “… Ali’s mom for crying out loud! But, part of me knew it was… in the end… more the right thing to do. The woman who died in the ambush on Merish IV was not the woman I fell in love with in high school. It destroyed a part of my soul to see her fade away…” He sniffed as a few more tears fell. “… and the last goddman thing I want is to lose Molly the same frackin’ way!”

Col. Harris, CO

For the first time, Amelia realized the depth of Harris’s worries. He brought a new angle to the table. One she had never considered, mostly because she had never faced it. Harris would be able to see the gears turning in her mind and the realization dawning on her, as she leaned forward and pensively took another sip of her whiskey.

“I’m sorry…” Manning finally said. It was a heartfelt apology but uttered mostly because she needed words to fill the silence and she didn’t really know what to say. “I didn’t know.” It was odd to see someone who always seemed to have a reply ready to fire, in such a loss for words.

After nursing the whiskey for a moment longer, Amelia finally spoke. “I can’t pretend to understand what you’re going through. I can’t even imagine it… but I can at least see where you’re coming from…” She paused for a moment before continuing. “I’m sorry. I really am.” There was sincere sympathy in Manning’s eyes when they met his gaze. “But my advice still stands… the more you try to press her, the more you’ll push her away… Give her some space. Don’t make a fuss. She’ll come to you…” Taking another sip from her glass, Amelia’s expression changed slightly, as if a thought had just occurred to her. “I know it is easier said than done… but… if I recall correctly… doesn’t Molly have a sister? Why don’t you try and talk to her, and explain what’s happening? Maybe she’ll have some suggestions on things you could do? Oh, also…!” Manning’s eyes widened as yet another idea flooded her mind. Her hand set her glass carefully on the table. “What about Captain York from the Thresher? The one that was here in that whole fiasco of a mission? He seemed to know her pretty well… have you tried reaching out to him?”

Lt. Cmdr. Manning, XO

At the mention of the Marine’s former flame, Harris seemed to cheer up slightly. Erin had always had a calming affect on him and just the speaking of her name made him smile. Harris also knew if there was anyone in the universe that could reason with Molly in the state she was in, it was Erin.

The change in Harris’s expression didn’t go unnoticed to the Dresden’s XO. Maybe the options she had brought to the table were good enough to let the Marine rest for the night and she could finish her whiskey and head to bed after a job well done.

However, at the mention of Molly’s former flame, Calvin’s eyes clouded quickly. Fires of jealousy flashed behind his striking blue eyes before he could stop them and it took about three seconds for him to respond to her final question. The glass in his hand cracked every so slightly before Harris sat the empty container on tray in front of him. “Are you nuts!?!” The Marine asked incredulously. “Might as’well strip’er down ‘n tie Molly to his bed! No thank you Amelia, the very last person I want involved in my love life is Molly’s former partner and lover!”

Manning’s eyes widened as his reaction shifted from peaceful to angry in the split of a second. Maybe she wasn’t going to bed soon after all. It was when the words left his mouth that Amelia understood. She had no idea Holloway and York had been involved in the past. She understood the Marine’s emotions. The last time Victoria’s name had appeared in her life she had been ready to strangle whoever had invoked her name.

“I’m sorry.” Manning said dryly as she took a final sip from her drink, and set the empty glass on the coffee table with a little more force than she had intended. “I had no idea they had been involved. I certainly did not bring it up to upset you.” There was a hard annoyance behind her gaze that Harris hadn’t seen before. It would hopefully tell the Marine that if he kept going he would cross a line with his Executive Officer and he would not want to do that.

Looking out the window to the streaks of starlight beyond, Harris’ shoulders slumped. “Amelia…” He began. “… if you were in a similar spot as me, what would you do?”

Harris, CO

It was Amelia’s time to look outside as she pondered what to say. Finally, after a few minutes of stargazing, she spoke. “To be honest Calvin… I would leave her be. Maybe try to reach her sister and see if she can tell you something about what is going on.” She paused before glaring at the Marine in a half playful, half serious expression. “And I would not yell at her by her door. In fact, I would not yell at all. I know you Marines are all about breaking things and stuff…” It would be the first time Harris would have heard Manning say ‘and stuff’ in a completely uncharacteristic fashion. “… but it must be hard enough already for her without you humiliating her and yourself in front of the crew. Just let her be…” Standing up, Amelia walked to Cal and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I know it sucks but… trust me. She will come to you when she’s ready. If you talk to her, don’t push the subject. She will address it when she has solved her inner turmoil. And in the meantime… message her sister. I’m sure she will help you figure out what to do better than I can.”

“I would also distract myself. You have a job to do and a crew to take care of. You have other people that care about you on the Dresden, you know? You have me, you have Miss Reyes… There’s poker on Tuesdays if you want to join. The buy-in is 150 credits.” A small smirk appeared on her lips. “Which brings me to a question you will not like to hear.” Clearing her throat, the smirk was replaced by a serious look. “What has been happening in the life of Calvin Harris when he’s not working or embarrassing himself in front of his girlfriend?”

Cmdr. Manning, XO

bump :)