Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Issac Forgrave (Chief of Security) in Somewhere in the Corridors (tag Issac Forgrave)

Posted by Captain Molly Holloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Somewhere in the Corridors (tag Issac Forgrave)

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Issac Forgrave (Chief of Security) in Somewhere in the Corridors (tag Issac Forgrave)
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
It had been a week since the incident, and Molly still couldn’t stop thinking about it. But somehow, the feelings of guilt and embarrassment were a welcome change from the nightmares that had plagued her mind for the last few months.

Contrarily to popular belief, Molly Holloway wasn’t as heartless as most people thought. She was aware that some crew members in the lower decks had nicknamed her ‘the Ice Queen’, and the first time the name had reached her ears, it had hurt. Molly had tried her best to let it go but stuffed underneath the hard shell that Intelligence had created a part of her still had trouble forgetting it.

Not unusually, it had been her sister to suggest that Molly should talk the Security officer she had unintentionally harmed. Erin was much better at dealing with social situations than Molly had ever been, and more often than not she envied her sister’s ability to turn any scenario to her favor.

As such, that afternoon, after a quick bite to eat, Molly had taken a PaDD with some written notes and queried the computer on the location of Ensign Issac Forgrave — security officers were many times elusive beings, as patrol, brig duty, and security drills could put them anywhere on the ship at any given time.

Leaving the comfort of her makeshift office in the Dresden’s War Room, Holloway took the computer’s information on Forgrave’s whereabouts and went out to meet him. It didn’t take long for her to find him. Hopefully he didn’t hold a grudge against what had happened on the holodeck, but she couldn’t blame him if he did.

Walking towards the Security officer, Holloway’s words came out in a dryer fashion than she wanted. “Forgrave, do you have a moment?”

Capt. Holloway, CIO

After the events in Holodeck three a week prior, Issac found himself with a surplus of free time; while his ribs had been knitted back together once he got to the sickbay, he had been forbidden from ‘strenuous activity’ for several weeks, in order to allow his body to fully recover. Issac had gotten used to staying active even before he entered the Academy; the sudden change in routine was more than a bit jarring. He had very quickly grown bored, and started looking for things to occupy himself with.

Seeing as much of his free time had previously been spent in the Dresden’s gym on deck 12, he had found himself instead being drawn down to deck 27, where there was a firing range. He hadn’t yet had the opportunity to spend any significant time there, and with the extra time on his hands he hoped to rectify that. He had undergone phaser training with the rest of the cadets when he joined Starfleet; and of course there had been regular qualifications and basic training throughout his time in the Academy. In a burst of inspiration, Issac had found some more advanced drills in the ship’s computer, and decided that now was a good a time as any to try some of them. In deference to the CMO’s stern orders, he had selected several of the drills that did not require the shooter to move around that much.

Wonder if they have anything besides the standard-issue phasers… NE Braxton had mentioned that the CO carried some kinda antique on occasion. Odds are it’s a ceremonial piece though; Federation don’t seem to be too fond of firearms. Been too long since I’ve had the chance to play with anything louder than a mouse’s fart…

Between his drifting thoughts and the intelligence officer’s remarkably quiet tread, Issac was caught off guard upon hearing his name called out behind him. He turned around a bit too quickly, betraying his surprise to the keen-eyed officer.

Forgrave hadn’t seen Holloway since the holodeck incident; her sudden appearance and dry tone caused his shoulders to reflexively tense up, perhaps remembering the recent trauma. Collecting himself with a deep breath that he hoped wasn’t too obvious, he forced himself to relax. You’re not in danger here, ya damn fool. Even if she does bust me down, I can live with that. And there ain’t no holodeck monsters here ta kick my ass again.

Issac was no expert when it came to emotions and feelings; particularly his own. Despite that, his lingering feelings of frustration and mistrust towards Holloway were not particularly hard to pick out. Intellectually, he knew that she had not intended for anything to happen; unfortunately, that didn’t change the results. He was pretty sure his face was blank; but he mentally planned his words before speaking - he didn’t want to make that mistake again.

Turning to fully face Captain Holloway, he addressed her with an almost stilted formality present in his voice. “Captain. How may I help you?”

Ensign Issac Forgrave, Security

It was impossible for Molly not to catch the surprise in Forgrave’s reaction. His wariness towards her was also fairly easy to see. Holloway didn’t blame the security officer. If the situations were inverted she would likely have held the same resentment.

“Shooting range, huh?” Molly’s words stumbled out of her lips, in uncharacteristic fashion for often calculated speech of the Intelligence officer. It was clearly small talk. “I didn’t know you cared about shooting things. There’s a pretty decent holodeck program—“ Holoway’s sentence trailed off, not sure whether mentioning anything holodeck related was a good idea. “Ah… at least that wasn’t the program I was running, or it could have been way worse, right?” Molly chuckled slightly at her own… joke? It was clear that that was a reason why Holloway chose to remain quiet most of the time. Although given the current interaction, it would be amazing to think the woman had had a full starship crew under her command a few years prior.

Issac tried very hard not to stare at the Intelligence officer. He desperately searched for the trick, the snare in her words. Surely there had to be one, right? She had likely sought him out; but what was with these awkward questions? Suspicion warred with confusion in his mind as he tried to figure out what was happening.

Molly took a deep breath, looking momentarily down at her toes, before turning to face Forgrave again. Her cheeks slightly rosy with embarrassment. “How are you doing?” The tone was slightly warmer and more genuine, and given Holloway’s posture, closer to the real topic she had walked all the way over to discuss.

Capt. Holloway, CIO

Finally, everything clicked in Issac’s mind. Small-talk. The Chief Intelligence Officer… the head Spook on this ship… is trying to make SMALL-TALK.

He had expected any number of things when the CIO had found him here; a severe dressing-down, an off-the-books “lesson,” or even just a quiet but unmistakable warning. Somehow, a conversation hadn’t been on that list, and Issac’s brain was having trouble finding the appropriate gear. After a few lingering moments of uncomfortable silence as Holloway’s questions drifted into nothingness in the otherwise empty corridor, his brain finally started working again, and he broke the silence.

“I’m uh, I’m doin’ alright. Still a bit sore; Issac gestured vaguely at his ribs here but Doc says that’s normal, oughta pass soon enough. ‘M on half-duty and restricted activity for a bit or so, ‘til she’s satisfied everythin’s healed up and I ain’t hurt myself.” Despite his easy-going words, Issac could still feel a core of tension and suspicion within himself, leading to a more careful selection of answers. Ah hell, maybe she’s trying to extend the proverbial olive branch.... I’d be a damn fool turning it down if she’s genuine. Even if she ain’t, I stand to gain nothing bein’ a jackass.

Issac forced himself to relax once more, and was rewarded with some of the remaining tension leaving his body. He felt his eyes fall out of the more intense gaze he had been holding, and continued speaking. “Ta answer yer other question, shootin’s always been a bit of a… hobby of mine, I guess you could say. Been meaning to spend some more time there; brush up a little.” Issac overlooked the mention of holodecks and their programs for now - though he decided that he would bring it up again later, if a good moment presented itself.

Issac still held some lingering suspicions, but he dismissed those. I’ll do my part and try not to be a jackass again; and hopefully she’ll do the same… Issac winced internally at his line of thinking, realizing that was not so easily done.

Forgrave looked off to the side, as if momentarily considering something, before looking back to Holloway; another brief hesitation, then: “Tell ya what Ma’am, care to join me? Ya seem to want to have an actual conversation, and it’ll give us something to do as I try to figure out what words won’t get me in trouble.” Issac chuckled, though the joke held no lie in it. “Not competition, mind you; I’m just looking to practice some techniques. Maybe see if there was anythin’ besides phasers squirreled away.”

Ensign Issac Forgrave, Security

Molly noticed the change in the intensity of his gaze as he spoke. Was that a sign that she had done something right? Holloway wasn’t completely sure. It was weird to think that she had been trained to read people from across the room, and yet, that particular skillset always seemed to fail her when she wasn’t actively on the job.

Forgrave’s invitation to join him in the shooting range caught Molly off guard and the surprise was evident in her eyes. That could definitely mean some progress, but it could also mean that he would have something to shoot her with if she did something wrong. Although, to be fair, that day in the holodeck, Forgrave had been carrying a phaser and he still didn’t shoot her. Holloway thought it to be safe to assume that he would likely keep within his past pattern of behavior. “Oh! Uh… sure! I haven’t been in the shooting range in a while. I might as well put in my training hours as well.” She gave Forgrave a happy albeit weirdly childish smile.

“Before we go in though… There’s something I wanted to tell you.” Molly cleared her throat before handing the PaDD she was carrying to the Security officer. It contained what it seemed to be a report of sorts. “I know you’re quite new to the Dresden, and well… new to most of this…” she gestured to the corridor around them. “… but even though you were not supposed to be there, not every officer has what it takes to make the decisions you made on the holodeck… Especially not someone who got out of the Academy a few months ago.” Holloway took a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing. “You have probably heard that I had my own vessel a few years ago, but what you probably don’t know is that I used to be a security officer just like you. I held the Chief of Security position on board the USS Montgomery before climbing on the Command track. I know what makes a good Chief of Security and I recognize the skills when I see them. So… I filed that report this morning with Colonel Harris.” She paused to allow him some time to look through the document. “It is my personal recommendation for you to be appointed the Chief of Security on board the Dresden should we need a new one.” Molly shrugged slightly. “In ships like this one, you never know when that’s going to happen.”

“And please… don’t think I am doing this to compensate for the other night. I am quite good at separating my professional life from my personal feelings. Ask anyone on board this ship. Hell… Ask Harris.” She chuckled. “Now… as far as the shooting range goes, there’s no other option besides the standard phaser in there, but the holodeck’s shooting range program is pretty decent if you’re looking for something other than the Starfleet standard. And I promise I won’t do anything stupid this time.” Holloway added with a smile.

Capt. Holloway, CIO