Posted by Captain Dira Myqian (Commanding Officer) in Meeting with the CO

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Drake Marshall (Surgical Chief/ Emergency Medicine) in Meeting with the CO

Posted by Captain Dira Myqian (Commanding Officer) in Meeting with the CO
Posted by… suppressed (11) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

“Over the last few years, I’ve sort of outgrown being defined wholly and centrally by my work.” He chuckled. “I think all your psychological training would agree that was a good thing. Captain Taylor was always pushing me to go that extra step. I was happy as a surgeon, but she made me head of surgery. She kept pushing me to look toward the top. Most of the time, I don’t think there’s a good command officer in me. Then I think about everything I have to be to do my current job and… maybe there is. I don’t know.”

-Drake Marshall

She studied Drake for a few moments, her dark eyes searching for… something. “What if you could test it out a bit and see? Without any pushing, without having to commit to actual Command training? And the you might get a better feeling for whether it’s something you want. Because I’ll tell you, the one thing that won’t make for a good commander is waffling about whether you want to be in charge or not.”

Captain Myqian, CO

Drake quirked an eyebrow. “And how, exactly, would that work?” His expression stayed calmly curious but his heart raced. It seemed too idyllic to be possible. Whatever Dira had in mind, Drake was liable to accept.

-Drake Marshall

Her eyes glimmered. “Well, you know it’s pretty rare for most people doing command training later to leave their posting to so study on Earth, so most people do a distance version of the program under the guidance of a mentor. A lot of it is simulations and modules. Now the modules you have to be enrolled in the program, but there’s no reason why we can’t run some simulations, give you a better taste of what it’s like.”

Captain Myqian, CO

Drake stood up and paced back and forth for a minute. In so many ways it was the ideal. It sounded almost too good to be true. “Okay. And if I decide I’d rather stay in my operating room, no harm done I go back to sickbay. But if I get a taste for Command… then what? I enroll in the formal course?”

-Drake Marshall

She nodded. “Yes, you apply with the agreement of a Mentor who will take you through the program. A lot of it is self study, but there are exams and practical assessments. It takes a couple of years, usually, especially since most people are still doing their other job full time. If you complete the program, beyond that, it’s up to you and what comes down the line. Sometimes it takes a long time for something to come your way, and then other times you’re like me and it happens faster than you think it will.” Dira grinned. “What do you say, want to take a gamble?”

Captain Myqian, CO

Drake could hear his heartbeat. He knew what he wanted to do. It was a major step. “Yeah. Let’s do it. See if the command chair fits.” He paused. “It’s a shame though, that you can’t be an XO or CO and be a doctor or psychiatrist or… whatever passion put you in the fleet to begin with. But still. I want to see what it feels like. Do you… do you enjoy being a CO?”

-CO

Dira smiled. “I do? I mean, I haven’t been one all that long and I’m still settling in. But Willow believed in me and I’ve been fortunate to have had some great CO’s in my career to draw from. The rest will come down to my finding my own way of doing things and being. Command is tough, Drake, I’m not going to lie. Some days it makes me want to pull my hair out, but when I see the members of the crew working together towards a goal, I can’t help but feel immensely proud. It isn’t for everyone, but for me it’s worth the aggravation that can come with the job It’s just a part of it your suck up and deal with.” She broke into a grin. “That and having a partner-in-crime you can vent to makes a big difference. In many ways I lucked out with Sinclair because he and I are both new to our roles and so we’re more open to what the other suggests. We don’t have to accept those suggestions, but it’s easier to listen when you remember that you’re still learning too.”

Captain Myqian, CO

Drake laughed. “It may be true of any line of work that it helps to have a partner in crime. I don’t know if I’ve ever met Commander Sinclair. Side effect of being a hermit that hides in sickbay most of the day. Did you know him before he got here?”

-Drake Marshall

Dira shook her had. “No, he showed up with the admiral who gave me command of the ship and basically said, here’s your XO,” she said with a laugh. “I knew nothing about him, so we quite literally spent awhile after the admiral left just telling each other who we were, our background, our expectations, concerns. All that. We’re still doing that because it’s only been a few weeks and I know we’ll continue doing that as we go a long. There’s always new things to learn about people, and the more you know about how each other thinks, the better you can anticipate each others needs and actions and be responsive. In a crisis where time is of the essence, that knowing can make all the difference.”

Captain Myqian, CO

“It seems like you two work well together. And I’m also getting the sense that’s a key to being a good Captain. Working well with the people who report to you.” His expression read as though this were bad news.

-Drake Marshall

Myqian bobbed her head. “Yes, but it’s more than that. You have to manage conflict, or learn how to manage it. Not everyone gets along. There are people even on our senior staff who haven’t gotten along at times. It’s how we manage the interpersonal conflict that matters. It can’t affect the ship and how we work together when it really counts. Especially if lives are on the line, and the reality is that as a medical ship that is ninety-nine percent of our job. Some lives, somewhere, will be at risk. How we work together decides if we can save more lives than we lose. It’s not different than in surgery. You can be the best surgeon, but if you don’t have a team working well together to support you, you’re screwed. On the bridge it’s no different, except that it’s more than that one person on your table. It could be many, many lives. Both your crew’s and others.” She wasn’t going to sugar coat it for him since it was a reality a commander had to deal with on a daily basis.

“And yes, Sinclair and I do work well together. We have clear expectations and it also helps that he and I both come from a mental health background.”

Captain Myqian, CO

“Being an officer only gets simple when you retire, huh?” Drake chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t know what else I should’ve expected. I could have a private practice by now. But no, always gotta take the hard way.”

-Drake Marshall

Myqian grinned. “I don’t know many commanders who don’t enjoy a good challenge. It’s what makes us good at the job, Drake. We aren’t satisfied with the status quo and just coasting along. We want the challenge, we want to grow. It shows up differently for everyone, of course, but that core part of us that seeks out more is almost always there. At least in those that to excel at the job,” she said with a wink.

Captain Myqian, CO

“Challenge accepted. I think this will be a fun challenge.” If nothing else, Drake would learn where his career would stop or open up beyond what he had ever expected.

-Drake Marshall