Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in CMO’s Office - Establishing Boundaries… And Setting Expectations

Posted by Lieutenant Kreed (Chief Medical Officer) in CMO’s Office - Establishing Boundaries… And Setting Expectations

Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in CMO’s Office - Establishing Boundaries… And Setting Expectations
Posted by… suppressed (23) by the Post Ghost! 👻
As soon as Yeoman Rand had settled and rhe nurse was working with her, Kreed walked to the front doors of Sickbay. As they slid open, the Saurian - taking obvious care to not step outside the room- said “Commander. My office. NOW.” He spoke softly, so no one other than the Commander would hear, and then he spun around and walked determinedly to his office and inside; not looking to see if the Executive Officer followed.

Kreed, CMO

Roman had been standing outside the doors, waiting with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. A sure sign to anyone who knew him he was not happy. He followed the CMO into sickbay, keeping his focus on the saurian and not his surroundings. He stood inside the office, arms crossed, and eyed Kreed. “What is it?”

~ Alden, XO/CSO

Kreed closed the door and took a seat behind his desk. He set his scaled hands on the desk top and looked down at the surface. Without looking up he said, quite evenly, “Commander. Are you a medical doctor?”

Kreed, CMO

“No,” replied the commander, equally calm, though he gave Kreed that icy look of his. “I am not. But I am Rand’s family.” He stood, ignoring the chairs on this side of the CMO’s desk. “I know what her anxiety is like. I’ve been helping her manage it for two years.”

~ Roman

Kreed moved to his feet with a swiftness surpassing humans and glared at the XO. “And do you think that maybe… just maybe… that is one of the reasons she is currently in this state? You are not qualified to make medical decisons or to help people manage complex psychological and physiological issues. You are not a doctor. You are not a trained counselor. And you are in need of psychological care as well; care which has been stated as necessary and that you chose to forego until forced!” He leaned closer and said “But we are not here right now because of Rand. We are here because you, as the Executive Officer of this ship, contradicted me and dictated medical care for my patient in front of that patient and my staff. And that, Commander, I will not tolerate from you… from the Captain… or from whatever gods you pray to. You were and continue to be wholly and completely out of your depth… out of your professional diligence… and out of line.” He leaned back and said “You do not dictate within the confines this Sickbay, Mr. Alden. The ship may be yours and the Captain’s to run as you wish. But you do not command here. I do. And I promise you this. If you ever… ever… contradict me or tell me how to practice medicine in front of my patients or my staff again, I will file formal charges against you for interfering with the medical care of Star Fleet personnel and I will do my utmost to have you removed from any Command position for cause.” Black eyes stared into his without blinking. “Do you understand me, Commander? I will not repeat this conversation with you again.”

Kreed, CMO

A silent, tense moment passed. Then another. Then a tense, “Understood. Apologies, sir.” Roman held the reptilian man’s gaze evenly. “Is there anything else you would like to discuss?”

~ Alden, XO/CSO

“Yes. Now sit down and stop acting like a petulant child.” Kreed said and took a seat himself. He then looked up at Alden and waited for him to be seated, holding his gaze with an unflinching stare.

Kreed, CMO

There was obvious offense at the description but no argument as he took a seat, looking at Kreed expectantly, a hint of anxiety he was trying to hide to his gaze.

~ Alden, XO/CSO

Kreed took a long, deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Commander…” he began, “… unlike previous medical officers you may have dealt with, I do not have any intention of leaving this post for a some time. As such, you and I must learn to work together.” He took another breath, but his gaze never left looking Alden directly in his eyes. “Now… I do not know what exactly has been done for both you and Yeoman Rand. All I can tell so far is it has not been nearly enough. For that, you have my sympathies and a promise that I will not allow your needs- or hers- to go on unaddressed. But in that vein… you need to trust me. And you need to accept and make yourself know that I do not allow those in my care to suffer unnecessarily. That is not to say that I do not make individuals do things they do not want to. I absolutely will, if and only if I believe that is the best way to provide the care they need. Hence my mandate for you to have therapy. Hence my changing Yeoman Rand’s medication. And hence my using an alternative method for treating her panic attack. A treatment you could have learned yourself; except you chose to be overly emotional and arrogant instead of paying attention and perhaps learning something. Do you agree or disagree with anything I have said so far?”

Kreed, CMO

“I don’t need-” he cut himself off and gave a long sigh. “You kicked me out, I wouldn’t have learnt it either way.” He said. “But I don’t disagree my comment was out of line.” It wasn’t just working together, Roman would be at least… somewhat… more compliant medically if these two could find a way to get along.

~ Roman

“I kicked you out because you contradicted me in front of my staff. Perhaps I should come to your lab and tell you how wrong you are in front of your staff there, hmm?” Kreed asked. “How would you respond if that were to happen, I wonder?”

Kreed, CMO

His lab would stare disbelievingly at anyone who dared. Not that Roman had any sort of explosive temper, he didn’t, but no one would do such a thing regardless. “I would likely prove you wrong… And then throw you out.”

~ Roman

Kreed looked at him for a long moment, waiting to see if he could make the connection. Finally he said “So I should have taken time away from my patient… your so-called family… to prove a point to you and then do what I would have done anyway?” and he cocked his head slightly to the side and stared at Alden as if he was some kind of specimen. “You really are a poor excuse for a leader, you know that? You are an egotistical, selfish, self-centered, belligerent bully. You don’t deserve to be an Executive Officer. Because a true leader in your position would always have their crew’s… their entire crew’s… well being at the forefront of all they do. You don’t care about anyone other than Yeoman Rand… and you use her like a tool. No…” and he shook his head like he had finally decided something. “I don’t think I want to continue this interaction. You are far too arrogant and stubborn to listen; and I am not sure you will even be in a mental or emotional state that I would trust you with the safety and care of this ship and crew. I tried to talk to you, Commander. I tried to engage with you and show you that I am not here to do anything other than provide the best medical care I can. You cannot see past your own bruised pride- a pride that was bruised by your own actions, by the way- to see the peace offering that was held out to you. You would rather be right than be approachable. Correct than compassionate. Elitist than a leader.” He shook his head. “You are more focused on your role as a scientist than your diuties as a First Officer. You hide in your lab.. or in your quarters. You are unapproachable. And you are focused only on yourself and Yeoman Rand. That is detrimental to this ship.” He looked down and activated the computer terminal on his desk. “The first time you came in here I showed you a medical order stating you are unfit for duty and would be remanded into medical custody and removed as XO. I was torn about that choice. But I felt that consistency for the crew outweighed my trepidations to you holding such authority.” He looked up briefly and said “I have no such reservations at this time.” and went back to typing.

Kreed, CMO

Internally, Roman was panicking. No! He couldn’t be removed! He couldn’t lose his ship! But that wouldn’t help now, Kreed would only use it as further evidence. He had to seem calm. He kept his voice calm. “I find the insinuation that I do not care for this crew - my crew - incredibly insulting. Ask anyone aboard who’s been here more than a week, I do care.” Intensely, actually.

He looked at Kreed, “Anything I say will only look like I’m trying to keep my position which I do want. I do care. There are no words that will change this, only evidence that I am not who you seem to think I am.”

~ Alden, XO/CSO

“I have evidence to the contrary of your words, Commander.” Kreed said as he kept typing. “First, as the Executive Officer of this ship you did willfully and repeatedly disobey a direct order from the Captain that all personnel have a physical done. This coincides with disobeying a medical order. Someone who cared for their crew would want to be able to set the example, yes?” Kreed asked. Without waiting for a reply, he continued. “You never asked to meet the newest Department Head on your ship, choosing instead to isolate yourself in the labs. A true caretaker of their team, their crew, would want to be easily accessible. Making rounds. Checking on things. Engaging with their crew… not by word and deed mandating that they come to him.” More typing. “And a leader that cared for their crew would want to be in the best possible physical and mental condition they could be in order to lead that crew.” He held up a hand to still any protest. “Yes, there are some deep-seeded issues that are relevant to you not seeking help.” and then he continued typing. “My point there being that if your crew was truly important to you.. if you truly cared for their well-being; then you wouldn’t have allowed yourself to remain in such a state… that being barely fit to do your duty.” He finally stopped typing and looked at Alden. “I do not know nor care who all in this office let you down. But many did. And now… now that you have someone who actually wants the best for you… which I actually do… you choose to be antagonistic and defensive. Also not a sign of a stable and effective leader.” His black eyes narrowed as the verticle lids partially closed. “If you care to prove me wrong… as you previously said is your chosen form of communication in such circumstances… please. Go ahead. Prove to me my concerns for your health, mental and emotional fitness, and the fact that your overall ability has not been compromised is unfounded.” and he leaned back and simply looked at Alden.

Kreed, CMO

“I do engage, I do rounds, I meet regularly with many officers on this ship including senior staff, and I do try to set the example… certain… ah, things, aside. Sickbay is the only area I do not go regularly, yet I would have met with you had I seen you someplace else. A meeting with the first officer is not required though yes, I do typically insist on them. Yours happened to be.... an outlying case.” His medical anxiety had forced him to stay away. A fact he refused to admit.

“I should have made the trip here specifically to meet with you, on that you are correct. I can absolutely agree it was wrong of me not to at least meet you.”

“I never saw myself as barely fit for duty. Honestly, I still don’t see that. I can do my job. I fulfill the requirements of a first officer. As I already said, I engage with my crew… perhaps not overly personally, but I am well liked, of that I assure you. Perhaps I underestimated my need for… help. I have still done the best I can for my crew and I will not give it up.”

~ Roman

Kreed listened as the man spoke. When he finished, Kreed remained silent a moment before speaking.

“Commander… Mr. Alden… Roman…” he began slowly, “… I appreciate your Acknowledgement that you should have met with me. However, you and I both know it was not an ‘outlying case’; and the sooner you accept that, the better off you will be.” He took a breath and regarded the man before him. “I want you to be at your best. I would go so far as to say I need you to be at your best. So allow me to ask you this… and please… be frank and candidate. It is just us here.” He took omens to compose his query, as he wanted Alden to take it seriously and give it his due consideration. “You say you have done the best you can… and I believe you. But what I want to know from you… truthfully… as the Executive Officer of this ship… setting the expectation for all of our future interactions from this very moment onward… can you honestly tell me that the best you can do as you are right now is the absolute best you are actually capable of? And that it is the best of what you can do? Because your ship… your crew… deserves nothing less.”

Kreed, CMO

It was just them here but Roman did not trust the doctor. Not yet. So talking to him was.... not easy, nor preferable. There was a long silence. Roman shifted in his seat. And then, at last, “No.”

~ Roman

Kreed nodded slowly. “I agree.” he said softly. “That is not meant to sound like judgement. It is far from it. And I appreciate your honesty. I know that that did not come easy.” He slowly stood up and reached forward and held out his scaled hand to the XO. “My name is Lieutenant Kreed. I am your new doctor. It is a pleasure to meet you, Commander. I would very much appreciate the opportunity to work with you in making this ship and her crew the best that they can possibly be. And I would like to start with helping you be the best Executive Officer you can be… if you would be willing to do so.”

Kreed, CMO

Roman blinked, and then shook the CMO’s hand. He was, for once, completely lost for words. “Uhm… I am?” He said, as if uncertain if that was the correct answer.

~ Roman

Kreed didn’t let go of the hand, he just stared intently at Alden. “Thank you for this opportunity, Commander. I assure you… I will not let you down.” and he slowly released his hand and sat back down. He looked at the terminal on his desk and then typed something in and turned it so the Commander could see it. “Perhaps now would be a good time to do an informal check in. I k ow it isn’t mandatory to do so with rhe Executive Officer; but as Medical and Science work closely together, perhaps a bit of familiarity with one another would help establish some level of trust. I know you are very busy, so if you haven’t had time to review my record, sir, here it is.” On the screen was Kreed’s personnel file. He leaned back and said “Please. Any questions you have, I am happy to answer.”

Kreed, CMO

Roman took several moments reading over the file… Made slightly awkward considering Kreed was already present. There was something in there he seemed to re-read more than once, but he did not mention it. He turned the console around and shook his head. “Straightforward service record if you ask me.”

~ Roman

Kreed’s head tilted to the side slightly. “What part did you feel the need to go over more than once?” and he shrugged. “The Taliskar, I assume. At least that is what is most asked about. It is fine, Commander. Honestly. I have no wariness discussing the matter. Please… ask. I take no offense to anything you might want to know.”

Kreed, CMO

Roman shook his head. “It’s too personal.” That wasn’t the only reason. The circumstances were different, but it reminded him too much of his own past. Of the thing he refused to mention, to think about, let alone talk about. Video evidence existed of Roman’s lab that fateful day. Randy had given him the data disk back before he left. Roman didn’t think he’d ever look at that data disk. There was no reason to, anyway. “The file is quite thorough, at any rate. Everything duty related is listed here.”

~ Roman

Kreed was silent. He blinked a few times and said “It is not too personal, Commander. And with all due respect, that is up to me to determine. And I have determined that I am comfortable discussing what happened to me. In fact, I would say that I believe speaking about what happened helps… especially when I can share that with others who have been through similar circumstances.”

Kreed, CMO

“Why Sentinel? After that happened, I mean.” Even the event in Kreed’s past, the Taliskar, he refused to mention by name. He wouldn’t do it.

~ Roman

Kreed thought for a moment and then said “After I was almost killed on the Taliskar, I was paraded around as a kind of ‘hero’.” He shook his head dismissively. “I do not believe that is so. I am an officer in Star Fleet. I did what I had to do to garner us the best chance at survival. Others claimed I went above and beyond… I believe I simply did what was best for the ship and the crew, as we are trained to do. I was given several assignments that were rewards for my actions. They lacked… substance. They did not possess the spirit that serving on a starship does.” He watched Alden closely as he spoke the next part, all of which was absolute truth. “And something I have never told anyone, and I would appreciate you maintaining my desire to keep it private… I felt that if I used the death of my shipmates to further my career- regardless of what I did, individuals still died- that I would somehow being doing their true sacrifice a terrible disservice.” He paused and watched the XO.

“I believe that I owe them, Commander. That since I lived and they did not, I owe them and their memory my utmost best. I simply must live a life that they can be proud of sacrificing themselves for.”

Kreed, CMO