Posted by Captain Jonathan McBride (CO, USS Centurion) in Extending an Olive Branch

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Sharah Fayth (Chief Star Fleet Medical Officer) in Extending an Olive Branch

Posted by Captain Jonathan McBride (CO, USS Centurion) in Extending an Olive Branch

(snip)

Oh, Eela felt it and it was mirroring some of her own feelings. Eela held her hands up before her, closing her eyes. It did not matter that she was in a room full of people, if she didn’t take a moment to breathe, she would do something she might regret. “I think we all best take a quick break. Take a walk, grab a beverage, whatever. We will meet back here in five minutes,” she said in a tone that brooked no argument.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

“Aye, Cpt.” Fayth said quietly. She shared a long look with Dasca and then McBride. She stood, pushing her chair back with careful control and stepped out into the corridor.

Lt. Cmdr. Fayth, SFCMO

Elijah found himself growing weary of the Lieutenant Commander’s attitude. Her narrow view that she and OED were the sole sufferers displayed a lack of perspective and bordered on unprofessionalism. Outbursts like these were precisely what he had hoped to avoid. He had entered the meeting with nothing but apologies and a genuine desire to reconcile, yet once again encountered self-centered attitudes that seemed to plague OED and its officers.

The recurring theme of ‘I’m hard done by’ was disconcerting. While he had endured his own hardships and experienced profound loss, Elijah was not here to engage in a competition of sorrows. Instead, he sought to find a way forward. The lingering pain of Wolf 359, the dominion war, countless of friends lost or missing resurfaced, reminding him of why he had never pursued a family and why he had dedicated himself to making the Federation and Starfleet better in the twilight of his career as a diplomatic observer.

“I believe a break is a wise suggestion, Captain,” Elijah remarked, his eyes betraying the pain he carried within.

Doctor Elijah Mercer
Professor / Scientific Advisor
Oed V

When Dasca had said ‘Do I make myself very clear?’ Nia had expected the next responses form any of them to be ‘Yes, Ma’am’ or ‘Yes, Captain’. She had been about to do so herself, out of respect for the woman who was in charge of more than just this meeting when things… devolved. Harmon was the most junior officer here, but she was hardly inexperienced. In fact, she too had worked with cadets, but practically, on a starship during their cadet cruises. It was where they took what they had learned in the classroom and reality honed that information into practical experience. More often than not it was shocking for many of the cadets.

She herself was not a cadet and resented being treated like one. But one look at Dasca’s resigned form and Harmon just quietly left the meeting room, and wandered slowly in the corridor trying to make sense of the whole situation.

Lt. Nia Harmon, Scientist

Tannenn nodded her head as she took in McBride’s face and the governor’s. “Thank you for the break hopefully things can go forward in a calm manner when we return.” she got up in a smooth motion and followed the others into the corridor. She was however taken aback on how Fayth was treating Mercer like he was an enemy, not to be trusted, nor given an inch of reprieve after his apologies had been made and his offer of insights. She didn’t know if there was a personal issue that was bothering Sharah and she was unintentionally taking out frustrations on Mercer or if it was something else entirely. Either way, the break would hopefully give everyone a chance to regain some calm and come back to the table with willingness to work together for a positive resolution.

LtCmdr Keen
Chief Star Fleet Science Officer
OED V

Jonathan rose and for a brief moment rested his hand on Eela’s shoulder before he stepped out to give her some peace. While these situations affected him as well, their impact was not as severe as it was on her. At the end of the day, she was the one who had to deal with Starfleet Command and balance all those variables with the needs and realities of running the government of a planet. He knew her well enough to know she was more than frustrated and it was no small deal that the woman who could maintain an emotional mask when she really needed to in the name of professionalism had lost said mask.

He said nothing, but simply slipped out of the room.

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

Fayth stood just down the corridor, out of the way. She was leaned back against the wall eyes closed focusing on her breathing. McBride would find that out of the norm. Especially the clinched fists and heavy but short breaths. Fayth was shy and quiet, but a calm, level-headed, competent doctor with an endless well of compassion. Sharah did not miss the irony that, that compassion was part of the problem.

Jonathan wasn’t sure how to frame how things had turned in this first bit of this meeting, but he was well aware of the uphill climb that was required for everyone to get on the same page. He wasn’t sure if they could achieve that in a group meeting, and he wondered if the same was occurring to Dasca as well. What he did know is that as his eyes took in the corridor, it was obvious where he needed to start, and he walked towards his Chief Medical Officer.

She felt McBride approach and she stood up straight and looked at him. “There is a good chance I did not say that in the best way possible, but I stand by my statement. I have no doubt he has experience, but he needs to learn more than the council’s side of the story.” It took effort to control the disgruntlement and frustration in her voice, it seemed impossible to keep the feelings inside her. It was leaking out of her and affecting the people around her. Depending on how aware of such things McBride was, he would notice the effect. “I want to help, but I’ll be honest I am not sure I can right now.”

Lt. Cmdr. Fayth, SFCMO

“I agree that there is a level of understanding that he needs to have, but we both know from our own experiences that that comes in time. The trick around here is limiting how much damage you do before you correct your own ignorance. Oed is quick to teach you that, as I know all too well,” he said with a tiny smile.

Sharah nodded, “As do I. I too did all the reading and ‘research’ I could get my hands on before I arrived, and it did not prepare me for the reality. I would teach him, but I get the impression that he is unwilling to become a student again.”

McBride studied her for a moment. “Now, I appreciate your honesty and I’m glad you feel comfortable telling me where you’re at. I will be equally honest that I’m not sure your disappearance from this meeting will help improve the tenor of it, but nor am I going to order you to say if you feel you need to step away. I will caution you though, Doctor, we don’t always get the option to step away. Sometimes we have to figure out our way through this difficult situations, even when we know we’re not at out best. I will do anything I can to support you though, even if that does mean allowing you to not return.” He was aware it was a difficult choice, but he was also trusting her to put the overall mission first. Right now, that was the testing of the Vren gift (even if he himself didn’t even know what that gift was).

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

Her hands clinched and she breathed roughly. It wasn’t at McBride or anyone specific really. “I’m not asking to be excused Captain. There are optics at play here, and that wouldn’t be good for anyone in this meeting.” She searched for the way to put it. “I would not mention it for myself, but I am struggling and beginning to fail to contain the input I’m receiving. I am…amplifying the tensions in the room. That’s not good for anyone either.”

Lt. Cmdr. Fayth, SFCMO