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

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Extending an Olive Branch

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Sharah Fayth (Chief Star Fleet Medical Officer) in Extending an Olive Branch
Posted by… suppressed (12) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(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

While he did not know the fullness of Fayth’s abilities, he had intuited that her concerns were something along those lines. It didn’t change his caution, but this was also not a life or death situation. As important as the experiment was, the meeting itself did not fit that description, even if it was important. “I see. What do you need, then?” Jonathan said. “We are due back in the meeting in a couple minutes.”

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

Fayth held her hands palm up and shrugged. “I wish I knew. There really isn’t anything I can do, except push through if I can.” She needed Charles and Yavia, they grounded her, kept her contained in a way she didn’t understand. She couldn’t bring them here for this though, no matter how much she might want to. “I suppose I need you to be aware and intervene if necessary.” She was frustrated with herself. She could have worn her headband, but it was in its box, charging, at home because she’d used it earlier while they worked on the project. “I do not want to abandon my duty, Captain. I don’t want to be a liability either.”

Lt. Cmdr. Fayth, SFCMO

McBride nodded slowly, his blue eyes full of compassion. “It’s a hard place to be in, and I don’t know an officer that doesn’t come up against it at some point, in some way. I appreciate you sharing this with me and we’ll figure it out together.” He briefly looked back at the room. “Can you give me a subtle signal if you’re hitting that line you don’t want to cross?”

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

“All I can say, Cpt., is that I will try. It’s only happened once before, and it happened before I was even aware of it.” She had also passed out and woken in the hospital almost 18 hours later. “I’m already aware it’s slipping beyond my control. The only things I know to do are get away from people, or be heavily sedated. I’m not sure how effective that would even be.” If McBride did send her out, Mercer would probably assume she was being reprimanded, even if he was told the truth. He’d probably judge her like a Puritan in the Salem Witch Trials. Nor would he believe the tension he was perceiving was not hers, but a reflection of all the other people in the room. That wasn’t her problem though. “If something does happen, I suggest contacting Cmdr Korczak. He is the most familiar with my condition.”

Lt. Cmdr. Fayth, SFCMO

He studied her a moment and then nodded. “Okay.” Jonathan was sincere and still there was a tiny gleam that appeared in his eyes. “Hey, and there’s always the good old emergency call. You know how hospitals are. Just never know what will come up on any given day that would requires the attention of someone in charge.”

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

Fayth actually laughed softly. Gratitude showing clearly on her face. “It’s Oed. I’m obviously surprised I haven’t gotten one already.” Some od the weight seemed to shift slightly. “Thank you Captain. I think I’ll go sit back dow.”

Lt. Cmdr. Fayth, SFCMO

Jonathan winked. “You go do so. I see another officer I need to speak with and I also need a coffee.” He wished for more than just coffee but that was a later issue. Near the end of the corridor, Harmon seemed to be a bit aimless in her wandering. He gave Sharah a nod and headed towards Nia.

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

Sharah glanced at Harmon. She was good officer and thrown into this political pile of… (not fit for writing). Normally, Sharah would have talked to her, but she needed to remove herself from people so that she wasn’t influencing them.

Back in the meeting room, Dasca hadn’t moved. That probably wasn’t the best choice, but she didn’t trust herself to do anything just now until she had gotten a hold of the emotions and thoughts that were weighing her down. She was objectively doing better than when everyone had first left, but only because she had remained seated and focused on every damn technique she could to manage her temper. Elbows braced on the table, and chin resting on folded hands, her eyes were closed but she was aware of people in the vicinity. The intensity of her feelings had diminished but there still remained a weight. The reality of that weight was that it was always there in some form. It was simply the price she paid for being Lieutenant Governor and all that encompassed. It was something no one could lift for her, though at times she could share a piece of it. Kenzo was the one who shared it more equally.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Fayth stepped through the door and saw Eela sitting in a somewhat meditative state. She didn’t want to intrude, but their break was almost over, and Sharah didn’t relish running into certain personages alone in the corridors. She sat down quietly, focusing on her own breathing, counting the breaths, not that it did a lot of good. In this particular case Dasca was her boss, but Eela was a friend, and a familiar presence.

Lt. Cmdr. Fayth, SFCMO

“Is it too early for whiskey? Do you think anyone would notice if I snuck some into my coffee?” she deadpanned as her eyes slipped open.

Eela rose and ordered coffee from the replicator. As her hands wrapped around the mug, the warmth relaxed something more in her. “Jal’na is going to give me such hell by the time we get to next week. I swear my knots have knots,” she said, tossing a lopsided smirk Shara’s way. She was just hoping the gala went smoothly. She could deal with whatever next week brought if they could just have some success on this one front.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Sharah shook her head, “I won’t tell if you don’t.” She sat looked at Eela, her eyes appraising. “I’ll give you a muscle relaxer you can take later. It won’t make you drowsy, but it should help. Just don’t do anything physically strenuous unless someone is with you.” She shook her head, “Korczak is going to fuss at me.” She didn’t even want to think about Charles and Yavia would do.

Lt. Cmdr. Fayth, SFCMO

Eela couldn’t help the thought that immediately sprung to mind about a particular person who could ease some of her tension. She wasn’t embarrassed about the fact that she and Dash could ease each other’s tension. “Not alone, got it,” she said seriously. “And yes, isn’t it annoying when our care providers hone in on our issues so easily?” she said, tossing an affectionate smile Sharah’s way. Even if she hadn’t mentioned the tension in her body, she held no illusions that two minutes in Fayth’s presence would alert the doctor to her own needs. She was actually glad someone could do so for her friend as well, different areas of needs that they were.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.