Posted by Lieutenant Séan Iven (Counselor) in Plaza Exchange- Sounding Boards

Posted by Captain Jonathan McBride (CO, USS Centurion) in Plaza Exchange- Sounding Boards

Posted by Lieutenant Séan Iven (Counselor) in Plaza Exchange- Sounding Boards
Posted by… suppressed (9) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

“I’m trying,” McBride muttered before he dug into his mashed potatoes. The food was easy to focus on and it was actually pretty good. Maybe not as good as his favourite burger joint, but it was a nice change.

Jonathan sighed. “I wish I could make it better for my parents, for me. It’s strange to know she’s out there, somewhere. People have asked me if I have any siblings and I never know what to say. Do I have a sister? Yes. But if I tell them that, there are questions I can’t answer. In fact, the only thing I know for sure is that she’s lost to us. The one time I tried to get her to freedom and safety, it did not go well for me. She chose them, over her entire life and those that love her,” he said, feeling that anger rise, even as there was despair for not being able to save her from her own terrible choices. Choices she had no capacity to know were terrible in the moment.

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

“While I can’t relate to having a sibling, I do know what it’s like to love family who make less than… smart decisions. There’s no easy way of dealing with that. There will be anger, resentment, and no small amount of grief involved with it.” Séan smiled a bit sadly. “It’s a bit unconventional and unprofessional but I’ll give you the advice my mentor gave me. When you’re powerless to help someone you love either because they don’t want it or you are unable to give it, the best thing you can do is focus on yourself. When you’re in your best condition physically and mentally then when either of the things preventing you from helping are cleared away you’ll be in the best position to give it.”

Counselor Iven

Jonathan nodded. “Sound advice, and it makes sense. And I am trying, it’s just been an usual amount of chaos lately. Dasca is back at work now, so that will help a little bit.” He dragged his fork through the mashed potatoes. “I think also I haven’t let myself truly settle here yet. Starfleet can be unpredictable, but when you’re the CO you tend to have more stability than earlier in your career. But I think there’s a part of me that keeps expecting something else to happen and to be told I’m being reassigned. I haven’t felt this uncertain and uneasy since I was a cadet who graduated early due to the war with the Dominion.”

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

With a furrowed brow Séan asked Jonathan. “It was my understanding that Captain’s were pretty secure in their positions and reassignments from a command position were exceedingly rare, so are you uncertain about being CO of the Centurion or where the ship itself is positioned?”

Counselor Iven

Jonathan shook his head. “No, the Centurion is not its own assignment. The CO assigned to Oed, is the defacto CO of the Centurion. That’s one of the changes that was made when Dasca was made Lieutenant Governor, because she’s not an active duty officer. I’m assigned to Oed and I decide who commands the Centurion. Most likely it’ll be handle be my first officer, once we get to assigning one. But for now, I manage the ship as well.”

He sighed. “Oed is complicated, as you know. And Starfleet’s role and presence is shifting. With every incident that happens, big or small, a tally is being kept. All eyes are on us after that incident with Lieutenant Vargas. Not so much me specifically, but us as a whole here on Oed as a representative for the greater organization. So yeah, my assignment could be more precarious than usual because I’m at the whim of politics and PR.”

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

“Oh the joys of command in a non-standard position. If you don’t mind my asking, what’s holding up getting an XO in place?” Séan asked then tore into some of his barbecue chicken.

Counselor Iven

Jonathan shook his head. “A combination of things. One person was assigned here and before they left got a chance at their own command and took it. Another had some sort of personal emergency crop up just after they arrived. And then with the fallout of the scandal, Starfleet is taking a bit more time and care to pick the right person, though they have given me the leeway to pick me own XO if I end up finding a person I think is suitable. But it’s not immediately obvious who that should be. It’s a ot of work and requires an experienced officer. It can’t be their first time in charge of anything. On the other hand, those that are suitable are often up for their own commands and I don’t want Oed to just be a temporary stepping stone. I have to be picky,” he said, stabbing a piece of chicken more forcefully than he intended. “Those that have the ambition for such a role have to also have the sensitivity to navigate our fraught position here, especially with the Vren situation. Finding someone who fits the criteria has been surprisingly difficult, and even though I would prefer to promote from within the Starfleet crew where possible because they already know the ins and outs of Oed.”

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

“It seems to me as someone outside of that whole situation that the XO role for the Centurion is essentially a CO’s level of responsibility without the training or support of their own second in command. I would personally take one look at what’s being asked and immediately decline. Why in the world would Starfleet assign a starship to a colony where the chain of command is so ambiguous?” Séan asked with a look of confusion.

Counselor Iven

Jonathan ran a hand over his mop of hair and sighed, feeling the weight of just how messy everything was these days. “The Centurion has always been assigned to defend Oed. It’s no different than starbases and outposts having a vessel assigned there and their crew staffed by the facility it is meant to protect and help on a needs basis. But it’s been many years and the small ship never changed, despite Oed growing. This is something I’d like to change, because now that the CCDA has control over protecting the planet itself, and the orbital platform, Starfleet has been able to shift priorities and we protect the system itself. Plus we have House Durocs ships to lend a hand if need be.

He leaned forward. “Ultimately, Séan? There will come a day when Starfleet is simply here to collaborate on science, medical and engineering projects, but the colony won’t need a force stationed here permanently the way it has been. We’re a looooong way from the days after the meteor strike and the handful of survivors needed someone to run the show.” He jabbed the point of his index finger on the table top. “That’s the way it should be! The colony can and will handle itself, and until that day the transition might be messy. And I absolutely refuse to approve a second-in-command here to doesn’t get it and will likely do more damage than good. This isn’ t a starship with a few hundred people. We’re talking millions. The stakes are so much higher, especially with the Vren potential around permanently as new allies.”

McBride leaned back and slumped in his chair. “And people wonder why I’m so stressed,” he muttered.

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

Séan took a few minutes to think through all of the implications. “So with the precedent of there being Commanders in command of Deep Space stations, I can see how this might work, but that’s as a CO and not an XO. I just wonder if that’s attractive to people looking to get into command.”

Jonathan stabbed a piece of chicken and tried to enjoy his meal.

He shook his before he switched tracks. “While I can’t claim to know how important this colony and the Vren are to Starfleet, I think your wellbeing should be a higher priority. As it stands something is going to give either with your mental health or with your work. Is there no one you can delegate to?”

Counselor Iven

“Yes, and no. The department head scope here is much larger given the size of the departments themselves. Dasca and I joked about sharing Lieutenant Watts, her aide-de-camp, but the poor woman is busy enough that I am going to request a yeoman or two to help me manage some of the administrative work.” McBride shrugged. “It’s a start, and maybe it’ll make the difference. We’ll see.”

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

“So then what’s the plan until you get staff to take some of your administrative load? Back to the idea of burning off some of that stress?” Séan asked between taking a sip of his sweet tea and taking a bite of his meal.

Counselor Iven

“Something like that, I guess,” Jonathan said with a frown. Sometimes there were just situations that had no obvious answers and the only way forward was through. But at least venting a bit of his frustrations meant that he was less likely to take it out on unsuspecting junior officers.

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

“Well I tend to fall back to physical exertion for my stress relief.” Séan offered his approach to blowing off steam. “Nothing like a bit of cardio, weight lifting, then hitting a bag until my mind goes blank.”

Counselor Iven

He nodded. “It’s more or less what I’ve been doing lately,” McBride said, taking another bite of chicken. Right now things were just going to be variable and that was honestly nothing new for him or his role.

“So, enough about that. What’s new with you?” Jonathan asked.

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO