Damn It

Posted on 22 May 2012 @ 4:15am by Lieutenant Commander Evelyn Coleman & Captain Jonathan Holliday

2,228 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 2 - Turbolift
Timeline: MD 06 - 1200hrs

[ON]

Evelyn walked out of her quarters and made her way down the corridor towards the turbolift. The ship had safely re-entered Federation space and was nearing Starbase 152.

We arrived safely, engine troubles and bloodwine hangovers aside, we've made it. She thoughtfully mused as she halted in front of the door to the Turbolift. Pressing the console to call for the lift her thought continued to process the recent events. The two reasons why we made it here safely, either the Klingons were being civil, or they know of our mission... Her thoughts were interrupted when the doors parted.

She looked up, and saw the face of the Executive Officer. Damn it. She thought as she walked in. "Commander." she politely greeted as she walked in.

On his way to Engineering, John had suddenly found himself in a turbolift with the one person on board that so far, he had definitely had issues getting along with. It was not that he didn't acknowledge her abilities, or her passion for serving her purpose aboard the Galileo, but it was the seeming lack of respect towards fellow officers, regardless of rank. The XO himself had brushed with the Admiralty himself a few times, but never as a junior lieutenant, and never to the degree that he had seen within the briefing before they had left to cross Klingon space.

"Lieutenant....how are you?" John couldn't believe that those words had fallen out of his mouth. Originally he had intended to do nothing more than keep his mouth shut and hurry the turbolift along to its destination, but now he thought, he had no chance of escape.

Evelyn gave him a polite smile as she responded, "I am well, Commander." She responded. She turned her head towards him as she added, "And you?"

This....was going to be an awkward ride, John knew full well the moment those doors had opened he was probably not going to enjoy himself for the next few minutes. That said, on every ship he had been assigned to, there had been a few people who had always managed to ruffle his feathers, and for the most part, he had gotten along just fine with his duties...hopefully that wasn't going to change here.

"As well as can be expected considering the few little...incidents we've had recently....I'm just glad to be back in Federation territory again"

Nodding in agreement, "I do too, it is nice knowing you don't have to watch your back constantly." She then sighed, "but then of course, the people inside can be just as threatening as those outside."

"It seems we have something we share an opinion on in that case Lieutenant....people with secrets on this ship aren't exactly my favourite kind of person...and someone's hiding something here based on recent...events"

Evelyn blinked, arching her brow, she turn to address the First Officer, "Willing to share more detail on your suspicions?"

"At the moment? No....you never know who might be listening...as an Intelligence officer I hope you understand that?" John replied in a low voice. At the moment he really didn't know which route to follow in regards to the events of the senior staff meeting earlier that day, but he was sure that like any good Intelligence operative, the Lieutenant knew more than she was letting on.

"I understand the need for subterfuge, Commander. But wouldn't it be more effective if you'd share the information me so I could gather evidence that would either support or discredit your suspicions?" Evelyn asked reasonably, and then shifted her gaze to look him straight in the eye. "Unless of course your suspicions are towards me."

"I suspect everyone Lieutenant....especially someone who so far has done little to impress me as a member of this crew, short of insubordination towards an Admiral and openly disagreeing with a command decision on the Bridge..."

Jonathan sighed once again as the computer continued to move the turbolift towards his destination. He was more than aware that the Intelligence services were probably able to access far more information on the subject than he ever could, and he hated that.

"Speaking freely....I get the idea you don't like me very much Miss Coleman."

Evelyn looked at him as if he grew a second head. "I really don't know where to begin." She began, "Let's start with the Admiral. He's a moron. Believe it or not, he was a former student of mine when I taught at the Academy. He failed my course." She shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. "As for our bridge incident, to speak freely your idea sucked. I've seen that plan in similar circumstances be used time and time again, it never works."

"Your personal opinions of senior officers whilst on duty is irrelevant...respect for rank however is not. Believe me, I know from experience that nothing good comes of going toe-to-toe with flag officers..."

Pausing for a moment, John thought back to his days on the Academy staff, and the final, decisive confrontation that he had decided to have with the Commander of that facility. He had loved those few seconds of blind rage that had led him to speak his mind and put his superior square in his place, but that had ended up with him being assigned to deep space, and eventually to a science vessel in the middle of the Klingon neutral zone....it was a far cry from his previous trappings.

"That respect should follow the chain all the way down, Lieutenant " He emphasised on her rank as his sentence continued.
"If you want to disagree with my decisions, then you are welcome to do that, but following the protocol and professional courtesy that I expect from anyone under my command"

Evelyn narrowed her eyes. "You do know my rank is only conditional right?" She asked, "I am 229 years old Commander. I've served in Starfleet for most of my life. I was one of the first El-Aurians the Federation officially encountered. If I decided to go to Starfleet HQ right now and ask to affirm my actual rank, there wouldn't be enough room on my collar for my pips."

Evelyn let out a frustrating sigh, "Tell me Mr. Holliday, excuse me Commander. Tell me how you would feel, if you were in my shoes. Tell me how you'd feel when what's new to those around you is considered basic fact to you? How would you behave when for over a century you watched Captains, Admirals, Politicians, make the same mistake over and over and over again? How would you feel when you see a society slowly degrade before your eyes? Do you keep your mouth shut? Do you tell? What about the other knowledge that you have? Do you reveal them too? If you know a people is on the cusp of either flying high or fall to their deaths, what do you do? Help them fly? Sit back and watch for them to learn it themselves? What if you notice they're going to fall will you correct them then? If you decide to help them, then what? Does it ensure a safe flight or did you just off a chain of events that even you can't control? What do you do then Commander?! DAMN IT!"

Evelyn took a stepped back and blinked realizing her eyes were tearing up. "Holliday" she began calmly. "I respect you. I respect your position. I was an Executive Officer too in the course of my career. It's just your Generation scares me to death."

"Computer halt turbolift."

The sudden outburst from one of his colleagues was enough to throw Jonathan into action, calling out to the computer to stop the metal capsule making its way through the bowels of the Galileo when it was still a few moments away from its destination. The look on Coleman's face was enough to make him realise that she wasn't exactly being liberal with her words, no matter what her rather substantial emotional reaction to the situation might have given away.

"I think you need to get a grip on the situation here Lieutenant....conditional rank or not...you report to me on this mission...if you wanna go back to Headquarters and have them add another two dozen pips to your uniform, then that's your problem, but as far as I'm concerned, with the exception of Commander Saalm, nobody here is my superior. If you wanna contend that, then you can stay in your quarters until we complete this mission."

John was well aware of the El-Aurian longevity that had made them such a famous species throughout the galaxy, that was at least, for those who remained. The destruction of so much of their world by the Borg had done little to protect their species, and for what little the XO knew, the so-called "Race Of Listeners" were more than a little difficult to track down, hiding in amongst other species, sometimes in plain sight.

"Two hundred years of life should have taught you a few things...like when to listen and when to act...if at your age you can't distinguish between the two...then you're a liability to this ship and this crew....and that becomes my problem. If you have a personal problem, then you bring it to me, understood?"

The XO paced around as best he could in the small space of the turbolift. This was exactly why he disliked being caught up in these situations, his own impulsive nature usually served to do little more than to add fuel to a fire, and this one in particular, it sounded like at least, had been burning long before he was even conceived.

"I respect your species for your lifespan...I'm sure you have a lot to educate the rest of us on....but if you can't help us to help ourselves then what is all that knowledge worth in the end?"

Evelyn simply stared at him. He doesn't get it. She thought, They'll never get it. her shoulders slumped in defeat. "You should have learned how to see by now." She whispered softly, barely audible. "Understood, Commander." she said emotionless, turning away to face the door. The Federation could be gone in the morning and all he could focus on about is the chain of command.

John was still visibly shaken that one of his officers had suddenly reverted to such an aggressive state all of a sudden, especially one with such a senior position. He still didn't understand why this whole event had happened, no matter how much he tried to figure it out.

"Are you going to be ok? I need to know I can count on you Miss Coleman?"

"I'll be fine, Commander." She said honestly as she turned to look at him. "You can count on me, sir. I've served with over two dozen Commanding Officers, I never let anyone of them down, and I do not intend to start now. However, you are going to have trust me. I chose this assignment, Commander, I wasn't assigned here. Something is going to happen; what? I am not sure, but the Galileo will be at the front lines, and I'm here to make sure, when that day comes, we make the right choice." She reviled.

"Well, two heads are better than one in the heat of battle as far as I'm aware....I'll trust you as long as I know you'll follow my orders....do that and I'll follow you to hell and back in a pinch...deal?"

The XO felt a little odd to be giving up his innermost thoughts in a turbolift hidden in between two decks, the computer waiting for the order to carry on to be given. He was finding a somewhat equally hidden respect for his Intelligence officer alongside his previous annoyance, it seemed that she may indeed have had more to teach him than he earlier thought.

She looked at him, "Deal." she said with a nod. "I suggest we schedule a recurring meeting, whether weekly, biweekly, or even once a month. This way we ensure your future orders are the correct ones." She added, smirking a little.

The XO took a few moments to think on the matter, it was not like him to even consider accepting council from a junior officer, regardless of their background, but with more than 150 of age over him, John considered it almost foolish for him to resist. This way at least, he might learn something, or at the very least, be able to prevent any further outbursts.

"Agreed....I suppose I ought to get this turbolift moving, wouldn't you agree?"

"That would be advisable, Sir." She replied, pressing her lips together to suppress a smile. "Unless of course," she began, resisting an urge to chuckle, "your orders are to remain in an unmoving turbolift."

"Not this time Lieutenant.....computer resume turbolift" He called out, before looking at the floor for a moment in silent contemplation. It had certainly been an...interesting...ride, but he felt better for it, and hopefully, so did his shipmate.



[OFF]

Lt Cmdr Jonathan Holliday
Executive Officer
USS Galileo

Lt. Jg. Evelyn Coleman
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Galileo

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