Post by Admin on Apr 7, 2016 23:40:59 GMT
"Trust Issues"
Postby FSF Eris » Wed Nov 07, 2012 11:51 pm
Atton stared Julia down, hard. If he'd ever read someone so intently in his life, he couldn't remember. "I don't get it. Why are you sticking your neck out on the line for me. I mean," He stopped, taking a deep sniff. "I can smell the scotch, but I know you're not that hammered."
Julia flushed dark red. "I'm not drinking again," she argued. "I stopped that... awhile back."
"I'm not judging you," Atton's tone softened slightly. "Besides, I'm sure I self-medicate more then you." He shifted awkwardly, hardly believing he just admitted that to her.
She rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms, ignoring the admission of highly improper behavior. "Perhaps I prefer that Starfleet Command not make the important decisions about my crew. That would be my job."
"And they'll make you the one to take all of the blame, deserved or not."
He frowned. "I don't think I'll ever understand you. You demote me, now you're trying to protect me. You should be throwing me to the wolves, getting rid of me, yadda, yadda." He sighed deeply, running his hand through his hair. "Do you have any more of that?"
"What? The scotch? No. Not that it existed. Not that you would have any if it did. And if I wanted to be rid of you, I could do so. I prefer to reform rather than rid."
The frown changed a scowl. "If you intend to reform me, I'll just make my way to the nearest escape pod. Now, if you want to compromise, perhaps we can reach some agreement."
"Fine." A little more serious, she leaned back in her chair. "You do not mind-rape any more enemies like a damned telepathic mind-melt ray, you stay on the ship so I do not have to," she actually added air-quotes, "'stick my neck out' for you again, and maybe I'll consider giving you back your pips."
He briefly wondered if she understood the meaning of the word compromise. "In return, you'll start to treat me with some respect, and trust in my abilities."
"I trust your security abilities. I told you. I'm trying to prevent any chance of your getting blamed for any incidents that might come up while we play at diplomats on Hassan. If I were not compromising, do you not think I would simply leave you to those wolves at Command?" She left out any reference to respect; that was earned, not bartered.
"If you trusted my abilities you'd have left me to command the ground forces on Tau Beta, and you'd have followed the guidelines if left regarding the Tzenkethi POW's before I went down the Cosa!" The fire in his eyes burned hard.
"I had orders from Starfleet Command, and none of us had any idea that some of them can spit venom like damned spitting snakes. Or that our sensors would be knocked out in an ion storm. Damnit," she cursed, a fist pounding the top of her desk and rattling the spoon against the edge of her coffee-cup. "Do you really think I was cavalier with Tzenkethi?"
"I think you're cavalier with a lot of things...Captain. You intrude on my command whenever you see fit. You put yourself in danger to run away missions when it should be me. One of these days, this pissing contest we're having on who runs field ops is going to get one of us killed, or worse, someone else."
"I trust that you know how to handle the Tzenkethi, but like you said, no one could have expect this. Maybe if I'd been here to oversee things, it might have played out differently."
If she could have poured out a shot of scotch and downed it right then and there, she would have. "I don't actually believe you. Your arrogance is beyond ridiculous. I came through security and I have the ability to command a security detail, and if the stakes are too high to entrust matters even to someone I trust, then they are simply too high. I am not the kind of commander who can just send more men off to die when I can do things just as well myself."
He grinned, relishing sparking the fire in her. "If you want to relieve your glory days of security, give up your command. Until then, you're the Captain, and I'm the Chief of Secuirty. I shouldn't have to remind you what our roles on the ship should be. Oh, and it isn't arrogance. I know you can't admit it to me, and you might not even be able to admit it to yourself, but I'm on the best damn officers to ever grace Starfleet. Ever since I put on a cadets uniform they wanted to throw me out for all my discretions, but couldn't because of my skills."
"You think I think that makes me better then everyone else? You're damn right it does," He chuckled. "What's the old Human Augment saying? With superior ability comes superior ambition?"
"Oh gods, spare us all." Her eyes rolled again. "Fine. You can go play sheriff on the little border world. If they haul you in for ruining some high-handed Starfleet plan, then they can put you to work cleaning Tellarite latrines on Alpha Centauri. Have it your way."
He held a neutral face. He was magnanimous in victory. "Thank you, Captain. I promise things will go smoothly."
"You can feel free to put yourself out of my misery if they do not," she added, curtly. "Now, is there anything else? Perhaps you would like to complain about the way I arrange shift assignments on the Bridge. Or how I take my coffee."
"You should rotate Helm so Madison faces the rest of the bridge. Also, you should make a double batch of coffee. I feel bad when I steal it." He flashed a boyish grin.
Rubbing her forehead tiredly, she sighed, exasperated. "Very well. If there is nothing else, you are quite dismissed."
He stood, quite pleased with himself. "Julia... Captain. Everything will work out, just have faith."
"The gods only aid those who take initiative for themselves, Lieutenant. Just do not give me a reason to doubt you, and we will we see what happens."