I DO Know a Guy. Er... Girl.

Posted on Wed Jul 1, 2015 @ 12:23pm by Lieutenant Commander Steven Wyman & Captain Isha t'Vaurek

1,631 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Eye of the Beholder
Location: Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: After "All Good Things..."

SPOILER ALERT:

In order to expedite the departure of Steve Wyman so that the character can take command of the USS Archemides this post is set after the resolution of the current mission.

There is a small reference to events that have not yet happened in game. Please save to read later if you don't want to know.

ON:

Ever since he'd been nearly forced into accepting the job by his wife and daughter, Steve had been going over this next conversation in his head. The Captain was a reasonable woman (for a Romulan), but he had absolutely zero idea how she was going to take the bombshell he was about to drop on her.

"Worst that can happen... she shoves me out an airlock..." he muttered as his finger tapped the chime.

Isha drew her hands over her face. Her skin felt as taut and stretched as her nerves. Even the muscles in her back and shoulders were conspiring, knotted, stretched and ready to pop.

She got to her feet to try and roll the tension out of her back, making a mental note to try and make time to visit the masseuse.

"Come in," she said as the door chimed.

The doors parted, and immediately Wyman could see that she was exhausted, stressed, and spent. "Ooh... I'm sorry, Captain. Is this a bad time? I can come back." he remarked, jerking a thumb back toward the door.

"You're already here, Commander. What would be the point of a wasted journey? Now is as good a time as any. Tea?"

"No. Thank you, ma'am. This shouldn't take long." Gingerly, Wyman stepped up to the desk and set the PADD down in front of t'Vaurek. "The status on the repairs. Despite what I thought in the heat of the moment, the fusion reactors managed to hold their own. They're a bit worse for wear, but they were overdue for an overhaul anyway. The deflector, on the other hand, is a total loss. It's going to take at least a week to get it rebuilt. We'll have to keep the shields up until then so we don't get floating debris punching holes in the hull."

Isha nodded. He was on edge, more than even the day they had been through warranted.

'Now or never...' he thought, reaching into his pants pocket and pulling out an isolinear chip. "And... um... I was offered command of the Archimedes. She's attached to the Corps of Engineers, and... it's sort of a big deal. So, I accepted. This chip contains my new orders. But I'm not going anywhere until there's a new chief engineer in place. It wouldn't be right to leave DS5 in the lurch, especially after we just got a planet dropped on us."

Ahh, so that's it. Isha sat at her desk and peered at Wyman, he would be a loss but he would be a fool to turn down the opportunity. He really was a very good engineer.

"Was that in case I tried to persuade you to stay?" she asked.

"Honestly Captain, I came in here fully expecting you to at least ask me. This station has... quirks. And after being here for a couple of years I STILL don't have a handle on all of them. That's why I'm not going to just take off. I have every intention of training my replacement."

With that he pulled a PADD from his belt and held it out. "Which is why, I also came with my recommendation for who should take my spot - Ensign Rhe'la of the Cavalry. I taught her everything I know, and she was already a damn fine engineer before that. And she's a structural specialist, which will be a lot more useful around here than a warp drive guy like myself. She spent most of her career as the engineering liaison on a security team, so not much room for advancement; otherwise she'd be at least a lieutenant by now." As Steve was selling Isha on his protege, he had in the back of his mind the very real possibility that Rhe'la might turn the job down. She was nothing if not loyal. But his buddy Drakt couldn't keep her in his shadow forever.

"I learned a long time ago that it is futile to try and change the mind of someone who has already made their decision. It might flatter their ego to have someone try and persuade them otherwise, but I am not in the business of flattery." Isha's tone was even - was he seriously suggesting some so inexperienced as a replacement.

Isha took the padd offered, skimming it. "Why should I be satisfied with your apprentice?" she asked, "I could ask Starfleet for someone with the requisite experience for a facility of this size."

"Captain, I wouldn't be putting her name in if I didn't think she was up to the task. Don't let her rank fool you - she isn't some wet behind the ears kid, fresh from the Academy, who barely knows the difference between a spanner and a stem bolt. She was lead engineer for her home colony when she was just a teenager. Hell, when I say I taught her everything I know - she already knew most of it. She's been the lead structural engineer on the Cavalry for a year and a half, and had the same posting on Starbase Protector for a year before that. She has an aptitude for technology that would make a Tellarite's jaw drop."

He knew this was going to be a hard sell; DS5 is a tough job, and it would ordinarily be out of place to have an ensign running one of the largest departments. And there were still bizarre, off spec fixes left over from Commander Freeman that Steve was still trying to get a handle on two years later. "Captain... I will give you my guarantee - if Rhe'la can't handle it, I will resign my command and come back with my tail tucked between my legs." Though he was going for a very old euphemism, it still almost struck him funny since his proposed replacement actually has a tail.

"That she has some experience on a starbase is to her credit," Isha said glancing again at the profile That was ... odd. "I'm afraid I am not familiar with the Ensign's species," she said.

Though he had seen that question coming, it still caused Wyman to pause and clear his throat. "Zarnac. Little scaly, angry lizard folk. Over on the far side of Klingon space there's a whole empire of them that want to conquer, enslave, or kill us all for the glory of their Emperor. But the few we have in Starfleet are good folks who grew up in exile. One of them is my best friend, and my daughter's godfather." It was then that another track occurred to him. "Have your kids mentioned that weird stuffed animal my daughter carries around? Looks like an iguana in a Starfleet uniform? That's a Zarnac, and Rhe'la made it for Gwen."

At the mention of her children Isha's heart clenched a little tighter. She only had Argellian now - Eviess, the tiny adventurer had gone with them, gone with the Fae - if she had stayed the unstoppable poison would have sapped her little life away - there at least she could live forever.

Isha blinked back a tear. She shook her head as she tried to get her throat to work.

"The little dragon," she said evenly, "I think it may have been mentioned. Tell me, is a space station really the right place for a small, scaly, angry lizard?"

It didn't take telepathy to see that Steve had inadvertently struck a nerve; he didn't know of the fate that had befallen Eviess, and wouldn't have mentioned the captain's children if he had. "Well... um... Rhe'la personally is only three of those - I've never seen her angry. She's actually quite a gentle soul. She didn't have it easy growing up in hiding, in the jungles of a seemingly uninhabited planet, not knowing which day would be the one her people would find them and 'wipe out the traitors.' I can't say that wouldn't have screwed me up completely. But she loves to tinker, and learn, and figure out solutions to problems. If anything the kid would be a breath of fresh air around here."

"How does she feel about the proposal," Isha asked, "I assume you have already suggested it?"

Wyman shook his head. "Not yet - didn't want to get her hopes up if you shot this down immediately. She'll... probably try to convince herself she can't do the job, and her crew mates will have to convince her otherwise. But, when all is said and done, she'll accept."

Isha rested elbows on the edge of her desk - she almost dropped her head into her palms but resisted the temptation to give in for the umpteenth time in her life. Instead she steepled her fingers.

"I cannot keep anyone from following the path they must take," she said, "I will have your Ensign if she agrees. And if she fails I will have you recalled," she added back in control of herself.

Instantly, Wyman came to attention. "It's a deal, ma'am. But I know, in my gut, that she'll handle this with ease. Maybe a little bit of growing pains - but nothing out of the ordinary."

"Then make the arrangements, Commander Wyman. Congratulations on your command."

Wyman tried to stop himself from grinning, but there was no stopping it. "Thank you, Captain. It's been an honor serving with you, ma'am."

---

Captain Isha t'Vaurek

Lieutenant Commander Steve Wyman

 

RSS Feed