03-13-2025, 02:45 PM
Tomer was certainly among the more...entitled and...vocal...members of the Diplomatic Corps that Jenny had encountered, and she felt a familiar fire burning in her stomach as he spoke. Though she was a great proponent of civilian oversight, a necessity in any true democracy, she didn't appreciate meddling. Meddling got people hurt. For a brief moment, despite Tomer expressing what he considered quite reasonable concerns regarding how she intended to proceed, Jenny was torn between options for how to deal with the diplomatic attaché.
Shoot him here. Or airlock him after the briefing?
Jenny clamped down on that train of thought pretty quickly. Though she knew it came from her genuine dislike of meddlers and tin gods who thought they owned everything, she was also well aware of where giving in to the intrusive thoughts would take her. 'Superior ability breeds superior ambition' was something she took care to remind herself of every day, lest the intrusive thoughts win and she embark on a course that would make her the next Khan Noonien Singh.
As it happened, however, Jenny didn't need to jump on the impertinent diplomat. Her crew, from young Alden all the way to her First Officer, were handling themselves rather well; defending themselves and her decision as Captain. To prevent herself from smiling, Jenny instead plucked a cigarette from her pocket and lit it, reclining in her chair as she watched the back-and-forth with a look of amusement on her face. Tyra had said that being a Captain was like being a parent, and Jenny hadn't really seen it during her tenure on the Philadelphia. The scene before her, however, was definitely proving her sister-in-law correct. With a quick glance at Bryan, she saw the disapproval in his eyes as she exhaled a cloud of smoke through her nose, she'd promised she'd try to quit, but she also saw the same glimmer of amusement as he rolled his eyes at whatever Tomer had just said.
I'd better stop this before it gets out of hand.
"That's enough, gentlemen."
Sitting upright in her chair, Jenny held the smoking stick between her right index and middle finger.
"Mister Tomer, I understand your misgivings. However, my orders from the Diplomatic Corps did not expressly order me to be the pilot, nor would I agree to such orders on the grounds of safety; I haven't had a chance to requalify since taking command of the Yeager, and outside of an emergency situation, that means I legally cannot pilot a craft. It's also worth noting that I'm not a racing pilot, I was a combat pilot; it's two completely different skillsets with only a few overlaps."
That was a little white lie; utilising the Holodecks and bouts of insomnia during the night shift, she'd kept her flight certifications current and had gained qualified status on the Yeager and Aeroshuttle. As the Yeager did not possess any certified flight instructors besides herself, she could not officially qualify, though she doubted anyone at Starfleet Tactical would bat an eyelid if she used her own instructor certification to renew her qualification. It was something she would need to address in future; it never hurt to have a few people with advanced knowledge capable of teaching new skills aboard, especially when the shit hit the fan.
"Furthermore, I remind you that I am Captain and designated mission leader. You are here to assist with the diplomatic side of things. Until I receive written orders from Starfleet Command placing you in charge of this mission, I will employ my ship and crew in the manner that I think is most appropriate, and you will respect and follow any orders given. If you cannot in good conscience do that, then I respect your decision, and you will spend the rest of this expedition in your quarters."
Jenny rose from her chair and placed her hands on the desk, the humour had vanished with her face, replaced with an expression that was deadly serious.
"Am I understood?"
Shoot him here. Or airlock him after the briefing?
Jenny clamped down on that train of thought pretty quickly. Though she knew it came from her genuine dislike of meddlers and tin gods who thought they owned everything, she was also well aware of where giving in to the intrusive thoughts would take her. 'Superior ability breeds superior ambition' was something she took care to remind herself of every day, lest the intrusive thoughts win and she embark on a course that would make her the next Khan Noonien Singh.
As it happened, however, Jenny didn't need to jump on the impertinent diplomat. Her crew, from young Alden all the way to her First Officer, were handling themselves rather well; defending themselves and her decision as Captain. To prevent herself from smiling, Jenny instead plucked a cigarette from her pocket and lit it, reclining in her chair as she watched the back-and-forth with a look of amusement on her face. Tyra had said that being a Captain was like being a parent, and Jenny hadn't really seen it during her tenure on the Philadelphia. The scene before her, however, was definitely proving her sister-in-law correct. With a quick glance at Bryan, she saw the disapproval in his eyes as she exhaled a cloud of smoke through her nose, she'd promised she'd try to quit, but she also saw the same glimmer of amusement as he rolled his eyes at whatever Tomer had just said.
I'd better stop this before it gets out of hand.
"That's enough, gentlemen."
Sitting upright in her chair, Jenny held the smoking stick between her right index and middle finger.
"Mister Tomer, I understand your misgivings. However, my orders from the Diplomatic Corps did not expressly order me to be the pilot, nor would I agree to such orders on the grounds of safety; I haven't had a chance to requalify since taking command of the Yeager, and outside of an emergency situation, that means I legally cannot pilot a craft. It's also worth noting that I'm not a racing pilot, I was a combat pilot; it's two completely different skillsets with only a few overlaps."
That was a little white lie; utilising the Holodecks and bouts of insomnia during the night shift, she'd kept her flight certifications current and had gained qualified status on the Yeager and Aeroshuttle. As the Yeager did not possess any certified flight instructors besides herself, she could not officially qualify, though she doubted anyone at Starfleet Tactical would bat an eyelid if she used her own instructor certification to renew her qualification. It was something she would need to address in future; it never hurt to have a few people with advanced knowledge capable of teaching new skills aboard, especially when the shit hit the fan.
"Furthermore, I remind you that I am Captain and designated mission leader. You are here to assist with the diplomatic side of things. Until I receive written orders from Starfleet Command placing you in charge of this mission, I will employ my ship and crew in the manner that I think is most appropriate, and you will respect and follow any orders given. If you cannot in good conscience do that, then I respect your decision, and you will spend the rest of this expedition in your quarters."
Jenny rose from her chair and placed her hands on the desk, the humour had vanished with her face, replaced with an expression that was deadly serious.
"Am I understood?"