02-06-2026, 01:51 PM
The question seemed to hang in the air for a moment or two before Lucy began to speak, her words spilling out as if they had been stored in her mind for too long. Aeryn understood and had felt what it was like to get something out that needed to be said, even if it hurt, or showed your weaknesses. There were no excuses, no pleas for leniency, no empty promises, only the truth, a truth that the other science officer hadn't shown before. Perhaps it had been there all along, but she had let her actions take over without thinking properly. They also seemed genuine, as though a light had finally switched on, and the realisation became more apparent than before.
Aeryn chose to listen, to let Lucy talk without interruption, evaluating her automatically as to how they could make that change, make her the officer she needed her to be. What was the point of remaining on the ship, doing the bare minimum, and not being able to rely on her to do what was asked? Aeryn needed a strong team to be able to give instructions and not have to do twice the work. Lucy's admission told Aeryn that there had been too much self-doubt, and sure, she knew what it was like to freeze, to be scared; there was a time and place for it, and not in the middle of a shift or when faced with Klingons with a mission to complete.
The CSO thought about Lucy's performance, her evaluation of how she thought she did, and maybe it was too soon to send her on another mission, given her previous failings, but at the time, it was Aeryn's only choice to give her that chance, to see how she did, and this was now the proof of that. At the mention of the cooperative effort to end the clone operation and the Klingons responsible, Lucy wasn't wrong, and the crew worked together quite efficiently when faced with whatever they came across; however, that could only remain that way if everyone did their part.
Once Lucy finished, Aeryn considered everything, then spoke with her usual soft cadence. " I appreciate your honesty, Lucy, and I agree you weren't working to the best of your ability. The thing is, I need someone who doesn't let themselves get too far into their own head, to recognise that there is a time and place for that, and not when in the middle of a shift or during a mission. Maybe I should have left you on the ship, but the thing is, I thought I could rely on you to do what was asked and what was needed, but I guess I was wrong. Although that's not to say there isn't room for improvement, to learn how to deal with your emotions away from the job, because going forward, I need you to be on top of your game, to be able to carry out your tasks and do them well, without me constantly having to hover over you, to be your constant guide, when I have other duties to perform, and other officers to take care of".
" Do you think what I've asked is fair and reasonable?"
Aeryn couldn't keep having to stop everything to deal with her department's problem child, or having to constantly worry about what she was going to do, because if she kept behaving the way she was, she could very well end up getting herself or someone else killed, and really, Aeryn didn't want to do that paperwork.
== Tag Lucy ==
Aeryn chose to listen, to let Lucy talk without interruption, evaluating her automatically as to how they could make that change, make her the officer she needed her to be. What was the point of remaining on the ship, doing the bare minimum, and not being able to rely on her to do what was asked? Aeryn needed a strong team to be able to give instructions and not have to do twice the work. Lucy's admission told Aeryn that there had been too much self-doubt, and sure, she knew what it was like to freeze, to be scared; there was a time and place for it, and not in the middle of a shift or when faced with Klingons with a mission to complete.
The CSO thought about Lucy's performance, her evaluation of how she thought she did, and maybe it was too soon to send her on another mission, given her previous failings, but at the time, it was Aeryn's only choice to give her that chance, to see how she did, and this was now the proof of that. At the mention of the cooperative effort to end the clone operation and the Klingons responsible, Lucy wasn't wrong, and the crew worked together quite efficiently when faced with whatever they came across; however, that could only remain that way if everyone did their part.
Once Lucy finished, Aeryn considered everything, then spoke with her usual soft cadence. " I appreciate your honesty, Lucy, and I agree you weren't working to the best of your ability. The thing is, I need someone who doesn't let themselves get too far into their own head, to recognise that there is a time and place for that, and not when in the middle of a shift or during a mission. Maybe I should have left you on the ship, but the thing is, I thought I could rely on you to do what was asked and what was needed, but I guess I was wrong. Although that's not to say there isn't room for improvement, to learn how to deal with your emotions away from the job, because going forward, I need you to be on top of your game, to be able to carry out your tasks and do them well, without me constantly having to hover over you, to be your constant guide, when I have other duties to perform, and other officers to take care of".
" Do you think what I've asked is fair and reasonable?"
Aeryn couldn't keep having to stop everything to deal with her department's problem child, or having to constantly worry about what she was going to do, because if she kept behaving the way she was, she could very well end up getting herself or someone else killed, and really, Aeryn didn't want to do that paperwork.
== Tag Lucy ==