Jez took a sip of her tea and processed everything the Commanders had said, in her mind, she had done nothing wrong, but much like overprotective parents they had to get their point across, but she couldn’t say that they were right and she was wrong, as they may have a point. Jez could have overestimated her skills and abilities, but she was sure that she hadn’t.
Commander Talion stated, "Jez, you have made several presumptions that are not making this any easier. Thankfully, you're also expressing the desire to comply with what we're telling you and you're willing to work on this...issue. That is a step in the right direction. I will say again, despite how well you are convinced that you conducted yourself with perfect discretion on the Bridge, you did not. Take a moment to just think over how your own words tried to justify sticking your tongue out at an officer while a conversation with the Commanding Officer you just met is supposed to be discreet. As for a mission, this ship IS on a mission and the Bridge crew is actively engaged in that mission. That's why I immediately tried to remove us all from the Bridge to have a conversation. None of that should have needed to happen on the Bridge. I've seen a Lieutenant banned from the Bridge for less, and they were performing their actual duties at the time."
Wait a second, he’s saying that I’m presumptuous, for all he knew the sticking out of one’s tongue may be the way the Elaysians greet each other, similar to the way Vulcand makes the hand gesture and say, “Live long and Prosper.” or it may have been the initiation of a mating ritual. The point is one should never assume what someone’s intention may or may not be. Thought Jez to herself.
Jez was a bit surprised by Commander Talion's attitude, but then again she wasn’t as her experience was vastly different from his and that was fine, but it didn’t mean that her experience and beliefs were less valid.
Jez nodded her head. “Yes, Commander. I understand.”
What happened next set Jez into something of a tailspin, Commander Talion then said, "I'm a bit concerned about your statement that you and another tried to use your abilities to try and prevent a hostile situation from turning violent. That insinuates something that perhaps we don't want to even discuss, because of the implications. Perhaps you simply meant to say something else in the confusion of all this talk about dangerous outcomes. How about we avoid all discussions on that matter and focus on some simple facts that I'm pretty sure we can all agree on? Does that sound good?"
Jez had been given an order by a superior officer and a friend, and even if she didn’t agree with that order she was obliged to follow orders, If it meant violating Star Fleet regulations it didn’t matter, if using her abilities prevented someone from being seriously hurt or worse killed then she would do as she had been ordered. Jez found Star Fleet’s regulations about the use of Telepathy outdated and narrow minded, to say the least. The idea of non-telepaths telling telepaths what is or isn’t appropriate was ridiculous, as telepaths knew their minds and abilities better than anyone else and especially as the Federation was encountering more species with telepathic abilities and those species had guidelines of what is considered appropriate, in some telepathic societies closing one’s mind to others is considered rude and disrespectful, especially to family and friends.
Jez had nothing but admiration and respect for Commander Said, yes she was Jez’s superior and friend, and she wasn’t going to publicly criticize or bash Commander Said, but Commander Said ordered her to use her abilities, was she supposed to disobey her superior and allow innocent people to be killed? The incident on Graves World wasn’t something that Jez completely disagreed with, at least the result, but she was just an Ensign no one would have listened to her. BesidesJez wasn’t about to go and libel Commander Said, it would be disrespectful and disloyal.
“Commander … Alex,... I don’t want to discuss the incident on Graves World. I stand by what I did, I obeyed the orders of my superior, even if I wasn’t comfortable with those orders. When all was said and done,...... People’s lives were saved.” Said Jez as her eyes welled up slightly with tears. “We could have done a much better job… if we only……..” Jez didn’t finish her sentence, it was just pointless; the mission was over and History would judge if they were correct or not. There was no point in rehashing the past, but Jez was conflicted on one level; she had to uphold her duty as a StarFleet Officer. Yet, she had to be loyal to her friend and be true to herself.
The mission on Graves World was personally frustrating to Jez, in her humble opinion it was handled badly. The colony was left in disarray, on that day justice wasn’t served; a murderer got away and Jez felt somewhat responsible that she should have spoken up, Captain Wilson should have been left on Graves World to face justice and answer for her crimes.
Commander Talion then said something that made Jez ponder things to a greater level, "Good, then let's say that we have established that there are things about the extent of and use of your abilities that you require remedial training on. Until your supervisor is convinced that you can use them responsibly, you are being ordered to not use them other than in complete privacy. To be clear, that means we shouldn't know about any use of them at all unless as part of the training. The order you've been given is official in that it has come from a superior officer in your chain of command, though to keep this as unofficial as possible, the only record of this will be that there was a conversation about it, clarifying policies and protocols. If at any time you feel a need to speak with the Captain about it, you are always at liberty to do so, but if you feel the need to escalate it, that means the Captain will need to know...well...everything about it. We are trying to help you avoid that, so although you're always within your rights to do so, I point out that it would likely be counterproductive. As per the facts thus far, this also means that you understand that we do know more about this and have more experience in this field than you do. If we didn't it would be rather silly to think that we should be training you on the matter. When I say we, I mostly mean me, since I am likely to be the one doing all the dirty work on this fine project I've stepped up to my thigh. This finally leads me to one final thing that I need to be clear on because it is...delicate..."
Jez was a bit insulted that Commander Talion insinuated that Jez needed remedial training on her abilities, that was nonsense, Commander Sothrick had taught Xardeen and Jez a great deal, maybe if they had more time they would have progressed further but they didn’t. Jez knew her skills and abilities better than anyone else. She didn’t need or want anyone telling her that she was some incompetent, impetuous, spoiled child who couldn’t control her abilities. This was beyond insulting, this was an attack on her and her parents and even her grandmother, it was an unmitigated slander on her family and their parenting skills. Yes, her parents were not necessarily the best but that was beside the point.
Jez could feel her temper rising, a knot was forming in her stomach, and what was supposed to be a friendly conversation had turned into what she considered a character assassination. Maybe if the Commanders had approached it in a manner of friendly advice. Sighting examples of how non discrete use of telepathy ended badly she wouldn’t feel so attacked, so conflicted.
Jez rubbed her temples, she wasn’t sure to to think at this moment, she understood completely what Talion and Kurasa were saying to her, but she felt that she was right, she also knew that they were right, but both Jez and them can both be right. Commander Talion said something that Jez wasn’t sure was an order or a suggestion: "At some point...should we do this...you and I are going to encounter things about each other. I promise to minimize it as best I can, but it is a bit like teaching you to swim in that I can't do it without you and I both get wet in the process. We're dealing with our minds here. We're people and our thoughts, memories, and emotions...they're messy, painful, and private things. We have wonderful memories too, but even the best of us are an odd mixture of what makes us who we are and all that stuff is in there. I'm not a counselor with professional techniques that were taught as part of one of my Ph.D.s. I may have a couple of degrees, but not in this. This is more like me teaching you how to surf. It's something I know and you want me to teach you. I'm going to swear to you that I'll keep you safe, but if you think this is going to all be simple and you're not going to swallow any water, then don't bother trying. Do you understand me?"
What does he mean by that?
Jes let out a sigh, her thoughts were a jumble, her emotions were all mixed up, her feelings about the mission on Graves World, her friendship and loyalty to Commander Said, her friendship and relationship with Sothrick and Xardeen, the relationship with her parents. Jez just wanted to scream at this moment.
Jez took a sip of her tea, she looked at the tea as if she was drawing strength from it. Then she began to speak.
“Commander Talion, what I'm about to say is very difficult for me and I mean it with the utmost sincerity, respect, and admiration, but I will not be submitting to any retraining in the proper use of my abilities. I have given you my word as a StarFleet officer that I will refrain from using them in public spaces or in an inappropriate manner unless otherwise ordered to do so and I’ll agree that my actions on the Bridge may have been inappropriate, but it was an isolated incident and shall not be repeated. I can assure you. “ Said Jez sounding confident.
Jez lookat at Commander Talion and added, “If you can’t or won’t accept my word as a StarFleet officer, then I don’t know how we will resolve this issue. Also, I don’t appreciate your veiled criticism of Commander Sothrick and Said, they are both fine officers.” Said Jex her tone respectful.
“However, I would be open to the idea of the both of us training and exploring my abilities together in the absence of Commander Sothrick.” Said Jez with a warm smile on her face.
== Tag Talion. ==
Commander Talion stated, "Jez, you have made several presumptions that are not making this any easier. Thankfully, you're also expressing the desire to comply with what we're telling you and you're willing to work on this...issue. That is a step in the right direction. I will say again, despite how well you are convinced that you conducted yourself with perfect discretion on the Bridge, you did not. Take a moment to just think over how your own words tried to justify sticking your tongue out at an officer while a conversation with the Commanding Officer you just met is supposed to be discreet. As for a mission, this ship IS on a mission and the Bridge crew is actively engaged in that mission. That's why I immediately tried to remove us all from the Bridge to have a conversation. None of that should have needed to happen on the Bridge. I've seen a Lieutenant banned from the Bridge for less, and they were performing their actual duties at the time."
Wait a second, he’s saying that I’m presumptuous, for all he knew the sticking out of one’s tongue may be the way the Elaysians greet each other, similar to the way Vulcand makes the hand gesture and say, “Live long and Prosper.” or it may have been the initiation of a mating ritual. The point is one should never assume what someone’s intention may or may not be. Thought Jez to herself.
Jez was a bit surprised by Commander Talion's attitude, but then again she wasn’t as her experience was vastly different from his and that was fine, but it didn’t mean that her experience and beliefs were less valid.
Jez nodded her head. “Yes, Commander. I understand.”
What happened next set Jez into something of a tailspin, Commander Talion then said, "I'm a bit concerned about your statement that you and another tried to use your abilities to try and prevent a hostile situation from turning violent. That insinuates something that perhaps we don't want to even discuss, because of the implications. Perhaps you simply meant to say something else in the confusion of all this talk about dangerous outcomes. How about we avoid all discussions on that matter and focus on some simple facts that I'm pretty sure we can all agree on? Does that sound good?"
Jez had been given an order by a superior officer and a friend, and even if she didn’t agree with that order she was obliged to follow orders, If it meant violating Star Fleet regulations it didn’t matter, if using her abilities prevented someone from being seriously hurt or worse killed then she would do as she had been ordered. Jez found Star Fleet’s regulations about the use of Telepathy outdated and narrow minded, to say the least. The idea of non-telepaths telling telepaths what is or isn’t appropriate was ridiculous, as telepaths knew their minds and abilities better than anyone else and especially as the Federation was encountering more species with telepathic abilities and those species had guidelines of what is considered appropriate, in some telepathic societies closing one’s mind to others is considered rude and disrespectful, especially to family and friends.
Jez had nothing but admiration and respect for Commander Said, yes she was Jez’s superior and friend, and she wasn’t going to publicly criticize or bash Commander Said, but Commander Said ordered her to use her abilities, was she supposed to disobey her superior and allow innocent people to be killed? The incident on Graves World wasn’t something that Jez completely disagreed with, at least the result, but she was just an Ensign no one would have listened to her. BesidesJez wasn’t about to go and libel Commander Said, it would be disrespectful and disloyal.
“Commander … Alex,... I don’t want to discuss the incident on Graves World. I stand by what I did, I obeyed the orders of my superior, even if I wasn’t comfortable with those orders. When all was said and done,...... People’s lives were saved.” Said Jez as her eyes welled up slightly with tears. “We could have done a much better job… if we only……..” Jez didn’t finish her sentence, it was just pointless; the mission was over and History would judge if they were correct or not. There was no point in rehashing the past, but Jez was conflicted on one level; she had to uphold her duty as a StarFleet Officer. Yet, she had to be loyal to her friend and be true to herself.
The mission on Graves World was personally frustrating to Jez, in her humble opinion it was handled badly. The colony was left in disarray, on that day justice wasn’t served; a murderer got away and Jez felt somewhat responsible that she should have spoken up, Captain Wilson should have been left on Graves World to face justice and answer for her crimes.
Commander Talion then said something that made Jez ponder things to a greater level, "Good, then let's say that we have established that there are things about the extent of and use of your abilities that you require remedial training on. Until your supervisor is convinced that you can use them responsibly, you are being ordered to not use them other than in complete privacy. To be clear, that means we shouldn't know about any use of them at all unless as part of the training. The order you've been given is official in that it has come from a superior officer in your chain of command, though to keep this as unofficial as possible, the only record of this will be that there was a conversation about it, clarifying policies and protocols. If at any time you feel a need to speak with the Captain about it, you are always at liberty to do so, but if you feel the need to escalate it, that means the Captain will need to know...well...everything about it. We are trying to help you avoid that, so although you're always within your rights to do so, I point out that it would likely be counterproductive. As per the facts thus far, this also means that you understand that we do know more about this and have more experience in this field than you do. If we didn't it would be rather silly to think that we should be training you on the matter. When I say we, I mostly mean me, since I am likely to be the one doing all the dirty work on this fine project I've stepped up to my thigh. This finally leads me to one final thing that I need to be clear on because it is...delicate..."
Jez was a bit insulted that Commander Talion insinuated that Jez needed remedial training on her abilities, that was nonsense, Commander Sothrick had taught Xardeen and Jez a great deal, maybe if they had more time they would have progressed further but they didn’t. Jez knew her skills and abilities better than anyone else. She didn’t need or want anyone telling her that she was some incompetent, impetuous, spoiled child who couldn’t control her abilities. This was beyond insulting, this was an attack on her and her parents and even her grandmother, it was an unmitigated slander on her family and their parenting skills. Yes, her parents were not necessarily the best but that was beside the point.
Jez could feel her temper rising, a knot was forming in her stomach, and what was supposed to be a friendly conversation had turned into what she considered a character assassination. Maybe if the Commanders had approached it in a manner of friendly advice. Sighting examples of how non discrete use of telepathy ended badly she wouldn’t feel so attacked, so conflicted.
Jez rubbed her temples, she wasn’t sure to to think at this moment, she understood completely what Talion and Kurasa were saying to her, but she felt that she was right, she also knew that they were right, but both Jez and them can both be right. Commander Talion said something that Jez wasn’t sure was an order or a suggestion: "At some point...should we do this...you and I are going to encounter things about each other. I promise to minimize it as best I can, but it is a bit like teaching you to swim in that I can't do it without you and I both get wet in the process. We're dealing with our minds here. We're people and our thoughts, memories, and emotions...they're messy, painful, and private things. We have wonderful memories too, but even the best of us are an odd mixture of what makes us who we are and all that stuff is in there. I'm not a counselor with professional techniques that were taught as part of one of my Ph.D.s. I may have a couple of degrees, but not in this. This is more like me teaching you how to surf. It's something I know and you want me to teach you. I'm going to swear to you that I'll keep you safe, but if you think this is going to all be simple and you're not going to swallow any water, then don't bother trying. Do you understand me?"
What does he mean by that?
Jes let out a sigh, her thoughts were a jumble, her emotions were all mixed up, her feelings about the mission on Graves World, her friendship and loyalty to Commander Said, her friendship and relationship with Sothrick and Xardeen, the relationship with her parents. Jez just wanted to scream at this moment.
Jez took a sip of her tea, she looked at the tea as if she was drawing strength from it. Then she began to speak.
“Commander Talion, what I'm about to say is very difficult for me and I mean it with the utmost sincerity, respect, and admiration, but I will not be submitting to any retraining in the proper use of my abilities. I have given you my word as a StarFleet officer that I will refrain from using them in public spaces or in an inappropriate manner unless otherwise ordered to do so and I’ll agree that my actions on the Bridge may have been inappropriate, but it was an isolated incident and shall not be repeated. I can assure you. “ Said Jez sounding confident.
Jez lookat at Commander Talion and added, “If you can’t or won’t accept my word as a StarFleet officer, then I don’t know how we will resolve this issue. Also, I don’t appreciate your veiled criticism of Commander Sothrick and Said, they are both fine officers.” Said Jex her tone respectful.
“However, I would be open to the idea of the both of us training and exploring my abilities together in the absence of Commander Sothrick.” Said Jez with a warm smile on her face.
== Tag Talion. ==