05-05-2024, 12:41 AM
A shower, power nap, and large breakfast had gone a long way to improving Jenny's mood and overall outlook on life. The video call to her husband and daughter, both still residing on Earth, had been bittersweet but had also served as a reminder of why she did the work she did, and why she refused to compromise on her morals in the name of Starfleet and the Federation; job security was one thing, but being able to look her daughter in the eye was far more important. Being able to discuss her day's itinerary and creatively manage some of the meetings with assistance from Jenna and M'Rell had been helpful for her sanity, but some of the names on the list weren't exactly inspiring the best of feelings; some of her new crew had been assigned to her direct from the Philadelphia to get them out of the way, and while there were candidates she'd requested personally, that didn't necessarily mean she was going to enjoy the meetings.
I guess I'm lucky they gave me a choice at all; tradition aside, they could have stuck to their guns and let me walk. That they didn't means they need me for something.
The door chimed and Jenny noticed Jenna and M'Rell give each other what Jenny had begun to refer to as "the glance", the one where something awkward had just happened or was about to happen, and they were debating whether to stick around to prevent further awkwardness, or get out of the way so that they couldn't be called as witnesses. A quick glance at the day's itinerary told Jenny exactly why; the person at the door was her new First Officer and the man who had, temporarily, been trying to hunt her down like a common criminal.
"I know that look; it's going to be fine. You're both welcome to stay, but I know you've also both got work to do."
The two women nodded and excused themselves out of the office's other door. When they were gone, Jenny took a moment to compose herself and ensure there were no plates or crumbs still littering her desk, set the viewport behind her to opaque for privacy, then commanded the door to open. Jensen stood, as always, erect and proper as he should be while addressing a senior officer, but there was no disguising the flash of emotions running behind his eyes.
"So....this is slightly awkward. As Captain, you can refuse these and request a replacement XO if you should so desire. I would not take that personally. However, I do think we make a good command team... when we're open and upfront with each other."
Jenny resisted the urge to sigh, barely. While she didn't blame him for feeling the way he did about how their last outing had transpired, he hadn't trusted her judgement. He'd put words on a PADD before his moral obligation to his fellow officers, and he was still put out that Jenny's orders had been classified. The fact those orders hadn't come into play until after he'd mutinied against her and she'd stolen the Yeager likely wouldn't have made him any happier, which is why that fact had been conveniently left out of the official record. It was also the sole reason he was still in uniform.
"Refusing your assignment would defeat the object of bringing you out here in the first place. One of the perks of taking a ship from the Shipyards is that the Captain gets a little more leeway in picking their senior staff. You're right, we do work well together, but that wasn't the only reason I asked for you."
With a small sigh, Jenny leaned back in her chair and continued.
"The entire Philadelphia crew was painted with the same brush as a result of what happened, and some of us weren't on Command's Christmas List already. Those who joined me on the Yeager were going to be sent to Starbase Eighty until their commissions were up, and I wasn't going to allow that. You, on the other hand, were headed for permanent desk assignment somewhere in the ass-end of nowhere. We both know that no commander is going to want a mutineer -cleared of all charges or not- on their crew; this way you're at least getting a fair shot, even if all we get are the shit jobs."
Jenny leaned forward again, folding her arms on the desk.
"You're too good at your job to be left to rot in a cubicle somewhere, but you need to understand this; sometimes my job means I can't share everything with you. Sometimes doing the right thing will mean we have cross a line or go against what we have been taught as Starfleet Officers. I'm not asking for blind faith, but I need to know you're willing to trust me to make the moral choice even if the information you have says it's the wrong choice. So it's your choice; you can accept your orders, or I can have them rescinded and you can enjoy an exciting career as Quartermaster of some supply depot."
Jenny shrugged.
"This is probably going to be my last posting, the bureaucrats in San Francisco are going to make sure of that. I'm going to make the most of it, it's up to you whether you do the same."
I guess I'm lucky they gave me a choice at all; tradition aside, they could have stuck to their guns and let me walk. That they didn't means they need me for something.
The door chimed and Jenny noticed Jenna and M'Rell give each other what Jenny had begun to refer to as "the glance", the one where something awkward had just happened or was about to happen, and they were debating whether to stick around to prevent further awkwardness, or get out of the way so that they couldn't be called as witnesses. A quick glance at the day's itinerary told Jenny exactly why; the person at the door was her new First Officer and the man who had, temporarily, been trying to hunt her down like a common criminal.
"I know that look; it's going to be fine. You're both welcome to stay, but I know you've also both got work to do."
The two women nodded and excused themselves out of the office's other door. When they were gone, Jenny took a moment to compose herself and ensure there were no plates or crumbs still littering her desk, set the viewport behind her to opaque for privacy, then commanded the door to open. Jensen stood, as always, erect and proper as he should be while addressing a senior officer, but there was no disguising the flash of emotions running behind his eyes.
"So....this is slightly awkward. As Captain, you can refuse these and request a replacement XO if you should so desire. I would not take that personally. However, I do think we make a good command team... when we're open and upfront with each other."
Jenny resisted the urge to sigh, barely. While she didn't blame him for feeling the way he did about how their last outing had transpired, he hadn't trusted her judgement. He'd put words on a PADD before his moral obligation to his fellow officers, and he was still put out that Jenny's orders had been classified. The fact those orders hadn't come into play until after he'd mutinied against her and she'd stolen the Yeager likely wouldn't have made him any happier, which is why that fact had been conveniently left out of the official record. It was also the sole reason he was still in uniform.
"Refusing your assignment would defeat the object of bringing you out here in the first place. One of the perks of taking a ship from the Shipyards is that the Captain gets a little more leeway in picking their senior staff. You're right, we do work well together, but that wasn't the only reason I asked for you."
With a small sigh, Jenny leaned back in her chair and continued.
"The entire Philadelphia crew was painted with the same brush as a result of what happened, and some of us weren't on Command's Christmas List already. Those who joined me on the Yeager were going to be sent to Starbase Eighty until their commissions were up, and I wasn't going to allow that. You, on the other hand, were headed for permanent desk assignment somewhere in the ass-end of nowhere. We both know that no commander is going to want a mutineer -cleared of all charges or not- on their crew; this way you're at least getting a fair shot, even if all we get are the shit jobs."
Jenny leaned forward again, folding her arms on the desk.
"You're too good at your job to be left to rot in a cubicle somewhere, but you need to understand this; sometimes my job means I can't share everything with you. Sometimes doing the right thing will mean we have cross a line or go against what we have been taught as Starfleet Officers. I'm not asking for blind faith, but I need to know you're willing to trust me to make the moral choice even if the information you have says it's the wrong choice. So it's your choice; you can accept your orders, or I can have them rescinded and you can enjoy an exciting career as Quartermaster of some supply depot."
Jenny shrugged.
"This is probably going to be my last posting, the bureaucrats in San Francisco are going to make sure of that. I'm going to make the most of it, it's up to you whether you do the same."