07-20-2024, 06:12 PM
Standing in the refresher, the face staring back at him punched right through into his very soul. There were questions there. Concerns and disappointment floated around too, contributing to the furrows generated by his perpetual frown that he wore over the last while. His meeting with one Cassandra Givens had been a surprise. Damian couldn’t give a damn that he wasn’t considered for the Acting position, but he was pissed about Fleet Command’s handling of Tyra. They’d been less than helpful in giving an inkling as to what was going to happen with the command situation on the Artemis. Then the brass sprung Givens on them. It stirred a fire in Damian’s belly, which he had to try to quell as much as he could.
Personal feelings aside, he had to ensure a relatively smooth transition of power with Tyra still sitting in the frying pan. Or did she end up in the fire? The meeting with Givens hadn’t been unpleasant. Quite the contrary, the new captain seemed to seek some propitiation for the situation, and was good at trying to allay his confusion. Even then, Damian could see under the facade. Givens was nearly as clueless about the whole situation as Coleman and Crawford were. That uncertainty seemed to extend beyond knowledge, and surrounded Givens. Damian had known plenty of officers that would use that to their advantage; he, however, did not.
Accepting Cassandra, and assuring her he’d help smooth the transition out, wasn’t done just out of the kindness of his heart. It was duty. Duty and not wanting to further rock the boat. While there had been frequent check-ins and questions from on high, it seemed like most of the fallout had been settling. If having Givens as an Acting Commanding Officer for a time was the penance, then that was a small price to pay.
Standing upright, Damian rolled his shoulders back and tossed his head from side to side before letting out a powerful sigh. His visage changed from what it had been, to something more like his usual when it came to dealing with business. Picking up the PADD from the countertop, Damian made his way out of the refresher. It was a short walk to the Briefing Room, especially with the long powerful strides that he took propelling him forward. As he reached the door, there was only a momentary pause before he hit the control, causing the doors to swish open.
There were plenty of officers in the room already, which was a good sign. Cassandra was at the head of the table, the seat to her right still open for Damian to sit at. Miller, Grant, Mayfair, and Calleja were all there too, along with Omdor, rounding out their department heads. There was still something odd that Damian felt about Jaein, something that he couldn’t quite shake about the man. Coleman put those thoughts aside though, knowing that they were likely tainted by his feelings regarding Elias’ situation. Lucy sat with Aeryn, and Damian had to wonder how that situation was working out. It’d be a conversation for another time, when Coleman would do a regular check-in with Aeryn about how things were going.
Ju was in the room too, and his serious face relented just a bit. At the corner of his mouth, his lip pulled to the side into a subtle slight smile as his gaze fell upon her. It wasn’t to last though, as Damian’s legs carried him forward toward his chair, his eyes pulling away from the engineer, and his face returning back to business as usual.
“What did I miss? When does the boss get here?”
No sooner than Coleman found his seat did The Mouth reveal herself. The latter question had caused his brow to raise, and he leveled his gaze at the doctor, though Damian didn’t immediately say anything. If things truly got rowdy, he would step in if needed. But for the moment, Cassandra didn’t need his help; not with Beka at least. Plus, the redhead was only saying the quiet part out loud. Most of the department heads were likely thinking the very same thing, they were just smart enough not to speak it. Sydesh knew Coleman well enough that she’d probably see his train of thought just in his facial expressions.
“Here are the numbers you were looking for,” Damian said when the timing was right, and offered the PADD to Cassandra beside him, though he wasn’t sure she’d take it from him; the information was clearly visible for her to see.
Coleman then offered a cordial smile to Givens, understanding that it surely couldn’t be easy to be in the seat she found herself in.
== tag Givens ==
Personal feelings aside, he had to ensure a relatively smooth transition of power with Tyra still sitting in the frying pan. Or did she end up in the fire? The meeting with Givens hadn’t been unpleasant. Quite the contrary, the new captain seemed to seek some propitiation for the situation, and was good at trying to allay his confusion. Even then, Damian could see under the facade. Givens was nearly as clueless about the whole situation as Coleman and Crawford were. That uncertainty seemed to extend beyond knowledge, and surrounded Givens. Damian had known plenty of officers that would use that to their advantage; he, however, did not.
Accepting Cassandra, and assuring her he’d help smooth the transition out, wasn’t done just out of the kindness of his heart. It was duty. Duty and not wanting to further rock the boat. While there had been frequent check-ins and questions from on high, it seemed like most of the fallout had been settling. If having Givens as an Acting Commanding Officer for a time was the penance, then that was a small price to pay.
Standing upright, Damian rolled his shoulders back and tossed his head from side to side before letting out a powerful sigh. His visage changed from what it had been, to something more like his usual when it came to dealing with business. Picking up the PADD from the countertop, Damian made his way out of the refresher. It was a short walk to the Briefing Room, especially with the long powerful strides that he took propelling him forward. As he reached the door, there was only a momentary pause before he hit the control, causing the doors to swish open.
There were plenty of officers in the room already, which was a good sign. Cassandra was at the head of the table, the seat to her right still open for Damian to sit at. Miller, Grant, Mayfair, and Calleja were all there too, along with Omdor, rounding out their department heads. There was still something odd that Damian felt about Jaein, something that he couldn’t quite shake about the man. Coleman put those thoughts aside though, knowing that they were likely tainted by his feelings regarding Elias’ situation. Lucy sat with Aeryn, and Damian had to wonder how that situation was working out. It’d be a conversation for another time, when Coleman would do a regular check-in with Aeryn about how things were going.
Ju was in the room too, and his serious face relented just a bit. At the corner of his mouth, his lip pulled to the side into a subtle slight smile as his gaze fell upon her. It wasn’t to last though, as Damian’s legs carried him forward toward his chair, his eyes pulling away from the engineer, and his face returning back to business as usual.
“What did I miss? When does the boss get here?”
No sooner than Coleman found his seat did The Mouth reveal herself. The latter question had caused his brow to raise, and he leveled his gaze at the doctor, though Damian didn’t immediately say anything. If things truly got rowdy, he would step in if needed. But for the moment, Cassandra didn’t need his help; not with Beka at least. Plus, the redhead was only saying the quiet part out loud. Most of the department heads were likely thinking the very same thing, they were just smart enough not to speak it. Sydesh knew Coleman well enough that she’d probably see his train of thought just in his facial expressions.
“Here are the numbers you were looking for,” Damian said when the timing was right, and offered the PADD to Cassandra beside him, though he wasn’t sure she’d take it from him; the information was clearly visible for her to see.
Coleman then offered a cordial smile to Givens, understanding that it surely couldn’t be easy to be in the seat she found herself in.
== tag Givens ==