07-22-2024, 08:45 PM
“What did I miss? When does the boss get here?”
Mara turned her head slowly at Beka’s words and gave the redhead a cool glare. The doctor had apparently just added another entry on the long list of gaffes that made her rank sometimes look like the result of a lost bet amongst the medical hierarchy.
“Everythin’ and nothin’,” she replied evenly. “How ‘bout you try readin’ the room once in a while? And if you’re tryin’ to be all sotto voce, probably best to shut the fuck up until you’re sure you’re safe to talk.”
The Security chief turned away without looking at the impact of her words. Judging by some of the expressions around the room, Calleja wasn’t alone in her irritation at Sydesh’s latest outburst.
I got bigger things to worry about than her.
As the new Captain spoke, Mara listened in silence. She kept her expression carefully blank. The effort required to do that was not inconsiderable; she felt like the deckplate had just been pulled out from under her. Her stomach lurched as her worst fears were confirmed and the change of command made official.
I… I don’t even know how to process this. I ain’t got the words for it. Like someone just sucker-punched me right in the gut.
"On that, I'm as in the dark as you all are but I understand that you all have been left in the dark about more than you should be. I can't promise I have answers for everything but I am willing to answer any pressing questions before we get down to business."
Mara took her own advice, draining what was left of the protein shake to keep herself from saying something she’d later regret.
"Is there anything you can tell us about what happened to Captain Crawford and Commander Elias? All we know is that they're no longer on the ship."
The question was Aeryn’s, and it was a good one. Unfortunately for Mara, even thinking about the injustice that she felt had been done to both officers set something off in her mind. There was a sharp snap as the Security chief’s prodigious strength proved too much for the glass in her hand and it cracked from top to bottom.
Fuck’s sake! Pull it together! she admonished herself as she put the glass down on the table. There was a spider’s web of cracks all through the surface but it had held together. With attention now on her, Mara knew she had to say something, and her dark eyes met Givens’.
“All I gotta say is, some of us might need a sharp reminder that what happened to Tyra ain’t your fault. You’re just the poor sod that got volunteered to hold the reins and you don’t deserve to be on the wrong end of how we feel about the process playin’ out. So if we…”
She stopped and sighed.
“OK. Me. If I look hostile, it ain’t at you. I’ll get over it, and if there’s anythin’ I can do to help ease you into life around here, I’ll do it. But I do wanna echo Commander Miller’s question. If there’s anythin’ you can tell us about what happened to Tyra and Benjamin, I’d sure appreciate it.”
Calleja’s voice was steady and from the outside, the broken glass was the only sign that she was feeling any discomfort. It was a very different matter inside though.
I feel like I’m gonna hurl. But the joys of now bein’ the senior copper on the ship is I gotta hold it together and represent Security, ‘cause that’s what comes with the office and fuckin’ staterooms to live in. No matter how much I wanna just cut and run and bury myself in deadlifts.
Mara turned her head slowly at Beka’s words and gave the redhead a cool glare. The doctor had apparently just added another entry on the long list of gaffes that made her rank sometimes look like the result of a lost bet amongst the medical hierarchy.
“Everythin’ and nothin’,” she replied evenly. “How ‘bout you try readin’ the room once in a while? And if you’re tryin’ to be all sotto voce, probably best to shut the fuck up until you’re sure you’re safe to talk.”
The Security chief turned away without looking at the impact of her words. Judging by some of the expressions around the room, Calleja wasn’t alone in her irritation at Sydesh’s latest outburst.
I got bigger things to worry about than her.
As the new Captain spoke, Mara listened in silence. She kept her expression carefully blank. The effort required to do that was not inconsiderable; she felt like the deckplate had just been pulled out from under her. Her stomach lurched as her worst fears were confirmed and the change of command made official.
I… I don’t even know how to process this. I ain’t got the words for it. Like someone just sucker-punched me right in the gut.
"On that, I'm as in the dark as you all are but I understand that you all have been left in the dark about more than you should be. I can't promise I have answers for everything but I am willing to answer any pressing questions before we get down to business."
Mara took her own advice, draining what was left of the protein shake to keep herself from saying something she’d later regret.
"Is there anything you can tell us about what happened to Captain Crawford and Commander Elias? All we know is that they're no longer on the ship."
The question was Aeryn’s, and it was a good one. Unfortunately for Mara, even thinking about the injustice that she felt had been done to both officers set something off in her mind. There was a sharp snap as the Security chief’s prodigious strength proved too much for the glass in her hand and it cracked from top to bottom.
Fuck’s sake! Pull it together! she admonished herself as she put the glass down on the table. There was a spider’s web of cracks all through the surface but it had held together. With attention now on her, Mara knew she had to say something, and her dark eyes met Givens’.
“All I gotta say is, some of us might need a sharp reminder that what happened to Tyra ain’t your fault. You’re just the poor sod that got volunteered to hold the reins and you don’t deserve to be on the wrong end of how we feel about the process playin’ out. So if we…”
She stopped and sighed.
“OK. Me. If I look hostile, it ain’t at you. I’ll get over it, and if there’s anythin’ I can do to help ease you into life around here, I’ll do it. But I do wanna echo Commander Miller’s question. If there’s anythin’ you can tell us about what happened to Tyra and Benjamin, I’d sure appreciate it.”
Calleja’s voice was steady and from the outside, the broken glass was the only sign that she was feeling any discomfort. It was a very different matter inside though.
I feel like I’m gonna hurl. But the joys of now bein’ the senior copper on the ship is I gotta hold it together and represent Security, ‘cause that’s what comes with the office and fuckin’ staterooms to live in. No matter how much I wanna just cut and run and bury myself in deadlifts.