08-15-2024, 05:01 AM
Watching Mara approach Tyra, and the initial conversation that went with it, tracked in Damian’s mind. The Bandaran had always been particularly protective of Tyra, which was something that Coleman not only appreciated, but also relied upon; even more so since the Brittany. Though it was what came next that surprised him. Perhaps it shouldn’t have, but it did.
The explosion from Mara’s mouth, especially after her comforting move to Crawford, was vehement. Aimed directly at Givens, it was like a phaser blast, intended to be cutting as much as it was blistering; the tone in Calleja’s voice sold that. Mara wasn’t entirely wrong though in her assessment. There certainly was some 4D chess bullshit happening, particularly from the higher ups. Many on the Artemis had been jerked around ever since they’d come back from the mission. Skeletons unearthed. Stills confiscated. And careers ended. Despite all of that though, none of it needed to be said. Everyone at the table knew there was something more going on. Worse was how Calleja had said it all, tossing a hefty amount of insubordinate attitude and vocabulary at a Captain, their current CO.
Givens was done with it all, and her return volley sizzled. It was enough for Coleman to plant his face into his palms, both hands, as his elbows rested on the table; a rare expression for him. He’d been to heated meetings before, but never quite so high strung was a briefing before they’d even left the dock! Allowing himself only a moment, his head popped up and met Tyra’s gaze at him. She’d no doubt read a lot from his particular gesture, but it wouldn’t be the whole story. The worrisome aspect of the whole debacle was the decision making that had happened just after the last mission, and the questioning of it was brought quickly into focus with every word from Mara.
Grabbing his PADD, Damian started writing up the events that had transpired as succinctly as possible, but with enough detail that Tyra could make an informed decision. Context meant a lot, and so Coleman put in observations and the lead up, including his potential mistake of encouraging Givens to hand out the medals at the briefing; it might not have been the whole reason for the powder keg to explode, but it probably was a factor.
By the time he’d finished, Calleja had said something softly to Tyra and looked to be on the retreat. It made Damian think of several unfavorable comparisons he could make about Mara, though he didn’t linger on those thoughts. Instead, he sent the message directly to the PADD that Tyra was still holding. It’d give her all the updating she needed without having to ask the room, or him, directly.
Then he let his eyes wander for a moment. Plenty else was going on it seemed, though it was on Ju that his gaze lingered. The briefing was not the best showing the Artemis could give. Thankfully, Ju had come aboard well before they had to launch for a mission. She’d been able to meet with and enjoy the better aspects that the Artemis had to offer. Part of him wanted to tell her, to say aloud that briefings weren’t always like this, and this was the outlier. He would, Damian decided, though it’d be later when they had some time for themselves.
Returning to looking around the room, he finally saw Mayfair, whose look seemed to mirror exactly what he was feeling right down to her stashing her PADD away. It seemed they both were taking notes, and it likely wasn’t about them going to some nebula. That made Damian smile for half a second, and he appreciated that there was someone else in the room who seemed to be on the same page as him. Whatever mission they were about to be sent on, and however dangerous it might be, the stakes within the hull had already been substantially raised.
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The explosion from Mara’s mouth, especially after her comforting move to Crawford, was vehement. Aimed directly at Givens, it was like a phaser blast, intended to be cutting as much as it was blistering; the tone in Calleja’s voice sold that. Mara wasn’t entirely wrong though in her assessment. There certainly was some 4D chess bullshit happening, particularly from the higher ups. Many on the Artemis had been jerked around ever since they’d come back from the mission. Skeletons unearthed. Stills confiscated. And careers ended. Despite all of that though, none of it needed to be said. Everyone at the table knew there was something more going on. Worse was how Calleja had said it all, tossing a hefty amount of insubordinate attitude and vocabulary at a Captain, their current CO.
Givens was done with it all, and her return volley sizzled. It was enough for Coleman to plant his face into his palms, both hands, as his elbows rested on the table; a rare expression for him. He’d been to heated meetings before, but never quite so high strung was a briefing before they’d even left the dock! Allowing himself only a moment, his head popped up and met Tyra’s gaze at him. She’d no doubt read a lot from his particular gesture, but it wouldn’t be the whole story. The worrisome aspect of the whole debacle was the decision making that had happened just after the last mission, and the questioning of it was brought quickly into focus with every word from Mara.
Grabbing his PADD, Damian started writing up the events that had transpired as succinctly as possible, but with enough detail that Tyra could make an informed decision. Context meant a lot, and so Coleman put in observations and the lead up, including his potential mistake of encouraging Givens to hand out the medals at the briefing; it might not have been the whole reason for the powder keg to explode, but it probably was a factor.
By the time he’d finished, Calleja had said something softly to Tyra and looked to be on the retreat. It made Damian think of several unfavorable comparisons he could make about Mara, though he didn’t linger on those thoughts. Instead, he sent the message directly to the PADD that Tyra was still holding. It’d give her all the updating she needed without having to ask the room, or him, directly.
Then he let his eyes wander for a moment. Plenty else was going on it seemed, though it was on Ju that his gaze lingered. The briefing was not the best showing the Artemis could give. Thankfully, Ju had come aboard well before they had to launch for a mission. She’d been able to meet with and enjoy the better aspects that the Artemis had to offer. Part of him wanted to tell her, to say aloud that briefings weren’t always like this, and this was the outlier. He would, Damian decided, though it’d be later when they had some time for themselves.
Returning to looking around the room, he finally saw Mayfair, whose look seemed to mirror exactly what he was feeling right down to her stashing her PADD away. It seemed they both were taking notes, and it likely wasn’t about them going to some nebula. That made Damian smile for half a second, and he appreciated that there was someone else in the room who seemed to be on the same page as him. Whatever mission they were about to be sent on, and however dangerous it might be, the stakes within the hull had already been substantially raised.
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