Senior Staff Luau Part 5: The Party Breaks Up

Posted on Thu Dec 7th, 2023 @ 9:10pm by Commander Chalan Kendri & Captain Ryhl th'Zeles

2,184 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: Campor III - Resupply
Location: Holodeck 2
Timeline: MD: C17, after part four

Kendri brought her plate over and sat near Jason and Paisley. She took a bite of sweet bread and swallowed. "What has you all distracted?" she asked, leaning to the side to get into Jason's view.

Jason looked up from his plate, "Intelligence has been giving me some static over the goings on with the colony, I've had maybe four uninterrupted hours of sleep in the last three days, it's getting ridiculous." he said, in the span of seventy hours he'd been inundated with demands for updates, reports, accounting of events and activities, he'd found himself feeling more and more exhausted, "If we can't get a handle on things soon I'm pretty sure command is going too hold me accountable."

Paisley nodded. She'd been worried about him, but she wasn't going to tell him not to work. She knew him better than that by now. He wouldn't do the same-they were both dedicated to their jobs, though he had a better handle on separating himself from work than she did.

"Who is running you down in the middle of the night, Command or your staff? Either way, we need to set some boundaries. You will see diminished returns if you aren't given time to take care of yourself." Kendri looked at him closely - like a concerned mother might.

"Rear Admiral Sovak with intelligence, Commodore Stevens with intelligence operations for the sector, Fleet Captain Garret Task Force intelligence, the list keeps growing and I'm fully aware I'm running out of time for answers and ending up in sickbay when everything happened has put me on a shorter leash with all of them, I can't escape the feeling I'll be on a one way trip back to Earth next time Mendocino returns."

Kendri cast a sideways glance at Paisley. "I actually find this extremely inappropriate. There are about five different ways chain of command protocols are being violated here. Why didn't you say something sooner?" Kendri asked.

Paisley nodded silently. She'd TOLD him. Maybe she should have reported it herself, but they were adults and she wasn't married to the man.

She began raising her voice as she realized how wrong this all was. "The right hand isn't talking to the left, but that's irrelevant, because neither of them should be bothering you, and the head of this operation should planning intelligence meetings through Captain th'Zheles." She looked down and realized she had been holding her fork the entire time and using it to emphasize certain points. She placed the fork down. "Anyway, something isn't right. We should address it."

"Things are getting out of hand, but unless the deputy director gets directly involved I'm up against a wall waiting for the blindfold." Jason said stabbing a fork into his plate.

"I TOLD him to tell the Captain. Just last night, in fact, because it's also starting to impact ME." She said. "Maybe I should've come to you before he did today, but really. We're not married, and I try not to run his life," she explained. "He's a grown man. He said he'd talk to the Captain and I have to trust he will."

Jason looked at Paisley, "You are right, on two fronts it's starting to impact things, and I need to talk with the captain and it's overdue." 'Too much is on the line now'

"The commodore and the captain should be reporting to the Admiral. And the Admiral should not be going direct with you. The Admiral goes through the Captain with what you've provided him, and I'm sure you can be brought in as well," Kendri said. "th'Zeles will not be pleased to hear this is going on. If you don't say anything, I will. So make it a point. We need you at your best. Catching calls from nosy Captains and flag officers is part of the Captain's day. You have more important things to worry about."

Ryhl led Jorel towards the other group. He had only heard bits of a conversation in passing. It was only when he heard his name that he began to approach them. A somewhat anxious look rested on his face as he said, "Is everything alright? You all look a bit worried."

Kendri redirected her attention to her food, only glancing at Jason.

"Jason has something to tell you," Paisley said. "Come on, Kendri, let's go say hi to the hot bartender. Jason, I'll be over here setting up Kendri if you need me," she said.

"With the hologram? Come on, I'm not that desperate," Kendri said as she followed Paisley to the bar. "If we had one of those on board though..."

"Well. At least he's here, and Kobi Tomm isn't," Paisley said, with a shrug.

Jason stared at his plate, 'I should have taken the teaching job'

Loudly, she called over her shoulder to her boyfriend. "You better tell him or I will." And he knew she meant it.

Jason didn't want to talk about it, he didn't want to ruin he mood or what was left of it, "I would like to meet in private, about this, since there are details I've omitted and others that the few who know the better sir." he said still hanging his head.

"Oh, it's serious." Ryhl noticed the tension in Kendri's look as well. "Yes well, we'll meet first thing in the morning." The spark returned to his eye. "Until then, we have all this nice food. I know this mission has been way more intense than we expected. I just want to say more simple, relaxed times are ahead."

Ryhl knew there were also tougher times ahead, but he knew this crew could handle the worst the galaxy had to offer. A mission that Starfleet imagined would be accomplished in a few days had turned into over two weeks of intrigue and subterfuge.

"I want you to know that I support you, Jason. If something is concerning you, I'm sure we can find a way to address it." The sounds of the waves washing ashore blended with the gentle music. Scents of the cooking meat and freshly prepared plates in front of the officers filled the air.

From the bar, Paisley was watching. She shook her head. Men were more trouble than they were worth!! Still, she could hear most of what happened, and was satisfied that he'd at least said something. She turned, pasting a large smile on her face. She flirted a little with the hologram. "Hello. This is my friend Chalan Kendri. What's your name?" She glanced at her friend. Damn, she was rusty. See what being attached did to a girl?!

Jason found himself sitting there alone, he set his plate down. The weight of the last few weeks had become untenable, now it was becoming destructive when he saw everyone appearing to be occupied Jason quietly made his way to the exit, he didn't want to cause a scene, let alone ruin the time for the others. He'd reached a breaking point and he was not sure what could be done.

Paisley's eyes were trained on Jason, but she let him go. She knew him-when he shut down, it was best to let him off. She'd not push him. She might not speak to him for a few days, but she wouldn't push him. She turned back to the Hologram. "Can I have another ale, please? But not that Andorian crap!"

"Ronan," the tall, muscular, dark-skinned hologram replied. He brought over an amber colored bottle and used a bottle opener to pull off the metal top and handed it to Paisley. "If you don't like this, I'll get you another," he said simply.

"He doesn't talk much, but isn't he pretty," Kendri commented as Ronan stepped away from the bar. "Don't worry, I'll make sure the Captain brings him in. That's such bull shit about these nosy CO's bothering him in the middle of the night. That's not how it's done."

Paisley smiled at Ronan. "Well, aren't you a cutie?! Too bad you're a hologram." She turned to Kendri, blue eyes blazing, the grey tinge she usually had darkened with rage. "It's not just that. He's been distant with me," she said. "I've told him. Twice. He's on his own now," she said. She sighed deeply. "We have a different management style-I try to keep in mind that men operate differently, but my team knows-and the Captain and you, and so on-that when I am on the clock, I am working, and I am working hard. But when I am off the clock? It better be a damned emergency that no one on this ship can handle except me if you're bothering me," she said. "Sorry to unload all of this, but...he doesn't necessarily understand why I need the communication. He can't just freeze me out and expect me to stay around to watch him self-destruct."

"I've been trying to keep my eye on him, but he's a hard officer to keep track of." Kendri glanced over at the table. "Now that I know what's going on, we'll get to the bottom of it." Kendri gestured with her head back to the table. "He looks lonely, you should get back over there."

"He left," she said, flatly. "Anyway. If he doesn't come by tomorrow, you'll let me know, right?"

"He what?" Kendri turned around to see the seat where Jason had been sitting empty. She narrowed her eyes disapprovingly as she turned back to Paisley. "Of course. Will you see him later?"

Paisley shrugged. "Probably," she said. She wasn't really mad, just disappointed. "He'll be ok. He's been weird lately, since the last away mission, but will he talk to me or ANYONE? Of course not." She sighed. "Thanks!" She took the drink from the holo-man and headed back to her food. She might as well enjoy herself, even if her boyfriend was a party-pooper.

Jason found himself several sections over, his head was swimming again, he needed to get away from everyone, the last message from the mysterious Captain Garret stating that life was going to get difficult for him if they didn't get what they wanted out of this mission, had left him disconnected and unable to think, he started to question who this person was on the other end of these messages. he paused looking out into the void of space, the planet below just visible, he felt his chest tighten again, he pressed his hand against the bulkhead trying to steady himself, he felt his chest tighten again, he tried to hold himself up using the bulkhead to balance himself. He found his way too a turbolift that hissed open, "Deck eleven...." the door closed as he tired hard to keep it together 'Keep it together, keep these people from going after her, it's not going to happen again....'

Jason felt the lift start to slow as it reached deck eleven, the door hissed open, Jason staggered his way too his office, every step was like walking in mud, he felt himself getting dizzy as he approached the door, he pushed the lock release the door slid open quickly and he staggered in, the pad on his desk was still there, the message was still there. He just sat there, his body felt heavy, his heart felt like it was about to explode, he finally passed out.

Paisley tapped her foot against the side of the table. Should she go after him?! A part of her wanted to. The other one needed him to figure things out first. She trusted that if he got TOO far into his head, Mario or Annika would call her.

Ryhl looked down at his plate of food. It seemed like he'd only just gotten it, yet people had already started to file out. He looked up to notice Paisley staring into the distance with a concerned look on her face. "The Lieutenant and I will talk things over tomorrow. All will be addressed and resolved."

Paisley nodded. "Thanks. I think it'll be ok. I just wish...I wish men were more open about their feelings. I had hoped that that sort of thing would've died out with the rest of their bullshit," she said. She sighed. "I should go find him, make sure he's okay. Excuse me, please, Captain," she said, slipping out of the room.

Ryhl noticed Paisley's look of concern and state of anxiousness. "He will be okay. I promise you that." As she left, Ryhl turned to the others. "Well.. I think I'll finish my food and go for one last swim. I'll see you all around." Ryhl nodded to Kendri. "I hope you enjoy your evening." After looking around, it seemed the entire mood of the party was dampened after the conversation. The Captain winced slightly as he walked off.

[OFF]

Captain Rhyl th'Zheles
Commanding Officer
USS Columbia

Commander Chalan Kendri
First Officer
USS Columbia

Lt. Commander Paisley F'Rar
Chief Engineer
USS Columbia

Lieutenant Jason Elliot
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Columbia

RSS Feed