A Little Perspective

Posted on Mon Oct 11, 2021 @ 11:36am by Lieutenant Commander Kaedon Draesni & Captain Larisna Koralova

Mission: Mission 1R - Vigilance Be Our Shield
Location: Observation Lounge, USS Hornet
Timeline: Mission Day 01, 1104 Hours

ON: [[Observation Lounge, USS Hornet, Mission Day 01, 1104 Hours]]

Draesni waited as the other members of the staff got up from their seats. A few of them nodded to each other or exchanged words, some even going so far as to plan time to meet later to coordinate final preparations. However, those moments passed, and they all made their way out of the room. All of them except himself and the captain.

Larisna waited, before turning to look at Draesni. Once the last person left, she spoke.

"What's on your mind, Commander?"

The younger man did not immediately respond. In truth, there was a rather lot on his mind. He had been through some interesting staff meeting over the years. At least one or two involved folks almost coming to blows over something. But Draesni had never encountered anything quite like what he'd just experienced.

"I'm not sure what to make of it, ma'am," he admitted.

"The meeting?" Larisna sat down and leaned back in her seat, letting out a sigh, "I'm disappointed, confused, and I'm hoping this is the result of being recalled on short notice and not the sign of things to come. If not, I'm worried I need to ask Starfleet Command to reassign us before we start a war."

Koralova’s words hung heavy in the air. It was generally accepted that being able to count on one’s crew, especially the senior staff, was of utmost importance. One needed to know things were going to run as they were supposed to and that everyone was as “on the ball” as they could be. Indeed, moreso than whatever else may have been happening outside the ship, the sort of unease disjointedness they seemed to be witnessing could (as the captain had just pointed out) undermine everything they were working for.

The fact that she had so openly shared her concern with Draesni was telling. Perhaps it was because they had both come up through similar paths. Or perhaps it was simply due to the fact that he wasn’t one of the ones making wild postulations about people’s motivations. Whatever the case, the Zami knew enough not to take this moment for granted.

“Forgive me, captain,” he said slowly, “but how do you reconcile something like that?”

"One of the lessons that comes with the four pips on the collar. You have to trust the people under you to not go off and do something catastrophically stupid. Sometimes they just need to voice their concerns but will focus once set to what to focus on and what not to focus on." Larisna replied, "But you also have to be clear on the consequences to everyone. If they choose to go off after you try to course correct, after you try to explain it to them, well...some of Starfleet's greatest names were renegades. Perhaps history will vindicate them and vilify me. Perhaps not. Starfleet doesn't want drones, we want others to think for themselves. But we also must be clear that actions have consequences."

"So, if someone does something that starts a war, they'll be in my report. My sister is in the JAG Corps, I know where that road can lead if found guilty. We all know, honestly. And some have an even larger stake in the game, so to speak." Larisna added. Part of her knew that she would need to put her Chief Engineer under more intense scrutiny. E'Lor's father had connections in the Klingon government, and if she put family above duty, the consequences would be disastrous. Not only would she face court martial from Starfleet, but her family would face discommendation from the High Council and if it was severe enough, the High Council could see fit to imprison them or even put them to death. It was an unpleasant thought, but one that came with the territory.

"A Captain is responsible for their crew, but the crew is responsible for their own actions. Kirk wasn't the best example, he was friends with his entire senior staff so of course he went to Rura Penthe for them. Admiral Picard I think is a better example, he would stand for his crew but he expected his crew to stand for themselves and if their actions went against that, they would face those consequences." Larisna concluded.

Draseni nodded to show he understood. Some might have considered it cliche, given the man's fame (or infamy, depending on who one asked), but he had always felt somewhat of a connection with Picard. In particular, he could appreciate the difficulty that came from striking out from home, having to forge one's own path amongst the stars, not knowing what sort of legacy would be left behind. Part of him wondered, since Koralova had mentioned the admiral as inspiration for her approach, whether she wasn't looking to his handling of the Klingon Civil War as model in this situation.

“If it means anything, ma’am,” he said after a moment, “I think what you’re doing makes sense."

"I appreciate it. Hopefully the others see reason after a good night's sleep." Larisna said, "If there's nothing else, you should probably wrap up and grab some sleep yourself."

Again, Draesni responded with a nod. Although there was a part of him that wanted to hear more, he knew the captain was right, and that they needed to wrap things up (for the time being, at least). There was work to be done and, as Koralova had pointed out, rest to be had. The conversation would just have to wait.

Gathering up his pad and pen, the younger man rose to his feet. “Good night, captain,” he said. And, with that final acknowledgement, he turned and headed out the door.

OFF