Capt. Shayne: Amidst The Weeds
Randal Shayne
((Deck 1, Captain’s Ready Room, USS Arrow))
Pershan: Well said, sir. ::tapping the PADD:: I think we killed two birds with one stone, here, sir. I can mark this down in your file as a session, unless you have a burning desire to pick this conversation up again sooner rather than later.
The captain was not caught off guard by this. Over the years, he’d gotten fairly good at detecting what was friendly fraternization and what counted as actual therapy in the eyes of a counselor, and he’d made sure to walk the line between patient and patient as best as he could. Now Pershan was bringing it to a close, as if Shayne had followed a script only the lieutenant know. He refused to give the El-Aurian the satisfaction of grinding teeth.
Shayne: I don’t have a burning desire to pick up any conversation, sooner or later. No offense.
He felt like an amateur, slaughtered in some game and offered a friendly rematch at a time of his choosing. Better men would shake a hand with grace. Shayne would work hard not to flip the board and eat part of the table.
Pershan: ::smiling:: You'd have to try a lot harder than that for me to take things personally, sir. If you need me, I'll be on Deck 3.
Shayne waited until the man was firmly turned away from him and marching out the door before he raised his voice.
Shayne: I’m still looking for that answer.
Pershan: ::turning, big smile:: Sharp, sir! Forgive me. I did indeed promise. ::blatant lie:: El-Aurians—we're a notoriously forgetful people. But we're honest. I'll tell you about the first time I accepted a promotion.
Shayne had not remembered any sort of promise- but he did have curiosity, and it itched for some context.
Pershan: Fifty-eight years ago—give or take—I enrolled at Starfleet Academy. Took some required medical courses, and met a promising young cadet. We became fast friends. One of my fondest memories was the day we found out we'd been assigned to the same ship: the famed USS Tarawa, fresh from foiling Romulan plots along the Neutral Zone.
Shayne nodded, unsure as to whether his complete lack of knowledge regarding the Tarawa was his failure, or whether she was just not as famed as the lieutenant seemed to think.
Shayne: Ah. And this friend, a counselor?
Pershan: No, just a plain old doctor. She was a much better officer than a physician, though, and a ship the size of the Tarawa needed more help managing its medical staff than filling it. So it only made sense for her to rise quickly to CMO. And then eventually, the ship's XO. And then, upon Captain Toten's retirement, she assumed command.
It wasn’t unheard of- the captaincy had many routes, some more common than others. But given the topic of discussion, he had to assume there was
Shayne: Quite the rise.
Pershan: Yes, sir. She led us until the end. When the Tarawa had enough adventure, so had Asha. She had one request of me, at the end. ::shrug and a smile:: How could I say "no?"
Shayne stared for a moment, knowing- knowing- that the whole truth was more elusive than that. But he was not about to throw a fit or dig through records to get the whole story. Perhaps that’d be something for them to explore together, later.
Shayne: I see. Well, feel free to examine the counseling suite. It’s nothing spacious but I think you’ll approve.
Pershan: Very good, sir. Until then.
Shayne gave a slow nod in response.
Shayne: Until then.
Pershan exited, leaving Shayne with more questions than he’d answered.
END
Captain Randal Shayne
Commanding Officer
USS Arrow
NCC 69829
G239202RS0