Lt Commander Serala: Mother problems...as usual
Jim Davis
(( Romulan Republic Warbird Illa’variea, Serala’s assigned quarters, Day 2 after departure ))
:: Serala entered the austere quarters and, ripping her boots off her feet, hurled them across the room to bounce off the bulkhead. They struck with such force that they nearly rebounded back to her. The past two days had been an exercise in controlled frustration. To say she had forgotten what it was like to live with her mother was an understatement. The woman was strict, demanding, and hyper-critical. Good traits in a Warbird Commander. Not so great in a mother. Still, her interactions with Commander R’Val were mostly on a professional level, so why was it bothering her so much. ::
(( a few minutes earlier ))
R’Val: =/\= Commander R’Val to Lieutenant Commander Serala. Report to the bridge immediately. =/\=
:: Serala sighed even as she reached for the Romulan commbadge she had been given that would enable her to communicate with personnel on the ship. Their own commbadges required Federation computers to interact with and were still good for person to person communications, but would do little good in communications with the Warbird and its personnel. She kept her own commbadge in its proper place, and had placed her Romulan communicator on her left shoulder. ::
Serala: =/\= On my way, Commander. =/\= :: She headed for the turbolift that would take her to the bridge. ::
oO I wonder what she wants to complain about now. Ever since we departed she had been an endless source of griping. And of course, she’s not saying a word to Commander Williams, even though he’s in charge of the Atlantis crew. No, she brings it all to me, as if I can solve every issue. Serala, your engineers aren’t working fast enough...Serala, we need the cloaking shields at 100% efficiency if your mission is to succeed. Serala, where exactly are we heading? Oo
:: Okay, that last one was valid. They still didn’t know exactly where Volcania was. All they had was three planets that lay along a trajectory extrapolated from the direction the asteroid had last been seen going, triangulated with the direction of the ship that had attacked the station. Same three planets. Intel still hadn’t succeeded in determining that. They needed something concrete soon. ::
:: Serala entered the bridge of the aging Warbird and made her way to the Commander’s seat on the dais. ::
Serala: You wished to see me, Commander?
R’Val: :: without turning :: Yes, Lieutenant Commander. I am disappointed in your skills at planning a mission of this nature. Why have we not yet identified our target? Do you mean to have this ship fly around this sector until we happen to get lucky, Commander Serala?
Serala: Our Intelligence people are working to eliminate targets so that we can target the correct location.
R’Val: Your Intelligence Department appears to be incompetent. Not surprising, though. They were trained by Starfleet. Except Danara, of course. Strange, I would have though she would have figured it out by now. It must be that black collar.
:: Serala knew her mother was trying to push her buttons. Her father had been a Commander in Star Fleet Intelligence. Knowing what her mother was doing, however, was not enough to restrain her. ::
Serala: How dare you! HOW DARE YOU! Father was one of them! You never spoke ill of him and I will NOT HAVE YOU DEMEAN MY SHIPMATES!!!
:: R’Val burst from her seat and spun on her daughter. Serala noticed that several Romulan guards had drawn their disruptors and had them trained on her. ::
R’Val: That is ENOUGH! From this point forward, Commander Serala, you are confined to your quarters and may only exit for meals and to coordinate your operation with your Commander.
Serala: As you wish...Mother.
:: Serala stormed off the bridge and was escorted by two guards all the way back to her quarters. She just wondered how she was going to explain this to Commander Williams. ::
(( present ))
:: Serala had been throwing a bit of a childish temper tantrum since her return to the quarters, which of course meant the place was trashed. Romulans, as a rule, didn’t indulge in luxury like Federation ships did, but what luxuries there were, were there no more. ::
:: Suddenly, the door chime sounded and she stopped her rage long enough to answer the door. ::
Williams: Response
Serala: My mother filled you in? No? Then let me…
Williams: Response
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