CDR Aine Sherlock - The Unexpected

[Aine Sherlock]

((Captain's Ready Room, Deck 3 - Primary Hull, USS Chin'toka))

Succinct and to the point. That's what Aine was going for in her answer. T'Ama was a fine officer, in her opinion. In some ways similar to herself...for better or worse. The only thing missing was a certain sourness Aine had...or was it bitterness? The kinda that pushed rules well beyond their lines written on any page. But that could be learned easily enough.

Sherlock: No one died. No one ::beat:: mowed down a crowd of civilians. ::shrugging:: I think she did good.

Serala: Just good? What’s your opinion of her.

Sherlock: My opinion of her? Well, ::beat:: I think she's been a little under the radar. She's a good officer with her priorities in the right place. And...

Serala: And? Go on, Commander.

Sherlock: And I think her time in Operations has taught her a lot about the admin side of it all. She's also not afraid to fight if she needs to. ::beat:: I think a red uniform is in her future.

Serala: I’m glad you think so, Commander.

Sherlock: Maybe we can do some additional training in...

Aine saw the smile on Serala's face as she lifted a PADD and handed it to her...

Serala: You’re being transferred.

...and suddenly shock set in. Transferred? Again? It would be the second time in as many years. She couldn't imagine where Starfleet would send her now.

Sherlock: I'm ::beat:: I'm sorry, Captain. Is this a joke?

Serala: No, Aine. It’s no joke. You’re staying here on the Chin’toka, but someone in Command has decided that you would make a good Diplomatic Officer. Elements know I am not suitable. And with Commodore Mei’konda transferring out of the region, we’ve become the flagship for the Federation in the region.

Aine felt a heat rising through her neck to her face. HQ had a habit of moving her just when she felt she was settling into something. Maybe they felt the need to keep her on her toes, but she always read it as a form of punishment. A silent "we can't actually punish you so we're going to 'promote' you" kind of thing.

Sherlock: I can't believe they're doing this to me ::beat:: AGAIN!

Serala: Aine, you’re exceptional at what you do. And definitely better than me. But it does mean that I need to replace you as my First Officer. And that is where T’Ama comes in. She seems like a natural choice.

Sherlock: ::shaking her head and speaking through gritted teeth:: They're taking it away from me, all that I've worked for.

Serala: You’re still a Commander, so I was thinking of making you Second Officer. But as the lead diplomat on the ship, it would be best to not have you in a command position. It gives you a bit more latitude to work. Not much, because you’re still a Starfleet Officer, but more than you might have as my First Officer.

Through the tensed muscles in her face, Aine raised an eyebrow. It was an interesting way to look at it. There were still reservations in her mind however. This was essentially giving her a "desk job." And she also couldn't exactly sabotage the position, it was too important to not screw up. For a second she even thought that maybe HQ was doing this for good reason, maybe she needed something like that. The last year she'd spent time learning to move away from being "the action guy," so maybe there was something more to it. She took in a deep breath and cleared her mind.

Sherlock: You're right. I just ::beat:: need to think for a second. ::long pause:: T'Ama's the right choice, of that I have no doubts. And, of course, I'll stay and take the position.

Serala: response

Sherlock: It just always feels like HQ is doing something on the sly.

Serala: response

Sherlock: Well, I mean, yes. So far everything they've done that feels like an attack has led me to here.

It was a small concession, one she didn't like to give them. Maybe they did know what they were doing...sometimes.

Serala: response

CDR Aine Sherlock

First Officer

U.S.S. Chin'toka

R239712AS0