LtCmdr Connor Dewitt - I’ll talk now
Tim
(( XO's Office, Deck 1, USS Khitomer ))
If Connor had been a telepath he was sure that he would have been overwhelmed by what Amelia was feeling. After she had emerged from the Hobart’s den, Connor had the feeling that her mind was three steps ahead of her body. And three steps behind. Clearly, they needed a place to talk in quiet - not only because they had to talk about classified information, but also because that second hollow pip on Amelia’s collar apparently had drawn all logical sense out of the young woman.
With a couple of button taps that he usually kept a secret, he opened the door of Nolen’s office that was just off the corridor they were on. Connor was sure that Amelia had not registered anything he had said until this point. He had congratulated, he had asked if she was alright and he had tried to get into the mission part of their conversation.
After they had entered - or more precisely, he had shoved her into the office - Connor started to pull up the necessary schematics for their conversation to the wall panel.
C. Dewitt: … several different fail safes. Among the most important are the flux comp… ::stopping, looking at Amelia::
The freshly-baked Lieutenant fiddled with the hollow pip on her neck. Her fingers looked red from the pressure she applied to it again and again. After he had been promoted to Lieutenant junior grade, the engineer would clearly not have been capable to take part in a mission, not mentioning taking command for a small part of it.
C. Dewitt: Are you alright? ::pause:: Lieutenant?
He looked at her expectantly, realizing that she was in a far away place. And probably under water - under a sea of emotions. Despite being hollow, that new pip carried more weight on her neck than the first one ever did.
Semara: Huh?
Connor tried to keep her with him and at the same time to give her a couple of seconds to emerge from wherever she was.
C. Dewitt: I think that pip deserves a break. ::smile and pause:: You earned it!
He tried to put on his most calming smile. Part of command in Starfleet always was to try to be empathic with other members of the crew. But they all carried their own history, Connor could only guess what that promotion did to her knowing what it had done to him.
Semara: :: A polite smile :: Thanks.
Her voice and her smile were polite, but her eyes told a different story. Connor was no telepath and could not tell what she went through, but it clearly had a higher priority in her mind than the mission. He decided to allow the conversation to go there for a minute or two in the hopes to get her back on track.
C. Dewitt: What’s in your head, En… Lieutenant?
Semara: Sorry. It's just... :: A big sigh. :: Oh heavens... Don't they usually only give these at the end a' mission?
C. Dewitt: The Captain moves in mysterious ways. ::thin smile::
Connor himself had experienced a similar situation once. There could have been thousands of reasons of why it was happening now. Maybe, Randal wanted to make it a special occasion. Maybe, for some reason, he had preferred the privacy of his office for the promotion and had been pulled away before he was able to call Amelia into his office. Or maybe the paperwork just got stuck somewhere.
C. Dewitt: I’m sure there’s a simple explanation. If I have come to learn something about the Captain, it is that he knows what he can ask of every single one of us. If he promoted you, it is because he trusts you and you can do it. ::pause:: And Nolen is no different.
Semara: And to think. I was havin' such a nice day just three hours ago... :: Starting to pace :: Then I got a bunch of classified documents for no reason I knew about while under comms blackout. Turns out they're all 'bout Sencha Radiation and how it's basically nightmare fuel for telepaths... How is no one talkin' 'bout the fact Sencha Radiation is a potential link between telepathy and time travel, by the way? I get to do some of that research, so that's pretty awesome, I guess, but how the heck do I have the classified documents I shouldn't have? Well, turns out that's because I'm project lead, again for no apparent reason - at first. Hey there, ensigns! It's me! Your junior pal with less tenure aboard tellin' you what to do! Then again, we're workin' on a defense against the nightmare fuel, so that's pretty cool, too. :: Pacing faster :: Finally, to put a nice ol' bow on it, here's an honest-to-goddesses promotion out of nowhere! No time for questions, have fun explainin' that to everyone. I mean... what happened? :: Increasingly unhinged :: Did I do something wrong? Or did I do something right? Did Shayne want me to have this, and somethin' happened? Or he didn't want me promoted, and Hobart didn't get the memo? I mean, sure I had the postin' 'fore this, but I'm not even on a first name basis with anyone here! :: Beat :: 'Cept Lieutenant Croix. Kinda. He strikes me the casual sort, though. :: Stopping and straightening at a terrible thought :: He better not have promoted me cuz he felt bad... I'm gonna be so mad at him if this has anythin' to do with the dance or... :: A guilty glance :: other reasons. :: Beat :: And just what am I s'posed to tell Ensign Cain... or more important, Michaels? If I were her, I'd be feelin' all kinds a' things. Not all of 'em nice, necessarily. :: Practically squeaking :: Oh, and, ain't no time to think or process any of it! No time to go for a run or a hike and straighten myself out or square up... Get to work, and don't mess up!
As she kept talking and talking and talking, Connor’s brain had made several notes for his response, but as she kept adding questions, his brain buffer slowly overflowed. Somewhere throughout that speech, he had stepped right in front of her and carefully put his hands on her upper arms. She did not even seem to notice.
After another minute, she finally stopped talking and took a deep breath. For the first time, since she had exited the conference room, Connor had the feeling that her eyes were reacting to the world around her. Then, she seemed to notice what had happened. Her face blushed as Connor removed his hands and chuckled a little.
Semara: I am so. Sorry. :: Chuckling and shaking her head with her hands held out in supplication. :: I didn't mean to give you one big monologue. Seems I keep doin' that to you. Embarassin'... Not at all befittin' a Lady or an officer. Maybe I've been too long away from other Betazoids. I just start thinkin' out loud! :: A frustrated hand gesture. :: Trust me, that would'a been over a lot faster telepathically. And here I am still talkin'! Just get a hypospray already... :: Another laugh. :: We can get to work. I'll be fine, promise. Eventually, at least.
For a second, Connor looked at her as if he was talking to a child. Again, he moved his hands to her upper arms and carefully steered her towards one of the chairs in front of Nolen’s desk to sit her down.
C. Dewitt: I’ll talk now, if that’s okay. ::chuckling:: My name’s Connor. You’re on a first name basis with me now. We know each other from Yosemite National park. We happen to work together. You can calm down. ::pause:: I don’t know you much, but your work on the Lab has been extraordinary. The Captain only promotes with reason. He does so, because he knows you’ll do a good job.
Connor waited for a second to give her some space to process what he said and walked to Nolen’s replicator. With the touch of a few buttons he got it to replicate two hot cups of tea - a herbal blend that he had drank as a child to soothe his nerves.
Semara: Response
C. Dewitt: Good. Now, when I was assigned to the Arrow as an Ensign, that man, who just promoted you, had not even finished his Academy courses. Promotion and seniority is not only an issue of time. We all know that, Ensign Michaels does, too. And we are all glad it is like that, because it means that people are usually qualified for their jobs and their ranks ::pointing at the new pip::.
Semara: Response
Connor put one of the cups in front of the Lieutenant and sat on Nolen’s chair. As usual, it felt too big. For just a second, he knew why Amelia felt the way she felt. Would he have been promoted today and given command of the mission, he would be the one freaking out. He wondered what his best friend felt like at this moment. Maybe, he would check in on him again later.
C. Dewitt: Don’t be so hard on yourself, Amelia. The universe is cruel enough, we don’t have to be its ally in torturing our minds.
Semara: Response
C. Dewitt: ::smiling:: Good… You ready to talk shop now?
Semara: Response
Tag/TBC...
LtCmdr Connor DewittChief Engineer & Second Officer
USS Khitomer
A239901CD3