JP - Ens. Yael, 1Lt. Meeks & Lt. Cmdr. DeVeau - "Reprimand" (Part III)

[Tory Flory]

 

((Starbase 118 Ops - XO’s Office))

 

Alora tried very hard not to roll her eyes at both of them.  Was that how Nijil felt?  Was that why he was constantly rolling his eyes at people?  Or was it just her?  

 

DeVeau: Okay then.  In the future, if this happens again - and trust me when I say it had better not - don’t come in here and tell me a whoppin’ pack of lies.  Tell the truth.  You both just went down several notches in the trust department.  

 

Which hurt.  Not just professionally, but personally. 

 

Meeks: ::Standing:: Permission to speak, Ma’am?

Tony shot Ashley a quick, but poignant “Shut the hell up” look.  The Denobulan cringed internally but got the message.

 

DeVeau: Not if you’re going to look at him like that, no.  

 

Meeks: ::Standing, looking straight forward:: Yes, Ma’am.

 

DeVeau: You’re dismissed, Marine. 

 

Alora’s gaze didn’t waver from Tony’s, but something shifted in her gaze. Normally, her eyes were warm, lit with a light of life.  There were times that light dimmed, usually in the darkness of the night, or when the dreams haunted her. Or when she was hurt.  That was what was reflected there now, dimming the glow that usually filled them. 

 

Without another word, Tony nodded and pivoted on his heel. Briskly, he crossed the room and out the door. 

 

Despite wanting Anthony *very* much to stop trying to *help* things, he was suddenly alone with the perturbed acting First Officer.  He said nothing, didn’t move.  Barely breathed for a moment.  Nor did she add anything to the conversation.  Instead, Alora leaned back in her chair, elbow once more resting upon the arm, hand cupping her face as she stared back at him. 

 

Pensive, but certain he could only make things worse, he kept his mouth shut and waited.

 

DeVeau:  You got anything to say now that he’s not intimidating you?

 

Amethyst eyes flicked up to  her, not liking how she’d phrased that one bit.  He wanted to protest it immediately, but tried to gather his thoughts first.  Then, as dispassionately as he could, he spoke again.

 

Yael:  He wouldn’t do that, ma’am.  You’re misunderstanding the situation.

 

DeVeau:  I sat here and watched it, Ashley.  Intimidation doesn’t have to be done with words.  

 

Yael:  As I said, ma’am.  You’ve misunderstood.

 

He was sticking to that, and he didn’t offer anything more to explain it.

 

Alora sighed, her head lifting of her hand so she could use it to rub her eyes.  No one ever said this job was going to be easy.  She just hadn’t expected it to be so hard so quickly.  After a moment, the other hand rose and made a pinching motion in the air just in front of her forehead.  She then lifted it and set an invisible item down upon her desk. 

 

DeVeau: We’re done here as commander and ensign.  I’m taking off my First Officer hat.

The other hand reached over to the other side of the desk and did the same motion, but in reverse, taking the invisible item and lifting it over her head to settle down upon it. 

 

DeVeau: From here on out, unless or until I say otherwise, further conversation is simply between friends.  Nothing recorded, no formal reprimands, no notations on your file.  

 

Ashley kept his eyes on her, but his expression didn’t change.  He wasn’t sure how this was going to work, so stayed silent. 

 

Alora stood and walked around the desk so she could take a seat next to him, swiveling the chair to face him.  Leaning forward, she rested both elbows on her knees and looked at Ashley straight in the eyes. 

 

DeVeau: What’s going on?  

 

There was a pause, and it seemed as if he was about to say something, and then reconsidered it.

 

Yael:  Between friends…?

DeVeau:  Between friends.

 

Yael:  Then… with all due respect, it’s not your business.

 

He didn’t say this with any sort of harsh tone.  In fact, he seemed reticent, and fairly discontented, but gave little of it away in his expression.  But he couldn’t look her in the eyes as he said it.

 

Alora gazed at him a moment, eyes seeking something, anything, but he wasn’t sharing.  Leaning back, she rubbed her hands along her thighs. She couldn’t help but be a little hurt.  Ashley was the one she trusted the most, had opened to the most.  Although she hadn’t divulged everything, or even easily, she thought they had an understanding that they could come to each other.  She was learning, starting to give more, but now he was holding back, and she wasn’t sure why.  Was it something she had done?

DeVeau: Okay.  But why did you and Tony lie?  Why did you just say it was personal?  

 

Yael:  It wasn’t really a lie.  ::pausing::  It’s just not the whole truth.  But it’s *private,* Alora.

 

DeVeau:  That’s fine.  I don’t mind if you want to keep something private.  I do mind you trying to make it like it was something completely different.  Just say it’s private and that’s that.  Cut the crap, and it makes life a lot simpler. 

 

Didn’t they see the problem?  Were they both so blind?  Of course they were entitled to their privacy, but that wasn’t the real issue.  

 

Ashley took a deep, slow breath, his eyebrows already knit out of nerves.  He bit back his frustration… he *wanted* to explain, but there were boundaries he wasn’t willing to cross.  But this past week had felt as if it had challenged *all* of his valuable friendships, and he didn’t want to make things worse… but he also wanted this to be *done* with.  He’d had enough of being lectured.

 

Yael:  Creative interpretation aside… that’s all I can say.

 

DeVeau: Is that what we’re calling lies these days?  

 

He didn’t respond outwardly to that, but it stung.

 

Yael:  Am I dismissed, Commander?

 

Alora was taken aback.  Her jaw tightened and another long moment of simply looking at him passed before she managed to whisper.

 

DeVeau: You can go whenever you want.

 

He stood without hesitation, and exited the First Officers office without another word, his expression devoid and closed off.

 

Alora watched him go, watched his back as he stalked off, watched the doors as they hissed closed.  Not for the first time, she began to wonder what she’d gotten herself into.  Was she really the right choice?  Was she really cut out to be first officer?  Had she just lost friends because she was just trying to get them to understand what bothered her about how they’d lied to her?  

 

And now?  Now what?  That last talk, she’d literally put aside her position and had come to him as a friend, but he’d twisted it right back around.  The chill in his tone, the coldness of his expression.  Was that how one treated a friend?  

 

Alora rose and made her way back to her desk.  There was a lot she had to do, reports that had been sitting and needed to be addressed, various other issues to be looked at.  For that moment, however, she couldn’t even bother to glance at them.  She wasn’t sure if she had handled things in the right way, or the wrong way.  With how it had ended up, she had a feeling it was the wrong way.  How did he deal with having to reprimand friends?  How did he deal with them not taking things personally?  How did he deal with the lies?  Hands rose to her face and rubbed gently over her eyes as she wondered for about the tenth time in the span of two minutes if maybe Sal had made the wrong decision.  

 

END

 

~*~

 

1Lt. Anthony Meeks

Company Commander

1/292nd TMR D Co.

Starbase 118 Ops/USS Narendra

R238801IG0

 

&

 

Ensign Ashley Yael

Counselor

Starbase 118 Ops

C238211TZ0

 

&

 

Lt. Cmdr. Alora DeVeau

First Officer

Starbase 118 Ops

M239008AD0