A Clear Message
Posted on 08 Jan 2023 @ 10:41pm by Captain Corvus DeHavilland & Major Declan Finn
Mission:
M3 - Into the Deep
Location: USS Pathfinder - Captain's Quarters
Timeline: Immediately Following Tricky Decision
2342 words - 4.7 OF Standard Post Measure
“You know, if you’re going to sit in the meetings, the least you could do is offer something of an opinion,” Corvus complained as she walked down the corridor towards her stateroom, as always followed by Major Finn. Calli had parted ways with them on the lift, going for the bridge while Corvus had diverted to her quarters. She wanted a sonic shower, and a bite to eat without the constant interruptions of the bridge staff. Callum said he’d have his plans in an hour, so she had at least that long for something akin to peace.
That was the thing had been alluding her this whole time. She knew they were on a dangerous mission, and she knew that there was sacrifices to be made in that, but damn it all if she couldn’t find five flipping minutes to just… be a human. To decompress her brain and relax. It wouldn’t be a hour long bubble bath in her spacious quarters back at OC. But a cup of tea, a soothing bit of music and heaven forbid a slice of chocolate cake just to soothe the soul. It was fraying at her nerves, making her jumpy, cranky and worse.
“Yeah, well maybe next time don’t spring it on me last second and expect me to have something constructive,” Declan fired back. This whole thing had been a boondoggle from the start. What the hell had the Admiral been thinking to assign a Major, the commander of an entire Regiment of Marines to babysit a fleet Captain? He’d taken the lump because it’d been a four-pip Admiral giving the orders and because he knew he’d hear it to no end from Major General MacTaryn if he’d tried to refuse. He thought they’d found a measure of comfort with one another; a shared acceptance that neither of them wanted to be with the other but both commanded by a much higher authority. But this… this turned that all on its head.
“You’ve been involved in this since the start,” Corvus rounded on him, turning face him in the corridor. “All I’m asking for is a little SUPPORT,” she declared, turning back to walk on.
Declan watched her walk away, stunned for a moment, and then hurried to follow. “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, catching up in a couple of long strides. “I agreed. I nodded!” He wasn’t a diplomat or a fleet tactician. How the hell was he supposed to know what it was she wanted from him. He wasn’t even supposed to be in the meeting. Just check on the security situation.
“Oh, was that what that was?” Corvus asked, throwing up her hands as she walked as if it was obvious. “How incredibly supportive of you, Declan,” she complained, turning into the doorway of her quarters and walking in. Declan stopped at the door, arms folded, brooding angrily. She paused a few steps in and looked back, “Well aren’t you going to ‘inspect’ the place?” She snapped. She knew it was a low blow. That he didn’t want to be in there any more than she wanted him there, but it’d just come out of her mouth before she could stop it. All she wanted was some support. Someone to be on her side in all of this. That understood the weight of her decisions here and could give her something, anything, that resembled a support mechanism. The one person she thought could do that, Declan, had left her hanging as if he hadn’t even been in the room.
He glared at her, sighed, then came in and did his security round but stopped almost immediately, shaking his head. Behind Corvus the door hissed closed. “Just what is it you think I should have said, Captain?” He asked heatedly. “Yes, that’s a brilliant plan? No, Captain Callum, that’s a hair-brained scheme. No idiot in their right mind springs a trap?” He asked, waving his hands. “Do I look like I have a crystal ball?”
“I just wanted some support, Declan!” She fired back, walking past him into the living area, running her hands through her hair. “It’s me against all of them, and you’re the only one I can count on for support. The only one I know is making a rational decision!” She explained loudly, letting her own frustrations out as well as the opinion she’d kept so closely guarded this long. “Callum’s a loose cannon barely held back by his XO, and Calli’s a…” she pantomimed, lost for the word, “… an unknown! I don’t know if what she’s telling me is the Calli I knew or just her desperate to get back into the fold. Anything out of her mouth or Commander Quinn’s I have to decode. Is it the truth, or are either of them trying to show Calli in a better light somehow? You’re the only one I know isn’t going to feed me a spoonful of horse shit!” She all but bellowed. “The only one here I can really trust but the minute I lean on you… NOTHING!”
“Well that’s news to me!” Finn countered. “All you do is complain about me being here when you know damn well that the last thing I want to be doing is following you around like a lost puppy! When have you once said, ‘oh thanks, Major, your insight was invaluable’?” He yelled back, letting his frustrations on it all come pouring out.
He really wanted to like DeHavilland, to let her turn his opinion of Fleet officers around. But this was a kick in the teeth he hadn’t been expecting. Nothing at all close to what he’d thought the day would bring. The frustrating part of it was, he did have opinions on it all and he’d have shared his damn thoughts if he had even the tiniest inkling that his inclusion in that meeting was anything more than her just saving having to explain to everyone why he was watching the room.
“I invited you to the meeting!!” She bellowed, gesturing back to the Theseus as if it was right there. Her face was a picture of frustration and desperation. She had thrown him a bone, all but begged him to get involved and he’d what? Nodded? What the hell did he think she brought him in for?
“OUT OF NOWHERE!” Finn yelled back, stepping closer, all but apoplectic himself. “What freaking chance did I have? Hell, even the flipping turbo lift ride would have been enough warning to try and have something constructive to add. All I’ve been thinking about since we got on the transporter pad was how to get your ass to safety if something goes sideways. Where are the exits, where are the escape pods, is my emergency transporter in my left cargo pocket or my right? I’m not thinking about fleet tactics! I’m certainly not thinking about what kind of support I can give when I don’t even know that my opinion’s WANTED!”
“You’re supposed to be a Major. Some big bad Marine. You’re telling me you can’t think on your feet?!” Corvus jabbed a finger at him. “That you can’t look at a situation and figure out what’s needed from you?”
“You’re supposed to be the Captain of a Fleet Starbase! You can’t make a decision without me holding you freaking hand!?” He fired back, jabbing his finger right back at her. “You’re playing like some strong willed woman, but what you’re really saying is that you need a strong man to hold your hand and tell you you’ve made the right decision?” He fired back just as hotly.
Corvus’ jaw dropped, stunned, and then reared back and slapped him full on the face with a resounding crack. Declan took the blow, turning his head to the side and the slowly looked back to face her, rolling his jaw. “Alright,” he said quietly, turning away to leave.
“Wait,” Corvus said, grabbing his arm before he could turn away. “I shouldn’t have hit you,” she apologized.
“Yeah. At least you’ve finally sent a signal loud and clear,” he snapped back, pulling his arm away.
“The hell is that supposed to mean?” Corvus fired back, her temper right back to full.
“It means for freaking once I don’t have to decode whatever damn message you’re trying to send. You made it loud and clear!” Declan hissed back, resisting the urge to turn and put his fist into the nearest wall terminal.
“Oh, I’m not the one sending the clear messages here?” Corvus asked with fake affront, gesturing to herself. “How about I just ‘nod’ and call it done, hmm?”
Declan guffawed in disbelief, shaking his head and turning about. “What the hell else was I supposed to do?!”
“Use your words like a big boy, that’s what!” Corvus shot back, jabbing at him again, this time poking him in the chest.
“Oh, you want words?” Declan asked hotly. “Fine. Have some words,” he snapped, both verbally and internally, done with this back and forth. “You’re insecure and under qualified for this posting, and its starting to show,” he hissed, wincing inside as soon as the words were out, well aware that statement wasn’t one he was going to be able to take back.
The words hit Corvus hard, almost as hard as her slap had hit him, but she wasn’t the sort to just back down from a fight. “And you’re just an overgrown teenager, more interested in shooting phasers and grunting with sweaty men than using your brain. Forty and just breaking Major, how inspirational. Typical. Dumb. Marine,” she growled, poking him again and stepping closer, looking up at him just to show she wasn’t afraid.
“You’re the one begging the ‘big dumb Marine’ to hold your hand,” he hissed back, glowering over her. He wasn’t going to back down from her. He’d never raise his hand as she had, but he certainly wasn’t going to give her any ground.
“Because I trust your OPINION!!” She screamed, jabbing at him again.
“Well it’d be nice to be TOLD THAT!” He bellowed back, jabbing at her the same way she had been poking him. “Send a clear freaking message!!”
“You want clear messages?!” Corvus jabbed at him. “I’ll give you clear messages!” She jabbed again, then grabbed him by the front of his uniform and pushed up on her toes to kiss him square on the mouth.
She held her lips to his for only a brief moment, but it felt like an eternity to Declan. He stared back at the woman with her face pressed against his until she slowly withdrew, the look of shock on her face mirrored on his own. Stunned, he looked back at her, not quite believing what had just happened.
“…I,” Corvus started, but Declan reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into a kiss, but this time it wasn’t a stunned smooch. This time he was an active participant and Corvus answered in kind as she backed into the bulkhead and flinched with surprise, arms around his neck.
Corvus’ com badge chirped. ”Zahn to Captain DeHavilland,”
She pushed Declan gently away, breathing heavily, one hand on his shoulder as she tapped her badge. “Go ahead, Commander,” she managed quickly, her face flushed.
”Captain, there's some deliberation over sensor allowances. There's tactical concerns. Under the circumstances, I think it might be best to have you weigh this decision. Could you report to the bridge?” she asked.
“I’m on my way,” Corvus answered, resisting the urge to clear her throat and draw attention to the fact that Calliope had interrupted something. Something that honestly shouldn’t have happened. That she’d not dared let herself think about, but clearly had.
Declan started to step away, both stunned at what had just happened and concerned at the same time. “We should get to the bridge, Captain,” he said, coughing.
“Yeah,” she agreed, taking a slow breath and letting it out. “We’ll keep this to ourselves, yeah?”
“Probably a good idea,” Declan agreed. “Not really… the best time.”
“Oh,” she frowned, “You’re…seeing someone?” She asked, not really sure why she’d said that.
“N-no,” Declan shook his head. “I just meant… current situation and all that.”
“Oh, right. Course,” Corvus nodded, patting his shoulder. “Right. We should get to the bridge,” she said, waving that way. “Uhm… I just need to… I don’t look like we’ve been…?” She asked him, gesturing to herself.
He shrugged slightly, “yeah… maybe you should take a second to… adjust,” he said, gesturing to a terminal decoratively adjusted to be a mirror.
Corvus went over to the mirror and jumped back in surprise. Her hair was a mess and her uniform disheveled. As she quickly adjusted herself back to normal, Declan came into frame behind her and did the same, though much faster. When she was done, she looked at him in the refection and then waved to leave, leading the way out.
They walked silently through the corridors to the turbo lift and once inside Corvus ordered it to the bridge, making a few last adjustments to herself as they made the quick ride up.
“Just so you know, Declan,” she said, turning his attention towards her. She adjusted her collar and her pips and smiled tightly, waiting until the moment the lift slowed to a halt on the bridge. “I don’t regret that,” she said, then walked through the doors onto the bridge.
