Once More Unto the Breach

Posted on Tue Jun 6, 2017 @ 10:49pm by Lieutenant Cassandra Kennings

1,319 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Silence
Location: Counselor's Office
Timeline: Current (Slight Back post)

Alec stood at the counselor's door, his hands brushing away invisible dust and smoothing out wrinkles in his uniform.
He felt much like an errant schoolboy who had a history of misbehaving but was now being good being sent to the
principle's office to see if he was indeed being good. He had no qualms with the counselor. Point of fact he liked her,
he just didn't like this particular aspect of his 'punishment'. Being confined to quarters was bad enough but reporting
in was worse. Sighing he knew he was just prolonging the inevitable by standing there.

*Come on Alec! Ring the bell! Get this over with!* He mentally chided himself. Raising one hand he pressed the chime
and awaited admittance.

The doors immediately opened and Cassandra stood there, hands clasped in front of her. "I was wondering when you were going to finally press the chime," she said. She stepped aside and gestured for him to come in, the standard-issue chair placed across from her usual armchair.

Alec stood there speechless momentarily before issuing, "Sorry, I didn't mean to keep you waiting." Stepping inside he moved to sit in the indicated chair.

She followed him in and sat down in her chair, crossing her legs and placing her hands in her lap. "How are you?" she said.

Facing her, he didn't immediately reply, thinking over what he wanted to say and finally settling on, "all things considered, I'm fine Counselor."

"Would you mind defining 'fine' for me?" she said, smiling slightly. "Especially given 'all things considered.'"

Alec nodded his head fractionally, "Very well. Considering the fact I'm confined to my quarters except for duty shifts. It has given me lots of free time. I've been able to catch up on my reading as well as rearrange my quarters. As well as my closet. Though I feel like I'm rearranging chairs on a ship that's going down." He paused for a moment before offering further elaboration, "Busy work." There was no venom in his voice just a resigned, matter-of-fact undertone to it.

Cassandra nodded. "And what thought have you given as to why you've been confined to quarters?"

Alec looked at her, thought for a moment before he replied. "I know I'm confined to quarters due to my 'relationship' with Dr. Anderson. I also know that two senior officers cannot have an intimate relationship and work well together...or at all." He paused for a moment, "However I don't think I was wrong in my reactions at the time."

Cassandra tried to look sympathetic when she said, "I'm sorry, Commander, but I have to disagree with you on almost every point."

She gave him a moment to process the full meaning of that. "Your adversarial relationship with Doctor Anderson is not the problem. Doctor Anderson is the problem. She needs that relationship. What some see as an attack is, in reality, her pressure valve. If she were acting any other way towards you, I'd be worried. It's on her for letting things escalate as far as they did, not you."

She adjusted a lock of bubble-gum pink hair behind her ear and for a moment lowered her violet eyes before looking back at him. "As for your relationship with the Captain, I can speak from experience that such relationships can work, if both parties can establish some boundaries. It's difficult, but there are times when you have to be an officer first, and a lover second. I learned that the hard way as well."

"And as far as your reactions, some of them may have been understandable, but they were still incorrect. You put the Captain's health in jeopardy, and you caused a disruption in Sickbay when Doctor Anderson was doing her job and solidly in charge of the situation. You may not approve of her methods, but you cannot interfere with her duties if she is performing them correctly, just like she should not interfere with yours."

Alec sat quietly as Cass, gave him her opinion on what he had said. He was surprised with what she revealed about the CMO. His actions concerning Rhea, he tried not to bristle and get defensive, so he sat and let her continue.

"There is one other thing," Cassandra said. "She offered to let you shoot her, to 'even the odds', right?"

A humorless chuckle escaped his lips. "She did, I thought it was something she just said to make me feel better, knowing I wouldn't do it."

"You should've taken her up on it," Cassandra said, smirking a bit. "I can name quite a number of people who'd have jumped at that chance."

Alec stared at her, "Shoot her? I won't ask if you're serious, I can see that you are. What would it accomplish? Besides I don't want to shoot her. I'd rather knock her out." He admitted. He shook his head, "I was concerned about the Captain." A bit of defensiveness creeping back into his statement. He sighed and lowered his eyes after a moment he raised them and met Cass's look. "She means the world to me," he said by means of explanation. "I can't sit by idly and do nothing.Yet your saying that is exactly what I need to do."

"Exactly," Cass said. "Sometimes doing nothing is the most difficult choice to make, but sometimes it's the right choice. You are a man of action, and all your instincts are honed to jump in and act. You've compensated for that by learning to accept that there are consequences for your actions. Now you may be reaching the point where you need to accept the consequences of your inaction, especially where an overlap of your personal and professional life is involved."

He accepted what she said. "I can try. It will be hard, but I can try. The Captain does better at it then I do at being an officer first than a.....lover. I think she has a clear grasp on the situation." Another sigh. "My heart overrides my head when the Captain is involved."

"Mine did all the time when I was in your shoes," Cass said. "And it took a lot of willpower for me to re-balance those two body parts. There are times I'm still not sure I have completely succeeded. But it's the tightrope we walk." She looked him directly in the eyes. "Don't lose your balance again."

Alec appreciated the advice she was giving. It helped somewhat to know she had gone through what he was currently dealing with. His eyes met hers, "Message received and understood Counselor. I will do my best. You think it's too late for me to take the Doctor up on her offer to shoot her?" A glint in his eye.

"Sadly, yes," Cassandra said. "That is not a chit she lets people hold on to. I know of which I speak."

Alec nodded, a bit dejectedly. "I thought so. Any chance I can just punch her?" A note of hope creeping into his voice.

Cass smiled, smoothed out her dress and stood up. "Take some time and think about your balance in life. You can have your cake and eat it too, but you'll need some time."

"I appreciate this talk more than you know and the advice. I'll take the time and think on what you said on maintaining my professional balance. I'm just afraid the Captain might think I don't care and nothing could be further from the truth."

"I don't think that possibility has ever entered her mind," Cass said, walking him to the door. "Good day, Commander."

He turned and looked at. A smile of gratitude crossed his face as he nodded at her words. "Good day, Counselor. Thanks again for the advice." With that he turned and walked away.



Commander Alec Hunter
Executive Officer
USS Victory

Lieutenant Cassandra Sanders
Ship's Counselor
USS Victory

 

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