Catch up with Naxea

Posted on Fri Jan 26th, 2024 @ 8:06am by Lieutenant Colonel Azhul Naxea & Commodore Phoenix Lalor-Richardson

Mission: Season 6: Episode 4: Memory Lane
Location: Commodore's Ready Room, Deck 1, USS Elysium
Timeline: MD6 -09h00
1462 words - 2.9 OF Standard Post Measure

Phoenix wanted to check in with each of her senior staff to see how they were getting on.

So, she made up a timetable and sent it out to the Senior staff, asking them to present themselves at a set time to her office for a one on one.

08h00 – Chief of Intelligence
09h00 – Marine CO
10h00 – Chief of Science
11h00 – Chief of Security/Tactical
12h00 – Chief of Medical
14h00 – Chief of Counseling
15h00 – Chief of Engineering
16h00 – Chief of Operations
17h00 – Chief of Flight Control
18h00 – Group Commander
19h00 – Chief Diplomat

Then she set up her office, ruthlessly moving her desk to the far corner of the room and shifted her couches closer to the window as she wanted this to be a relaxed meeting.

Between dealing with Sle'anna, the lack of sleep, and training the Away Team, Naxea was tired to put it mildly, as she took a final sip from her raktajino. Upon disposing of the cup, she arrived at the door to the commodore's ready room and pressed the chime as she wondered why she was being called.

The door opened and Phoenix smiled. "Ah good, Colonel, come in, have a seat on the couch."

Entering, Naxea made her way to the couch. "What's this about, ma'am " she asked as she sat down on the couch. "This is one comfy couch,' Naxea thought briefly.

"Can I get you coffee?" Phoenix asked.

"No thank you, ma'am. I just had a raktajino. May I ask why I was summoned, ma'am?"

"A check in. See how you and your team is going. I feel people often forget about your team, so hidden below decks as you are. So, please speak freely and tell me how things are."

"About as good can be expected, ma'am," she replied with a tired sigh. "They're tired from lack of sleep from nightmares but they'll be ready when and if they're needed. I have manage to procure stimulants that would boost the Marines' energy level." The last thing she needed were Marines fighting fatigue while fighting the enemy. "I'm also still working with the members of the Away Team to get them proficient with Intel gathering and close quarters fighting."

Phoenix took a breath. She had just finished a meeting with Rin and Gary and didn't want to deal with that part just yet. "And your daughter? Is she settling in?"

"About as well as a Bajoran/Sequus hybrid baby can," Naxea replied with a shrug. "She was having trouble sleeping but one of my Marines, Gunnery Sgt. Gami helped to reduce the nightmares."

"Thats good." Phoenix took a breath. "Colonel can I talk to you about something that has happened this morning and understand that the outcome is not a slight against you in anyway? Just things needed sorting? It does not affect your department at all."

*Of course, ma'am," Naxea replied, wondering if one of her Marines had caused trouble on the ship.

"The meeting before this one was with Lieutenant Rin and she expressed her dissatisfaction around recent events with the away team. Now I was under the impression that as she was the chief of intelligence that she would be leading the mission with Captain Taylor. She informed me that she was not. It surprised me a great deal. More so when she told me she was to be your advisor." Phoenix took another breath. "I was confused, so I summoned Captain Taylor for clarification. I want you to know that I respect Marines, i am married to one, and I respect you. But we both know that your department falls outside normal fleet command, and I feel that you were placed in an extremely bad situation, as does Rin in this away team."

Phoenix paused. "Captain Taylor put you in a position where the chief of intelligence and her team could come to resent you. Lieutenant Rin however knows that it was npt your idea, but Captain Taylors. Having the chief of intelligence not lead an intelligence gathering mission is extremely strange, dismissive of the Intelligence chief to say the least. They and their department are specifically trained for these sorts of things and while I know Marines have that sort of training as well, asking you to train already trained infiltration specialists in infiltration... well I dont know... its wrong."

Phoenix stopped speaking as she figured she had babbled enough.

"I have not trained any infiltration officers in infiltrating," Naxea began slowly , thinking about how to proceed. "I have asked members of the Intel team to aid the others in gathering data and self defense. If Lieutenant Rin or anyone else feels slighted by my leading an Away Team then I will happily step down," she came off more sharp than she had intended due to her lack of sleep.

Phoenix took a breath. "Rin is not mad at you Colonel. I think she is mad at Captain Taylor for putting you both in this position."

"Well then, Commodore," Naxea began standing up. "I'll step down from leading the Away Team and that will make everyone happy. I'll remain aboard to supervise the Marines in defense of the ship since Captain Woolheater is down. That is, if I am deemed qualified to do so, ma'am."

Phoenix wanted to scream. She stood. "Colonel, are you an intelligence officer? No, you are a marine, one of the best, I should know, I selected you for the role. Putting you in charge of the intelligence team over their superior officer was an extremely stupid thing for Captain Taylor to do. It would be like me walking into Marine county and announcing that Commander Kyle Reece was now in charge of your Marines while you stood there, a fully qualified Marine Commander. I would never ever do that. And Taylor should not have done it to Rin or to you. I will not apologise for putting his mistake right, but I will apologise for your hurt feelings. You can be Taylors XO in the mission but the intelligence is for Lieutenant Rin. And if Taylor ignores that order I expect YOU to uphold it."

"My feelings are not hurt Colonel. Your lack of trust in me and my experience is what hurts. Marines are more than just cannon fodder for the damn Fleet. We engage in intelligence gathering operations all the time around the Federation. And like I said, I am withdrawaling from the Away Team and placing myself in charge of the Marine Defense aboard the ship. Let Rin be Taylor's XO," Naxea snapped bitterly through her fatigue. She was tired of she and her Marines being thought of as mindless cannon fodder with no skills by Fleeters.

Phee frowned. "Colonel Naxea... you just called me a Colonel... are you feeling ok?"

"Damn," she sighed, placing her hands on her hips. In all honesty, she wasn't alright. Between running the Detachment, caring for Sle'anna, and dealing with the Away Team all on a lack of sleep was placing her on edge. "Yeah, I'm fine, Commodore. And it's Colonel Azhul. Naxea is my given name."

"I apologise." Phoenix said. "You are obviously tired." She added.

"We all are. But I have duties to attend to. If there is obviously no need for a Marine on this Away Team and according to Lieutenant Rin and yourself, there isn't, I will be going. We're only good for fighting and dying obviously. And placing a Lieutenant Colonel under the command of a Lieutenant is absurd no matter how you look at it."

"While I understand that, I was not the one who put you in this position in the first place. We believe you are required there as there will be times your experience in combat will be needed."

"So, cannon fodder," Naxea remarked. She had thought Lalor was different than most Fleet Captains. She was angry and hurt that she was proven wrong. 'Perhaps it's time for me to either retire or get a reassignment,' she thought bitterly. Her entire life had been surrounded by death and she was sick of it. Especially now that she had Sle'anna. She had given her blood, sweat, tears and her right arm for this ship. But it's never enough. "Fine. I'll keep your precious Fleeters safe," she said angrily as she headed for the door

"Keep yourself safe as well Colonel. " Phoenix said to the Bajorans back. She knew it was not going to be pretty.

"Then I wouldn't be doing my job, would I?" she replied bitterly stepping through the doorway as the doors slid open.

Phoenix was going to comment but chose not to. Gary had put them in this shit and she was the one who had to clean it up. "Good luck Colonel."

 

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