"Anger Management."

Posted on Mon May 13th, 2024 @ 10:37am by Captain Gary Taylor & Lieutenant Commander Rin
Edited on on Mon May 13th, 2024 @ 10:59am

Mission: Season 6: Episode 4: Memory Lane
Location: Rin's Office, Intel Blister
Timeline: MD13
1947 words - 3.9 OF Standard Post Measure

N'vok's suggestion of Rin embracing her work as a way of metering her current feelings was working surprisingly well. And she had plenty of work to bury herself in, sorting through the vast amounts of fairly random data gathered at the Arena. Her fingers flicked across holographic pages of data after than someone could possibly read, as she synced up her mind to the system.

Gary had been thinking of Rin and their disagreement. He had first started thinking of repairing their friendship while in sickbay but had been too sick to implement any plan. Now he had been released from sickbay and was feeling good even if he wasn't quite at 100 percent. He headed for Rin's office, he didn't want any tension between them. He had even resigned himself to the fact that their friendship was over. Arriving at her office, he rang the chime and awaited entrance.

Rin swiped away everything she was working on, her instinctive gesture anytime someone visited the office of the chief of Intel. "Enter," she called, swiveling in her chair to see who walked in.

Hearing Rin's voice call out "Enter" Gary did just that. Entering he saw her sitting at her desk. "I am not interrupting an I Commander?" His voice formal but not unpleasant.

"No, sir. Come in. What can I do for you?" Rin asked professionally.

"Thank you," Gary answered, "I've been cleared by medical, and I know I missed a lot and rather than read a report, I wanted to get your opinion of the away mission to the arena."

"We have a substantial amount of raw data to sort. Unfortunately, an unknown party struck the Arena during the mission, requiring a hasty evacuation. All team members accounted for, and we've rescued a number of prisoners from the Alpha and Beta quadrants. Some from the slave arena, others from a medical facility, including a number of children. Plus one Gul Desek, who's been out here since 2373, and is going to be pain and a half to deal with. Was there anything in particular you were looking for?"

Shaking his head, Gary answered, "No, nothing in particular. As I said, I wanted to hear from someone who was there rather than read a report and it sounds like the mission was a success. No one lost and you rescued prisoners and children. Well done." He finished honestly, before adding "Gul Desek? I'm afraid you will be right with that observation. I don't see him being anything but a pain."

"I can give you a rundown on him if you're not already familiar," Rin offered.

"I know the name. However, a rundown would be appreciated. So please, enlighten me." Gary replied.

"Born in 2337 to a military family. Joined the Obsidian Order at 25. Spent three years on Bajor, racking up a considerable body count. Given his own command in 2370, thought killed in 2373, just before the Dominion War. He's vehemently anti-Federation and a Cardassian supremacist. If he hadn't been kidnapped, there's a good chance he'd be dead, because I doubt he would have agreed with Cardassia falling under the sway of the Dominion. There is always an enemy, and he will always fight it. He is cunning, meticulous, and cruel. His biggest flaw might be his contempt for, well, just about everyone. He's already singled Naxea out, for obvious reasons, and myself, because, well, why not? Which irritates me mostly because it make my job a lot harder."

That last bit was a lie. His comments in his first debrief had cut deep. It had been a long time since she had had to put up with that level of anger toward her, coupled with her raging emotions.

Which brought her back to the current situation. She would never compare Gary to a war criminal, but his words before the mission had cut just as hard, because it had come from a friend. But she would be professional. He was the XO and she was his subordinate.

Gary listened as Rin gave him a quick debrief about Gul Desek. When she had finished, he shook his head. "And he's now on the Elysium." He stated flatly. "Hopefully in the brig or at least locked in his quarters." he looked at Rin. he fancied himself able to read people and Rin was no different. Oh, she hid her emotions better and quite deeply. But there were other ways to tell how she felt, in this case her body language. She was uneasy, no that was wrong, she was uncomfortable with Desek being on board.

He also knew, she was uncomfortable with him, and he knew why. The disagreement they had before the last mission. Words had been exchanged, harsh, angry words that had left both hurt. "Commander." he stopped and started again, "Rin, I wanted to come see you, talk to you and tell you how much I regret the things I said to you. I was angry which is no excuse. I hope you can one day forgive me and we can be friends again."

Rin considered her next words carefully. She folded her hands together and set them on the desk. "Then, with all sincerely, sir, you should consider addressing anger management. Because you weren't just insulting. You lied. Repeatedly. To both me and the commodore. You slandered my officers. You threw the Colonel under the bus. Twice. Suggesting I was not competent to do my job was the least problematic thing you said. Sir."

Her voice remained even, if a tad strained. She would be professional, at the least. And she was 100% honest in her concern. He hadn't merely insulted her. That would have been far easier to deal with. He had attempted to systematically tear her - and others - down. And for what?

Gary stared at her, his eyes hard, "Rin, I honestly don't remember throwing the Colonel under the bus or slandering your officers or you. I gave my honest opinion. I am sincerely sorry for upsetting you. I have no wish to further aggravate you. I should go."

She returned the look. "Then what part of that conversation are you regretting?"

Gary hesitated in his reply as he thought on Rin's question. It was a fair question, what did he regret? He replayed the meeting in his mind. Saw the three or them there, arguing over Rin's role in the away team. After a moment he spoke, "I regret upsetting a friend I have respect for. I regret the loss or at least the strain it has put on our friendship. I regret causing you to doubt me through a poor choice of words on my part."

"That sounds like you mostly just regret the consequences," Rin said sadly. "Do you even get why I *should* feel hurt?"

"Maybe it does." Gary admitted. "But that impression is wrong. I am not an insensitive lout Rin. I know why you feel hurt, or I feel I do. " I disrespected you as a person along with disregarding your ability to do your job." Gary replied quietly.

"You honestly think you disrespected me? Because you just told me what you gave was an honest opinion." Rin inwardly wanted to shrink back, and forget it all happened in order to save a friendship, but kept herself from doing so. Not this time. Not when the Commodore had backed her up. "Do you think I am capable of my job? Do you think anyone on this ship can do my job better than me?"

Gary looked at her, "Rin, I have told you I was sorry, I have told you why I was sorry and you question it. Should i question why you did an end run around me and went straight to Lalor? I am your direct superior. If you had questions or reservations, you should have come to me first. You didn't, you went to Lalor and so you disrespected my position. You pulled a Shelby." His voice even and calm. "And no, I don't think you are incapable of doing your job." He finished flatly.

"You have told me you regret the way I feel, and that's not the same thing," Rin replied pointedly. "And, for the record, I did not do an end run. I was called to the Commodore's office."

Gary could but wouldn't comment on that. It didn't do anything to solve the current problem. "Correct, I do regret how you feel for I was the one to cause you to feel as you do." He paused and looked into her eyes, "Rin, I am sorry for my ill thought out words. I had and have no wish to hurt you."

"Part of an apology is understanding what you are apologizing for in the hope that it won't happen again. 'Ill thought words.' Which ones would that be? I honestly have no idea. You seem unwilling to acknowledge a single specific, nor do you seem interested in actually knowing them. You've simply decided what I should settle for."

"I think that statement is terribly unfair Rin." Gary replied flatly. "I am sorry for the whole conversation. I am sorry my words, my attitude in that discussion. I am sorry disrespecting you. I'm sorry for hurting you."

"I accept your apologies. Thank you."

A relieved smile came to Gary's features and his face brightened. It looked like a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Thank you Rin."

That.... was what she was afraid would happen.

"That doesn't mean we're ok," Rin clarified. She didn't want to have to clarify, but she also did not want to leave Gary with a wrong impression. "I can admit I'm not good with navigating all of this. But good friends understand each other. And maybe I don't understand you. I'm willing to admit that. But you definitely don't understand me on this one, and that's a problem. That's a really, painful problem."

"I didn't say we were Rin, I said thank you, nothing more, nothing less. Then I'll just have to work to understand you and perhaps one day we can be better than we were." Gary answered,

Rin just wanted to scream. She was trying to explain, and she felt utterly pushed aside. If you would just listen...

But he wasn't. Not from her perspective anyway. Not at all. Honestly, this conversation kind of made everything worse. In the Commodore's office, he had been "angry." Angry the Commodore had called him out. But he came here, to her office, while she was on duty, gave a half assed "I regret things happened," and seemed taken aback that she didn't feel that was enough. And then diving back into how he was so deeply wronged with Rin talking to the Commodore, even though the Commodore had initiated the discussion, and, holy shit, blaming her for not taking her concern about an officer to said officer?

Was she being stubborn?

No, she fucking wasn't.

She wanted to be heard. He wasn't hearing. That was not her fault.

"Are we done here, sir?"

Gary sighed silently. He felt his apology had fallen of deaf ears and now Rin was now just humoring. He didn't know what she wanted. Blood? Maybe or perhaps to prostrate himself in front of her and ask her to forgive him. He really didn't know. He had come here to honestly apologize, and it seemed (to him) that all Rin wanted was to point out everything he had done wrong in (her opinion) some he agreed with others not so much.

He shifted his eyes to meet hers. "Yes, we're done. I won't trouble you further. Thank you for seeing me."