Making Amends

Posted on Sun Aug 7th, 2022 @ 8:52am by Commander Antonia 'Tony" Stoffels
Edited on on Mon Aug 29th, 2022 @ 6:56pm

Mission: The Lost Brother

Soran moved quickly to Tony's office. He didn't make eye contact with anyone in the corridor, but no one tried to address him. The Angosian was used it and didn't mind, it was better than people trying not to stare or the open hostility he'd faced in the past. He pressed the door chime.

"Who is it." Tony's voice sounded muffled as if she had been crying.

"It's me Tony, please let me in." Soran said He could hear the the tears in her voice and hated himself for it.

"Go away!" she could not help but burst into tears again.

"Computer," Soran said. "Security override Wagnor X436"

The door opened and he entered the room quickly as the door closed behind him.

"I don't want to see you right now, commander." Tony tried to stop crying without much success.

"You can and should reprimand me later for my behavior," Soran said. "I'm sorry, you are the last person on this ship I'd want to hurt."

"Yeah, well it did not show. I am sorry that I am such an embarresment to this ship. Well I won't be much longer, I am writing my resignation right now."

"If anyone is going to resign it should be me which I plan to do when the mission is over." Soran said sincerely. "Resigning now would be a huge mistake that could cost lives. This is not your fault , followed the captain's lead and I think he has his head up his ass."

"You humiliated me in front of a fellow officer. Who is going to respect me now." She almost shouted. "I counted on you to help me Ren."

"You were treating me like a child in front of a fellow officer!" Soran said.

"And you made that a real teaching moment didn't you. Behaving like a child and making a fool of me. Is that the way you see this mentoring going down?"

"I fucked up," the Angosian paused for a moment. "So here's your next and probably last lesson. When you survive a mistake; you accept fault and salvage as much as you can. I am sorry, you don't have to forgive me. We still have a mission to complete, I will resign when it is over. I hope you can continue and become the amazing officer I know you can be."

"i don't want you to resign, Ren." Tony said finally cooling down. "I don't want to lose you. And I really want you to teach me. As you see I am out of my depth here."

"I'm out of my depth as well," he hung his head. "Perhaps you can find our way together."

With a big sigh she walked towards him. "Please don't ever make my job this difficult." The hesitation was back in her voice. "If you really think I am not cut out for it tell me now. I would rather know."

"If you're going to be a commander you'll have to stop being a counselor, command is responsible for the overall mission." Soran explained. "I'm not sure why the captain thought it was a good idea to leave the doctor and I to handle our problems ourselves but that is what he did. You must be very careful when interfering with relationships among the crew, delegate relationship problems to the councilors as much as possible."

"You know I had very little formal training. My first CO was a dick he humiliated me all the time but did not teach me." She swallowed thinking back to those lonely days. "But I was just trying to do what uncle Wain said. You know what he says in the academy lectures that the captain is the father of the ship and the XO the mother. Is he wrong then?"

"Not necessarily." He smiled. "I say don't be a counselor to you the same way I'd remind Captain Carey I'm his Security Chief. Sometimes it's hard for command to let people do their jobs when their job was with the position they've held before. I'm not very good with family metaphors, but as for what your Uncle Wain said. I've seen your Aunt Denise let her boys bicker for days without intervening sometimes best to let people handle their own accounts."

"Oh." Tony was starting to get it. "She would do that if Kay and I fought as well. While as a therapist she could have sat us down and have us work it out through words."

"I believe I've settled things with the doctor at least for now."

"And you did that after I left. I can't believe that I misunderstood uncle Wain that badly and I had nobody to instruct me otherwise. See I can't do it without you." She smiled.

"You don't give yourself enough credit," He said gently. "Your instincts were correct, you just need to work on your execution. You're going to make a lot of mistakes, you just need to learn from them. That's what one of the first commanders taught me."

"Xavier is doing his best to help me. But I am not as close to him as I am to you. Next time please do let me learn in a less stressful way." She grinned at him.

"I find the way you look up to me flattering," he gave an impish grin. "I should warn you, your Uncle Wain calms I can be one of the most stubborn, petty assholes he's ever encountered. I will try to do better."

"Look who's talking." She snorted. "It takes one to know one. And I grew up around very stubborn men."

"There's a fine line between stubbornness and termination," he explained. "Determination is one of the most important qualities in an officer."

"I have to determinations aplenty from both sides of the family and through adopted aunts and uncles so that won't be a problem.""

"Sounds good," Soran smiled. "We need to report to the Captain."

"As long as neither of us resigns." Tony joked.

"No, we will stay where we are needed." Soran smiled.

As happy as he was to be among friends, he wasn't sure he liked the idea of being so attached to people he was serving with. He wasn't sure this was going to work, but he was here and he had a job to do.

"Good." She gave him a little hug. "I am so glad in the end we worked it out like adults. Let's go."