Don't Shoot the Messenger

Posted on Thu Mar 7th, 2019 @ 12:55pm by Captain Liarra Von

Mission: Starbase 332, Where Are You?
Location: Admiral S'iraa's Guest Quarters

Von was not looking forward to the task in front of her. It was bad enough having a vice admiral aboard her station. And suddenly finding oneself far away from their original position with no means of long range propulsion was a problem for any Starfleet captain. Getting to deal with both at once was another matter entirely.

Liarra didn't know much about Vice Admiral S'iraa, besides that he was Caitian. He arrived suddenly and unexpectedly just before the storm hit, and Von was understandably preoccupied by the situation at hand to really give him the proper attention. But now that one crisis was over, it was time to find out what brought him to Three-Three-Two, and to deliver the news that he won't be vacationing on Archa IV anytime soon.

Von paused in the corridor outside the admiral's guest quarters and composed herself before reaching forward and pressing the door chime. She might as well get this over with.

"Yes." S'iraa spoke as he held a cup in his hand that he was drinking while standing next to the windows of the VIP suite. When the doors opened and revealing Captain Von, the first indication that could be observed was that S'iraa didn't bow as S'er'in'e would. White furred much like the Captains CAG though not as pure in white, woe be to anyone foolish enough to point it out however. The Admiral was a little larger in statue mostly due to age and being fully grown where S'er'in'e was still growing. No ear sheaths or other Caitian decoration could be seen. "Captain Von." His voice holding less feline inflection than S'er'in'e's but still feline none the less. "Please." A hand waving her in.

Von mustered a smile as she stepped into the room. She was a little surprised by the lack of a bow from the Admiral. What she had learned from S'er'in'e and her run in with the Overseer was that the males of their world were subservient to the females. But then Admiral S'iraa was also her superior officer, and she had no doubt that may have skewed the relationship. In any case, she had not come here for formalities. "Admiral S'iraa. I hope I'm not intruding."

"No." S'iraa spoke. There was a very clear difference in feel of the Admiral to the Colonel. "What can I do for you Captain?" He asked turning to look at her. There were striking resemblances between the two felines and yet two very unique individuals.

"I had a couple of things, actually," Von answered, stepping into the room. "First of all, I apologize for not greeting you properly when you first arrived. As you no doubt noticed, there was quite a lot going on at the time."

"It is understandable Captain, the given situation demanded attention and you were needed." S'iraa didn't give it any though looking back on it, it was clear that she was busy. It was not the first time he'd arrived, unannounced, taking most by surprise or during a busy moment.

"Thank you for understanding, sir." Von answered. "There is something else. I don't know if you were in a hurry to get anywhere, because you may not be getting there anytime soon." She held her hands together and thought through her words. "We're still working on how and to where, but it seems that the station is no longer in orbit of Archa IV."

"I had suspected as much when the news feeds were void on the general news updates on the computer." S'iraa replied turning now to fully face the smaller Trill woman. However he would not have reached where he was were it not for an ability to read people, and he could read much from the Captain. "Something bothers you about me Captain?"

Von stayed silent for a moment as she tried to study the admiral's face. There wasn't much to give anything away. She simply sighed and collected her thoughts. "It's not you personally, sir. To be honest, Admiral, I just hadn't expected your arrival. It's not that I would have done anything different during the defense against the storm. But now that the station seems to be missing, having one of my bosses here during this crisis adds another level of, stress, to the situation."

"You look too much into the situation Captain Von." S'iraa replied. "My presence here should not make you second guess the actions you take. My presence here is nothing regarding past or recent performance. I am here because I have decided to get from the confines of Earth and Starfleet Command. Since giving up my starship due to promotion I have often sought the stars again, it is rare for Flag officers to go anywhere unless in charge of a fleet. So here felt suited to my desire of stars, the absence of a planet and a building, where I felt more at ease."

Liarra was taken aback for a moment, but she tried not to let it show. Up until now, she had only assumed that the admiral was here for a visit. He hadn't occurred to her that he may setting up shop on the station. "Understood, sir. If you're going to be staying with us for a while, then I'll arrange for you to have some nicer quarters and some office space. Of course, if we don't find a way to return from wherever it is that we are, you'll probably be staying with us for a while anyway."

"You should be at ease Captain, there are benefits to my presence. As Fleet Executive Officer things should be smoother for you. Resuply should be more forthcoming, crew resupply should be more readily available." S'iraa revealing his position and some of the perks that his presence might have for her station.

"That's good to hear, sir," Von replied, her posture a little straighter. "We've certainly had some issues with resupply. I know our air group has been in bad need of new pilots and replacement fighters, and our security forces have been running a little thin. If we make it back home, I'd be happy to give you a full list."

"Thank you." It was apparent that the Admiral was tired from his long trip, having yet to eat much or do anything aside from settle in. "If you would excuse me..." His own polite form of saying the Captain was dismissed.