What lays below

Posted on Fri Mar 3rd, 2023 @ 2:11am by Lieutenant Commander David Wallace

Mission: Mission 9 Deal with the Devil
Location: USS Charlottetown - Commanders Ready room
Timeline: The next morning

On:

A relative quiet had settled, except aboard the Charlottetown. Commodore Wallace had spent several hours dealing with the diplomats, soothing egos, calming nerves, and dealing with Vulcan id. Jarred had found a moment to reach out to a few contacts in the Essary, he followed up with David Pothier, he had no more information. He made efforts too contact his one time chief of staff with little more than being told to go away. Jared's frustration had peaked, so he put his comms' on do not disturb so he could clear his head. He stared out the small viewport with a glass of whiskey in hand. He wanted to just go back to earth and hide in the relative animosity his job provided. He only took this assignment because of his history with some of these now former officers who make up the current leadership.

He didn't want to take this shiny new starship out of the yard, he didn't want to end up at a starbase where his son was posted, only to be frozen out, he set the glass down, and turned back to the desk.

="Commodore Wallace, I do apologize but there's a Lieutenant here from the starbase wanting to speak with you."=

"Bring him up." Jarred wondered if this was David.

A few short minutes later, "Enter!" he barked.

His question was answered, "Lieutenant." he nodded as the security officer excused herself.

"Can I get you a drink David?"

Speaking for the first time in person too his father "Coffee will be fine."

Jared reappeared with a pair of steaming cups of coffee, "What can I do for you?"

"An explanation." David said bluntly

Jarred paused, then took a sip of the navy brew coffee. "I chose too send your mother away, I wanted her, your sister and you away from the turbulence that hasn't slowed since the end of the Dominion war." pausing to take another sip "I half hoped both you and your sister wouldn't even look at putting on this uniform, I guess I was wrong."

"So this wasn't some melodramatic fight?" David was confused

"No, your mother and I agreed that you two needed to be safe and away from the concerns of starship life or wherever I was posted, I wanted you two too have some kind of life until you were old enough, when your mother died I realized I screwed up, I can't fix the past, I'm willing to work on the here and now." The older Wallace said

"I'll think it over and I'll talk with Alison again, she's the reason I'm even here." David said taking a large drink of coffee

"I heard you held your own when things went to hell aboard the Nova." Jared said trying to be encouraging

"I did what needed to be done, I guess." David said looking at his father.

"Don't fool yourself, what I have been able to learn about your work you don't have too worry about being in my shadow, you will be casting your own soon enough."

David felt something, but wasn't sure what to feel. "Thank you."

"Before you ask about my contacts in Essary space, I'm hitting a wall, either they're no longer part of the Militia or they have fallen out of favor with the new administration." Jared said reaching for the pad on his desk, "I called in as many favors as possible, I managed to get an additional patrol in the sector, and if your command team want it two Ontario Class patrol cutters, plus anything else within reason."

David took the pad, "Thank you again."

The two men spent another half hour talking, there was an uneasy lifting of the implied tensions between the two of them, David stood having to return to the station, "So you really think there's no reason too even negotiate with the Essary?"

"I'm getting the feeling that they're going to strengthen their military if only too protect their territory, I'm going to speak with Command and possibly return to Earth." Jarred said setting the empty mug down.

"I get it, I do have one request, go talk to Alison in person without a large entourage of people around."

"Deal." The Commodore said extending his hand for a handshake.

End