Bearer of Bad News

Posted on 04/24/2024 @ 4:21am by Petty Officer 1st Class Maisy Shields & Captain Cara Letsul

1,815 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Pages...
Location: Cara's Office
Timeline: MD 06 1830

Cara heaved a big sigh, as she passed by Harrington's now closed office. She now had a new rank, and at this moment, Maisy was going to be her yeoman. Instead of Maisy finding out by happenstance, Cara needed to speak with her. Tapping on her combadge, Cara stated, "Maisy, would you please come to my office immediately. I-I really need to talk with you."

Cara stood up from her chair and began to pace back and forth, waiting for Maisy's arrival.

Piles of PADDs. Maisy sighed. Did Harrington ever do anything, any work that wasn't passed down to her. Honestly she felt as if she sneezed a stack would fall somewhere, maybe not even in the same room!

Still, she was broken from her head on desk moment and made her way towards Letsul's office to speak to her.

Upon entering she smiled at the woman before noticing she looked a little pensive. "Penny for your thoughts ma'am?" Maisy asked using an old British saying.

Cara turned to look at Maisy a relieved expression in her eyes and yet still looked rather troubled, then she said. "Come have a seat with me." walking over to the sofa and patting part of the seat next to her.

Once Maisy took a seat, Cara drew in a deep breath to let it out slowly. "I have some news for you, it could be considered bad, or very bad." She paused right there, "Perhaps you may need a drink, I know I do for the moment, and I don't mean tea." Cara commented rising up from the sofa to pour herself some whisky. She then took the bottle and a glass for Maisy just in case the yeoman wished to have some.

Maisy found the sofa patting a bit weird and didn't shy away from a raised eyebrow before doing as she was asked. Cara looked burdened by something and Maisy felt the woman was going to unload on her. An internal sigh of great magnitude flowed through her but she hid it well.

"You'll never see me turn down a free drink ma'am." Maisy replied as she saw whisky being poured.

" I am giving you this drink, as I need one as well." pouring herself one. "She gracefully sat down, and looked at Maisy. "Take a sip before I give you the news." Cara following her own advice. Lowering the glass, she waited until Maisy took a sip. She didn't want Maisy to choke when the proverbial shoe is dropped.

Once she thought it safe, Cara stated, "I needed to inform you that, Captain Harrington is no longer on the station, he's been taken. And- and I have been made in charge of the station until such time he is hopefully found." her eyes softened a pleading expression in them. "Would you be my yeoman until Harrington comes back?" Cara wanted to give Maisy the choice but she liked the young woman, who isn't the by the book sort.

"Okay..." Maisy raised an eyebrow once again as she took a sip of the drink. It was warm going down her throat and as it hit her stomach she could feel it radiate slightly around her mid section. Placing the glass down she looked at Cara who seemed to be bursting to tell her something.

"He's been taken?" Maisy asked at the rather vague statement. "Taken by who? When?" she asked some more. She had been leaving messages and now she understood why he wasn't answering her. Rising to her feet she didn't even hear the yeoman question. Her mind spinning into scenarios where he was taken and also ones where she would hack the crap out of the station to find him.

"Maisy, we that is I think it is Loval that took him, can't be proven though. Patton has taken a team to go after him and go after Harrington and bring him back. And this has to be a hush hush mission. I just needed to get you up to speed as to what is going on. Instead of you being caught off guard. His combadge was found in the White Stag restaurant." Cara added.


She sighed. A large Maisy sized sigh. "Romulans..." she rolled her eyes. "It's hard not to paint them all with the same brush sometimes but it always feels like they are scheming. I mean say what you want for Cardassian's but at least they tell you they're going to stab you in the back." she said with a light chuckle even if it was one more to calm herself.

For a moment she thought... White stag, discarded commbadge. "You don't think Mickey had anything to do with this do you? Bit of a weird place to leave a comm badge."

"No, I do not think that Mickey had anything to do with it. In fact he was rather surprised when I let him know and he shut his place down in order for K'doc to check things out. I just...am gathering those I can to help me keep this station running, what with all that is happening." Cara stated. "And I felt that I needed to let you know what was going on." raising her glass to her lips and taking a drink from it.

"Well, I hardly do much around here ma'am." Maisy replied rather quickly but honestly in her opinion. "I don't think I keep the station running, just pass on messages and stop people from barging into the Captain's office without an appointment..." she paused. "But thank you for thinking of me. I guess I'd have noticed he wasn't around after a while."

Cara nodded, "I feel that anyone who is a part of the staff on this station, is important. Even if they don't feel that they are." regarding her drink for the moment, the light reflecting in it, the acting CO softly said, "I do need you to be my yeoman, until such time Harrington comes back. He's got to come back, he truly does. " her eyes lifting up from the glass towards Maisy's eyes. "I need you."

"Well in the absence of Captain Harrington I guess you have me." Maisy replied. If she didn't have a CO to report to then her job kind of became nothing but piling up reports and requests for when he got back. She would still keep an eye on it of course as it wouldn't just cease, but now she had to keep an eye on Letul's as well. Oh the joys... sometimes she thought a penal colony would have been easier.

Catching a sense of Maisy's emotions, Cara gave a chuckle. "Oh come now its not going to be too bad. Hopefully not. You can always speak freely to me, well, when inside this office. I do not plan on being an old fuddy duddy. Hopefully not." giving an impish smile. "If I am turning into one then... feel free to nudge me accordingly. I don't want to step over that threshold, not as of yet." she hmmnned and stepped over to look into her cabinet that had some of her own personal treats. She dug around and gave a smile of triumph. "I hope you like chocolates."

"Oh it's no trouble ma'am. I'm used to be passed from pillar to post." Maisy joked. "And at the end of the day, my job wont change, just the person who I report to and get requests for." she eyed the chocolate and smirked. "I do like chocolate, but you'd better hide that in case I eat them all."

Cara held out a box towards Maisy, it was a box which held eight pieces of chocolate. She had one for herself and went to sit down once more. "There you go, enjoy." she opened up her own chocolates and took out a piece to take a bite of it. "Just what I needed besides the drink."

"Nothing like a sugar rush to get your fix of the day. Still better than any drug." Maisy commented as she also took a bite. "Not that I know anything about drugs." she tried to backtrack and cover herself.

Cara just smiled, then popped one of the pieces of chocolate into her mouth. When she was done eating that piece she spoke. "Is there anything I can do for you? Any concerns that you have?"

"Oh I have lots of concerns but that's just my daily life. Now also the fact you've told me my boss has been kidnapped and now you're my new one, will I ever see him again, would I look good with a line of red in my hair? You know, usual Monday stuff." Maisy groaned. "Nothing I can't get on with my day with." she offered a smile.

At the statement that Masy had made about a line of red in her hair. "You know a line of red in your hair would look good." Cara giving a grin. "As for the others, I am truly hoping that Captain Harrington will be brought back." Cara's smile dimming ever so slightly.

Drawing in a breath ,she then stated. "Life has to move forward despite what is going on. At any rate. anything that is meant to be sent to Neil's desk, will now need to be sent to me. And there is probably a whole stack of things to be signed and meetings to attend. Same sort of thing that I have had to attend to in the past. I am just glad I am not having to deal with the paperwork that an admiral has to work on anymore. My poor yeoman, was kept busy, not that I was a stickler its just that I was running another station and I had to have a few aides to help out."

"I'm sure we'll cope just fine if you get promoted again captain." Maisy smiled. "Right now I guess we focus on what we've got just now and keep the station going as best we can."

Cara gave a nod of agreement. "That is about all that we can do at this time. For now though, you can call it a day. And I promise not to have too much paperwork for you to file." giving a half hearted chuckle. "also just a bit of a warning, I will be announcing the death of Jackson Porter." Cara paused thinking over something, she was going to have to get back into her command style self. "Actually I will be needing you to accompany me to the news briefing."

"I'll take notes in the corner ma'am." Maisy joked.

"That works for me. Okay lets get to it and after this I am probably going to owe you a drink or two." Cara quipped.

---

Captain Cara Letsul
Acting Commanding Officer
Poseidon Station

PO1 Maisy Shields
Captain's Yeoman
Poseidon Station

 

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