Confrontation

Posted on Wed May 5th, 2021 @ 6:39pm by Lieutenant Commander Timia Svidi & Captain David Hawkins

Mission: Helping Hand
Location: Just after the Staff meeting
2326 words - 4.7 OF Standard Post Measure

It had seemed like a long day as Hawkins made his way over the bridge and onto the ready room where he was bound to find messages coming in from his task force to look into as well. He had another meeting with the other commanders of the task force to repair for as it was the first time to deal with. The overwhelming feeling seemed like nothing as the commanding officer was starting to truly enjoy the new assignment.

The door swished open and the captain walked through but once he did, Nico rushed up and started to bark. This caused him to pause to find a shadow behind him. "Please, Doctor, walk right in is if it were your office." David paused as he watched Svidi walk in and around to his replicator. "Would you like to eat my food while you are at it?"

"Its replicated food, it hardly is owned by you." Timia said as she placed her cup in the receptacle and ordered a fresh latte. It wasn't the same as from her machine in her room, the classic way was always best, but this was pretty decent. "We have somethings to discuss, like your attempt to get in the way of the chief medical officer. I can assure you Captain, things like that do not fly around here. I don't know where you commanded before and nor do I care what your style is. If I order any one on this ship to be examined they have better damn well comply. I can order them off any mission. I have done it before and if I need to, I will do it again." she told him pointing her finger his direction.

"At least you addressed me correctly, Commander," He remarked as he waved his canine down. He walked around his desk and sat down and leaned back to rest his feet on the desk as he activated his monitor. "I'd like to also remind you to watch your tone and where your finger is pointed. Niko may see it as a threat to his master."

She pulled her hand back and looked at the dog who was watching her closely. She looked back at the Captain, "Of course I address you correctly, You're the Captain." she said. "I expect you to uphold the way of things on this ship. Which includes following the orders of the chief medical officer. You can't bend the rules and over ride me because your best friend doesn't want to comply." she accused.

"So you are telling me that the chief medical officer can override Starfleet Medical regulations and instructions?" David asked as he looked over the data burst reports that he had received in the short time.

Timia turned to look at him, "Simplified the rules say that I can require any persons assigned to the ship, temporarily or not, to have a medical review for any reason. Sure he had an exam not long ago, but the point is I requested a quick check up for reasons I will not discuss with you for privacy, and he is dodging them. You are supposed to back me up and not force me in to a corner to save your pals ego." she said firmly.

The captain looked at her for a moment and raised an eye brow before smirking. "Ego?"

"Yes! Ego!" she said firmly. "Marines are rife with egotistical brutes who think they can just do whatever they want. Its annoying. You publicly displaying a preference for your pal, and every one knows you're buddies, and his denial of submitting to the exam as ordered undermines the medical safety of this ship. You have opened the door for any one to deny a medical order which could cause problems spreading, things spread fast in these environments if not kept check in place. I expect you to uphold the medical safety of this ship and I can't do that if you are going to undermine me like that!" she said her voice getting tighter as her irritation was growing.

"So you are profiling people now? I didn't know your medical background trained you to be a professional profiler," David verbally noted. "So you are telling me you did nothing wrong, you requested him to submit to a medical appointment right off the bat. That is what you are telling me."

She offered him a withering look at the profiling comment. "I asked him to submit to it days ago. I said as much in that joke of a meeting." she said. "So no, I don't think I have done anything wrong." she said setting her cup down on his desk and folding her arms as she looked down at the man.

"I see..." he responded as he looked over at his monitor and tapped a couple commands in before clearing his throat and speaking. "A Lieutenant Commander and Department head arriving to the Commanding Officer's mission briefing, without apology or an explanation, might I add, modifying a ranking officers away team without approval which isn't your responsibility as chief medical officer or any other department head, threatening to remove a member from an away mission without proper reasoning, but the fact that another officer, equal in rank, rubbed you the wrong way, and this is only in that 'joke of a meeting'... shall I go on?"

She rolled her eyes, "Oh come now Captain. I arrived to a meeting I was instructed to attend, as a department head, unless you erred in that instruction?" she asked giving him a look. "I would have explained I was late due to a medical situation, but the question never arose and I did not see a point to explain myself when the flow of the conversation never went that direction. I assumed you would want a medical representative on the away team, as that is the standard situation." She paused and took a deep breath.

"And threatening to remove someone from an away mission. I had cause, I have cause. He did not submit to the medical exam as ordered prior to the meeting. No personnel may go to the surface if not first cleared by the medical department, especially when we are not using transporters to ensure no virus or unhealthy bacteria are being transmitted by us to an alien planet and possibly contaminate them. We have no less than three common viruses that are commonly found in humans that we believe would be deadly to this race. Hayter has been several places between his last medical clearance and his arrival on this ship, He is the only one I have not cleared with in the last week, So yes I am well with in my bounds to ensure he is cleared or restrict him from going." she said. "Any questions?" she demanded.

"No question whatsoever," Hawkins remarked as he turned the monitor off. "You are out of line, and you know it. Now drop it, do I make myself clear? You are not the captain of this ship, and you know damn well he was right. That still does not mean you can request him, not order, but request him to. That being said, I also know that you haven't cleared Mel. I know because I recorded the 'joke of a meeting' for records. Don't piss in my corn flakes and call is milk. My ship, my orders. Commander Ziyal's away team, you offer, don't bark orders, and as far as Colonel Hayter... if you have proof you requested it for your records, after you received his legal and proper paperwork, then you have my backing in the request. As it looked, he is already going to be in the medical bay, plus... He was pushing your buttons, and will comply. So chill, do I make myself clear?"

He reached a finger up in the air to cut her off before she could speak. "And before you shoot back with some hot headed, Egotistical bullshit... Don't. I want to hear a 'Yes, sir.' I don't need my new Second Executive Officer and acting XO acting like a big headed jackass."

Timia opened her mouth but he had cut her off. She was annoyed that he didn't seem to care about her concerns, but his last comment threw her off balance. "Your what?" she demanded. "But I..." she stammered. "I don't think I can be an XO... even acting? I have a big department to run!" she said with some doubts. "I mean it makes sense though... I have been here longer than all of you, I know the ship."

"By that logic, you should be the commanding officer on this ship..." he remarked but smirked before shaking head head. He entered into the console a couple more commands before continuing on. "... but you aren't. We all get that you have been on this ship longer. That is great, but that only makes you knowledgeable of the layout of the ship. That does not make you specialist on everyone else's jobs. You are medical department. You are not the commanding officer. So you don't bark orders at me or my first officer. I don't expect you to respect me or anyone, but I will expect you to respect the positions and our ranks. Just like I respect your rank and position. Do I make myself clear, doctor?"

"Of Course Captain. I do respect your position and all department heads. And I expect the same from all the others. So when I have a medical concern I expect you to understand it. I must point out that Mel was not called for a pre mission exam because her species can not carry the three strains I have to be worried about. Humans do. Perhaps you should know the full picture before you make assumptions of my prejudice." She picked up her latte cup,

"Had you asked for a reason, rather than accuse I'd have been happy to explain this to you. Now I'm going to ensure that things are done before the away team gets on that shuttle, so we don't kill billions of people. Sound good?" she asked him with vailed sarcasm. "I'd hate for this mission to turn sour because you blocked my ability to do my job and innocent people died because of it." She wasn't afraid of him, and if he was making her his back up XO he was going to need to expect challenges. How else would she do her job correctly?

"Boy you are a piece of work," David finally stated as he rubbed his temple. "If you respect my position, you remember that you request, do not expect or demand. I have final say on everything. As for you thinking I am making assumptions, you were doing the very same thing thinking I would stand for my 'bestie' over my chief of medical."

Pausing for a moment, he pulled up a holographic communications. "While you are on your damn rampage giving me your lecture as though I was one of your subordinates. I had already expected all personal to report to you per your request, on top of StarFleet Medical standards," he placed his feet down on the ground and leaned forward while he crossed hands in front of him. "I like it when people have opinions, and you are allowed your opinions. But the next time you threaten to pull any other person on this ship off a mission until they submit to your will, like you did, without a proper explanation, You can find yourself a nice planet side assignment. This is my command, not yours. Speak your mind but remember the chain of command."

Her eyes flickered over the man for a moment as she pursed her lips together, although they did smile slightly. "As always Captain." she said. "I'll see you soon." she said taking her cup and heading for the door with her head held high.

"So you just walk out of here without going over your required command training or the fact that I may have more to say? Let's not forget that I haven't dismissed you," David raised an eye brow as he leaned back in his chair and brought new information on his holo monitor as he waited for her response.

Timia paused and looked back at the Captain and let out a breath, "I do have bridge qualifications already. I suppose I did assume our meeting was over." She checked her padd, "I do have an appointment to keep soon..." she said as she moved back to h is desk. "What else do we need to go over?" she asked suspicious he was hanging on to her until he cold dismiss her. Get the final word in, it would lesson her already shakey opinion of him if he did intend to do that.

"Oh I know about your bridge training. I maybe a ground pounding marine, but I did my research before just throwing you into my second executive officer position. But next time, let's work on our conflict resolution and actually get to know one another. What do you say?"

Timia looked at him with a touch of suspicion in her eyes, "Sure." she said flatly. "Now are you intending to keep me here so that I am late for an exam in the medical bay or are you just waiting until you feel like dismissing me to assert your dominance, and test if I respect the rank structure?"

"Get going, and I'll see you later for shift change," David waved with his hand. Once she left, he looked down at Nico who looked up at his owner. He knew that the canine didn't understand all that was going on, but seemed to huff. This caused the captain to smirk and nod. "Yeah.. she is a peice of work, aint she."


~Fin