Yes, But........ Part 2/2

Posted on 29 Jan 2026 @ 11:45am by Commander Krea Rh'Vareth & Lieutenant Commander Raviran Dattek-Winters
Edited on on 29 Jan 2026 @ 7:41pm

1,482 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Shakedown
Location: Sickbay, U.S.S. Cygus
Timeline: directly after "Yes, But... Part 1 of 2"

Previous:

However it was clear to the CMO that, even without this information, there as an atmosphere of a set amount of tolerance of her questions and that it was a short period at best. She went on steadfastly.

"Yes Ma'am, and I want to explain to you that I DO understand how this might seem like a better use of 'time and motion' in other departments, but...."

"I HOPE you're not going to suggest that I don't have the appropriate qualifications, Lieutenant Commander." the Romulan growled, moving as if to stand up.



Continued/....

"I most certainly am not suggesting any such thing, Ma'am!" Ravi defended quickly wishing she'd paid more attention in self-defence classes.

"I'm sure you have excellent qualifications in every department of the ship and further afield too, but I also realise that in a different department, dealing with less psychologically charged subject matter and equipment - engines for example - and scientifically sensitive demands......."

The Romulan stayed sitting but opened her mouth again to go on, so Ravi had to race on, appearing to be understandably nervous and upping the speed of her delivery to fend off more of the unintended and unhelpful strutting bout of who was more qualified and who knew what out of School.

This needed to be about sentient beings not AI. It needed to be about practicalities and not theoreticals.

"My point ma'am is that we have an unwritten culture of give and take, as is essential when dealing with sentients. FOR EXAMPLE.... " once again Ravi had to be forceful to keep the woman listening.... if indeed she was, but onwards was the only way......

"We have a fantastic paediatric specialist nurse who has children of her own. She needs to be around when her kids are not at school and she does not need to work evenings and night shifts which clash with her family needs."

"We cannot cater to each individual... this is a starship....." Rh'Vareth broke in, frustrated at what she considered to be such trivial points.

"... but she's the best Paediatric nurse we could hope to get, and neither she nor I see the point in forcing her to work when she should be at home as she does all the hours anyone can do within the parameters of her own schedule. School isn't immovable but her hours (which are always more than full time) with us are... or should be... flexible, in my humble opinion, Ma'am."

Ravi made the mistake of breathing for a moment and the Romulan Commander was on her.

"You are no leader to your staff, you let them make their own rules and walk all over you." she said scornfully.

"I disagree Ma'am" Ravi began.

"Well YOU would!" the scorn continued. "You're as weak and wasteful as your sad little Executive Officer who has allowed all this lack of efficiency and discipline to spread and fester in this vessel."

Ravi felt her anger rising at hearing her XO maligned this way. Ravi, like the whole crew, was very loyal to Bast and with good reason.

"This is not about Commander Bast, who is the best XO I have ever served with, as it happens, it's about how the medical staff - and probably all the whole crew - are ready and happy to give extra when it's needed because they KNOW we will treat them with respect and mutual consideration when they want it back from us, as Seniors." Ravi was aware that getting cross with this woman was pointless but she was so monstrously out of order and there was no reasoning with her, it would seem.

Rh'Vareth was already talking over Ravi as soon as she had said Commander Bast was the best XO ever and when Ravi didn't cease making her point the Mission Adviser eventually stopped and yelled at the top of her voice. "SILENCE WHEN I'M TALKING at which point Ravi had lost. She needed to obey and fall silent.

Ravi was so angry with herself for allowing herself to be wound up into a shouting match and even more angry at Rh'Vaureth for her verbal assault on the XO but most of all she was ashamed that this had happened within her own Sickbay and now staff were assembling outside the Office, having rushed to see what had caused the altercation, the noise and the disturbance to all.

"I will naturally be putting you on remand for insubordination, Lieutenant Commander Winters." The Romulan Commander seethed before slamming her way out of the facility and straight up to the Bridge to see the CO and raise her complaint.

.......

"Are you okay Doc?" Ben Kensington asked with concern as the very paediatric nurse Ravi had been discussing....

(~Prophets she hoped the poor woman hadn't heard? No, the shouting had begun after that part of the discussion~ Ravi was sure and very relieved to realise)

.... then came in with a tray of tea and cake.

~Bless her! You SEE this was what she had been trying to make that Romulan Robot understand!~ !! Ravi continued to rage internally.

"I am, Ben, thank you for your concern. I am my own worst enemy" Ravi replied, lightly touching her shaking fingertip against the back of his outstretched hand to express gratitude for his support.

"And thank you too, Kerusa, for such thoughtfulness. I do need a cuppa after that and cake too.... you're an angel."

Ravi was left to her own thoughts as they retreated and Ben took over re-organising and settling the disruption around the Department. Staff were speaking softly as if ordinary volume had become something to avoid. It made the CMO feel even more dreadful.

Later, Ben joined Ravi in her silent office and sat down. "I'm uninvited, and I'll leave if you want?" he offered.

"No, please stay." Ravi replied, still hanging her head. "I need to apologise to the staff. I'll come out and start the rounds for that in a minute."

"They won't need it" Ben reassured her. He then smiled. "Unless as a treatment for shock and surprise?"

Ravi looked up, stricken. "Oh please don't..... I'm so ashamed. Screaming like a Terran 'Fish-wife' at a Senior Officer..... what possessed me?" she muttered, it was quiet, but loud enough for Ben to hear.

"Everyone was agreed, I don't think we've ever had 100% agreement over the whole department, patients included...." Ben chuckled, trying to cheer her up.

Ravi groaned and lowered her head onto the desk in front of her, narrowly missing the empty teacup.

"No, no, ..... hear me out...." Ben said gently.

"They're all agreed that they've NEVER heard you shout before!" he grinned. "They're alsoall in agreement that if there's a disciplinary about it, they want to testify on your behalf and even the patients want to go along as witnesses that the Commander came in like a stormcloud and that, through the windows it was clear that you were as quietly polite and reasonable as anyone could be under so long a grilling."

"It wasn't all that one-sided, Ben. I knew she wasn't going to like my criticism and attempted rejection of her 'super-plans' for our Rotas and I thought I was in control until she started bad-mouthing Commander Bast, I mean, she was rude about me and I was ready for that and immune to it mostly, but then she attributed all of my failings onto him and I felt my blood pressure start to rise along with volume levels.

I should have stopped it right there and shut up but it's SO desperately important to make her understand as we just can NOT cave in to her ideas.

I have to go and see if I can reason with the CO, but I seriously doubt he would want to listen sympathetically to me when he finds out I've been yelling at his Mission Adviser. It's just not professional, it's not adult and it's not acceptable Ben." She shook her head with regret and stood up to start her round of the Sickbay offering apologies to all for the disturbance.

Everyone was mostly very kind but Ravi was still ashamed that she'd let herself get sucked into the hostility of the whole event - she knew the staff were being kind and loyal and she loved them all for it, but she also knew that she deserved whatever reprimand and discipline the CO was about to hand out to her.

Leaving Ben in very capable charge, she set off to stop any further delay, to present herself to the Captain and confess.

......


A JP By:

Lt Cmdr Raviran Dattek-Winters
CMO - USS Cygnus

and

Commander Krea Rh'Vareth
Mission Advisor - USS Cygnus

 

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