Just who do you think you are!?

Posted on Wed Mar 27th, 2024 @ 2:39pm by Lieutenant Evelyn Steele & Commodore Finchley Kerr

Mission: The missions never over.
Location: Finchley’s Quarters
Timeline: After Plans Afoot

[ON]

As much as she knew better Eve had arrived outside the doors of Finchley’s Quarters. She was so angry that he’d ordered Wyatt to move her back out of his quarters that she wanted to confront him about it. Removing her ring she put it safe before she pressed the chime, she straightened her uniform and waited.

Inside his quarters, Finchley had just sat down. He had his book, he had his cup of tea and he had his silenc….until the chime sounded.

“Good God, can I ever catch a break!” he asked himself.

“Open” he called out, waiting to see who it was who had disturbed him.

Walking in Eve didn’t waste a moment. “Uncle Finchley I need to talk to you.” She walked over to him not bothering to give him chance to say anything. “What gives you the right to interfere in my love life!?”

Finchley sighed, put down his book and stood up. “ Firstly, this is ship’s business, and that being said, when you speak to me it’s ’Captain’ when you refer a question to me. Secondly, hello Lieutenant Kerr, what can I do for you. Thirdly, this is my ship, therefore, my onboard rules. Fourthly, as much as it is a pain in the arse to you, I don’t have to explain myself to you, you’re a Junior Officer and as such, will follow orders given out by me. Now, I very rarely get down time, but I have some just now, so all I want is some peace and quiet to read my book and drink my tea. So, about turn, walk out of here and I’ll forget what you’ve just said and done.”

Eve sighed and corrected her posture, giving Finchley a more respectable look. “My...apologies Captain! I believe you did say that in private I could refer to you as Uncle Finchley?” She waited for an answer on that one.

“In private, yes, when we’re not dealing with ships business” Finchley replied, “However, we are dealing with ships business, thereby ships decorum comes into effect.”

“Aye Sir” Eve nodded. “In that case I wish to enquire as to why you have decided to interfere in my private life? Why am I not allowed to move in with Wyatt?”

Finchley could see where this was going, but he wouldn’t allow himself to be drawn into personal feelings.

“I’m going to allow this just once, but it’ll never everhappen again that you question my orders, let me make that crystal clear. You have no private life here Lieutenant” Finchley replied. “You are an Intelligence Officer in Purple Squad, you’re on duty all the time. At most, as I explained earlier in regards to myself, you have a little down time. That’s not private time, that’s time where you can steal perhaps ten minutes to try on switch off from duty to try and feel normal again. What you’re referring to in having a ‘private life’, is having entire evenings or days where you can be with Lieutenant Steele…that’s not ever going to happen. What if this ship was attacked eh? What if the quarters where your love nest is gets hit when you’re both there? I’ll tell you…I lose two officers instead of one. Whereas, following my direct orders that it’s one crew member per room, I lose just one. And add this into the mix whilst you’re at it thinking about that, your feelings for one another ’could’ potentially cause a conflict of interest in duty. Do you think I don’t want to have a love interest here, mmmm…do you think I don’t crave intimacy, do you think I ‘like’ having to be a heartless bastard? I do want the first two, but I have to be the third one because that’s what’s required to try and keep this team alive. It’s not always worked, but I have to do what’s necessary, and this is necessary!. So, if the libido’s of you and Lieutenant Steele have been hurt, I actually don’t care or give a damn, you will follow my orders, or you’ll find yourself out of here” he finished.

Evelyn looked at her uncle fighting back the need to tell him exactly what she thought of him, and his rules. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of kicking her backside off his ship, and sending her home in disgrace. “I can understand now” she gave Finchley a look that equalised the one he gave when giving someone a tough talking down to. “Why my mother disliked you. Whenever my dad suggested a family get together my mum always used to say if you were there she wouldn’t be!” She shook her head. “I’ll do my job Sir!” Eve practically spat the Sir. “But it won’t be to please you! If I die aboard this ship I’d rather it be in the arms of the man I love instead of dying alone.”

“I see” Finchley said, “We’ve moved away from ships business to personal hatred.”

He sat down again, picked up his book, found his place, picked up his cup of tea, took a sip, and not looking at Eve said, “That will be all Lieutenant Kerr, dismissed.”

“Aye Sir!” Eve shook her head and turned to leave, right now she was angry and maybe she’d come around later on, but that wasn’t now.

Finchley hadn’t realised just how spiteful Eve was of him, but making the mistake of showing her personal feelings towards him by telling him how her mother felt had revealed it.

Tapping his COMM badge he said, “Captain Kerr to Karadis.”

The reply was instantaneous, “Karadis here Bird, what’s up?”

“Red one” Finchley replied simply.

There was a moments silence at the other end, “R…Red one, understood Captain. Subject?”

“Lieutenant Evelyn Kerr, Captain Kerr our”, and he closed the link.

On the bridge, Karadis sighed. It was never an easy order to follow, but an order was an order, and she followed them to the letter.