"She's utterly charming; intelligent, witty, self-aware… I
like her," admitted Leo as he lifted a fresh mug of hot chocolate to his lips. "However, there
will be a little revenge for your oh-so-helpful advice about kissing her hand. You will want to keep your guard up over the next couple of months."
From the other end of the short dining table in her flag mess, Essa raised her hands to her face and her entire upper body racked with silent laughter. She had to set her fork and knife down quickly lest she stab herself in the face.
He raised an eyebrow at her amusement of his
faux pas. "Auntie, that was
not funny. It could have been disastrous."
The rear admiral calmed down and dropped her hands, though kept her laughing smile. "
Lalito, darling, I honestly thought that's how it was done. I didn't realize it until we got out of our briefing and the Federation Envoy assigned here walked us through the protocol. It was far too late."
"Yeah, well, it didn't do any damage, and apparently the Queen found it amusing."
Now back under full composure, Essa made use of her utensils and cut into the thick ham steak on her plate. "And you say you got on well with Her Majesty?" The flag steward entered, retrieved the pot of tea from the sideboard, and without being asked, filled the admiral's cup to the rim before glancing at Leo.
Leo shook his head and mouthed his thanks before he replied to Essa's question. "
I thought so." He hesitated, then admitted, "Though, her private secretary put me on notice that I should not get used to having private conversations with the Crown, and to not presume to call upon her in the future."
Essa nodded. "I'm sure her staff is doing their best to protect their charge. You shouldn't take it personally."
He smiled. "And I didn't. I even thanked him and complimented him on his attentiveness."
"That's my charmer," she grinned at Leo, then continued on with her breakfast.
He set his now-empty mug on the table and leaned forward. "Auntie…?" he asked in a curious tone.
"Hmm?"
"We've been here over a week, now."
"Yes."
"And you promised me you would tell me what my actual purpose is on this little expedition."
"I did, that's true."
Silence reigned within the mess, save for the soft clinking of fork upon the ornate plate. Essa continued consuming her breakfast of ham, eggs, and beans. Every now and again, she would pointedly stare at Leo, daring him to say anything further.
Leo exhaled loudly, his frustration resulting in his staccato breath shooting up to toss his bangs upward slightly. "It's times like this that I have to remind myself that I love you very much, Auntie."
"I love you, too, darling," she replied with her mouth half-full. She swallowed the bite and continued, "Can't a lady have her favorite godson along to keep her company?"
"A lady can absolutely have her
only godson along… if they're on a pleasure excursion."
"I don't do pleasure excursions."
"I know."
"And your role is as I ordered it. You're my force judge advocate and aide-de-camp."
"Truly?"
Essa's eyes shifted away; up and to the left.
"Aha!"
"What?" she blinked in false confusion.
"You suck at poker."
"Well, whist is my preference, truth be told," Essa commented with a shrug. "You have a point to make, I presume?"
Leo smirked. "You came straight from Earth to come get me, and I know you spoke with my old man."
"Who hates that you call him that, by-the-bye."
He waved his hand to dismiss her side comment. "Everyone who's ever served under his command calls him that, he doesn't seem to mind." Without missing a beat, he asked her, "He told you what happened?"
Essa finished the remaining bites on her plate, then drained her cup of breakfast tea before responding to his question. "Your mother, my best friend, informed me of your status over six months ago. Your father, who loves you dearly, told me of your investigation, yes. That's all there is to it."
"Not buying it." Leo sighed and looked down at the table while stretching his fingers out from flat palms on the surface. "Please tell me what's going on."
She pushed the empty plate toward the edge for the stewards to collect when they returned. Rising from her seat, she refilled her cup with another serving of tea from the pot from the sideboard. As she did so, she asked, "Why didn't you call me when that arsehole of a captain beached you?"
"What?"
"You heard me."
Leo worked his jaw open and close behind his lips, his sails becalmed by the wounded tone of her voice. Finally, he replied under her scrutinizing stare, "I didn't want anyone to know."
"But you told your mother." She glared at him with accusing eyes.
"I didn't tell her anything," he admitted with a non-committal shrug. "The Detailer told her. Then, after being put ashore at DS-Two in front of all my friends, she called me while I was still figuring things out. Ordered me, if you can believe that, to catch the first ship going home. So, I went home and with the old man now working at HQ, he had plenty of time to grill me at the kitchen table like he caught me out past curfew."
"I see," Essa said with a short sigh. She released her tense expression and softened her tone. "Your mother left me with the impression that you had been the initial source of that information. I apologise for my misunderstanding."
Leo rose from his seat and approached Essa. "Were you upset that I didn't come running to you for help?"
Unable to hold her cup steadily, she set it down on the sideboard and nodded wordlessly.
He flexed his calves and stood on the balls of his feet, so he could elevate himself to place a kiss on her cheek. "That's… really very sweet of you, Auntie."
She touched her cheek and asked weakly, "Why wouldn't you come to me?" The door opened and another flag steward stepped in to tend to the mess, but the admiral's open hand stayed his progress. The steward exited quickly, understanding the signal to retreat.
"It was embarrassment, pure and simple," Leo confessed, once they left alone. "So much so, that I had planned on resigning my commission, honestly. I was going to march over the Bureau of Personnel and put in my papers the day after I landed home."
"Go on."
"But, the old man came home and after our little chat, he called my mother. Hours after, she told me about the opening for the XO role of the Sector JAG Unit at Starbase Eight, and practically ordered me to put in for the transfer."
She nodded as she listened, taking her teacup and sitting on the couch lining the outer bulkhead under the ovular ports looking out along the starboard side of deck two. "You knew my flag was on
Farragut. Why didn't you ask me for help? Once the cat was out of the bag, you had to know that I would've moved mountains for you."
Leo blushed. "I didn't want you to think less of me. After Mamá read me the riot act, after the old man laid into me… I couldn't bear to be a disappointment to you, as well."
Essa closed her eyes and sighed. "Ah,
Lalito… I love your mum and dad dearly. But… they sometimes go too far with you. I never understood why. They certainly don't seem to bring the same level of pressure upon your sisters."
"My many therapists have tried to figure it out and failed," Leo muttered. In a clearer tone, he continued, "Mamá took the report as gospel, just as the Detailer did. She found out that BuPers recommended me for a shore-side billet or reserve duty, which upset the old man so much that after I got my transfer, he didn't speak to me at all before my flight out to Memory Alpha. Not even 'good luck.'"
She sighed once more and shook her head. "Typical. Have you spoken with your sisters?"
Leo swallowed hard. "Uh, I tried talking to Artie," he said, referring to his eldest sister, Captain Reynalda Teresa "R.T." (Artie) Verde. "But, she'd just assumed command of
Fearless, so she's made it clear that my 'stain on the family honor is a problem of my own making.'"
That drew a wince from Essa. "Rather harsh."
"Direct quote."
"And what of Ronnie or Jazz?" She asked of his older sister, Commander Leticia Veronica "Ronnie" Verde, and his younger sister, Captain Branwen Jasmine "Jazz" Verde of the Starfleet Marine Corps.
"Ronnie and Jazz sent their love and support. They agree with your assessment; that I must have been pushed beyond protocol to act as I had. Jazz mentioned she would like some time alone with my former CO for a 'spirited discussion' on the matter."
"Blimey," Essa said, with shifting eyes. "Jazz terrifies
me. She's still on General Lefferts' staff, yeah?"
Leo nodded. "Yeah."
"Artie's reaction notwithstanding… and might I say that she is very much your father's daughter, through and through," she noted, "glad to hear at least a majority of your family is behind you. Your mother may act tough, but you know she is quite worried for you. She did her best to save your career in the only way she knew how."
"I know… but it didn't stop her from taking the other side of the argument," Leo said softly. "She never once questioned the write-up. Never asked me for my side."
"I've read the evaluation," she told him plainly. "However, between the two sides, I know you best." With a scoff, she derided, "His recitation of events-"
"-is the only thing that matters to Starfleet," Leo said, interrupting her. "Captains have wide latitude with the performance evaluations."
She held her cup in her hand and countered, "They're not to use it as punitive measures!"
Leo frowned. "I agree."
"You would not have challenged his authority unless you had good reason," Essa pointed out. "Do you regret your actions?"
His eyes snapped to hers and in that moment, he realized no one had ever asked him; not the Detailer, nor his mother or father in their separate interrogations. Not even Keena Val, one of his closest friends in the fleet. It took but a moment's consideration before he offered her a small shrug and admit, "Not at all."
"I thought not." Essa set the cup down on the saucer and leaned back, resting her long arms on the top of the couch's back, just below the view of the stars. "All right. Now that I have the answer I'd been looking for, let me share with you my intentions."
Leo stood before her with his hands behind his back. "Please."
"I've spoken with Janeera. She adores you, as well she should; you've been turning in outstanding work on her staff. But, she is concerned that while you're working hard to fit in at JAG, your motivations may not be in the best interest of your long-term career in Starfleet."
He listened silently, allowing her to continue her explanation.
"During our discussion, she suggested you might benefit from an opportunity to serve a space billet, temporarily, to double-check your course, so to speak."
"That's what she meant by 'professional growth,'" his gaze drifted to the stars as he recalled his discussion with Janeera. "If I do well here, then…"
"Darling, I could easily billet you as the executive officer of a heavy cruiser, or if you'd like, I could appoint you in command of a frigate or light cruiser," she explained. "Or I could keep you on in your current role for the duration of the mission."
"Which is eighteen to twenty-four months."
"Likely twenty-four, given our most recent briefings."
Leo raised his right eyebrow at that news. "What if I choose to remain as XO under the SJA?" he asked, referring to the Sector Judge Advocate, the aforementioned Captain Janeera Ch'charhat.
"Then, as planned, you head back to Starbase Eight in six months, give or take a week."
"Understood. When would I need to make the-?"
The intercom sounded to interrupt Leo's question. The voice of
Farragut's executive officer called out, "Tolani to Essa."
"Sorry," she said. Tapping her combadge, she replied, "Essa, here. Go ahead, Commander."
"The First Naval Lord has beamed aboard with his chief of staff, sir. We have escorted him to your conference room."
Essa rose while replying, "Thank you. I shall be there, directly. Essa, out." She carried her cup to the dining table and told Leo, "I need you in this meeting, if you wouldn't mind?"
"Not at all," he said, following her out of the mess and into the corridor.
As the pair walked around the curve of the forward section toward the conference lounge, she said, "In response to your pre-empted question: five months. I feel that should be adequate time to decide."
He grinned. "That's more than fair, sir."
"'
Sir?'" Essa grimaced, and opened her mouth to chastise his formality. Instead, she relented with a shrug. "Well, I suppose we're no longer speaking in private..."
"We're about to meet with the First Naval Lord, so I think
some formality would be circumspect."
She nodded as they stood just outside of the door sensor leading to the conference lounge. "Quite right."
"After you,
Admiral," Leo said, his hand outstretched toward the door.
Essa grinned. "Thank you,
Commander." She stepped over the threshold into the lounge just as the door slid open to admit her. She smiled at Sir Joseph and started with, "My lord, please pardon our delay…"