Post 223: Rebuilding Trust, Reclaiming the Edge
Posted on Sun Feb 23rd, 2025 @ 11:45pm by Commander Jordan Haines & Lieutenant Commander Michael McMahon
1,054 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission: Secrets
After meeting with Tom, and getting the courage to do it, Mike asked the computer to find where Jordan was. He headed off to find him, data padd in hand, to present him with the infomation that he and Tom had come up with in regards to possibly having an advantage against the Synthulans.
Jordan was in his office at the moment. He had a few things to do before he headed back on duty. The past few days had taken a toll on all of them, he knew it was smart to take breaks. He heard his door chime and called out for entry. Seeing Mike, he sat back and motioned to a chair without speaking.
Mike stepped into the office, taking a deep breath as he walked toward the chair Jordan had motioned to. The weight of the data padd in his hand felt heavier than it should, but he wasn’t backing down now. He'd spent too much time working on this with Tom to just leave it at that.
"Hey, Jordan," Mike greeted, his voice a little more measured than usual. He placed the padd on the desk and sat down, giving his friend a small nod of acknowledgment. "I’ve got something that might give us an edge, a way to turn the tables on the Synthulans."
Mike gave a slight pause, letting the words settle between them. He could tell Jordan was probably feeling the same strain as he was. Hell, everyone was—no one's been untouched by the pressure, but Mike knew that if they could use this, it could be a game-changer.
"Tom and I’ve been digging, and we came up with some pretty interesting intel that could give us an upper hand. I don’t want to spoil too much right now, but I think this might be worth you taking a look at," he continued, sliding the padd forward.
There was a shift in his tone now, more vulnerable than usual. "And... before we get into this, I need to apologize for how things went down before the mission. I know I was out of line with you, and I’m sorry. I shouldn't have let things escalate like that. I let my frustrations get the best of me."
He shifted slightly in his chair, not wanting to dwell too long on the past but needing to clear the air. "I know that doesn't fix anything, but I hope we can move forward with this. I don’t want that stuff hanging over us."
Jordan sat for a long moment, weighing Mike’s words. “As you know, I am not a man who gives second chances when something crosses a line.” He looked Mike dead in the eyes. “Don’t ever use our friendship against me again because if you do, you will not like the consequences.”
Mike nodded slowly, feeling the weight of Jordan’s words, but he didn’t shy away from the intensity in his friend’s gaze. He knew what Jordan was capable of when he felt betrayed, and he had crossed that line. It stung, but he deserved it.
"I get it," Mike said quietly, his voice steady but with an edge of humility. "I messed up, and I won't do it again. I didn't mean to use our friendship against you—I was just… frustrated. But I understand what you’re saying, and I won’t let it happen again."
He gave Jordan a long look, knowing this was his chance to prove he could be trusted again, to show that he could handle the weight of both the mission and their friendship.
Listening to him speak, Jordan knew Mike regretted what he had said and he understood it wouldn’t happen again. His eyes lit up and it was as if nothing happened. “What do you have for me.”
Mike let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, the tension in his shoulders easing just slightly at Jordan’s shift in demeanor. He knew he’d have to prove himself moving forward, but for now, this was a step in the right direction.
He tapped the padd, bringing up the data he and Tom had compiled. "Alright, so we’ve been looking into weaknesses the Synthulans might not even realize they have. Tom had a theory about how their neural link systems could be disrupted under certain conditions, and we found something that might actually work."
Mike leaned forward slightly, his energy shifting from personal to professional. "We think we can interfere with their synchronization—throw off their coordination long enough to create exploitable gaps in their response time. It’s not a silver bullet, but if we time it right, we could turn a fight in our favor."
He smirked slightly, a familiar confidence returning. "I figured you’d want to see the details for yourself before we test anything, but I think we might actually have something here."
Jordan took a look, his interest was peeked. “This looks promising.” He sighed. “Get right on it, the sooner we know, the better.”
Mike sat back in his chair, feeling a sense of relief as the conversation turned back to their work. The tension from before had lifted, and now it was all about the mission. He nodded at Jordan’s response, his expression serious.
“Right, I’m on it,” Mike replied, his voice steady and focused, the earlier vulnerability replaced by a new sense of purpose. "Tom and I have already started working out the specifics, but I’ll get to it right away. We’ll have everything ready for testing as soon as possible."
He reached for the padd again, pulling up the next set of data, already thinking ahead. “I’ll keep you updated with every step. We’ll make sure we’ve got all the angles covered before we try anything.”
Mike paused for a moment, giving Jordan a quick glance. "And thanks… for hearing me out. It means a lot."
With that, he stood, ready to dive into the work ahead. He didn’t need to say more—his actions would show that he was committed to getting things right this time.
Commander Jordan Haines
Executive Officer
Starbase Obsidian
Lt Cmdr Mike McMahon
Chief Operations Officer
Starbase Obsidian
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