“Do you have questions about anything?”

It was something he considered for a moment, what exactly to ask, if it was appropriate or not. At least ten different questions went through his thoughts before he settled on one that seemed to matter the most. “The Romulans. I know I read a lot of reports and the like. However things have been quite a mess since T’Met two years ago. I know the Ragnarok did their best to settle things in the region before leaving but the Reman independence and joining of the Federation has not exactly been smooth. The instability seems to be getting worse and worse. What’s your read on the situation as a whole and do you feel Blackwatch is really warranted here? I have no hesitancy in supporting the mission and fulfilling my role, but there is always that question in letting things continue to destabilize on their own instead of poking the bear as it were.”

There was a shadow of an expression when he mentioned the Remans that crossed over Oksana’s face; it wasn’t a positive one, perhaps maybe it was a flicker of disdain. She seemed, however, to catch herself and it went away as quickly as it appeared. “It is no real surprise it is getting worse, truthfully. Romulans see Remans as their lessers; a species meant to be enslaved and used for whatever whim or reason the Romulans might have. The fact that the Remans have broken away from them is an affront to their superiority, and you can imagine how that is going over.”

She shook her head just slightly and continued, “This region cannot be allowed to destabilize, the repercussions for the entire quadrant would likely be catastrophic and it would ruin the Vulcan’s attempts at reunification which Starfleet has decided is a wise idea after all. Romulans are, however, Romulans. They operate in shadow and so we must as well.”

Wade listened intently, finding reassurance in her words and the reconfirmation of what all was required for them to perform their duties and keep the region as stable as possible. “The Remans have fought hard for their position, I can see why the interference from the Romulans is such an issue, and the fact they are part of the Federation now makes it even more important for them to be protected. Failure is certainly not an option here, is it?”

Taking another sip of water, the man considered what else there was left to cover. “As we’ve been going through things here, do you have any questions for me that have come up?”

“I’m curious what you feel is your biggest hurdle to overcome as a leader of this kind of mission?” As she looked at him, her head tilted just slightly and she looked at him with those uncanny blue eyes that were full of curiosity. “I feel as your second officer among other things, it is important for me to know.”

“Honestly” he said, “getting used to operating just under their noses. I mean, we know that they know that we’re here. Let’s be real. But listening to their every move when we can and sending teams in, hoping no one gets caught and if so, what will their response be? One could presume the destruction of this ship and crew, likely the starbase. There’s a lot of dice rolls going on with quite a few lives, and it’s not something I’ll be comfortable with here for a while. It’s a lot to hinge the fate of the region on, to include another potential war with them.”

Oksana smiled at that; not necessarily something happy, but the expression appeared and remained nonetheless. “Truthfully, sir, I think you should pray you never become truly comfortable with that particular notion. Comfort when it comes to the lives of others leads to one thinking that those around them are expendable. That would be a crime.”

“That’s probably why Admiral Vance selected me for this assignment. It's just too unnerving for me to get used to. And regardless of what the oath entails and the document we all signed says in particular, in truth, none of us are expendable. Not a single one.” Wade stood up from his chair and walked to the right side of the table, looking through another stack of PADDs but unable to find anyone else that caught his attention.

“I’m sure you’ve looked at a number of other personnel in Blackwatch, is there anyone else you can think of that you may want for your team?” Wade had decided this particular topic of conversation was easier to continue than the one he’d shifted into.

Her gaze followed him as he moved away to distract himself with the PADDs. She wondered why he was trying to escape the conversation, but decided to allow it this time. Her eyes moved from him to the large monitor covering most of the side of the room nearest to her. “I will submit a list to you with my other suggestions for personnel later today.”

The Captain looked at the monitor as well and then back at Oksana giving her a nod “Of course. I’ll keep an eye out for it and if I have any questions I’ll make sure they get back to you. If you have nothing else I’ll let you get back to your duties. I know we both can never seem to get caught up on them.”

“Of course, sir.” Oksana stood then and turned her head toward him. Before she made for the door, she spoke again, “You’ll never be comfortable with it, Captain, but what you will do is learn to trust yourself and the decisions you make.”

He looked back up from the stacks as she spoke and grinned “Thank you Lieutenant. I appreciate the sentiment more than you know.”

“Until next time then, Captain.” She gave another smile and promptly turned to leave the room. There was still a lot of work to be done and seemingly very little time to do it all effectively.