Update

Posted on 20 Jun 2023 @ 2:00pm by Crewman Apprentice Unknown 'Weirdo' & Commander Kristiana Petrova

2,775 words; about a 14 minute read

It was a weird place to find someone, but then, this was a weird someone. Although 'weird' was slightly disrespectful, Kris thought. Unique, that was better than weird. Still, this deep in the ship's maintenance corriders was a - unique - place to find someone.

"Tychon?" she asked, as she rounded the corner. "Mind some company?" She hasn't changed out of her away uniform yet, it still showed some traces of the events on the alien lunar station.

"Not at all!" called a cheerful voice from overhead. "Hang on, I'll be right down." This was an area where the maintenance corridors were bent like noodles, sometimes extending horizontally, sometimes vertically, and Weirdo stood balancing on one of the crossbeams, high overhead. He lightly jumped to the ladder, grabbed it and climbed down. "Welcome back!" he called when he nearly reached the ground.

"Thanks," She seemed tired, even as she sat down on some pipe or another, wincing slightly as she did. The weariness readily visible on her features. "How are you holding up? I hear it was quite a situation up here, too."

"Well, we're still breathing," he said with his usual grin. "I thought I'd give this area a look-over, just to see everything here is ticking along as it should. There are one or two patches that would require some extra attention that I can see, but none of them are remotely critical sytems." He gave her a thoughtful look. "Glad to see you've weathered this situation better than the last one…"

She smirked tiredly, even as she closed her eyes and leaned back against a wall. "The risks of the job, I suppose. Today was a case of 'I make the hard choices so the innocent don't have to'." When she'd said that she wondered to herself why she had. He had no clearance, no need to know what had gone down.

Something stirred deep inside him when she said that, as if a memory of a memory briefly awoke before falling quiet again. "The burdens of command," he replied, and the cheerful tone was gone now, the sea-coloured eyes had taken on a darker colour – not the shallows near the coast but the deeper blue of darker waters now. "Care to talk about it?"

She considered for a moment. In part she would like to talk about it, and nobody was asking her to. "A few months ago we were on a mission. I was part of the away team there, too. Some - dead spirits took over some of our people - including me. Don't ask me how, I'm no scientist, I don't understand either," She sighed, shaking her head a moment. These weren't pleasant memories.

"Anyways, the one who took over me used my authority to take over the ship and order experiments on the crew. The thing is, I was aware for the duration. Everything that - ... monster ... did, it was my voice giving the orders. I remember speaking those words. Being unable to stop myself from doing so," she had a thousand mile stare as she explained. "Anyways, long story short, we found a way to get rid of them. I was - my mind was ... freed, and that was that. I still have nightmares, from time to time."

"Then comes today's mission. I'm leading the away team again. Turns out there's this - artefact, or something, that can take over other people's minds. Took over most of the Oran'taku on that base. Just - displaced the original minds. Commander Taliborn almost got taken over, too. Long story short, we find the artefact and it starts talking to us. Telling us it's sorry for all the hurt it caused, saying it wants to live. To learn," her expression hardens. "I gave the order to destroy it. And that - should be that," as her expression just fell to tiredness again. Tiredness far beyond the physical. Tiredness of the soul. "That should be that. Right?"

The strange man regarded her for awhile, listening to her without any sign of judgement, just that open expression on his face he always had when he listened to someone else. Then he said: "Judging by how things stabilised just as abruptly as it seemed to begin, destroying the artefact was succesful. But are you questioning your decision itself, or how it was influenced by your previous experiences, or both?"

"Questioning the decision, yes. Wondering if it was influenced by my previous decision? I'm sure it was," she glanced up at him with a light shrug. "Are you sure you weren't a psychologist before the - thing happened?"

"I have no idea," he said and settled down on the deck, cross-legged. "I might have been anything from a psychologist to a battle-wearied warrior to a painter or a tailor, I suppose. Hm, maybe I should try some painting or tailoring just to see if I can." He cut himself off with an airy wave of his hand, as if dismissing that stray thought. "Now that you can think back on it, do you think you made the right decision by ordering to destroy it? Or do you think you ought to have been swayed by its pleas? And do you know what the other members of the away team think about your order, did it seem like they agreed or disagreed?" He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hands propped under his chin, and looked up at her.

"It's not up to them to judge me, though," Kris shook her head. "That's up to Starfleet. And myself. In Starfleet's eyes, I destroyed a unique - ... entity. Maybe even a life form. Was it still a threat? That's open to interpretation," she heaved a sigh. "As for myself - I'm of two minds. Part of me is convinced I made the right call. The only call. Part of me - isn't. And I'm having some trouble getting those sides to rhyme."

The man nodded. "The reason I asked what the other team members thought of your decision was not because of any judgement. Understandable that Starfleet would – but they weren't on the spot when you made that call. Only the other members of your team were. And though it was indeed your call – the burden of command, as I said before – talking it over with them might give yourself clarity of mind, give more weight to one part of you over the other. It's one of the reasons why debriefings exists. You were the one who gave the order, yes, but they executed it. Maybe they agree with it, and that will help them sleep. Maybe they don't, and that will need to be addressed as well. Either way, a good debriefing will give a measure of closure." There was no sign of his usual airy attitude, he was focused and serious.

She shrugged a bit. "Starfleet officers are supposed to follow orders, unless those orders are unlawful by Starfleet law or clearly unethical. It's very rare that people disobey orders though, and there are always consequences. Big ones," Kristiana explained, her voice a bit low, lacking in energy. "I'm not sure why I'm telling you all this, really. I came down here to check on you, make sure you were alright. Not to get my brain picked." Beat. "Though I appreciate the concern. Thank you."

"Is that a request for me to stop asking further questions?" the man asked with a smile. Not the wide, slightly manic grin he often displayed, but a more gentle one. "But you look tired. Have you eaten yet? Ugh, question." He grimaced at himself, then waved the words away with another casual gesture. "Alright, my recommendations, for what they're worth. Eat something. Have a drink. Medicinal purposes. Have a good rest, insofar as possible. Everything else can wait. You need to be able to function yourself again before you can lead others… as I'm sure you know."

"I'm not leading though, I'm checking up on a - " friend. " ... fellow shipmate," she paused. Why was that her first thought? She hadn't even known him for long at all. Heck, he wasn't even part of the crew. Though perhaps that made confiding in him earlier, easier. "Speaking of which, have you decided what you're going to do yet? Because, if not, I might have a thought."

"You do?" He leaned forward, hands propped under his chin again, his mood immediately changed from grave and almost commanding to his usual light, eager 'the universe is my playground, full of wonder' one. If he had noticed her brief hesitation at all, he didn't show. "Do tell?"

She in turn did notice he hadn't answered her question, and that amused her. It fit with what she had in mind. "Let's see. You feel strong about protecting your fellow shipmates. You want to help out. You're keen-witted, inquisitive and intelligent. You obviously have some combat training, and I think I see some leadership potential in there too. So, join Starfleet. Sign up and fast track into security."

"Security," he said musingly. "Interesting choice." He looked up at her. "What makes you suggest Security over, say, Science or Engineering?"

"Your skillset covers security better. With science or engineering you'd be working that mind of yours, but not necessarily the urge to protect your fellow shipmates, work to keep them safe. Plus, I've seen what you can do in the sparring ring. Honestly, it's been a long time since I've had such a workout. Be a shame not to make use of those talents," She paused a moment. "You'd be using those skills for good. Well, provided you agree with the ideals of the federation, of course."

"Up until today I haven't seen any conflicting points," he said. "However, now I might have to ask some more questions regarding the situation you told me about, if you don't mind."

"Sure, go ahead," she shrugged. "Depending on the question, I might not answer, though. You're still a civilian and don't have clearance."

He smiled again, as if trivialities like that didn't concern him at all. However, he became serious again almost immediately. "Do you believe that the Federation, or Starfleet, would have disapproved of your decision to destroy the artefact? And is this decision going to have repercussions for you, as commander of the away team?"

Kris considered for a moment. Yeah her decision did lead to an unknown and arguably unique artefact, possibly a life form, to be destroyed. But her decision was also the reaction to a threat. One might argue that at that point the threat was neutralized. One might even argue that it had surrendered, but that was a very weak argument. And from her point of view, the threat had still been very real at that point.

"Honestly?" She began after a moment of silence. "I think they'll find the end result regretable, but the decision understandable within the context of the situation. Some might argue that I should have chosen differently, but given the situation we found ourselves in, I believe I acted within Starfleet guidelines. I doubt there are going to be repercussions for me. My decision was informed by a current threat that went beyond the safety of the away team and threatened the ship. If I understand the timeline correctly, the attack on the ship only stopped when we destroyed the artefact. Not before."

"For what it's worth, I agree with your assessment. The very fact that the artefact could reach all the way to the ship is worrisome," the man said with a nod. "And it began to talk to you only after you reached it? It couldn't have done that before? Especially with the reach it had, the way it could control minds. If it wanted to talk, it seems to me it could have done so from the moment you entered the base."

"It talked to us through a mindcontrolled person, not directly. I suppose it could have done so first time we ran in to a mindcontrolled person, but first time we did we got attacked. So I suppose you'd be right, there." Now it was Kristiana's turn to ask questions. "Why is this the question you wanted answered before answering my suggestion of becoming a security officer?"

He replied promptly. "Because, just as you had to do as commander of your away team, as a security officer you are sometimes required to make decisions on the spot. Life and death decisions. And I do hope, and believe, that though following orders is important, Starfleet doesn't require their officers to just blindly follow orders instead of thinking for themselves and having to make a call when they're on the spot and their superiors are not."

"That's actually a very larger part of what makes Starfleet Starfleet. Officers are given a measure of freedom in how to follow orders, within established guidelines of what the Federation stands for. The best officers manage to use those guidelines and that freedom to achieve the greatest results," Kris replied easily. "Sisko, Picard, Janeway, Riker - all legendary names that might be worth looking up some time if you want to learn more about what makes a great officer."

"I'll do that." He leaned back against the wall and stretched his legs. "Very well, proposal accepted. And on that note, you know that there are areas of the ship which are off-limits for guests and civilians, yes? And the measures which are in place to ensure they don't accidentally end up there anyway?"

"Yeah. I was security before I rolled into command. Why?" Kris asked.

He folded his arms behind his head and wriggled his feet. "Less secure than you might think. I've found at least five ways to get into various restricted areas and I wasn't even properly looking." And there that eager grin of his popped up again. "I could try to find more before my application is processed, if you can add a standing order to the log that my future collegues won't try to stun me if they see me pop up where I'm not supposed to be."

"Most of those measure are just to keep people from accidentally wandering in somewhere they shouldn't be. Insufficient to keep out someone who's inquisitive and determined. But even if they get somewhere they shouldn't be, they shouldn't be able to cause real harm," Kris explained with a smile. "It's like a lock on a fence. Anyone determined enough will get past for sure, but it keeps people from accidentally wandering into your garden."

The grin didn't leave. "So how about designing a really secure system, then? Bit of a challenge. I'm not thinking 'sealing off whole compartiments in case of invasion', although that might be another step considering what happened before I came on board, but something which could also keep out the really determined ones. Better fence, better lock."

"See, the problem with that is that the better the lock, the more it challenges someone determined to go above to break it. Which could lead to trouble. Like I said, those systems are not really designed to be full proof, they're designed to act as a first barrier to keep someone from wandering in accidentally," she mused. "Though nobody's going to stop you from designing a more secure system. Just don't be upset if we don't implement it." she smiled back.

"That's not a problem, that's just more fun. Better entertainment than the average holodeck program. I'll see what I can do." He jumped up with a supple motion. "So, signing up, what do I need to do?"

Being lazy and tired, Kristiana held up a hand to him to help her up. "I can put in the request to Starfleet, get the ball rolling. You'll be given an aptitude test, which I think you'll ace, and then the learning starts."

He took her hand and pulled her up with ease. "Sounds good to me."

She couldn't help but blush a tiny bit and hold on to his hand a smidge longer than necessary, standing so close to him, before turning away. "Yeah, sounds good. I'll get the ball rolling then." and with that she took a step towards the exit, gklancing back over her shoulder. "You staying here?"

"Nah. I was just about done." He smiled and fell into step with her. "So, have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet, that was next on the list," Beat. "Wanna join me in the lounge?"

"Gladly. Is there anything you'd recommend?" The door closed behind them as they returned to the more common areas of the ship.

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