The Defensive Line

Posted on 21 Jul 2021 @ 3:43pm by Commander Indi Hawk

1,067 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Home
Location: Kenya

Indi had made sure to stay close to the Cadet assigned to her. They'd exchanged the basic pleasantries insofar that they knew each other's name and the Cadet knew well enough by now to treat her with the necessary respect. As soon as they beamed down, they were standing close to each other as the orders were given. To Indi, it didn't seem all that much of a challenge. That sort of hike wasn't that uncommon when you were in training with the Union. Granted, once you were assigned to a starship, the physical aspects of the job became less important, but still, they insisted on enough renewal courses to keep everyone in shape.

Cadet Samaras wasn't really sure what to make of her "mentor" for this trip. The group of students hadn't really been briefed on the details of the crew they'd be working with, but rumor travels fast enough and she knew that this crew had seen some shit. She and the commander hadn't spoken much since meeting, but there was definitely something different about the way she carried herself. Or maybe Katina was over-reading things.

She listened to Layne's directions and then turned to Commander Hawk. "Should we look into hunting tools and securing our perimeter, sir?"

"You're to make sure anything and everything Security related is covered, Cadet," Indi replied by way of non-reply. She felt the same kind of discomfort as the Cadet, as she had no idea herself how to guide a Cadet in this universe. In the Union, they wouldn't even be on this kind of pleasure cruise.

"Yes, sir," Katina replied with a single nod. She hated when instructors gave those sorts of answers. A yes or no, a little direction, would've killed her? The cadet naturally kept those thoughts to herself, however, as she turned and moved toward Cadet Layne, who was apparently in charge. She informed him of her skills and then returned to Hawk. "I'm going to be walking the perimeter of our area while we're getting ourselves sorted out, Commander, while also looking for things that might work for tools or weapons. Will you be joining me, sir?"

If Indi could guess some of the unspoken words, she didn't let it show. Either way, she wouldn't have cared. After all, she wasn't here to be friends with these students, she was here to eventually teach her something. "I will, yes," she replied to Katina and fell in line, just half a step behind the other woman, as she set in motion.

Katina wondered if it would be like this after she graduated and was an ensign somewhere...but she had time before she found that out. She nodded her acknowledgement and then began to walk. She started close to the group, checking everything in immediate range first before beginning a slowly growing circle to check further out. After several minutes, she took a chance. "Commander, may I ask you a question? It's not related to my immediate duties."

Indi had made sure to keep half a step behind the Cadet. She was pretty impressed by how the Cadet was handling things. Walking the perimeter wasn't the hardest thing to do, but she had a good basic grasp of how to make it happen. "You can ask, but I'm not guaranteeing an answer," she nodded to the question.

Having half-expected to be told no, the cadet now inwardly scrambled to figure out a tactful way to ask what she was so curious about. "Forgive my impertinence, but you carry yourself differently than most of the other senior staff I'm seeing here from the Odin." She waved back at the group, who were all moving about their own concerns. "I know the ship had an...interesting year, though we were not told of the details. I suppose it's less a question and more a...curiosity as to why you seem different."

Observant, this Cadet. Indi could appreciate that. They hadn't received orders that swore them to secrecy, so she saw no reason not to answer the valid question. "The Odin has visited my universe for the past year before it made it back. I was..." how to state it... "caught still aboard when the ship returned to your universe, so now I'm here with all of you."

Not quite what Katina had expected but perhaps, upon a moment's reflection, she should have. "That sounds like it must have been...very difficult," she said carefully. "And now you're assigned to teach us about being in Starfleet?"

The irony wasn't lost on Indi. She'd considered that the moment it had been clear what they were about to do. "I'll tell you what, Cadet. I'll teach you about being a Security officer and we can find out together what it's like to be in Starfleet."

"Yes, sir," Katina said with a smile that was hints of both surprise and curiosity. "I'm in my third year at the academy and relatively high-ranked among the Class of 2422."

Indi noted the pride with which it was said, and though she didn't want to not acknowledge it, she had learned from experience that it wasn't a good premise to see being high-ranked as an end point rather than a step on the way to better yourself. "How long have you been specializing in Security?" she asked, steering the topic away from ranking systems.

Katina said, "Officially? Since my second year when we chose our specialties, but I've known since I entered the academy that I wanted to work in security and have been mentally focused in that direction the whole time."

"It shows," Indi agreed. They completed another tour and she looked over at the other young woman. "We can't keep circling forever. What else can we do to guarantee security?"

The cadet took that as praise, but she restrained her outward reaction. She didn't want to look like a child in front of this more experienced officer, after all. She wanted to look professional. She took a breath and glanced around. "We have walked the perimeter and seen no obvious threats, but the best defense is a good offense. We should consider the perimeter for point where animals might intrude and find ways to ward them off, and create some sort of weaponry to defend against any animals that don't take an easy hint."

Indi nodded. "Let's get to it, Cadet."

 

RSS Feed