He Who Shouts Loudest...

Posted on 11 Sep 2015 @ 10:23am by Commander Norvi Stace & Petty Officer 1st Class Taliesin Cynwrig

2,102 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 09 - Empires
Location: Executive Officer's Officer, Deck Two
Timeline: MD 2, 1110 hours

ON:

Stace sat behind what was left of her desk. In reality, it was all still there, if a little blackened and charred. Her office had taken a beating through the rift but wasn't compromised and, once it had been cleaned down a little, still functioned for its purpose. Her newly replicated console was pristine and something that she had had her nose in for the past six hours, it making a stark contrast to the darkened desk. The door bell chimed and she looked at the chronometre, already knowing exactly what time it was and who was about to walk through. She inhaled, leant back into her bucket chair and began to flick her nails before pushing the console to the side.

"Come in," came her low rumble of a voice.

Taliesin stepped inside, moving quickly and precisely, and paused behind the mess that was the first officer's desk, "Petty Officer Cynwrig, reporting as ordered, ma'am." Boot camp perfect. He felt a little proud of that. And he'd not cursed, that was a good sign. He usually couldn't get through more than a few sentences without one, and starting off that way would have probably been a bad idea.

"At ease," Stace's stoic and unimpressed expression said as her eyes surveyed him from her steely face. "Why don't you sit down, Cynwrig? I wouldn't want you to freeze in that awkward stance."

Her attitude was placid and yet a little combative. She hadn't organised this meeting with the view to rake him over the coals with what she'd witnessed earlier that day, but she certainly wanted to distill a more tactful manner in the man. Even if that meant acting like his mirror image.

She returned her attention back to her nails, gave them a final inspection and then glanced over at him. "We haven't been formally introduced and I thought that I would take this opportunity to kill two birds with one stone... so to speak. Why don't you tell me a little bit about your position on the Galileo, your training thus far and how you think Captain Holliday's ship will benefit from you acting as though corporal punishment should return to the services."

Her tone now evened out, as did her head, as she squarely and antagonistically cut him a look, her eyes wide with anticipation of what he was about to tell her.

The human paused as he was halfway into his chair. Corporal punishment? Had he hit someone since coming on board? He'd certainly wanted to and with a number of different people, but he was sure he'd been behaving himself. Perhaps she'd read about that incident at McKinley Station.

"As Master-At-Arms, it's my duty to maintain and secure the ship's armoury," he said, sitting. "To arrange for a training program for Security and practise drills for the ship, pending approval by my chief." That was all by rote though, and of course Commander Stace would know all that ahead of time. Perhaps she wanted to see if he did. Not for the first time, Taliesin wished his telepathy had developed along more traditional lines. Though it was still very rare in humanity, he had the gift, just in his own special way. "Is there something amiss, Commander?"

Stace steeled herself against the anger that brewed inside of her belly. Her previous host, the starship Captain Janel Stace, was a stern man. Not one to fraternise with subordinates or to leisurely eat in the Mess Hall, he deemed that protocol dictated a professional distance between superior staff and their greener colleagues, but he never championed violent interactions or the whip. And Stace was even less disagreeable. She took in a measured breath and then tapped the console's controls, turning it then to face the MAA. "Whilst routinely reviewing the security logs this morning - something that I've taken to doing of late - I came across this."

The scene began to play out with the culprit sat before her screaming violently at Cadet Wintrow Paragon in a manner that she deemed highly unacceptable.

"Who do you think you are, Cadet, to walk in here like you own the damn place, and think you can stand there before us like some hoolagaren fool with his head in the clouds?" The security man almost barked the words, his tone harsh, his voice very loud. Taliesin's face was screwed up in anger as well. "I got news for you, mister, you ain't an officer yet. You are a cadet, and that means you are nothing. You will address us as 'Warrant Officer' and 'Petty Officer' from now on or I'll fill your file with demerits so fast that Starfleet will cashier you out faster than warp nine. You got it, Cadet?

Stace paused the playback and then powered-down the console, looking glaringly at the petty officer before her.

"Back in Victorian Britain, a period of history that you may be more familiar with than I, school masters would take to striking unruly children with canes until they submitted and bent to the will of their dominant aggressor. Is that your next step in discipline, Petty Officer? Beatings? She paused but didn't allow him to answer. "Unfortunately for you, I think that cadets are more than nothing. And I don't care what kind of boot-camp training was forced upon your impressionable youth but I will not have you address your subordinates in that manner. Or I shall return the favour. Am I clear?"

"Oh, certainly sir," Taliesin said, not looking really phased by it. He could take a dressing down from his superior, and he wouldn't even shout at the trembling, stuttering boy that was supposed to be a Starfleet Cadet...though he may raise his voice and give him the evil eye. "But if I may say, I think it's a large leap from shouting at the kid to try to get him angry enough to show some backbone to actually hitting him. I know better than that." He sounded a bit offended that she apparently assumed that was his next step as she put it.

Of course, the Vulcan and him had further training programs set up for Cadet Paragon, some of which was the self defense training he was missing out on being on board a starship and not attending regular classes. He was going to need to hit the kid in that, but he knew how to restrain himself and keep it just training.

"I'm not worried about the leap from shouting to corporal punishment, Petty Officer," Stace countered back with an even tone. "What I am worried about is the lack of respect shown to a budding cadet. There are ways to instill an officer-type attitude in people and creating an air of hostility and disregard is not, in my opinion, one of them. I'm sure that your intentions aren't as negative as they appear, but I want you to rein it in with him."

"Aye, sir," Taliesin responded automatically. He didn't like it though. This kid obviously needed to get a backbone and Taliesin's method was to try to push him to the point that he'd stand up for himself rather than just take the abuse. Wintrow Paragon was just so...timid. "I suppose I can try to see if being nice to him is going to get him to come out of this shell." He sounded completely disbelieving of the possibility.

The sarcasm and lack of commitment wasn't lost on the Trill as she slowly inhaled and then pursed her lips emphatically. "This isn't a request, Petty Officer," she began with, laying down her own authority. "Nor is it an order. It's a reminder." She knew that she wasn't going to change the man's attitude or his work ethic, but something had to be said to her mind. "I don't want disrespectful airs drummed into our recruits. This isn't bootcamp. That's for the Academy to meet out. This is Paragon's chance to experience service on aboard a ship that reaches out across the frontiers of known space, not a marine corps. And I won't have it run like one. I know that your intentions are true, but there's a way to go about certain teachings and I don't think humiliation and screaming at the poor kid will garner the results you want. I hope that I'm making myself clear."

"Understood, sir," Taliesin said, and tried not to grind his teeth. It was plain that the man disagreed with her. At the same time, he was very much aware of the chain of command and would not go against Stace's wishes as much as he wouldn't disobey an order. Not with an officer, and most especially not with the ship's executive officer. "I will make sure that his future training will focus on what he needs to learn with a more positive approach."

He really needed to schedule some holodeck time soon. Maybe see what sort of bar brawls the computer had on file, and see if he could get an officer to turn off the safety protocols for him as well. Taliesin really wanted to feel it when he punched someone .

"Cadet Paragon is fortunate to be on this ship, sir. I feel after having read the Cadet Syllabus for the Academy, that he has fallen behind in his training in some areas. Warrant Officer S'rivas asked me to assist in getting the Cadet caught up. But I'll do it fairly, Commander."

"That's all I ask, Petty Officer," Stace replied with a more confident and easy air about her. "Horses for courses or something to that ilk, so I'm told." She relaxed a little more and flicked a eyebrow up. "It's not my intention to tell you how to teach, I'm just hopefully trying to get you to see other paths. I didn't like what I just saw and unfortunately, that's just my opinion. My previous host was captain and rose through the ranks like everyone else. But he was a sterner man than I. It just doesn't suit me anymore."

"I hope he finds his backbone soon, sir," Taliesin admitted. It was why he had done what he had, trying to get the boy to stand up for himself instead of taking it. He might not agree with Commander Stace but he would obey to the best of his ability. Not shouting might be a bit hard though, and he wondered if she would come down on him like a pile of duranium if he slipped up a little. "He might need a stern lecture sometime. But I'll limit myself to teaching him the technical things, sir. Self defence, weapons use, that sort of thing. Maybe Warrant Officer S'rivas will have better luck on the confidence bit."

"I'm not opposed to you lecturing, Petty Officer," Stace clarified. "Nor am I opposed to you shouting from time to time. I'm not prohibiting that. I'm just asking to rein it in from what I've just shown you."

"Aye, sir. I will do so." Taliesin looked visibly relieved when she said he could shout. It was very cathartic and he suspected he was going to need that training this boy. The situation was a little odd, being an enlisted man who was training a future officer but that came with his own job of Master-At-Arms and training anyone on the ship who needed to improve what he specialised in. Taliesin was just used to dealing with people with more confidence. "Rein it in, I mean. I'll try to watch the shouting, sir."

Stace smiled with a knowing crinkle of her nose and nodded. "Then I'll look forward to seeing the progress you make with the cadet." She smiled fully and turned the console back to face her. "There's nothing further, Petty Officer, but know that if there's anything you need then you are always welcome to come to me for it."

"Thank you, sir," Taliesin said, getting to his feet quickly. "I will see that Warrant Officer S'rivas and I both provide you with regular reports as to Cadet Wintrow's education." He nodded in respect, turned on his heel sharply, and left the room without having to be told twice. Taliesin had been dismissed, and he'd be glad to get out into the corridor where he could finally swear. Did she realise just how hard it was to keep his mouth clean?

[OFF]

PO1 Taliesin Cynwrig
Master-At-Arms
USS Galileo

AND

Commander Norvi Stace
Executive Officer
USS Galileo

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