Question of Links - (Part 1 of 3)

Posted on 06 Aug 2012 @ 10:33am by Lieutenant Theron Rhodes & Lieutenant Aria Rice & Lieutenant JG Kestra Orexil & Chief Warrant Officer 3 Marek Pawlak (KIA)
Edited on on 07 Aug 2012 @ 9:50am

2,427 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 3, Security Office/Armory
Timeline: MD07 - 1930 hrs

[ON]

Security Office - 1930 hrs

Aria looked around as she went in for her shift, seeing the other officers there. She smiled almost nervously before she straightened her back and strolled over, the smile growing confident. "Hello all," she said, her eyes going over them for a long moment. Hair tied back, in a high ponytail, makeup within regulations (she had checked that out when she first joined Starfleet...and she kept to it. Mostly.) and her uniform neat. "I'm Ensign Aria Rice, I am on this shift..." she kept it at that...almost silently wishing that someone would talk to her. Because if the silence stretched for a long moment, she would have to fill it. And her topics today weren't that great.

"So you are," the lanky, hazel-eyed Master Warrant Officer replied. "I'm not, but we pushed back the shift change here for the transfers from the starbase." He looked as though he'd just rolled out of bed after a sleepless night: hair wild, cheeks scruffy, eyes heavy-lidded and shadowed. Yet his stare was sharply intense as it focused on her. "I am Assistant Chief Pawlak. This-"

Beside him, a slightly shorter officer with light brown hair and light brown eyes shook his head with a sigh, switched his coffee cup to his left hand, and held out his right. He, too, looked tired - and he was, having just finished his shift. "Rhodes, Daniel. Petty Officer First Class. Welcome to the Galileo." He stifled a yawn behind his coffee and gave her a welcoming nod.

Aria blushed. Great. Total mess as well, with how she had put it. Beta shift. Right. She nodded, some of her bravado dying down. "Thank you," she said, and had to bite back a 'Sir'. She wasn't used being around enlisted very much. "Happy to be here...any duties for me? Sir?" she looked over at Pawlak, studying him closely, taking in his appearance. Okay, he looked how she had felt going to bed last night. Not a great thing. But then again, she had makeup to cover those sort of imperfections.

"The Chief has plans for you, once she finishes the business of the shift change," Marek informed her in his clipped, heavily accented bass, still studying her. "You may wait here."

"LT is in her office, sorting through some sensor data with T'Paaru," Daniel explained with a tired grin. He jerked a thumb towards Marek, "And he's not as much of an ass as he seems."

The dark, intense stare shifted from Aria to the petty officer. Daniel met it, smiled sweetly, and whispered, "Dead puppies."

Marek's lips twitched slowly into a smirk.

"Everyone has a weakness," Daniel remarked, dropping into a chair by the door with another yawn and a sip of his coffee. "Glad I'm not the only one in the department now who didn't get the morning intensive."

"You will," Marek told him, still smirking, and took a seat in front of the main security console.

Aria watched them all with awe, staying where she was...rooted to the spot. There was a dynamic here, one she had to adjust to. Very masculine. She tilted her head, giving a small smile. "So...what is it that the Lieutenant wants with me?" she asked gently, curious as she almost rocked on her heels, restless.

"Security personnel have to re-apply for on-board phaser licenses with each transfer," Marek said, not looking up from the console.

"Don't shoot yourself or the LT and you'll be fine," Daniel commented. "She's planning another intensive?"

Marek nodded. "You and the new recruits."

"Hints?"

Marek smiled sharply over his shoulder at the other man then turned back to the console.

"Thanks a lot." Daniel took another sip of his coffee. "She give you the 'I know what you're thinking' talk yet?" he asked Aria, wondering if she was going to stand there in the middle of the office until the LT got out of her meeting.

Aria held his eyes before nodding. "Yeah. She did. Thing is...I wanted to ask..." she moved to an empty chair and sat down, heavily for someone so small. "I mean...how does it work? If you link with her? Can she just pop into your head any time, like a catflap opening? Or is it a doorbell kinda thing?" she looked at them, grimacing slightly. "Because my head? Pretty full as it is...but then again, I see the wisdom in dumping info quickly and sort of moving on. And some things can't be explained properly as an order anyway, so maybe by that theory thoughts would work more? And in which case, I should say yes, but maybe I am worried that she will see too much and she won't..." she stopped herself, taking a breath. All of that had come out quicker and quicker and she suddenly blushed. "Like me."

Daniel listened to her pour out her concerns. He'd felt pretty much the same when he'd found out the head of his department was a telepath. "You said it was like a com badge in your head, didn't you?" he asked, turning to Marek.

"Easier. Clearer. Less explanations necessary," Marek replied, taciturn, running a new ship-wide vid sweep. "One of the more expedient and precise means of communication I've experienced."

"There you go," Daniel said with a nod. "T'Paaru says it's like mind-melding, except more specific. Not a whole life, just a certain event or thought. And she'd know, I guess, since she's been dealing with telepathic stuff since she was a kid, but..." he shook his head, "the whole idea gives me the shudders."

She took a breath as she watched them, frowning. "I...am human. I mean...the whole..telepathy thing has always been fascinating but I never thought much about it...I mean, let's face it...as far as a superhero strength, it is always a bit boring..." she said and smiled gently, awkwardly. "But does it make a massive difference?" she asked gently.

"So are we," Daniel said. "Human, that is. Pawlak there is even a Terran." At the console, Marek grunted softly. "I don't get the impression it's a superhero thing to the LT. Or to T'Paaru. It's like breathing for them. I get that."

"And yet you won't let her breathe," Marek muttered, eyes on the vid screens.

Daniel ignored him, focusing on Aria's question. "I haven't noticed any particular difference."

"Of course you haven't. You haven't experienced it at all."

"Just because I don't want Borg-brain-" he began, then sighed as Marek spun up and out of his chair, and looked down into his coffee. "It was a joke, AC."

"You implying our Chief is trying to control your mind and take away your free will is a joke?"

"No-" Daniel sighed deeper. "No, I don't think she's doing any of that." He looked back at Aria, "She's a good Chief, seems to know what she's doing, actually cares about our well-being, and the effort she's been making for Ruktah..." He shook his head, turning back to Marek. "So it was a stupid joke. But it was still a joke."

Marek lifted his chin, loyal to the bone. He may not have known the Chief very long in terms of time, but he'd agreed to a full melding of the minds. She knew more about him than his own brother did and he knew more about her than he guessed most of the rest of the team did, except possibly T'Paaru.

"Right." Daniel fought and then gave in to another yawn. "Can we do the battle of wills when I'm awake?"

Marek held his gaze for a long moment and then inclined his head succinctly. "It will not change most of the routine responsibilities on ship," he said, turning to Aria. "She uses com badges for almost all of that, even for those of us who have agreed to the link. But in the event of a real tactical situation, you'll be able to see exactly what she plans, not only for you but for the rest of the team. It also allows some of us to receive orders privately, without alerting anyone nearby who might be listening. That was useful when we had the Klingons on board. More than tactics, it allows her to focus her attention on solving problems instead of shielding herself from our thoughts all the time."

"Which those of us with privacy issues appreciate," Daniel murmured and took a deep gulp of his coffee.

She frowned at the exchange, studying them all for a long moment. Okay. Tensions. A bit of a small divide, but almost friendly. She smiled weakly. "No half way measure?" she suddenly asked. "Because I am not good at chosing sides..." she arched an eyebrow, folding her arms. "And honestly? Seems it is the pros versus the cons here in a big way..."

"It's not a pro versus con thing," Daniel said, gulping more of the steaming caffeine. "It's whether you're okay with having someone else talking in your head."

"It's not all that much like talking," Marek interjected.

"All right. Whether you're okay with someone else thinking in your head."

"Although that isn't the point."

"It is for me," Daniel replied with a yawn. "What is taking them so-"

As if the mention of it made it so, the door to Orexil's office opened and a lean Vulcan woman stepped out followed by the Chief. They were both silent, but there was something about the tilt of their heads that made it seem as though they were in the middle of a conversation. A moment later, the Vulcan gave a quick nod and turned to Rhodes. "Breakfast?" she inquired.

"Yes!" Daniel rose gratefully. "Everything okay?"

"We will continue monitoring the event," she replied, then looked at Aria. "Ensign," she acknowledged with almost imperceptible incline of her head. "Good morning," she added, including Marek in her studious gaze, using the greeting as a farewell and heading out of the office.

"See you around, Rice," Daniel gave her a thumbs up and followed his Vulcan shift-mate into the corridor.

"See ya..." Aria gave a lazy salute before standing, taking a breath. "Good morning, Lieutenant..." she moved her hands behind her back, studying her Chief with warmth. She had a lot of thinking to do, and she suspected her mind was so conflicted that even Kestra would know. And even if she didn't know from her mind...she would know it from her eyes and face.

"Good evening," Kestra greeted the ensign, then glanced at Marek with a laugh. "The Borg? Really?" she pressed her lips together, muffling another little burst of amusement. A moment later, Marek ducked his head, chuckling, and turned back to the console as Kestra looked back to Aria. "I'm sorry about that. They found something odd during Gamma and we needed to make a game plan. Come with me, we'll get you sorted at the Armory. Pawlak?"

"I'll stay with the console," he replied, flipping through vid screens again.

"As you like." She glanced at the clock. It was still a minute to 1940 hrs. "Would you send Ensign Rhodes along to us in the Armory?" Kestra nodded to him and waved for Aria to follow her into the corridor.

Marek watched her go, then turned back to the console with another shake of his head and tapped his com badge. =^=Ensign Rhodes, this is Assistant Chief Marek Pawlak. Report to the Armory for your Alpha Shift orientation and debriefing.=^=

"They like to argue," Kestra said as they walked towards the Armory. It's like shaking hands for them. Pawlak especially. Don't let him rattle you; he'll respect you for it. How are you settling in?"

Aria smiled gently, watching her. "All good, Lieutenant...I have had my medical, my psych evaluation and met the Captain. She is a rather remarkable woman." She meant it with all she was...she liked her. And she had met people here and it was...fun. It was truly fun. And exciting. And daunting. So very daunting.

"She is," Kestra agreed without hesitation. "And very clever. We are all in good hands. All the more reason to make sure we each individually measure up to her example." She pressed her thumb to the keypad beside the Armory door, typed in the entry code, and then placed her foot in the path of the doors when they'd opened, diligently wiping down the keys and the print pad before leading the way in. "So this is the Armory. If there is ever anything you need, you contact myself or Pawlak. We're the only ones with the new entry codes. I doubt you will, though. We'll get you outfitted today with everything you should need. You have a lockbox already in your quarters or do you need one installed?"

"I have one, Lieutenant," she said respectfully, looking around the armory with interest. She did like her weapons. It was always a good incentive to practice a lot, to take care of a weapon. She took a breath and looked over at the other woman, studying her with a small smile. She was still finding out the dynamic of the department...but it was clear that Kestra was the Queen Bee around them. Which was fair enough, there was a lot of positive to be said about a Department Head being well liked.

"I'm sure you know this, but I'll say it just as a reminder: phasers and other lethal and non-lethal weapons must go into a lockbox when not on your person. Each of the security personnel phasers on board are designed with bioscanners, so - technically - they should not be able to be used by anyone unregistered. That said, there are many ways to fool a scanner. Better safe than sorry." Proceeding to a locker, she opened it to reveal a rack of various phaser types, selected a regulation Type II hand phaser, and carried it over to the gallery box. It was a clever invention, a miniature holodeck with one purpose only: as a firing range. "Basic standards of use protocol," she nodded to Aria, stepping back. "Show me what you can do."


[OFF] . . . to be continued


LTJG Kestra Orexil
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Galileo

Ens. Theron Rhodes
Security/Tactical Officer
USS Galileo

Ens. Aria Rice
Security/Tactical Officer
USS Galileo

Master Warrant Officer Marek Pawlak
Asst. Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Galileo

Petty Officer 1st Class Daniel Rhodes
Security/Tactical Officer
USS Galileo

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