A Talk Amongst the Stars

Posted on 26 Nov 2017 @ 6:10pm by Lieutenant Amaranai Franklin & Petty Officer 3rd Class Constantin Vansen

2,209 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: USS Hathaway
Timeline: MD95 - 18:30

ON:

Cadet Tamm gave a weak smile to the cadet who relieved her, followed by a nod before she left the security office. Doing a full shift had been surprisingly easy. She had always been active, used to do a lot. At the Academy, that ‘lot’ was a hell of a lot of training and studying. Now she genuinely had nothing to do. Even so, all she did was to reach for the uniform jacket, undoing it slowly. It revealed the tattoo on her neck, a black almost tribal looking symbol. With her dark eyes, freckles and dark hair tied back in a ponytail, the slender woman had a natural stern look to her. Almost cynical, as if she was aware of all the secrets of the universe and found them extremely disappointing.

Without really meaning to, she had headed to the lounge. She had made sure to spend a few minutes familiarizing herself with the layout of the ship. What she wanted to do was simple. She wanted to see the stars. Being four years on Earth had made her miss the stars she had often seen growing up, from this angle. And this angle was a beautiful one.

Getting into the lounge Tamm made the bee-line for the viewport, her hand touching the bulkhead beside it as she looked out at the view. “Missed you,” she said and gave a smile that somehow made her look younger. More child-like. Even so, she did not lose the almost military stance she had.

Amaranai had been working longer hours as the current Sec / Tac chief for this cadet cruise, but for her, it was better because it would keep her mind off of Lirha. And for now, that was the best thing to do. She didn't want to think about how helpless Lirha looked in the prison and how defeated she was. She didn't want to think about how lonely she felt and how lost and restless she was with her attempts at not being lonely.

Feeling the need to just relax after spending a long time with some cadets on the bridge and tactics, Amaranai headed to the lounge. She happened to see Cadet Tamm staring out the viewscreen. Amaranai moved into the lounge proper and simply watched the cadet for a moment before moving next to her.

"Please don't consider breaking through this window, cadet," Amaranai said matter-of-factly." She looked at the younger girl. "I really don't want to explain to the commander why we don't have a lounge any longer."

"I wouldn't be able to break through the window anyway. The force required isn't something a human can produce," Tamm said and turned her head to watch her before turning properly to face her, her hands behind her back. "Even if I managed to, the emergency forcefield would erect instantaneous. Only loss of life would potentially be mine. Having said that, ma'am, I am not the suicidal type. I just like watching what is happening outside."

Amaranai listened to the cadet as she talked about the window and shook her head.

"I don't expect you are suicidal," she started. "It was merely a way to begin a conversation without sounding authoritative."

She paused and looked out of the viewport and then to the cadet next to her.

"So what are you looking for?" she asked. "Enlightenment?"

Tamm smiled at the words, surprised that the woman had wanted to strike up a conversation with a mere cadet. And yet, she easily warmed to that idea. "I have all I need. Knowledge will come with experience...I just like looking at the stars. I was mostly brought up on starbases. The view reminds me of being a little girl..." she admitted honestly, motioning to the window. "Except I now know that stars aren't 'magical little fairies that wink at me'..."

Amaranai listened to the cadet talk about life on starships. It was an interesting life and as Amaranai wondered what that life would have been like. She thought of her own life on Earth and how she had never been to space until she made it to the Academy. She recalled the terrible life that she had to suffer through and what she had done for her sister to help her escape. The mention of the stars winking at Tamm was something that made Amaranai smile.

"Kids can be so curious," she said. "At least you were growing up in a structured environment."

Tamm gave a weak shrug before she smiled weakly. "Marines," she said and gave a firm nod. "Structure is what they are very good at. Kids are stupid. I like that stupidity though, grown ups become so cynical. I know I did."

Amaranai nodded.

"Kids are stupid," she admitted. "But I wasn't one long enough to like being stupid. I became cynical far too young and I've stayed that way ever since."

She paused.

"But sometimes thinking the stars are little fairies winking at you is a good place to be, too."

"Perhaps," Tamm said as she watched her closely. "Do...you have any advice for me? For the future with Security?" She asked the question carefully, a bit awkward. It was not often she asked someone their opinion or advice.

Amaranai thought for a moment. She considered the advice that she had been given early on in her time at the Academy and how it stuck with her all these years later.

"I would tell you to pay attention to what's going on around you," she started. "Also, you'll want to cross train in many different areas. You don't want to be stuck somewhere and be unable to help."

Tamm smiled weakly as she watched her, tilting her head. "How do Security best help? I mean, except the good old phaser and brawl..." she shifted slowly, almost like a cat. "I am good with the old phaser..."

Amaranai thought back to her own cadet days. She used to feel the same way, wondering if security officers did anything other than fight people with a blaster or their bare hands. It wasn't until she got onto a starship that she started to realize that things were a lot more complicated.

"I felt the same way when I was your age," she started. "Which wasn't even that long ago."

She paused.

"I thought that Security officers didn't do much besides standing around and guarding everything. And that's important, certainly. But when things go all sorts of wrong on a ship, we're the most important people there."

Another pause.

"Security has the important job of escorting guests, maintaining the armory and the weapons therein, testing and maintaining the ship's weapons and targeting systems and investigating all criminal matters on the ship. And that doesn't include Away Missions to guard the Away Team."

Tamm gave a weak smile at that, raising an eyebrow. Now that was a list and a half she was familiar with from her courses at the Academy.

"It's the Away Missions where your other skills might come in handy, depending on what happens. You might be separated from the other members of the Away Team and you would need to survive a night, including making a shelter and fire. Or someone could be injured and you don't have a medical officer with you. These are things you will need to pay attention to."

"We do some of the basic things at the Academy. I can hold a medical regenerator if I have to," Tamm said before she looked thoughtful. "Of course...how one turns it on is beyond me..." she added before suddenly breaking into a proper smile. "Just kidding, ma'am."

Amaranai chuckled at the comment. She recalled getting the First Aid training during her Academy days and accidentally "killing" a few of her patients because she was not used to working with those types of tools.

"You mentioned that you have learned some investigated skills as well," Amarani said. "Does that include some of the basic forensic skills or just the initial detective work?"

"Basic forensic skills. Enough to be able to read results and know where I shouldn't be standing, not so much I can do an autopsy...I did well on the pop quiz we had about how bodies decompose, that was nice and cheery from the sadist we had teaching us..." Tamm said softly before she smiled weakly, watching her. "I took an interest. When I take an interest, I try to learn all I can."

Amaranai nodded at the statement. It was good for Tamm to learn as much as possible, especially early on. If she was capable of learning different specialties in Security, she would be much more valuable for any department.

"It's good to want to learn," the security officer said. "No matter what, you need to be able to learn from your successes and your failures."

"Not failed yet," Tamm said firmly before she rolled her eyes and smiled. "Alright, alright. Failed plenty of times. But improved with each new try. It's what we do, isn't it. We work. We get better."

It was the right attitude to have. Amaranai almost wished that she had learned it sooner than she did, but she realized that the Academy had been the perfect place for her to learn those lessons and many more.

"I agree," Amaranai said. "I will admit that I have failed many times in my life, even before the Academy, and yet, each time, I ended up learning something that was valuable or important."

The brunette looked to the stars for a moment and then back at the cadet.

"Okay, Cadet," Amaranai said. "We know your strengths, but is there an area of Security or even Tactical that you would like to be better at?"

"All of them," Tamm said before she smiled weakly, giving a small shrug. "I am not that good at the hostage scenarios. I do not have a warm personality. I do not...get people to trust me easily. I am too honest and too brutal."


Looking at the girl with an incredulous gaze, Amaranai was a bit surprised that she would admit to not feeling confident in most aspects of security. The one that was the most important, however, was the hostage scenario.

"You don't have to have a warm personality," she started. "In fact, it gives you a bit of an advantage if you come off as a bitch."

She was being honest. Amaranai was more hard-nosed while on duty and kinder off duty, but for those that didn't know her, it was hard to distinguish the difference.

"If you are willing to trust others, they will learn to trust you as well."

She paused.

"We'll try to work on some of your weaknesses during this trip and if we miss something, just let me know and I'll try to work on something separate for you in the holodeck."

"Alright. Fair enough," Tamm said as she watched her, her eyebrows coming together in a frown. "You know, I don't want to be a bitch. I don't think it is needed to be taken serious. I just...I am not maternal. And I am young. And not very funny. It makes me difficult enough to like with other cadets."

Amaranai paused a moment to consider the girl. She was young, but the brunette had been young once as well and so far, she had turned out pretty good.

"I think," she started. "You'll grow into the authority over time. I know I did." She paused. "Also, it takes time with your fellow officers. You become friends. You become maternal, if necessary. You become funny."

Another pause.

"Learn to listen. Learn to trust. If the others are genuine people, they'll do the same."

"Good advice," Tamm said after a moment's pause, having clearly mulled over it in her head for a moment. "Thanks." And not just for the advice. The other, more experienced woman had taken the time to talk to her off duty. Meant something to Tamm.

"It's not a problem, cadet," Amaranai said. "Someone took the time when I was a cadet to do the same thing, so I thought I should pay the favor forward."

She thought of Commander Nara and how she had become a close friend of Amaranai's over time and how she had been so kind to take Charlotte in after Amaranai removed her from her home.

Tamm nodded at the words before she smiled weakly. "Well, I'll make sure to remember that when I am an officer who encounters a cadet," she said, a quiet promise.
"Good," Amaranai said. "It might not seem like much at the time, but to the cadet, it means a lot for an officer to spend time off duty just to talk."

Amaranai heard the small chime on the chrono and knew it was time for her to go.

"If you'll excuse me, cadet," she started. "I'm going to turn in."

She wasn't really tired, but after a long day, she wanted to get into comfortable clothes and eat and drink in private - alone with her thoughts. Or, at least, alone.


OFF

Lt. JG Amaranai Franklin
Assistant Chief Security / Tactical
USS Hathaway

Cadet Darcia Tamm
Security
USS Hathaway

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