Nature/Nurture: Part 1/3
Posted on 11 Jan 2018 @ 9:28am by Commander Scarlet Blake & Petty Officer 3rd Class Constantin Vansen
Edited on on 11 Jan 2018 @ 1:41pm
2,369 words; about a 12 minute read
Mission:
Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: Earth: Starfleet Academy
Timeline: MD 30: 2300
ON:
Cadet Zoie Herianto frowned as she snuck into the room, glancing around to make sure no one had spotted her. She exhaled and moved to the console, using the bypass code. She was...practicing. Sort of. She got the encryption protocol up, her fingers moving swiftly over the consol. "Image...voice..." she murmured, getting herself to where she needed to be.
"Hold it right there, you're under arrest..." the male voice boomed close to her ear, something cold and hard sticking into her side.
She moved her hand quickly to whatever was in her side, her hand covering his as she twisted it away and turned, meeting his eyes before she let out a breath. "Shit."
The cardassian laughed at her reaction, pulling back enough to show her it was the corner of his padd rather than a phaser. "Serves you right..."
She chuckled and pushed him, her eyes shining. "It's my Dad's birthday, I am sending him a message. And also, seeing if I could get a head's start on that assignment."
Cadet Acer Vito tutted, shaking his head as he watched her, leaning back lithely against a desk, his hands resting on the edge. "Cheating, I see..."
"Hardly cheating," Zoie said and shook her head, smiling gently as she turned back to the console. "I mean, no one said we couldn't practice."
He pursed his lips at the reply, shaking his head quickly as he leant to look over her shoulder. "Are you going to give the Instructor presents too?"
"Depends. Will they be less likely to give me a hard time if I do?" she asked and smiled, humming softly. She got her message in and sent it, turning the console off before she met Acer's eyes. "Look, you're a natural at this stuff. People like me, we have to...practice more."
If anyone else had called him that, Acer may well have not taken it well. But the young cardassian knew her well enough to know she hadn't meant it in that way. "People like you?"
She met his eyes for a moment before she let out a soft breath. "Mars brats with more time playing in the red sand under their belt than sitting at a school bench," she said and smiled gently to him. "I just...need a bit longer here and there, for stuff."
"Well they must see something in you, or you wouldn't be here," Acer pointed out bluntly, shaking his head firmly as he pulled himself up to sit on the desk.
"I know. But I still want to do well. Not okay. Well," she said and smiled as she sat on the desk alongside him. "So why are you here, with me? In this room. Did you follow me?"
"That makes me sound really creepy, you know," he pointed out, but with a wry smile, nodding. "Yeah, I followed you."
She chuckled warmly as she watched him, tilting her head so that her pale eye was watching him. "Nothing creepy about it. Any reason? Or just curious?"
"Curious," Acer admitted before shaking his head with an amused smile. "And I wanted to see if you'd notice. I am also completely and utterly bored."
"I didn't notice," she admitted with a small smile, tilting her head. "You must be bored. What can we do to make that right I wonder..."
"Nothing, seeing as we were warned in no uncertain terms not to cause anymore trouble," he sighed, shaking his head slowly, his gaze lifting upwards.
She watched him before her hand covered his. "How about we go and practice some close combat training? Hand to hand if you want to?"
The sigh became heavy that time, but he dropped down from the table and onto his feet. "Only if you promise not to beat me," he replied, but with a small, coy smile.
"I'll play nice," she said and linked her arm with his. "Promise. All nice and lady like..."
"You? Lady like?" he gave a soft grunt, shaking his head as he walked with her. "That will be the day..."
She looked at him with a small smirk, her eye warm before she leant closer, her head nudging his shoulder. "I don't know, you wouldn't want me any other way. I like to think that sometimes, I keep you sane."
Acer glanced to her with a small smile pulling at his lips, tempted to make another quip at her expense, but instead he shook his head. "You're probably right," he said with a customary sigh.
She smiled as she led him to one of the training rooms, glancing over at him. "So...how have you been?" she asked lightly.
He gave a slight shrug, tugging his jacket off as he looked her way. "Questioning my sanity for joining up," he replied casually...because he'd said it openly to her a number of times already.
She nodded gently, removing her jacket as well, folding it. "The usual bullshit?" she asked softly, meeting his eyes. Meaning people calling him things for being cardassian.
"Of course. I don't expect originality anymore," he kicked his shoes off, but with a slight chuckle. "I really don't feel like telling everyone where I'm from every time someone thinks they're being oh so clever by calling me a spoonhead. And frankly, it's none of their business. But I invited it by coming here."
"Doesn't make it right," Zoie said softly, moving to tie her hair back before she moved to the centre of the room. "Was it Anderson?" she asked lightly, her voice soft. But there was tension in her body with it, a build up of anger. Because she hated it, how some of the cadets treated Acer.
"You know it was," he shook his head with a slight frown, stretching his arms as he moved to join her. "But does it matter?"
"Because I will pay him a visit," she said softly, meeting his eyes, her jaw set stubbornly. "And give that shit-stained Earther a piece of my mind."
"No, you will not," Acer said firmly, bending his knees slightly to centre himself and prepare for her. "It's not your fight, hawkeye..."
She moved forward, taking a swing at him. "It's my fight. It's Starfleet. We're equals, all Cadets. And I will not tolerate someone abusing another based on their species!"
He threw his arm up to block hers, lunging forward quickly to take a swing at her side, sliding up almost level to her. "Don't you worry about me. I can handle Anderson."
She twisted her body, reaching to grab his neck, shifting so her hip was against him as she tried to throw him. "But you won't. You will just let him go on and on. You won't report him. You will pretend to ignore it. I can't do that."
Acer let her throw him, hitting the ground with a groan, but he gripped her tight to pull her with him, rolling easily across the mat with her. "Do it for me."
She groaned as she moved with him, bringing her knee up into his side. "Dirty move!" she said, eyes narrowed, pushing her hands to try and pin him. She swallowed hard, the emotions battling.
"You should have expected it," he countered sharply, fending off her hits, a couple landing, making him reel. He let out a sharp breath, twisting under her, grabbing her wrists to sling her down.
She groaned as she hit the floor, breathing hard as she tried to get her wrists free. "Part of being a friend is to take the fights your friend don't want to..." she said before she stopped, taking a slow breath and closing her eyes. "Just...let me do *something*, Acer."
Acer watched her face for a long moment, still as he held her down. "Sometimes, you just have to wait for the right moment to strike, Zoie."
She opened her eyes to watch him, letting out a shaky breath. "I'm from Mariner Valley...if we waited, we'd never have terraformed..." she said, but the fight and anger was draining from her.
He knelt up over her, catching his breath for a long moment. "Some things are worth it."
"Like revenge?" she breathed, watching him as she lay there, breathing hard. "What are you planning, Acer?"
Acer held her eyes for a long moment, a small smile curling at the corner of his lips. "Nothing at all."
"Liar," she said, but there was an answering smile coming to her. She pulled her wrist free, only to gently take his hand.
He used the grip to pull her up to sit, kneeling easily with her as he caught his breath. "You rage too hard against the storm."
"The storm is pissing me off, that's why," she said before she leant close, her forehead resting against his. "Acer...I...when they mistreat you, it...makes me so angry."
"Because your heart is good, no matter what you try and have others believe," he chuckled knowingly, resting his hand easily on her shoulder.
She chuckled softly, her eyes closing for a moment. "If you weren't my best friend, Acer, I'd call you a manipulative bastard..."
He laughed warmly at that, his eyes glinting as he tilted his head enough to catch a glance of her. "I can be both, you know..."
"True," Zoie said softly before she reached to rough his hair up. "Manipulative bastard you..."
"Your little manipulative bastard," he grinned at that, batting her hand away before easing his black hair back into a smooth style. "Careful..."
She smiled softly, shaking her head before she reached out, to smooth his hair back into place. "You fuss with it...it's beautiful."
"Many would not agree," he sighed as he took the tie off of it, handing it to her to retie his long hair back for him. "But I do not care..." he lifted his chin, aloofly.
She watched him before she moved behind him. She combed his hair with her fingers, taking her time...half caressing. "I know," she said, even if she wasn't speaking about his statement.
"You always know everything," he said softly with a smile as he leant into it, matter of fact. "It's why you'll be great at Intelligence."
Zoie smiled weakly, gently tying his hair back, but slick...the way she knew he preferred it. "And you are skilled. Intelligent, calculating...you'll be a great asset to Starfleet. So. Stick it out," she said softly. "For me."
He chuckled softly, tilting his head so he could glance back to her. "Well, when you put it like that...."
She chuckled softly, her hand gently going to rest on his neck when she was finished. "And I will have your back. And you will have mine."
"Of course," he tutted, shaking his head lightly, turning to look at her, at how she laid her hand on the cord of his neck. "They really don't bother you, do they."
She met his eyes and chuckled softly. "Should they bother me any more than a Klingon's forehead, a Vulcan's ears or a Trill's spots?" she asked and watched him.
"No," he replied bluntly, shaking his head as he held her eyes. "But you are no stranger to...looking different," he said matter of factly, yet almost fondly.
"Maybe that's it. Or maybe I believe in what the Federation stands for," she said and touched his cheek. "A person is a person. They are not the history of their people, the last rebellion, the last war. And no one should be judged by it. Should my line have been judged for going to Mars to terraform it over two hundred years ago? Not all were scientists, some were really mean people hoping to take advantage..." she winked and smiled.
Acer chuckled softly at that, nodding as he watched her for a long moment. "Science never tempted you?"
"No," she said before she looked away, a small smile on her lips. "Not that my mother didn't try it on me. 'It's the family legacy' and so on. So was mining, but you don't see me down a hole doing that. My father though...he always said I should do what I wanted. What I needed to do. And don't worry about them. I think that's why when I told him about you, he said I should just do what felt natural to me. He doesn't care that you are cardassian because you are...you. A good friend to me. Who has bailed me out a lot."
He positively grinned at that, shaking his head as he thought back on some such occasions. "You were perfectly capable without my help...you made it into a game."
"A game is always good," she said before she chuckled and nudged him. "So what now? Seeing as you have beaten me at this match."
"You are going to give me pasta," he pushed himself up with a soft chuckle, offering his hand down to her. "You do it best, afterall."
She chuckled as she took his hand and pulled herself up. "I can make that," she said easily, holding his eyes. "We'll use the common room, I can cook up something there."
Acer’s smile grew into a grin at that, tugging her up, draping an arm around her shoulders as they walked. "A person who can feed well holds the key to society...."
"Or more, the key to prevent a Martian uprising. We have always taken pride in what we can grow on Mars...so while we use replicators a lot, we try to cook properly on occasion. Special occasions," she said and wrapped her arm around his waist, grinning.
"Pride is good," Acer said firmly. Nothing had managed to convince him otherwise. No amount of digging at how pride was one of the worst traits of cardassians had knocked that belief out of him. "It gives one focus. Meaning."
"Self-worth," Zoie added in, leading him to the communal area that had the cooking station. She moved to the replicator, getting what she needed to make pasta and a decent sauce.
TBC:
Cadet Zoie Herianto
Intelligence Cadet
[NPC Vansen]
Cadet Acer Vito
Intelligence Cadet
[NPC Blake]