Scaling Rough and Rugged Passes

Posted on 16 Nov 2024 @ 4:08pm by Lieutenant JG Hovar Kov & Lieutenant JG Sofie Ullswater

3,055 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Episode 20 - Reconstruction
Location: USS Galileo-A - Geology Lab
Timeline: MD03 1126 hrs

[ON]

Sofie checked the clock. It wouldn't be too long now.

She pulled up the next interview transcript onto her screen. Each one would have to be meticulously logged and woven into the tapestry that she was weaving for the captain. On their own none of these threads seemed to add up but putting the warp under the correct tension and moving the shuttle back and forth with grace a picture would begin to emerge.

"Warp, shuttle? Funny choice of metaphor Sof." The ceaseless prickling in her hands kept her on her toes, there'd be no sloppy craftsmanship today.

"Mhm, I appreciate it too." She murmured, seemingly to herself as she scrolled through petty officer Lucrete's account of the Engineering team mourning lost comrades, taking notes as she did. It would be more of this, for at least the next 34 minutes.

Or it would have been had it not been for a door chime interrupting her work. "Yes, come in." She turned her head with curiosity to see who it was, hopefully not another congratulations for this morning.

The doors of the Geology Lab opened for someone who, on the one hand, was a fellow Star Fleet officer. On the other hand, which one would need to view an arachnid having "multiple hands," was in many ways a stranger. Not only was this individual a stranger, but he was also a walking example on the uniqueness of comedy in setting up a joke.

"A priest, a counselor and a Klingon walked into a bar..."

Uniform wise, the Klingon's uniform was different than that of everyone else. Instead of wearing the dark teal uniform, that is common among Science and Medical officers, the Klingon wore the uniform of a member of the Chaplain's Corps. The uniform was black instead of teal, with a roman collar showing a small white tab covered the very front of his neck, with a gold and a black pip resting in their proper place, revealing his rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade.

Perhaps the most unique aspect of the Klingon's persona was the fact that he expressed a calm demeanor, or at least one as calm as a Klingon can give. A genuine smile appeared on his face as he looked upon the officer inside the lab. However, much to the Klingon's dismay, his rough, deep voice could not be altered.

"Good morning. I am Chaplain Hovar Kor. I hope that I have the honor of addressing Lieutenant Sofie...Ullswater. I hope I pronounced it right."

"All correct." She confirmed. She quickly closed the sensitive files she was working on and straightened up from her reading slouch. With a little hand flick she gestured to one of the other stools at the workbench as an offer of a seat. "Anything I can help you with?"

Hovar accepted the seat and found himself sitting on the other side of the workbench.

"I have made it my mission to become a familiar face, hopefully a friendly face, to every member of the crew, specifically the senior officers, as a means of introducing myself and hopefully offering any assistance be it..."

Hovar waved his hand on his uniform,

"...the obvious, or as a counselor, as someone who has an interest in cultural anthropology, or as someone who is built for physical labor. Most importantly, at least for me, is someone who wants to tend to the needs of the crew, both on and off the clock as it is said."

"Right, exactly." Sofie nodded, still trying to think through what her reaction to this interruption was. Her instincts were all a bit scrambled from the ceremony this morning. Though on that note building a good working relationship was undoubtedly going to part of that new role.

"Well luckily I'm very fortunate," Clearing a little space on the bench in between them she gave a little smile and a tilt of her head "I have no need of a priest or counsellor and frankly this department is drowning in anthropologists, though I will let you know if we need help moving any large objects. That said I've been with this ship since it left for deep space, I'd like to think I do know the crew quite well. Maybe today I can be the one to offer you assistance."

Hovar looked upon his new acquaintance with intrigue, and suspected that his relationship with the Chief Science Officer will be as...(how would he say it?)...suspiciously hostile as the Ensign whom he met earlier. It would not be because of the accident of his birth in this case (at least he hoped). Rather, it was her actions that gave him suspicion as a Klingon...and as a Counselor. It was only him guessing, but she gave him two very large hints that he would need to follow up with later.

The first hint triggered him as a Klingon. If there was a threat, it was common to put distance between himself and the threat for one of two influences as he learned. The first influence is on personal safety and/or having room to think and/or room to breath before something happens. The second influence...well...needed to double check. Instead of pondering, Hovar stood up slightly and adjusted the stool back a little, putting a little more distance between the two. He also motioned for her to continue in genuine curiosity.

"By all means."

That motion, as the priest adjusted his position of seating, it wasn't just a self adjustment for comfort. Sofie identified that immediately and that observation was not welcome. She was in no mood to dance but she was in no place to drop her guard here. The man may be a priest first but he was also a member of the counselling department and therefore a danger.

"Well, how aware are you of this ship's history? There may have been a lot of transfers that came over with you but there are some who have been part of this crew since the first Galileo and the Schofield. Others who were on the Trial." She placed her words with precision and a well practiced warm smile on her face. "It's a lot of legacy to get acquainted with. And it is undoubtedly a legacy that still weighs heavily."

Hovar was as intrigued as he was curious. As chaplain, he made it his prime directive to always be on the look out for the soul of the ship. Over the course of the past week, he spoke with as many people as possible to determine what really made the ship tick. From the meeting with the Captain to now, there was one word that kept on being on repeat, "legacy." That term was not unfamiliar to the Klingon, as one's legacy was as important to them as breathing.

However, it was that last bit of what she said that stuck with him, a bit that he would have to investigate later.

"As blasphemous as this might sound, I have always found legacies rather dangerous in their volatile nature. We live day by day trying to do the right things, say the right words, make the right decisions to leave a lasting good legacy upon our death beds, only for it to be snuffed out, forever lost to history by the actions of a stranger who comes after them."

Hovar paused for a moment as he thought of his own legacy, and how to avoid having this sound like a counseling session. Thankfully, with her being a veteran and a member of the command staff, Hovar had an easier job.

"What I'd like to know is what sustains the crew's drive to endure the weight? This is my first posting so I will happily take any wisdom."

"There isn't a single the crew so the answer will be different for different people. Some are hoping that Captain Saalm will return and take back control of her ship." A slight change in tone and small wave of the hand indicated the she didn't include herself in that number "Others have never met her and couldn't care less. There isn't going to be a universal approach and learning the different contexts will be necessary if you're going to minister to this flock."

"Take the crew who were on Trial. They have a strong bond with each other that developed in the months after the loss of their ship, it is how they have survived as a group. They looked out for each other." No need to mention the distrust they had for her and Lamar after what happened with Locksley, that would be a context for the priest to learn on his own. "That sense of community and shared loss strengthens them but appeals to Saalm or the legacy of this ship will not be as potent as they would with those who have been here since Schofield. Those are the contexts you'll need to learn. Study the different groups with their different strengths and needs. Everyone carries the weight differently."

Hovar's eyes narrowed slightly as they ventured down and to the left, away from the officer sitting across from him, slowly nodding his head. His meeting with the Captain, the First Officer, and the ceremony that took place earlier all played in his mind. He face showed a sudden seriousness. His head nodded ever so slightly as if to confirm something.

His face then shifted up and further to the side, his eyes casting them to the door of the lab, the door to the rest of the crew, the door that would lead him to the 58 other souls aboard the ship. A sorrowful smile then appeared on his lips as he spoke softly yet confidently as he looked back at his new friend (hopefully),

"Yes..."

Hovar's eyes then looked down as he nodded resignedly as he had one particular officer in mind, speaking in a resigned tone as if he had just found out someone had an incurable illness.

"Of course it does."

After a few blinks, Hovar made a mental note to have a little chat with the officer in mind, turning slightly as he looked around at the rest of the lab, admiring the tools and equipment.

"May I ask you something along those lines then? Not as an officer but as a scientist."

Hovar looked back at her, his voice returning to an inquisitive mind and a steady voice.

"When I walk into a laboratory, I always find myself standing in awe at everything as if I stepped into a lab for the first time. Do you feel anything like that or are you so used to it that you don't even think about it?"

It was unclear the direction this line of questioning was going and Sofie was still deeply wary after Tarin's questions had sweetly led her into a trap at the ceremony this morning. With a little wave of her hand at their surroundings she would position herself on the defensive. "What in this room do you feel in awe of?"

Hovar looked back at the scientist.

"If you give me a rock, I can tell you how to use it as a weapon. If I give you that same rock, you can tell me the history of a planet. I know I am exaggerating, but the fact that we have the technology to be able to answer such questions with the relative ease of pushing a button is amazing. Again, I understand that it is not that simple. However, looking at a lab, seeing the fruits of the designers, engineers, scientists, and other people who we will never meet have put something of themselves out here in the frontier for you to be able to answer the questions that comes your way. I find that truly awesome."

Sofie tilted her head and her eyes focused on the speaker, one of her hands tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears but her attention was unbroken. "It's true, give me a tray of rock samples and I can weave together a story to tell you about a planet. But I think you could do that too." She leaned forwards, her hands punctuated her words with little gestures. "Say the two of us were instead standing in al-Quds, next to the Foundation stone. I could ask you to weave that rock into a story of that planet, you would be informed by centuries of scholarship, of people you could never meet trying to help you answer questions today."

"Knowledge, curiosity and investigation is something we all do." She shrugged with a little smile while glancing across the room. "Don't put yourself down, you might be exaggerating my abilities while downplaying your own."

Hovar gave a soft chuckle, nodding his head just as softly as he smiled.

"Perhaps some day we will run into a mission where I will be of some practical use to test your hypothesis. I hope I used that word right."

Looking around once more, Hovar stated and looked at her.

"For the moment, are there any questions or concerns that you have for me as a chaplain or me as a person? By the way, there are distinct differences between a chaplain and a counselor."

Sofie dismissed the remark with a smile intended to put the man at ease "Don't feel like you need to explain your vocation here. I'm sure there are many on the ship who've never encountered Earth clergy before but my father is a priest. Not exactly of your stripe, given that I got to be born, but I imagine the majority of concepts transfer over. I understand your role here."

"As a chaplain or a person," She shook her head. Her eyes were focused on nothing in particular on the other side of the room as she continued "Probably not. Though to you as an officer on this ship: my door is always open if you have something you need."

Hovar thought about it, and he thought about one thing in particular.

"I will definitely appreciate any assistance that you can provide me. There is one thing. I have been assigned by the Captain to assist with the Security department just in case we find ourselves in a not to peaceful situation. I would like, at a later date, to tour the rest of your department so I can familiarize myself with the rest of the ship."

Sofie nodded, as much as she wanted to present a helpful face though there was nothing she was less interested in that giving security personnel tours of her department. "Let me know when you'd have the time and I'll see if I can get T'Lin to assist. She's also an old hand with the ship and a good point of contact if you haven't met her already."

Hovar stood up, giving her a slight nod.

"I will seek her out some time. I think you for your time and I look forward to working with you. By your leave, ma'am."

"One more thing before you leave." There was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she looked up at the standing Klingon. "Do you think you could pass on a message to Dr Carlisle for me?"

Hovar glanced down at her, not sure what kind of message he wanted to deliver to his boss.

"What is it?"

Sofie gave a dismissive wave of her hand with a little grin on her face. "Oh not much, just let her know that I haven't attempted any murders today, nor have I plotted to destroy the warp core or otherwise take actions that would damage the ship. If you could also point out that while we were speaking I did not once try to kill you I think that would add a bit of extra weight to the message." She shrugged, opened a bench drawer and pulled out a couple of oranges. "Maybe something like 'I didn't even feel slightly in danger' could work too."

She extended a hand with one of the fruits in it, the little grin turned to a predatory smile. "Also if you'd like an orange feel free to take one. Fresh from the arboretum today."

Hovar's eyes got wide a little as everything spoken by her came, as the humans would say, completely out of left field. Nodding very slowly, he cautiously took two oranges and he looked at them.

"I will um... pass on the message. Second officer no longer a potential murder suspect. Perfect."

Her laugh was soft but there was an ugliness to it. A detectable mote of bitterness and fear. It had been amusing for a moment to mess with her colleague but that was a bit too much reality at the core. She knew she was being watched, the medical staff waiting for just one slip up to have her taken off duty. Maybe there were right: given the opportunity she would undoubtedly make an attempt on Quil's life again. Best to hope that opportunity never presents itself.

"Thank you," She adjusted her posture and gave an apologetic smile "And do enjoy the fruit, maybe save one for Dr Carlisle."

Hovar tilted his head slightly, making evident his confusion as to her rather...how could he phrase it...interesting laugh. As detectable of her interesting laugh, so was Hovar's absolute confusion as to why his statement would justify such a response from her was detectable on his. This peaked his curiosity, and he made a motion that he wanted to ask her about it. However, he smiled and closed his mouth, shaking his head. If she was keeping an eye on his gestures, it was screaming that he wanted clarification, but he would leave it alone.

"And I hope that you enjoy your rocks. Save one for me so I can learn how to study one."

With those words, he proceeded out the lab door, adding another officer to his list of those who he has met.

[OFF]

--

LTJG Sofie Ullswater
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo-A

Chaplain [LTJG] Hovar Kov
Chaplain
USS Galileo-A

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