Finding the Niche

Posted on Sun Jul 12th, 2009 @ 3:47pm by Lieutenant Commander Eliza McAdams & Captain Elsie Halliwell

3,932 words; about a 20 minute read

Mission: Behind the Mask of Familiarity
Location: Corridor/Captain's Ready Room, USS Archimedes
Timeline: Current

ON:

It was tiny.

Snobbery and elitism were not amongst the most valued attributes an officer could cultivate, despite their prevalancy. Brilliance was not directly related to warp capacity or the amount of torpedoes you had to aim at someone, nor was it necessarily restricted by the focus of missions or the amount of decks you had to patrol on any given day. Brilliance came from within. It had been something instilled from birth, fostered as the years had rolled over and now substantiated at every precious family event when the efforts of the previous year were regaled not as mere products of chance but celebrated as true triumphs of dedication, spirit and hard work. You could shine anywhere if you put your mind to it.

It was just that some places required a lot more elbow grease. And a whole tin of polish.

Kate was already restless. Predicting that it would happen had left her no better prepared for the suddenness with which it had hit her nor had she quite been able to measure the severity of it through estimation alone. The sting of StarFleet's decision to basically set her aside where they didn't have to think about her for six months would take a while yet to fade and, worse still, it was that self-same situation that had robbed her of the privacy to brood, reflect and eventually heal on her own. She felt trapped. It had taken barely any time, by comparison to what she was used to, to tour the corridors of her new assignment and though work was usually a welcome distraction, she was unable to report to her superior because she had yet to present her transfer orders to the Captain. Limbo. Mind-numbing, soul-destroying limbo.

She wasn't going back to her...their...quarters though. If she got her own way, and she fully intended to, Kate would be pulling as many double shifts as she could over the next six months and, with any luck, would have all her downtime when Ryan was sitting at the helm subjecting other people to the delights of his company. Having stalked out less than an hour ago, the brunette stopped as she noticed she'd reached the end of their corridor without realising she'd made the full circuit and fixed melancholy eyes on a distant point as she came to fully appreciate just how little room there was to maneuver. She had to work. Her mind craved the familiarity and the comfort of having a purpose, of having problems she could actually do something about. She had to work, or at least try to. Her comm. badge chirped as her hand reached up to slap it.

"Martin to the Captain's Office."

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Lane had sat in his office for over an hour. Carter was still in the brig, “cooling off� from their discussions earlier in the day, and his mind was racing like the blood pumping in his ears.

He held the cool, metallic padd containing the proposed reassignment orders loosely in his strong hands as he looked out across the static starfield peppered just beyond the solid glass window. He sighed heavily and placed them down as he waited for Lieutenant Martin to arrive. This was going to be tough, he thought. Not only had Ensign Turoc just been found lying prone in one of his Jeffries tubes, but now he had two troublesome officers sent to the Archimedes for a proverbial “time out�. Lane and Admiral Jensen had clashed over issues several times during his short career up through the ranks, and the Trill knew that that was the actual reason behind the Nova Class being selected for these two squabbling infantiles.

To put it simply, Lane was reaching the end of his tether.

The door chimed and Lane looked up towards it, bidding entry as he did so. He didn’t even bother to rise.

Even the Bridge was small, though that was to be expected. Bridge duty aboard the Daedalus hadn't always been stimulating since it was the very nature of bridge-work to combine hours of protracted monotony with explosive bursts of frantic action but it had least involved a decent amount of personnel. The Archimedes' Bridge seemed almost cosy and Kate wasn't sure how she felt about that. Not that she expected to be getting much time there, not now. A wave of bitterness enveloped her as the summons from beyond finally arrived. It had been Ryan's fault, or at least his idea, and yet he'd retained his seniority. She, on the other hand, was back to square one and yet would probably be the only one of the two to make the effort she was currently steeling herself for. Her father had cautioned her to view these six months as a personal challenge; somehow, she didn't think it was going to take much imagining.

With her shoulders set in a familiar stance, however, Lt. JG Kathryn Martin stepped into her new Commanding Officer's ready room with an attitude and demeanor that gave very little hint of the frustration bubbling within her. To think and feel something was one thing but to act upon it in inappropriate settings was, if nothing else, poor manners. The man she was about to report to was not responsible for her current situation. If anything, he had more reason than she did to look upon this entire arrangement unfavourably.

"Lieutenant Kathryn Martin requesting permission to transfer, sir." Though her posture was sufficiently officious, Kate carried herself with the unconscious confidence of one who at least felt at ease with protocol. Four years of experience had knocked her over-exuberance down a peg or two, as was typical of new recruits, and now she simply conveyed the genuine respect she held for his station.

The Trill barely looked up at the officer stood in the doorway. He nodded for her to enter his office and picked up the padd he had placed down on the desk earlier, silently. “Lieutenant,� he started with, after exhaling loudly and meeting her eyes. “Permission granted.� He held out his other hand and took her padd from her, scrolling down the text as he did so and authorising the transfer.

“Please,� he said, “take a seat.� He gestured to the empty chair before him with his empty eyes.

Though it was likewise an invitation to relax, Kate managed little more than a slight slump of her shoulders as she gazed at the chair she was being offered and then slowly sank into it. There had been temptation, as there always was, to ask her father's opinion of her new Commanding Officer prior to her arrival but despite the pair's close relationship, the Commodore had never interfered with his daugher's career and she had never asked him to. Preconceived ideas could be damaging and, thus, the man sitting opposite her was a complete enigma. His dossier provided facts but the nuances of character would take time to emerge. Studying behaviour came naturally to Kate but she always attempted, at least, to curb the tendency with her COs. Somehow psycho-analysis didn't seem quite...courteous.

“Now, Lieutenant Junior Grade Kathryn Martin… You have been reassigned to the Archimedes, along with another officer, as punishment, it looks to me. Would you care to explain your side of the story before I form my own opinion?�

Kate had thought about this many times, her explanation to Lane and subsequent reassurances. Silent rehearsal within the confines of her own mind had taken place over the course of the last week and yet, somehow, she'd never manage to quite strike the right chord. The reason for that, she suspected, was because no matter which way she tried to twist the story, she couldn't escape the fact that the Captain's ship had been used as a convenient dumping ground for an issue StarFleet wanted to ignore until it had run its natural course. Kate wasn't responsible for that choice, nor did she personally harbour the opinion that the Archimedes deserved her presence, but she was at least partially responsible for the decision existing in the first place. Years of accepting that no crewmember's actions were made in isolation, that there were always repercussions that affected the crew as a whole, had finally come into sharp focus. She held the Trill's gaze for a moment, muted regret and defeat glimmering on the surface of her otherwise measured expression, and then dropped her eyes to the surface of the desk. She'd just run out of rehearsal time.

"Sir," she started tentatively and then stopped, re-evaluating what she'd been about to say and choosing another path instead as she lifted her eyes to look at him again. "To be honest, sir, I'm not sure there is an explanation that doesn't, in some way, wind up sounding like an excuse. There are no excuses. Though my choices were not made with the intent to cause mischief, they were still poor and resulted in several infractions that should have been avoided." He'd read the report, or at least had access to do so since details of the case had been forwarded well before their arrival, and Kate was honestly tired of repeating her recount. Every time she explained the incident, she was left with a deeper sense of shame and frustration. The Lieutenant's eyes slid from Lane's face to seek refuge in the smooth expanse of desk just in front of her. "The punishment is unusual and unorthodox and StarFleet's decision to reassign us here is undoubtedly an attempt at damage control, but.."

As the pensieve green eyes made contact again with the shrewd gaze being leveled at her, a new emotion emerged and quickly swamped the slight melancholy that had been reflected earlier. Kate's determination was one of her fundamental traits and shone with sincerity in almost every situation that required an element of resolute stubbornness. She'd already been through the 'it's not fair' stage. Now all that was left was acceptance. "Sir, StarFleet may consider this simply a place to put me for six months but I have no intention of viewing this as a place to hide until things blow over. The Archimedes is smaller than I am used to and my position less intensive than my previous posting but I'm here now and ready to work. I realise you may regret my presence currently; I hope to rectify that as soon as possible."

Lane simply looked upon her, and his heart sank. “Lieutenant, I have no time to babysit two misfits that were dumped on my doorstep to cool off,� he began with. “Our current situation is complex. And to add further strain to this “smaller� vessel is the last thing both I and Commander Arkham would want. If I had listened to her, you would both be reassigned to maintenance duties. However, you were sent here as punishment, not to be punished, and I have no intention of the latter.�

The confidence and shame that exuded from her was striking. Despite the blemishes peppering her service record, Lieutenant Martin had an aura about her that seemed to make her instantly likeable. She was warm and yet capable.

“Lieutenant, you were meant to be assigned here as a Security Officer. However, the present situation requires that I overlook your demotion and utilise your impressive skills and assign you as Assistant Chief Security/Tactical Officer. I have no doubt that you do not deserve this responsibility presently, but, despite your background, you come highly commended by your superiors. I have to take comfort and trust in the hope that there is a glimmer of that Starfleet Officer you once were.�

He leant back in his chair and considered what he was about to say with a wry smile on his face and twinkle in his eye.

“As Commanding Officer of this vessel it should be my opinion that concerns you the most. However, I doubt that you have had the pleasure of serving with Commander Arkham before. If you had, you surely would remember. I have faith that you will serve to the best of your abilities here. I believe that that sentiment that you left the Academy with is still within you, and I regret that you have come to me under such a storm cloud. But my First Officer will not afford you that same comfort. Am I understood?

Knowing what piece of information to focus on first was challenging. The Assistant position wasn't quite the seniority she'd had before but it was an increase in responsibility that she hadn't expected. Aboard a ship as small as a Nova, it was the difference between actually participating in departmental affairs and simply going where you were told. She'd been prepared for the latter but craved the former and so it was difficult to temper the eager gleam that dominated her gaze as she stared at Lane in silence for a moment. His sentiments regarding her potential had afforded her the first glimmer of hope since this whole sorry debacle had started to unfold but Kate knew enough to realise that it was unusual for a Commanding Officer to warn the crew about his First Officer, unusual enough that he was likely still making quite an understatement. Nervousness collided with her initial excitement and the young lieutenant swallowed before nodding her understanding.

"I understand, sir," she replied quietly. "Commander Arkham has no reason to trust me currently. I made a mistake, thought I could handle something that got out of control and those kind of errors in judgement can be fatal on a starship. I grew up with StarFleet, sir," she continued, stopping shy of mentioning her father since it was family practise to avoid name-dropping whenever possible. Her father loved her but this was a mess she had to get herself out of. "I'm aware of just how serious it can be when an officer over-estimates their own capabilities."

“Good,� Lane said, moving the padd delicately to the side. “I don’t want to come down hard on you, Lieutenant. But, as you have rightly pointed out, you… you’ll both have to prove yourselves as officers of this ship before I start – what’s that term? – cutting you some slack.�

He smiled a little at her, allowing a sense of warmth to fill the void between them. The Trill was never a harsh man. And, a little unorthodox as a Commanding Officer, favouring a friendly, familiar demeanour rather than that of a stern, heartless superior, or so he was told.

“I’m sure you’ll fit in just fine, Lieutenant.�

Though Kate relaxed enough to return his smile, it held a wistfully sad undertone that reached her eyes and gave the impression that the young woman was boxed in by her own regret, somewhat distanced from those around her because of the circumstances surrounding her being in a position to make their acquaintance. Consciously, Kate had no intention of assuming the mantle of pariah but she was contrite enough to stray towards it when conditions were ripe. "I'll certain do my best, sir."

There was hesitation then, the kind that proved the woman knew she had taken several steps backwards because it was the sort of second-guessing she had fallen out of with her previous Commanding Officer. The beauty of proving yourself both competent and courteous was that you stood a greater chance of reassuring your superior officers that your initiative was just that and not some attempt at throwing your weight around. If she was judging Lane's warning right, she probably couldn't look forward to that kind of understanding with the Executive Officer, but the Captain seemed...approachable. It was difficult. The last thing she wanted to do was take the man's good nature for granted.

"Sir," she started tentatively. Choosing her words carefully, the security officer then looked Lane directly in the eye and continued. "You made several references to our current situation and, since apparently it includes, in part, circumstances that leave you in need of a new Assistant Chief, I hope I'm not overstepping the bounds by asking...what's going on?"

The Trill broke her gaze and looked out, again, toward the window. The emptiness of space that lay just beyond the barrier echoed the sentiment that rested upon his heart. The past few days, let alone weeks, had played heavily upon him. And now that he had lost one of his own crew, an Ensign no less, to trouble that he had led them all into, the burden of responsibility sat uncomfortably on his shoulders. Had Lieutenant Martin been assigned to the medical bay, or to the Science department, what he was about to say would have been left confidential. However, with the responsibilities Martin would be taking on, it was only fair, and right, that she was briefed on the current situation.

“Lieutenant,� he said after a sigh. “Lieutenant,� he repeated, looking upon her face with saddened eyes, “Ensign Turoc was your predecessor. A violent officer. Reckless in his behaviour. But, ultimately a good… man. Tried to change for the better. Well, he was found earlier yesterday in a Jeffries tube down on Deck 6. Since it will be your expertise that both myself and Lieutenant Shran will be utilising, you need to know the facts.�

He leaned back a little in his chair and then lifted himself out of it with a heave. Heading over to the glass table by the lounger, he picked up the metal jug and poured out two cups of Harmony. Padding back over, he placed one cup in front of Kathryn and then rounded his desk and sat back down.

“Try it,� he offered. “You may need it. It’s a beverage our Chief Science officer, Mr. Larkin, devised. It’s a coffee and tea hybrid. Unusual, but you get used to the taste.

A murder investigation. Oh how she wished she could say she hadn't seen many of those in her time. Unfortunately, when you specialised in forensics, in particular forensic psychology, dealing with criminal acts tended to provide the bulk of your work. It left the bitter taste of irony in her mouth in regards to her own situation but Kate wasted no time on drawing correlations. Instead, barely noticing the cup being offered to her at first, the brunette stared at her new Commanding Officer as if he'd just sprouted a second head and then accepted the drink almost as a second thought without pausing to taste it. "I take it his death is being treated as suspicious?" Something about Lane's demeanor made it perfectly clear that this was not a routine case of accidental death but Kate was not a woman prone to assumptions. They were dangerous in her line of work.

“Ensign Turoc was found in a Jeffries tube earlier yesterday down on Deck 6. They’re still running the post-mortem and I’m still waiting for Doctor Mabren’s findings. But, it does look like his neck was broken. And… he was partially assimilated.�

It had been, Kate would later reflect, not the best of times to attempt a sip of the concoction she'd been handed. Though the taste was indeed a little strange it was not that which made her suddenly inhale instead of swallow, resulting in a series of spasmodic splutters that eventually required another sip before she could even think of speaking. "Sir?", she enquired, her voice slightly strangled as she tried to quell the urge to cough. Perhaps she'd...misunderstood.

“For reasons I cannot disclose to you, I have someone locked in the brig at this moment. She is… not a suspect, so to speak. I’m holding her there for her own protection.�

Kate's head was spinning. Though it was a StarFleet officer's job to remain ever vigilant, there did come a time when particular past concerns could be feasible put to rest, at least in terms of any active attentiveness. The Borg... They were supposed to be gone. The brunette's stomach twisted and she gripped the mug in her hand a little tighter. Carefully, she measured her words. "Then do we have any suspects?"

“ ‘Suspects’ is an inflammatory word, Lieutenant,� he began after taking a sip from his own cup and wiping down the globules of liquid sprayed across the surface of his desk, “at least in reference to anyone onboard. The officer I have… accommodated in the brig is there merely out of my own responsibilities as the Commanding Officer. It would have been negligent of me not to have taken that particular course of action.�

As Lane continued to recount the facts of what had seemed to have transpired over the past weeks: the anomalous power fluctuations, the virus implanted into the gel-pack relay system and the constant feeling that something, or someone, was onboard that shouldn’t be, Lucy Carter was held for her protection down in the lonely brig. No matter what was at hand, his mind could never leave the dreaded sense that she should not be contained like that.

…“But, no, other than Lieutenant Carter, there are no further ‘suspects’. I believe Lieutenants Shran and Dernah are investigating Lieutenant Carter’s quarters now.

"Then I should report for duty," Kathryn replied decisively, rising from her chair with far more purpose than she'd exuded when first entering the room. The unexpected promotion could be quietly celebrated later and a potential murder was never an enjoyable experience, but the young woman still felt decidedly better than she had when she'd first arrived. This was her job. This was something she could do and do well. It was also something that promised long nights at the office and, therefore, a reasonable amount of distance from a certain somebody.

It was as she reached the door that Kate realised the man she was leaving behind was directly responsible for the change in her mood. Hovering with her back to him for a moment, the security officer frowned thoughtfully and then turned her head back, blue eyes gazing intently at the Captain's face for a moment before she simply said, "Thank you, sir." Though it might have been understandable to assume she was talking about the promotion, Kate somehow knew that Lane would understand it was more than that. He had given her a chance, not just by trusting her with responsibility, but for welcoming her fairly instead of harbouring preconceived notions about who she was and what kind of officer she was. As the doors opened and she stepped out on the bridge, Kathryn Martin felt, for the first time, that there was potential in this assignment after all.

“Not a problem, Lieutenant,� he replied with the ghost of a smile surfacing on his jaw. “Just don’t let yourself down. Dismissed.�

As she left, the smile turned into a satisfactory grin. With all of the clouds that seemed to be covering the Archimedes’ horizon of late, the single beam of hope that shone through was laid before him. Every proverbial cloud had its silver-lining, Lane was told, but he never quite understood the sentiment until now. With Shran and now Martin on the case, hopefully the truth about Carter and Turoc would boil to surface.

OFF:

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Captain Coltan Lane
Commanding Officer

AND

Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Kathryn Martin
Assistant Chief Security/Tactical Officer

 

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