Concerns

Posted on Thu Nov 19th, 2009 @ 11:31pm by Lieutenant Commander Eliza McAdams

2,295 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Balowlli System
Location: Chief Science Officer's Office
Timeline: Current

ON:

Kevin Larkin sat behind his desk, perusing "his own" reports from the previous mission regarding the Archimedes' science department; his intent was to get a good handle on his new staff, many of whom seemed to know him almost as well as he knew himself. On several occasions, people who he had never before met had been able to complete his sentences for him only a few days after he'd reported aboard, leaving him wholly convinced that this was the strangest process of the change of a department head in Starfleet history.

The sound of his door chime phased him momentarily, although he did not take his eyes from the PADD he was reading. "Come in," he called, as he quickly sped through a few more paragraphs.

Security personnel, as a general rule, were expected to be a reassuring presence aboard any starship, the epitome of professionalism and diligence with just enough approachability to be an asset rather than some aloof figure the crew couldn't access when they needed help. It was a difficult balance to achieve sometimes and it certainly wasn't aided by the nervous chewing of bottom lips, but Kate had allowed herself to become distracted as she rang the chime to Larkin's door. As a result, she presented an overly pensieve figure when the doors finally parted, her brow creased with thought though it was an expression she abruptly tried to eradicate the moment she realised she'd been granted admittance. Stepping through the threshold by one step only, her hands clasped behind her as she angled her chin at a degree that she at least believe to be businesslike. "Ensign Larkin? Lieutenant Martin, Security. I was wondering if I might have a word."

Placing his PADD on the table in front of him, Larkin replied quickly, "Certainly, have a seat." As the woman entered the room, he couldn't help but feel as though she reminded him of someone, but he couldn't figure out who it was. Something about her mannerisms seemed vaguely familiar; he'd noticed it primary just after the doors had opened, but it had already begun to fade.

"It's Lieutenant Larkin, by the way." He motioned to his collar. "I don't know why, but it hasn't been updated in the database yet." He'd never cared much for formality, but something told him Lieutenant Martin did, and he thought that she'd probably want to keep things as accurate as possible.

"Ah."

It had taken only that minor correction to throw Kate completely. This wasn't a situation she'd felt immediately sure about handling in the first place, though she accepted that she was the best candidate for the job and certainly cherished the fact that she had very little prior knowledge from which to draw assumptions or feelings of distrust. As she took the seat offered to her, finding an uncomfortable perch right on the edge of it, Kathryn was able to gaze upon the face of Kevin Larkin without evoking any feelings whatsoever but she knew that wasn't going to be the case for everyone. At least visually, this was the man responsible for the death of her predecessor, a man responsible for mischief that had affected quite a few people. A certain amount of twitchiness was to be expected. Handling that nervousness, however, was her concern and being thrown before she'd even started left the brunette madly rushing to gather her thoughts before she proceeded.

"Lieutenant," she eventually said, conceding her earlier mistake, "I realise recent events have been....difficult for you. However, I think it prudent that we discuss security arrangements, at least for the short-term." As much as her tone was crisp and concise, something that may have been considered appropriate for the topic, Kate still winced inwardly as her words fell a little more coldly than she had intended. She was no good at just talking to people. She'd come with an agenda, yes, but no matter what she thought, translating that into actual words tended to fail.

Larkin sighed inwardly. He'd been expecting that something like this would happen sooner or later. "Lieutenant, I realize that you're probably concerned having me on this ship. Obviously I won't stop you from keeping an eye on me, as I recall, Admiral Carleton said you would be required to, but I assure you, appearances aside, my predecessor and I are very different people."

At this rate, Kate's equilibrium was going to be a thing of the past, little more than a nice memory of something she'd once almost managed before trying her hand at adopting positions of responsibilty. She didn't remember her stint on the Daedelus being quite this daunting but then, whilst the Sovereigns were enormous ships, their size also lent them an air of impersonality. Kate had flourished there because it had been less noticable that she had a preference for doing her job without getting involved in social matters and her interpersonal skills had taken a comfortable backseat to her skills as an adminstrator. She could manage people just find as long as she wasn't forced to remember that they were people.

Archimedes, this tiny little ship, was going to be the death of her.

"I'm well aware of that," she eventually managed, after several seconds of her gaping at him had passed. Having to visibly rouse herself in order to continue, Kate floundered a moment and nervously licked her lips before she rediscovered the train of thought that would allow her to explain herself. "I've read the report and as far as I can see, the only vigilance warranted amounts to us being far more carefully observant of all personnel in the future. My concerns aren't in regards to your behaviour, I was actually referring to your own safety."

It wasn't difficult for the CSO to sense his fellow officer's lack of comfort at the situation. He knew exactly how she felt, having been a man who constantly worried about how others would see him, ever concerned that they were judging his actions. It was only at this moment, seeing the obvious discomfort in Martin, that he began to realize how much less this problem seemed to be bothering him since his time in VISTA's prison.

Thoughts of his idiosyncrasies flashed through his mind for only a moment before being replaced be an element of confusion mixed with guilt. When Kate had brought up security arrangements, he hadn't once considered that her concerns had been for him, rather than about him. "I must admit," he began slowly. "I hadn't really considered that I might be in any danger. Do you really think that it's something we need to be concerned about?" After all, he thought to himself, we're were on a vessel run by Starfleet, a symbol of tolerance, understanding and enlightenment.

"Hopefully not." In actual fact, Kate was aware that she was probably being overly vigilant but considering what had happened, she felt justified. Even if it was unnecessary in a practical sense, reassuring people that Security still had its finger on the button couldn't be underestimated. "However, the state of mind of the crew is a matter for Counseling to consider, I have had no specific reports that have given me cause for concern."

Kate paused then, her hesitation a sure sign that there was a 'but' heading towards the conversation at full speed. "But precautions aren't a silly idea. Logic doesn't always help when it comes to emotional issues and a crew member was lost." Why had she said that? It was the truth, a stone-cold fact, but she hadn't come here to make the guy feel worse. Kate the Person battled with Kate the Officer and, since the latter had familiarity on its side, it won hands down. Her wince was brief and then she pushed on, change tact a little at least. "Have you noticed anything? Any behaviour that's made you nervous?"

"Well, I would be lying if I said that some of the awkward glances and stares didn't make me feel uncomfortable, but, if you asking whether or not I've ever felt as though I was in danger, then no. I haven't." Larkin appreciated her concern, although he did feel as though her worries were a bit paranoid. Then again, he supposed being paranoid was part of her job description. "Nevertheless, what would you propose we do?"

Kate looked thoughtful for a moment, her furrowed brow set in stone as her eyes grazed back and forth over the deck plating. Then, with a a silent sigh that saw her shoulders sag, she glanced back up at the expectant officer. She was certainly grateful to have inherited a problem that made objectivity easy for once but not being present also left her without an instinctive feel for the situation. Kate preferred her own interpretations to those printed in someone else's words but she didn't really have a lot of choice with this.

"If you don't feel threatened then I see no reason to invite trouble by making it obvious that we think there is a need for you to be supervised." She smiled faintly, the effort genuine though tentative, and added, "I'm sure you'd rather get on with departmental business and reestablishing yourself without us breathing down your neck anyway. I will speak to Engineering though to see if I can allocate resources for the site-to-site transporters. Providing we have the power to divert without impacting our current mission obligations, I should be able to get you voice-activated transport directly to the Brig if you feel threatened at any stage. At least for a few days," she reassured, her smile now appearing a little grim. "And it goes without saying that you can contact me at any time if you have concerns."

"Well, I appreciate your efforts, Lieutenant," Larkin offered genuinely. "Although, I"m sure you'll understand if I say that I hope we never have to speak again." Only after he realized how what he'd said had sounded, did he add, "at least about this, anyway. I'm not sure how I'd feel about escaping to the brig. I've had quite enough of small, enclosed spaces lately," The CSO smiled, as his eyes left Kate and danced about the office for a moment. "I certainly chose an ironic job, didn't I?"

Kate's smile, rather than the thin-lipped variety she'd been managing so far, was considerably softer as she empathised with his plight. It wasn't hard to do and was a tendency that security officers needed to foster, at least in small doses. Empathy, after all, wasn't the same as sympathy and it had nothing to do with condoning inappropriate behaviour. Very few crimes were committed by purely evil people, however, and as much as Kate didn't find people all that easy to interact with, she still valued them. Rising, her hands pressed to her thighs as she pushed upwards, the brunette stretched to full height and replied with feeling, "I'd be more than happy to never see you again either, Lieutenant." An awkward pause followed before she added, "Under the current circumstance, that is." Unsure of whether that still sounded quite like what she meant, Kate gave up and sighed inwardly as she made to leave. "Let me know if something comes up."

Larkin stood to bid the woman farewell. "I will, Lieutenant, and despite the circumstances, it's been a pleasure meeting you." As the woman was about to leave, he felt compelled to speak again. "Before you go, would you be offended if I offered a little advice?"

Startled, Kate did nothing but stare for a moment before she nodded faintly, finding it the easiest way to respond without having to find words. Even if it had sunk in that she now outranked him, Kate wasn't the type to operate like that unless she had to use her rank in an official capacity. She was used to dealing with people about business and then leaving again, she couldn't really remember the last time a complete stranger had been interested in giving her...advice, had he said?

"I apologize if I'm off the mark, but I don't think I am," he paused for a moment, a slight grin on his face. "The next time you're in a social situation, and you find yourself worrying about how other people are perceiving you, try imagining that you're on the holodeck. The idea that you could simply reset things if you foul up takes a bit of the pressure off. At least it does for me."

Bright, unblinking green eyes stared in muted astonishment as Kate's mind tried to grapple not so much with what Larkin had said but the fact that he'd known enough to say it. Had she become that transparent? On the Daedelus, getting lost amidst the crowd was easy, even for a senior officer, but the Nova-class left her with virtually no stone to return to and apparently hiding behind her own mask was not working out so well anymore. She shouldn't have been awkward in this situation, she had come here to pursue a line of inquiry and it really should have been as smooth and easy as that. Only able to nod again, Kate turned and left the room, her head full of self-recrimination. It would circulate for a while and then, perhaps once she'd put her head down on a pillow to catch a few hours' sleep, she might actually give the Lieutenant's advice some decent though.

After all, it was possibly not a bad idea.

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Covering all bases brought to you by:

Lt. JG Kevin Larkin
Chief Science Officer
USS Archimedes

and

Lt. Kathryn Martin
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Archimedes

 

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