ILLUMINARRPG: (5-1800)- CO -- Captain Seka and Commander Sienna Verin

[Charles Gatling]

Mission:  Death in the Shadows
Day: 5
Stardate:2446.02.05

(USS Illuminar-- Deck 1 --  Ready Room -- CO -- Captain Seka and Commander
Sienna Verin -- 1800)

He looked up as Sienna walked through the door on time as always. He was
almost through the mountain of paperwork that had accumulated during his
absence. Only a few more hours to go and he would be done. He judged his
chances for doing so at 23 to 1 against however as he was beginning to tire.

"Come in Commander."

She walked in and tilted her head to the side, “I promise that I kept up
with as much of it as I could. I never realized how much of it there was on
top of the normal mess of paperwork that I deal with on a day to day basis.
It’s like Chaos. It just breeds more and more.” She sat down across from
his desk uninvited. “There are some things we need to talk about that
didn’t occur to me until I was doing your job the last few days.”

The respite was fortuitous. He turned away from the monitor. "Continue."
Then added as an afterthought. "Please."

“One of the biggest was that I wasn’t sure what to do with Luma. I told
Trei if the ship was going to be destroyed, or if it looked like we would
be captured or even lose that fight, that she was to get Luma inside your
crystal there and leave with her.  We need to figure out why the crystal
shattered when we did the last reintegration.  The next thing… she hurts
when the ship is damaged and then more by the repairs. I’m not sure that in
the heat of a battle we can do anything about the first but there has to be
a way to help her on the second. It would be like doing surgery without
anesthetic.” She leaned back a bit and waited for him before continuing
with her thoughts and impressions.

He had been considering as she talked. "The Anelurian crystal was only a
temporary and convenient method and finding a stable medium for her
transfer is preferred. There is no issue in using another but a long term
solution needs to be found. As for the other, real time monitoring of
affected areas of the ship undergoing repair may be disabled. If there is
no power to that section an easy remedy. There may be some instances where
her retreating to the secondary computer core will be necessitated. The
secondary does not have primary oversight of internal systems but is
focused primarily on outside matters such as ongoing scientific operations
while the primary is linked to every aspect of the ship." Having spoken he
took up the water glass again. He needed to hydrate thoroughly before
bridge duty tomorrow.

“I learned that I don’t want to be in your chair anytime soon. I thought I
was ready. I’m not.  I learned that very quickly.” She tried to seem stern,
“You are not allowed to repeat this. You scared me, and Luma was
frightened. She started screaming telepathically and many of the telepaths
on the ship were so exhausted they asked for psi inhibitors.”   Sienna did
not like that memory.  “She’s been handling the repairs better than she
handled your heart stopping.”

"I can assure you Commander I have no desire for a repeat of the incident
and will take all necessary steps to avoid it including having taken on a
security escort. I have set Mister Weston on the trail of the infiltrators
and arranged for Lieutenant Trei to assist him. And on that "note I have
transferred Trei to security to assist in the investigations. I anticipate
she will be remaining there for the foreseeable future."

“That’s a good lateral move for her. She hasn’t been prospering in medical,
and this utilizes her skill set better than her remaining there.  She had
an unusual idea for a defense during the battle, and I have to admit that I
am pleased that we did not need to use it. It had something to do with
hallucinogenic gas in space. I’m not sure how it would work but it was
certainly an unconventional thought.” She squirmed trying to find a
comfortable spot, “Her counseling skills will be very useful while
investigating. I wanted her to be the one to take Luma if necessary since
she could both serve as a temporary bondmate and is a formidable fighter.”

"Yes. There are a number of reasons I made this decision as well as the
fact she is preparing for her rite of ascension and has made her desire
known to get involved in matters which involve fighting. The move to
security was a logical one for her and now is the proper time."

“Sir, I’ve been struggling with guilt and I guess grief since the battle. I
keep second guessing my thoughts and actions and if I could have done
something differently, to change the outcome.  Lt. Alyl is a friend, his
injury is life threatening.”  Her eyes showed the haunting. She’d struggled
with deaths before under her command.

He steepled his fingers before him on the desk. "Your overall plan was
logical and successful as I noted however I will go back over your steps if
you wish and comment on them telling you where the proper steps were taken
and recommending corrective actions if necessary however there is something
you need to consider Sienna."

He unclasped his hands and leaned back in the chair whilst gazing at her
steadily. "No commanding officer is perfect though we strive for perfection
and the application of logic to insure success in its most efficient form.
I myself might have made a critical error in judgement against a weapon
with which I was unfamiliar. The purpose of the no win scenario is to prove
that one can make the correct decision every time yet still lose. You or I
will never be perfect and one day we might come up against such a no win
scenario. Emotional and mental hesitation will neither help you while in
command nor insure a victory but will guarantee a fatal error. You must
make decisions in a matter of milliseconds at times. Use the training you
were given and the experience you receive as you take steps to your own
command. They will prepare you for what the future will bring."

“I would like to go through the battle action by action at some point to
learn. I only have basic tactical experience and I know your Father is
considered to be an expert in the field.”  She stood up and moved to the
replicator, ordering an iced mocha coffee before returning to sit across
from him. “I owe you a thank you for sending T’Mur to me that day. I have a
lot of curiosity about the future between the two of us, and the bonding
seems to be deepening hour by hour.   Which ah brings me to another
problem.”

"No thanks are required. I gave her counsel based on logic and the
knowledge I have. I will obligingly do so whenever one under my command
requires it."

 A dark blush as she looked down at her coffee, “She is attempting to teach
me self defense techniques. Everytime we touch we get distracted.  She says
that will change and that we’ll be able to control the joining. I was
wondering if you would not mind assisting? Please?”  She realized that it
sounded pitiful but it was true, she wasn’t getting very far in her lessons
and she needed to be able to defend herself.

He gave a sharp nod. "I will teach you the fundamentals and add to them
once you have successfully grasped the basics. Learning to fight is simple
but learning to fight effectively is far more time consuming. No defensive
or offensive maneuver can be entirely successful without a strong
foundation."

“So it’s not unusual for this to be happening? I don’t know much about
Vulcans and their bonding. We’re also becoming more telepathic with each
other too, we don’t have touch to speak to each other.”

"It must be a product of the joining coupled with your own more advanced
abilities. Vulcans touch to join minds though we can reach out short
distances with great effort. The fact you can maintain it at distance would
seem to be due to your own innate telepathy. A Vulcan can sense the
presence and state of their mate over great distances but not share
thoughts."

A smile blossomed across Sienna’s features at the utter delight of the bond
hitting her again. “I don’t understand how you can stand being away from
your betrothed.  I am antsy when T’Mur isn’t near me.”

He shook his head. "The bonding only took place on a very low level and I
do not feel her. It's entire purpose is to target an individual through
Ponn Farr to return to the one chosen. After the betrothal is ended in the
time following Kunit Kalife the bond is deepened to join them inseparably."

Sienna looked almost bemused, “I wish there was time to just enjoy
ourselves while the bond continues to develop.  After we finish this
operation I’d like to return to Earth to have a traditional ceremony.”  Her
dreams were evident on her face.

"I will attempt to arrange it with command but except in the case of
hostilities I do not believe there will be an impediment. We will need to
return to Mars after this mission for resupply, inspection and perhaps more
repair after it is concluded in any event."

She did not quite show her age with a squeal of delight but it was there in
her body language and facial expressions. “Captain, you know that Admiral
Winters spoke to me on Vulcan?” Her voice sounded excited yet thoughtful at
the same time.

"And what was passed along to you?"

“She told me that there is a chance that there were agents on board and if
something occurred then I was to read the crew if necessary. Lt. Gregory
and I had a disagreement over the subject. Admiral Winters spoke about
agents that had been found with implanted personalities.  She seems to be
taking Roanoke as a personal affront.”  Sienna did not know the Admiral’s
history. “Lt. Gregory’s rather innovative solution was that he have Dr.
Solice scan him.  If it would not be considered an invasion of privacy, I’d
like her to make this part of the standard on boarding physical.”

"A logical suggestion. Those assigned to Illuminar are subject to
heightened scrutiny. If they do not wish a telepathic scan they can undergo
a clinical one which will not be an invasion of their thoughts."

“That sounds fair. Lt. Gregory, I will admit that I made a mistake with him
and I will need to work it out with him in the future. I have never really
understood the human notion of privacy, it isn’t a Betazoid custom.”  She
might be half human and raised on earth but she didn’t see herself as a
human. “I needed to know that I could trust him and he took it as if I was
insulting him.”  She looked as young as she really was, something that she
covered with everyone else.

"Fear or uncertainty is the foundation of many errors. If I thought
Lieutenant Gregory untrustworthy he would not have been promoted to 3rd
officer."

“Yes, Captain.” She spoke softly. “Do you anticipate any trouble when we
reach our destination?”

An eyebrow quirked. "It is only logical that we will find a great deal of
trouble at Sigma Draconis Six Commander. Enough to satisfy even the most
foolhardy."

“That’s not exactly reassuring, Sekal.” She deliberately left off the
title, “"I hope that we have a better defense against the hell missiles
before we face them again.”

"The best defense Commander is to not allow yourself to be touched with
violence and if you are to turn it back on your attacker. I may have a
workable plan to that effect."

“Yes, Sir.” Following his lead.  “If I were going to make a bet, there is
going to be another attack on board before we reach our destination.”  She
had finished her coffee.

"I can guarantee there will be which is why I've set out snares that will
trap them when they make the attempt. I've also come up with a solution to
the missiles. Their weakness is that they are fired using their own
propellant rather than being launched. This makes disabling and redirecting
them simpler. Also we have one of our own aboard. Once it has been
thoroughly studied we will complete it and add some improvements."

“Is there anything else that we should discuss before I head out to start
my shift?” She had gotten the impression there was something specific that
he wanted to talk over with her.

"Negative. We will discuss the details in more depth after leaving Regulus.
The preparation time will be minimal and we will have 38 hours to set our
plan into motion."

He rose to his feet. "I will complete the rest of my duty tomorrow. It is
time I rested."

“Sweet dreams my friend.”  She picked up her coffee cup and his water glass
and returned both of them to the replicator absently. While she wasn’t the
most tidy person usually, T’Mur was having an impact on her already.

(Reply: Any, none)

(Posted by Charles and Melinda G)




























Charles Gatling
Commanding Officer
USS Illuminar
NCC 61240


"The light shines brightest amidst the deepest darkness."
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://startrekfreedom.com/pipermail/illuminar-rpg_startrekfreedom.com/attachments/20210606/c2ee517c/attachment-0001.html>