To: P-25-J

Posted on Tue Sep 3rd, 2024 @ 12:23pm by Commander Lorut Vila & Lieutenant Commander Ukram Gocx & Lieutenant Rowena "Rena" Campbell & Lieutenant Commander Frasier Greene & Lieutenant Dovenice Nyx & Lieutenant S'Tera & Lieutenant JG Aurora House of Kor & Fleet Captain Maxwell Culver & Lieutenant Commander Chester Ripley & Lieutenant Callan Armidale & Lieutenant Wara Tête

4,149 words; about a 21 minute read

Mission: Silver Rain
Location: Bridge-Various
Timeline: MD4: 0800

Vila watched as the captain and others dematerialized from the Transporter Room to board the Lovelace.

Well. Here went nothing. Either this would go exceedingly well, OR exceedingly badly. She needed a drink. She needed a hug. She needed to be anywhere but here. For now? She'd settle for coffee and maybe a quick relay to her mom. Mama Lorut always knew what to do. Vila usually did-but the Bajoran was faced with a problem she couldn't shoot, drink, or run from. It was a few days of her solely in charge and she KNEW it would mean the end of her career if she fell flat in even one area. She wasn't ready. THEY weren't ready.

Still. She arranged her face to be neutral as she turned around to head out back to the Bridge.

"Commander Lyo, take the XO's seat. Helm...full speed ahead. Everyone. Duty reports." The day had just begun and she needed the full team to be on the same page.

Rylen took the proffered seat, trying not to look terribly bored as much as he felt. XO was not one of his most desired positions at the moment. That involved…no, his mind went wild if he would let it. The fantasies…

"The cetaceans have been given their orders and are waiting to be deployed," Aurora gave Commander Lorut a small nod, feeling the tension in the air as her own adrenaline started to rise.

Vila nodded at Aurora. "Thank you, Lieutenant. Hopefully we won't need them, but I appreciate their readiness," she said. She was still unused to Cetacean Ops-a newfangled thing the Fleet decided was fun, but which she, an old-school scientist, found...lame and frankly, a little distasteful. She took a quiet umbrage to using animals for others' bidding, particularly combat. Still, they seemed a useful tool for scientific endeavors.

Aurora could still feel the tension, but she'd done her part, so she decided to watch and see what would happen.

Taking his usual position when Commander Lyo was not on the bridge, it felt strange to Callan that he was just over his shoulder. Still, he turned to see a stranger, some ensign, at helm. He felt a little disappointment that it wasn’t Scott.

Knowing how nervous she was about Culver leaving her in charge, Doctor Greene had opted to be on the bridge for a time to offer emotional support to Vila. She'd properly not accept it or truly want it, but he hoped his presence would comfort her somehow. It also offered him a change of scenery and could offer some insights into the crew’s behaviour.

"Sickbay is ready for whatever is required," he replied having taken up a station toward the rear of the bridge.

Vila shot him a small smile. "Thank you, Doc. You can return to Medical if you're needed," she said, reassuringly. She was grateful he was there, though.

"If anything changes, I'll head down," he paused reconsidering if his presence was a distraction. "Unless you insist."

Vila shook her head. "You're welcome to stay," she said. She smiled again. It would be nice to have someone there "on her side" anyway.

S'tera materialized aboard the ship. She didn't like having to leave Rena but she had to. Duty called. When she came back they would make up for lost time. She did love Rena very much. Ah well. She headed down to the science department to check out everything, to make sure it was okay. This was a very important mission, so everything needed to be right.

⋮ ENGINEERING ⋮

“Lieutenant?” Ripley poked her head around the sectional divider where she found the Chief Engineering Officer shoulders-deep in a replicator repair. “The bridge is asking for a duty report.”

“Of course she is,” Nyx answered. She used her foot to push one of the newly issued PADDs towards Ripley.

“She?” Ripley asked.

“It is the first thing the executive officer asks for when she steps on the bridge. Hit send on that report,” Nyx said.

"You wait for her to ask?" Ripley hit the control to send the report.

"It gives her a sense of power to have people respond to her bidding," Nyx explained. "And it gives her something to complain about if the reports come in late. I wouldn't want to take that away from her." The replicator started to hum above her when she snapped the power source back into place.

"I see," Ripley tittered and set the PADD down again.

⋮ BRIDGE ⋮

Vila's PADD lit up with a report from Engineering. That was fine and all, but why was their console empty? She reached up to click her Comms. =/\=Ripley, if Nyx is unavailable, you need to be at the console, please. On the double. =/\= They couldn't be without an Engineer on the Bridge. SHE certainly couldn't fill in. She'd do fine in medical or science, but that was the limit of her knowledge. She settled into her seat.

≜This is Nyx,≜ the chief engineer called to the bridge, ≜Lieutenant Skyr has bridge duty this shift. If he is not at his station, check the latrine. I promise you; he is not far away. But, I'll be there in a minute.≜

=/\=Thank you, Nyx. I appreciate it. I will keep an eye out. =/\=

"Thank you, everyone. Steady as she goes," she said. She sighed. Her first five minutes were in the bag. Only 7.55 more to go. Christ. She needed more coffee.

⋮ ENGINEERING ⋮

"What's going on?" Ripley asked as Nyx pulled a grav cart over to the repairs shop and started to load various appliances onto it. She hefted a toolkit next, and the cart protested the added weight despite its designated purpose to move large and heavy objects.

"I'm going to the bridge." Nyx explained. "The XO wants me there. I'll go there. If she wants the ship to run, I'll take my work with me..."

She dragged another assembly of parts to the industrial transporter so she could have it beamed to the bridge when she was through with the cart's contents. Towing the grav cart, Nyx boarded the closest turbolift destined to the bridge.

"Hello, Skyr," Nyx greeted her fellow engineering team member and joined him at the engineering station on the bridge. She settled the cart and took a seat on the floor after pulling several needed tools from her kit. "I heard you stepped away from your station?" she questioned.

"I was getting a drink." he explained.

"Next time, make sure you get a hall pass from our executive officer. She marked you absent and called the truancy officers on you."

"Sir?"

Nyx waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it. I tracked your comm badge and saw you were on the bridge. Your attendance scores won't be affected."

Though not normally present on the bridge, Doctor Greene quickly ascertained that the presence of the anti-grav cart, along with Nyx, taking residence on the deck wasn't exactly normal. He couldn't see either Lyo or Vila well enough to gauge their reactions, however he could sense the atmosphere changing with the Lieutenant's behaviour being less than expected of senior staff.

Vila shot a look at the two Engineers. "Lieutenant Nyx. Why don't you run the crew through a series of practice ops? I will oversee from here. Anything you'd like. Say, an explosion in a tube someplace. Helm, prep training alarms. Code Yellow, please," she said. It would keep them ALL occupied, cool down the Engineers' jets, and give HER a chance to breathe.

Rylen tried to fight the urge to sigh heavily and lost. All the estrogen in the air was starting to feel a bit constricting. He was glad to have the two gents at the front of the bridge. He wondered if it was just him that noticed shy glances and half-smiles.

He yawned. This was too much. “Alert condition yellow. Initiating crew readiness maneuvers. All hands to stations.” He had managed to keep the malaise from his tone. At least, he hoped he had. “Lieutenant Nyx, run us through your scenario. You have readiness control at your command.”

There, he was getting better at this…

Nyx looked up from the puzzle of parts she was laying out on the floor. "No."

Assuming he'd been needed back at sickbay to oversee the training exercise Greene stood to leave when Nyx's single word of insubordination stopped him dead in his tracks. Did she really just say that?

’The chair is a bit more comfortable,’ Rylen noted as he tapped a reminder to have his own upgraded by the Quartermaster. He couldn’t say ‘no’ to the XO’s order, the Chief CONN officer, possibly…maybe.

[hr]His gaze was suddenly drawn to Lieutenant Nyx as she fiddled with some parts on the highly waxed floor. ’Is carpet too expensive for Starfleet these days?’ his inner bitch snapped while his regal upbringing reminded him, ’We could carpet the whole ship at a small cost to...’ The sentence stopped cold in his mind as the recent downfall of his House and the deaths of his father and brother rushed back. A lump of anxiety formed, constricting his breathing. Or, at least, that was how he felt.

’Oh, for fuck’s sake, get it together. Hold your chin high…higher. Lords and Ladies of the court do not cry while entertaining or being entertained.

‘Short of breaking a bone, bleeding or having an eye poked out,’ the memory of Lady Darra was interrupted by Rylen’s adoration. It was what she loved most about him. She could entertain him with stories or read a book together in the library. He was an easy child.

So, she allowed the occasional, rude interruptions.

‘Is that what happened to Uncle Karl’s eye?’

Lady Darra laughed. ‘Don’t be so silly. Uncle Karl lost his eye in a terrible fishing accident!’

‘Did the fish attack him and eat out his eye?’ A very young and imaginative Rylen asked, making munching noises when he mimicked eating the eyeball.

‘Dear me. We shall have to get that imagination under control. No, Karl cast his line backward and swung forward. His eye had been struck in the backswing and plucked in the forward cast. It was quite a bit of a surprise and amusement.

‘Karl had been, once, considered a handsome and eligible bachelor. Well, he had no business fishing. While drinking himself into such a spell, he still hadn’t realized his eye was hanging from the hook when he got back to town.

‘He gave a few ladies a fright since Karl thought he had caught a new type of fish. Ah,’ she paused and laughed. ‘Your father had to give him a long talk that night. Of course, being Karl, he fished out the cloned implant two years later. Same hook, as the story is told.’ They fell into a comfortable silence for just a moment.

‘Now he just wears that ridiculous eyepatch like he’s a pirate. Pirating his liver to a lonely grave, love. Now, I didn’t say anything about Karl or his eye or the fish.

‘Tears are only for mothers and sometimes pillows. You understand?’

Rylen smiled and nodded just before opening the heavy, wood door. ‘Yes, my Lady.’ It was the proper response when the door was even slightly ajar. Adherence to etiquette was an education a Royal House child was born into.

His console beeped, and it broke him out of his reverie. AGAIN. ’What WAS Nyx doing?’ Fuck it. I’ll be Step Stair Stanley or whatever. Humans had some mascot for literally everything.

“Lieutenant Nyx? Are we playing Lincoln Logs or Pick Up Sticks? What’s, um, what is going on? We are at alert level yellow, awaiting your opportunity to run any or all of us through some drills. Now would be an excellent time to start...”[/hr]

"'No,' is a complete sentence," Nyx stood up to her full five foot and one inch height. Straightening her spine further, she got an extra half an inch. The symbiont within her stretched also. Though not adding any physical height, the symbiont added gravitas. Dovenice was the daughter of a diplomat and had a fine understanding of what to do to keep the peace. She showed respect to her engineering team, the ship's crew, strangers on and off the ship, and herself. The Nyx symbiont... was not a diplomat.

Greene watched in muted horror as Nyx stood and pulled herself straight. Just because Culver wasn't onboard this didn't mean she could behave in such a manner and was surely aware of the consequences she'd face for her attitude. Was it really worth it?"

"Does nobody feel that the ship is in motion? How do you think that happens?" Her entire body gestured in extreme surprise. "My engineering team is busy keeping the ship moving, monitoring the systems, rerouting power as needed, and making constant, minute adjustments. I am usually helping with that, but for some dumb-ass reason, the executive officer thinks I need to be on the bridge.

"I come up - with work, I might add - and I have more waiting on the industrial transporter when I'm done here. But now you want me running some flippity-gibbit crew exercises?" Nyx turned to address the executive officer directly. "I have never told you how to do your job because my focus is on the engineering department. I keep the ship's systems running at peak performance. I repair the replicators to keep your food tasting correct when someone sends shitty 'upgrade' codes. And my engineering team is more than qualified to respond to an emergency explosion in a Jeffries tube - 'someplace...' The time for training exercises, if needed, would be while the ship is not in motion - and even then, there is more than enough daily maintenance work to occupy our time.

"I don't know what your problem is with me, but you are going to stop treating me like some fresh little ensign off on their first excursion into space who doesn't know any better than to say, 'yes, sir,' every time they're addressed by anyone with more than one pip.

"Do not micromanage me ever again or I will be contacting Starfleet Corps of Engineers and filing for reassignment with immediate effect.

"If you think the engineering department needs further training, address it with me personally instead of pulling the idea from your ass at random in a passive aggressive play of power. I will then review my team and take appropriate action if needed - or show you why what they are doing is correct.

"Is that clear, Commander?" The word, "Commander' came from the voice of a captain. Nyx was not a lieutenant.

Greene stood stock still as Nyx laid it all bare and cringed at every direct comment to Vila. He glanced over to her half-wondering how she was processing this assault and clear level of unacceptable behaviour.

"Lieutenant Nyx. Please report to the brig, or I'll have the security team escort you there. Your choice," Vila said, evenly. She wasn't afraid of this woman. She was equally strong-willed. But more than that, she was TRYING to change things, but insubordination wasn't tolerable when they were shorthanded.

Now Rylen did yawn. The drama was exhausting. “As you wish,” he responded with dry sarcasm. The effects of the completed finiis’ral were diminished with time and distance, he felt more like himself. Basically dismissive.

“I’m just following up on the ship’s captain’s orders, as well, you know, it is my current responsibility. Captain Lorut has presented her orders. Perhaps you should talk to her about your feelings that this is an unwarranted use of time?” Rylen proposed. Secretly, he wanted to see the smaller woman run roughshod over Lorut’s bad attitude. A good cat fight would be entertaining, at least.

The sight and sound of Rylen yawning caught Greene's attention and bewildered him. Why was he not supporting Vila with more conviction? It wasn't his place, but the Doctor wanted to shout at the engineer and physically toss her off the bridge himself.

Nyx turned to the mordant tone of the operations officer, "I was addressing Commander Lorut," Nyx gave the acting executive officer a hard stare. "Or did you choose not to see me turn to her? Do you need me to point my fingers at the person I'm talking to?"

Nyx was beginning to dig her own grave here, Greene summarised.

Rylen shrugged almost imperceptibly. “I am currently the Executive Officer. Captain Lorut is currently the captain, that is how Starfleet ranks work, Lieutenant Nyx, but I know you already know this…”

Lorut set her jaw. "That's the second direct order you've chosen to ignore. A third will be your immediate dismissal from this ship. YOUR CHOICE," the Bajoran said, again, her voice still even but with the edge of the same anger she'd once directed at her Cardassian captors. She looked to Lyo.

》Second? Nyx narrowed her eyes as she reviewed the last few minutes and concluded there was never one direct order. Bajoran math was crazy. Ready to push the final proverbial button, Nyx paused when Lorut continued. As typical, Nyx wouldn’t be able to get in a word when Lorut decided it was her turn to talk.《

"Escort her out, will you?" She said. "Actually. Let me be clear because we obviously have a problem with communication. Commander Rylen Lyo, escort Chief Engineer Lieutenant Doveiance Nyx off the Bridge. NOW." She sighed. She stood up to pace the room. She couldn't sit.

》Nyx gave a short laugh of incredulity. Lorut didn’t even care enough to properly learn her name? ...of course she didn’t.《

Greene twitched and took a small step toward the problem child that was Nyx with the intention to escort her himself. However, he stopped short when Rylen was given the order. Then tension on the bridge was mounting and Vila's choice to start pacing in a near nervous state wasn't helping.

Now it was Rylen’s turn to get involved. “That is a gross violation of Starfleet etiquette, Captain,” Rylen reminded Lorut. “She may be close to insubordination, but she does make good points. She IS the Chief Engineer of this ship. Dragging her away from essential duties is far more damaging than NOT running simulations.

“Furthermore,” Rylen paused and sighed as if this was all too much hassle, which, of course, it was. “There seems to be a personal grievance here and the bridge is not the correct place to, as the humans say, ‘air your dirty laundry’.

“Perhaps, a more direct approach is necessary with a mediator? Might I suggest a visit to the ready room? I will call Counselor Bianchi to serve as an unbiased mediator. That is, after all, his job.

"You will not, or you'll be next," she said, evenly. "Escort her off the bridge. Ops, call the Lovelace, on the view screen," she said. "Find Culver. I don't care if he's in the shower." She paced more, the movement calming her a bit. She needed to run though. Idleness wasn't the woman's strong suit.

“I have the bridge, Captain. Lieutenant Nyx, you are welcome to sit in either of the additional seats beside me. The XO seat is quite comfortable, so I might suggest that one or you can wait in the observation room. Wherever you feel more comfortable.”

Rylen had made some strong points, Greene had noted, but perhaps because he was biased, he didn't think his suggestion was on point. Between Rylen and Nyx, they'd undermined Vila who was already unsettled with the prospect of taking the reins causing further damage to her mental well-being.

Aurora was just glad she was sitting down for all the drama!

[King gear! What the heck's WRONG with everybody!?] Aurora thought, stifling a shiver.

Looking around the bridge, Rylen could see the astonished eyes that fell solely on him. He had basically just relieved the captain temporarily. There were grounds at this point that she was too emotionally invested in this little power struggle, but just the same, he would turn to Doctor Greene to agree, if needed.

Ignoring the stares, Rylen sat in the center seat. In Max’s seat, where petty squabbles like this were not acceptable. Lorut’s head looked like it was about to explode, and Lieutenant Nyx was not far from where Lorut was. Lorut paced, Nyx stood tall - well, as tall as she could - with her little fists on her hips.

Rylen sat impassively in the center seat. It was, admittedly, the first time he had had the opportunity. There was the faintest trace of El-Aurian pheromones, which gave Rylen comfort but also the courage to have both officers relieved of their duties and confined to their quarters until they rendezvoused with the Lovelace and their actual captain. Let him sort this out.

“Now, ladies,” Rylen said. “Kindly do as you’re asked because I am not emotionally compromised in this argument and the Intrepid has a job to do. We have another subspace transceiver to drop in thirty minutes.

“Stand down yellow alert and belay calling Captain Culver, Mister Armidale. We cannot contact him for every personnel quarrel or he’d be onscreen until he’s back aboard, now relay the new orders appropriately to all station chiefs, please?” Rylen was NOT a micromanager or control freak. “And send Counselor Bianchi an urgent request for his services, please.”

Nyx picked the parts up from the floor and returned them to the antigrav sled. "I'll wait in the observation lounge," she pulled the wagon to the correct door.

Rylen nodded. ’One success,’ he thought. Maybe Max should have put me in command of this situation in the first place,’ was his second thought, but then he remembered where he’d been, mentally, when Max had left.

Swallowing down his opinion on Rylen's actions, Greene immediately turned to Vila and interrupted her pacing before she could object or lose her cool with the Commander. Gently he held her arms and hoped his sober, caring expression would quail her rising temper. "Why don't we wait in the ready room until Bianchi arrives," he suggested.

Vila was about to argue, but realized it was probably a good idea. She nodded. "Ok. Lyo, I'll deal with YOU later," she said, as she followed Fraiser out of the bridge and to the nearby ready room.

Rylen processed her comment and ignored it. He was a High Lord of Krios, whether officially or not. He was also the current XO and well versed in Starfleet’s Officer’s Code of Conduct. He was technically correct, the best kind of correct. Max would support such actions under scrutiny of such childish personality conflicts. He watched the interaction and felt the romantic connection between their Chief Medical Officer and their current Captain Lorut.

Perhaps he couldn’t count on Doctor Greene as backup? Whatever the case, Vila left the bridge with Frasier in tow. He was suddenly relieved that none of the bridge crew could sense his feelings for Max, and vice versa.

: Ready Room :

"I don't know what just happened," she said. She was nearing the edge of her abilities to self-soothe - not having her old vices was tough. Thinking clearly was harder when she had no new coping skills yet.

She stepped into the ready room. "Maybe this was a mistake," she said, aloud, in a rare moment of vulnerability. "I should resign. Go back to Bajor...or somewhere."

"Nonsense," Frasier said softly and pulled her close wrapping his arms around her to soothe her frayed nerves. "Nyx is testing your boundaries, what's that expression? When the cat's away the mice come out to play?"

Vila simply nodded, but let him hug her. "Probably. I don't know why her grievances are suddenly airing. I tried to involve her..." she sighed. Vila was just confused, really.

Frasier sighed and withdrew. "Honestly I'm disappointed Rylen didn't back you up as she blatantly disregarded and disrupted you openly on the bridge. That's not acceptable no matter who's in Command - Culver wouldn't allow it."

Vila shrugged. "He's not incorrect. Not technically. It's not really the BEST way to do it, but it's not wrong. I am not certain that Culver WOULD back me up," she said.

"I'm sure he would, or dealt with Nyx himself before things made it this far."

TBC

 

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