For whom the bell tolls

Posted on Wed Feb 9th, 2022 @ 5:06pm by Lieutenant Myne Redal & Lieutenant Colonel Azhul Naxea

Mission: Season 5: Episode 3: CAPETOWN
Location: Myne's Office
Timeline: Immediately after "Handoff"
1649 words - 3.3 OF Standard Post Measure

//ON//

"Computer, what is the location of Lieutenant Redal," Naxea asked, standing up from behind her desk.

"Lieutenant Redal is in the Operations Office," came the reply.

Storming out of her office and down the corridor at a brisk walk, Naxea was focused and on a mission as entered the turbolift. She wanted to get to the bottom of why her XO was so loyal--above being loyal to her and the detachment to the Lieutenant Redal. Naxea had heard more than her share about the over jubilant Starfleet Operations Officer. "Operations Complex," she told the computer.

After a moment, the turbolift came to a halt and the doors opened, allowing Naxea to resume her brisk pace as she approached the office and entered,

Myne was in her office, which had suffered a few more modifications in the past few days. The box that automatically sorted requests now as no longer closed, but rather open with a few more tiny mechanical arms doing active sorting. Aside from those, there were two actually large mechanical arms reaching down from the ceiling and extendable to reach around the room. Room which now sported quite a ridiculous amount of monitors that monitored about everything possible regarding the Elysium.

Certainly, the Trill operations officer went a bit overboard, which was not up for discussion. However it all seemed to work somehow as Myne was in the middle of her little 'nervous system' multitasking furiously while dictating reports. The moment the chief marine entered her office, Myne kind of froze, looked at the door and ducked behind her desk. "Lieutenant Redal is not here. She's on the other side of the ship. Engineering!"

"Stand up, lieutenant!" Naxea barked, approaching the woman's desk, crossing her arms as she stopped before the desk. "I need to have a word with you regarding your recent activities."

Reluctantly, slowly, painfully slow and looking very very worried, Myne slowly got up with her gaze lowered. "Yes ma'am. You don't need to call security. I know where the brig is ma'am and I'd like to ask not to be paraded if possible." She replied in a low tone.

"If I wanted you charged and arrested, I would have brought Security with me! I want to know why you felt it necessary to bypass the security measures on Marine Country and what is going on between you and my XO, Captain Patani, since she felt it necessary to protect you over the security of the detachment," Naxea explained.

She winced a bit at being chided like that, but kept her gaze lowered, avoiding to look up at the marine as she began to talk. "Captain Patani was... my friend for the shortest of times. We got talking and she seemed like a wonderful person to have as a friend. But the more I learned of her homeworld, the sadder I felt. It seemed like such an awful place to grow up in. It made me feel really bad and sad for her."

Angling to look a little to the side, she continued. "She took me to marine country to show some old Earth cartoons, which were funny. But on the way there I learned that marines like to tease, harras and be mean to each other, as a sort of sign of affection I guess. I didn't like it. After I left, I wanted to give Captain Patani a gift, something to make her smile and show her that there are nice things out there too. Maybe something to let her feel like a little girl for a moment."

An alarm began to right from one of the monitors and Myne raised a hand to slap one of the mechanical arms. The arm moved to the monitor and began typing on it, quieting the alarm and proceeding to continue tapping on it for a while. The Trill had not raised her gaze for one moment. "I got her a teddy bear from Earth. But I couldn't deliver it there or the other marines would see it and make fun of her. I couldn't transport it in either due to marine country security systems. So I just created a small spider exoskeleton for it with a small tunnel navigation AI who's singular purpose was to reach its destination with minimal invasive measures. It self-destructed by melting upon arrival, leaving the teddy bear intact."

Finally raising her eyes to look at Naxea, Myne stared with determined, but teary eyes. "Please don't punish Captain Patani ma'am. She did nothing wrong. It was all my fault, I was stupid and did not think things through. She even came to me and interrogated me on what I did to boost up security in marine country. I am the one at fault here, for ruining what could have been a wonderful friendship."

Naxea let out a long slow sigh as she looked at the young woman before her. She could appreciate the thoughtfulness. She knew what it was like to grow up in impoverished conditions. Luckily, she only had to endure the Occupation for five years before Starfleet arrived, but life had been hard even during the recovery period until she, her brother, and mother moved to the Federation Colony New France. "Both of you are wanting to take full blame for each other. I can at least respect the loyalty you have to one another, so I doubt the friendship between the two of you is ruined. Your heart was in the right place, at least with your actions, lieutenant. It is true that Marines have a tendency to tease one another but if that happens to you, inform me and I will have the matter solved. I'm not going to punish you, lieutenant, but do think things through next time or just come to me if you have an issue."

Trembling, Myne took a moment or two before replying. "Please don't punish Captain Patani ma'am. It was a stupid thing to do. I know you marines..." She trailed off. "I was shot by marines before ma'am. In another life. Captain Patani has no blame in this as she could not have stopped me even if she knew or suspected. Too much experience and too little forethought." Myne straightened her back and stared Naxea right in her eyes. "I accept full responsibility for both making a fool of Captain Patani and abusing the trust that was building between us. I let my emotions get the better of me but from what I learned about her, Captain Patani is a very dedicated and loyal marine. Please punish me and spare her, I will not fight and accept any punishment you have in store."

"Ah, so you're joined," Naxea concluded. "I don't know the circumstances behind your former host being shot by Marines, but the Marines I work with do not kill in cold blood. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I will have another talk with Captain Patani, allowing her to return to duty and nobody will be punished, provided you talk with Captain Patani. I know from experience that people from her background need all the friends they can get."

"Let's say they had a reason at the time. And yes, this year it's my quadcentennial." She confirmed Naxea's concluziona before muttering to herself. "Yay, Redal is an old fucker now, yahooo!" The soft chuckle seemed out of place on the bitter expression Myne had, as she looked away again. "I am not sure Captain Patani wishes to associate with me anymore ma'am. How do you marines say? I screwed the poodle on this one? I have a dozen lifetimes of memories and experiences to at least make an educated guess that the kind of betrayal I made Captain Patani feel will not be easy to forget, if at all. And clearly I am a bad influence."

"Lieutenant," Naxea began before pausing for a moment as she thought about how to continue. "There is also a saying that goes something like: you never know unless you try." Naxea was truly hoping that by Patani making friends aboard the ship would allow the woman to let her guard down. She was as uptight as a newly recruited Vulcan in many respects.

"You don't think I am a bad influence ma'am?" Myne asked both with surprise and kind of a innocent tone and expression. She really did blame herself heavily for hurting Natacha and getting her in trouble. "If you are not against it and... if she would still be willing to talk to me, then I will try ma'am."

"I'm not in the habit of telling people who they can or cannot be friends with," Naxea responded. Some would say Gunnery Sergeant Luxa Gami was a bad influence, yet she was one of Naxea's closest friends. "We're all adults and can make our own decisions. Just come to me first next time if any of those decisions involve circumventing Marine Country's security."

"Yes ma'am. I don't think I'll be doing that ever again." Myne nodded and still avoided Naxea's gaze. "Ma'am? Are you... going to tell Chief Baeryn about this?" There was a undertone of rather genuine fear in that. But Myne was however ready to face the music, even if it meant finally reaching the point of disappointing her awesome chief.

Naxea paused, knowing that Myne had learned a lesson. "No. I believe this matter is settled, so there is no reason to inform Lieutenant Whavi. I will leave you to your duties, lieutenant."

Myne looked at Naxea gratefully. "Thank you ma'am. And again, I am very very sorry."

Naxea nodded, exiting the office, letting out a sigh as she entered the corridor, hoping the two officers could reconcile as well as get her XO back.

//OFF//

Lieutenant Colonel Azhul Naxea
Marine Commanding Officer
USS Elysium

Lieutenant JG Myne Redal
Assistant Chief Operations Officer
USS Elysium