A Hopeless Cause

Posted on Sun Jul 24th, 2022 @ 6:02am by Commander Kyle Reece

Mission: Season 5: Episode 4: Reef
Location: Elysium Academy.
Timeline: 1343 hours
2108 words - 4.2 OF Standard Post Measure

Alicianna walked out of the Academy Holodeck with the Senior Cadet at her heels. "I'll have you written up for this." Jameson and his cronies stood in a half-circle around Aliciianna.

"Jameson... You are about as interesting as a Pak'Leth. You have no idea what you're doing. No idea where you're going, and generally no clue." Alicianna mentioned. "I told you no less that three times our ship could not withstand the pressure of the brown dwarf. But my recommendations were overridden, first by your XO, then by your Tactical and Science Officer. You believe you and your cronies are too good for me."

"Why you..." Jameson noted.

"I believe this is called, Favoritism, Jameson." Alicianna noted. "Because I am not helping you and the rest of your cohorts cheat." Alicia said quietly. "Good day, 'Captain'."

Kyle caught the end of the discussion. "Cadets," he called out in his command tone. He watched as they all snapped to attention, surprised by his presence. "Care to explain to me what the issue here is? Jameson, you were on rotation tolead this assignment. Why has your team ended without resolving the holoprogram?"

"Jameson's crew believes they're too good for me, Captain."

"We do not, you're just inept." Jameson's science officer noted.

Alicianna got in her face. "You just called an Alindari... Inept.. We're many things Julia... Inept is not one of them."

"Cadet an Kharadan!" Kyle barked with authority. "Lock it up! You will speak when I give you leave to do so. Do I make myself clear?" His tone made it clear that he was not going to allow any further back-talk.

Alicia snapped to attention, though she still had a hostile stare at Julia Carter and the rest of Micheal Jameson's cronies. "Sir, Yes, Sir." One thing was for sure.

Kyle saw the look. "Cadet an Kharadan, report to my office immediately. When I return there, I had better find you waiting outside my office door, at the position of attention. Now go."

Alicia stared at the crew for a few seconds and then turned to leave, calmly, for Kyles office. It was that same five second calm stare Arriannna was known for when she got infuriated at the jocks in the academy.

Once Alicia had left, Kyle turned back to the other cadets. As his eyes moved over each of them, it was clear that he was not happy. "Cadet Jameson, explain yourself."

"We had to make the hard decision, Captain. Apparently Cadet an Kharadan couldn't cut it." He noted. "Sometimes risks must be made for the greater good. She repeatedly kept on disobeying my orders to reinforce the structural integrity field." That was only one part of the story. The other part was that the transport had sunk deep enough into the atmosphere that retrieval was impossible without seriously jeopardizing the ship and crew. It was Jameson that couldn't make the hard decision. Abandon the transport to save the ship. "She has no soul. If we can save the transport, we must take the risk, Sir."

"We?" Kyle asked cryptically. "As you were in the center seat of this assignment, you were the commanding officer. You were the one responsible for leading your team. As commanding officer, you have to look at the whole picture, weigh each pro and con of the mission, be it holographic or real. At the end of the day, your ship and crew are your number one priority. Yes, as Starfleet officers, we are obligated to help those in need. And many good officers and ships have been lost in that calling."

"Could you save the transport in the simulation? Possibly. Would it be conceivable to do when you can't even work with your own crew? Never. Should you ever reach a true command position, the day will come that you have to make a truly hard decision. That decision could save one life or an entire planet. It could also be that that one life or planet full cannot be saved, no matter how hard you try. The only thing that will get you to that decision will be to be able to work alongside of and fully trust your shipmates."

"As for your derogatory comment about your fellow cadet," Kyle's voice grew sterner. "I will not allow that kind of behavior in my academy." He paused briefly, then continued. "You will not only recieve ten demerits for your words, but you now have a new assignment." The corners of his mouth twitched upwards slightly. "Come with me. The rest of you, return to the study hall. I want a twelve page essay from each of you, detailing why racial and spiritual bigotry is outlawed in the Inited Federation of Planets. Those essays will be original and written by your own hand. They will also be on my desk by seventeen hundred, today. Anyone who has not turned in their essay by that time, will be sent back a full year in your training. Dismissed!"

Before any of the other cadets could voice an objection, Kyle turned and strode away, Cadet Jameson in tow. They entered the nearest turbolift and rode it up to the administration level in silence. Kyle's face could have been chiseled from stone, for all that his inner thoughts could give away.

As they approached his office, Kyle saw Alicia standing there, as ordered. "Inside, both of you." He stated as he breezed past her and entered his large office.

As he moved around his desk, Kyle pointed at the deck plating in front of the desk. "Plant yourselves at attention right there."

Alicia simply stared at Kyle. She did not want to look at the arrogant ass next to her.

As Kyle pulled out his chair to sit, his eyes turned to Alicia. "Cadet, I'm not sure if you were asleep during your parade drills, but I do believe that when one is at the position of attention, one's eyes should be pointed straight ahead, not eyeballing their superior officer!" His tone made it clear that, not only was he disappointed but what had happened earlier, he wasn't going to play any favorites here, even if he had any.

Alicia began staring ahead. If this arrogant ass got her expelled, she was going to strangle him.

After a beat, Kyle lowered his large frame down into his chair. After looking at both cadets for several silent seconds, he finally spoke. "You know what I love about not only the UFP, but of Starfleet? The simple common sense ability that, for the most part, beings from different species can put aside their differences, bigotries, fears and misunderstandings, to work together to achieve the common goal of upholding our collective way of life."

He leaned back in his chair slightly, his eyes still moving from o e cadet to the other, much like a predator looks upon his unsuspecting prey. "It's only in that cooperation and mutual understanding of one another, that has allowed the UFP to not only survive as long as it has, but to thrive and continue to grow."

"So, in that notion of understanding and beneficial cooperation between species, here is what is going to happen now. Neither of you are going to be expelled. You both will, of course, receive several demerits in you files for your blatant behavior unbefiting of Starfleet personnel. These demerits will, of course cause you to lose your rank standing within your class. Cadet an Kharadan, this means you will drop out of the top five percent of the class, where you currently are placed. Cadet Jameson, you as well, are out of the top five percent. You both will now be placed dead smack in the bottom of the class, together."

"Now," he continued. "You have three choices. One, I remove you from your current class and reinseet you in a freshman year class, forcing you to retake amd pass every course you have thus far had." He looked at each Cadet's reaction, a small flick of humor filled him, seeing them both clench their jaws in anger. "Choice two, you can leave my office now and try your best to raise your class standings back up as far as possible with the time you have left....or.... you can go for option three."

"Now, before I tell you about the last option, you should know that, while it carries the best rewards, it also has the harshest punishments. However, you must both agree to take choice three, before I tell you what will be required of you." He took a breath and waited.

"The choice belongs to you both. Consider it carefully before you speak."

Alicia was indeed seething, though she wasn't showing it. Internally she would be calling Jameson an egotistical dog. But she realized in order to follow her aunt's path, she would have to tolerate the ego.

Jameson was staring at her dumbfounded. He didn't want this girl on his crew, he had the post pegged for another. This Alindari tended to act almost like she was better than the people around her. They both stated st each other then spoke. "Option three?" Alicianna noted. Alicianna had more to say about Michael Jameson's Arrogance and overconfidence. Like how Arrianna was, it took some doing to get it out of her.

Kyle arched his right eyebrow as he looked from Alicia to Jameson. "Well, Cadet? What is your choice?"

Jameson looked at Alicia, In a way, his brash demeanor reminded Kyle of another cadet he once knew as a freshmen.

"What is option three?" Alicia noted.

Kyle nodded and typed a few commands into his desk computer interface. Once done, he sat back in his seat, quietly considering the two cadets. "Options one and two are now gone. Option three is your only path forward." He stood and moved over to his right, to seemingly examine the various UFP memorabilia that were on display there. "Do either of you know what the guiding principles of the Federation is?" He asked rhetorically.

Turning to face them, he answered his own question. "Liberty, equality, justice, progress, and peaceful co-existence." He let that sit a moment as he looked at them, still standing at attention and facing forward. "As members of Starfleet, we are honor-bound to uphold those tenants. Now, of that list, I find you both guilty of breaking three of them. Equality, progress and peaceful co-existence."

He moved back to his chair and sat down. "So, Gere is what you must do. Starting now, the two of you will forced to co-exist with each other, to progress through your studies together, to find equality together. You will now be bunk mates, and you will do everything together."

Every lesson you learn will be side by side. Every test you take will require both of you to pass. You will learn about the specifics of each other's species, and each other. On top of which, you both will co-captain you team. Their successes and failures will be your doing. Should you team not finish in the top three percent of the Academy, your team will graduate where they rank individually and the two of you will restart the entire curriculum from day one, repeating every single lesson and test...together."

He let that percolate in their brai s briefly before concluding. "Your futures start now. Dismissed."

Alicianna left the office and then stared daggers at Micheal Jameson. "Now I'm stuck with you. Stuck with you and your stupidity. I hope you can deliver, Micheal.. If you don't, I'll find a planet to maroon you on... particularly one with hungry fauna."

"Oh is that so, Alicia?"

"Yes... I don't make threats." She left him. "We'll meet at 0800 tomorrow so we can properly coordinate 'our' efforts. And so you can understand what failure will get you." Micheal held his hands up. "I'm just as much in this as you are.."

"And if your cronies screw everything up, Micheal.. That's on you too. If you mess up, if you fail, if you launch stupid schemes... It's all on you." Alicia left for her dorm.

Micheal shook his head. "What did I get myself into!?!?"

As Kyle watched the pair leave, a slightly evil grin started to tug at the left corner of his mouth. He knew that, had his old commanding officer, Captain Kox, been standing here, he would've gotten a kick out of Kyle's move. There was no greater motivator to succeed, than adversity. He had faith that those two cadets would do what needed to be done in irder to graduate.

~OFF~

 

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