Priorities

Posted on Thu May 23rd, 2019 @ 12:14am by Lieutenant Danica Kovitz

Mission: Episode 1: Hell is a four letter word
Location: Engineering
1776 words - 3.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Even as the turbolift doors opened, Danica Kovitz was moving out the door. She was on a mission, and she wasn't about to let something like a door slow her down. For a while now, she'd been moving about Elysium without a focus, letting the events that led her here keep her from focusing on what was happening here and now. And in the process, she'd caused some waves. Some waves which could very well be about to carry a young officer off of the ship. She didn't know how much of that decision was her own fault, but she'd played a part. And she wasn't about to be what pushed the young woman over the edge.

The two hadn't really interacted, which is what made the whole situation weirder. Dani had essentially broken the woman's heart by creating a distraction for Anya Neeze, the object of Sami's affection. And while her own relationship with Anya remained...amorphous, she'd essentially led to the biggest heartbreak of Sami's life, as far as she was aware. Based on the little whispered she'd caught among the science crewmen, it seemed to be severe enough that Sami was going to leave Elysium.

It was a few minutes and a computer location check or two before she found Crewman Justice, thankfully alone in an isolated part of Engineering. Dani composed herself for a moment, not wanting to reveal herself yet. She was sure the woman wouldn't want to talk to her. She might even want to fight her. Given the younger woman's build, that fight would go pretty poorly for Dani. But there wasn't really much alternative. Time to face the music either way.

She stepped around the corner and into the doorway, giving a slight knock on the doorframe. She cleared her throat, before speaking. "May I come in?"

Sami turned to find herself face to face with Kovitz, a real slap in the face with bacon grease gloves. What could this bitch want? Probably come to gloat. Or threaten me to stay away from Anya. Sami thought, that last part was hilarious, if Kovitz put hands on her the engineer would tear her in half like a phone book. Remember, Sami, she's an officer, stay cool. she reminded herself, "Can I help you, Sir?"

Dani could see the tension in the Engineer already ready. She gave herself only a brief moment to second guess her decision to have this conversation before she continued. Coming in person might not have been the best idea. But she also doubted "I wanted to talk to you. I heard you were planning to leave Elysium and...I wanted to try and talk you out of it. I want you to hear me out." She spoke in a calm, soft tone. She was sure Sami viewed her as some villain, and she wanted to try and show that wasn't the case.

What is she on about? Does she want me to stay here so she can flaunt Anya in front of me? Or does she not want me to advance my career, either? How miserable do I have to be to placate this bitch? Maybe she's afraid if I bust into the upper ranks Anya won't find her so appealing... Sami wondered, not daring to voice any of this though, lest she give this woman ammunition to derail her academy plans, "Begging your pardon, Sir, but that doesn't make any sense." Sami replied, trying harder to control her boiling rage than she'd ever tried to do anything in her life, "I'm leaving to join the Academy, to further my career as an officer, and I fail to see why that would bother you so much that you'd come down here to try to convince me not to do it."

Fair point, Dani thought, chiding herself. She was starting to feel like she was standing in quicksand. The more she tried to fix this, the deeper she sank. "Ok, in that case, don't go because of me."

Dani froze for a beat. Great, that didn't sound egotistical at all. Taking a deep breathe she looked at Sami. The woman hated her, that much was clear from her posture. And Dani had never been that great at handling that sort of thing. Growing up, she needed everyone to like her. She didn't want to be everyone's favorite. In fact, she never really was. But someone disliking her was like a constant distraction, a problem she needed to solve. And this one had her behaving all out of whack.

"Or...do leave because of me. I don't know. I...," Dani said, stumbling over her words. She slumping against the wall slightly. "I'm sorry. I heard about your feelings for Anya. I didn't know. When I arrived on the ship, I wasn't in a great place emotionally, and I probably still am not. I wanted to feel safe, to fill a hole left by someone I'd lost, and I rushed headlong into Anya's life, hurting you in the process. And then, like I always do, I got cold feet. Wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing and I pushed her away. And now I've probably hurt both of you."

Seriously? Who does this woman think she is? "That's not my business, Sir." Sami replied, turning back to her work, though she was furious that somehow this bitch now knew one of her darkest, most shameful secrets, "And any feelings I may or may not have had for Petty Officer Neez are of no concern to either of you as I'll be gone as soon as we're back to DS9."

"Though, if you want to unburden your conscience, you could tell me who violated my trust by giving you any of this information, Sir." Sami offered, she really wanted to know who had decided to throw her most personal information out there for public ridicule.

So heartfelt apology isn't working then, Dani thought to herself. "No," Danica said flatly, surprising herself a little. "The person who said it, said so because they were upset about losing you. I'm not going to make that happen by ratting them out."

Kovitz straightened up a little. She was going to give this her best shot. If the girl wanted to leave all love sick and sad, that was her choice, but Dani was at least going to to try and talk her down. "There's a fantastic academy aboard this ship which you could be attending. An academy which would let you maintain your posting, your friendships, and your connections to officers who want to further your career. If the reason you are ignoring that option is to avoid the situation, then you're making a decision which could hurt your career."

Dani took a deep breath and shook her head. This is what she got for fraternizing with NCOs. "Look, if you want to go to Earth because you think it's the right call professionally, fine. But don't do it for a reason like that. You have friends here . who care about you. I know what it feels like to lose that, and believe me, you don't want to know. So don't throw it away over something like this." She met eyes with Sami. "I don't care if you hate me, but I'm not going to stand by and watch potentially you ruin your career. So don't ignore the issue. If you've got something to say, say it. Whatever you say is off the record."

"I know about the onboard academy, Sir." Sami shrugged, playing it off, "But Gallia... Lieutenant Norris, she talks so much about the great times she had in Frisco, sounds like the change I need. You gonna tell me you didn't have the time of your life there?"

"Honestly, no I didn't," Danica said candidly. "It was definitely very fun at times. But it wasn't all sunshine and roses. Sometimes it takes a while to fit in. And being physically at the academy comes with sacrifices too. For me, the Academy was always a means to get out here, out into space. You're already here and doing what you want. Do you really want to leave?"

"Yes." Sami lied, figuring she'd keep it simple. But she couldn't. A question burned her soul, "It wasn't Liorga was it? The one who told you?" The idea that her mentor and closest friend could have been the Judas was too much to bear.

Dani strained to keep herself from groaning in frustration. She was trying to get through to the girl, but she didn’t know if it was working at all. “I told you, I’m not going to reveal who it was. I won’t cause what they’re afraid will happen.” She admitted though, that Liorga certainly had a role in all this. It wasn’t her fault obviously. But it was her vacant bed which had led Danica to stay in Anya’s room. And that stay had led to all this. She filed a reminder in her mind to talk with Anya. It wasn’t fair the way Dani has left things hanging. She’d have to decide one way or another what to do about all this. “Look if you think going to San Francisco is the right move for you, then you should do it. But you should make sure that it’s what you actually want. You can’t let yourself be forced into something by Anya, or Liorga, or me. You can hate me if it makes things easier, but I don’t want to be responsible for damaging your career.”

Her silence had spoken volumes, Liorga had betrayed her, that was devastating news for Sami, possibly hurting worse than Anya's rejection; No, she thought, definitely hurt worse than Anya's rejection. She decided not to let it show though, proceeding cheerfully, "I think it will, Sir." Sami replied, "I mean, with my time in service I'll come in probably as a second year, so in three years I can be an officer, accomplish my life's goal. It's going to be great."

Danica wasn't convinced, but Sami wasn't giving her much to go off of. She honestly wasn't sure if she'd made the situation any better, but she at least had tried. "Ok...Then I wish you the best in San Francisco, if that's what you decided to do. Just make sure you're doing it for the right reason."

"I appreciate your concern, sir." Sami smiled the most realistic smile she could imagine, "And thanks for stopping by."