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Another Glorious Day In Starfleet

Posted on Thu Mar 28th, 2019 @ 3:33pm by Commander Rita Paris & Lieutenant Commander Mnhei'sahe Dox
Edited on on Fri Apr 26th, 2019 @ 12:43am

Mission: Primordial Mysteries
Location: USS Hera, Deck 2, First Officers Office
Timeline: 2396, after the Wake for Ila Dedjoy
Tags: Rita's office

"Hnave, I look like hell." Mnhei'sahe Dox mutters as she stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror of the quarters she shared with Ensign Mona Gonadie.

The Miradonian pilot had left a few minutes prior to hold down the fort in the Flight Control office for the day while Dox was on helm duty and it left the Romulan pilot alone with her thoughts.

Looking in the mirror, there were bags visible under her eyes from an exceedingly poor nights sleep and her curly, auburn hair was a bit more disheveled then normal. It had been months since she had seen the ships salon and her short cut was growing out and in need of some attention so she simply pulled it back into a short, but still regulation, pony tail. But she wasn't feeling particularly attentive to her appearance at the moment, all things considered.

The night earlier had been one of the most tumultuous she had yet experienced since joining the crew of the Hera and she was still trying to work through how she was feeling about everything that had occurred.

Yeoman Ila Dedjoy was gone. Seemingly killed in a burst of quantum energy utilizing some kind of quantum drive to transport the ship to safely from the all-consuming event horizon caused by a collapsing singularity. That singularity was created by the cosmic Titan Gaia when she had chosen to leave this universe.

That was a choice that the powerful entity had come to, in no small part, thanks to Mnhei'sahe Dox. Months ago, a shard of Gaia's consciousness had bonded with that of the red-headed Romulan. And thanks to an artificially opened doorway in Dox's mind, it enabled the command crew to join their minds to hers in order to reach out to that part of the goddess Gaia and convince her to stop her mission of galactic destruction.

And they were successful. Gaia changed her mind thanks to the combined efforts of Dox, Mona Gonadie, Commander Rita Paris, Lieutenant Sonak, Doctor Asa Dael and the ships Intel Chief, Sam Clemens. Together, their joined minds used the power in Dox's to reach out and talk down a god. And for a time, it felt good. It felt like a great achievement. Dox faces one of her biggest fears to allow the Titan into her mind and she and her friends saved an entire star system. But then Ila Dedjoy had to sacrifice herself so they could escape, and that sense of pride was completely replaced with guilt.

But there was more than that on the young pilot's mind as she walked over to her closet and put on her crimson uniform top. That opened gate in her mind that made this all possible... that gate that had made her a target of psychic attacks for months now... that gate that had also enabled her to bond telepathically with her mate, Mona, had been closed.

When Gaia pulled out of the joined psychic link, it was as if she had slammed that psychic door shut and locked it behind her. The door was closed and she could now only barely feel Mona when they touched. Her mind was her own again, but she was now alone in it again and she felt a tremendous sense of loss.

On the flip side of that, however, her mind was no longer an open door inviting psychic invasion in, which was also a tremendous relief. And it was all of these conflicting emotions and the lack of the telepathic bond that had been helping her relax at night that had lead to a fitful night of staring at the ceiling and thinking too much.

At the dresser, she affixed her Starfleet comm badge and twin pips of rank to the front of her uniform as she took a breath and prepared for her duty. She was looking forward to her work, as it would help her get out of her own head until she could see Mona again. Their bond was significantly weaker now, but still there and the Miradonian pilot had promised that they would work together to restore their link to its full strength and she wanted that more than anything right now. But duty can first and Dox looked forward to being able to focus on anything other than her own thoughts.

Which is when the computer chirped and a message came through. "CDR PARIS: LT DOX: Please report to my office prior to bridge duty."

Immediately, Dox felt a bit nervous as she tapped her badge to respond. "Aye Commander. I'm on my way."

Wondering what was wrong, Dox gave herself one last look in the mirror as she adjusted her uniform. "Ugh... Well, this is as good as it gets today." After a short breath, she left her quarters to the First Officer's office.

Located on Deck 2, the for'd facing office of Commander Paris appeared, for all intents and purposes, like a reproduction of her old office on the USS Exeter from 130 years ago. Clutter covered the walls, covered with shelves magnetically holding the bric-a-brac she had accumulated from years of strange adventures exploring space. The old irregularly-shaped conference table with the tiny tri-screen monitor was still there, for old time's sake, as were the pleather padded plastic chairs of the era. Photos of heroes of Starfleet past, mostly handsome white men with cocky smiles were scattered about on the walls, including one of herself, her brother and her father. One image depicted an animated pair that looked like a black-armored cartoon version of Rita with a nebbish wearing a blue button-down shirt and a ballcap, mugging for the camera like a happy couple.

A trideo image showed a handsome blonde captain in the captain's chair of a shiny version of the old-school bridge, leaning forward smugly with his hand on his chin. Beside and slightly behind him was to the right, the somber scientist Sonak, and to his left, Rita Paris, in the same uniform she wore today, a large and clunky PDD on her hip, posed like a pin-up and baring that million-watt smile. A photo behind her desk bore a photograph of an aged and dignified fleet admiral in a stiff white formal uniform, which was clearly autographed, 'To Captain Rita Paris, Admiral Jonathan Archer'.

Alongside the books and a few odd geometric shapes were models of old starships that had never existed in this reality, as well as some that had. Vostoks and Mercuries, Apollo Soyuz and a Phoenix. One shelf at her own eye level when seated was the Constitution of this era, the Exeter from her own universe, and the refit Enterprise. Near the door hung a pair of bronze bracers and a gladius. They were not ornate workmanship, a bit thick and crude appearing, yet clearly Grecian in style if not origin. Behind her desk hung a stylized dagger wrapped in a golden sash, quite similar to the type worn by a ship's commander in the Terran fleet.

A deeply sentimental woman, Rita Paris surrounded herself with mementos of her past

Although here in her office, the security chief also reviewed footage holographically. Thus the archaic-appearing office was currently awash with screens and screens, as she reviewed reports, did research and tried to ensure that even in a crisis, the starship ran efficiently and without incident. That was her job as First Officer, and she enjoyed keeping a tight ship for the Captain.

Part of which was tending to the crew, which meant a conversation with Lieutenant Dox, who arrived to find the door opening at her approach, to admit her to the office where the lights were currently dim, illuminated by the dozen various sized holographic 'monitor' screens the Starfleet survivor had open and working at the moment. A fossil from the faraway era of rocker switches and dials she might have been, but despite her claims to be technologically challenged, Rita Paris was nothing if not adaptable.

Looking up at the approach of the chief flight control officer, the Commander smiled, a close-lipped and weary smile. Dark circles under her eyes indicated that she likely hadn't slept a wink, but her hair looked controlled, her uniform fresh and her boots shined, as always.

"Good to see you, Miss Dox," Paris stifled a yawn with the back of her hand, then waved the light projections off to forward in front of the viewport. "Computer, one cup of coffee for each of us. That thick stuff Miss Dox drinks, and mine as per usual." As the replicator unit mounted between a pair of stacked books that looked as though they had been displaced by the unit hummed to life, the exhausted executive, sat down. "Help an old lady out and bring me my coffee, would you please?"

Grabbing both cups, Dox walked around to the front of Paris' desk and handed the executive officer her cup, taking a sip of her own as she did. Coffee was exceptionally welcome at the moment. "Here you go."

Not quite knowing what she was being called for, Dox stood nervously for a brief second before asking, "What can I do for you, Commander?"

"Sit down, Dox, please. We've still got twenty minutes before either of us is due on the bridge. So we have time to talk before we go make galactic history. I think maybe it's important to have conversations before such things," Paris added, taking a sip of the accepted coffee, giving Dox a moment.

Most everyone on the ship knew that their next mission was the latest and most impossible in the long string of impossible tasks that the Hera took on, and there was an exceptional sense of tension in the air about it. Dox took the seat across from Paris as directed and took another sip before putting her coffee down, wondering what was about to be discussed.

"Aye, Commander." Dox replied, with a touch of nerves evident in her voice.

"So, we were part of a mind meld. A multiple mind meld, a circuit between all of us and a cosmic being of unimaginable power. All sorts of new experiences in one day," the experienced executive expressed dryly. "And let's not forget, we accomplished the impossible in succeeding in our mission, thanks to you- said cosmic being decided to wink out of existence as we know it, instead of concentrating on making us extinct by rendering our own worlds unrecognizable and hostile to us. How do you feel about that? Any lingering effects of having your shipmates in your head?"

Thinking for a second, Dox looked down at her feet then back up as she replied somewhat hesitantly. "No. Nothing lingering. As far as I'm aware, quite the opposite, really. A... Doctor Dael gave me a full scan last night and it seems to have confirmed what I felt after Gaia left, but I think that so-called unclosable door in my head is very closed again."

Since Paris' question was two-fold, Dox paused for a second before continuing. "As for how I'm feeling about the idea that we... succeeded... I'm honestly torn. It felt very good at first. Everything I was terrified might happen to all of us in the mind meld... None of it happened. We did it."

A slight smile crept onto the young pilot's lips, but it was a melancholy thing. "So, I felt... I felt great until... well... until Yeoman Dedjoy." As she spoke, Dox forgot she was in a meeting with her First Officer and just began opening up on her conflicted feelings.

"I'm still happy that we did it. But I feel terrible about what it cost us all and it's all just... bouncing around in my head."

"I am pleased to report that we... somewhat... rescued Yeoman Dedjoy." The fulsome first officer sipped her coffee. giveng Dox a few seconds to process that before continuing. "Her body was destroyed in the unshielded exposure to the quantum drive system. But her consciousness lingered, and I guess I'm a little sensitive to that sort of thing. Long and short, we rescued her consciousness, we're currently making her as comfortable as we can in a partial android chassis she was working on. It's not ideal, and we're not sure where we might go with it from here. But suffice to say, it was a long night... but we saved her. So if you're feeling badly over the cost- Yeoman Dedjoy asked me to tell you herself that she's okay."

Across the desk, Dox's eyes went wide. She was still slightly bloodshot with touches of green in the corners of her eyes from crying the night before as her jaw hung open. "Nouhha..." She whispered the Rihan equivalent of 'god' in Rihan.

Looking around for a moment, the shell shocked young officer tried to process what she had just learned as a nervous laugh of happiness popped out.

"Sorry, Commander. I'm just. That's..." Taking a brief second, Dox composed herself, but her emotions were evident as her eyes were watery and she couldn't quite get the corners of her slight smile back to neutral. "I'm... I'm extremely glad to hear that. I am."

"As are we all. I didn't want you lugging that around, because I surely would be if I didn't know. We didn't want to alert the crew unless it was successful, but... well, it was a long and eventful night. But she's... well, not lost, at least. No one left behind. She gets a medal, too." The gold-clad commander set her coffee down and stood, waving for Dox to stay seated. Moving into some long body stretches, Paris limbered up for bridge duty while she spoke.

"Huh... so you aren't as psychically receptive anymore? That must be a relief to you. I knew it freaked you out quite a bit." Rita took a few waist twists in to stretch slowly at the apex of the motion. "So good thing there, right? You didn't seek out the easy answer from Hera, you used it to the galaxy's advantage, and it got shut as a consequence. Which is probably better than becoming cosmically aware, because the mortal mind can't handle it according to all reports. So, win?"

Quickly, Dox's tone shifted slightly and she got slightly melancholy again. "Mostly, yeah. I'm glad that it's shut for the most part. I'm definitely glad that my brain isn't a giant 'welcome' sign for cosmic Gods, for sure." The anxious aviatrix fidgeted slightly.

"The downside is more... personal. It... made it possible for me to... connect with Ensign Gonadie. Like... our heads. It's... It's not gone, but that link is weak now."

"I can see that might be a bit distressing," Rita nodded, picking back up her coffee for another few sips, as it was cooling now. "You might remember, as upsetting as it is for you, it's probably worse for her- she's the one who's psychically sensitive and sharing it with you. So as bad as it is for you, she's probably feeling very vulnerable right now."

"Not to tell you how to run your relationship, but I suspect she needs you to reassure her and show her the loss of that link isn't going to drive you apart, that you're still her hero, and that you're there for her." Holding up her hand, Rita bowed a bit. "Absolutely none of my business and I admit it. But... Sonak and I have been through hard times too, and just because he has no emotions doesn't mean he doesn't feel, y'know?"

Nodding, Dox replied. "I wouldn't have gone into the details if I didn't respect your input here, and not just as my Commander, so thank you."

Taking another sip of her coffee, Dox continued. "But yeah. We talked for a while last night. The connection is still there, so that means my brain is at least still receptive to the training I got with Sonak. So while I might not have that amplification anymore, I'm still capable of retraining my mind. I've got to start over a bit, but we're going to work at rebuilding that every night. Made it a bit hard to sleep, though. It was tough for both of us not having that other head in ours as a kind of comfort. I guess we got very used to that pretty quickly."

Then Dox sat up straight, with a slightly broader smile on her face. "But... But we're going to get there. Together we all talked down a Titan. You helped save Yeoman Dedjoy. Everything we've seen and done... it's weird but it kind of gives me hope."

"That's the spirit, Lieutenant." The cheerful commander and sat back down, spinning around to take in the impossible sight of her old office in the modern day, complete with holographic reports shoved off to one side. "The universe is not unkind, if you are willing to give it a chance. If you expect pain, that's what you'll get. But hope... hope can move mountains, Miss Dox. Hope can cross space and time, for hope is the belief in the impossible with the determination of the courageous."

"That's you, Miss Dox. You are that courageous soul out there, hoping for a better day, a better future, and building it. Would you like to know the primary reason I called you in here this morning? Because yesterday we did mighty things. Because you were braver and stronger than you knew, and you listened to your heart. Because you're a hero." Walking around the desk, Rita perched herself against the edge, so her skirt didn't ride up, and eyed the redheaded Romulan.

"Gaia is no longer spitting out magical M class worlds that are inhospitable to humanoid life because of you. That's galactic hero stuff, Mnhei'sahe. So, this being your first time and all, as your First Officer it behooves me to inform you that you are officially no longer allowed to think poorly of yourself. Because from this point on, when you do think you are worthless and bothersome and fallible and you begin to berate yourself for your many, many faults, just remember."

Leaning in, Rita Paris poked the portly pilot, punctuating each word with a poke as she peered into her eyes.

"Galactic. Hero."

The Romulan's cheeks blushed green with embarrassment at the official, unofficial title. "Us. We all did that together. So, galactic heroes. Starfleet. This ship. This crew. I could do my part because you were all there. Literally in my head. That I won't forget the next time I'm feeling worthless, for sure. Best back up in the galaxy."

"Nope. No evasions, no diffusing," that finger of hers waved back and forth. "Yes, it was a crew effort, but you made choices. And that was all you. And those choices of yours just saved the galaxy. So own it, Miss Dox. There's quite a bit of pride in knowing you save a civilization, a planet, a village. But galaxy... you never forget that one. You deserve it, and I'd like to see you embrace it, Miss Dox." The mod minidress throwback stood and straightened her uniform, drawing herself up with military bearing.

Cheeks still green, Dox smiled feeling embarrassed, but nodded, not arguing but not quite ready to accept the praise as Rita continued.

"The captain relies upon me. I, in turn, have Thex to rely upon, but she's often in Engineering. You, however, are seemingly always in the thick of things. When there is trouble, we tend to be in proximity. You have no title for it, because unless I am mistaken you are 4th in line for command on the bridge, after Sonak. But you are an officer to whom I turn when I require assistance in my duties, as well as a friend I turn to when I need help."

Stepping back, Paris gathered up a stack of PaDDs on her desk, and organized them into a stable stack before clutching them to her bosom. "I value your presence there on the bridge, and elsewhere. I'm trying to train you, to prepare you for someday when it'll be your bridge you're standing on, commanding a crew and exploring the universe. It's always been an enterprise of discovery today to build a better future for the next generation of deep space voyagers."

"You are that next generation, and I want you to know how proud of you I am. You've come so far, and you're doing mighty things. So" At that, Paris wiggled her eyebrows mischievously. "What do you say we go do the impossible and imperil galactic peace?"

Standing up, Dox pulled down on her uniform top and adjusted herself as she looked up at her friend and executive officer with a hint of a smile. "Aye, Commander."

"Then let's go see if today you'll need to plot a course to enable us to fire four Genesis torpedoes at an eater of suns, shall we?"

Following behind, Dox found a familiar phrase come to her lips. One Rita Paris was fond of saying herself, but it seemed apropos in the moment as the portly pilot parroted her XO's words. "Another glorious day in Starfleet, Commander..."

 

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