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The Still Calm of Peace

Posted on Wed Oct 24th, 2018 @ 2:58pm by Commander Rita Paris & Lieutenant Asa Dael
Edited on on Thu Nov 1st, 2018 @ 11:51pm

Mission: Hera v Hera
Location: Merkoset 347, Temple of Hera
Timeline: 2395, aftermath, Battle of Planet Hera

The Battle of Planet Hera was all over save for the shouting and the random pockets of violence that were still occurring. Commodore Meowlith, having fomented the revolution, was now assisting the leaders of said rebellion to begin instituting democratic provisional reforms, and she would help them usher in a society more in line with what had existed before Hera, based on mutual inclusion and equal representation for all.

The goddess herself had been beamed up to the Hera, where rather than a brig cell, reinforced forcefields over a VIP suite had been Paris’ recommendation for Hera's confinement. But the final call was the captain’s, and Rita had no idea if her suggestion would be heeded. Nor was it her call to make- after all, what she didn’t know about situations could fill volumes. She merely acted on instinct and intuition, and made her recommendations accordingly. Captain Telvan was the native to this timeline and the final arbiter of such things, and she decided the course of her ship and crew, which suited Rita Paris just fine.

Meanwhile, down on the planet, security and science teams were sweeping the throneroom and Hera’s underground fortress to identify and contain any potentially troublesome artifacts that most likely should not fall into the hands of the locals who, with a little power in the vacuum of leadership, might just choose to make themselves the next petty dictator, which would just undo so much of the work that had gone into liberating the society in the first place. There were also a number of monsters of legend who were none too keen on coming quietly. but news that Hera had been defeated and taken captive the brutes understood, and they stopped menacing society.

The Amazons were another matter, but that wasn't Rita's immediate problem.

The landing parties had all checked in safely and were headed home, back to the starship which bore them on their trek through the stars. But before they departed the scene of the USS Hera’s triumph over the goddess of the same name, Lieutenant Commander Rita Paris had one more duty to see to- a bit of care for the ship’s chief medical officer.

Asa Dael was fresh out of Starfleet Academy, the Starfleet medical branch. They had never served on a starship, and never served on a single mission before this one. This mission, which had involved bloodshed, mayhem, compromised principles and an awful lot of violence. It was not the form of diplomacy Paris would have preferred. It was the kind that was called for, however, and as a dedicated officer, she had done her duty. But she had dragged the pacifistic Malana behind her, as well as the sensitive and impressionable young physician, who was her concern of the moment.

This had been a hard mission on Rita, and she was far more experienced and world-weary than Dael. Given that she had dragged them through the streets of blood and into the heart of the battle itself, Paris would have felt responsible even if they were not so vulnerable and innocent. As protective of the young person as they were, any new officer who had been through what they had would warrant the first officer taking some time with them. Particularly senior staff, to whom departments looked for guidance.

Waiting for them to finish with a security officer who had cut themselves on an errant blade, Paris stood, her battered golden armor bearing clear indications of the day that she’d had, covered by scrapes and gouges and punctures. Personally, she was glad she hadn’t followed suit with Sonak and come down in just her uniform. The kolinahr master was an idealist and he stuck to his principles, which she respected. He was also a master of more Vulcan martial arts disciplines than she could remember when she was apart from him. So he had that going for him.

At the Academy, Rita had learned judo like every cadet, and she wasn't much better now than she was then, despite her adventures. Having field tested it, the ancient astronaut could see the wisdom of the armored EVA suits, as hers had saved her life more than once on this mission. She was aware she was likely quite a bedraggled sight, but she needed to have a talk with Asa Dael, and she suspected Asa Dael had a few things they needed to get off their chest.

Thus she waited patiently for the physician to notice her, as she daydreamed about a hot shower, a deep tissue massage and a warm bed. She also wondered what Sonak would make of all of this. The peace-loving gal from the sixties had led a revoultion in the streets today, killed and vandalized. She had flat-out executed that minotaur general.

Asa was putting the finishing touches on the last injured security member when they noticed Lt. Commander Paris was still on site. The doctor thought they were the last of the original away team still planetside, and thought they remembered seeing Paris leave earlier, but it was all a bit of a blur at this point.

They walked towards Rita slowly, with a limp on one leg, and holding their arm against the opposing side closely. The doctor had been closest in proximity to Hera's throne exploding and lost their armor in the process. The bodysuit Asa was wearing beneath the suit was covered in a fine layer of dust from being around so much fallen masonry.

Numbness had set in emotionally while there was still work to be done, and Asa had been able to ignore the pains of their body and soul in order to focus on caring for the crew. Now all that was stripped way, and every weary moment of the long day, and every pain from their worsening injury came rushing in. They managed to keep their footing but paused mid-stride to focus on breathing and not passing out from the agony in their side. As soon as the pain receded, Asa felt the grief wash over them.

I killed people today. I don't know that I can ever do enough good for the evil I have done. And yet, what choice did I have? I thought the Universe would be kinder.

Asa took a breath and pasted on their doctor face, featuring a professional smile and attentive eyes. They had learned this particular skill in Starfleet Medical, and although their experience using it was limited, they had learned well, and not may could see past the facade.

"Hello ma'am. I think that's the last of it here. Shall we return to the Hera?"

"Not just yet, Doc. You gonna live if I take 20 minutes of your time or so?" Paris chucked a thumb to where the doctor was holding their side. As the frail physician's face contorted with trying to formulate an answer, Paris took them by the shoulder. "All right, come with me. There's something you need to see."

Asa simply nodded, falling in beside the long-legged executive.

Walking at a surprisingly casual pace for the usually fleet-footed first officer, Rita Paris walked the doctor out of the interior of Hera's blasted throneroom, through one of those great marble double doors that were surprisingly still on their hinges. Stepping outside, the sun was starting to set in the background. While the city lay to the south of them, this was the western facing of the temple, as twilight began. The sun's rays turned golden, and the shadows began to grow long as a brilliant contrast. The trade route they had planned to take into town to get to know the people was there, and the passes were crowded with people coming to the city.

"Cmon. We can sit on the edge over here, and it's not so dangerous. But the view should be worth it," Paris explained as she led the ship's surgeon out to take in the view.

“Word spreads fast, huh?” is all Dael said, letting their eyes adjust to the changing light. The view was much more calming here, away from the smoking embers of buildings still burning from the earlier revolution. Upon reaching the edge, the wounded doctor carefully maneuvered to the ground and let their feet swing lightly over the edge.

“Let freedom ring and all that, it seems." Paris also eased herself slowly to the ground. It was clear that the first officer was stiff and bruised and sore all over, yet she’d stayed here the entire time, following up and supervising the cleanup in the aftermath of their violent action. She was judiciously avoiding using her left arm for much, as a harpy had tried to tear it off at the shoulder, and when she sat, it was with effort like an old lady. Once she was settled, Paris looked out over the landscape, at the purplish skies that had resulted from Chief Clemens' machinations in the undermountain below the temple, which had apparently made Hera’s energies toxic to her.

“So. Remember when I told you that when this is over, we can feel all of this and deal with it?” the armed and armored explorer explained. When she turned to regard the doctor, there were tears in her eyes, and her face wore the expression that made it abundantly clear just how hard the day had been on her. “It’s over now, and this is that time.”

At those words, Asa visibly fell. The set to their shoulders was no longer quite so square, the placid smile vanished, and tears immediately began leaking down their face. Asa met Rita’s gaze, surprised to see her tears fall as well.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this, you know? I was so sure growing up if I could just get away from the ugliness of my father, the ugliness his ignorance caused, that the Universe would be beautiful. That the pain and sickness caused by his religious fervor was surely not common… that on other worlds, people wouldn’t be willing to die for no reason. But then I get here, and it’s the same thing. Sure, this time it’s women telling men how to act instead of the other way around, but it’s the same thing. And the people that die? The people that have their lives torn asunder? What say do they get in any of it? None. But they still die. And I…I…killed people,” they all but wailed.

“I took an oath, first do no harm… and I tried, I really, really tried. But that doesn’t make them any less dead. How do I live with myself? How can I treat patients knowing what I have done? I’m sorry, Commander, you probably think I’m being maudlin. I just… I didn’t expect it to be like this,” they concluded quietly.

“I’m an explorer,” the product of another age replied quietly. “I signed on to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man had gone before.” A rueful chuckle escaped those bee-stung lips. “I know, it’s sexist, but that was the age that I grew up in. Now here I am, almost two centuries later. Today I wasn’t an explorer. Today I was a soldier. Armed and armored, I strode the streets of this world, and I killed people.”

“The small consolation I have is that I made this world a better place. The powerless have been empowered and those who would reign over them have been removed from power. I protected my shipmates and saw them through a trial I wish we’d never had to face, yet we did.” Staring off into the distance, the fulsome first officer’s voice was unsteady at best. “I murdered that minotaur general. I knew I was going to have to do it the moment I walked into Hera’s throneroom, and when he was determined to beat Ahreva Malana to death, it was a choice- his life or hers. He wouldn’t listen to reason. He wouldn’t be bluffed. He was determined to kill or be killed, so I killed him.”

“I’m going to live with it because you and her will still be here. I’m going to live with all of the lives I took today by remembering that I wanted to settle this peaceably, but they refused to allow it. I’m going to live with it because they chose to serve a tyrant, and they declared war on everything that I hold dear.” Paris turned, her expression one of resigned sadness. “At least, that’s what I will keep telling myself.”

A long pause passed between the two. Asa turned to gaze at the sunset with Rita, and felt the sadness the other had expressed. They understood what Rita meant, although they were surprised at the raw emotion on the blonde bombshell's face.

“Ma’am? Permission to speak freely?” the doctor asked shyly.

“After today, I owe it to you, Myx Dael. By all means, have your say,” Paris gestured to the grand sunset that was forming over the verdant and beautiful countryside of which they had a commanding view from the mountaintop. “It is me and thee out here, no one else. This is the vista that I am going to try to keep as a memento of this day and you need to share it with me, because it might just be a balm for our souls. So yes, Doc, by all means- permission to speak freely and unafraid.”

“Today sucked all over. It found new and inventive ways to suck for both of us and did them in force. I don’t think either of us is walking away the same from this one…I know I’m not. I know I’m young, and I know I’m green. But maybe it’s supposed to feel this way, you know? Maybe it’s supposed to hurt. Maybe that’s the point. Maybe the hurt is what shows us our hearts are in the right place…even if mine is on opposite side of my body than yours,” they said with a weak smile.

A wry smile stole its way onto the face of the first officer. “Why Myx Dael, are you trying to make me feel better about all of this?” Leaning in, the armored aviatrix bumped the shoulder of the smaller person with her good shoulder. “Yes. If we don’t feel those losses, then we become monsters. I’ve destroyed entire starships full of people attacking mine, and I’ve fired on locations from orbit.”

“But this was… ugly. And you’re right, it is supposed to feel this way. It reminds us that we’re…” Paris wound her good hand in a circular motion, trying to conjure a word other than ‘human’, which was no longer applicable in the wider cosmos in which she now existed. “People. It reminds us that we have a soul, and that what we do in life echoes an eternity.”

Asa enjoyed the feel of a friendly body next to their own. A person to share a sunset with, a comrade in arms to reflect on the day. After all, it really was beautiful here.

“I don’t think either of us is in any danger of becoming a monster, ma’am. I’ve seen sadness before. Sickness, death. I’ve seen things that made me want to level a building just to get the rage out. But I never acted on anything. I just… ran. I ran away from home, I ran away to Starfleet, I ran away to my books and my brain. Thanks… for not letting me run away this time. Assuming the EMH doesn’t have a programming glitch and kill me in surgery when we get back, I think I can get used to living with this… in time, at least.”

“You were very brave out there today, Asa Dael. You faced your fear, and never hesitated. You fought for what’s right, and you saved my life. I won’t forget that, and neither should you,” Paris offered, with sincerity. “I’ve seen admirals loose their bowels in fear on the bridge, and I’ve seen crewmen run headlong into danger to save a shipmate. Heroism might not mean the same thing anymore, but to me it does. I told you today there were no heroes, just us. And it’s my experience that’s what makes a hero- someone who doesn’t want to be there and doesn’t want to be doing this, but stays and stands against injustice and does the right thing. Even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard.”

“So while you see those faces and you try to figure out how to live with what you’ve done today, look at the people you liberated, who will be able to rebuild their society their world. Look at the sunset of a world at peace that you made happen, this beautiful jewel of a world and this glorious sunset.” Pausing, Paris turned and offered one of those million-watt smiles that even bedraggled, sweaty and dirty still reminded you just how darn pretty the woman really was. “And you’ll see your friend in the minidress, and you’ll know that she’s still here because of you.”

“Well, there are so few explorers in minidresses left. Who am I to deprive the universe of one?” the doctor asked with a crooked smile. They always felt awkward emotional moments, perhaps due to the last vestiges of puberty, or perhaps simply due to who they are. Even so, Asa felt a strong kinship towards Rita. The last 24 hours had put both of them through hell, but they got through it together.

“Thank you ma’am. For understanding, and saving me right back.”

“It’s what friends do, Myx Dael,” Paris replied as she reclined with a groan and a grunt, determined to enjoy the sunset.






 

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