Recruitment ep 9. FOR SCIENCE

Posted on 19 Feb 2013 @ 1:34am by Chief Warrant Officer 4 Cyrus Kiwosk
Edited on on 19 Feb 2013 @ 11:37pm

2,030 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 4 - Panne's Office
Timeline: MD 03, 12:30

[ON]

Cyrus took a deep breathe, since their last fight about his loud mouth, the muscled ex-marine had been dreading this meeting more than with the Vorta Operations officer. He took a steadying breathe one last time before pressing the chime on Lieutenant Panne's office door.

"Lieutenant Panne, it's Chief Warrant Kiwosk. I believe that Warrant Petrov mentioned something about my coming by?"

Indeed he had, Maenad remembered. She had forgotten. "Come in," she said from behind her desk, looking up expectantly. Her eyes were tired and a bluish purple on the otherwise white skin beneath them.

As the doors opened Cyrus stepped in and nodded a greeting. "Hello Lieutenant, I trust all is going well?"

"Just fine, and you?" she said, watching him. "Have a seat."

"Thank you Lieutenant, I'm doing well. " He replied almost politically. So far so good, she has hauled off and smacked me, I'd say that's progress.

"Typically, I've been going from department to department in regards to potential candidates for the multi-department tactical response team. Warrant Officer Petrov approached me the other day after talking to Lieutenant Stone, hence why I am here. " He paused to swallow before continuing, his hands clasped together in his lap. " Typically I would ask who you would consider well suited for the team; however mister Petrov has made it clear that he is more than capable and willing. I'm asking if you have any issues with him partaking in the required training exercises necessary to be part of the team. "

"I have many issues with his being on this team," Maenad replied simply, but with a pleasant airiness in her voice. "This is a science vessel, not a tactical insertion ship. Mister Petrov is a scientist who is valued by this department; if involvement is voluntary and it is his wish to enlist, then that is his prerogative," she raised her shoulders a little. "As long as being on your team does not interfere with his scientific duties, there is little I can do to prevent him from joining," she conceded.

"I'm glad that you spoke up about that actually, because while it is voluntary, I'm taking into consideration the opinions of every department head. It's their people I'd be training, and I don't want you or Ensign Peers for exemple, to feel like this is simply a ' grab who you can....you have no say' ideal. If you seriously do not want mister Petrov on the team, that will be put forward when picking the draft.

"That being said Lieutenant, I want you to know that the training we will be conducting will not impede the Warrant's scientific work onboard the vessel. I want to train him to respond to emergencies and be able to conduct himself accordingly, not train him to become a marine or an STG." He explained. " It would be a 4 to 5 hour training every seven ship days. You will be forwarded all intinaries regarding the Warrant's training and we will be able to work around his on time duty shifts, he will be taught advanced combat tactics and weapons training, crowd control skills as well as combat stress training in order to perform his duties while on assignment in the case of dangerous environments." He managed a half smile. "I want you to know Lieutenant that any questions or concerns regarding any of this can be forwarded to myself, if I can't answer your question I will ask the Lieutenant and get back to you as soon as possible. He's a member of your staff and I want you to feel at least included in the goings on with the team."

Maenad nodded impatiently. "Yes, that's fine. I'm not saying he can't, Mister Kiwosk. If he wants to do it, he may. But, even I realise being trained in advanced combat takes more than just an after school session once a week," she grinned sarcastically.

Kiwosk grinned back with just as much sarcasm. "Of course, but where we are simply beginning Lieutenant we still need to see if the candidates will be up to snuff. Ease them into it at first and we will see what happens next. " He cracked his knuckles in his lap and sighed. "Anyways miss Panne, do you have any questions regarding this, because if not...I actually have a concern I would like to bring up to you...concerning Lieutenant Cho and her... state of being."

Maenad could not articulate just how little interest she had in talking about this so-called tactical response team. "Oh?" her eyebrows perked. "What about her?"

Cyrus became visibly uncomfortable and fidgeted for a moment in his chair before responding. "I'm worried that the events over the last week may have stressed her to her limit without realizing it." He paused as he focused his thoughts together. "Yesterday and earlier this morning, the Lieutenant has asked about getting stronger, physically and has been wanting to learn how to defend herself. She came to me and asked me to help her do this." He sighed. "When I tried to explain that strength isn't as much physical as it is mental, through determination and all that other sensai-esque information, she didn't seem receptive to my explanation. The following morning, this morning actually, her and I were in the training facility where I was attempting an exercise that would eventually lead to her increase in agility and speed and strength, but it also is supposed to allow the person to push through the barriers that keep a person from achieving true strength, which is what I thought she was looking for." He sighed. "Do it the right way or don't do it at all was sort of the idea I was trying to get past, but she wanted pure strength and muscle training." He paused. Surprised that he was opening up to Panne as easily as it has been.

"We discussed at length boundaries and limitations and how to go about achieving the goals, I admit, I must have misunderstood yesterday's conversation when she asked to learn to defend herself, but this is where I realized that it must run deeper than we all thought. " He took a very deep breathe before continuing. "This might just be me worrying over a colleague or it may be my own experiences leading me down the wrong path, but when I was talking to her about how to go about achieving the proper mental state that she needs in order to be 'strong'." Cyrus used hand quotes along the word. "Which is more or less, not to be afraid of giving 100%, complete focus pushing past the walls we throw up to keep us safe, I was just talking, but it seemed I struck a nerve...a big one. Normally, I wouldn't have thought anything of it, but this is where it got interesting. She seemed almost frightened to let herself be herself. It was like she does everything to try and please everyone around her, but when it comes down to what she wants to do, it's very...vague.

"She says she wants to be stronger, I tell her it won't be easy...when I show her what was planned, she changes her mind in what she wanted. Granted, I shouldn't have looked at what she was saying as literal as I did, but it's still there..." He sighed. "These tendencies tend to be common in people that don't have a lot of self confidence, but more so in people who tend to have a lot of self-loathing, so I asked her exactly that. ' Why do you hate yourself to the point that you refuse to trust yourself? She couldn't give me answer. When we continued, I explained to her what the goal of the original everything seemed to pan out as best as it could." He shrugged his broad shoulders and frowned. "But a lot of what she's showing, at least to me in any case, is severe stress at dangerous levels...and given her history and what has happened during shore leave..." He left the sentence hang in the air for a minute. "I'm concerned for her well being and I figured that I should voice my concerns to you because you know her as well, if not better than I do. The last thing I want is for her to do something...regrettable and get hurt in the process." He chose his next few words carefully. "It could be nothing, and it could be my own problems screaming at me that something is there when it isn't, but I couldn't stop thinking about how she had been acting. I hope I'm wrong."

Maenad listened to him attentively. He said a lot, but it all meant something. She felt a nagging sensation of guilt for having told him before to stay away from Kiri, because he obviously cared deeply for the young woman. She pushed the thought aside, however, and focused on everything that he had said. She had been worried about this; Maenad had wondered whether she had given Kiri enough time to recuperate from the previous mission, and then from her medical emergency.

Kiri seemed less tired than when she had first met her, but Maenad had no precedent to know what Kiri had been like before her problems had started. Her Starfleet record and personnel files had all mentioned her reservedness, though Maenad hardly needed them to find that out for herself. Since the Galileo had left port, she hadn't noticed anything about Kiri that might have risen a red flag. But Maenad hadn't spent much time with Kiri, either. Was this an appropriate thing to discuss with her? After licking her lips, Maenad said "Do you think I should speak with her?"

Cyrus shrugged. "I don't know...I mean, how would you go about it? 'By the way people are worried about your mental state?'" He sighed. " I would say that it would be best to simply observe and see if it gets worse, but I'm not a doctor or a psychologist. I only know how to read expressions and postures and that's what I gathered from our couple of conversations...." He actually felt bad he couldn't be any more help. "I feel like it might be best to simply keep an eye on her, but you're the superior officer, she could technically tell me to get stuffed if she ever had the nerve to." He sighed again and let his hands fall back into his lap. "It's your call, if anyone can get anything out of her, it might be you."

Maenad leaned forward on her desk, resting on her elbows. "Thank you for telling me all this," she smiled a little. "I am having dinner with her this evening. Her sudden willingness to be trained in fighting, though," Maenad trailed off. "At the exercise we did on Vega, she was terrified to hit me. This would be a major turnaround for her."

Cyrus nodded. "I agree, it's finally an opportunity for her to come out of her shell if she break down the barriers that preventing her in doing so. " He sighed as he tapped his head. "You and I both know this, but it's getting her to see it." He paused, "That's the issue."

That wasn't what Maenad meant, but she nodded anyway. She was more concerned that Kiri had apparently changed tunes so quickly. Yes, she had been taken hostage by mysterious men who had threatened to kill her, but she still couldn't imagine her outlook on violence changing so dramatically. She frowned. "Yes, well," she gave a small shrug.

"Anyways, if there isn't anything else to discuss, I best be on my way Lieutenant." He smirked as he gave a small salute. "A pleasure as always ma'am. "

Maenad watched him get up to leave when she stopped him. "Thank you for bringing this to me," she said. She gave a thankful nod and watched him leave.

[OFF]

CWO Kiwosk
Security/ Tactical
TRT Squad Leader
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Maenad Panne
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

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