Security: Still Standing

Posted on 15 Oct 2023 @ 10:35am by Lieutenant Aria Rice & Lieutenant JG Zara Ghemora & Ensign Amanda Turell & Petty Officer 1st Class Gabriel Stark
Edited on on 06 Nov 2023 @ 1:46pm

5,119 words; about a 26 minute read

Mission: Episode 18 - Cold Station 31
Location: USS Galileo-A - Deck 3, Security Office
Timeline: MD 19, 1045hours

[ON]

Lieutenant Aria Rice had taken a sonic shower, changed to her Starfleet uniform, scoffed a cheese and pickle sandwich, applied her trademark makeup and some hidden streaks of colour in her hair. With the systems check starting as 12, she had decided to gather her team. She had no idea what had happened on the away team, or since she had left the ship. Except there had been an assassination and Mimi had kept the brig warm for a bit. What a mess.

It was all such a mess.

She sat down in her chair, her fingers caressing it for a moment. When she had originally taken the Chief position, she had gotten rid of the old chair and gotten a new installed. She was still alive, so she supposed it had semi-broken the curse. Or dampened it a little. She had sent out a message for her team to meet her in the Security office at 1100, but had found herself there early.

It smelt the same. It felt the same. And she wasn't going to let the last days change her too much. Wouldn't give the universe the bloody satisfaction of that. She was Aria Rice. She knew who she was, what she was. She would handle it.

Still not had time for that good cry, but it can wait. Not out of the woods yet, she thought, a small smile on her lips. Wearing her combadge felt...familiar and safe. Underneath the uniform, hidden, she had the pin Jessamine had given her. She didn't want take it off. What felt nice was not having a weapon on her. It made her feel better, because this was her territory. And she didn't have to punch someone to make that true, the rank and position was enough to mark it. She would not miss that aspect of shipboard Klingon internal politics. She hadn't had the chance to go and get the scar healed, not yet. But she would once the system tests were out of the way.

"Aria Rice!" Gabriel grinned as he moved in, his dark eyes shining. "Come here!" he dashed over in the safety of being the first to arrive, getting a hold of her to hug fiercely, even lifting and turning her with a laugh before setting her down to get a proper look of her. He took a step back, folding his arms as he studied her intently. "Not taken over the Empire yet then?"

She shook her head, tilting her head to obscure the scar a little bit. "I did get a job offer from them," she said, with a chuckle. "And for a brief second I considered it. But how are you? I know you've been busy."

"Are you kidding? You're never allowed to leave this ship again!" Gabriel shook his head with disbelief, but his smile faded as his gaze settled on the mark across her face. He reached out, but didn't actually touch it. "What the hell...?"

She met his eyes before she smiled. "Not had the chance to go to sickbay yet. Klingon battle to the death, nothing I didn't survive. Oh, I did make a Klingon friend, Etisa. You'd like her."

The security office door opened and Amanda walked in, her now fully recovered; at least as well as it could, arm now free of its support sling. "Hey boss, glad to see you're back."

Aria smiled as she looked at Amanda, giving a nod. "Glad to be back. And I appreciate you both picking up the slack while I was gone..." she looked at them both, letting out a breath. "But rest assured, we got a new addition. Noticed it when we came over. A Deputy, as they're calling it now." She smiled, because Starfleet liked going between what they called things now and then to be interesting.

"Well I'm glad there's someone above me that can do all the paperwork now." Amanda chuckled slightly. "With you gone I very quickly found out that paperwork is not for me."

"It's a heavy crown..." Aria said lightly before she winked at Gabriel. "But I can now delegate downward and you can escalate upwards. But truth is, we're such a small team I'm sure nothing will change."

"At least there are five of us now, we can actually take a break every now and then and have enough people to actually do our jobs fully without being run ragged." Amanda remarked.

"Amen to that," Gabriel grinned to Amanda, nodding her way. "It was like some kind of fever dream...I bet your side of things was just as absurd..?"

…After the previous day running herself ragged on Regula I before finally transferring aboard the Galileo later in the evening than she'd expected, the Cardassian was stone-faced as the doors wooshed open to reveal her to the gathered majority of the tiny, Nova-class Security Department. Stepping in with her gold undershirt stretched seemingly to its limit up along her wide, scaled neck ridges, the woman's eyes scanned the room before settling on the tiny human woman carrying the heaviest collar.

Stepping forward towards the lieutenant, "Chief Rice, I presume?" she asked, offering a hand in greeting to her new chief. "Lieutenant Ghemora, your new Deputy," the Cardassian indicated, though it was clear she, like most, was still getting accustomed to the new moniker Starfleet had chosen.

Aria took a moment, watching the Cardassian woman. She reached out to take the hand, giving her a nod. "Yes, that's me. Rice is just fine, by the way. Welcome to the Galileo," she let go of the hand and smiled. Well, after spending some time on a Klingon ship, why not a Cardassian in a Starfleet uniform. Times changed and all that and she could roll with it. Don't have much choice in Starfleet except roll with it, if you didn't you'd fall off the edge of the universe, she thought and then realised there was something she needed to do. "This is Ensign Amanda Turell, and Petty Officer Gabriel Stark. Petty Officer T'Paaru had an errand but will be coming back on the ship when we start the systems tests."

"Good to meet you, Lieutenant," Gabriel flashed her a smile as he reached for a crate at the side of the room, pulling it over to take a seat on. Without a security office, the brig suite coupled as their hub, but there was only one chair and that had become the de facto chief's seat. Over time, crates and even a stepping stool had found their way to the brig to double as seating when they were all in.

"Lieutenant." Amanda greeted the Cardassian woman with a curt nod.

"Understood, Che…Rice," Ghemora corrected, clearly uncomfortable with the informality of it. She was attentive as she listened to the chief, giving both Turell and Stark a look and a nod as they were introduced. Not returning the smile Gabriel flashed her, the new arrival seemed momentarily interested in what he was doing before a flash of realization came to her eyes.

"Good to meet you, too, Mister Stark, Mister Turell," she replied, giving each another look and nod before shifting to find an unoccupied void to stand in. While she was accustomed to uncomfortable positions and even standing for long periods, what did bother Ghemora was just how young her fellow officers all looked. Silently, the Cardassian wondered if she was the eldest of the department. It would certainly explain the chief's desire for the informal moniker.

Aria nodded now that the introductions were done. "I think it's time for a clean slate," she said, after a moment. "It's been a tough time and honestly, I sort of want to forget it all anyway. We got the systems tests coming up, which for us will mean checking the brig shields and most likely someone on the bridge to make sure our weapons would actually fire," she smiled at the last, because that was just funny to her. "So if we're lucky, one of us gets to be on the bridge for once. After it's all done, I suggest that we start falling into our usual duty patterns. Whatever the next mission is, it'll luckily be with a full department for once."

"And you know what will happen this time." Amanda began. "We finally have a full department and there will be not a single thing that needs our attention. No stowaways, no creepy hands coming out of walls and no Klingons."

"Let us hope for a nice, calm cruise with maintaining order. The longer we are between stations and interaction with others, the more the chances increase that people will get on each others nerves," Aria said with a small nod. "So we make our presence known should it be necessary. Minor scuffles can become more, so we get involved sooner rather than later. If we think someone needs to see the Counsellor, that is exactly what we inform Medical. Follow procedures, keep our heads down and get the job done. With Captain Tarin, having everything standard won't cut it. It has to be...extraordinary."

"Well, at least there's enough of us to cover all the shifts now," Gabriel sighed, sitting back as he rubbed the back of his neck. "The murder investigation has been wrapped up, we've gone as far as we can with it and it'll be submitted to HQ. We had some trouble following the return of the away teams..." he motioned to Amanda and then around the brig. "But Turell got that cleared up pretty quick. There's two scientists that came back with the away teams, but they're confined to quarters rather than the brig. I think that's all the loose ends tied up?"

With one ridged eyebrow slowly raising to its apex as the other spoke and joked about the recent happenings on the ship, Ghemora was growing mildly concerned. Sure the open-ended question was meant for another, but she couldn't help but interrupt, "Is this the 'norm' aboard the Galileo? Rescued scientists, occasional murders, and crew fights? It can't be that…'busy' on a Nova-class, can it?"

Aria looked at her, giving a small shake of her head. Now how best to sum up what had been going on? "We have had a series of unfortunate events in this part of space," she said, glancing over at Turell and Stark for a moment. "I am still catching up on the details, but the short summary is that we sent an away team to investigate a lack of contact from a science base. Meanwhile, the Ferengi attacked this ship, managed to get onboard and we were rescued by Klingons. The murder was of the Klingon Captain who was in sickbay. Stark here led the investigation, as I was assigned to the Klingon ship and Turell was on the away team." And she was proud of the work they had both done while she had been away.

Staring silently, Ghemora's eyebrow slowly lowered, but less than halfway towards resting as she nodded in reply, "...Noted." Chewing on the inside of her lip, the Cardassian tried not to show her surprised suspicion too openly but was probably failing at it. The chief had just dumped a whole barrel of abbreviated information on the woman that would force the deputy to spend her hours not on duty reading over the numerous files and reports that preceded her arrival.

"But it all sounds wrapped up now," Aria said with a nod, watching her team for a long moment. "Once we have cleared the station, I want to start with our training again. The Captain will be expecting everyone to participate in the daily exercise, and I want to make sure that the rest of our training is also maintained. I know none of us need to be recertified for phasers or phaser rifles, but we should do a few sessions a week anyway. We can then also do the weekly maintenance on them in the same breath, shouldn't be hard if we rotate the weapons we use and then do full clean and checks on them after we've used them. Thoughts?"

Giving her chief's ideas on the future responsibilities of their department, Ghemora thought in silence for a moment before an idea popped into her head, causing a soft, "Hmm..," to rumble from her before she pulled a PADD from behind her back, and worked quickly to bring up departmental records. Scanning over them quickly, finding her assumptions correct, she spoke up to offer a thought.

"We could devote three hours a week to Phaser Marksmanship and Maintenance Training for those on our Duty Teams that have recertifications coming up. If we rotate the stowed weapons into use during the training, we can simultaneously ready our fellow crewmen for upcoming recertifications as well as teach them how to properly maintain the various weapon types they may be called to utilize. With Away Missions being seemingly common, and the starkness of our department, it couldn't hurt to make sure everyone on board is ready given the…unique situations this crew tends to find themselves in."

Ghemora, while offering her suggestions in a generally flat tone, seemed confident in her proposal. Having served primarily aboard warships in the past, such programs had been commonplace, leaving her with much experience in such regular training and responsibilities. Looking to the others for thoughts on her proposal, it became clear the Cardassian was mostly concerned with her chief's opinion.

"A few sessions a week should be enough for you all to catch up to my score." Amanda said with a lighthearted laugh. "I'm up for it."

"You mean, with personnel from other departments?" Gabriel checked, tilting his head back as he thought on it, his hands drumming against the crate he was perched on. "I mean...we could offer it up, as a voluntary thing? I'm just aware that we're already going to have some unhappy scientists and engineers around, being told they have to devote hours a day to physical training...this could just seem like another chore. So maybe an open door policy?"

"No, Mr. Stark. The weapons training. All officers and crew that are approved for Away Team duties are required to recertify. As I'm sure we are the department that would handle that certification testing, it would be a way to both make sure everyone has the required proficiency while also having more hands to do the required maintenance and cleaning, so that all that are issued a weapon are well-versed in all aspects of them," Ghemora clarified. "But if those from other departments want to join in on Security P.T., I don't see why we couldn't put that option out there."

"Hold up," Aria held a hand up, giving them a small smile. "I think this is getting a bit more complicated than what I was after, considering we'd have to run any additional training up to Command to see if they think it is the best use of people's time." She took a moment, clearly to think. Because there were things to weigh up, such as having to run it past Tarin and Blake, then every single department head. And deal with the fallout from a lot of scientists. Because Stark had indeed had a point.

Finally, Aria looked back at her team. "Recertifications for general crew all depend on when people last did one. And some are...well, crack shots. I wouldn't expect someone like Commander Blake to need to attend many sessions, whereas a crewman in science might barely a scraped a pass last time. Truth is, it is for their Department Heads to be across that. So what we will do is that we will offer the weapons training up, if people wish to attend to be ready for their next recertification, then brilliant. And if they fail, they can cry on their own DH's shoulder." For a moment, Aria took the time to meet the eyes of her team, briefly, to try and judge of it was being received.

"I doubt many will take it up until it's near their recertification time, not with what all the PT Tarin is getting everyone to do. At stupid o'clock in the morning." Amanda said, she had been glad her most recent long term dislocation kept her off of the mandatory Pt for a few days.

Gabriel grinned at that, shaking his head with a soft laugh at Amanda's reaction. He looked to Zara, to try and explain. "Captain Tarin only came aboard last mission. One of her new policies was that all officers had to do, like, two hours of physical training together every morning, across all departments. So being enlisted had its advantages," he flicked his own rank pin. "But now, it's being broadened to all personnel."

Ghemora listened and nodded to the chief, though it was already becoming clear to her that this ship functioned quite differently than her previous assignments. Turning her gaze to Amanda as she spoke, the Cardassian's head tilted slightly at her first time hearing of such regulations. While she didn't doubt the need for daily physical training, she'd long gotten accustomed to setting her own training regimen, which she was sure varied from whatever 'group' training the captain had mandated.

Turning back to the chief, Ghemora nodded in agreement, "Understood. I didn't mean to make it mandatory for other departments, just for us to have a regularly scheduled 'block' of such that can be attended to at other's discretion. If we can improve ship-wide proficiency with such an open offer, as well as expedite armory maintenance at the same time, I see that as a 'win-win' situation, sir."

"It sounds that we were all in some sort of agreement all along then," Aria said with a small nod, taking a deeper breath. She was unsure, for a moment, what came next. What to say next. Something inspiring would have been good. She watched the others for a moment before she smiled. "But first we need to get this systems test done. After all, we start getting the routines down." She waited, and when no one said anything she gave a nod. "Alright, dismissed. I am going to go and see the First Officer..." she got up and stopped, frowning. "Someone will have to escort our guests from quarters to the brig for the system test. It'll be a good way to test the forcefields."

"Understood," Ghemora naturally responded but glanced around finding there to be a rather odd feeling of unsureness amongst to collected compliment of the Security department. Even if it may have not been her place, as the newest addition, as well as the supervisory role she'd been given, the deputy saw this as her opportunity to make a clear impression not only on her peers but in her role as deputy as well.

Already standing, it made it easy for the Cardassian to step forward and draw more focus to herself, though it was clear to the most observant it wasn't a comfortable place she was putting herself. Clearing her throat, Ghemora glanced to the Aria a moment as she said, "If I may, chief?" before launching into a small speech.

"Now that the department's ranks have been better filled out to fulfill the role it was meant, this systems check is not something to cause concern, but to see as the first evidence that the Galileo is in capable hands and the majority of scientists and explorers aboard can conduct their experiments and search for new life and new civilizations without the worry that they will not be protected.

"Our foremost role is to bring a sense of constant safety and security to our fellow crew, and, looking around at the officers here, I have no doubt that our faces; our presence will be a reminder that those that serve aboard the Galileo will always have someone capable watching their backs so they can focus all of their attention of making the discoveries that will expand and brighten the future of both Starfleet and the Federation for generations to come.

"Even if we may not be the largest department nor will be the ones that will have their names listed in the history records, we ensure the future for those that will. Security is often seen as a thankless job; one that is often little more than a footnote in history. There is no doubt to me that, without those like us, the history of the Federation would be much more bleak; much more uncertain.

"Never forget that, even though we are only seen as a necessary element in the Galileo's search for enlightenment, we are taking on the weight of responsibilities that few others can carry. I am confident in the department; in each of us, to always be that figure that brings comfort to our peers, regardless of whether we are given the actual thanks or not. We are strong. We are capable. We will be the ones who help our crewmates discover the future and live to tell the tales of it for generations to come."

Ghemora paused momentarily to look to each of her fellow officers, but then asked to all as a group, "Are we all ready to prove to them who we are and what it is we bring to their mission? I can say without any doubt that I am. You?" she asked, looking to each of her fellow officers in turn.

Amanda had to turn away from the other officers as Ghemora's speech went on and on and she tried not to laugh, inspiring speeches had their time, this was far from it. When the Cardassian stopped she turned back. "Well it's no Henry the fifth, but that was a hell of a speech." She said bursting out laughing part way through talking. "Lets go show that corridor on deck 3 I'm patrolling later who is boss."

Gabriel was still staring as Amanda replied, just...staring. He hadn't served with a Cardassian before, so he had no idea if the ego on display from their new deputy was a cultural thing or a personal one. Whichever it was, the lengthy and patronising speech rubbed him the wrong way. He stood slowly, rolling his shoulders in a casual way, but it was to keep his temper in check and make sure his tone came out light and amiable. "I don't need to prove myself to anyone."

Aria managed to keep her face neutral, even if she was getting tired by it all. She was sure her new Deputy wanted to give a good impression with her speech, but the veteran security team had seen enough together and with the ship for the rousing words to fall a bit flat. Amanda's reaction was understandable. As was Stark's, who had a temper on a good day and was more than capable. She cleared her throat, to draw attention to herself, her eyes going to her Deputy. "We know our worth, Lieutenant," she said, her voice gentle. To balance the less than stellar reception of Ghemora's words. "I hope in time, you will too." She took a breath and gave a small nod to Stark and Turell. "Dismissed. Lieutenant, could you please remain here with me?"

"Come on Gabe, we've got a few arms lockers to check before this systems test kicks off." Amanda said and quickly headed out of the room.

Had she known how poorly her attempt to replicate speeches she'd been given in the past would go, the Cardassian would have kept her mouth shut. Between the ensign's mockery and the petty officer's gruff reaction, it was clear that, despite there seeming to be the moment for it, encouragement was not something these people needed, or perhaps were too beaten down to be accepting of. Whatever the case, Ghemora shrunk back to her previous place standing against the wall at Aria's words, as they suddenly made her realize why she'd attempted to give such a speech anyway.

Only glancing up momentarily from where her gaze was burrowing a hole in the floor, Ghemora waited until the others had left the office before she looked back up to meet Aria's gaze. "Apologies, chief. I thought… I don't know what I thought." Casting her eyes down again, the lieutenant shook her head at herself more than anything else. Her first meeting with the majority of the department, and she'd made a fool of herself in their eyes.

"It's okay," Aria's voice was gentle and she gestured for the woman to sit down. She sat down too, but not in the chair. Rather, she sat close to where the other woman would sit. "It's rather unfair, usually we'd have met before a team meeting and I could have briefed you on the team. I'm sorry that circumstances didn't allow for that." She wanted to be honest with her, because they were such a small team,

Taking the crate that Stark had used, given the lack of seating available, Ghemora couldn't hide her frustration and shame in front of her younger chief, despite her want to. "To be honest, I think most of that was for me more than them," she spoke freely, still keeping her gaze down.

When she finally did look up, after taking a long, heavy breath, the Cardassian explained herself. "Ever since I could remember, it's been expected of me to 'Serve'. Before the fall, I'd been being trained for future service in the Union Navy, so when I fled and finally found freedom in the Federation, serving in Starfleet just seemed like the best choice; the most comfortable one. 'Security' is what I found the most familiar, though it's not what I aspired to be."

Glancing away to shake her head at herself again, Ghemora's gaze returned to Aria as she finished, "Before here, I'd only served on a Tactical Patrol Vessel, where the departmental roles were very much reversed. We only had three science officers in total, and one doubled as a nurse. I think I'm just so used to being in and around conflict that I don't understand the way you all do things out here, in the middle of nowhere, where 'tactical readiness' isn't the main focus of every waking moment."

Aria listened, taking in what Ghemora was saying. "It can be a difference, to go from a TPV to a science ship," she acknowledged. She had spent time on a border patrol vessel, she knew how it could go. "It will be a little bit of an adjustment. We are a small team, our bridge presence is only required when things get bad. Truth is, our responsibility is to make sure the away teams are equipped to handle various situations and keep the ship safe when required. It has forced us to rely heavily on each other and our individual skills." She gave a small nod, tilting her head to the side a little. Considering the woman before her, and what she had said, she asked a question. "What was it you aspired to be?"

While she found the question a bit surprising, Ghemora answered quickly, "I'm surprised it doesn't just list it in my file… Intelligence. Spent an extra year at the Academy to make sure I had the best degrees for it. Befriended the junior Intel officer on the Alaska to gain info on how to get selected. Even completed the ATTC, yet Starfleet doesn't seem to want me for it. They want me here." Hanging her head, her disappointment, whether in herself or in Command, wasn't mistakable.

Aria watched her with interest. Her Deputy wanted to be Intelligence. And this was very far removed from it. Well, this will either go really well, or we'll end up with another murder, she thought. Her hand went to rub over the scar on her cheek as she thought about it. "Well, the positive is that whatever you learn on a ship can help you in the future," she said, wanting to reassure the woman a little. "Take it from someone who has been promoted and demoted more times than they care to remember and still ended up in the cursed chair of Chief Security Officer. And get to know the team, as people. They all have their talents and interests, our job is to nurture it, but also remember they're individuals with their own beliefs. But the core is the same...we all joined Starfleet because in our heart of hearts we believe in what it stands for."

"Yeah, yeah, 'To see a brighter, safer future' and all that," she let slip out before realizing both who she was speaking with and the tone Aria was presenting. "Sorry, chief. I just…think I have to give the Galileo a chance instead of assuming it is going to be what most Security officers say 'Survey Vessel Postings' are like." It was generally well-known that being on a survey ship was just a step above serving on some research outpost where old Security officers went to gather dust instead of retirement.

Aria's features hardened as she watched her, taking in the words. And the true meaning behind them. "Everyone in this team worked hard to get here, to be serving on a ship with the history of the Galileo," she said, her voice firmer. A tone she had picked up on the Klingon vessel. "Don't dishonour them by showing them how little you want to be here. We'll keep that between us." She stood, taking a slow, deep breath. "I'll give you some time for yourself. We meet here again at 11:55, for the system check. I have a meeting I must attend." She stood, meeting Ghemora's eyes. "Welcome to the team, Lieutenant."

Standing in unison with the chief out of habit, Ghemora nodded in acceptance of the welcome, "Thank you, sir," but upon reflection on the senior officer's advice, she added "Perhaps I will spend the time informing myself on the Galileo's history," which was something the woman had overlooked doing during her journey to join the survey vessel...

[OFF]

--

Lieutenant Aria Rice
Chief Security Officer
USS Galileo-A

Lieutenant Junior Grade Zara Ghemora
Deputy Security Officer
USS Galileo-A

PO1 Gabriel Stark
Security/Tactical
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Blake]

Ensign Amanda Turell
Security Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Mimi]

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