Better the devil you know

Posted on 10 Nov 2023 @ 3:27pm by Lieutenant Aria Rice & Commander Scarlet Blake

2,216 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 18 - Cold Station 31
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 2, First Officer's Office
Timeline: MD 19, 1100hours

[ON]

Aria swallowed as she rang the chime to Blake's office. She had decided to go and see her, before the system's test. If only to do the mandatory debrief of her posting as quickly as possible. And it helped to have a countdown if you wanted it over and done quickly. Her team seemed...well. She had worked for a long time with Stark, trusted him and his abilities. He had done an excellent job with the murder investigation, showing another aspect of his abilities she hadn't seen before. Turell had overcome the away mission and Aria felt for her. She always seemed to get into situations for maximum physical hurt. Hopefully, that would change. She was an extremely capable woman after all.

And then there was her new Deputy. A Cardassian who seemed not to notice enlisted. She had certainly noticed her barely looking at Stark, while giving Turell and Rice the attention. It could be a rank thing, it could be a gender thing, it could have been completely unintentional or extremely manipulative. You never knew. And Aria didn't have the hangups many had about Cardassians, despite her father dying in the war. No. The war was over and people had to move on.

And then there was the newly appointed Captain of the Galileo. Tarin's appointment meant Lirha wasn't coming back. It was a concept that made Rice frown, because it felt like it presented choices she hadn't been ready to face. A re-evaulation of her position here.

Her head jerked up when she realised that she hadn't registered that she had been given permission to enter. When she stepped forward the doors opened and she looked at Commander Blake, giving her a quick nod. "Commander, I...hope you got time for the quickest debrief in Starfleet history?"

Scarlet half turned to her, standing in the middle of her office, a padd in each hand. The last days had felt like organised chaos. But she smiled all the same, because of who it was. "I had heard rumours," she teased, her eyes shining with it.

She nodded and walked to her, the doors closing behind her. "Lots of change while I've been away," she commented. Captain Tarin, a new Deputy, a murder...it had been a lot. "Been a lot of change where I was too, but well...need to shake that off."

"Shake it off?" Scarlet let the padds drop on to her desk before moving to her, watching the familiar features of her closest friend. "You don't just shake off the kind of things you have had to contend with." She reached to touch her cheek carefully, looking at the scar, her own jaw tightening with anger. "This should never have happened."

Aria met her eyes, watching her for a long moment. "No," she said, her voice quiet. "It shouldn't, but it did. I had no choice but to accept the challenge when it was made. I didn't think I was going to survive, but I did. Still here, still breathing. The sacrificial lamb has become the lion..." she added the last in a dramatic voice, one of her eyebrows raising at it. Trying to keep it light.

"You have never been a lamb," Scarlet replied firmly, a small smile pulling at her lips all the same. She moved to sit with her, touching her knee as she joined her. "What is it, Aria?" she asked simply but knowingly.

Aria looked at the hand, taking her own to cover it. "Things have changed quickly," she said quietly. "Tarin mentioned in passing that Lirha is not coming back. I have a new Assistant..." she met her eyes, holding them for a long moment. "And it's a bit of a shift from where I was last night."

"Of course," Scarlet replied, her eyes sincere as she watched her with understanding. "Say it how it is, Aria, it's messed with your head. Like it would any sane person. I want you to get to Sickbay, then after the systems test you need to get some rest. Real rest."

"No," Aria's voice sounded firm as she looked at Scarlet. "There isn't time. I will go to sickbay after the tests, and sleep. But only when I am meant to, not anything extra." She looked away, a slight frown coming to her. "I have learned something important. And for now, I have to remember it."

Blake squeezed her knee with a weak smile. She could have made it an order. But she respected her friend's maturity in assessing what was right for her. "Well, I have a young girl who will be thrilled to see you. And maybe even a targ, but that's another story altogether."

Aria laughed, unable to stop it. "Trust Lirha to leave it with you," she said softly. "I...I'd love to see Lily, once I'm..." she gestured to her own face. "...I don't want to upset her."

"Honestly, she'd probably think you were the coolest pirate captain she's ever seen, but I understand," Blake chuckled softly, shaking her head as she watched her. It was like a weight had been lifted, having Aria back where she belonged. "What do you need from me, Aria?"

Aria looked at her, giving it serious thought. "Right now, to not let me forget who I am. And I mean who I truly am. I went into surviving mode. I did things, acted in ways that are not truly in my nature. I put on my war paint and raised my weapon, not to protect others, but to protect myself. And a part of me is bitter. Bitter that I got put in that situation. I tried to stop the fight. I stepped in and I tried to stop it and got ordered not to. And the moment I ended it with a phaser, I found myself exiled to a Klingon ship. I could have been killed. I almost was, it was pure...training and luck in being underestimated as a fighter that made me win."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm pretty bitter about it too," Blake assured her, reaching to touch her arm, to have her meet her eyes. "Sometimes we're forced to do things or behave in a manner that is against our will. It's temporary. Fluid. It doesn't change who you are. Our survival reactions do not define us. Leave them with that moment, where they belong, in the past."

Aria nodded at the words, swallowing before she met her eyes and held them. "If I stop, I might shatter. And there's no time for that with the system tests. Maybe after, I can...shake this all off, let myself feel it so I can leave it behind." Because she knew if she stopped, she would start crying. And there would be a lot of ice cream involved before she would feel like Aria Rice again. At least she could acknowledge that. "Right now, everything feels sticky with blood."

"It's still you underneath it though," Blake whispered softly, taking one of her hands to hold between both of her own. "You're right. You'll need to let yourself feel it, and you're going to feel crap, and that's okay. You need to feel it, otherwise it doesn't get processed."

"But not yet," Aria said and smiled, watching their hands. "I don't have the time yet." She looked at Blake, searching her eyes before she leant close, to hug her. Just for a moment, to feel she was alive.

Scarlet closed her eyes as she held her tightly, letting out a long, shaking breath. She rested her hand against her hair, frowning with pain for her friend's predicament. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Aria shook her head, smiling. She wouldn't cry. Not not. Not yet. "Save the sorry for my funeral," she whispered, trying to keep her voice light. She pulled back and leant to kiss Scarlet's forehead before pulling back completely. She felt calmer. "Brin't'a." She spoke the name carefully, almost neutral. "I think she had an accomplice on the Praxis, but I don't think it can be proven. I don't think she could have planned it by herself."

"I would be inclined to agree," Scarlet said softly, sitting back to give her the space she needed to keep calm. "Looking at the report, it seems she would have needed some skill. You're best placed to judge if that's likely."

"Not that likely," Aria said softly, shaking her head before she met her eyes. "But it isn't...my problem anymore. I'm here now. Not there." As if that made all the difference. There was so much still going on in her head. "And I achieved my personal mission I suppose. No Ferengi deaths after they surrendered."

"It's more than most could have achieved," Scarlet replied firmly, showing her she meant it. She was many things, but she didn't tell white lies. Not when it came to work at least.

Aria met her eyes with surprise, a small smile coming to her. "I've been through a lot here," she said, her voice quiet. "We...both have. This? This was...a bit extra. A bit too much for me. It's the position. I knew it was cursed..." she chuckled and humour kept in, because the chuckle became a laugh. "I even burned the chair and it was still cursed. Just not as cursed seeing as I am alive and whole."

"Are you still on about that Security Chief's Chair Curse?" Blake shook her head with a soft laugh. She was about to tease her about it until she actually stopped to think about the bad luck they'd had with the string of security chiefs before Aria. It was undeniable. "Hm. Maybe it's the quarters...."

Aria's eyes widened as she straightened. "You're right! It's the same quarters...it is always the same quarters!" she sat back, shocked. "I need to burn it all. Maybe a wide-beam phaser set to crispy..."

"You are not burning out a set of quarters, I'm going to have to absolutely put my foot down at that," Scarlet arched an eyebrow, but with a small smile of amusement, relaxing a little at the change of inflection to her friend's voice. "You'll just have to...burn some incense or something."

Aria groaned and tipped her head back. "Fine! I'll burn some sage and spread some salt around, that's meant to help..." she looked at her, a smile coming to her. "Or butter up Operations and get moved into the VIP quarters. They're swanky."

"To be honest, Mimi has had a hard time of things too. It might be worth dropping in on her anyway," Blake offered with a small smile, shaking her head. "When you have more time after the test, I can catch you up properly on what you've missed."

"Yes, I...need it," Aria said and stood, biting back a sound at the discomfort in her side. She needed to catch up with Sofie as well, because of how they had left it last meeting. And Stark. And she needed to go to sickbay and get the scar off her face. "A whole bunch of places to go after this test, it'll be fun."

"But Sickbay first," Blake said firmly, not having missed the wince even if she'd bitten it back. Her mind was made up, and she wouldn't take no for an answer having seen the pain she was in. "I'll send you a summary of reports to read to help you catch up, but I'll put some time in for us tomorrow for a full debrief."

Aria looked at her before she nodded, frowning. "Alright, Commander," she said, before the frown eased and she gave her a small smile. "Might not be the worst idea in the universe."

"Well, I would like to think that now and then I come up with a half decent idea," Blake teased her, lifting her eyes as if tempted to roll them. "Besides, I'm a mother, the odds are in my favour."

Aria smiled at the words before she suddenly moved to her, quickly, to give her a hug. "You are amazing, that is what you are," she whispered against her before she pulled back.

Scarlet chuckled softly, touching her good cheek gently. "I'll have you fill out all my performance reports from now on," she teased fondly. "Right now, I'm just so relieved to have you back where you belong. Please, go and get yourself looked after properly. It will make me feel a whole lot better."

Aria nodded, pulling back at the words. "Busy times," she said before she walked to the door. "See you on the other side of this system test, don't do anything on that bridge I'd do."

"Isn't it meant to be 'anything I wouldn't do...?'" Scarlet chuckled softly at the connotation of her saying it the other way around.

"Nah, better that way. You don't know half the stuff I'd do nowadays," Aria said with a wink before she left. Sickbay next, she guessed. Because Blake was right. She had to make the time.

[OFF]

CMDR Scarlet Blake
First Officer
USS Galileo-A

&

Lieutenant Aria Rice
Chief Security Officer
USS Galileo-A

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