The Destroyer (Part 1 of 4)

Posted on 04 Jun 2024 @ 5:04pm by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Lamar Darius & Ensign S'Ers-a M'Lyr'Zor

3,669 words; about a 18 minute read

Mission: Episode 19 - Tomorrow's Galileo
Location: USS Galileo-A - Deck 4
Timeline: MD 05, 0040 hrs

[ON]

The hours following Chief Warrant Officer 3 Lamar Darius' encounter with the Vulcan engineer had mostly been uneventful - but at the same time, very unpleasant. At approximately 2000 hours, Galileo had gone to Orange alert which meant a complete power reduction across many of the ship's utility networks. Replicators were now offline as well as the holodecks, and even the mess hall and Callisto Bar had been shut down. Shuttlebay operations were temporarily suspended too meaning there was no chance of either Virginia or Livia being deployed in the immediate future. That didn't excuse him from his mandatory routing maintenance checks but it was privately a bit demoralizing.

On top of that, all turbolift use was being kept to a minimum and now required voice authentication to move between decks accompanied by an irritating need to explain the usage request to the ship's computer. And then there were the environmental systems. The air had become noticeably thinner and lacking in oxygen over the past few hours. Not enough to elicit any medical side effects, but prominent enough that he could feel his lungs involuntarily taking larger-than-normal breaths after any form of physical exertion.

And the temperature? The once-comfortable 72-degree Fahrenheit interior of the ship had drastically dropped over the last two hours to what he assumed was the high 40s. His breath was now visible in a small vapor cloud every time he exhaled, and it didn't help that he'd never grown up in a cold-weather environment. All of this put together had produced a resting frown on his forehead. Was it all necessary? Probably, otherwise the captain wouldn't have ordered it. Was it worse than living in a trench during the Dominion War? Of course not. But it was still unpleasant.

Lamar rounded the corner of Deck 4's dimly-lit main corridor then arrived at his quarters. The entrance swished open for him following a quick tap on the adjacent panel, and he stepped inside the dark room. He didn't bother requesting more illumination because he knew what the computer's annoying response would be. For now, the surrounding stars and nebulae provided enough light for him to move around.

He changed out of his uniform then into a pair of tight thigh-length boxer briefs before pulling on a newly-replicated pair of navy blue sweatpants he'd procured just before Reduced Power Mode had gone into effect. He swapped his socks and shoes into a more comfortable version then retrieved an undershirt and standard-issue gray Starfleet sweater from his hanging rack. It was still too cold. How could he possibly get to sleep like this?

The answer was Sera.

He retrieved his commbadge from his discarded uniform then pinned it to his sweatshirt before tapping it with passionate thoughts still lingering in his head from their recent escapade. "Darius to Sera. Are you available?"

Sera's commbadge chirped suddenly, it's metallic trill echoing through the Jeffries tube. She had just begun running the cabling from the holodeck power generator. It was going to have to be spliced into the power transfer grid...it was going to be a...what was the colorful metaphor...ah yes, a 'bitch' of a job. She could have ordered one of her subordinates to perform the onerous task, but that wasn't leading...that was bossing.

Sera tapped on the badge and replied, "Sera here. Do you require engineering assistance, Mr. Darius?"

Oh. He had told her he would reach out to her at the end of their PT session.

She snorted softly through her nose, quite amused with herself.

"Yes I-" he paused because no, he didn't need help and he'd expected her to have prompted him with a non-engineering query following their activities earlier in the day. Something about her voice sounded strange across the comm channel. His ears picked up a form of subtle yet noticeable reverberation through the communique. "No, I don't need assistance. Not for anything engineering-related," he clarified. "...Where are you right now?"

Sera looked around..."I am currently in a Jeffries tube. Regarding my exact location...I am uncertain. Deck 6 perhaps? I am running cabling from the holodeck power source. It will require splicing--" Sera stopped talking before she went into an in-depth breakdown of her current assignment. "What assistance do you require?"

A Jefferies tube? At zero-forty? He scratched his short hair with mild perplexion. "I guess I don't need assistance. Not that kind. But our shifts ended at 2300. I thought you'd be off by now and we could spend some more time together. Like we talked about earlier."

Sera blinked and looked down to her hands. She had no idea what time it was. That was problematic. It after 2300; Lamar's comment attested to that. Over four hours had been lost. When exactly was the last time that she slept?

"Yes. I recall the conversation. My apologies. I appear to have lost...time. Is there some place in particular you would like to associate?" Sera made a mental note of where she left off so it could be passed on to the current shift lead, and began crawling her way out of the crawl space.

Unseen to her, he grinned to himself then shook his head. Engineers. Always trying to do too much with too little. No wonder they burned out so fast and turned to civ jobs, in his limited experience. "Your quarters in ten?" he asked her. It would be nice to get to know her better by viewing the way in which she lived.

"I suppose that would be acceptable. I will, however, apologize in advance. I will not be an adequate host as the replicators are down." Sera was referring to her responsibilities of a Vulcan host. It was customary to offer water or tea as a gesture of welcome in the sharing precious resources.

"Everything's apparently down right now," sounded his reply into her commbadge. "I'll meet you soon. Then you can tell me why you had to make it so cold in here," he spoke with subtle tease in his inflections.

"Very well." Sera responded and closed the comm-link.


Approximately 10 minutes later

There was not much to do in her quarters before Lamar's arrival. Sera did not have much in the way of personal items other than the weapons she had hung up on the wall and the small wooden chest made of a wood that gave her space a subtle cedar-like scent. What she did have was light sources that did not require power to function. A few lamps were set out casting a warm glow over the space.

Sera took a few moment to pull the pins out of her hair, sighing softly when the weight of the coiled braiding atop her head was released and the long plait fell down her back to brush against the backs of her thighs. She then changed out of her uniform and had resorted to the layers she had utilized to get through PT at the academy during the winter months, although it was colder on Galileo than it had been in San Francisco. Black thermal leggings were paired with a matching long sleeved undershirt with an oversized Starfleet sweatshirt pulled over it. Thick, fluffy socks lined with the fleece of a human animal called a sheep completed her ensemble.

There was a rapping on the door frame. Lamar appeared to be the punctual sort. Efficient. Sera walked to the door and and pressed the on the screen next to the doorway and the doors hissed opened.

"Greetings. Please enter." Sera said amiably enough.

His first view of her in off-duty garments elicited a subtle widening of his eyes. He could see illumination coming from within her large quarters but his gaze primarily focused on her tight form-fitting leggings and loose Starfleet sweatshirt similar to his. But most prominently, her hair looked different. It wasn't tied up anymore and her distinctive dark brown braid seemed to flow down the entire length of her long torso and beyond. He finally managed to smile to her before subtly bowing with Vulcan respect and stepped inside. He then revealed two silver Starfleet ration pouches he'd brought with him to share with her if she was hungry which he'd hidden behind his back in one hand. "I know it's late but if you want dinner, I got the goods."

Sera tilted her head and studied the silver packages for an instant longer than needed. "That was very considerate. I have not eaten..." She paused another moment considering, "In days." It had been on the 'B.' A most unsatisfying meal.

Her stomach made an involuntary noise at the prospect of another meal. "Please sit." She motioned to the table that served as the dining space. It was illuminated by her meditation lamp. At least the thing was being of use in some fashion.

Lamar slowly glanced around to take in his new surroundings while stepping further into her quarters. They were exactly the same configuration as his own senior officer billet yet hers appeared a bit more spartan in the low lights. He noticed some weapons he wasn't familiar with decorating one of the walls; from Vulcan, maybe? He'd have to ask her about those. Having an interest in personal combat mechanisms meant they probably shared a common pastime.

He followed her instructions and took a seat at the table in front of the soft-hued lamp which was strangely tranquil to observe. "I like your quarters. Clean and simple," he complimented before depositing both ration packs on the tabletop. "I brought," he paused to read the labeling on the packaging, "'Cheese Tortellini in Tomato Sauce' with roasted peanuts, crackers and cookies, and...'Lemon Pepper Tuna' with pound cake, tortillas and cheese spread. Pick your poison," he winked.

"I do not have much in the way of personal affects." Sera responded to his comment about her living space. Then she tilted her head, considering. "I request the tortellini. I do not eat meat, and if I recall correctly tuna is the flesh of an aquatic Earth animal."

She took the offered silvered package and inspected the printing on the bag for a moment before tearing the package open. It was only logical to read and follow the directions.

Her desired choice and simple explanation made Lamar want to kick himself under the table. Of course Vulcans were vegetarian; that was one of the first interesting tidbits he'd learned about them at the Academy and there's been significant coursework devoted to explaining their unique physical and societal aspects. They were his people's first contact with 'aliens' after all, and one of the prominent founding members of the Federation. Many years had passed since those days of his late-teenage youth, however, and his memory wasn't as sharp as it'd used to be. "I should have remembered," he conceded before expertly opening his own ration pack. "Yeah, tunas are one of our fish species. Tasty but huge things - up to ten feet long and a thousand pounds. Can you believe we used to reel them in on water boats using hand rods a couple hundred years ago?"

"Considering during that time frame your species also farmed large mammals for commercial meat production it seems rather foolhardy to place oneself in such a danger when there were other, less perilously obtained protein options. It is an inexplicable rationale. However, I do believe it is consistent with the human mindset."

"Well-" he frowned then gave her an inquisitive look just as he was about to instinctually defend his own species' behavior. However, the logic behind her statement was true, he supposed, and he couldn't argue against it. He lightly shrugged then offered up the most simple explanation. "Just because something is harder to accomplish doesn't always mean it's not worth the pursuit. And tuna - for a lot of us - tastes delicious."

He quickly began to lay out the contents of his ration pack in front of him. Having performed the same task probably a thousand times throughout his combat deployments during the Dominion War, it was eerily easy to return to old habits. He assembled the small re-hydration tray then activated its tiny power source as the shriveled fish filet started to slowly grow larger.

"Do Vulcans not eat meat because it makes you physically sick? Has it always been that way? Or...for a religious reason?" Lamar hoped he wasn't crossing some sacred line with his questioning.

Sera focused her attention on Lamar's actions as he unpacked the ration pack in a manner that demonstrated ease of use. Interesting.

"Physically sick? No. I come from a desert planet; the Vulcan gastrointestinal tract is quite robust. I suppose you could call it a religious reason...Surak decreed that the consumption of meat was barbaric, and then it was so." Sera's eyes widened slightly at her sudden temerity. They darted down the re-hydration tray in an almost guilty manner.

"Barbaric?" He watched her pretty eyes expand as she perhaps entered some sort of internal dialogue. "...Why? It's natural to take life and eat it. Both of our species wouldn't have survived to become what we are now without those instincts. I think?" He didn't mean to press her on her choice of food preference, but rather to comprehend her peoples' traditions.

"Surak's dogma required the subsumption of many inherent Vulcan impulses. His teachings created a societal transformation. Our instincts almost caused our utter destruction...so history tells us." Sera poked at the rehydrating tortellini with a fork. What she was uttering was not the party line.

His faux-fresh tuna filet finally expanded to its proper girth following several minutes of 'cooking'. Lamar quickly procured a sterile yet liquid-and-grease-proof-provided apron from his kit and laid it out in front of him on the tabletop before taking one of his forked utensils which he used to move it off the hydration platform.

"Were Vulcan instincts that bad that they needed to be changed?" he thoughtfully wondered out loud. "I've read about your early history at the Academy - all the violence and war. But my people had that too. Three world wars; they almost ended our civilization each time."

"Yes. Even S'Task--who led those who marched beneath the Raptor's wings--recognized that Vulcans had take control over their passions to survive." Sera responded calmly.

She speared a tortellini and delicately took a small bite off of it in a testing manner, while she considered what to say to him. Social interactions in non-working scenarios were not a strong point for her. However, if she did not counter he would continue asking questions about her people...it was not a comfortable subject to discuss.

"...Are you from Earth, or one of the numerous human colonies?" There. That was a most acceptable question.

He glanced up from his first bite then nodded in reply while he chewed. It tasted mediocre at best but he'd certainly experienced worse flavors from other ration pack combos. "North American continent, east coast. A city named Philadelphia," he elaborated. "Ever been?"

Sera swallowed her bite and answered. "No. I did not leave the area surrounding San Francisco. I did not feel... comfortable traveling...my command of the language was minimal and by the I was proficient, I was too deep in my studies to take time away from the academy."

"Is...is it warm there?"

"..w'rm?" he repeated with a muffle through another mouthful of tuna. He finished chewing then swallowed. "Sometimes. I think it's technically classified as a northern sub-tropical zone. Lots of humidity and heat in the summer. But it gets cold in the winter. Snow and freezing rain sometimes. Definitely not like San Francisco. It's...diverse."

Lamar staked his entree again then removed a hearty portion of it which teetered on the top of his fork. "Are you from Vulcan?" He assumed so but assumptions were often the mother of all f'ups.

Sera watched intently as Lamar took the precariously perched piece of fish and go it into his mouth without mishap. Fascinating.

"Yes." She answered succinctly. She had answered his question...and yet...humans were fond of over sharing beyond satisfying the requirements of the inquiry. "...our weather is not...diverse."

He grinned at her with soft and bright dark brown eyes which reflected the meditation lamp's luminescence with twinkles while he chewed. "I've never visited but I've seen some holovids. Looks like a giant desert." He paused to think about what growing up in such an environment would be like. "Was arriving on Earth a shock coming from your homeworld?"

"It was...difficult." Sera looked down to the tortellini as she remembered her first days on the damp, chilly planet. The language was still a challenge to her, and the culture shock was quite substantial. Newly married and embarking on a life path that they had chosen for themselves, there had been a sense of anticipation at what the future would bring for the two of them...it had not turned out at all like what Sera had predicted. She blinked suddenly as she came out of the daze of memory.

"Perhaps that is the point of the academy, however. To challenge?"

"It definitely was for me. Something about exploring 'new worlds and civilizations' and all that jazz." Oh, how young and ambitious he'd once been as a late teenager. Rebellious, even, to be the only one of his family to strike off and go join the ranks of UFP much to his parents' vexation. "So...why'd you join Starfleet? Instead of the Vulcan Expeditionary Group or Space Council?"

"It was not my mate's desire to serve in the Vulcan Expeditionary group or the Space Council." It was a better answer than talking about her clan's reputation amongst Vulcan, certainly. "For the sake of candor, it was because I wanted to experience life away from the strict social structures of my homeworld. Viruk wanted to join Starfleet in order to study temporal sciences. I accompanied him as a matter of course."

This was an uncomfortable topic of conversation to discuss, but it wasn't as if Lamar had asked any inappropriate inquiries of her.

He suddenly slowed his chewing pace after hearing of her significant other then swallowed a large and uncomfortable mouthful of his meal. His eyes averted hers and seemed to glance nervously around the bulkhead behind her while his thoughts raced and he uncomfortably adjusted his position in the once-comfortable chair. "Your mate..." Shit. "I'm- Um, I didn't know you're married." He candidly looked back to her then placed his fork down on the tablecloth. "I didn't mean to do any of this if I'd known you were taken..."

"By any of this do you mean engaging in copulation onboard the Virginia? Lamar...I am not married anymore. My mate was killed..." Sera's voice trailed off as she tried to calculate the timing of his untimely demise, but the exact numbers eluded her. "About a year go. We were not close. Besides..." Sera looked Lamar overtly up and down before continuing, "I believe you could have prevailed against him in a physical altercation."

His eyelids widened at the mention of her spouse's demise then remained so when she explained she'd known him for a calendar (Vulcan?) year yet shared no candid passion together? Perhaps that was simply how he interpreted it, but then the mention that he - Darius - could defeat him in combat...well, that was certainly a statement.

Lamar nervously coughed before replying, the back of his closed fist pressed against his lips. "I.. Umm... Sera, I wouldn't want to fight your husband. We don't really do that in my culture. Honor battles are about a couple-centuries removed from modern romantic Human traditions." He realized he was avoiding the tough questions he wanted to now ask. "I'm sorry about your mate. I...didn't know. But what did you mean when you said the two of you 'weren't close'? Isn't that the point of marriage? To be close and share your lives together?" He felt like a fish out of water right now who was trying to understand what the grains of sand on the beach were composed of.

Sera tilted her head regarding him with a curious expression. "It was an arranged marriage, Lamar. My joining with Viruk had nothing to do with a desire to share or be 'close.' It came about as a reward for honorable service. I was the agreed upon...reward? Gift? At least he was my age, Lamar. Besides it was his desire to study quantum mechanics at Starfleet Academy, and it was this that allowed me the opportunity to build a life for myself. It was an acceptable trade."

She had never spoken of any of this to an off-worlder. Such things were rarely discussed amongst Vulcans and never with outsiders. However, her normal controls were in tatters, and nothing about how she had engaged thus far with this human male spoke to restraint so why should she start now?

He slowly leaned back in his chair then allowed his eyes to drift down to his half-consumed tuna filet. The revelation of Vulcan marriage rituals almost made his stomach churn. So much for an enlightened species. All of it sounded so unfair to Sera. She was considered a gift? Reward? She was so much more than that in his eyes. The literal antithesis of property to be delegated. Yet those were her people's customs. "You're not an object for trade," he muttered out loud with disapproval before looking back up to her, "you're a person. A beautiful one who can make your own decisions."

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

CWO3 Lamar Darius
Conn Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Tarin]

&

Ensign S'Ers-a M'Lyr'Zor
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo-A

RSS Feed