One Life (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on 28 Jul 2025 @ 6:41pm by Commander Morgan Tarin & Ensign Amanda Turell

2,315 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Episode 21 - Helix
Location: USS Galileo-A - Deck 7, Workout Room/Gym
Timeline: MD 01, 1740 hrs

Previously, on One Life (Part 1)...

Tarin retrieved a bottle of water from her small duffel bag then tilted her head back to squirt the clear hydrating fluid into her mouth while she listened. A few gulps later and she slowly panted while contemplating the intricacies of the ensign's story. "You're lucky you survived, at all. Disruptor wounds are notoriously hard to heal; the weapon's technology disintegrates organic cellular structure and destroys atomic bonds in non-organic compounds. Like hull plating."

"I passed out pretty quick, woke up a week later in the sickbay." Amanda replied slightly resenting Tarin's remark, not needing reminding about how lucky she was that day. "They got me to a specialist medical center a few days later, managed to save the arm, though there are times where I think it'd be better if they'd chopped it off."

And Now, the Conclusion...

[ON]

Judgemental hazel irises trained themselves on the tall security officer. Tarin listened to the woman's abbreviated sequence of events before silently pondering what she might have done in such a similar situation. "You're better off with your arm than without it," she quietly responded before again raising her water bottle to her lips. "I've interacted with many amputees from the Dominion War over the last six years - not a single one would've wished that upon themselves."

"Prosthetics have advanced quite a lot since then." Amanda remarked. "They did give me the option but I thought no matter how my arm feels after all this it's still my arm, it won't feel the same as a prosthetic."

The captain privately appreciated that sentiment. It displayed conviction and personal fortitude - to avoid the easy solution and persevere through challenge to achieve what she wanted and treasured. "I would've made the same decision if I was in your boots." It was as close to a compliment as Tarin was capable of offering. "Pain can be managed, tolerated...even overcome. Regret never leaves us until we die."

"There are certainly times where I could have done with it being a prosthetic." Amanda sat up slightly in the bikes saddle but still pedaled vigorously. "It dislocates every so often, and a load of nerve clusters took damage, sometimes I can't feel my fingers, sometimes I can barely lift my arm, never mind my phaser rifle."

Tarin took another long swig of water which lasted for many gulps and seconds. "Starfleet Medical's deemed you capable for duty and I haven't met a security officer who had a clean medical profile. If you can manage the pain...manage the routine you have to deal with? You're fit to serve here on Galileo. But if the pain becomes too much," her voice slowly trailed off while she lowered her head and again wiped her hair with her towel, "inform me. Or the doctor. Don't compound an injury through bravado."

"My assignment to the Trail was supposed to be an easy posting, a six month trip to here where I can rehab more and get back to something like regular duties after so long." Amanda's pedaling slowed a little. "Didn't plan on fighting Tholians so soon into the trip."

"I don't think anyone in Starfleet could have predicted their presence and subsequent response in the Latari system," the commander agreed. "The Tholian Assembly's an enigma to all of us in the Federation. The few limited encounters we've had with them spanning the centuries after Cochrane's first warp flight haven't provided much in the way of intelligence or diplomatic dialogue. They show up and catch us off-guard, then by the time it's over, they're gone. Back to their own territory."

"Was my first time fighting them, outside of a few simulations. Surprised how resistant to phaser fire their shells are, even to a quite high setting." Amanda's pedaling slowed even more. "When they boarded the Trail they forced most of the security back pretty easy, till they ran into me. I was going to stop them or they were going to kill me."

Moving to the padded floor to stretch her quads and calves, Tarin flicked her eyebrows up in a brief expression of caution. "They came close, Turell. Very close. We were lucky to recover as many of you from your ship as we did." She dipped her head while extending one leg then reached with her arm to clasp her toes. "Tholians have a unique biochemistry that renders most of our traditional weapons phased energy ineffective; add in their exo-suits? They're formidable. Their ships are maneuverable and have strong hull plating, and their attacks are well-coordinated... But they're not invincible. The Second Battle of Latari wasn't a complete loss. Starfleet collected and analyzed the combat logs which is giving us more information about their capabilities than we've ever had."

"I hope that information is worth the price we paid, Miranda's are very out of date but the crew we lost were not." Amanda said, she'd not known many of the Trail's crew that well having been a last minute addition to the crew for the voyage but she knew enough of them to miss some of them.

A silence overcame the room which matriculated alongside the captain's private reflection of Starfleet sacrifice. "They won't be forgotten; they performed their duty just like the crews before them." Her head turned to the security officer with a slight tilt of inspection. "This is what we signed up for, Turell - service to the Federation and its ideals. Exploration of the unknown. Sometimes we roll snake eyes..."

"..... and some of us wish we had." Amanda said quietly. She stepped off the exercise bike and headed for a weight bench. "You never think your number is gonna come up though, it'll always be someone else."

The sound of Tarin sucking water through her bottle's filter softly populated the wash of quiet which temporarily overcame the room again. "I went through the Academy at the tail-end of the war - I never believed that. I was in San Fransisco during the Breen attack on Earth," her voice trailed off then her eyes shifted to the deck. "Once I saw others around me lose their lives - my classmates, instructors, captains, the ones who were better and more proficient than me - the true nature of conflict became very clear and so did my mortality. Wrong place, wrong time, wrong decision...any one of those is all it takes."

"We were just moving back to earth when that happened." Amanda told her while selecting some weights and sitting down on the bench. "Might have been there during the attack too if my transport hadn't gotten delayed by a dominion attack." She started somewhat slow reps with both weights. "Both my dad and older sister were Starfleet, both Marine Corp, both deployed around Chin'toka, neither came back."

"And how did that affect you? That...loss? And your duty as a Starfleet officer?" It was an intimate and loaded question which was uncommon for Tarin to ask outside of the current private environment within the ship's workout room.

"We were at war, and Turells have been in every war the Federation has been in." Amanda said, she gave a somewhat prideful grin that quickly changed to a slight grimace as her weaker arm twitched slightly. "My dad and sister in the Dominion War, grandad and a few uncles were in the First Tzenkethi War, great grandad fought both Klingons and Romulans. We're used to taking losses."

Losses. Bloodlines, Tarin couldn't help but solemnly ponder. "Have you thought about having children?" she suggestively inquired before raising her slim eyebrows to the brunette. "If my memory of your family history is accurate, you're the last Turell of your generation left."

Amanda nearly dropped the weight she was lifting. "Haven't really thought about it yet. I'm still young. Maybe one day, find someone who likes a woman with scars..." 'and PTSD' She thought back to Sergei, that evening had certainly been fun.

"One day?" Tarin firmly raised herself from the small bench along the wall's bulkhead then re-stretched her limbs and back. "Time is short. Family legacy remain forever. Your clock's ticking, ensign, and we won't be returning to Earth in the near future. See to it sooner rather than later. Consider that a...strong suggestion."

"My Captain strongly suggesting I get laid and get pregnant...." Amanda laid the weight down and sat back slightly. "Haven't heard that one before." She said with a genuine chuckle.

"Who you want to bed, if at all, is your prerogative. Sex isn't required for pregnancy," Tarin dryly responded. Many IVF procedures were readily available with excellent success rates if the species' donors were compatible. Nevertheless, the appeal of intimacy was unquestionably tied to the Human reproductive process. And it was enjoyable. "This is your first time deployed on the frontier as far as I'm aware - start thinking outside the box."

"It may not be required but it's certainly a lot more fun." More memories of the evening with Sergei came to the forefront of Amanda's mind. "With the right person."

Tarin's ears subtly flushed which accompanied a further dive into the budding talk of romance. "Is this 'right person' on the ship, now?"

The subtle change in Tarin's expression wasn't subtle enough to the eyes of a trained security officer. she usually had an aloofness about her but this displayed a slight bit of genuine interest. "No...." Amanda replied, her answer hesitant.

The simple and brusque answer provided enough information for the captain to deduce at least some semblance of the other woman's romantic life. "But they're somewhere? Just not aboard Galileo. What's their name?" she further pried.

"I don't know if he's the 'right person'...." Amanda told her, she didn't even know why she was even talking about this with her Captain. "We had a lot of fun though, genuine fun."

Fun was good. "Sex and intimacy alleviates stress, and that, in turn, helps our collective job performance. The former's in short supply, out here," mused Tarin with a private grin. "I might have rules and strong feelings about alcohol consumption but I have none when it comes to intimacy...except that you don't endanger yourself or any others."

Another pause followed while Tarin brought her water bottle to her lips then finally emptied the container. "So. Do you want a child or not?" she asked again, seeking a direct answer. "The truth."

"The truth," Amanda said with a slight huff. "Exactly as I said earlier, haven't really thought about it. I don't think I'd make a good mother."

"Why not?" The question was posed in a dry terseness which cut through any extraneous thoughts Tarin might have been juggling. The ensign's statement was pointed and she wanted to get to the heart of its true meaning. Maybe the answer could reveal more of Turell to her, and give insight into how the security officer's mind operated and what her priorities were.

"I'm a security officer, an inherently dangerous position, could die tomorrow. And...." Amanda replied but then hesitated catching herself before she said something she didn't want to.

"And...what? You don't want your child to grow up without a mother?" It wasn't an uncommon reason to avoid childbirth. Such an intimately personal decision was difficult on the most tranquil of days, let alone for someone deployed to the deepest precipice of explored space.

Mentally Amanda let out a sigh of relief. "I think that would be a major part of it yes. I was 6 when the dominion war started. 8 when both my dad and older sister died. Mum was expecting it to happen eventually, I didn't really understand to begin with."

Tarin tightened her hazel eyes which tightened in accordance to the severity of the conversation's turn. "Death..., it's the risk in joining Starfleet. We talk about it at the Academy to prepare ourselves but then in the field? We have to forget about the peril and focus on our duties. Your father and sister knew this and made the ultimate contribution to the Federation. They gave their lives so you, I and the rest of the Federation could persevere." Her voice softened by several octaves while her attention momentarily faltered in more deep contemplation.

"We only live one life, Turell. We're not Q's. We can't manipulate space or time or explore alternate realities." The commander of Galileo reacquired her lock on the tall security officer's eyes. "Me? I say, make the most of time we have here in this universe. Never leave the 'what-if's' on the table. Pursue what you want, when you want it. Take care of your needs...and yourself. No officer who can't do that is any good to me."

"I can take care of myself." Amanda told her, she looked down at the weights she had been using to get away from the woman's piercing gaze for a few moments.

"Good. See to that." Tarin stretched her legs one final time then collected her water bottle and towel which were both subsequently stuffed into her small gym bag. "I have to return to my quarters. Tomorrow's a new day." She stood then walked toward the workout room's exit door which swished open. "Come find me if you need any more advice," she offered over her shoulder before departing the room.

"God I feel like I've been interrogated.." Amanda said to Selon who had been suspiciously quiet for the longest time. She picked up the weights again and slowly started another series of reps. "I'll speak to Lieutenant Serran about reserving a holodeck spot for us."

[OFF]

--

CMDR Morgan Tarin
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo-A

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

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