Mine is Bigger

Posted on 10 Jan 2013 @ 5:16am by
Edited on on 10 Jan 2013 @ 2:35pm

1,908 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 02 - Resupply
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 4 Chief Science Officer's Office
Timeline: MD 16 1300

[ON]
Jeremy strode off the turbolift and down the hallway, following the trailing map on his new PADD, which was so much more than a PADD. He had to come up with some other name for it but that was...he frowned as he came to the Science offices. He stopped in the middle of the corridor looking around, looking for Lieutenant Kiri Cho. His business was with her.

Here his map seemed to fail him. He choose one at random to enter. Even if it was Lt. Cho, whoever was in there should be able to help direct him.

Sitting behind her desk with her legs crossed beneath it, Doctor Maenad Panne was looking at her computer screen, chin her palm and elbow on the desk. She was thoroughly bored. That is, until her door unexpectedly opened and the sight of Jeremy Stone walked inside. She didn't move but for her eyes. "You could have knocked," she said to him, looking back to the screen.

He stopped, frowning. "I'm looking for Lieutenant Cho," he said, ignoring her rebuke. 'Knocking' would accomplish nothing on durasteel plating.

"Did you ask the computer?" She thought that would be a fairly non-frustrating and pretty normal way to look for someone. "She's not on duty," she said, thinking aloud to herself.

He folded his hands behind his back. "She was supposed to submit a statement regarding recent events. I have yet to receive that. When will she return to duty?"

Maenad frowned. "She is on a temporary leave," she said to him flatly, looking back up at him standing there in front of her. Her mandated medical leave was none of Stone's business. "She will be back to regular duty within the next few days. Is there something that I can help you with?"

"No," he said. "You were not made a victim of last night's intrusion despite your poor judgment. I'll track her down in her quarters then."

"My poor judgement?" Maenad asked, lifting her chin from her palm. "What are you talking about?" Her irritation was obvious.

"You and the rest of you who thought it would be fun to play..." he stopped and frowned. His attempt at keeping a neutral tone was shot before he even started. "The lot of you who thought it would be fun to play "Hardy Boys" and failed to inform security of the problem with the data rod or your amatuer detective plans to 'lay a trap' for those who left it. You failed to inform Security of the first intrusion, your asinine plan or the dangers that existed to this ship and this crew." He glared at her, not giving a single damn about her irritation. The sad part was...he held very little of the responsibility for what happened on her shoulders. She was supposed to be smart and educated, however, and she went along with the plan because it probably made her feel like a star of a holovid. "Your amatuer hour theatrics nearly cost at least two of our crew their lives. That poor judgment."

Maenad stood up from her desk in one swift motion. This was a very different Stone from the one who had left her breakfast that morning. She should have stomped on it right then and there and smashed his bottle of wine on his doorstep. But she didn't; she thought it had been nice, sweet even. But no longer. Now it all repulsed her more than the self-glorified drivel sputtering from his wretchedly chafed lips. "I will have you know that nothing that transpired last night had anything to do with me. I will also have you know that it was I who had asked for you to be notified of the potential danger, and it was I who had pleaded for an armed security detail to be installed outside of the lab at all times. My requests were denied, Mister Stone, against my better judgement." She wasn't yelling at him, but her tone was shrill and confident like she were delivering justification for a child's long-overdue punishment. "What would have had me do? Not follow my orders? Go against the protocol that you hold so dear?" she scoffed. "Do not take out your frustrations on me, Mister Stone, because you're too afraid to disrespect the captain, commander, or Lieutenant Coleman."

"It's Lieutenant Stone," he said, "since you're suddenly so concerned about following protocol, try following that one. You should have informed security from the first moment you found the unauthorized entry into your labs, but you failed to do so. Don't sit there and try to take the high road on this, Lieutenant Panne, because you can't even find the onramp this time! My officer could have been killed because we had no clue what we were walking into!"

Coleman? he thought to himself, glancing at his wrist. Coleman had been in on this plan? That struck him like a slap. He shook his head. "You're all fortunate that nobody on this crew died."

"Actually," she said, taking advantage of some the shock she'd caught on him, "You are wrong. Calling you mister does not violate protocol, Mister Stone, as you are subordinate to me. Check the ship's chain of command." She paused, holding up a finger. "Be thankful that I value free speech enough not to have you cited for insubordination right here and now. Now, if you've nothing else to add, perhaps an apology, you can get the hell out of my office."

He turned to face her directly, glaring, still finding elements of frustration over what he couldn't remember of yesterday. "While you apparently never tire of hearing the sound of your own voice, do you ever get tired of being wrong?" he asked. "First, I'm the Chief of Security, I answer to one person aboard this ship - the captain and by extension of her will, the executive officer. Second, I know I have more time in grade than you, which makes me a senior junior lieutenant" which that awkward phrasing sounded foolish even to him. "So, you are not 'superior' to me in any way except in your appalling lack of procedure, manners and social skills. At least I know why people think I'm an ass, you ever wonder why they think of you as such a bitch? You even make Kiwoski's attitude toward you look acceptable."

He sighed as he took a step back, ready to depart. "Apparently sexual congress does not make a person as 'jolly' as it's claimed otherwise you would be that...a...the person whom children were told brought gifts in the winter. That person."

A grin spread across her lips that was far from pleasant. "It amazes me that in this age of reason that chauvinism still exists. And after your gift this morning, I thought I had you pegged better. You are incorrect in that you are the senior-most junior lieutenant, Mister Stone. This is a science vessel. There are more crew under my command than yours by many times. If you do not believe me, I hope that the citation that you will be receiving from Commander Holliday for calling your superior both a bitch and a whore, after being forewarned against anything but leaving or apologising, will serve as a refreshing reminder of where you stand around here." Her grin vanished. "Now get out."

He stared at her, almost dumbfounded. "Were you sick the semester they taught military protocol at the Academy or were you too busy at the sorority believing that she with the most 'toys' wins? No wonder you're willing to risk your people over your own petty ego, you have so many of them!"

"I have never lived in a sorority," she said quietly. She was never the one with all of the 'toys', either; she might have 'done it' a lot when she was younger, but that was long before she had spent any time at Starfleet Academy. To be called a whore now, when she had only slept with one person in maybe four or five years up until a few days ago, stabbed her in the heart with a wooden stake. "I haven't insulted you," she said to him. "Why are you doing this? I asked you to leave."

He frowned. He didn't know why he should care about the break in her facade just now. Maybe it was because he was still thinking about the work with Pawlek, or because his medication was kicking in or just some other reason. He hovered just outside the door. "Because I'm upset that my officer was injured, a member of my crew was menaced, my ship was boarded and the suspect got away - all under my watch." He sighed. "And you are not the person ultimately responsible for that but you, at least, have a chance to recognize how your actions put so many others in danger." He took a step back. "I've not insulted you. I have stated the viewpoint of many of the crew. A view that many are unwilling to say to your face but..." he sighed again. "But I don't have that problem and you should know how people see you, in case you cared and wanted to change." He looked at his PADD, checking his schedule. "I shouldn't have taken all that frustration out on you."

"Oh, please," she droned. "I live a very secretive life. Most of the crew respects me and they don't even know who I am." It was true, in fact. "You haven't insulted me? You have called me a bitch and a whore, just to be mean. I don't even have any friends on this ship, much less any lovers." The revelation of not having any true friends, except for maybe Liyar and possibly Kiri, saddened her. She had slept with the captain once, and that was entirely secret. Nobody knew about that but them. "You've told me that I break protocol non-stop because I call you by mister, which isn't a breach of protocol. You've said that you are not subordinate to me when, in fact, you are. And you also came in here without even sounding my chime." She looked at him, incredulously. "I have asked you to leave. Now leave before I have to call security."

Jeremy sighed. For a doctorate she was certainly ill informed. However, his purpose in coming here was to find Lt. Cho and she, obviously, was not here. He had hoped that if somebody aboard this ship could understand how their actions had ramifications for the entire ship it would be the chief scientist, but he was apparently mistaken in that. He flipped over his PADD as he walked away from the office, cancelling the investigation into rumors regarding Kiwoski's conduct toward Panne. He now determined that Kiwoski's actions were probably more magnified by her overreactions to everything - her elitist, superior and...overall...inaccurate understandings.

He wondered how well this science ship was going to function with someone such as her in charge of the science department.

[OFF]

LTjg Jeremy Stone
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Maenad Panne
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

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