Star Trek: Theurgy

CH03: S [D04|1315] Many Words

July 06, 2018, 09:47:04 PM

Chapter 03: Supplemental [ Day 04 | 1315 hrs. ] Many Words

[ Acting XO Zelosa Ejek | Sickbay | Vector 03 | U.S.S. Theurgy ] @Triton

To say she was livid was an understatement. Not one but two officers had the nerve to put themselves in stupid danger that they had no business putting themselves in. The line between brave and stupid isn’t fine at all. It’s actually quite big and bold, and each side is marked with ‘brave’ and ‘stupid’ respectively, and both Jimmy and Six flung themselves with gusto towards the ‘stupid’ side of the line.

Six was ‘dealt’ with. Ejek pushed the former borg out of her mind— she really wasn’t satisfied with that meeting, but it was over now. Time to focus on the task at hand…

She walked through the doors of sickbay, her face and posture suggesting she was here on strictly business. She was a wonderful actress this way. If she was correct, as she often was, Jimmy would either be in recovery just after emergency surgery or he’d be about ready for discharge. Both were acceptable. She didn’t want to see that much blood, or worse, missing teeth. Ugh.

Jimmy was not hard to find. The beds here were full, but he stood out to her. He stood out because he was the sole recipient of her fury right now.

“Ensign James Mariner. How are you feeling.” It was not a question, a preface. A prologue to a book’s worth of words.

Re: Chapter 03: Supplemental [ Day 04 | 1315 hrs. ] Many Words

Reply #1 – July 17, 2018, 12:32:08 AM

[ James Mariner | Dreamland | USS Theurgy | Vector 3 Sickbay | The Azure Nebula ]
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There were times in life when it paid to have belief in one's respective divine entities, and the humble satisfaction of faith in one's own abilities rewarded was a bittersweet sense of completion. As James Mariner's face was operated on, he didn't push his luck in asking whoever was up there for a stronger painkiller, or at the very least, a redundant nervous system. Centuries since dentistry became a profession, and that seat was still as dreaded as the Captain's chair on a doomed ship.

The term wasn't called 'life and limb' for nothing. An hour later, and Jimmy's winning grin was as good as new, even though he compulsively kept licking his teeth to make sure none of them fused together. When he finally got his molars and canine replaced, he jokingly asked if he could get himself a set of fangs, but was expectedly told 'maybe next time.'

Unfortunately, he'd be out of action for at least 20 minutes. He was well asleep for 15 minutes of them, dreaming of a Cardassian sauna with Meony, exchanging scars in naught but their skins and hot rocks as they sipped drinks. Jimmy made ridiculous poses before a womanly... and familiarly draconic voice appeared. As if someone splashed cold water right at the worst part of the dream. He abruptly quit drooling on the pillow and wiped himself. <Gibberish: "Shaken, not stirred."> he mumbled indifferently to Counselor Ejek, saluting as much as he could.

Re: Chapter 03: Supplemental [ Day 04 | 1315 hrs. ] Many Words

Reply #2 – July 17, 2018, 01:18:36 AM

[ Acting XO Zelosa Ejek | Sickbay | Vector 03 | U.S.S. Theurgy ] @Triton

She couldn’t even begin to guess what Jimmy had been saying in his sleep. Quite frankly, she didn’t care either.

“Are you awake.” There was no care nor concern in her voice. It wasn’t even a question, though it was worded like one. She waited for Jimmy to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He needed to be fully awake for this metaphorical beating.

“I’m sure you must be very pleased with yourself by now. Tell me, did you sate your need for adrenaline? Do you feel like a big, strong, tough young man now?” She leaned over the bed, fully aware that she was only imposing if her victim was laying or sitting, just like Jimmy was.

“Go on. Savor your stupid egotistic antics. I didn’t even think it was possible for one human being to be so dense, so self-unaware. You. Could. Have. Died.” Her arms were crossed, her eyes wide in a fury. "The worst part is that you know it too, and did this thing anyway."

“You could have left Meony a shattered, broken human being, all because you ever-so-selfishly wanted to be the hero today.” But she paused, letting her words sink in. Her face was changing as if a thought had hit her. No thought had hit her though, this was all part of a carefully coordinated act. She looked less angry now, sounded less angry, more thoughtful, more understanding.

“Or...Perhaps I underestimated you. Maybe you have more guile than I thought. To lead this young woman along in a relationship, but you plan on showing her how little her feelings matter, by putting the one thing she loves the most on the line, often, repeatedly. That sort of emotional torture...truly devious.” She mused. She genuinely sounded as if she admired the level of thought put into this hypothetical plan of Jimmy’s.

“I suppose if that was your plan all along, I ought to apologize for my outburst… Emotional torture, hm. If you're doing this, you must want to break her. Perhaps you’re not as human as I thought you were all this time then?” She gave him a pointed look out the sides of her eyes. Subtle, but enough to let even Jimmy know she was taking stabs at him. She knew, and he knew, that hurting Meony was not the goal here. But Ejek's scoldings were always harsh.

Re: Chapter 03: Supplemental [ Day 04 | 1315 hrs. ] Many Words

Reply #3 – July 18, 2018, 09:20:54 PM

[ James Mariner |  USS Theurgy | Vector 3 Sickbay | The Azure Nebula ]
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Man, Jimmy was in need of more morphine when having to contend with Ejek. This was not one of her arguments-for-arguments' sake, then again, it could have been. Despite being happy with Meony and his code about not dating superior officers, Ejek did have some redeeming traits and appeals to her. Not that he was interested, but even Meony knew how much fun it was to, what was that term--ah yes, "troll" the Cardassian counselor. He only really went to her for advice on sexual fantasies and personal matters that clearly drove the Cardassian woman insane. But stranded in the chair he was on now, most he could do was fake his injury further as he listened.

"Hey, Doc. Wanna hear a joke?" Jimmy said after waiting a full minute between closing his eyes, pretending to be in pain, then simply speaking when he could. "What do you call a Cardassian boat captain?"  He smirked weakly. "A sea Gul."

It was neither original nor the first time he'd used the joke, but was clearly bent on annoying her. "Or maybe your ponytail's too tight and my XO can't tell the difference between loyalty and duty when it comes to having that authority you treat as a lash." if there was any time anyone had seen Jimmy angered, it was now. He took another painkiller as he sat up.

Mariner coughed, still licking his teeth where the biomimetic gel was still fusing his injuries together."I was doing my  job, saving the lives of people who wear the same uniform we do-- Meony included. Isn't duty a trait? Did you not read The Never Ending Sacrifice? " Mariner spoke a bit harshly in response to Ejek bringing Meony into this, but had only really skimmed that Cardassian, for-lack-of-a-better-term 'book'.  "Maybe -I- underestimated -you-, M'um, perhaps the True Way could use those powers of perception. If -I'm- mistaken, I apologize. But I won't take you out to dinner. I'm taken, and will be until someone promotes me out of having to risk my... whatever-you-praised arse in danger. ... then I'll settle down for good. I may call a tailor for that wedding." the response ended with a twist but he wasn't going to lose to someone who cringed every time there was a red alert.

Re: Chapter 03: Supplemental [ Day 04 | 1315 hrs. ] Many Words

Reply #4 – July 18, 2018, 09:56:03 PM

[ Acting XO Zelosa Ejek | Sickbay | Vector 03 | U.S.S. Theurgy ] @Triton

Ejek liked the joke the first time. She didn’t like it the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth...or this time. She was serious, and furious. Jimmy took shots at her position, but it did not bother her. She was not a woman of insecurity. She knew her leadership was solid, or at least moreso than some people’s anyway. If she were a lesser woman, she'd be side tracked by Jimmy's arguing, all the points he made about the True Way and the Never Ending Sacrifice. Nothing he said directly countered her argument; that he had been taking unnecessary risks.

Her arms were still crossed, face grim, and she stood over him as if she did not fear any confrontation. She did, in truth, but she could not let that cowardice show right now. Even when he delivered his ‘twist’, she was not shocked. For as much as she knew about the couple, marriage on the mind wasn’t a big surprise. It had to be coming sooner or later. Privately, she dreampt of herself all nice in a bridesmaid dress, all made up like a real Cardassian woman. No, put that image away. No one liked her enough to make her a bridesmaid.

“Duty is a virtue, but if you call your reckless insanity duty, then I may have to relieve you of it until you’re re-trained. Has it occurred to you that taking unnecessary risks is not compatible with duty? There were much better ways of having done what you did. Much safer ways, with similar effectiveness. But you chose the one that made you look like a cowboy.”

She allowed herself a seat on the side of his bed. It’d put her in danger if he did attack, but she almost hoped he would. He’d be out of his position faster than she could file the paperwork for it. And that would keep him from doing anything else dangerous and stupid.

“You should understand, James, this is not what you assume is flirting. This is your commanding officer and your counselor giving you a warning. If you truly hear wedding bells in your head, then you must understand that you cannot continue acting the way you have been. Marriage is a responsibility, a duty in and of itself. You can no longer afford to risk your very life in order to feel like a holonovel protagonist on the job. If you love, her, really love her enough to want to wed her, you will take your life and limb more seriously.”

Re: Chapter 03: Supplemental [ Day 04 | 1315 hrs. ] Many Words

Reply #5 – July 18, 2018, 10:38:36 PM

[ James Mariner | USS Theurgy | Vector 3 Sickbay | The Azure Nebula ]
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Neutral-faced but belying an indignant attitude that was getting under his skin, Jimmy countered. "I never go into a place I don't know how to get out of. If I were, I'd be any-given-Cardie-compliment previously listed. Don't read my lips, read my record." The idle reminder that Jimmy had killed his share of Cardassians and had personally seen how they tortured prisoners didn't need to be said, not when Jimmy had momentarily escaped from that patrol and could have saved a shipmate from a gruesome death by sniping the fellow officer; but, that would have given him away and only he at the time had the location of that Dominion encampment. Walking away meant he survived and the mission succeeded.

Jimmy's report on that incident was particularly glowing. He could have taken the entire camp himself, given the Jem'Hadar lack of white and ability to shroud, but waited for Leon and his reinforcements to arrive and it was too late. Like with Heather, Jimmy had failed and took it personally. By the same token, Ejek was idly, almost indifferently threatening what Mariner had carved into the world and for once, possibly the first time was too angry at her to imagine what she looked like without clothes.

In response, Jimmy's calm seemed to waver. "Given my record, I'm positive if you were to abuse your authority, it would be contested and ultimately cost you more than than it would me; if you want to go there, Let's go. Or, let's leave it at doing what we do best... Leftenant." He wanted to call her 'Counselor'. 'Non-combatant'. 'Snake'. The momentary venom in Mariner's emotion told in how he spoke. It came a low-voiced grumble but steadily increasing-in-intensity rumble that spoke plainly. "You even think about threatening my career again, don't flatter yourself as you think back to.... Every. Single. Time. I saved -your- life on the Resolve."

Jimmy lay back down, not going to waste the opportunity for a free dose of painkillers having the inadverdent effect of leaving him drowsy at least for the next few minutes. He was done here and would have walked out if he didn't have a follow-up revision in a few moments. I'm sure that eidic memory can be selective. , he wanted to add, but held his tongue. If she wanted to apologize, she could start by getting out of his sight.

Re: Chapter 03: Supplemental [ Day 04 | 1315 hrs. ] Many Words

Reply #6 – July 18, 2018, 10:46:43 PM

[ Acting XO Zelosa Ejek | Sickbay | Vector 03 | U.S.S. Theurgy ] @Triton

She was doing it again. She was dimly aware she was throwing away friendships, again. Why did she do this. Why did she always do this. Why couldn’t she just keep her mouth shut and accept the crippling worry. Why couldn’t she just keep it all inside…

She went on, feeling as if she really had no choice. She couldn’t lose face, after all. And Jimmy had still not yet addressed her main issue here.

“So that’s it, you don’t care at all? About yourself, your future, about her?” She didn’t get up from the side of his bed. She wasn’t yet intent on leaving.
“Your record doesn’t have anything to do with here, now. Back then, you didn’t have someone as important as Meony is to you. Now, you do. Am I to take your lack of response to this as an indication that you don’t care? Or are you just refusing to answer because you know I’m right.”

Why did she always have to do this, every time, all the time. Why did anyone even tolerate her…?

Re: Chapter 03: Supplemental [ Day 04 | 1315 hrs. ] Many Words

Reply #7 – July 18, 2018, 11:21:33 PM

[ James Mariner | USS Theurgy | Vector 3 Sickbay | The Azure Nebula ]
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If he answered, he lost. If he denied or even confirmed, it would only give this apparently power-obsessed and judgmental officer the perverted gratification it must have given her to lord over James Mariner's personal life and career. It truly made him sick. Even without looking at her as he lay to face the ceiling. "Lieutenant Ejek, you are out of order." Channeling Leon, Jimmy conformed to his basic training. As far as he was concerned at this point, there would be no more friendly flirting or outright niceties. Not while she was in command of this Vector, or at least gravitating toward that... temporary post.

Jimmy bet she'd probably never even tried the Kobeyashi Maru simulation. He was however grateful that she was not a betazoid or deltan.

Instead, he cited his regulation number, full name, James Terreton Mariner, "...And I am not to discuss my marital status.". Citing general regulations and feeling strongly that Ejek-- that an alien formerly at odds with the Federation-- was forgetting her place, protocol and even a modicum of friendship, James made it clear that he would only say or repeat this to her without a superior officer present to mediate this situation.

Mariner wouldn't file any formal complaint or protest, not when that mission was only the beginning of what he was going to do well beyond the events of this week. As it was, the painkillers were already causing him to doze off anyway. It was apparently his only reward for saving the lives aboard the Cayuga and saving the Stallion vector from th subsequent detonation. Ironically, his only thought for finding comfort would have been hearing this speech from Meony, or even just to be present with her after all this. It must've been a human flaw or fault, but at least James knew what love meant to his code of duty.

Re: Chapter 03: Supplemental [ Day 04 | 1315 hrs. ] Many Words

Reply #8 – July 18, 2018, 11:36:30 PM

[ Acting XO Zelosa Ejek | Sickbay | Vector 03 | U.S.S. Theurgy ] @Triton

She had run into a wall. It hurt. She thought Jimmy was better than this. She tolerated all that teasing specifically because she thought he was better. That, or she’d done it again, she’d pissed off someone else and now she was going to be lonely no-friends Ejek. Again.

She considered expressing some of this. But why would she, who would care? Instead, she found herself growing colder and colder. Like Rura Penthe, she was once called. She stood up, smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt.

It wasn’t often she found herself at a loss for words, but here she was. Anything she said just didn’t have the right emotion behind it. She couldn’t even figure out what emotion she had inside of her right now.

Stupid, Stupid Jimmy, she thought, as she turned away and walked onto her next point of business. He was so close to death. So close to just being gone, forever, and never coming back. Doesn't anyone on this ship understand how serious death is? Does the Federation only hire foolish, headstrong man-children, with a stunted concept of mortality and no impulse control?

Stupid Theurgy, really. Why did she have to take this position? Why couldn’t they find someone who was actually qualified to be here? Why did it have to be her watching all her friends put themselves on the line? Why did she even let herself open up long enough to make friends?

She hoped the Theurgy’s replicators made a good Kanar.

~FIN~