Fire and Ice

Posted on Tue Aug 13th, 2024 @ 6:56am by Lieutenant Evelyn Stewart & Lieutenant T'Mara
Edited on on Sat Aug 17th, 2024 @ 4:52am

0 words; about a 1 minute read

Mission: Year One: Strange Bedfellows
Location: Deck 7 - Holodeck 2
Timeline: MD: 004 - 20:00 hrs

Booking the holodeck had been the first thing T’Mara did upon having a moment where nothing was required of her. It was her…form of recreation. Starfleet was strange like that; allowing ‘free time’ where nothing was expected other than to engage in what she had determined were hedonistic activities. T’Mara supposed she did not need to understand the whys behind it more so than to simply follow the regulations. So, what started as a form of malicious compliance had evolved to a bi-weekly holodeck appointment where she would engage with various programming.

It was…fascinating. There were times where she could almost forget…And it was those times that she chased twice a week.

She stepped through the large doors and waited until they finished closing behind her before walking over to the computer to begin perusing the public offerings.

"The Fire Plains at Riaax"

T'Mara's brow rose in question. That was a location on planet Vulcan. She had never been to the Fire Plains prior to her joining Starfleet. It was a vast, boiling field of lava that stretched for kilometers. Enormous rock statues were carved from the surrounding cliffs overlooking the fire plans, designed in the image of ancient Vulcan warriors well before the Time of Awakening.

"The Time of Awakening..." She murmured to herself as she read the program description. It appeared to be an 'environmentals' program - a 'place' to immerse oneself in - but nothing further, and normally she would pass over it, but...

Her fingers skimmed over the LCARS screen, selecting the program before she had any further opportunity to consider. It was one of her unspoken rules regarding this 'recreation.' If she were to spend longer than 3 seconds considering a specific program then she would initiate it.

The Fire Plains at Riaax it was then. The dark grid-covered room melted away as the holoprojectors transformed the space into the vast, harsh landscape of her home world. She stepped out from underneath the arch and began walking down a well-worn stone path that led towards a viewpoint that no doubt would be quite striking.

So, it would appear self-flagellation was on tonight's recreational itinerary.

Stewart rubbed her eyes with growing agitation. She was restless and being stuck escorting a group of thugs that decided they could come and go as they pleased on the ship only made matters worse. She hadn't been in space for such an extended period of time in years. She was used to getting away from the Academy to clear her head. Now she wasn't afforded such luxury.

With a sigh, Stewart found herself heading for the holodeck. She had promised Stryvek that she would do her best to control her drinking and stay out of the DMZ or her own quarters more. Nights like this only made her regret keeping her word. She had hoped to find a program to give her something to do and burn off some of this energy.

Going to tap the commands into the LCARS screen she stopped, brow furrowing in confusion. Someone was using the Fire Plains program she had brought from her personal files. She wondered who would want to use a program of the violent Vulcan landscape. Curiosity had led her through the doors to find out.

T'Mara had been walking along the path for a few minutes when the sound of the holodeck door opening reached her ears. That was the fascinating part of the holodeck; the bending of perception to make one feel they were truly immersed.

She turned to face the sound--and the person, no doubt--who was intruding onto her scheduled time. It was a smaller female, dark hair...T'Mara considered. Oh, she had seen the woman at the memorial and the briefing. She did not know her name; no introductions had been made.

"I have the holodeck for the next 57 minutes. You may check the schedule if you care to confirm what I am saying." It was a delightfully 'cheery' greeting from the physician. If by 'cheery' it really meant mildly peeved. Perhaps she had grown somewhat...territorial over her 'free-time?'

Stewart kept her face as still as possible in an attempt to control her reaction at seeing the new chief medical officer running her personal program. It didn't matter that Evelyn never privated the program and it was available for general use, not in the moment. "I don't need to read the schedule. I already know what it says. What I don't know is why you are using my personal holodeck program." Stewart asked as she slowly moved closer so she wouldn't have to raise her voice to the taller Vulcan.

T'Mara tilted her head slightly to the side, a subtle non-verbal gesture of confusion. “It was listed in the public program database. I selected it because I have never seen the Fire Plains at Riaax. Apparently, the appropriate restrictions were not placed on the file when it was added to the holodeck database. A most unfortunate oversight. I will select a different program.”

This was a far less than ideal manner to meet new crew members.

Stewart set her jaw against her growing agitation. "Don't bother, what's done is done, Doctor," she said with clear disdain. Evelyn looked over the other woman, sizing her up as her eyes narrowed slightly. "Not the most perceptive Vulcan, are you?" she asked in Vulcan, managing to keep her disdain out of her voice and maintain unemotional inflection that was required for perfect Vulcan.

The human female--the scent she exuded was unmistakable even with the nasal inhibitor spray--was exhibiting subtle gestures that demonstrated agitation. Then there was the comment, in perfectly accented Vulcan no less, which caused T'Mara to tighten her jaw.

"Is there a particular reason you have chosen to be...inhospitable? What should I possibly perceive about this interaction given that I have never met you?"

Stewart narrowed her eyes as she looked over the taller Vulcan woman. "I'm just trying to figure out if your oversight was an example of incompetence or entitlement. If you had bothered to search the file for more than a few seconds you would see that it came from private database and not apart of the holodeck's datafiles, meaning it was personal. Or so logic would dictate." Stewart stated back in Federation standard, her tone once again reflecting sarcasm.

“Your logic is flawed. You are committing an a priori fallacy. You have asked a rhetorical question where the only acceptable answers are presumed conclusions you have already decided upon.” T’Mara’s expression remained neutral and serene, but her hands were another thing. They were clenched at her sides. Leave it to a Hevam to so effectively push her buttons.

“I can assure you I am quite competent, and the only entitlements I have are due to my rank and position. It is curious why you believe such scrutiny is necessary when the program in question is listed in the public category. I have offered my apologies along with immediate termination of this program and yet you persist. What exactly are you hoping to achieve in this interaction?”

Stewart just looked around the fire fields simulation with an annoyed sigh, not bothering to answer the question. It was pointless to continue with this line of conversation in her mind. The Vulcan wouldn’t understand the explanation, even if Stewart had one.

Instead, Evelyn folded her arms and watched the distance pillar of fire shoot into the sky without an expression for a moment before turning back to T’Mara. “Why are you even here? Don’t you all have your own fleet for scientific research and endeavors specifically so you don’t have interact with us less evolved species?”

T'Mara flinched slightly as she somehow felt like she was back on Vulcan speaking with this human...and she found that most dissatisfying. Enough was enough.

"I am vrekasht kre'nath.*" She responded in a harsh tone - for a Vulcan. T'Mara was no Kolinahru. She had emotions and even if she had desired, her 'untouchable' state would have no doubt precluded her from pursuing that path.

"It was either Starfleet or temple prostitute. I chose the former, quite readily."

She looked away from the dark-haired human, and stared out for a moment at the holographic surroundings and suddenly wanted nothing more than to be far from it. Why had she even wanted to see this? To punish herself by immersion into a place that had scorned her?

"Computer end program." T'Mara commanded and the scene evaporated to the grid pattern of an inactive holodeck. "You have my thanks for intruding. Your behavior has reminded me why I left. Although human, you judge quite like a Vulcan."

T’Mara’s comment on her background and reason for leaving Vulcan caught Stewart’s attention. But before she could ponder on it more, the Vulcan threw an insult, intentional or otherwise, at the lieutenant that hit too close to home. With her jaw clenched, Stewart took a moment to control her temper and relaxed her demeanor with a breath before the faintest of smirks was at the corner of her lips. “Sarcasm? How Human.” She offered her own insult with dry amusement.

Letting her words hang in the air for a moment as she stared up at the other woman, Stewart let out a dry chuckle to herself. She had gotten the better of the Vulcan, under her green skin as it were, and she was pleased. It was all she needed for satisfaction this evening.

“Computer, transfer ten minutes of my allotted holodeck time this month to Doctor T’Mara and reinitialize the program.” Stewart called out to the computer, hearing the tone of compliance and then feeling more than seeing the Fire Plains rematerialize.

Once the program restarted, Evelyn turned her attention back to the Vulcan doctor. “For your lost time.” She offered as an explanation for the transfer before turning and walking out of the holodeck without another word to the taller woman.

T'Mara watched the human female go, not even having a name to call her by. She did not desire more time, nor did the return of the fire plains soothe her inner turmoil. Looking down to the 'sands' beneath her boots, T'Mara wondered when all of the complex emotions surrounding her childhood would fade to simple memory. Obviously that day had not come yet. Sighing aloud, T'Mara raised her head.

"Computer, end program." Her carefully constructed equilibrium had been disrupted. It was of her own doing. She, illogically, attempted to look back, when the only direction that there was to go was forward. That would be what she would take from this confrontation. Because otherwise, T'Mara would dig deeper into the human woman's irrational anger towards her - and as she had no idea why that was the case, any consideration of it would be steeped in supposition without any data.

--

* vrekasht kre'nath = outcast bastard

 

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