Proper Introductions

Posted on Sun Apr 30th, 2023 @ 8:05am by Lieutenant Evelyn Stewart
Edited on on Tue Jul 4th, 2023 @ 12:05am

1,724 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Prologue: Centre Predominate
Location: USS Moore - Ready Room
Timeline: MD 002: 0900 hrs

Stewart took a breath and let out a long sigh as she read the message on her console that the captain wanted to see her in his ready room. Reluctantly she got up from her station and let a crewman relieve her. She managed to squeak by the previous night without much of a hangover, but she was still exhausted and conflicted waking up with Kei in her bed but didn’t address it.

Using a calming meditation technique, Evelyn steeled herself and reinforced her emotional control before hitting the chime to the captain’s office.

Stryvek expected Evelyn's arrival and as such made no effort to look busy. "Come in." He called to the door and as it swiched closed behind Evelyn he continued to speak. "Lieutenant please have a seat and be at ease." He had read her record and her history. As such he was not too sure what to expect from her.

Stewart made sure she mental barriers in place before she moved to take a seat. “You asked to see me, Captain?”, she asked evenly. She had a suspicion what this was about, but feigned innocence.

Stryvek was already disappointed. He thought that someone who had spent so much time around Vulcans would have known of their ability to read body language. The skill was not totally logical but it was useful when needed. "Lieutenant please allow me to start with a question. Do you know why you are here? I do not mean today, I mean on this vessel."

Stewart say the subtle shift in the Captain’s demeanor. It was clear there was no need to be polite for his sake.

Regardless, the question did catch her off guard. “I know what you meant.” She said flatly, no longer pretending herself. She maintained protocol, but she was going to get her point across. “I thought it was apparent yesterday in San Francisco that I do not.” She said about her surprised reaction to find out she was requested, not assigned to the Vulcan’s command.

"Simply put I requested you. For what is needed on this vessel you are the logical choice. There are not many in the fleet who could serve under a Vulcan. I believe that is due to the exacting standards that we have. You, having lived with Vulcans are the logical choice. However, I will not hold you here if you do not want to be here." Styvek began to lay out his reasoning to Stewart. This was not something he had to do. However, he felt that if he did she may understand him a little better.

For a fleeting moment, Stewart thought she had a chance to transfer to the Madrid after all. It faded when she realized his reasoning for choosing her for this assignment. Her eyes narrowed as her annoyance grew into prideful anger.

“Typical Vulcan arrogance…” she muttered quietly to herself. She sat up straight and looked at her commanding officer. “Permission to speak freely?” She asked, keeping protocol in mind as a natural defense to whatever she was about to say.

Stryvek's eyebrow raised. "I believe that you already are. So you may proceed." He could tell that she wasn't going anywhere. However, she needed to get something out in the open. So the Vulcan thought it only best to allow her.

Evelyn knew to control her temper, but he wounded her pride and she was acting on impulse. “I am the best damn pilot in this fleet. I should be assigned to the Madrid but instead I’m assigned to you, not because of my skills or abilities, but because you requested it. Because you wanted someone familiar with Vulcans.” She said with a contained heat in her voice. The mild headache from her hangover aggravating her further. “Ridiculous!”, she said incredulously in Vulcan, she was so angry her thought reverted back to her first real language. It was the closest they had to a curse in their language.

She took a breath and let out a sigh to calm her outburst. “You clear read my file.” She stated matter of factly when she calmed down and looked at the Vulcan with contempt. “Which means you read my psychological evaluations, all of them. You know how I feel about Vulcans. What makes you think it’s such a good idea to someone who despises them onboard?”, she asked not quite sarcastically or rhetorically, but the contempt in her voice was clear. “Where is the logic in that?”

"Contempt is an emotion, emotions are meaningless and serve nothing to further logic. However, I asked you here not merely because you are fammiliar with Vulcans. But yes that is helpful. I believe that you to have potential to be perhaps one of the greatest leaders the fleet has ever seen. However, you need to learn to temper your emotions. It is true that you would encounter a Vulcan aboard the Madrid, or anywhere in fact. You would need to learn to accept this as a part of life in this fleet. Do you know see the logic that assists both of us in our respective situations." Stryvek did see the potential in her. However, he wondered if she saw the potential in herself and whether or not she could learn.

Evelyn felt like she was eight years old again, sitting across from her foster father in his office, having this same tired debate again. Her posture slouched slightly in her chair as she crossed her ankle over her knee, smoothing her pant leg in agitation while literally biting her tongue to keep from reacting and the temper her response.

Great…now the Elf sees the potential in me now too, more than Starfleet., she intoned to herself before proceeding with her argument logically and rationally.

“I am fully aware of that fact, Captain. However there is a significant difference between serving beside Vulcans and having one as your commanding officer.”, she countered just as logically. “Regarding my emotions, I disagree. As clearly is evident, I’m human, not Vulcan. We have evolved to be dependent on our emotions. They are essential to our survival and cannot simply be turned off or suppressed on command.” She noted with contempt the strictly physiological difference that prevent the sort of changes Vulcans have demanded on humans since their first encounter centuries ago.

“It would be illogical to ignore such supposed limitations instead of embracing them as the asset they are. Logic can only take one so far.” She challenged her commanding officer.

"Indeed there is a difference between serving with Vulcans and under their command. Did you know that the Executive Officer of the Madrid is a Vulcan? So if you went there you would be serving under a Vulcan. The fact that you are human cannot be denied. What I am pointing out is that all humans need to have their emotions tempered in many situations. It is the reason that my kind make staunch allies to your kind. It is the reason that the Federation was founded, that is to say the ability to learn from other races and benefit from them. You have yet to see that, and perhaps I have as well." Stryvek had completed kolinahr the ritual to purge all emotion. As such he had no pride and logically knew that there was something he could learn from Evelyn.

Stewart took in what he said. She didn’t believe what he said regarding respecting other species that had regular access to their emotions, humans especially. She had too much experience with Vulcans to know that wasn’t the case.

Still, she found him curious in his arguments and desire to expand his horizons. “I’m not sure what you mean.” She said evenly.

"As you say humans have made it quite far relying on their emotions. So logic would dictate that there is something to be said for emotions and going with your gut. One cannot discount that Vulcans have made it quite far without emotions. So logic would dictate that there is something to be said for purging emotions and following logic. One must further make a supossition that if you combined the two you achieve even more than either alone. So, can I a being of logic learrn from you a being of emotion. The answer is yes, the answer to whether you can learn from me would also be yes. That is if either of us is willing to walk the path. The question you must ask yourself now is are you willing?" Stryvek explained in even tones without any inflection. He did not find much use for emotions personally. However, he knew that others did, and if he were to lead a crew of emotional beings he would need to understand them.

Evelyn looked at her captain in confusion for a moment. He seemed to be talking in circles until she understood him. Stryvek completed the kolinahr ritual. She didn’t have to be told, she could see it in how he carried himself and the way he spoke. The perpetual arrogance and sense of superiority by Vulcans would amaze her, if she wasn’t so disgusted by the hypocrisy of it.

“With all due respect, Captain,” her tone making it clear she had none, “I have no interest in being converted by a Vulcan zealot. I have spent enough time around your kind to see how hypocritical and self-deluded you are.”

Stewart stood and looked down at the man with vastly superior height. “Is there anything else, or do I have permission to leave?”

"I have no intention of trying to convert you to the Path of Surak. My intentions is to merely have you serve aboard this vessel. To be a Starfleet Officer. And in the future if you would like to speak your mind please follow procedure and ask to speak freely." Stryvek sat in silcence for a few seconds, this was to allow his words to sink in. "You are dismissed."

Stewart physically bit her tongue for a moment to hold back a comment that would be over the line and instead just nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.” She said tersely and walk out of the room and back to her station.

 

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