#so youre a starship captain on your first assignment | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cosmerelists · 9 months

Text

Randomized AUs for Cosmere Femslash Couples

Femslash feature requested by @cosmereplay

Cosmereplay asked me to write a list promoting Cosmere Femslash Fest 2023, which is a fic exchange event YOU can participate in focused around femslash ships.

In honor of this event, I decided to do the following: I made a list of femslash ships and a separate list of AUs, and then I randomly paired them. Let's see what results!

And if any of these randomized results actually look like a fun thing to write or draw, please feel absolutely free! 1. Sports AU: Marasi & Moonlight (Mistborn Era 2)

After chasing down a purse-snatcher on her roller skates, Marasi catches the eye of Roller Derby team captain Moonlight, who wants Marasi to join her team, the Bleeding Ghosts. As Marasi is drawn into the world of Roller Derby, she finds herself being drawn to the mysterious Moonlight as well.

2. Mermaid AU: Lewshi & Raboniel (Stormlight)

As captain of her ship, Lewshi knows to beware of the dangerous but beautiful mermaids who inhabit these waters. But after nearly drowning in a shipwreck, Lewshi is revived by the mermaid Raboniel, a creature so dangerous yet so alluring that even the other mermaids fear her.

3. Pop Stars AU: Shallan & Tyn (Stormlight)

Scam artist Shallan needs to pretend to be a popstar for one easy con. But things go awry when she catches the eye of actual popstar Tyn, who is impressed by Shallan's talent and eager to teach the up-and-comer the ropes. Now Shallan needs to keep the popstar con going...or does she just want to spend more time with Tyn?

4. Boss & Secretary AU: Navani & Raboniel (Stormlight)

When Navani is hired to be Raboniel's secretary, she is overwhelmed by Raboniel's harsh standards and demanding attitude. But Navani's keen intelligence quickly impresses her boss, and now the two of them are growing closer than ever...

5. Teacher & Student's Parent AU: Vin & Shan (Mistborn Era 1)

Vin is a young and overworked elementary school teacher, and Shan Elariel is the imperious and demanding mother of one of Vin's students. They immediately butt heads, but as sparks begin to fly, something more begins to develop between them.

6. Soulmates AU: Lyn & Jasnah (Stormlight)

The first thing your soulmate will say to you is printed on your hand from birth. But Lyn was tired of being lonely, so she's dating a boy named Kal, despite both of them knowing that they're not soulmates. But when Lyn attends a lecture by the preeminent scholar Jasnah, she is shocked to hear Jasnah begin with words that Lyn has long been waiting to hear.

7. Coworkers AU: Lewshi & Venli (Stormlight)

(Ha ha this one is just canon!) It started out as just bitching together about their terrible boss. But now Venli is sensing that there might be more between them...but she doesn't want to make a move until she's sure.

8. Succubus AU: Jasnah & Shallan (Stormlight)

Shallan knew that summoning a demon was risky, but she was willing to try anything to save her family, even if that meant trying to bind a demon to steal its power. She was not prepared for the demon she summoned to be a succubus, and she was not expecting to find this demon Jasnah's presence to be so...alluring.

9. Bodyguard & Client AU: Salay & Ann (Tress of the Emerald Sea)

Ann loves being a bodyguard, even if she's, well, terrible at it. Ann has been given one last chance to not fuck up an assignment: guarding businesswoman Salay, who is searching for her father.

10. Coffee Shop AU: Siri & Blushweaver (Warbreaker)

Siri is a young woman out on her own for the first time, working at a local coffee shop. Blushweaver is the beautiful, flirtatious customer. But is it Siri's imagination, or does Blushweaver flirt more with her than with anyone else?

11. Star Trek AU: Cord & Rysn (Stormlight)

Cord is Security and Rysn is the Captain, and they are Starfleet Officers on the same starship. They've been sent on an away mission to investigate the mysterious planet Akinah, where a great treasure is said to lie hidden...

12. Detective & Art Thief AU: Steris & Ranette (Mistborn Era 2)

Detective Steris has been hunting renowned art thief Ranette for years, but the thief is always inventing new devices and weapons that allow her to escape the law every time. Steris can't deny that she's maybe getting a little obsessed with this woman...

13. Tattoo Artist & Flower Shop AU: Marasi & MeLaan (Mistborn Era 2)

Marasi runs a flower shop, and MeLaan runs the tattoo shop next door. Do I need to say more?

14. Neighbors AU: Jaxy & Ranette (Mistborn Era 2)

Ranette likes her space--that's why she bought a small cottage way out in the countryside. But now a new woman has moved in down the road, and for the first time in a while, Ranette is wondering if it wouldn't be nice to have someone else around the place...

15. Vampire AU: Vin & Allrianne (Mistborn Era 1)

Allrianne is the rich, well-dressed, and the undisputed queen of her high school. Yet there's this new girl, Vin--pale, keeps to the shadows, never seems to eat...and keeps looking at Allrianne with those predatory eyes...

16. Knight & Queen AU: Jasnah & Azure (Stormlight)

(Ha! This is close to canon too!) Lady Azure is a knight, and she's extremely good at her job. She has been promoted to guard Queen Jasnah, and when Lady Azure swears her undying loyalty, she means it. Deeply.

17. Nerd & Jock AU: Lyn & Laran (Stormlight)

As captain of their college basketball team, Lyn has the popularity and the swagger. Yet she finds herself strangely drawn to that nerdy math major, Laran. Despite her teammates' ribbing, Lyn thinks she might just shoot her shot...

18. Fake Dating AU: Shallan & Vin (Stormlight & Mistborn Era 1)

Shallan MAY have been lying to her family about having a girlfriend to keep them off her back. But now her family is insisting on meeting her girlfriend at the next family reunion, and Shallan needs to think of something FAST. So she puts out an ad offering to pay someone to just pretend to be her girlfriend for a few hours, and who should answer but this girl Vin...

19. College AU: Navani & Evi (Stormlight)

Navani and Evi meet through their college boyfriends--brothers, in fact, brothers who are always so busy with their business majors that Navani and Evi often find themselves alone. Together. Feeling something grow between them...

20. Sugar Mama AU: Yumi & Akane (Yumi and the Nightmare Painter)

Yumi is a struggling artist; she works harder than ANYONE yet can't seem to make ends meet. So when she's contacted by the mysterious Akane who offers to be her sugar mama, Yumi jumps at the chance. It doesn't hurt that Akane is an actual goddess in terms of looks... Happy Femlash Fest 2023, everyone!

42 notes · View notes

nicnacsnonsense · 7 months

Text

In honor of Fuck or Die Friday, and with special thanks to @adickaboutspoons and @poetic----nonsense I present you with an OFMD Amok Time AU.

AU where Ed is the (human) captain of a starship and Stede is his half Vulcan-half human First Officer who never fit in on Vulcan because the whole logical control thing was not suited for him and now that he’s in Starfleet he exploring expressing his feelings openly. (Also they are captain and first officer on paper, but the two of them have an understanding that they are actually co-captains.)

Anyway, Stede has gone into Pon Farr and is being drawn back to his wife T’Mari because he has to fuck or die. Oh no, what’s Ed going to do?

Obviously, Ed offers to fuck Stede but doesn’t admit to his feelings for him, presenting it more as he is willing to fuck Stede to save his life. But Stede talks around it, mentioning T’Mari and their bond and Ed walks away with the impression that only T’Mari can save Stede and there has to be a mental bond present for the fucking to work.

And Stede didn’t not mean to give him that impression, you know? For one because Stede really doesn’t want Ed to have sex with him as an obligation. And for two he’s not going to be in control of himself during the Pon Farr, and he’s worried that if he had sex with Ed he would form a bond on his own, regardless of Ed how felt about it. Because he wants to have that bond with Ed so bad.

They make it to Vulcan and Ed insists on beaming down with Stede to make sure he gets to his wife okay. Olu also comes to make sure things go well, because he is more familiar with Vulcan customs and rituals both as a Federation diplomat (permanently assigned to Ed & Stede’s starship) and as a partner to Jim, a human that was raised on and by Vulcans after their parents died.

Now this is actually Stede’s third Pon Farr (he and T’Mari have a 14-year-old and a 7-year-old), so he could just meet up with T’Mari and do the deed; they don’t need to do the koon-ut-kal-if-fee all over again. They can — some Vulcan couples do it as like a vow renewal thing — but they don’t have too and they didn’t last time. So when Stede beams down to the planet to see that T’Mari has arranged for the whole ritual he’s like oooh, she’s going to challenge.

(Also Doug is there as T’Mari’s preferred spouse and he’s still just named Doug. A Vulcan named Doug because that amuses me.)

And then Olu (because Stede is only semi-coherent at this point) has to explain to Ed about how T’Mari has the right to challenge Stede’s claim. And Ed’s like, “you said fuck or die; no one told me she was allowed to pick die!” Leading to:

Ed: How do I challenge?

Olu: What?

Ed: The kal-if-fee thing, how do I challenge her for him?

Olu: Yeah, that’s not really… that’s not really how this works.

Ed: Fuck this, I’m going in. (Inserts himself between Stede & T’Mari shouting kal-if-fee like Act of Grace.)

Of course, declaration of kal-if-fee is taken as Ed challenging Stede for T’Mari, and he is told he’s allowed to challenge if he wants to fight Stede for her. And Ed’s like oh, yeah, I think I can take him 😏

So he tackles Stede and starts rolling around on the ground with him; he wraps his legs around Stede and starts rolling his hips, trying to move things in a sexual direction. But also he’s trying to get Stede’s hand up on his psi points, because Ed figures they could do a mind meld and maybe that would be good enough to work as the bond Stede needs for the fucking to save his life.

Finally Ed kisses him, which jolts Stede back into enough coherency for Ed to explain what he’s trying to do. Stede warns Ed that if he melds them then he will bond them, he won’t be able to stop himself and “that means I’ll be in your head all the time.” And Ed laughs and says “What else is new?”

So at Ed’s urging, Stede performs the mind meld. Instantly, he’s just hit with a wave of love and he’s like “Ed you love me?? 🥹🥰” And then the images start rolling in and he’s like “Oh. 😳😳😳 you’ve been thinking about this a lot, huh?”

And then they fuck nasty right there in the sand. Which simultaneously gets them Vulcan married. And they go back to their starship and live happily ever after.

#ofmd #stede bonnet #edward teach #gentlebeard #blackbonnet #star trek au #amok time au

36 notes · View notes

vermin-disciple · 6 months

Text

Trektober Day 30 - Mentors

This is a little scene from the This Be The Verse universe that I wrote pretty early in the development of the series (definitely before Tell Me You See Me was finished). I've never quite figured out what to do with it and never liked it quite enough to just post it on its own on AO3. (I might just create a repository for assorted miscellanea like this from that AU.) I've always seen the Julian and Garak of this universe as having some decided helicopter parent tendencies (which Julian is in denial about and Garak just sees as taking perfectly legitimate precautions), so this was just me playing around with that a bit.

For context, in the epilogue of TBTV, I threw in a detail that the ship Galen ends up on for his first assignment is captained by Harry Kim.

...

A piece of feedback Captain Harry Kim of the USS Jemison had received on more than one evaluation during his tenure as first officer of the USS Sonoma was that he was prone to micromanaging. He’d been trying to curb this tendency on the Jemison, taking a step back and trusting his department heads to pick and manage their own personnel, and not going out of his way to introduce himself to every new ensign assigned to his vessel on their first day, unless circumstances warranted it.

He was regretting that policy a bit now, though. No young ensign, fresh out of the academy, would consider this an ideal topic for a first conversation with their new captain. Ensign Galen Bashir-Garak, a xenobiologist of mixed Cardassian and Romulan descent, sat ramrod straight in his chair, a faint green blush spreading across his cheeks. (Harry chided himself for expecting either performative Cardassian gregariousness or Romulan inscrutability.)

“At ease, Ensign. You’re not in any trouble,” said Harry. “I just had a conversation with your father.”

“Oh God,” said Galen, clearly mortified. “Which one?”

“Dr. Bashir.”

“Well, I suppose it could have been worse,” said Galen, looking marginally—but only marginally—relieved.

“Why? What’s your other father like?”

“Do you know anything about Cardassian politics?”

“I know enough.”

“My other father is the Minister of Culture.”

Comprehension dawned. “Minister Garak? Your father is Elim Garak?”

“Yeah.”

“I guess it could have been worse.” Harry grinned to show that he was joking. Well, mostly joking, anyway. He’d met Minister Garak once at some official function or other on Cardassia Prime a few years ago. He’d found the man’s manner perfectly amiable, ingratiating, and unfailingly polite, but his smile was like the edge of razor, and made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

“People tend to read covert threats into anything he says.”

“Are there any?”

“Not really,” said Galen, though he didn’t seem entirely convinced. “Though he doesn’t do much to dissuade people from making those assumptions. I think he enjoys it. As far as I know the worst he does to anyone these days is bury them in paperwork.”

“That sounds like a serious threat to me.”

“He did once claim that Cardassian legalese was constructed by the Obsidian Order as a form of torture, but I think he was joking,” said Galen. “So what did Dad want?”

“Reading between the lines, I’d say he wanted to assess his son’s new commanding officer, to make sure he’s in good hands.”

Galen groaned. “I am sorry about this, sir. He was in Starfleet—he really should know better. My parents can be a bit…”

“Overprotective?”

“I wouldn’t go that far. But they can be a little… over-involved, sometimes.”

“Are you an only child, Ensign?”

“Yes.”

“So am I. The day I joined the Voyager crew, my mother called Captain Janeway to ask if she had time to send me my clarinet.”

“Ah, that’s very…”

“Very,” agreed Harry. “You can’t control your parents, so try not to get too embarrassed by them.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Should I be expecting a call from Minister Garak?”

“I don’t think so. He’s not usually that… straightforward. But I’m pretty sure that he wouldn’t bug a Federation starship.”

“Wouldn’t or couldn’t?”

Galen shrugged. “He’d never admit it either way.”

Harry decided that it wouldn’t hurt to have Security run a level 4 diagnostic, just in case.

...

Note: If you recognize the joke about Cardassian legalese being a form of torture, that’s because I recycled it in A Bag Full of God. But it originated here.

#trektober 2023 #trektober #my fanfic #this be the verse #kidfic #garashir #star trek #ds9 #voyager #fanfic #tbtv verse

14 notes · View notes

world-of-ezraprisc · 2 years

Note

Could you write a os for Mack/captain(gn)?

Captain is in their room cause the work day is over and it's basically "evening",I know they are in space but I hope you know what I mean-

So anyways the captains working/checking over some things for the next day on their tablet and they wear casual stuff so no helmet and so on.So Mack comes in after the captain let him in and he's FLABBERGASTED and flustered cause the man has never seen the captain without gloves,helmet and such.So he trys to hide it and comes up with some lame excuse why he's red and stutter-y.Macks reason to come to the captain was that he had to complain or check something with the captain,I dont know what I hope you can make it up if you choose to write it:>.

It also would be cool if you could add the next day of it were Macks kinda avoiding eye contact nor contact in general with the captain.Even more than before and that the other members of the crew notice it and talk about it hihi.

Thanks if you write it and if not that's okay too also I hope you have a nice day!

"Hey, sorry to making you wait to answer your request, is just that i haven't wrote any kinds of fanfic since i'm more of the art dude. Usually it's just drabbles or headcannons, but i'll try." -Ezra.

Rough Roads (Head Engineer!Mack x The Captain) fluff.

It was a usual day in the Invincible II colony starship, many crews walks along the corridor of the ship, working to keep the colonies safe and the ship's intact.

In the cabin room, a man with the light orange beret moving and pointing his hands, giving orders to the crews on to maintain the ship and all of the engineering stuffs while the person in an helmet is observing the controls of the ship while looking at hollow vastness of space through the cabin glass window.

The man in beret looks up to the person in helmet that was his Captain.

"I already told them to check on the engines, you don't need to check in on yourself." He said it in a smug face.

The Captain sighs, they making it like they don't need their help at all. The ship seems like it's well maintained and filled with great crews.

Mack is also great at commanding the crews to do their thing and making the right decision. But deep inside, he's doing this just because he just wanted to be seen by others like The Captain and to boast his ego up.

Last time, Mack was approaching The Captain and took them to the corner of the cabin to ask something.

"Y'know, you're seems not competent enough to be the captain that you've been assigned to the ship based on what i've seen you do the work. i've been thinking if you should to give me the role to me instead since i've the most competent enough to be the captain of this ship. Whadda'ya say?"

You don't know how to respond, at first you seems to agree that yes, you're really not that compentent enough to be the captain of the ship. But the other hand, you seems not to trust Mack being the captain incase he misused that trust to do malicious things such as bringing you down and endanger all of the colonists despite all of his competencies and ability to command the crew.

You thought for a second and responded, "No."

Mack astounded by his captain's answer, "w-why?"

"I-i.." the captain paused for awhile. "I just cannot trust you with the captain's role. I know you were competent enough to be, but i just can't. I need to make sure that we make it to the colony place safely. Don't you remember that?"

Mack feels infuriated with his captain's response. "Fine."

They then returning to their places in the cabin to continue each other's work.

Hours passed, The Captain went into their spacious captain quarters. They were tired by Mack's ego and how uncooperative he is with The Captain. They also tired of the helmet everytime since the helmet was kinda bit of heavy. So they decided to take off their helmet and their gloves and change to more casual thing to get comfortable and grab their tablet to check on the crew status to learn more about them and what they do incase Mack tried to stop them or being uncooperative again.

"Computer. If anyone searching for me, i'm in the Captain's quarters."

The AI responded, "Understood."

Moments later, all of the Crews except the Head Engineer and The Captain were on the cryopod to rest. Mack was checking on the the cabin control before heading to the cryopod, upon checking the control, he realized that the Invincible II just went off course for a bit from their designated route, clearly he thinks The Captain did something silly to it by forgetting to turn on the autopilot.

"Computer, re-establish the autopilot."

"Negative, Autopilot system malfunctions."

That's odd, Mack tries to reroute the course by himself, turns out the control has been locked by The Captain and only them that can access the ship's lock.

"Computer, can you bypass the cabin control lock?"

"Negative, access to the cabin control unauthorized. Only The Captain can access the control and bypass the lock."

"You're an AI, do you have like hacking skills?" Mack frustrated.

"My system protocol won't allow me to have that ability for safety precautions. I suggest that you should call The Captain instead. They were in their own quarters."

Mack walks out the cabin control room feeling displeased. Really? Going to The Captain's room, by himself? Why doesn't he just order someone to call The Captain? Sure he can do that, but right now most of the crews are asleep in the cryo and it will take like forever to wake them up.

He made into the Captain's quarters. When he tries to knock on the door, something stopped him. He never went into their quarters before since they mostly uses cryopods to sleep between the journeys. He began to wonder, but then he took a deep breath and knocking on the Captain's room door.

"Yeah?" A faint sound can be heard inside.

"It's Mack, there's something urgent. You need to get out of there now!"

"How odd, you usually don't need my help when things started to go wrong. What's the situation?"

Feeling annoyed, Mack started to explain. Even though he didn't like to share it with The Captain, he had to keep it professional for the sake of the life of the colonists and the entire crew.

"Our ship went off course, and the cabin controls is locked. I tried to bypass it, but i can't because it needs you to access it."

The door opened, The Captain displeased eyes staringly look at Mack's, leaning off the doorframe. Mack have never seen The Captain without the attire and the helmet before, looking at them making him flustered out of nowhere.

"Follow me." The Captain walks out of their quarters and heading off to the cabin followed by Mack after.

At the cabin, the room looks empty since all of the crews except them were in the cryopods. The Captain look at the controls and immediately bypass the ship controls lock.

"You right, the ship's off course." The Captain utters while checking on the system. "That's weird, i can't switch it to manual either. It seems like the autopilot is really malfunctioning and messing up the system. Did you double check the program and the wirings to the system in the engine room?"

"I already told someone to do it."

"Nono, i mean by yourself. You're the HEAD ENGINEER after all."

"I don't need to check it, he is already competent and skilled enough to work on the autopilot. Who needs to double checked it?"

The Captain sighed and face palms, "Oh Mack. This is why i don't like you." The Captain points at Mack annoyingly and leave the cabin to check on the autopilot system, leaving Mack behind.

"H-hey, what about the controls?"

"DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING OR I'LL SEND YOU TO THE AIRLOCK!"

He's done it.

He crossed The Captain.

They gonna throw him to the Airlock if he pushes them too far.

He then decides to leave the cabin and help The Captain if he doesn't want to be throw up into the Airlock.

In the engine room, The Captain frustratingly looks for the wirings and cables on the engines that connected to the autopilot program. But it seems they cannot find any problem in the cables.

"Check on this panel Captain." Mack came and points at the panel near the engine.

The Captain checks on the panel that Mack Pointed, turns out the connection from the engine to the autopilot has been severed and rerouted to something else.

"Huh, seems like someone in the engineering section is going to have a demerit."

Mack gulped at the idea his Captain gives him a demerit for sabotaging attempt the ship, even though he didn't even go that far like sabotaging the ship to get the Captain's attention because he also cared about the safety of the colonists. He had to take care of that person soon.

After the autopilot connection has been rerouted by both of them, The AI came in aid to notify both of them

"Connection to the Autopilot has been restored. Rerouting ship."

They both sighed. Seated at the corner of the room.

"That was a close one." Utters The Captain.

Mack looks at The Captain when their head looking up at the ceiling calming themselves down from the stress.

"Finally, i made myself useful in this ship, for once." Joked The Captain.

Even they're joking, The Captain was right. he never gives the Captain a chance to work themselves because of his ego and selfishness. Now he has to deal with the consequences. He then reaches The Captain's unprotected hand. They took notice of his action.

"I-i'm sorry Captain. I-it's my fault that this happened. I-i just want to prove myself that i also can help so that you don't have to worry about the ship too much."

The Captain looks at the Head Engineer, resting his head between his knees, his gloved right hand touches their left hand. Feeling butterflies inside of them. The Captain tries to reach him by keeping in front of him, but stopped since they remembered that he doesn't like anyone's touching him, they ignored it and touches his shoulder with their right hand.

"I know you don't like touches, but it seems that you're really need it." Utters The Captain.

Warm hug comes from The Captain, embracing the Head engineer. They can feel his heart flutters.

"For now, i give you a warning. The demerit will be given to the person you give orders to. Because i know you won't endanger the colonists and the rests of the crew no matter how you want me to make me look bad."

Hearing that makes him grateful that his Captain still trusts him even though he's being a jerk to his Captain. He returns the hug soon after, feeling the Captain's vulnerable arm embraces him and their head rests on his shoulder.

Boi, this thing is so long lmao, this is my 1st attempt to do a fanfic of Head Engineer Mack. I dunno if this is good. But atleast i tried to wrote it. Hope you like it anon.

#iswm mack x reader #iswm mack #head engineer Mack

126 notes · View notes

walkman-cat · 4 months

Note

hands up tell me abt Your star trek au right now!! on the double bro. what are the tensions it all looks too kind & magical i don’t trust it yet

(if it is literally kind & wonderful i am grateful i am thankful i am honored i’d just like to hear more)

-@jack-kellys

i'm ngl my star trek au au is mostly running on vibes wbwbwb so it is pretty kind and happy and warm (i just really like how much everyone in the enterprise's crew has such a respect and care for each other yknow. found family and all that innit).

that being said, here are some funky things about the characters ive been thinking about lately (under a cut because i'm incapable of being concise):

the stars were essentially jack's santa fe. he grew up surrounded by stories of starship captains and space and it became his lifelong dream and ambition to captain a starship, something which he dropped everything to attain. now he is captain of a starship– one of the youngest in starfleet's history– and it's wonderful and fantastic and he's never felt more alive! but there's always something gnawing at the back of his mind (he's based his entire life up until this point around this moment, it was a driving force and a beacon to look up to when times were tough. what if the experience is nothing like his dreams and he ends up disappointed? what happens when the mission's over? what'll become of him?).

also starfleet's assigned him a galaxy-class starship with families onboard and he's having a Time because of it (what if they get hurt under his watch. what if he gives the wrong order and a child dies. starfleet officers know the risks of space travel and are aware of this but the families. the children). other than that he's having a great time !!

kath's half-betazoid on her mother's side, but she never knew her mother nor has she ever been to betazoid (i really went woe! being mixed and only connected to one of your cultures but still being unable to fit in even there because of the fact that you're mixed be upon ye!). she's trying real hard to learn more about betazoid and who her mother is even though she knows she won't really feel like she "belongs" in betazoid either. she's working on understanding and using her empathic/telepathic powers more.

oh also!! pulitzer is a notorious and not-well liked admiral, when kath joined the acedmy she officially had her name changed to plumber and has since told no-one that they're related (this surely won't backfire terribly on her in the future)

also because this is the spot (cat) show, kath loves spot (cat) and wants to babysit her and play with her but alas. she is allergic to cats

race cannot catch a break– he's got a massive losing streak at senior officer poker night, spot (cat) hates him, he can't grow a beard but every time theres an impostor/clone/mirror universe situation the other version of him always has a beard (this is half in jest but also it amuses me wbwb)

jokes aside, i've been having a whole bunch of race as first officer thoughts (and a lot of riker and race parallel thoughts but. that's another story). i don’t really know how to explain it other than the way riker acts in the last episode of tng season two (yes, the riker montage episode) when facing death (joking around and keeping up the appearance of flippancy and courage in the face of agonising death because he’s first officer and there are people who look up to him and he has to set an example) seemed very race and very kony to me, in a way. (youve got this to blame for riker beard race. im not sorry)

race is also one of the first people to advocate for les becoming acting ensign. he makes it very clear that he's in les' corner and makes himself responsible for his studies and sometimes his training (and he teaches him poker).

OH ALSO! sarah and davey didnt know les ws going to be onboard and only found out about his presence after they'd set off. did he sneak onboard?? mayyyybeee (he just really wants to be a starfleet officer). after the initial shock (and notifying their parents) sarah and davey start the Let Les on the Bridge campaign (letting him watch the bridge from the turbolift, helping out in sciences and engineering, etc etc) the that eventually leads to les becoming acting ensign. it reaches a point where most of jack's senior officers would probably mutiny all for this kid.

there's more stuff but i'll stop rambling now because, again, i have a problem with being concise wbwbw. thankyou soso much for the ask rizz once again i love your star trek au so much and am always eager to hear more wbwbw!!! :D

#is it obvious that i've been thinking about this au maybe a wee bit too much #i have no plot but i do have the idea that spot (human) has a (adopted) klingon uncle he grew up with #the plot's just shenanigans and everyones pals and theres a cat near the warp core AGAIN #kath's experiences being half-betzoid growing up on earth without any connection to betazoid culture and never quite belonging #is kinda based on my own experiences growing up as half-asian but only having cultural ties to my greek family and stuff #idk my brain latched onto this and now i cannot let it go #idk why i felt that was important to mention but im mentioning it anyway #its real obvious im a tng enjoyer from this isnt it wbwbw #i have many other thoughts but they are minor and also this was getting reallll long wbwbw #that is all for now wbbwbwbw THANK YOU RIZZZZ WBWBWBW #very bouncy moment #newsies #jack kelly #katherine plumber #katherine pulitzer #racetrack higgins #les jacobs #newsies star trek au #answered #jack-kellys #this is a beast of a post im so sorry #once again thankyouu rizzz i love your au sm and im real happy you like mine wbwbw

7 notes · View notes

ltcommanderandroid · 1 year

Text

Headcanon: Why Data Had Never Painted Until Geodri Taught Him

USS Tripoli

The Tripoli was the ship which found and reactivated Data. It was aboard the Tripoli that he first became self aware. However, he had very little further opportunity for self discovery, as the Captain regulated that he only be activated when accompanied by one of the crew - at all other times, he was switched off and kept in a designated storage cupboard. While a few members of the crew were kind to him, few saw him as a legitimate being and therefore he wasn't encouraged to pursue any sort of hobbies or interests. Whenever he did show interest, he was reminded that he was an android and did not need such outlets.

Starfleet Academy

Here, while Data excelled in his studies, he failed at socialization. His time on the Tripoli had taught him very little about how to interact with other sentients as equals. While he wanted to experience making friends, as he saw his classmates do, he neither knew how now expected that they would want an android as a friend. This lack of interaction resulted in very few opportunities for exploring interests. He did spend a great deal of time in the library, setting a record for the most books ever checked out by any cadet in history, and exploring San Francisco.

Outposts

Data worked at a series of outposts, research centers, and starbases between 2345 and 2360. Most were lightly crewed, the remote or dangerous postings that most other officers would resist, and he was often the only crew member of these bases. It was during this time that he was promoted from ensign to lieutenant, although he suspects that the reason was so that he would no longer require a supervising officer on site.

USS Trieste

The Trieste was Data's first posting on a starship, shortly after being promoted to lt. commander. There, however, he had few opportunities for any personal time as, discovering that he needed neither rest nor sleep resulted in the Captain booking him for every shift. He worked almost non-stop in the years that he was posted on that ship. The one exception, the one 'holiday', each year was an annual cybernetics conference at which he was always a featured speaker. It was at one of these conferences that he met Geordi, who went out of his way to befriend him. They continued a correspondence and, in one of those letters, Geordi promised to teach him how to paint, a promise kept once they were both assigned to the Enterprise.

Excerpts from those letters...

Data, sent 0131, Stardate 129348.02: Geordi, while I appreciate your encouragement, I do no believe that I would be capable of performing the specified task. Art is considered an expression of inner feeling. While I could produce a reasonable facsimile, it would lack that ineffable quality of expression.

La Forge, sent 0803, Stardate 129361.68: That's ridiculous and I think you know it. You're too used to snapping your fingers and instantly knowing something. Art isn't like that. It's something you have to learn, have to practice. I think you could, you just need someone to teach you.

Data, sent 0906, Stardate 129362.02: In what way would snapping my fingers produce knowledge of any kind?

#headcanon

15 notes · View notes

reasonmustbemytruenorth · 23 days

Text

@spock-in-awe

Oh the fic overall isn't very relevant to the Sam-Spock thing. The part I was thinking of is buried in the middle of an explicit Pike/Spock fic that assigned Sam and Spock on a mission alone together. (I wish the show hadn't given Sam this problematic arc, even though I guess he could grow from it? It's not like we can blame it on how he was raised.) I'll just copy/paste the section here:

“I was thinking of sending Kirk along to study the ruins while Spock handles the drop-off and science assist,” Number One said. “It’s not every day we get access to a planet with ancient Lumittian artifacts, given their location so close to the Romulan neutral zone. But I don’t want Spock to bite his head off after spending too long in a shuttle together.”

Chris scrunched his face. “Most of their interpersonal problems happened when Spock was not exactly himself. I’m sure they’ll work together fine.”

“His Human Hell Week aside, Spock’s been a little off since we first encountered the Gorn in hand-to-hand.”

Chris nodded. It was the mission on which they’d lost Hemmer. The sting of that loss would never go away. He and Number One had talked about that mission in depth, including the way Spock seemed to flip a switch at Kirk’s goading and go totally lethal. Through the mind melds, Chris knew even more what Spock had been going through since then.

“He’s much better lately, though, so good job on that,” Number One said as she tipped her head to him. “Whatever unsettled him, he seems to be working through it.”

Chris knew Number One meant for him to take credit for the mind melds settling Spock. He hadn’t told her about sleeping with him. Maybe he should.

Talking about their crew like this was nothing out of the ordinary. It was in fact their job to shepherd their officers along, launching their best and brightest into service for the fleet. And that included talking about their strengths and weaknesses. But talking about Spock now, especially after last night, was thorny. Chris didn’t feel very objective. On the other hand, he’d always played favorites, and he’d never been very objective when it came to his hand-picked few. Pike’s posse, as Number One so charmingly referred to it. She was of course the founding member.

“You’re probably right,” Number One said eventually. “They’ll be fine. Besides, Kirk needs the sensitivity training and/or the Vulcan equivalent of a restrained beatdown. There’s a difference between Spock getting pissy at him for leaving a mess on the table versus Kirk antagonizing him for not showing emotion. The situations are wildly different.”

Chris agreed wholeheartedly, but he couldn’t help but defend Sam, too. “Kirk’s been under a lot of stress. They both have been.”

“As if life on a starship is ever stress free?” Number One countered. “Every officer has to find their own way to deal with the pressure without making things more difficult for their fellow crew members. And that applies especially to respecting xenobiological differences. If Kirk can’t manage it, he should find another position.”

“I trust them to work it out,” Chris said.

“Of course you do,” she said approvingly. “You’re their captain, and you see the best in your crew.”

“You’re their first officer. I know you see the best in them, too.”

“Yep, I see their potential.” She grinned. “But maybe you should tag along as a babysitter.”

They both laughed.

“Well, hey, if it helps,” Chris joked, refilling her glass. “You know I’d never ask my crew to do something I wasn’t willing to do myself.”

“I know, Chris. Believe me, I know.”

#fic stuff #me being mad not at sam but at the writers for making me mad at sam lol #snw fic

2 notes · View notes

yellingaboutmasseffect · 1 year

Text

Hey so if you’re an Ashley Williams fan and interested in nuanced takes on Shepard’s crew as people who grow and develop over the course of the series, consider giving my fic, From Sparks to Flame, a look!

Ashley is one of the rotating POV characters. I definitely always hated when mentioning how Shepard is bonding with her crew skip over Ashley entirely before she gets killed off or she gets mentioned after Virmire only with something along the lines of “I never agreed with her but...” so none of that here. Below the cut is part of my take on the whole “infamous” conversation that will be going up in a future chapter.

It was the next day when Ashley worked herself up to finally talk to Shepard about her concerns. If the other shoe was going to drop eventually, Ashley decided she might as well speak her mind anyway.

“Ma’am, can I have a word with you? Alone?” Ashley asked.

“Everything alright, Williams. I know this is your first assignment on a starship.”

“I have settled in fine! Everyone has been very welcoming- this is something else.”

“Alright, let’s go speak in my officer’s quarters. I don’t think there is anywhere else private on this ship,” Shepard said motioning for Ashley to follow her. As they went to the elevator, Ashley felt the krogan’s red eyes following them which only added to her anxiety about questioning Shepard’s decisions.

Shepard may have been the best superior officer that Ashley had ever served under but she kept her expectations planted firmly in reality. It would only be a matter of time before Shepard looked deeper at her service file and treated her like everyone else had so Ashley would speak her mind.

In no time at all, Shepard led her into the captain’s quarters. The first thing that struck Ashley was how impersonal the whole room looked. There weren’t any personal effects, pictures, or even stray datapads. It looked as if Shepard didn’t spend any time here. That honestly made a lot of sense with how much Ashley saw Shepard talking with the crew or reading mission briefs in various locations throughout the ship.

“What’s on your mind, Williams?” Shepard asked, her head tilted back.

“Alright,” Ashely said, taking a deep breath. “I know things are different aboard the Normandy—it is your ship— but, uh, I’m concerned about the aliens, Vakarian and Wrex. With all due respect, Commander, should they have full access to the ship?”

“They are not Alliance but they are allies in this fight. I don’t think we’re in a position to turn down capable allies right now.”

“This is the most advanced ship in the Alliance Navy. I don’t think we should give them free reign to poke around vital systems: engines, sensors, weapons!”

“The Normandy was a joint effort between the Alliance and the Turian Hierarchy. I don’t think there is anything Garrus could find that the Hierarchy is unaware of.”

“What about Wrex?” Ashley challenged and Shepard quirked her brow.

“The Krogans are unable to have fleets but I am noticing you haven’t mentioned Tali in all of this?”

“Tali’s not doing anything-”

“Adams says she knows more than many Alliance engineers he’s worked with,” Shepard said and Ashley’s stomach sank. “I’m not saying that you should or shouldn’t be suspicious of Tali or that you can’t be wary of allies we just made but we have to extend trust to earn their trust.”

“Aren’t there other N7s that you could request work with us? We saw how little the Council was willing to believe us and, at the end of the day, humanity needs to be prepared to stand on our own.”

“It’s not like all N7s are in a group chat with each other,” Shepard joked before her expression turned serious. “You don’t trust our allies?”

“I would hardly call the Council races allies,” Ashley muttered.

“Standing up for ourselves doesn’t mean we have to stand alone,” Shepard sighed, her shoulders falling. “As noble as that sounds, I know that politics are messy—believe me.”

“I am not saying we should turn down allies, just that we shouldn’t bet everything on them staying allies. As “noble” as the council may seem now, if their backs are against the wall, they’ll abandon us to save members of their own species. That’s just how anyone would react.”

“It’s never good to put all your eggs in one basket. It’s good to have options,” Shepard replied, taking Ashley by surprise. “But refusing to forge alliances at all because they might break down later isn’t the answer either.”

“That’s more nuanced than I was expecting. Kind of expected you to be upset that I was questioning your judgment or think I was being racist. The last thing I want to do is be lumped in with those Terra Firma bastards.”

“Our allies aren’t exactly typical for an Alliance mission so I was expecting people to have concerns. You aren’t even the first person to come to me about this. As the Commander, I have the final say but I would rather discuss those worries than let them fester.”

“I appreciate that, ma’am,” Ashley said, biting her lip. “Look, my family has defended the Alliance since it was founded. My father, my grandfather, my great grandmother all picked up a rifle and swore the oath of service. I guess we tend to think of the Earth’s interests as our own. I just- I don’t want to be responsible for an incident that could put the Alliance at risk.”

“That would be my responsibility,” Shepard said and Ashley knew that her mind was made up. “You worked well with Garrus and Wrex on the Citadel. I trust that you can continue to do so.”

“You don’t have to worry about me. You say jump, I say how high. You ask me to kiss a turian and I’ll ask you which cheek.” Shepard laughed, shaking her head.

“I don’t think kissing Turians will be necessary, Ashley, but I understand what you mean.”

“Shepard-ma’am-”

“Shepard is fine when we’re not in the field,” she replied, her smile still bright from when Ashley had made her laugh. Ashley considered not continuing with her conversation but she was curious-

“Alright, Shepard,” Ashley said, brushing stray hair that had escaped her bun back. “I guess I’m surprised by your views given what happened to Mindoir. I thought you would have joined up with Alliance to get justice for your colony.”

Shepard’s smile fell as she looked away, fidgeting with her dog tags.

“You’re not the only one who’s thought that. I’ve gotten cornered by more than a few Terra Firma politicians thinking I’d endorse them given what happened to me and my family,” she said and Ashley felt a flash of anger at the thought.

“Bastards.”

“As for your question my motives were… nothing that noble.”

#Mass Effect #ashley williams #Mass Effect Fanfic #I didn't go into the dog analogy since I don't think Artemis pushes her to elaborate further

16 notes · View notes

dezgate · 11 months

Text

99 and a Jedi

⭐️-The Jedi Knight-⭐️

Clank, Clank Clank… The sound became restless, as if it were a wild animal trapped inside of a cage. It grew faster and faster, Clank, Clank, Clan-, Then it stopped. The sound stood upon the Jedi council door, a quiet ringing sound rang throughout the temple and into the council room. A shaken hand emerged from the darkness touching the door which led into the brightly lit council room. The ringing came to a halt as the door opened revealing some of the Jedi Masters talking amongst themselves.

The man at the council’s door stood gazing around the room before being greeted by a very tall Togruta Jedi Master. The Jedi wore traditional Jedi robes which had gold patterns sown in around the ends of the sleeves and lower ends of the inner fabrics. It complimented the beige and brown the Jedi typically wore. However, most of the gold patterns were covered by a dark brown robe which most Jedi wore alongside their regular outfit.

He had montrals that hung down from his shoulders and back, almost hitting the freezing floors of the council room. His skin was a burnt orange combined with the white and magenta of his montrals. His eyes were a dark brown like the soils of Sicemon. Beautiful was a way to describe him and his species.

As he stood before the door he reached a hand out and shook the quiet man’s hand, “Young Dontell, I am pleased you could make it tonight, I can assure you we will not take too much of your time.” The Jedi master’s voice was fairly deep with a calming accent along with it. It got the attention of the other Jedi masters who turned their attention to the conversation going on between the two Jedi.

The Jedi masters welcomed in the man who had a demeanor similar to Anakin Skywalker, yet the appearance of old master Qui-gon, who the man had known quite well, however he was more cocky in his stature, resting a hand on his hip as he spoke with such ease. “Thank you for having me Masters, however I still do not understand what you need, especially quite late into this eloquent night.” This Jedi’s voice was very deep, there was almost a rumble to it. If he were to speak any louder, it could boom throughout the room. It had a distinct gravel to it, yet with certain syllables his voice was smooth as the grassy fields on Naboo.

Another Jedi master, a female Togruta who had red skin, blue and white montrals, her eyes were a gray-ish blue, finally spoke up, “We are sorry it is so late, we thought it was best if we caught you during your study hours.” This made the man blush in embarrassment, it apparently was well known that he stayed up late in the temple’s library studying battle tactics and facts about starships or ships in general. He could talk your ear off about Jedi star cruisers which he had a particular interest in. “Your old Master here had a good arrangement sent for you and since you have fought alongside clones before, we thought it best to come to you and receive your input. With all your battle strategies and eloquent fighting skills, you pose as a valuable assistant to this squad, Atsu.”

Atsu Dontell, the man who had been welcomed into the room, stood there crossing his arms. It was correct that it wasn’t his first time fighting alongside clones, having served by the 501st a few times, spending some of his evening sparring with their Captain. Though by this time, it had been a year and a half since he last had more free time to hang out with his clone friends. Atsu always did enjoy his time with them, however, this felt different. Something was nagging at him. Was it the force? Was it the way the master seemed so eager to send him off? He wasn’t certain.

“How many clones will I be assigned to, Master Shaak Ti?” He asked shifting his weight onto his right leg. His tired gazed faded now being replaced with a puzzled expression as he watched Shaaki Ti make a sheepish face, watching as her eyes gazed into the man’s dark brown ones. “There’s four of them, these clones are not standard to your average clone. Each of them have certain enhancements, intelligence, sharp shooting, enhanced sense and strength. All created by Nala Se herself.” Atsu looked quite interested yet, he couldn’t shake his looming anxiety. Did these clones not have a Sergeant, why did they need him?

“I understand that isn’t much to you, however from what I have seen of these clones, they definitely get their job done, despite their more reckless nature.” said an older male Jedi master with orange-ish blonde hair and light colored robes. He had a beard similar to Atsu although there was still a clear difference.

Atsu has seen this Jedi Master many times before but never having a talk with him as he was either on the battlefield or was busy keeping his former padawan and the new padawan in line. “Master Kenobi, Master Shaak Ti, I am unsure of how this decision is going to be beneficial for me. I assume these clones have a captain? A Sergeant? They do not need a Jedi knight to look over them as though they are children.” Atsu exclaimed, getting annoyed at this proposal, “Yet, I sense that I do not have much of a choice in the matter, is that correct?“ Atsu’s tired gaze switched between Shaak Ti, Obi Wan and his old Master, finally fixing his eyes onto the floor before they closed.

Finally Atsu’s old Master, Crix Haren, the Jedi who greeted him at the door, spoke up, “You would be correct in your assumption, Ad. I have already personally spoken to the Sergeant of the group and I have it so you see a battle simulation about an hour after you arrive on Kamino.” Crix had a smile plastered onto his typically profound face, a hand resting on Atsu’s shoulder.

The man spoke a word in Mando’a which stood for “son”, which is how he saw his former padawan student. The use of the word caused Atsu to open his eyes, looking up into Crix’s eyes, letting out a deep sigh before shaking his head a bit.

Atsu began to feel like a padawan all over again which was the last thing he wanted. He wanted to make his own choice of what he does and where he goes; however, he knew better than to talk back to the Jedi masters. The ringing returned, its pitch much higher than before as the knight clenched his fist. His eyes narrowed as he looked back towards the ground. A faint scowl creeping itself along his normally drowsy face, Atsu gave one final gaze to the floor before picking his head up and looking into the taunting eyes of the Masters, his scowl growing deeper.

“What time am I set to leave, Master Haren?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“Early in the morning, say by 0500 Knowing your sleeping patterns, I doubt that wake time is unachievable for you.” Chuckled the old master along with the others, but not in a rude way, more as if they were teasing a younger sibling. Atsu did not take kindly to their laughter yet continued to hold his tongue and bow, “Is there anything else I can be of service with?” He says, his words like venom.

“No, you are dismissed, get some rest, Atsu. I will see you in the morning. Rest well my friend.” said Crix bowing in return to the Jedi knight, “Goodnight Masters.”

With this Atsu stepped out of the council room, the temple halls becoming an ocean storm, anger flooding the room. He stormed off in a huff, the clanking was back and stronger than ever, for it had not come back the way it came. Now it taps harder along its patient floors, his own dark brown robes flowing as he striped down the hall.

The light of the moons hitting the darkness of his brown skin almost making it glow as it came down upon him, it gave his long unconfined navy hair a lighter shade upon its touch. All this was unfazed by the Jedi who finally made his way to the door to his quarters, the storm came to a standstill as opened the door. The room had a sweet scent to it, almost like vanilla, which gave the room an inviting aroma. It always tends to calm the Jedi down in his moments of rage, however right now he unhook his lightsaber from his belt, throwing it to the bed and sitting at his table groaning. He knew he should meditate, for he knew what he was taught about anger, but his master always taught him to be one with the force and his emotions.

It’s what made him the strong Jedi he is today, being one with himself, nature and the force. However, after tonight he was too angry to connect so he just sat. “I could sneak out and get some drinks…” he mumbles to himself but by the time he went to stand back up he could feel the rush of exhaustion wash over him. He let out a troubling groan before taking his hair out of its neatly shaded bun, tossing the hair tie to his boots that were lying in the front of his quarters.

He moves his lightsaber from the rough mattress that rested on the floor, moving it over to his bag and gently placing it inside. His curly hair flowed every which way on the mattress, gently finding its way onto the hardwood floors. Atsu scratches at his beard then stares at the ceiling, its beige color dull. He longed to color it, his room for that matter, but he supposed he won’t even be living on Coruscant anymore if this whole arrangement goes the way it does. However, Atsu doesn’t linger on this as his eyes felt heavy and shutting, he takes a deep sigh and drifts off into a world of what he hopes is inner peace while he sleeps.

“Atsu?” called a voice on the other side of his door, this made the sleeping Jedi shoot up and look at the door. His hair was no longer in a bun, now being a disheveled mess. “Come in Master!” His voice was rough in the morning, his own accent, similar to a Twi’leks however still noticeable different, sounded more thicker as he was waking up. Atsu’s hair went practically everywhere as he sat up, running his slender hand through it. His old Master came in with a chuckle, “I quite admire how you continue to call me Master, young one.” Crix said, leaning against the wall, his montrals pushed closer to his face, jewelry draped on him and over on his headpiece.

Atsu gave a light chuckle at this, “I suppose I have grown accustomed to it, Master. I assume I have overslept once again?” Atsu says, grabbing his hair tie from next to his boot, placing his hair into a messy bun. He moved back over to his bed as he patted it for Crix to come sit.

“On the contrary, it’s a little bit before you must be awake, I thought it best I speak with you before you go off.” Crix said, sitting on the edge of the former student's bed. He made a face of embarrassment then kicked off his boots, placing them at the front of the room, “My apologies, I always forget you have that rule.”

He places the old looking boots to Atsu’s similar looking ones, “It is alright my friend, most forget when they enter my quarters.” Atsu said with a deep chuckle, he paused for a moment before turning a bit to face Crix. “What do you need to discuss, Padre?” Atsu spoke in his native tongue calling the man, “Father”, noting the man calling him “son” early on. “About your arrangement I and the council had set for you.” the Togruta male put it bluntly, keeping his gaze on Atsu.

“Ah.” Atsu exclaimed softly.

Crix looked away frowning slightly seeing the unsettling look with his former student’s eyes, “You know I know that you are more than welcome to make your own decisions, I just thought you could benefit from being off Coruscant for a while. You don’t get to leave as often as everyone else, always caught up in your own world, you deserve to join the fight in a more permanent manner.”

Atsu also frowned, turning his head in shame, “Master, I am aware I am cooped up here, studying and not fighting in battle but,” he paused for a moment, letting out a tired sigh, “Did you think maybe I do not want to be involved with this war? I have spent 22 years of my life out on the battlefield, defending our galaxy. Yet, I cannot help but think this fighting will have been for nothing, that we won’t come out victorious.”

Crix is quiet for a moment, making a face of concern for Atsu’s words, he knows Atsu will not admit the pain the war has caused him. In the past 4 years Atsu went radio silent on his emotions, Crix has seen the tired look in Atsu’s eyes, each time they pass in the halls. Each night in the temple’s mystic gardens, it tears the old master apart seeing the anguish in his former student’s eyes. Crix finally speaks, his tone more delicate than it had been previously, “Your lack of joining in battle doesn’t steam from Luca, now does it?”

Atsu’s eyes went wide, a deep shade of red creeping along his ebony skin, his fist clenched as his body began to shake. “Do not dare bring them into my lack of wanting to continue to partake in some useless battle!” Atsu quickly stood to his feet, the room grew dreary as he loomed over his master. Crix sighed, rising to his feet as well, resting a hand upon Atsu’s tense shoulder, “It is okay to talk-”

Atsu slaps Crix’s hand off of his shoulder, “I have spoken enough!” Atsu could feel tears prick in his dark brown eyes, but they did not fall nor would he let them. When Atsu looked into his master’s wearied eyes his gaze began to soften from his piercing one. He looks towards the ground in a twinge of dejection.

“I’m sorry Master, I did not mean to speak to you in such a crass manner. Maybe you are correct about my divergence to untie in battle, now since then. Yet, if I am desired to be a part of this squad of clones, I shall join. However, giving me a single night to make such significant arrangements must not happen going forward.” proclaimed Atsu, crossing his arms before looking back into Crix’s eyes, seeing a pinch of disappointment in his stare.

The moons began to set to the west of the dimly lit Jedi temple, letting the sun shine its way through the tiny window in the room, “You are forgiven, young Atsu. I suppose you are correct, I should not have suggested such permerant for you without your explicit approval first. For that I must apologize.” Crix says, stepping a bit closer to Atsu. The room drained of its tense energy, flooding with the unembellished room with a euphoria. The younger Jedi let out a faint chuckle as he focused his gentle gaze to the piercing sunlight, he released a relaxed sigh as he began to grab his bag, removing his saber and placing the weapon onto his dark leather belt.

It was about time for Atsu to arrive onto Kamino, he knew the ship ride would not be short nor would the ride be fully steady. Atsu placed the heavy bag over his left shoulder, slipping his dark brown boots back on as Crix did the same.

There was a certain silence in the room, for there wasn’t a need for words, not need for an ‘I miss you’ nor other words of affection. Atsu gave one final glance to his room, before holding a hand out for Crix to hold, Atsu gave a curt smile as Crix took his arm, leading the two of them out the deserted room and into the glistening halls to the temple. The temple's halls became alive once more, as masters and padawans roamed the quiet lobby, Some of the younglings ran about, playing another early game of hide and seek. Scattering under the feets of the Jedi knights the began to depart from the library, a few of the padawans joined in their little game. Atsu watched as he walked alongside his former master, his tired stare beginning to show, he made sure to stay out of the children’s way as he took gentle steps throughout the temple.

Crix glanced over at Atsu, sensing an energy of uneasiness within him, Crix focused his gaze on the playing children and smiled. Atsu turned his head to Crix smiling at the younglings and padawans who were attempting to climb on a statue but a few of the masters came to stop them by the time Crix and Atsu reached the doors to the temple. “Such a wonder children are, full of life, imagination, curiosity. You were the same at their age, you know?”

Atsu lets out a faint chuckle, “Yes Master, I remember much of my youth, however, if I had dared to climb the statue I would be receiving more than a lecture.” The Jedi knight exclaimed, closing his eyes and giving a stern face, Crix laughed at Atsu’s memories of his days as a padawan and youngling. “I can’t say most padawan’s sneak out of the temple to meet up with their friends, however. On the topic of friends, how is Brianca? I have heard there has been quite a lot of uproar on Mandalore, especially with deathwatch, I can't imagine she is doing well on that front.”

There’s a long pause in the conversation, Atsu isn’t exactly sure what to say at the mention of his friends, let alone Brianca. He turns his gaze to the ground before him, taking in the stoney pavement of the stairs which lead down from the temple’s entrance and into the world below. The Jedi knight looked back up once more, once again turning his focus to his master. “Brianca is alright, she is doing the best she can with the recent attacks caused by the deathwatch group. I haven’t heard from her in about 13 rotations, however that is quite standard for her. She is a busy woman, that is no fault of her own.”

The air outside was mellow, a freshening breeze sweeping through the upper cities on Coruscant. The sun shining down onto the lands before the two Jedi, the air had a mildew smell to it, slowly fading away the more the sun began to rise. Atsu’s dark skin glissied in the light of the sun, small beads of sweat collected upon his skin due to the growing heat. No doubt the Jedi robes did not help when it came to warmer weather.

The Jedi master looked down at his former student, taking in the curt response he gave to his question. Crix let out a troubling sigh, he knew a little bit about Brianca, having spoken to her back when her and Atsu were just children. The silence became deafening, Crix stopped walking for a split moment, laying a hand onto Atsu’s shoulder. “I can sense your worry, my friend. I have no doubt Brianca is alright, busy or not, she’s got a planet to protect, and you have an entire galaxy to protect. You mustn’t worry about the smaller factors of life, no doubt she’ll reach out in due time.” The older Jedi's gaze loses some of its tired gaze, replacing it with an empathic, warm look.

Atsu released a gentle sigh into the crispy air, a bit of his breath getting caught in the wind. He glanced up at the orange, pink and purple blue gradient skies, the clouds forming around where the sun began to rise. The sunlight gets caught in his dark brown eyes, making them shine a golden brown. The Jedi knight released another sigh into the air before he stopped walking, looking back up into the beautiful skies above. Crix also stopped walking, focusing his eyes onto Atsu, studying his face for any sign of emotions, only to be led into an empty, hollowed out void. Suddenly, he gazed up to Atsu’s dark navy hair, taking in each gray hairs the nuzzled it’s way through each curl on Atsu’s head. The silence became deafening to both the Jedi knight and the Jedi master. Atsu began to frown once more, before looking at Crix. Atsu was unsure what he expected to see as all he saw staring back was a now old yet powerful man gazing longingly into Atsu’s eyes.

Maybe Crix was looking for the answers? Or maybe the older Jedi was searching for a sight of his former student’s once bright joy, only to be disappointed by the dark, empty look that resided in the knight's eyes. For it did not matter now as the deadline began to approach, by this time the two had begun to walk to the landing platform, a vast amount of ships sprawled about within the enclosed area. Six Jedi starfighters lined up against the back walls, two delta-17s scaled along the shaded area near the gates. The platform itself smelt of an rusted metal which had been left to linger in the vibrant suns of Tatooine, lines of burnt chard strikes creeped along the backsides of the delta-17s.

The Jedis walked up towards a different ship, it was a freighter, the ship looked pretty worn down. There were designs that mapped out the sides of the large freighter, the colors of purple and a dark gray, a smaller design of a crescent moon with small angel like wings on the side of the moon. Crix noticed the little design tracing two of his slender fingers over it. “I haven’t seen this mini design here” He pauses for a moment as he realizes what the symbol is, “A mandalorian symbol, eh? The work of Brianca I assume?”

Atsu looks at the marking, the rested next to a symbol of a wolf with antlers, “The niox is Brianca’s creed, however the moon was a little project Do’mesh and I were working on, He decided one drunken night that he wanted to paint what he believed an angel were to look like. I offered up a little spot on my ship, though, he passed out before he could paint the eyes. The dumbass wanted to paint 50 eyes, luckily I talked him into 10. Who knows, maybe I’ll find some time to finish it.”

The older Jedi chuckled as Atsu recalled the night with his other friend, looking back into Atsu’s eyes, seeing a small light within them. However, the time had come for Atsu to leave, in the back of his mind he did not feel as though he wanted nor needed to go, yet he supposed it was too late. A saddened look creeped along Atsu’s face, looking towards Crix, Atsu held a hand out as an invite to shake his hand. Crix began to stare at Atsu’s hand, before pulling the Jedi knight into a warm embrace. The similar high pitch rang within Atsu’s ears, his eyes widening, wrapping his arms around Crix in return for what might have been the last time. The hug lasted all over 10 seconds, however to Atsu it felt like an eternity, however after a while, letting go of his former master to stare up into his old tired eyes, Atsu sighs before bowing. “Thank you, Master, for everything.”

Crix raised a brow before releasing a gentle laugh, “What have I done worthy of your gratitude? I have only done what was required of me.” Atsu seemed saddened by this response, knowing Crix was the only real father figure Atsu ever had, all the sacrifices he had made for Atsu. Though the Jedi order forbade attachments of any kind, Atsu found it difficult not to hold a certain amount of fondness for the old master before him. “Papa you have done more for me than ever was necessary, you kept me safe, a shoulder for me to cry on. I do not know nor do I want to know where I’d be without you and your guidance.”

It grew quiet for a moment, Crix resting a hand over Atsu’s cheek, giving the aging man a content look. He could see bits and pieces of the old Atsu in those dusky eyes of his. Despite never talking about feeling a need to speak on his emotions, Crix could tell Atsu was starting to let his guard down. Pulling Atsu into another tight hug, he whispers, “I could not have asked for a better padawan, Atsu, not in a million years. You’ve grown so much and I’d be damned so say I wasn’t proud of you.” Atsu could feel the tears swell in his eyes but was able to keep them down.

The master and knight pulled away from hug, getting one more look at each before Atsu bowed, “See you on the battlefield?” The comment made Crix laugh, before putting a hand on the younger Jedi’s shoulder “I’ll see you there, young one.”

Atsu started to make his way inside his ship, taking his first steps back into the colorfully painted insides, “Atsu!” Crix called, causing Atsu to turn his head, “Try to keep outta trouble for me, won’t ya’?” Atsu chuckled before having a short salute to the old Togruta man, “I’ll try, Master.”

Atsu finally made his way inside the ship, stepping into the vanilla scented cockpit. His boot made the metallic floor raddle ever so slightly, finding himself back in the pilot’s chair after about 3 and a half years of not being in it. The chair still has a small burn mark resting upon the headrest, followed by a purple and black covering that was about 10 years old by this point.

The Jedi knight got the ship up and running, he has a small grin plastered along his weary face. “There you go, babygirl.” Atsu mumbles under his breath as the ship is almost ready to take off for flight, he takes one last gaze around the platform, slumping back into the seat as he sets the coordinates for Kamino.

After he takes off, shifting the ship into hyperspace he lays back in his seat, letting out a gentle huff. Now he’s alone with his own thoughts within a quiet and empty ship, old memories of before the war, memories of…them. However, he shakes himself out of his darkening thoughts, looking into the depths of the hyperspace lane, watching the blue lights zip past the ship. Dozing off, Atsu began to close his eyes, hearing the ringing pitch run its course throughout the ship and his ears.

“Look at you, young Jedi, all grown up.” Crix said, watching a young Atsu pick up his new lightsaber, igniting the blade to reveal its purple hue, the gold and silver sides of the handle, a purple ribbon laced around the handle below the gold. “I can’t wait to use it in action, I’m going to be the best Jedi the galaxy has ever seen!” The child’s enthusiasm made the Jedi knight chuckle, rustling the boy’s short curly hair.

“Getting your lightsaber will not make you a great Jedi alone, young one. It takes patience, focus, courage, discipline. These are traits that make you a great Jedi, You still have a lot to learn, now why don’t you practice that stance of yours? We can begin there. Form 1.” Atsu pouts at his master’s words, getting into a fight position as the training droid zooms around the child.

“Ready when you are, Master.”

2 notes · View notes

my-timing-is-digital · 2 years

Text

Starter for @facetedspades

The Enterprise was en route to an uncharted nebula near the Neutral Zone in the Beta Quadrant. It was the crew’s next assignment after a temporary but necessary stop at Deep Space Nine. The ship had required repairs to the primary hull. After the completion of the restoration of the hull, the starship had departed, unaware of the accidental stowaway that had sneaked aboard the ship to conduct a personal experiment.

In several weeks’ time, they would reach their destination, but until then, the crew would receive smaller, but not less significant tasks, which they had neglected to tend to due to their previous responsibilities to the Federation. While the senior officers were briefing Captain Picard about an extensive list of things aboard the Enterprise that required moderation, maintenance, or substitution, a security officer marched into the Observation Lounge.

Inquisitively, Data’s yellow eyes darted to the security officer and the individual trailing after him. It was the Chief Medical officer of the spacestation they had departed from 15 hours and 49 minutes ago.

‘What’s this?’ the Captain enquired confused.

‘Apologies, Captain, but we were alerted by some peculiar readings emanating from the torpedo bay. So, we went to investigate and found Dr Bashir... experimenting... We did a security check to verify he’s not an imposter, and we contacted Captain Sisko who confirmed that their CMO had gone missing 13 hours ago. Apparently, it’s a force of habit — the Doctor likes to slip aboard starships and wander around without authorisation,’ the security officer informed them, a hint of disapproval was audible in his voice.

Captain Picard remained silent for a minute, considering his next course of action diligently. The senior officers exchanged looks. Data noticed the amused grin on Commander Riker’s countenance. Geordi’s facial expression was inscrutable as usual. Worf clearly did not approve of this intrusion either. And Counsellor Troi and Dr Crusher’s features were framed with sympathy.

‘Returning to Deep Space Nine would drastically delay our assignment and I cannot allow that. I want these reports submitted in time,’ Picard said strictly, tapping his index finger on the smooth surface of the table to emphasise the importance. ‘Dr Bashir, you are welcome to stay about the Enterprise, but this is no joy-ride. I suspect your records are admirable, and if you don’t mind, I will station you in sickbay. I shall inform Captain Sisko about your temporary transfer to the Enterprise, and you will be transferred to the first starship we encounter that is en route to your respective spacestation. Until then, you will receive accommodation aboard my ship. Mister Data if you would be so kind as to escort the Doctor to his temporary quarters.’

‘Certainly, Sir.’

‘Then, this meeting is adjourned. And Dr Bashir, please, do me a favour. Promise me you’ll never embark my ship without authorisation again.’

Data rose to his full height and approached the Doctor. They had crossed paths before. Back then, he had also sneaked aboard the Enterprise to perform a personal experiment. The android considered Dr Bashir to be among the individuals he liked spending time with. Partially because he treated Data as simply another being, and partially because Bashir’s personality intrigued him. He had never encountered someone quite like him.

‘Whenever you are ready, Doctor.’

#facetedspades // julian bashir #verse // to thine own self be true; and it must follow as the night the day thou canst not then be false to any man #ooc: I hope this is alright? if you'd like me to change something just lemme know!

5 notes · View notes

aerialworms · 1 year

Text

I posted 38,500 times in 2022

23 posts created (0%)

38,477 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@theunicorncomic-blog

@fellshish

@sztefa001

@captainclickycat

@gingerswagfreckles

I tagged 14,512 of my posts in 2022

#spn - 3,762 posts

#fanart - 2,295 posts

#deannnnnn - 2,057 posts

#castiel - 2,000 posts

#destiel - 1,753 posts

#comics - 1,055 posts

#art - 978 posts

#our flag means death - 932 posts

#kitties - 922 posts

#suggestive - 671 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#everytime i talk to a quilter its like. this is gonna be the best quilt ever! *5 secs later* don't you ever even think about quilting. it wi

My Top Posts in 2022:

[In "take a fucking sip babes" cadence] It's the fucking fifth babes

12 notes - Posted November 6, 2022

New AU idea:

Cas is the half-Vulcan Captain of a Federation starship. Dean is his First Officer, who was assigned to him on his first mission as Captain and annoys the shit out of Cas cause he’s just as stubborn as Cas and is way better at socialising. They have the same kind of love/hate relationship as Spock and Bones, which makes being on the Bridge insufferable for the rest of the crew, especially Sam, whose low-grade psychic abilities mean he was perfect for the role of Ship’s Counselor but also means he has to feel their emotions all the goddamn time. He is suffering so much.

14 notes - Posted November 2, 2022

My fics!

Supernatural

Who are you? 500 words

Written for Whumptober 2021 prompt #9: "RUMORS OF MY DEATH HAVE BEEN GREATLY EXAGGERATED"

Dean, Jack, and Sam get Cas back from the Empty, but there's a hitch.

Going Under 500 words

Written for Whumptober 2021 prompt #11: Drowning.

Dean's been under for so long. Set during Dean’s possession in s14.

Beaten 500 words

Written for Whumptober 2021 prompt #14: Beaten.

Dean's unhealthy coping mechanisms strike again. Set during the s13 Widower Arc.

Watch 100 words

Set in S5. Cas learns to cope with life on Earth.

Fill for the PB100 prompt "Watch".

One Year 100 words

Just past midnight, Dean and Cas celebrate their anniversary.

(100 words of fluff to celebrate Dean and Cas' one-year wedding anniversary. You go you funky little husbands!)

Hold Me Tight 699 words

Set during S9 E6 Heaven Can't Wait, the morning after Cas and Dean have defeated the Rit Zien.

Of course, they decided to share a bed, but things look different in the morning light.

~~~

BBC Merlin

Autumn Brings A Change 1002 words

“Get away from me, Merlin!” “Arthur, please! Just trust me! Please!”

Arthur crawled backward, dragging his leg over the ground, sword raised to point at Merlin. “How can I trust you? You lied to me, for years, about everything!”

Arthur finds out about Merlin's magic in the middle of a battle, but once it's over, he can't threaten or get away from Merlin due to a broken leg...

~~~

Good Omens

Three Things Crowley Can Do With His Tongue 1048 words

A Nice and Accurate Account of the three ways the demon Crowley – a wily old Serpent – uses his tongue.

See the full post

19 notes - Posted November 16, 2022

It’s like a behind the scenes pic? Not sure where it’s from

ohhhh that's so cute!!! I hadn't seen it before, I thought you'd edited it!! so weird to see misha in non-cas clothes on set :0 Thanks for telling me!!

21 notes - Posted July 20, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

It's a quiet night. More than a year later, and Dean's still getting used to it. The silver band on his finger glints in the moonlight as he drums his fingers on his sternum. He shifts underneath the blanket, listens for the water lapping gently at the lake outside. It must be past midnight now.

Cas stirs next to him, arm tightening where it's wrapped around Dean's waist, sleep-mussed head rising from the pillow to squint at him. He's frowning. Dean smiles back, heart thumping in his chest.

'Dean?'

Dean presses a kiss to his husband's lips. 'Happy anniversary, Cas.'

31 notes - Posted February 15, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #ehehehe still spnposting on main babey #and i aint stopping anytime soon #me #spn #destiel

3 notes · View notes

wcrpbubble · 11 months

Text

@inluck to beverly: help me look for survivors.

this is the part of her job she hates, beverly thinks. each dead body that litters the surface is someone she could have helped. someone who had a family, friends, a thriving life on board a starship, a place in starfleet. but that's the problem, too - starfleet. always the inherent risk, one that she knows first hand. but there are others out there currently alive who could use her help, and it's that thought alone that keeps her moving forward. one foot in front of the other.

"i'm detecting a few life-signs over the ridge. the back of the shuttle must have landed there." beverly says quietly, shading the tricorder from the sun so she can read it. do a stint as cmo under kirk, they'd said. serve on board the enterprise until they could permanently assign her elsewhere. it's like the stargazer all over again. beverly tries not to let her mind wander, forcing it back to the task at hand. there are people who need her, and she won't let anyone else die on her watch. not if she can help it.

she looks over at her captain, frowning.

"and then i'm going to take a look at that cut on your shoulder."

#inluck #( beverly crusher )

1 note · View note

thelostgirl21 · 3 years

Text

For those of you still arguing that Kaidan does not outrank Shepard as an Alliance Officer during the Citadel Coup...

...he does.

Actually, being a Staff Commander in ME2, Kaidan Alenko was already outranking Shepard when they met on Horizon.

First, it is important to understand that, while inspired by it, the Human Systems Alliance does not use the exact same ranking system as the U.S. Navy / Marines. [Edit: I've fixed some (hopefully, most!) of the "he/him/himself" pronouns I'd missed the first time around... And that was... like... 90% of the time I was referring to Shepard. *Facepalms* Sorry about that! I'm so used to writing for M!Shep, that I instinctively say "he/him/himself" when referring to them (and my brain does the weird French thing of including the feminine into the masculine while proofreading, apparently!). If you still spot a non gender-neutral pronoun in there, please feel free to let me know.]

Therefore, according to the System’s Alliance’s own ranking system (that can be found in the game’s codex entries; I’ve also added that information at the bottom of this post, with in-game examples) the rank of Major (and, in ME2, Staff Commander) is above that of a Lieutenant Commander (Shepard’s own Alliance military rank) within the Alliance.

It is the rank of an Alliance Captain (Navy), not that of an Alliance [Lieutenant] Commander (Navy & Marines), that is considered as being the equivalent of that of an Alliance Major (Marines).

Meaning that, by the beginning of ME3, Major Alenko has now risen through the ranks to the point where he holds a similar level of responsibility within the Systems Alliance as Captain Anderson used to hold in ME1. At the very beginning of ME1, Captain Anderson was a Navy Captain, and the Commanding Officer (C.O.) of the SSV Normandy.

Lieutenant Commander Shepard was his Executive Officer (X.O.).

And Staff Lieutenant Alenko was head of the ship's Marine detail*

By the beginning of ME3, Major Alenko is now a Marine Major, and the Commanding Officer (C.O.) of the 1st Special Operations Biotic Company, a covert operations unit of the Systems Alliance.

*Note: I just discovered yesterday what “Marine detail” means, and I just have to say Kaidan’s position on the Normandy is ridiculously cool!

Basically, it’s Kaidan’s job to determine which personnel position, assignment, or duty station each Marine should have on the Normandy. While basing his decisions on the person’s professional milestones, taking into consideration the Marine’s personal aspirations and stated preferences, considering their marital status / family lives and responsibilities outside of the military, evaluating whether they have the proper qualifications for the job or require further training, looking at performance reviews...

They are described as the Marine’s “advocate”, trying to make sure that not only are they the “best Marine” for what their actual job requires, but that it’s the job that will bring said Marine the greater level of work satisfaction / align with their needs and personal ambitions.

So basically, after Jenkins was KIA at the beginning of ME1, it was Kaidan’s job to find a suitable replacement to take over his duties on the ship.

So, after Shepard wakes up in the medbay, and expresses that they’re glad that Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams was still on the Normandy, because she’s a good soldier that deserves it, and Captain Anderson answers them: “Lieutenant Alenko agrees with you. THAT’S WHY I added her to our crew.”

He literally means “After seeing her in action, Lieutenant Alenko reviewed her file, checked her qualifications, past performance reviews, family status, her documented professional aspirations and stated preferences, numerous past (denied) applications for a transfer to a shipboard posting, and based on his very own assessment of Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, determined that she was the single best Marine in the System’s Alliance for the open position we now had on the ship.”

I’d always assumed that Kaidan had more or less informally gone “Gunnery Chief Williams was really impressive down there! Maybe we could use her!”

And Captain Anderson had essentially gone: “Sure! Why not? We’ve got an open position. Let’s keep her!”

But I’d all but forgotten that, with Nihlus dead, there was absolutely no Spectre on board that ship at that point in the story, and they were thus likely bound by the System’s Alliance rules and protocols when it came to handing out assignments to fill the vacant positions available on the Normandy.

It’s therefore highly likely that whoever was in charge of the ship’s Marine detail (in this case, Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko), would have had access to a list of applications of suitable candidates that had expressed an interest in serving on that ship.

And that, whenever there was a position vacancy, or a need to add a new position on the Normandy, then the head of the ship’s detail would have the responsibility of taking a good look at those candidatures, and selecting the very best suited Marine for the job.

As a Spectre, Commander Shepard might have had the level of authority required to spontaneously go: “they followed me home, I’m keeping them!”

But Captain Anderson most certainly did not. And, while he was the Normandy’s C.O. (meaning that he’d likely have the final say on whether or not Ashley got the position)...

Well, the person officially in charge of finding someone to fill the position left vacant after Jenkin’s passing - after having carefully reviewed Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams candidature against those of other potentially qualified System’s Alliance soldiers - was literally Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko.

And one would assume that the reason why Kaidan got his own position as head of the ship’s Marine detail, would be because he’d be considered as being very proficient at determining whether or not a given soldier is going to be the right fit for their job, and the best asset for their team.

So, when Captain Anderson tells Shepard that the reason he added her to the crew was because Lieutenant Alenko believed she was a good soldier that deserved a position on the Alliance’s most advanced starship, that was because it was Kaidan’s job to make such decisions.

He had to choose which Marine in the System’s Alliance would take over Jenkin’s duties, and he chose Ash. Kaidan’s the reason Ashley was assigned to Captain Anderson (and later, Commander Shepard)’s ship. He’s the one that made it happen and allowed her to advance in her career.

Should Commander Shepard have tried to do the same (i.e. be the one to request Gunnery Chief Williams assignation to the Normandy, in a context where Ashley wouldn’t already have been added to the team while they were out cold); then Captain Anderson’s most likely answer would have needed to be: “I’ll let Lieutenant Alenko know about your commendation, but he’s not done reviewing candidatures and making his choice among them yet.“

I don’t understand how anyone can call Kaidan “boring”. He's such a layered, fascinating character...

As he once told Shepard:

“I’m an enigma. I’ve got skills.”

Yes, yes you do... and, over 10 years later, I’m still discovering some skill-sets that you have that I’d never even suspected before!

And boy, am I pissed we'll never get to know about your run in with the vorcha mafia, five thousand credits, and a bottle of whiskey!

Still, no wonder Anderson was so adamant on Major Alenko being the one offered the Command of the 1st Special Operations Biotic Company.

Besides his very own unique history as a L2 and ability to relate to those kids, he apparently has an eye for military talents, and he likely trusted him to be a very good judge of character when it came to assessing whether those young biotics would be a good addition to the Company, and able to handle working with the rest of a team while on high risk missions without needlessly further endangering their teammates.

However, as a Spectre, when operating under Council authority, both Commander Shepard and Major Alenko are no longer bound by the Alliance military’s chain of command.

And it seems that most players do not realize it, but when Captain Anderson stepped down as the SSV Normandy’s C.O., Shepard did not receive a promotion within the Alliance military in terms of overall rank; but exclusively one regarding their position in regards to their assignment.

They went from being the ship’s Executive Officer (X.O.) to the ship’s Commanding Officer (C.O.), but they still remained an Alliance Lieutenant Commander, regardless of the position they held on the SSV Normandy itself.

I’m thus guessing that Shepard dying so shortly after the Battle of the Citadel, had prevented them from being promoted to the rank of Staff Commander (or even Captain / Major).

And then, in all of the investigations surrounding their claims of having been dead for 2 years, brought back to life through Cerberus technology, the time they spend working with them to hunt down the Collectors, Shepard destroying a batarian system (Arrival), the time they spent in detention between ME2 and ME3 after having been stripped of their rank, etc. Well, I’m guessing the Systems Alliance never thought to offer them a promotion, either.

At the beginning of ME3, the Normandy SR-2 has been recovered by the Alliance, and is intended to be used by Admiral Anderson (who would have become the SR-2′s Commanding Officer).

With Earth and the Alliance Headquarters under Reapers attack, Admiral Anderson chooses to reinstate Commander Shepard’s rank as a Lieutenant Commander within the Systems Alliance instead, and puts them in charge of his ship (thus, stepping down, once more, as the Normandy’s C.O. in favor of Commander Shepard).

Therefore yes, Commander Shepard is not as highly ranked an Alliance Officer as Major Kaidan Alenko is. However, they were given an assignment as the Commanding Officer of the Normandy SR-2 by Admiral Anderson.

Meaning that, after the Citadel Coup, when Commander Shepard offers Major Alenko a position among the Normandy SR-2′s crew, accepting that position means agreeing to recognize, and respect, Shepard’s authority as the ship’s C.O. as well.

Regardless of Kaidan technically becoming the highest ranking Systems Alliance Officer on board the Normandy SR-2, the position as the Normandy’s C.O. was given to Commander Shepard by Admiral Anderson.

So, if Major Alenko has a problem working under the authority of a lesser ranked officer as part of a Lieutenant Commander’s crew, then it is his responsibility to either refuse the offer and request another assignment (something that Kaidan can do in the game, actually - he can be the one to turn down Shepard’s offer), or take it up with Admiral Anderson, to try to request a change in leardership.

What I also find particularly interesting, with how those scenes play out, is that in both versions where Kaidan doesn’t join the Normandy’s crew, he shakes Shepard’s hand, but does not salute them.

Otherwise, after the handshake, when Shepard tells him “Welcome aboard, Major”, Kaidan straightens up and tells them “Aye aye, sir / ma’am” with a military salute, therefore acknowledging Shepard’s position as his new C.O.

Essentially, Major Kaidan Alenko is not bound by rank to obey Commander Shepard’s orders or accept to serve on their ship...

It is only once he CHOOSES to join the Normandy’s crew and take that offered position that there is this obligation for him to respect that Commander Shepard is the acting C.O. of the Normandy, and that they report directly to Admirals Anderson and Hackett.

As a Spectre, they report directly to the Citadel Council.

And so does Kaidan. I’m guessing that, should he ever wish to leave the Normandy, he’s got the required authority to do so, and would simply need to ask Admiral Anderson or Admiral Hackett for a new assignment.

He may discuss his decision with Commander Shepard first, out of respect. But I doubt that Commander Shepard could try to force him to stay and continue to work under the Command of a lesser ranked Alliance officer if he wished to leave the ship.

The only known people that could deny his request for a transfer within the Alliance would be either Anderson or Hackett.

And, as a Spectre, he could very well go “yeah, screw this! I’m out!”

So yeah, his being willing to take orders from Commander Shepard, and join the Normandy as a member of his crew regardless of him being a higher ranked officer in the Systems Alliance, only highlight the amount of trust and respect he has in Commander Shepard’s abilities and leadership.

Knowing Kaidan, he likely values Commander Shepard as his C.O. based on the man’s actual military, leadership, combat qualifications and training, rather than rank. Not to mention his ability to recognize their more personal, human qualities, how much they care for their crew, and Kaidan’s own willingness to help them share the burden that’s been put on their shoulders.

I think that, in order to gain Kaidan’s respect and have him gladly follow you, you need to use the power you’ve been given by whatever position or status you hold for the benefit of those serving under you, and/or those under your responsibility, rather than try to dominate and overpower others with it.

Kaidan won’t hesitate to call Udina “a bastard” for what he perceives as him “selling them out”, express dissent when a superior officer is out of line, question the motives of those in charge, and often flirt with insubordination.

He’s one of the most NEUTRAL good characters of the series - letting his integrity dictate his actions first and foremost, rather than being strictly and rigidly bound by ranks, rules, or protocols.

His main source of worry, when it comes to Shepard potentially cutting corners, appears to be the price that THEY may have to pay in the aftermath.

He seems more concerned about the Council or the Alliance openly using Shepard as a scapegoat if things go south, and/or disavowing their actions and leaving them without support, rather than over Shepard themselves breaking the law in such a way that they would make innocent people suffer.

I've always seen him as trying to make Shepard understand that they won't let them go down alone with the ship, figuratively (and perhaps event literally speaking... He sure tried in ME2 until Shepard reminded him that the rest of the crew were also in need of his assistance and counting on them to keep them safe) and share the responsibility of the decisions Shepard makes as long as he also supports them.

And yeah, Kaidan did put his own happiness first when it came to breaking the rules of fraternization.

He even says that the galaxy will just keep going and the only thing that will never happen again is them. And that they are what's most important in that moment.

If it wasn't for how very lucidly attached to the Alliance he is (he sees the flaws, but still considers that the Alliance does more good than harm overall, and is proud of being an Alliance soldier / officer), I'd almost have been tempted to put him into chaotic good territory.

He's dedicated to "doing what's right" (the principle of goodness itself) and acting with integrity, but not so much to "honoring human / citadel laws" or even moral codes per say.

His moral code is very much about remaining true to your own ideals and who you are in a way that promotes the greater good, and allows you to be at peace with your actions. And he's seen constantly questioning his perspective of good and wrong in the world, and adapting what acting with integrity truly means to him (for example, when he was trying to come to terms with the fact that Cerberus scientists could also be good people).

So, I very much consider him someone that is more Neutral (chaotic leaning) good, than Neutral (lawful leaning) good.

Rules and institutions need to make sense and serve a useful purpose to him, and avoid getting in the way of him doing what he believes to be right according to his own personal moral compass that no one dictates him but himself. Otherwise, screw the rules!

It may also be good to remember that Spectres have absolutely no command structure. To prove themselves to the Council, they have to demonstrate both exceptional abilities and self-reliance. If they thought that Major Kaidan Alenko would be the type to defer to Commander Shepard’s judgment based on seniority and rank alone, I’m guessing the Council never would have agreed to grant him Spectre status in the first place.

Yeah, Councillor Udina was the one that submitted his candidature, but he couldn’t have actually granted him Spectre status without the Asari, Turian, and Salarian Councillors’ approval.

Meaning that they all saw something in his service history that made them go “Yeah, this is a guy that can totally go rogue, disrespect orders, and do whatever must be done for the sake of the greater good of the galactic community if need be.”

People that see him as some sort of “whiny, Alliance lapdog” seem to forget that we are talking about a 17-year-old kid that continuously got in trouble with Vyrnnus for talking back (to the point where he started punishing the other kids to get to him), found a way to hack communications on the station to secretly contact his parents on Earth, after having been explicitly forbidden to do so, and angrily stood up to Vyrnnus after Vyrnnus crossed a line while bullying more vulnerable than himself.

Commander Vyrnnus taught Kaidan that some would-be leaders only cared about holding power over others, and were not worthy of being respected nor followed.

Major Alenko simply is not someone that can easily be intimidated into obeying orders, and/or be impressed by power or rank. What will make him “fall in line”, is the belief that the one giving the orders is the very best suited person for the job.

So, when it all come down to it, I’m pretty convinced that he could care less about Shepard “only being a Lieutenant Commander”.

He cares about Shepard doing the right thing, and about being able to trust their leadership and intents more than anything.

And, while Kaidan Alenko may have all the required qualifications and abilities to handle his own command, too...

...this is not what makes him the happiest.

He’s a soldier. He likes getting his hands dirty. He likes being right in the center of the action, and making a tangible difference.

My own partner, whose personality often reminds me of Kaidan (or, actually, Kaidan’s personality often reminds me of him!), has been offered countless of times the job of a team supervisor or coordinator in his work as a computer programmer (systems architect).

Sure, it would come with a salary increase and some advantages...

And sure, he’s a rather assertive guy, with a talent for seeing the greater picture, quickly noticing people’s own individual strengths and resources in a team, finding ways to take full advantage of said strengths and resources while organizing the work to complement every skill-sets they have, and thinking about creative solutions to a problem that others might be missing...

But what he loves most about his work is the coding itself.

He’ll gladly offer his input (actually, nothing you do or say will stop him from voicing his opinions, suggestions, and solutions to an issue... especially if he thinks you’re being inefficient in the way you’re approaching it, and/or overlooking some variables), but the thought of actually being in charge of the whole working team all the frakking time, and having to manage complaints, conflicts, etc. - when his time would better be used in front of the computer, figuring out why something isn’t working properly - is enough to drive him insane.

He has everything it takes to be a good, efficient, more than qualified supervisor and coordinator...

...except the interest and motivation.

The things that make him happiest at the work he does, lie within the programming itself.

Similarly, I very much perceive Kaidan Alenko as being someone that has every required qualifications, skills, and abilities to be in Command of his own ship or his own squad...

...but typically prefers being a soldier, getting out there in the field and doing his work without having to handle what everyone else has to be doing on top of it.

He made an exception for Admiral Anderson by indulging him, and eventually agreeing to assume Command of the 1st Special Operations Biotic Company. And, from the way he speaks about his students, it seems that the nature of his job, and his ability to connect with what they are going through and nurture their potential as soldiers, fellow “freaks”, and human beings, ended up making that command worthwhile and an overall positive and stimulating experience for him.

This is one of the many reasons why I lament the lack of interaction between Kaidan and Jack. They are both powerful biotics that were abused in the hopes of getting results and making their powers stronger. They both share a deep seated hatred of Cerberus. And they both ended up becoming teachers and mentors to younger generations of human biotics.

Beyond the potential for humor and entertainment, I think it would have been interesting to see how they might have related to each other, talked about their students, shared a few tips, etc.

But otherwise, Kaidan seems to be happiest while doing his own thing (ex: being sent to investigate certain situations for the Alliance / Council), or serving on a ship while using his skills to offer his support to his Commander, rather than being the one in charge of everybody else.

Given how he tends to be more task than ego oriented, I therefore really don’t think that he has any issues following the leadership of a Lieutenant Commander regardless of his own rank.

As long as he can trust Shepard to be a good leader and get things done, he’ll gladly let them assume command.

But during the attack on the Citadel, Commander Shepard is not Major Alenko’s C.O., as Admiral Anderson never officially assigned him to the Normandy, and after they left Earth in a hurry and headed for Mars to retrieve data, he ended up in the hospital.

If we want to argue that Major Kaidan Alenko was showing any kind of disrespect towards Commander Shepard by refusing to stand down in front of a superior officer during the Citadel coup (an argument that’s occasionally been brought up by those that highly disapprove of the confrontation)...

Well, I hate to break this to you, but per Systems Alliance military protocol, Shepard should have been the one to salute Kaidan, not the other way around.

But it simply doesn’t matter either way.

Because that confrontation was not an “Alliance Lieutenant Commander vs Alliance Major” issue.

This was very much “Spectre vs Spectre” issue.

You simply had two highly trained, experienced, and dangerous Spectre operatives that were interacting on absolutely equal footing, outside of the Alliance’s chain of command.

And they both had the exact same objective: Protect the council from Cerberus.

In the end, it all boils down to trust. And to whether or not Commander Shepard has the required empathy to understand that Kaidan Alenko has every right to be human, to have doubts, to question people’s motives - regardless of how much he loves them - and to be scared to make mistakes based on his personal feelings towards them.

Kaidan (and Ashley) have the most realistic, healthy, and human reactions that one could possibly have to someone being brought back from the dead by a terrorist organization.

On Mars, he wasn’t trying to attack or hurt Shepard.

What he clearly told them was “I’m confused, I’m scared, I do want to trust you, but I don’t know how. I’ve seen some of the abject horrors of what Cerberus is capable of doing, and the thought that they might have been using you, or are still planning to use you, against the rest of the Galaxy terrifies me. I need to know it’s really you - that you haven’t been cloned, brainwashed, or they didn’t plant a chip in your head or something - and I’m at a loss at where to even start.”

(I’m thinking that should they have discovered that Shepard had been altered in some way and/or was being manipulated by Cerberus, but was still in there somewhere, then Kaidan would have wanted to do anything he could to help free them from Cerberus’ grasp, too.)

And he has every right to feel that way, to be afraid, to be concerned, and to express it.

Actually no one owes any of their friends their “blind trust”.

If someone I strongly care about is doing something stupid or I disagree with, I fully reserve the right to oppose their actions and let them know I’m not on board with it.

I can trust that they are a good person and believe in them. But I can also occasionally distrust their judgment and whether the decisions they are making are the right ones.

So by openly verbalizing his fears and doubts, what Kaidan is actually doing is letting Shepard in. He’s reaching out for that connection they share, not shutting them down.

He’s almost desperate to try to explain to them how he feels, so they can open the dialogue and start figuring these things out together, rather than remaining alone in their little corner while allowing those fears and doubts to fester and take root.

If Shepard is able to understand that. If they can reach back towards Kaidan, show interest in getting to know each other again, rebuild trust, and work through those issues, then as I’ve already demonstrated a little while ago, getting Kaidan to stand down is so ridiculously easy it’s almost laughable.

If they do cut themselves off from Kaidan following Mars, and never reach back towards him, then they are allowing all those doubts and fears to keep on growing... thus leading to tragedy during the coup.

But yeah, anyone reasonably expecting Kaidan to just step aside the moment those doors opened (when he was fully expecting to see Cerberus operatives come out of the elevator shaft) - especially based on supposed “higher ranked offircer superiority” - is having utterly unrealistic expectations regarding Major Alenko’s personality and behavior.

Either they were too quick to dismiss him as whiny and boring, and thus kept him out out of every mission, skipped conversations, and/or quickly rushed through them without really listening and seeking to understand the character...

They are unable to perceive videogame characters as well-rounded people, but are rather exclusively seeking to immerse themselves in some fantasy world where every single person they encounter either automatically adores them or fears their superior power and influence; and those characters are something that should solely exist for their own entertainment (unlike reality, where they can more easily recognize that each of their friends have personal aspirations, opinions, thoughts, careers and dreams that exist entirely outside of themselves; and they never would realistically expect one of said friends to “drop everything” they are doing on the fly in order to blindly follow them into a private jet that’s being borrowed from a well-known right-wing terrorists organization instead).

Or, they literally have a God complex.

----------

Systems Alliance: Military Ranks (Mass Effect)

The Alliance uses a modified version of the ranking system that has been used for hundreds of years. Soldiers are classified into rank-and-file enlisted personal, experienced non-commissioned officers (NCOs), and specially trained officers.

The divide between naval personnel and ground forces (“marines”) is small. Ground units are a specialized branch of the fleet, just as fighter squadrons are. This unity of command is imposed by the futility of fighting without control of orbit; without the navy, any army is pointless. The marines, as a matter of pride, maintain some of their traditional rank titles; for example, marines have Privates and Corporals instead of Servicemen.

In ascending order of responsibility, the ranks of the Alliance are:

ENLISTED

Serviceman 3rd Class/Private 2nd Class

Serviceman 2nd Class/Private 1st Class

Serviceman 1st Class/Corporal

NCOs

Service Chief

Gunnery Chief [ex: Gunnery Chief Williams (ME1)]

Operations Chief [ex: Operations Chief Williams (ME2)]

OFFICERS

2nd Lieutenant

1st Lieutenant

Staff Lieutenant [ex: Lieutenant Alenko (ME1)]

Lieutenant Commander [ex: Commander Shepard (ME1, ME2, ME3), Commander Williams (ME3)]

Staff Commander [ex: Commander Alenko (ME2)]

Captain/Major [ex: Major Alenko (ME3); Captain Anderson (ME1)]

Rear Admiral/General [ex: Admiral Hackett (ME1)]

Admiral [ex: Admiral Hacket (ME2), Admiral Anderson (ME3)]

Fleet Admiral [ex: Admiral Hackett (ME3)]

#Kaidan Alenko #Kaidan #Mass Effect #Systems Alliance #ranking system #My Posts #My Thoughts

520 notes · View notes

elen-aranel · 2 years

Text

Chanced Chapter 7: Enterprise - Freefall

Pairing: Christopher Pike x F!Reader (no Y/N) Warnings: some angst, skydiving WC: 4.5k Taglist: @fzziiee (if you'd like to be tagged, please let me know <3) Notes: Sometimes you just have to stand up and take that step out into the unknown. Rating: Mature for moments in other chapters Summary: You focus on your console, trying to tune out the rest of the chat – You know Pike won’t draw you into it. At first you wondered if it was because you were new, but he’s cordial with Sullivan and Nhan. It’s only you that he barely talks to. And while you see him every day, you miss him. You miss having him as a friend.

< Previous Chapter • Masterlist • Next Chapter >

Starship Enterprise, 2254

Starship Enterprise is proving to be a challenge.

The ship is at warp on the way to study some kind of spatial phenomenon; you’ve reviewed the scans and there’s no planned security involvement in this mission, but you’re still a few days away. You’re on the bridge, early for the start of your shift.

You know, in your head, that getting to be on the secondary security station on the bridge is a good thing. It shows Andre Sullivan, the new security chief, trusts you. He’s strong but compact, with brown skin, short wiry curls, and a neat short beard. His dark eyes, his whole presence, is calm and thoughtful, but you’ve seen him fight, and he is formidable. You warmed to him straight away; you don’t think he’ll make the same sorts of mistakes as his predecessor. And you’re enjoying your work, too. It’s challenging but in a good way, and so far the work is everything you hoped it would be.

“Captain on the bridge!”

You focus on your station as the captain walks across to his chair to relieve Lieutenant Jayasuriya who had the gamma shift conn. You listen to her update, but only to make sure there’s nothing important going on that you don’t know about.

Really you’re waiting. You’re waiting out the half hour or so that it takes for Pike to come and check in with Sullivan, and by extension, with you. You’re waiting for what will probably be your only interaction of the day.

Time ticks by very slowly, but eventually he gets up and heads over. You steel yourself a little.

“Lieutenant Commander,” he tips his head in acknowledgement of you, and it’s not unfriendly, just… formal.

“Captain,” you match his tone, polite.

“Sullivan, we’ll talk about the invacuation drill schedule but I have to ask... did you enjoy your dessert last night? What was it, ice cream sundaes?”

Of course the captain would know about the incident in the mess hall last night. You, Sullivan, and a couple of others had been ordering drinks from the synthesiser to go with your meal, but a synthesiser glitch turned your iced tea into a whole roast turkey, and Sullivan’s water had become twelve ice cream sundaes. Chef took the turkey saying he’d use it for sandwiches or soup, but most of the sundaes went to a group of science specialists who had just been finishing their meals as you arrived.

“You should ask Garison. I didn’t have any of them, but he had a chocolate fudge one. For ’analytical purposes’, he said.”

“So what were the results of your ’analysis’ Garison? Synthesisers working again?”

You focus on your console, trying to tune out the rest of the chat – You know Pike won’t draw you into it. At first you wondered if it was because you were new, but he’s cordial with Sullivan and Nhan. It’s only you that he barely talks to. And while you see him every day, you miss him. You miss having him as a friend.

You try not to shake your head at the thought, and bring up the timetable for the drills on you console. You are making friends on the ship, like Lieutenant Laleh Tehrani who you spoke to in Engineering that first day. Louvier assigned her to take a look at Lizzie, and you hit it off over ideas for upgrading the warp plasma manifolds, enough that she invited you for girls’ night with her friends Lieutenants Anisa Lestari from operations and Selina Anderson from stellar cartography. You get on well with the security crew, and you can always count on one of them to be there for squash, tennis, or velocity. And the chef… you wouldn’t say you’re friends, quite yet, but he has given you permission to use the kitchens as long as you record the ingredients you use and don’t get in the way of major mealtimes.

And it’s not like you and Pike were ever much more than acquaintances, not really. Acquaintances who had some fun together that one time.

That’s the challenge, you think, as you focus on your work. To manage how you feel about the captain. To learn to move on. It’s more difficult on a quiet shift. But, being the Enterprise, it doesn’t stay quiet for long.

“We’re getting a distress signal, Captain, from the science station on Beron III.”

“On screen, Nicola.” You turn to watch the screen, seeing Pike stand from his chair.

“I’m having some trouble with the signal, sir. There’s interference. I’m trying to clear it up.”

The star field on the view screen blinks off, and in its place you can just about make out an officer in a navy fleet uniform. You catch yourself thinking old style, like you hadn’t been wearing one just a few weeks ago. The picture is jerky, staticky. Freezing every now and then. And what you can see is not good: the officer is dishevelled, people are running about behind her, and as you watch a console in the background explodes in a shower of sparks.

“Enterprise to Beron station, how can we help?”

“This is Commander Chung. We need an evac, now. We’re here to study the atmosphere, but it’s undergoing some kind of inversion. Electrical storms are increasing; we’ve lost main power, but before we did we modelled a chemical reaction which is making the air unbreathable. We’re sending you our latest models and scans, but we can only last a few more hours.”

“Tyler, what’s our ETA?”

“At maximum warp? Three hours, sir. Course laid in.”

“Number One, hit it. Spock, do you have the data?”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Chung, hang in there – we’re on our way. Enterprise out.”

He sits back down, and you turn away.

“Looks like there are only six staff members assigned to the base, sir,” you say quietly to Sullivan who’s next to you at the primary station. “The planet is uninhabited, and it’s not thought to be of tactical interest to any other race.”

“Captain, I am analysing the data we have received, and I believe we have a problem.”

“What is it, Mr Spock?”

You turn again as Spock brings a graphic up on the screen.

“It will not be safe to beam through the atmosphere. The model shows that the interference will be too great for the targeting scanners to achieve a lock.”

“Can we send a shuttle?”

“The station only has six crew. A shuttle would be able to accommodate them.” Sullivan says.

“And I could pilot it,” Number One turns her chair to face the captain.

“The electrical discharges preclude the use of a shuttle, Captain.” Spock changes the view on the screen, showing simulations he has run of a shuttle in the atmosphere. Ten simulations play at once; the shuttle is destroyed in the lower atmosphere five times, destroyed during landing twice more, and crashes but remains at least partially intact on the remaining three. “Even with your skill, Number One, the odds of a successful landing are negligible. And once you were on the surface, returning to the Enterprise would be equally as unlikely.”

“Options? Can we reinforce the shuttle’s shields in some way? Improve the targeting scanners?” Pike stands. You can’t see his expression, but you imagine a frown as he steps closer to the screen, as though willing a solution to appear.

“The shuttle’s engines attract the discharges, sir. Modifying the shields would not help.”

“If they had pattern enhancers, would we be able to lock onto them then?” You hear the note of eagerness in Number One’s voice.

Spock turns to his station. “Yes, we would, however, the station lacks transporters, so they would have no need of enhancers. And their power is offline, so they would not be able to synthesise them.”

“But if we could get enhancers to them?”

“What are you thinking, Number One?”

“The storms are in the lower atmosphere. None of the shuttles took any damage before they reached the lower stratosphere. We could fly a shuttle down there, then someone can skydive the rest of the way.”

“Would that work?”

“The plan is not without risk; however it seems to be our only logical choice.”

“Good. Nicola, alert the station, tell them that’s what we’re going to do, and to prepare themselves primarily and anything else they wish to bring in one location. I’m going to go suit up.”

You see Number One frown in disagreement, and you feel Sullivan taking a breath next to you ready to object. But you’re quicker than both of them. You’re standing already.

“Captain, let me go. I have the best exodive accuracy scores here. And you’ve seen—you know I can do it.”

He looks at you. Really looks at you, for the first time since your first day here. His blue eyes meet yours, and you can’t read his expression, but you hold his gaze, not backing down. He smiles, rueful.

“Point taken, Commander. Do what you need to get ready.”

“I’m sorry if I was out of line back there, volunteering myself,” you say to Sullivan in the turbolift on the way to the shuttle bay. You’ve never worn a red flight suit before, and you feel conspicuous. Although any flight suit is conspicuous, you suppose. Your bronze one was.

“You weren’t. Your instinct was the right one, and I want you – all my staff – to feel free to speak up. You never know when you can save a life.”

“Thank you, sir.”

He waves your thanks away. “We all need to be ready to step up.”

You walk past Lizzie on the way to the Kepler, the shuttle you’ll be jumping from. You brush your fingers along the hull, glad you’re not risking her in the atmosphere.

“Nice suit,” Tehrani says, looking you up and down.

“Oh gosh don’t start – I almost feel like a candy cane.”

“You won’t once I attach these.” She holds up the pattern enhancers. “There are six. You only need three, really, but we thought it’s better to be safe.”

She straps them to your front; they feel awkward, and your freedom of movement is a little impaired, but they’re secure, and they shouldn’t unbalance you as you fall.

“Not like a candy cane now,” she winks. “Come back safe, Commander.”

“Aye, Lieutenant.”

Number One arrives then, and you get into the shuttle. You’re glad she’s the one piloting you; in the few weeks you’ve seen her fly you’ve come to trust her. But while you like her, too, you do find her a little intimidating still.

And once you’re making your descent, the questions start.

“What were you going to say?”

“Excuse me?”

“On the bridge. You stopped yourself from saying something to the captain. What were you going to say?”

You shift in your seat, trying to get the pattern enhancers into a slightly more comfortable position – they’re digging in.

“I was just saying he knows I did well in my exodive scores. I prepared a report for Sullivan last week with everyone’s scores on that, diving, moving and stationary targets, half marathon… and Sullivan passed the security staff results to the captain, specifically, so he knows who best to assign to different away missions.”

The look she fixes you with is withering.

“I have worked with Captain Christopher Pike for four years now as his first officer. I know him. I know how he reacts to people – how he treats them. Then you come along, and there’s this—this distance between you, which I’ve never seen before. Maybe only with crew he’s had to reprimand.” She shakes her head as she turns and checks the console again, making minor course adjustments.

“I couldn’t account for it until today. But the way you spoke to him… you have history together, don’t you?” She looks at you, sidelong. “Are you his ex?”

“I—” you pause, remembering Risa. But what you’d had together… it was just a fling. “I’m not. But we—we do have a… past. And before you say anything,” you raise a hand to silence the question you can see she’s about to ask. “I didn’t come here for him. I’d been looking for a posting on a Constitution class ship for months. I wanted to move into exploration, and when this came up… You know the Enterprise is the best in the fleet. Pike and I were a long time ago. And I wouldn’t even have considered applying if we hadn’t been on good terms.”

Number One tilts her head, then turns back to the controls. “The Talosians would’ve had a field day with you,” she mutters, but before you can ask who they are, an indicator flashes on the console.

“We’re at altitude. Are you ready?”

You stand. Everything else can wait. “Yes, Commander.” You activate your helmet, checking its cam uplink to the Enterprise and the integrity of your suit, and walk to the back of the shuttle. She activates a forcefield behind you.

“Good luck.” She opens the shuttle doors, and you step straight out into nothing.

Skydiving on Beron III is nothing like it was on Risa. You’re higher up and the atmosphere is thin. You concentrate on holding your pose as you plummet; you can’t afford to go into a spin as you get close to the speed of sound.

You watch the clouds as they approach, gradually taking up more of your field of view. From orbit the planet had looked a flat pale pink, but as you get closer you see variation, clouds undulating through more peachy and more mauvy colours. As you watch you begin to be able to discern individual storm cells, some with patches of mint green bursting through. You can’t see the ground at all, but you know you’re on track thanks to the display you can see overlaid on your visor.

The colours are a bit unsettling, possibly you’ve never seen an atmosphere like this before, but as you watch you start to appreciate its beauty. And it occurs to you that you’re the only person who has ever seen the planet like this. Possibly the only person who’s ever had this view of this type of atmosphere. You smile. This feeling of privilege and awe is a big part of why you’re out here.

“Status?” Captain Pike’s voice cuts through your reverie.

“Status nominal, Captain. Slowing from maximum velocity. I’m ready to deploy the drogue before I hit the troposphere.”

“Acknowledged. We’re getting your video and telemetry, but keep this line open.”

“Aye sir.”

You don’t really feel nervous until you start to see the electrical light. It’s subtle; you think it must be generated from some way beneath the surface of the clouds, but you see more and more little lights flashing faintly blue.

But there’s no backing out; these people need you. And you’re in a gravity well. There’s no way out but through.

“Activating drogue,” you say as you press a control with your right palm. You can feel it as the tiny parachute fires; it won’t slow you down, but it will help stabilise your fall. And you can really feel the atmosphere now; it’s thickening as you speed through it. Being able to feel a charge in the air must just your imagination because your suit insulates you from the outside world, but the hairs are standing up on the back of your neck.

“Entering the troposphere.” You work to keep the quaver out of your voice, as you plunge into a what you can only describe to yourself world of electric cotton candy.

Diffuse sunlight is filtering through, as you fall through pink, green and purple cells, one after the other. Parts of it feel like falling through fog, but there are gaps within the clouds, and at times you almost feel like you’re hurtling through caves. But as you go deeper, more and more of the light is blue flashes of lightning. Sometimes you can even see the webs of electricity lighting up the clouds; majestic, but terrifying.

Then you hit the turbulence. You’re grateful for the drogue, even as you feel your body taking a hammering you know it’s helping you stay on target. You’re glad, too, that Tehrani wrapped the pattern enhancers securely and gave you extras. But after you’re done counting your blessings you grit your teeth and focus on the altimeter.

“Approaching the bottom of the storm layer. Preparing to activate main—”

Suddenly everything goes white. Then black. Your entire body spasms for a long moment. You feel a sharp pain in your left leg as your vision and sensation fades back in.

“Commander? Report!” You can hear a little tension leaking into Pike’s voice.

“I’m—I’m fine. Hit, but not badly. We thought this may happen. Systems still read—read mostly nominal, but I lost the drogue. Activating main parachute now.”

You feel relief as you deploy your main parachute; you’re at the part that feels like a normal skydive, even if Beron III is not a normal place for it. Below the clouds the world is tinged pink, with smooth rolling hills. It’s barren, though. There is some plant life trying to grow, you think, but you can see marks where lightning has left round scorch marks on the local grass equivalent. As you fall lightning strikes and strikes again, close, and you’re glad for your emergency secondary parachute.

And finally, you can see the base. You pull your cords, adjusting your descent. The building has clearly had more than its fair share of strikes. The roof is scorched, and part of the building has clearly burned, but as you try to focus on it, your eyes start to water. You see blue forked lightning hit yet again through your blurred vision.

You cough. There must have been more damage than you thought.

But you blink and your vision clears, enough to see the main door of the building. Enough so that you can float in to land on your feet right in front of it. You stumble a little as pain lances up your leg, but you grit your teeth and stand.

“I’ve touched down safely. Entering the base now.”

You touch a control to release your parachute and press the door panel just as lightning hits just metres away. You topple forward into the waiting arms of Commander Chung.

“Oh thank god,” she says, pulling you in, and the door shuts behind you. Her face is marked and her uniform dirty, even given the dark colour. “This way.” She doesn’t wait around, and you follow her through the dark corridor, lit with emergency lights that flicker every time the building is struck. And it seems to get struck a lot.

“The strike frequency is increasing exponentially,” Chung answers the question you were about to ask. “Our lightning rods melted a couple of hours ago. Not sure if the atmosphere or the lightning would have taken us out first, but you’re here now. This is what’s left of the control centre.”

The other five members of the crew are in the middle of the room, and you get the pattern enhancers set up round them and the equipment they’re bringing quickly. A couple of them are in respiratory distress; you wonder if they had been in one of the more damaged sections.

You step back, out of the range of the transporter. “Enterprise, six to beam up.”

You watch as they are enveloped in golden light, and relief floods through you. You’ve done your job. Time to go home. You step between the enhancers.

“One more to beam up when ready, Enterprise.”

Blue lightning strikes just as you feel the beam take you, and you see pink and green sky above you as you’re transported away.

You sit in a bio bed as Doctor Boyce and a nurse examine your leg.

“We’re going to have to cut the suit off you.” Boyce says, and you sigh, which devolves into a cough. You hoped you would be able to get to your quarters and change before you went to sickbay, but Sullivan was waiting for you in the transporter room. And that was a good thing, apparently; the adrenaline coursing through you meant you didn’t notice that part of the suit had melted into your skin. “Better get those lungs looked at too,” Boyce adds, and the nurse nods.

You persuade a different nurse to give you a PADD while you sit propped up on the bed, waiting for your leg to heal. Deep tissue damage is not as bad as a broken bone, although it does itch a bit. But it still takes a while, so you wanted to pass the time productively and work on your report. You’re deep into it and don’t notice the captain approach until he speaks.

“Commander, how are you feeling?” Pike looks down at you, expression serious. But there’s warmth there, too.

“I’m fine, sir. Should be allowed to go soon.” You smile, a little self-conscious in your pale blue sickbay gown; it doesn’t leave much to the imagination. But then… he’s seen it all before, you think.

He nods. “Good. I wanted to say thank you. For taking the mission, saving those scientists. And… for not letting me go.” His eyes meet yours, and you see the sincerity there. The vulnerability. He’s still the captain, but you see something of Chris there, too. More than you have for the past few weeks.

Your voice is gentle when you speak. “I read through some of the logs from before I got here and… I think you were let down. I don’t want that to happen again.” You shrug. “And you know I love skydiving. If there had been horses involved…”

He laughs, and it sounds natural. “If we find horses out here, I’m not giving up riding them for anything.”

“I’ve still never ridden, you know.”

“Next time we’re on Earth we have to fix that. There’s really nothing like it; I’m sure Mary Lou would—”

But Doctor Boyce comes in then, brandishing a medical tricorder, and you can practically see the shutters fall on his expression.

“Commander, I’m glad you’re on the mend,” he says with a ghost of a smile, and he leaves, you and Boyce staring after him.

Dinner for the alpha shift is long finished by the time you make it to the mess hall, although there are a few people at tables, mostly chatting. You wave to your fellow security officers, Ensigns Suzuki and Corea, who are absorbed in playing some card game, and make your way to the galley.

You debate leftovers vs the synthesiser, but the cold lasagne, topped with congealed cheese, really doesn’t look appealing. And as you program the synthesiser for a grilled chicken breast in tarragon sauce with vegetables, you can’t get your encounter in sickbay out of your mind. The way he warmed up. The way he shut down.

And you think, as you settle down at a table, PADD in one hand, fork in the other, perhaps there’s something you can do.

You press the chime for the captain’s ready room; you hadn’t been surprised when the computer told you he was still here. Your pretext is your report. You could give it straight to the captain’s yeoman – you don’t think she likes you; as much as Pike has been keeping you at arm’s length it doesn’t take a genius to see that she’s nursing a crush on him, which makes you a threat – but sometimes a personal delivery is best.

“Enter,” comes the familiar voice, and you walk in. Pike is seated on the sofa, a stack of PADDs and a glass of something clear on the coffee table in front of him.

“Hey,” He stands as you approach. “I was going to ask you to stop by, but I thought you might want to have the evening to relax after today.”

That wasn’t quite what you were expecting. And you can’t help noticing the word he doesn’t say: Commander.

“Sir, I brought you my report… and some cookies I baked. A peace offering of sorts?” You take a breath. “I respect you, and if you need to keep keeping me at a distance, of course that’s fine; I’m not looking to cross any boundaries. But I wanted to say that I miss you. I miss my friend.”

“Think the cookies will go with Hinarian gin?” His mouth quirks into the smile that you’ve missed as he picks up the bottle and a glass from his bar cart, holding them out to you.

“No? But yes to the offer. Thanks.”

You put the PADD and the stasis container of cookies on the coffee table and settle into an armchair, taking the proffered drink. Pike resumes his seat on the sofa as you relish that icy first sip.

“I need to apologise,” he says after a moment. “I had some things I wasn’t aware I was working through, from a recent… encounter, and I took them out on you. I’m sorry for that.” He looks you in the eye, and you feel something settle inside you.

“Una – Number One – called me out, after I saw you in sickbay. She said if I couldn’t treat you like any other crew member, I should ask you to leave on your shuttle.” He sips his drink, and sighs gently.

“I won’t bore you with the details, and some of them are classified, but there were some aliens… they got in my head. Made me see things that weren’t real… think I felt things for a person that weren’t real… They made me question my reality, in a way I didn’t expect. It was hard to shake that off, even back on the ship, after we left them. And then you came along and…” He sighs. “I told myself maintaining a professional distance would be the right thing, but it wasn’t. And that wasn’t what I was doing.”

His blue eyes are disarming.

“I missed your friendship, too. And I realised I don’t need to deny us that.”

“Apology accepted, Chris. I—well, I don’t understand, per se, but I get that things can be strange out here. And that’s both why we’re here and the price we pay, I suppose.”

He nods. “So, top up? Or should I synthesise hot chocolate to go with the cookies?”

“Keep them for morning briefing.” You hold out your glass. “You know this is the only real alcohol I have in my quarters? That and whiskey. I did have some Saurian brandy, once, on Starbase 58, but probably the least said about that the better.”

“Boyce swears by martinis. I haven’t had to use it, but I believe he has a good hangover cure, in case you do over-indulge…”

Things feel a little fragile between you still, you think as you return to your quarters an hour or so later. But you sleep better than you had since you got here.

#Christopher Pike x Reader #Christopher Pike x You #Captain Pike x Reader #fanfiction #star trek fanfiction #writings of the girl from outer space #Chanced

47 notes · View notes