Some Trouble on the Way

Posted on Sun Jan 19th, 2020 @ 10:16am by Commander Ichiko Gail & Lieutenant Nikki St. John
Edited on on Sun Jan 19th, 2020 @ 10:37am

Mission: Dead Moon
Location: Security Chief Office

With a confident stride and a strong cup of tea in hand, the highest ranking Daughter of Ts'usu made her way through the halls, a purpose in her motion. With an eerie calm she navigated the halls of the Astraea, as though she built the craft personally.

Three decks down, third hall, left, second right, expect patrol, next left.

Ichiko made her way into the security sector, the door recognizing her authority and opening without even hindering her stride. The crew on hand snapped to attention, which she relieved almost as soon as the motion started. "Be at ease." she simply said, and the room relaxed. The only thing that stopped her gait was the door to the Security Chief actual's office. This was a haven, and such deserved a touch of decorum. To such, she rang the announce chime.

"Enter," Nikki said. She looked up, saw the ship's first officer entering, and stood at once.

Ichiko entered, mindful of her ears sliding along the top of the doorway. She gave a glance over towards Nikki, a trick of the eyes of a Ts'usugi is that they had no shine to them. No reflected light. Just pools of color, deep and infinite.

"Be at ease." she offered, "I just wanted to stop in and see how things are progressing. An informal progress report, if you say. I haven't had the chance to fully meet you yet. My name is Ichiko Gail, I'm the Ship's Second."

"A pleasure. I'm Nikki St. John, ma'am," she answered quietly, "but you probably already know that. We've finished reviewing the logs and those members of the security team that were questionable have been referred to Lieutenant Styvek for evaluation. And ... we're making progress on that glitch. Should be fixed soon."

Ichiko gave a nod, "A pleasure to meet you properly. I must say your technique and your capacity to throw yourself into you task reminds me a bit of home. That's a compliment." she offered. "There's still so much different between the Federation and the Empire. It's good to hear that there are some similarities. Some familiar ground. Have you encountered any resistance from the crew? Not in the actual sense of rebellion, but more in the case of.... push back, to an unfamiliar face?"

"Thank you, Ma'am," Nikki said. She shifted slightly, one foot to the other, reluctance etched into her stance as she continued. "But as to your question, there's definitely been some ... resistance ... shall we say? Mostly from security who see me more as an interloper than relief."

"They see an unfamiliar face. They worry perhaps about the changing of protocol, the enforcement of rules previously relaxed?" Ichiko posited. "And, be at east. Speak freely. I will not step in or supersede you here. This is your home."

Nikki snorted, a bitter thing, as she listened. "Home," she said softly. "I'm not sure it can be, Ma'am. You know, I've been through difficult times. You could say I grew up in the midst of them," she said as she leaned against the edge of the desk, hands folded across her chest, as though offering herself a hug. "It's not easy to deal with failure especially when your job is the safety of the crew. So, I expected some push back and some aggression. I've done my best to contain my own reactions because I figure they're looking for an enemy they can fight." She sighed softly. "It is how it is."

"As someone who has to live with the memory of every one of her failures, every day, for the rest of her life... I can sympathize with you." Ichiko offered. "As for your thoughts on the matter, you may be right. An external threat is easy to deal with. We ponder such reactions daily. Who would win in a fight? Who would you take in a fight? Across the gulf of space, armed forces ask these questions to each other. An internal threat is something vastly different. Whether they see you as such, I can't say. If I do see it, I'll inform whoever of their error."

"As long as you're on my ship, you're part of the crew. That much I can promise you." a pause, "The rest, as they say, is up to you."

"Thank you but it's alright, you know. I don't crumble that easily. They need to get up off the mat and start being a security team again. If fighting with me gets them on the path, well, it's a start. Its not enough but its a start. To be good at the job you need to be able to put your feelings aside, live by a higher code so to speak. Anger and hostility toward whomever is in charge won't get the job done. And until they move past that, they aren't ready."

Ichiko gave a nod, "I like the method behind your motives, and I can certainly see the truth of them." a soft smirk appeared on her features, "Carry on then, Lieutenant. Keep us appraised if anything needs our attention, but otherwise you seem to have a handle on the moment." Ichiko said, before making motion to depart, "Have yourself a good evening."

"You too, Ma'am," Nikki said at once as the ghost of a smile softened her features. "I'll be sending a report on our status to you and Captain shortly."