Never too prepared

Posted on Tue Apr 6th, 2021 @ 10:47am by Commander Taeler Santu M.D. & Lieutenant Ausra Danton

Mission: By Artemis' Bow
Location: Science labs, Deck 4, USS Athena
Timeline: MD02 - 10:30 hours
1243 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure

Three crates stood up against the wall, their silvery metal protecting the sensitive scientific equipment held within. Several loose bags and small cylindrical containers stacked on top of them. Taeler looked down at her PaDD and then back up at the crates, "Are you sure we have everything here, Lieutenant?" She turned to try and find Danton who she had been helping getting ready for the rendezvous with the USS Cavelier. They had stocked up on more science equipment when the assignment had been handed to them, and the XO had been happy that they did since the Cavelier had sent back some additional requisition requests that they could cover with the supplies they had stocked up on.

"Hmm?" Ausra replied as she wiggled her fingers as if counting off an invisible list. "Oh I think so. Why? Am I missing something?" She asked nervously as she picked up the nearest PADD for the 200th time and starred at the contents. "I don't think I am."

"Well that's good at least," Santu gave a bit of a sigh, it was looking like an easy going assignment, which always triggered some of her paranoia. Back in the caves of her homeworld, there was never such a thing as an easy operation. Things always went sour, unforeseen circumstances always screwed up their best-laid plans, "anything else your department needs in regards to man-power or other resources? Did we prepare the duty rosters for our inter-ship efforts?"

"Oh yes, like a thousand more people and equipment for every one of them. But we can get by with what we have. One could spend a lifetime studying them and I'm almost sorry that I don't get to be that person," Ausra sighed. "Unless they turn out to be man eating or something and then someone else can take them and I'll have no regrets." She gave the commander a small smile. "This isn't like last time. I won't screw up."

"I never doubted that, Lieutenant," Santu turned to face Ausra, wondering if that was all she had been occupied with in her mind, "there's no shame in making mistakes, you know that right?" There were some situations where mistakes were more severe than others, "so long as we learn from our mistakes, they allow us to grow. We need to grow as people so that we can grow as a society."

Ausra nodded but let the subject drop. She supposed technically it hadn't been her fault but she'd blamed herself anyway because it had been her idea. "So yes, I think I'm ready for anything."

"Well that is good to hear, we'll probably be encountering things that we've never encountered before, you can never be too prepared," Santu remarked, giving a small nod in appreciation. It seemed like the scientist was truly in a bit of a bind over what happened to the ship as she tried to get all of them away from the clutches of the Breen aggressors, "I bet the nightmare space did quite a number on you." Her tone was more soothing now, a friendly voice trying to be there as support. On top of the actual nightmares Ausra was blaming herself for putting everyone through that. Now that seemed like a pervasive nightmare.

"Oh nothing I haven't faced before." Ausra answered honestly. "Just brought back old memories that's all. I put it back in the past where it will stay." She glanced up at the XO. She knew what had happened with her visions. "And you know . . . what we saw or did. It wasn't our faults."

"I'm well aware, probably more so than most," Taeler gave another comforting smile, hoping to convey the fact that she didn't hold it against anyone what happened, "I mean, I have an official report from the counsellor and the Captain to state that it was extenuating circumstances." She realised that she hadn't really bonded much with the senior officers while her job description actually required her to be close to them, even more so than the Captain, "Doesn't make it easier, knowing what I did. What could've happened."

"Well it didn't happen, that should bring some comfort. And I seriously doubt we will be in that position again, facing our worst fears." Ausra shrugged. "May I ask you something Commander?"

In Santu's experience nothing good came from questions that started with a prelude or a disclaimer, "by all means, Lieutenant, always." Even so there was never a situation where she would deny people the chance to ask questions and learn.

"Do you have family still living?" Ausra knew it was an odd question to ask but she had never heard anything about the Commander and didn't even know why she'd shot the Captain really but it had something to do with her past.

Santu nodded at that question, "Yeah, both parents still alive," there were times she blamed them for keeping their heads down during the occupation, not wanting to get involved in the resistance efforts. She understood that it was a way for them to survive. They had a very different experience from her during that whole part of their people's history and they didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things because of it, "Brother in the Marines, sister teaching kids back on Bajor." It made her wonder why Ausra was curious about that though, "why do you ask?"

"Just curious. I figured most people's visions were about their past and some maybe even about their family like mine was." She shrugged. "Not really any of my business, I know."

"Me and my family aren't very close," Santu admitted, "my visions were related to my time in a Cardassian prison camp." She felt her heartbeat raise but didn't want to show it to Ausra. She swallowed down a lump in her throat, "Kane appeared as the Gul. This was the first time I was facing that man with a phaser within reach."

"Ah, well that makes perfect sense." And since she had shared. "Mine was of my sister. She was injured in a horrible accident that I witnessed and this time I saw my whole family with the same gruesome injuries. As if they were coming after me, it was my fault."

"Oh," For a moment Santu didn't really know what to say to that, "that must've been really rough on you." She knew it was an understatement, a big one. Though it seemed like the Lieutenant was coping well, "the weirdest part was, even though you knew that rationally it couldn't be what you thought it would be, the fear was so strong. I couldn't overcome that."

"Yes," Ausra answered her. "We were definitely not in control of our emotions at that point. That will be part of the space we were in I expect." Then she gave a small shrug. "Oh well, that's something for some other scientist to explore."

Santu nodded, "We certainly have enough data to sort through, I'm sure the people at Daystrom were very pleased with our little accidental excursion." She signed off on the PADD with all of the supplies accounted for, "alright, everything seems to be here. Anything else you'd need?" it was clear that neither of them had a big inclination to go in-depth on their experiences in the nightmare realm.

"No." Ausra answered her. "No Commander, I think I'm good." Ausra gave her a small smile and turned back to her work.