round 1 JP Tr'Khellian & Dickens, Avandar: To be or not to be... That&

[TLea]

(( USS Avandar ))

IC:

:: With the leave over and the crew settling on their tasks Marcus sat in his family quarters looking at the box in front of him. He thought that it was a good time as any other to call the Lieutenant and have that talk. ::

Dickens: =/\= Dickens to tr'Khellian =/\=

tr'Khellian: =/\=How may I be of assistance Lt Cmdr?=/\=

Dickens: =/\=I’d like to have a talk with you when you have time for it. =/\=

tr’Khellian: =/\= My shift ends in 2 hours.=/\=

Dickens: =/\= Good for me, where do you want to meet?

tr'Khellian: =/\=How about the
Arbouretum by the roses near the gazebo.=/\=

Dickens: =/\= Good, see you there. =/\=

oOtr’Khellian: I wonder what shoe is about to drop?Oo

:: Closing the link he allowed him to let out a breath easing some of the tension he’d been accumulating. The arboretum could be a good place to have this kind of talk as it tends to be unused by most of the crew during the alpha shift so he took the box and moved to the arboretum::

(Later)

:: He was waiting for tr'Khellian on one of the benches they had installed there
when he saw the Intel officer entering the place. His stance showed lot of confidence, but some of the hand moves told him that the man was somehow looking up to the conversation. Intel officers tend to have this behaviour, wishing to know things before the others, to be proud to know things in advance. Obviously, he didn’t know what awaits him ::

oOtr’Khellian: 5 minutes early and he still beats me here.Oo

tr’Khellian: Lt Cmdr.....welcome back!

Dickens: tr'Khellian, glad to see you here. How’re you doing? You know, job and things like that?

tr'Khellian: Honestly I am enjoying myself immensely. Aside from this memento, and 10 extra years of mileage on my brain from my jaunt to Eden.....all-in-all....good.

Dickens: Let’s make a walk,... :: He stood and began walking with S’Lone to his side:: To speak honestly, I think this is the first time I step on the arboretum on this ship.

tr'Khellian: I like to come here to unwind. The smell of the roses is relaxing and intoxicating all at once.

Dickens: oO A sensitive comment... curious Oo Is this arm of yours giving you too much problem?

tr'Khellian: I’m at 2% with my right...no feeling in the arm and shoulder...slight tingle in the hand..maybe the wrist. Problem...I won’t be at the range firing a sniper rifle anytime soon, if ever.

Dickens: I know the feeling,... on your field of expertise you’re quite good and this situation must be a bit … bitter, to say the least.

tr’Khellian: Bitter....maybe..No not maybe...yes absolutely...I was fraking retarded. Like some motard gunbunny.

Dickens: :: He didn’t need his Betazoid sense to know he’s upset about what happened to him, however he
could sense a bit of that even as S’Lone tried to mask it. :: I think I’m not familiar with that term...

tr’Khellian: Motard...Marine slang for someone who is highly, yet stupidly motivated at all times. A Motard thinks themselves invulnerable.

Dickens: I don’t see you as a person that thinks he’s invulnerable. However, as other Intel people I’ve found, you think you have control in
most situations ‘cause you have a lot of data and knowledge about many things. But it seems that you’ve learned it before it’s too late. :: he looked around contemplating the different flowers and taking some good breath sensing the essence the flowers gave to that place. ::

tr’Khellian: It was a lesson...::quietly:: that I am soft and...

Dickens: Hah... :: he laughed lightly :: You and
soft on the same phrase? Why that?

tr’Khellian: I focused too hard to fight to incapacitate the Klingon Colonel...I almost died.

Dickens: Yes, you’re so committed to do what you thought must be done, but you’re still young... :: he was interrupted by tr'Khellian. ::

tr’Khellian: Young? I am 40 chrono, I have already had a 20 year career in the Marines before coming to Starfleet. It had nothing to do with age or experience.....I was just plain stupid.

Dickens: Oh,... you think so? Well in some sense and from a non marine point of view, probably, you could also add, high handed, pushy and overconfident.

tr'Khellian: Add arrogant and impulsive. ::with a slight smile::

Dickens: :: smiling back ::But I must confess you a thing...

tr'Khellian: Pray tell...

Dickens: I’ll be calm having you and T’Lea by my side in facing any enemy. You should have seen her...

tr'Khellian: Oh I can imagine...we had a close quarters sparring match a while back...


((FLASHBACK))

((Main Turbolift))

:: T'Lea glanced at his posture. He was tense. She noted the clenching of his fists and knew that she was getting to him. It gave her sick amount of pleasure, ruffling the Intel. Officer’s perfect feathers.::

T’Lea: You know, Rihannsu abhor half-breeds such as yourself. I’m surprised the Committee didn’t execute the Sector Commander sooner after bedding your mother. Tell me, was she his wife, or just another amton’wi-kha nvaihr?

::It took tr’Khellian less than a heartbeat to react. His body went completely still, then relaxed, followed by the almost flawless execution of a Krav Maga knifehand strike to T’Lea’s
throat.::

:: T’Lea probably deserved that, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. Barely able to even gasp her shock that he’d actually struck a superior officer, T’Lea staggered back against the turbolift wall, rear firmly planet against the surface as she bent forward, wheezing for air and clasping at her throat.::

T’Lea: Faelirh-…

:: Applying a lot of Vulcan discipline to control the pain in her throat, which quite frankly felt like she’d swallowed a two-by-four horizontally, T’Lea lifted her steely blue eyes to the man standing across from her. She wondered for a moment, what would Della say, and then bull rushed him into the opposite side of the lift, with her hand flat against his face to ensure that she violently bashed his head into the control panel, shattering the glass plating with the back of his skull.::

::S’Lone touched his torn scalp and came away with a wash of reddish-green blood which was quickly turning brown as the air oxidized it. Instinct kicks in and he begins a flurry of attacks… right hand spear strike to the solar plexis, followed by a right elbow to the chin, then blocking a return strike from T’Lea to the gut with a left arm block then executing a hammer strike to the side of her left kneecap.:

:: What *was* different about this quaint little scuffle was the raw strength he possessed. Sure he was a half-breed, but apparently he’d inherited his father’s physiology. It was kind of nice having someone
challenge her own physical superiority for change, she thought while feeling his nose break against her elbow. Nice, indeed.::

::S’Lone was impressed by the cunning tactics and flawless delivery used by T’Lea:: :Bnot too shbabby for a steet uuhrchin. ::Smiling while blood poured from his broken nose over his split lips and into his mouth.

T’Lea: ::smirking:: Brown blood? I knew you were full
of dren.

::Using the blood as lubrication S’Lone tears out of T’Lea’s headlock and counters by grabbing her head with both of his hands, leaps up a few feet in the air while simultaneously pulling her head down sharply to meet his rising knee hitting her in the mouth.:: :Booya. Payback is a biatch!

:: Lip split wide open, T’Lea felt the warm blood drip from her mouth and soak the front of
her uniform a dark shade of green. For the next little while the two Romulan hybrids went at each other like a couple of targs locked in a pit fight. Eventually their standing brawl hit the deck, where both exerted a huge amount of energy wrestling each other on the floor of the turbolift for the dominant position -- a position that would ultimately make the other submit, or pass out. Unfortunately, neither could gain the upper-hand.::

:: Bloodied, bruised, and probably broken in certain areas, T’Lea forcefully interjected her knee into the tender nether region of the Intelligence officer, which allowed her an escape hatch from his mounted position above her. And while he
withered in pain, she crawled over to her corner of the turbolift, unable to enjoy the look of discomfort on his face because the three cracked ribs in her side felt like shattered glass.::

S’Lone: You st-eye-k like a steet fight-ha. Impessive ::Words bubbling from swollen cracked bleeding lips::

:: Sat slumped and breathing heavily against the wall, T’Lea held her ribs, wincing with each
breath, until finally she spoke around the puffy battered lip she’d won.::

::Unconsciously brushing his black collar S’Lone tries to force air into his lungs while flexing his broken left arm.

T’Lea: Your grandfather… ::wincing as she shifted against the wall:: … you would do anything to get your revenge?

S'Lone quickly answering without hesitation: :YES...:::a few seconds pass then quietly:: :no, not anything.


((((Present)))))

Dickens: And you left in one piece? That should have been a must see situation.

tr’Khellian: It was...cathartic.

Dickens: oO Cathartic... Oo That’s what I mean being still young. You feel that you’re 40 or that you still can kick some twentiesh asses if needed?

tr'Khellian: I have the milage on my body of 40 years but due to my Romulan blood my physical body is similar to a 25 year old. Romulans live about twice as long as Terrans. My betazoid half..well you understand that as well. But back to your questions. The answer is yes to both.

Dickens: That’s why I’ve recovered this... :: taking out the box with the Purple heart ::

tr'Khellian: That? That is a Combat Inefficiency Badge.

Dickens: Well, I have one my self... and I don’t see myself as a combat unfit. In fact, you don’t know the half of me, ::Kelrod smiled at the back of his mind :: but I think that in your best shape, I could make you sweat for good. Why did you exactly throwed it?

tr’Khellian: The first one, when Blackwood died I was ok with....I did all i could... This one is just a reminder I am a [...]-poor ex-Marine. Now a [...]-poor gimp wannabe.

Dickens: Oh, that’s it... :: Blackwood memories came to Marcus when she was working with him. The pass of years, crew mates, ships didn’t make it easier when you lose someone that worked close to you. :: I see... Well, for being a [...]-poor gimp wannabe, you’ve made some impression in this crew senior staff. For example in Eden, you’ve
fought bravely, saved our lifes one time and another, even helped us in getting food ::trying to draw a smirk ::. Out of Eden, you’ve always get what we needed or at least part of it. Don’t you like the life you’ve had on the Avandar so far?

tr’Khellian: Life was simpler as a Master Gunnery Sergeant.

Dickens: Yes,... and mine was simpler as an ensign assigned to a lab. But if
we’re to live a simpler life, we’ll still be some kind of amoeba or bacteria. If you resign to improve yourself, your life will be easier, of course, but will it be worth living it?

tr'Khellian: Living?...I am committed..::long pause:: ..to living. I have been considering stepping down.

Dickens: oO Was he that depressed ? Oo If you step down, then what will be of all those years working
hard. Will they be a waste of time and resources? Think of all the people that you could help to be better or even to just live that will be wasted if you quit.

tr'Khellian: I am too quick to embrace violence. Too quick...::long pause:: ok..ok...you make sense.

Dickens: Yes, I do... It’s quite easy to go through that path... you feel the urge, the need to go this way. It’s kind of
intoxicating and everytime you use it it’s easier to do. So why to worry about other ways when that ends the issue?

tr’Khellian: Roger that.

Dickens: :: Kelrod’s experiences gave him a clear view of what S’Lone was feeling with that, so after hesitating a moment he put his hand on the man’s good shoulder:: I’ve felt the same way, I’ve dealt with it with my fencing and focusing on the
people under my command, both in Science as FO of the whole ship and now as Engineer. Maybe what you need is time to think of what you want to do with your life and if you want to control that violence in you instead of letting it control you in tense situations.

tr’Khellian: I received a request to take a brief leave of absence, a month tops. A buddy of mine wants to get my help running some NCOs through a modified SERE program. on Mars...I was hoping to at least provide my experiences..so I.... ::long pause:: so I... ::quietly:: don’t feel like a failure.

Dickens: Maybe I will help you better if you translate what SERE is? Remember, I’m a scientist, not an acronym translator... :: smiling ::

tr’Khellian: Oh sorry..it stands for Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape

Dickens: Survival, Evasion, Resistance and... Escape. Sounds like fun... and how much time travelling there doing and returning?

tr’Khellian: A month tops including transit time. But....I am torn...what do you think?

Dickens: ::He stops and began thinking for a few seconds before giving the man an answer. Marcus felt it was one of those time when words can make the difference not
just for this man, but for all the lifes that could be affected by him.:: Well, that depends. You could excuse yourself of that program,... I’m sure that buddy of yours will understand given your situation and will probably feel sorry for you. There could be other chances to help him... or maybe he’ll call the same person he calls due to your absence. Or you could still ask for that leave and if the captain accepts it, go there and teach them how to deal with adverse situations. You probably won’t be able to make rappel over a cliff, or mount a TR-116A rifle yourself, but you’re more than a mix of arms, legs and head to fight. Your own department regards on knowledge. You say you feel like a failure, but you just had a wound, a bad one, but hey :: raising his left hand he took the Purple heart with the right and CRUSHED the tiny box in his bionic hand :: You’re not the only one. Don’t you think that I hate every time I look at this ::
Opening his hand and letting the remainings of the box drop to the ground :: When I have to take it off for maintenance? or when I have to do a delicate experiment or now repair and I fear that the hand fails somehow and I screw it up? Or to not feel right like I did when I caress my wife?

tr'Khellian: You must hate it..the injury..the reminder..the folks responsible....

Dickens: No,... I don’t
hate it, ‘cause I’ve chosen not to. For some time I’ve considered resigning and even Vojana accepted the idea. After all Starfleet has given us many problems, some of them making her resign from Starfleet. But I won’t,... ‘Cause that’s the way I’ve decided to live and if some day I resign and look for another way of life it’ll be ‘cause I decide it and not ‘cause I’m forced to it by some circumstances that are hard to endure. There’s an old saying... What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.

:: He looked at the man as he processed the words he’d just told the man. Somehow he wasn’t sure if he’d said them for S’Lone or for himself after
seeing in the Intel officer a reflection of himself when his hand was crushed in a mission as FO. ::

Dickens: Anyway, don’t pay too much attention to what I say, … do what you feel you need to be good with you but don’t do things just because you think it’ll spare you of suffering or pain. Things you don’t deal with when needed, only gain strength over time.

tr'Khellian: Heavy
words...true words....

Dickens: :: Handing the man the Purple heart :: This is yours, wherever it ends, your quarters or the replicator, it’s up to you.

tr'Khellian: I will keep it...in fact as a reminder of our talk..I’ll keep it visible in my quarters so every morning when I get my espresso I will see it hanging next to my NCO sword.

Dickens: If it helps you to know what and where you want to be, It’ll be a good thing.

tr’Khellian: Thanks.. ::looking Dickens square in the eyes:: It helped me get my head on straight.

Dickens: I know we’re not the best friends of the ship, we’ve just worked together a few times and for personal reasons I don’t like Intel officers. However I see something different in you and that conversation proved to me that you’re worth the try.

:: They arrived in their walk to the entrance of the Arboretum and Marcus stopped turning to S’Lone::

Dickens: When you tell the captain, I’ll be sure she considers it.

tr’Khellian: Thank you. And Sir....May I get your help in conditioning for my trip to Mars? I could use a living opponent? And you need a break from hypo spanners and self sealing stem bolts

Dickens: Self sealin stem bolts.... I don’t think I’ll miss them. Count me in.

:: The duo split and Marcus felt somehow well with himself. Maybe he’d done something that really counts on that ship since he boarded it. ::

TBC:

JP by

Lt(jg) tr’Khellian
Intel Officer
USS Avandar


and

Lt. Cmdr. Marcus Dickens
Chief Engineering
USS AVANDAR
NCC-80203