PNPC Ens. Imogen Lacy — Together
Nolen Hobart
((Arboretum, Deep Space 33))
Word of Arrow's post-mission ceremonies reached Ginny's ears pretty early on. She knew it was coming, even before they'd made their way towards the Emisa system. She had plenty of time to think of an excuse to be elsewhere when it rolled around, and she'd thought of plenty of excuses. There were supplemental, remote training courses she could have enrolled in. There was always maintenance to be done. She wasn't one to feign illness, but perhaps there were volunteer vaccine trials she could take part in, and contribute to the development of a cure for some debilitating illness that might incapacitate her for a solid six hour block.
None of which would be to say that she was uninterested in the proceeding or the party. She imagined in the right company, she might have a great time. But after a little probing, she discovered that she wouldn't be able to simply shadow her fellow engineers, that the social dynamics of the event were inevitably a chaos wrangled by a Captain and his proceduralized praise. Even among her absurdly high-achieving peers at the Academy, "mingling" was never her strong suit. Too serious, too focused. Too busy.
The universe, in any event, had different plans. A microbe had been supposedly detected by Deep Space 33's scanners that required the complete disembarkation of the little Saber-class starship. She was skeptical; their internal scanners were properly calibrated and up to date. She'd done the maintenance herself. But orders were orders. She obeyed and she attended.
As she stood at the periphery of the gathering, eyeing a tray of lemon squares that seemed to look progressively more delicious as the event carried on, her thoughts turned to her brother. With rumors of war swirling, she wondered whether she'd ever see him again. She wondered, after Libris, whether she'd ever see him again, even if they were to meet. The war-game-gone-wrong had been nearly bloodless for the Arrow, but it resulted in the deaths of one Starfleet officer and a number of cadets, and the complete breaking of her brother's mind.
Such was the state of Ginny's head when the truly unexpected happened.
Shayne: Ensign Lacy! Step forward!
Instinctively she took one step forward, and stood not quite at attention, but very awkwardly. The room fell as silent as the grave, but for a cough or two. Her eyes searched the room, almost in a panic, as the room's eyes searched for her. She stood there for several hours, to her perception, and to her eventual recollection, but it was probably hardly a second to anyone else.
To say she was nervous was an understatement, she was terrified. It was an awards ceremony, so it was unlikely the Captain intended to embarrass her in front of the crew. Then again, he'd put her under 24 hour guard and lodged her with the enlisted (the fact that she bunked with a Warrant Officer was some consolation) so it was hard to say. The Captain, from all she knew of him, could be fickle.
((Flashback, Primary Computer Core (inverted), USS Libris, Stardate 240004.23))
Dewitt: =/\= Ginny, the ship is a wreck. We don't know how damaged the computer systems are. This can become ugly quickly. Shut down automation systems, and we will fix up the ship to repeat the war game. You can still prove the Libris' worth. =/\=
Both Ginny and the Libris monitored Lieutenant Dewitt's actions on the other terminal, one with hostility, and the other impassively. Through her interface, Ginny swatted him away as one might a wasp at a picnic.
She reviewed the sensor logs leading up to the attack. She saw the tracking of the dummy torpedos, she saw them land. She saw the Arrow list, and saw real plasma. A clever gambit, if a bit outside the rules. A gray area, perhaps, like her brother's surprise attack.
oO Turnabout is fair play, I suppose. Oo
She saw some kind of signal in the plasma, and shook her head. Even if they hadn't snuck something in, her brother and that idiot Captain were fools to dive in. And then... something? A chain reaction of some kind. From the mess of data, Ginny pulled out one consistent theme: judgment clouded by ambition and ego, on both ships. She wrinkled her nose at the arrogance of it. It was everything she hated about the status quo, on as small a scale as the vastness of space allowed.
Ginny: =/\= The ship is a wreck for the moment, Lieutenant. And with multiple dead cadets, not to mention a dead Captain, there will be no second chance. Starfleet didn't want this project to begin with; they will bury us. This is the only chance we have. I have assumed command, I am in direct communication with the ship, and I won't let you squander it. =/\=
Weapons were back online, but even short-range sensors were not yet functional. The ship had only its proximity sensors to go along, and those were blaring. One of the nacelles seemed totally destroyed, and alarms were blaring about a near collision in that vicinity. The Libris asked for full power to weapons, but Ginny wasn't going to let them be disqualified.
Ginny: ::muttering:: No excuses.
((End Flashback))
One year ago, the Captain had been her mock adversary. His volatility, his impishness had deadly effect. It would have only borne deadly risk, but for her brother's and Captain Daniels's cockiness. She knew that now. Knew it then, too. Catastrophes throughout history were typically the result of multiple independent failures. Despite every organization's urge to identify and punish a scapegoat, it was never a truly satisfying endeavor. Because the fact of the matter was, the larger the organization, the more complicated the process, the greater the opportunities for failure.
But a single point of failure is not enough to lead to a catastrophic outcome. The Libris was no more the fault of Captain Shayne's liberal interpretation of the wargaming rules than it was the fault of Captain Daniels's overconfidence, or Ginny's own devotion to her zealous reformation of Starfleet. And no less.
((Begin Flashback, Gymnasium, USS Arrow, Stardate 240012.23))
Waters: We would all like to believe it is that simple. You say you distrust this crew, but this crew is not what it was when you were last aboard. Commander Niac, for instance, is no longer the Arrow’s first officer. He commands a vessel of his own. And I’m sure there are those serving aboard who felt just as powerless as you. Just as there are those aboard who had nothing to do with what happened. Do they deserve your distrust for simply being present?
Ginny hesitated as she took stock of her feelings on the matter. The wound was still raw, and this senior officer was prodding around in it.
Lacy: And so, you believe I should trust them, ma'am?
Chloe regarded the tormented woman in silence for a long moment. The harder she looked, the more of herself she saw in Lacy. She didn’t like the mirror that Lacy was holding up, even though she was completely unaware that was the role she was playing.
Chloe shook her head, for more than one reason.
Waters: oO That used to be me. Oo
She took two steps closer to Lacy, her expression calm. Where before she had seemed distant and neutral, her face warmed, ever so slightly, out of a sense of growing empathy.
Waters: No, Gen. I believe you should get to know them. What happened in the past may influence our future, but it does not have to control it.
Lacy: I should just set it aside, and move on, then? Six of my friends are dead. My brother is… he's not my brother anymore.
She felt a stinging in her eyes and a gnawing at her throat. Blinking away the tears, she turned her head away to compose herself. Waters was reaching out, trying to connect. It was noble. But, somewhere between the pain and anger, Ginny couldn't find a way to let the woman in.
Chloe saw the rapid blinking, but pretended not to notice. As hard as it might be for the other officers aboard the Arrow, it was clearly even harder for this fresh Ensign. Being placed in this position was a cruel trick played by the universe, and her reaction was understandable to an extent. So, politely, Chloe acted as if she didn’t notice the tears. She gave Lacy a moment, and only spoke once she was looking back at her.
Waters: It is possible to honour those you care about whom have been lost, while continuing on with your own life.
Lacy: But what would it say about me? What kind of horrible person would I be, if I just left them all behind?
Waters: It would show the impact they’ve had on you.
Ginny wondered if anyone else could hear him, his voice was so low. An ungenerous interpretation might be that he did not want to lose favor with a crew who disliked her. A more generous interpretation, the one she longed to be true, was that it spoke of his sincerity, and their peculiar relationship.
Lacy: ::clearing throat:: Thank you, sir. ::taking the box:: Success or failure, together.
NT/End for Lacy
———
Ensign Imogen "Ginny" Lacy
Engineering Officer
USS Arrow (NCC-69829)
as simmed by
Lt. Commander Nolen Hobart
First Officer
USS Arrow (NCC-69829)
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