Lt. JG. Vhysa'lia - Actually Let Me Take This L And Get Back To You About It Later
Lich
(( Holodeck 3 – Deck 3, USS Artemis-A ))
Standing in a recreation of the Mess Hall, Vhysa’lia had raised her phaser, and fired on representations of crewmates. The whole situation felt awkward to them, and their aim had suffered greatly, a far cry from the accuracy they’d had with the impersonal, immobile dots of the previous simulation.
Vhysa’lia: Firing on people in the mess hall. It just feels wrong…?
Storm: It does, doesn’t it?
Vhysa’lia: So, did I pass…? ::uneasy laugh:: I think the whole premise threw me off.
Lt. Storm sat down at one of the empty mess hall tables, one of the ones that had remained empty the entire time, rather than been vacated by phaser fire.
Storm: Join me Lieutenant. ::Gesturing to the seat opposite her. Alex crossed her legs under the table and waited for counterpart to sit.::
With a nod, Vhysa’lia lowered her holographic phaser, dropping it on the table, before sliding into a chair opposite Lt. Storm. There was some lesson that they were missing, presumably.
Vhysa’lia: Of course. Sir.
Storm: So what about the premise threw you off?
An uneasy smile graced Vhysa’lia’s lips, as she tried to fall back into that easy “nothing bothers me” mode, and put the simulation behind her. It was hard to do, surrounded by the same locale still, feeling the weight of it on their shoulders still.
Vhysa’lia: Firing on my colleagues, my friends. It isn’t right, and it frankly makes me feel like some sort of traitor. They’re supposed to trust me, and I them.
It brought back some memories of Frontier Day, if they were being honest. She hadn’t thought it had impacted her as much, but clearly there was still some residual stress that hid underneath, even if the Borg hadn’t been people she knew. All the same, it was shipmates turning on shipmates, and that was just something the Kobali didn’t do (nor humans, she presumed, at least under normal circumstances). You weren’t supposed to fight with the people you lived with, not when everyone was dependent on each other, stuck on a ship, breathing the same recycled air. Fighting your shipmates was the recipe for a quick, embarrassing death, and with that, a blow to the Kobali people’s overall survival. They couldn’t risk it.
Storm: Exactly! You knew these people. Or you think you did.
Vhysa’lia: Yes, I’ve lived with these people for almost a year now or so. I… can’t see myself firing on them.
Storm: Have you ever considered that your crewmates and friends could be taken over - either by illness, or by mind control or by means of replication - that they may not be your crewmates? And in a case like that if you determine that they are not who they say they are - shooting them - in most cases on stun - is the right thing to do.
Obviously, she was right, there were times that called on officers to fire upon their crews, but that didn’t mean that Vhysa’lia had to like those times.
Vhysa’lia: That makes sense, sir. It just still… ::shudders, smile faltering:: I can’t imagine being able to do that properly.
Storm: Response
They shrugged slightly.
Vhysa’lia: I guess that’s what the security officers are for. ::light laugh:: Unless they were the ones who had their minds taken over… then we’re really out of luck.
Storm: Response
Vhysa’lia: I presume, though, that this means I haven’t passed the phaser certification? ::pusing the phaser away from her on the table, making a little bit of a face:: I certainly don’t have it in me for more target practice today, on friendly faces or otherwise.
Not that failing was going to set them back too much. It just meant more annoying messages from the ship to her PADD telling her to get this done, eventually. This could wait, at least another day.
Storm: Response
Vhysa’lia: Perhaps when we both have the chance to breathe next, I’ll try again, if you’re willing to proctor? I promise I’ll work on my reluctance to fire in the Mess Hall before then. ::pause, then a wink:: In the holodeck, of course.
Storm: Response
With a little bow, Vhysa’lia left the holodeck, heading back to her quarters. She still couldn’t shake the unease that lay on top of her like a blanket, weighing her down. Shooting on allies, even if they weren’t “allies” at that point… it wasn’t anything they had been prepared to do.
Tags/End Scene for Vhysa’lia! :)