Lt Commander Ava Munro - The Hubris of the Youth
Ava Munro
((Ready Room - Deck 1 - USS Artemis-A))
As Tho'Bi materialised in front of her desk she stood up, and he was still taller than her.
Munro: Nice of you to join us. I hope we didn't interrupt your excursion?
Tho'Bi: ::monotone:: No, Captain. I had finished assisting in the overhaul of ‘New Hope's’ bridge systems. It was an honor and privilege to learn more about their technology and to ::hesitates:: …make a difference. I am grateful to Dariell for asking me to help.
The monotonic voice was an interesting choice and yet again disrespectful. She crossed the desk and then leaned on the edge of it.
Munro: :: mock shock :: Ooh if Dariell asked you! Then of course we should delay an entire ship and hop over - on your own - to a politically volatile Cityship. It doesn't matter that it has the capability to mask lifesigns and block your communications and several of our crew were seriously hurt trying to stop a terroristic insurgency. Are you even aware of the implications of your actions, politically? More than that, how dangerous it was? :: gentler :: What's going on Tho'Bi?
Tho'Bi: ::quiet uneven tone:: I assumed Dariell's request had been …approved by command. It was …routed to my combadge, not my terminal. There was nothing to indicate it was a personal message.
Ava crossed her arms and watched as he shuffled his feet, not unlike a child caught stealing out the cookie jar. She raised her eyebrows to indicate that he should continue.
She was beginning to feel more and more like a mother than a superior officer. And she did not like that.
Tho'Bi: The request to beam over to the CityShip was …strange. I was uncomfortable with the location …but …I thought I was under orders, so …so I went.
Tho'Bi: Darriel wished to demonstrate their Passive Launch Shuttle ::unbidden smile:: It was… very cool.
Munro: Very cool :: nods :: This isn't the first time you've broken Starfleet Protocols. I read your file, you weren't on the ship five minutes before you went on a dalliance with an errant officer disregarding Starfleet Protocols. I'm beginning to see a pattern here?
Tho'Bi: I was mistaken in believing I was following orders. ::direct, simple:: I apologise, Captain. I should have confirmed the order.
Munro: You should have followed Starfleet Protocols, Ensign. What you did was put yourself in danger.
Tho'Bi: Permission to speak freely, Captain?
Ava let out a small frustrated sigh.
Munro: Against my better judgement, go on.
Tho'Bi: I was careful to make use of only Boraxian tools and …and all technology and technical knowledge was Boraxian. I may have unknowingly disobeyed your orders …but I …I knowingly honoured the spirit of them.
Ava's eyes widened.
Tho'Bi: The Boraxian ship was dangerous in its condition. Navigation, Warp Drive, Deflector Array, and Shields ::shakes head:: all dangerously out of alignment …not just to the Boraxians, but to other ships and space stations …and even planets.
The force of his tone was educational. People often let you see them for what they were if you let them talk. Tho'Bi indicated that he was acting against protocol unwittingly. She called that pulled the ensign card. It only worked for so long but most COs and XOs were willing to offer some grace.
He'd have done better to remain quiet. Because now, his words betray that he was doing it on some misguided saviour complex.
Tho'Bi: Don’t we have a moral duty …to …to ensure spacecraft we encounter are …are fit for purpose?
Munro: How dare you.
Tho'Bi: Response
Munro: That wasn't a question. You've had your chance to speak and with some hubris I might add. Now I want you to listen and if you need to take notes.
She grabbed a PADD from her desk and thrust it towards the engineer.
Munro: Please do because this is the last time you'll hear this. This is your last chance, Tho'Bi, I'm making that perfectly clear to you right now. You better listen carefully. You may not have used Starfleet technology. Let me ask you a question before I start: Did you not spend 4 years being trained at Starfleet Academy?
Tho'Bi: Response
Munro: While you were there you were taught by the brightest minds available to the United Federation of Planets, and by extension the galaxy. The sole purpose of that education was to shape and mould you. You could say - and note this down, it's important - that they crafted you into a Starfleet officer. Part of a larger whole :: serious :: When you put on that uniform you represent every single one of us, from Andoria to Tellar to the remote outposts of the Alpha Isles. When you step on this ship, you are just as a part of it as the bulk heads and the decking you walk on.
To emphasise her point she stood straight up and directly in front of Tho'Bi and stomped her right foot against the decking. She remained locked in front of him.
Tho'Bi: Response
Munro: The Boraxians were going to take care of their own, that was something I was very clear on. They are a wonderfully resilient, deeply cultured species and they had the tools to make it. They had agreed to provide the New Hope with the tools they required for survival and passage into Federation space, and accomodation, was granted while the asylum process was being considered - no one was leaving anyone to die, which was your implication. They were going to work together Tho'Bi for lasting peace. You put that in jeopardy on some misguided hero complex. The insinuation that myself and the rest of this crew failed our moral duty…
With a shake of her head and an incredulous chuckle she broke her laser focus to Tho'Bi, only to step a little closer again.
Munro: That's just disappointing more than anything else. I had a weapon pointed at my head, Tho'Bi. I could feel the metal on my skin. Your crew mates ran into a blaze, they didn't know what they were going into or what was going to happen but they still did it. For you to question our morals, especially when it's so far off base it may as well be on Vulcan, is only a showcase of your lack of judgment.
Ava stepped backwards and twisted to gather another PADD from her desk and this time ensured that the ensign took it.
Munro: You are to report to Lt. K'Wara for a series of retrains. They will be acting both on behalf of Artemis operations and in their authority as a Starfleet Academy instructor :: sighs in disappointment :: Ensign Tho'Bi, I wish you could see the potential I see in you. It's there but you just need to step out of your own way. Life doesn't need to be this hard, it doesn't. We are not your enemy. You're dismissed.
She waved her hand to physically dismiss the Ensign, as she had no interest in any more words from him - mainly for fear that he'd say something that would force her hand.
As he left the Ready Room she had to exhale a breath and placed both hands on the sides of her head, her fingers intertwined into her blond hair pulling out the neat style.
Ava caught a glimpse of herself in the reflection of the Ready Room window. She shook her hair loose and the natural curls fell around her face. She looked tired, the events of the mission still haunted her and there was the question … the same old question … Did we do enough?
Tags/End Scene for Ava Munro
Acting Commanding Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240004LL2