Ensign Mi'shune sh'Sonora - Confession of a Glory Hound
d.reinhart
What came to mind with the young Andorian ensign was the image of two Capricalians, floating in space next to their ruined runabout, dead from execution wounds, and the emotions that came over her. Shock, then anger, then a cold resolve to end the threat.
No doubt it colored her decision making process.
sh’Sonora: Especially for a first mission. But you know what really bothered me? It’s that I may not have a Starfleet attitude about it.
She paused to accept her order from the waiter, trying the Dirty Rakdejino Chai, savoring its spiciness as it hit her olfactory senses.
sh’Sonora: I mean, we’re taught to stay our hand, to show compassion, and always find a peaceful solution. At least, that’s what’s taught in the textbooks. And some of our older professors held that ‘60s and ‘70s attitude. Yet I was taught by Dominion War veterans, and they have a more… cynical edge. Frell, my generation has that cynicism. As a kid I hear about the Borg Invasion, the Romulan collapse, how the universe has turned into such a dangerous place. And our newer instructors know that. They taught us not to frell around, don’t give the universe a chance to be a danger, beat them before they beat you. And I saw that contrast, in myself, versus the views of Lieutenant Willow. And in retrospect… It's frightening. I found her views and methods to be too soft, but is that true, or am I being too willing to be hard, to be violent? Sir, I’m not sure.
Foster: What if both are true? :he offered evenly.:: She is known for and has been praised for her diplomatic approach and ability to solve problems without violence or with limited violence. But this universe also needs protectors. People willing to take action when lives are threatened even when others hesitate.
The idea of being a protector appealed to Mi’shune since seeing her first flatvids. For as long as she remembered she wanted to fight righteously and save the day. More than once such an attitude has clashed with her more practical minded family, dismissing her desires as mere fantasy and redirecting her energies towards activities more amiable to her clan’s interests.
In retrospect, she was starting to see why. Heroes didn’t save the day and get accolades. They usually died.
So why was that naive attitude still persistent in her own personality, ignoring the cynical assessments of the cruel, uncaring universe and treating it academically?
Was she a glory hound?
All she knew was it nearly got her team killed and it gnawed at her.
She didn’t need words to convey how she felt. Confused, her antennae wriggled with uncertainty.
He tipped both antenna towards her.
Foster: In the end we need both. The person who counsels peace and diplomacy is a necessary voice of calm in a tempest. But the person who counsels immediate action because something precious is threatened is also a necessary bulwark against inaction and may be the vanguard that saves lives.
Mi’shune was reminded of another academy exercise, a simulation of the Romulan incursion back on stardate 1709.2. The catch was instead of the famous Captain James T. Kirk leading the USS Enterprise, their academy professor of diplomacy swapped him out with Captain Christopher Pike, the Enterprise’s previous CO.
What she thought was a lesson in diplomacy from the more level-headed, yet less aggressive Captain played out into a total disaster, sparking a second war between the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire. Then, as Starfleet and the Romulan fleet were about to fire off the first shots of the war, her diplomacy professor paused the scenario to lecture about the limits of diplomatic resolution.
Sometimes, the professor admitted, words weren’t enough, as a situation degenerated so rapidly that only violence had a hope of shocking the opposition back to the negotiations table.
sh’Sonora: A time and place for everything, it seems.
Foster took another drink of his eat, leaving Mi’shune conscious of the hot-spicy brew. Feeling the urge to sample it again, she took a drink, finding it inviting and warm.
Foster: I admit I have had the same conversations in the medical field. You need the soft, sweet pacifist that will tend your wounds and your soul, keeping you calm when you need it the most. But you also need the field medic, willing to take a phaser and a triage kit into a hostile zone and take down an enemy to save a fallen crewmate. Just because you and Willow are wildly different does not make one of you more or less valid than the other.
sh’Sonora: I know… it’s that I feel like I haven’t found that proper balance, you know? Last mission, my overeagerness and… let’s not soften it here, my cockiness, nearly got us all killed.
Foster: ?
sh’Sonora: I mean, did it really have to be me that took those pirates down? We could have walked away, let Narendra and the locals know, and call it a day. But frell… seeing the dead float in front of me, I just… I couldn’t look away, you know? It’s a hard desire to fight.
A thought popped up in her head, she immediately voiced it.
sh’Sonora: If not me, then who?
Foster: ?
Ensign Mi’shune sh’Sonora
Helm Officer
Starbase 118 - Ops Department
O240208MS1