Lieutenant JG Meris: [End Act] End Program
Meris/Brian
((Cargo Hold of the Piraterrorist ship Fortuna, Holosuite 1, Deck 5, USS Thor))
Meris watched control slip into chaos and then, almost instinctively, chose to lean into it rather than resist, turning a mistake into a tactic that shifted the balance in their favor. What should have been a failure became an opportunity, and in that moment they saw how quickly order could be rebuilt from disorder if one was willing to act without hesitation. There was a strange satisfaction in watching the threat scatter, proof that even an unstable system could be bent toward a desired outcome. Still, as the noise faded and the doors sealed, Meris could not ignore the quiet thought that they were succeeding not because the simulation made sense, but because they had stopped expecting it to.
The Mission Specialist then closed and locked the cargo bay doors again, sealing them from the lingering echoes of chaos. The sudden quiet felt almost unnatural by comparison, broken only by the faint hum of the foreign ship and the occasional distant sounds of the transporter cycles completing their work.
Kreshkova: Ve should stay here until all zhe animals haf been beamed back.
Promontory: Works for me.
Meris: That would be wise.
Meris lowered their phaser and slipped it back into their pocket. Their posture relaxed and their gaze moved briefly across the now-empty cages.
Their Science Officer then appeared to busy himself with his data PADD again, tapping his foot with a rhythm that suggested impatience rather than anxiety.
oO More Proctor business, no doubt. Oo
Kreshkova: Oh, please don’t tell me it’s going to whisk us avay to anyplace else. Or vorse... leave us here.
Meris: The Commander is right. I am not certain which of those outcomes would be worse.
Meris shifted their weight slightly, the adrenaline beginning to ebb and leaving behind a more contemplative unease. These scenarios had long since stopped behaving like structured training exercises and had instead become something far less predictable.
oO Command training appears to involve a concerning amount of improvisation, environmental instability, and unsolicited wildlife interaction. I will endeavor to avoid future participation. Oo
Promontory: Commander, ready to call it a day and end this program?
Kreshkova: Maaaybe?
Promontory: Good enough for me!
Meris: I am certainly ready if that tips the scales at all...
Kreshkova: Response.
One final alert pinged from Promontory's data PADD, and Meris found themself watching with quiet anticipation, as though expecting the program to resist even this final step. Instead, the world around them dissolved, the cargo hold giving way to the familiar gold and black grid of the holosuite as the arch shimmered into existence a few feet away.
Meris exhaled slowly, tension leaving their shoulders as reality reasserted itself in clean, predictable geometry. They took a few steps toward the arch, glancing once over their shoulder to confirm that no final surprise awaited them.
Meris: I believe I would like a shower... and possibly a very strong cup of coffee. In that order.
oO Preferably without either attempting to escape containment. Oo
They came to a stop near the arch, posture easing but not fully relaxing, waiting with practiced discipline rather than assumption as the door slid open to reveal a corridor of the Thor beyond.
Meris: That is... assuming we're dismissed, Captain Kreshkova?
Kreshkova: Response.
((Tags/End Scene for Meris))
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Lieutenant JG Meris
Helmsperson
USS Thor
A240207M14