Oh, No, Not Another Mutiny!
Disclaimer: If you believe that I own Star Trek, I have a bridge to sell you. *************************************** Chapter 2: Dissention
By now the usual breakfast crowd was in. Neelix, ever his friendly self, had all but forgotten the unpleasant incident that had happened just a couple of hours ago. He mingled through the mess hall, greeting everyone. While many were often mildly annoyed by Neelix's overly amiable attitude, people today were downright stuffy. Not rude, really, more like they were. . . . paranoid. Strange. He moved his way over to Lieutenant Torres. She had just gotten back from her honeymoon on the moon of Vega, she should be in a good enough mood. "Good morning, Lieutenant! How are you doing this morning."
She jumped, then a look of disgust crossed her face. Then again that was slightly normal for her. Then she just sighed, that familiar vulnerability popping up. "Well, I just got off the night shift, eight hours of listening to Vorik being 'logical.' But other than that I guess I'm fine."
"Well, I'm glad to hear it!" He took a seat, uninvited. The look on her face clearly showed that she considered him uninvited. "So, do you have any holopictures of the moon of Vega? From what I hear, it's very beautiful."
She seemed puzzled, somewhat dreamy. "No."
Neelix could see that, not only did she not want to talk, but she wasn't really all there either. Probably very tired. Who could blame her? Eight hours! And with Vorik, no less. Even Neelix, friend to all, was slightly put off by the younger Vulcan.
He spotted Ensign Kim (one of the crew who seemed to truly like many of his recipies) sitting across the room from B'Elanna. Strange. They usually sat together. "Hello there, Ensign! How are you this morning?" Harry smiled a little. That was something, anyway. "Beautiful view, isn't it?"
Harry had the same spaced look as B'Elanna. "Yeah, sure is."
"You sure aren't eating your eggs very well. I was sure you liked that recipe." in truth, Neelix knew Harry hated it."
There was a slightly glazed look on Harry's face. "Yes, I do."
Neelix hesitated. "Did you notice Lieutenant Torres is over there? Looks like she could use some company. I bet she would love to talk with you." He straightened, smiling slyly. "Say, you look like you could use a friend to talk to yourself. You know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and everything important should be shared with friends."
Harry raised an eyebrow, not unlike Seven of Nine. "Excuse me, Neelix. I think I'll be going."
*************************************
"I am annoyed, Doctor."
"Well, it's nice to see you, too, Seven."
He ran a scan as she spoke. "You have been teaching me to explore my emotions. At the moment, I am experiencing annoyance. I am expressing my emotions, as you taught me."
The Doctor frowned. "Have I also explained to you the concept of tact?"
"You, Doctor, are hardly one to be talking." An undetectable smile crossed Seven's face. The Doctor had succeeded in teaching her humor, anyway.
The Doctor snorted, still scanning. "Fit as the proverbial fiddle," he informed her. "Any problems to report?"
"Only boredom. These scans are futile. I am perfectly well maintained. As you said, I am a 'fiddle.'"
"Indeed you are. But what I meant was is the nebula effecting your cortical implants?"
"No. It has had no discernable effect on me whatsoever."
"Good, glad to hear it. Well, if you run into anything unusual, stop by." He went on, somewhat hopelessly. "Or you could just come visit."
Her eyebrow raised. "Perhaps."
The Doctor sighed as she left. Sheesh, did he feel like an idiot.
******************************************* On the bridge, Captain Janeway stared out at the nebula. Just because she was stranded in the middle of nowhere, and responsible for the lives of over one hundred people, and under constant stress didn't mean she couldn't appreciate simple beauty. At the helm of her starship, she gazed at the shifting, colorful nebula ahead of her. Commander Chakotay was off duty at the moment. Commander Tuvok was at his post, as were Paris and Kim.
Paris spoke up. "Um, Captain, I know that it's really none of my business, but what happened with Ensign Redding? Was he up to something we should worry about?"
The Captain looked perplexed.. "Ensign Redding? What about him?"
"This morning, Chakotay sent Ensign Redding to your ready room. He got in trouble for fighting in the corridor."
"Fighting?" The Captain frowned. "Well, you're right, it isn't any of your business, but in this case I'm glad you brought it up. No one's been to my ready room, I was there all morning." She turned to Tuvok and gestured. "You have the bridge." He nodded understanding. She tapped her combadge before she was out of the room. "Ensign Redding, report to my ready room immediately."
"Yes, Ma'am."
******************************
"What's this I hear about you fighting in the corridors?" Calm rage was etched across her face."
Redding swallowed, terrified. The commander had given him strict orders to not tell the captain, orders that overruled the demand that he go to the ready room, something he had said for the audience's sake. What could he tell? How angry would the commander be? How much would the Captain suspect. Surely she knew that they were up to something.
The Captain did indeed know that, or rather, suspected it. She had noticed some strange behavior. It was those awful Maquis. She was beginning to think she'd been crazy to trust them. She hadn't really had a choice, there were enough of them to overtake the ship if she didn't appease them, make them feel welcome. Now she began to wonder if she had done the right thing. Her memories blurred, and all she could think about was her mistrust of the Maquis. She was sure that that had something to do with this brawl. "So, you want to tell me what this fight was about?"
"Ma'am, Ensign Parker accused me of being a traitor."
"And you think that gives you the right to beat him? In case you haven't noticed, Ensign, that is not how we resolve our conflicts here."
Redding stuttered. "But Parker, Ma'am"
"Will be dealt with later. Right now, we're focusing on your problem. What makes you think you have the right to beat someone for saying something you find offensive? Do you really think that's a productive way to deal with things? Do you think that's how were supposed to fix all our problems? Beat them away?" Her voice was still low, but Redding could hear the fury. He consoled himself by noticing that she seemed to think that it was just the action of a hot tempered individual, not a sign of an uprising. As long as she didn't suspect the truth, he could deal with the consequences, no matter how severe.
The question he didn't want to hear was coming. "And another thing." He winced. "Why didn't you come to me when Commander Chakotay ordered you?"
"I'm sorry Ma'am. I have no excuse."
"You deliberately disobeyed the Commander. Funny. You had no trouble following his orders when you were in the Maquis." There was a definite pique in her voice.
"He gritted his teeth. "Please consider it a one time mistake. I won't be making it again."
"Indeed. Consider your holodeck privileges suspended indefinitely. For the next three days, you are confined to quarters. That should give you some time to think about your actions."
"Yes, Ma'am." Security escorted him out.
When he was gone, she tapped her combadge again. "Ensign Parker, my ready room, now."
******************************
The Doctor was starting to understand Seven's feelings during her examination. Torres was now checking on his subroutines, making sure he was working properly. and her bedside manner was disastrous. Poor Mr. Paris, he mused. He considered telling her the joke, but judging by the look on her face, she might delete his head matrix if he dared. So he made an attempt at friendly chatter. "So how are you today, Lieutenant?"
"Horrible. I've been putting up with Starfleet know - it - alls all day."
The Doctor was shocked by her attitude. He knew B'Elanna tended to be a little. . . temperamental, but she hadn't been prejudiced against Starfleet officers for several years now. She considered herself one of them, and they, her. She was married to one for goodness sakes! The only time she ever used the word 'Starfleet' that way was referring to Harry, and that was just a joke between two friends, never insulting. The Doctor risked a minor comment. "Oh? Have you been having trouble with Starfleet officers."
She suddenly looked very suspicious. "No." She tried to relax a little. "No more than usual. People get on my nerves sometimes, that's all." The Doctor decided not to comment. "By the way, Doctor, who all has been in to see you lately."
The Doctor thought for a moment. "Well, Miss Wildman had an ear infection a couple days ago, but other than that. . ."
B'Elanna seemed interested. "What did you talk about. How is she, I mean?"
"Aside from the earache, she seemed fine to me." He rolled his eyes. "Apparently Flotter is doing well, also."
B'Elanna's relief was barely noticeable, but the Doctor had good senses. He could tell. Strange. "So, Lieutenant, do I have a clean bill of health?"
"What? Oh, you're fine." She turned to leave. "Computer, shut down EMH." But her back was turned, and she did not see that the Doctor was still there, looking very confused. He had been given the right to shut down his own program years ago. Why in space would she give the computer that command? It was as if she'd forgotten that he had been given the rights of a crewmember. How rude! He pondered this change in behavior for several minutes after she left.
****************************************************
Hmmm. What's going on on this weird ship? Who knows? Oh, wait, I know. But I'm not telling. Muahahahahaha!
Disclaimer: If you believe that I own Star Trek, I have a bridge to sell you. *************************************** Chapter 2: Dissention
By now the usual breakfast crowd was in. Neelix, ever his friendly self, had all but forgotten the unpleasant incident that had happened just a couple of hours ago. He mingled through the mess hall, greeting everyone. While many were often mildly annoyed by Neelix's overly amiable attitude, people today were downright stuffy. Not rude, really, more like they were. . . . paranoid. Strange. He moved his way over to Lieutenant Torres. She had just gotten back from her honeymoon on the moon of Vega, she should be in a good enough mood. "Good morning, Lieutenant! How are you doing this morning."
She jumped, then a look of disgust crossed her face. Then again that was slightly normal for her. Then she just sighed, that familiar vulnerability popping up. "Well, I just got off the night shift, eight hours of listening to Vorik being 'logical.' But other than that I guess I'm fine."
"Well, I'm glad to hear it!" He took a seat, uninvited. The look on her face clearly showed that she considered him uninvited. "So, do you have any holopictures of the moon of Vega? From what I hear, it's very beautiful."
She seemed puzzled, somewhat dreamy. "No."
Neelix could see that, not only did she not want to talk, but she wasn't really all there either. Probably very tired. Who could blame her? Eight hours! And with Vorik, no less. Even Neelix, friend to all, was slightly put off by the younger Vulcan.
He spotted Ensign Kim (one of the crew who seemed to truly like many of his recipies) sitting across the room from B'Elanna. Strange. They usually sat together. "Hello there, Ensign! How are you this morning?" Harry smiled a little. That was something, anyway. "Beautiful view, isn't it?"
Harry had the same spaced look as B'Elanna. "Yeah, sure is."
"You sure aren't eating your eggs very well. I was sure you liked that recipe." in truth, Neelix knew Harry hated it."
There was a slightly glazed look on Harry's face. "Yes, I do."
Neelix hesitated. "Did you notice Lieutenant Torres is over there? Looks like she could use some company. I bet she would love to talk with you." He straightened, smiling slyly. "Say, you look like you could use a friend to talk to yourself. You know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and everything important should be shared with friends."
Harry raised an eyebrow, not unlike Seven of Nine. "Excuse me, Neelix. I think I'll be going."
*************************************
"I am annoyed, Doctor."
"Well, it's nice to see you, too, Seven."
He ran a scan as she spoke. "You have been teaching me to explore my emotions. At the moment, I am experiencing annoyance. I am expressing my emotions, as you taught me."
The Doctor frowned. "Have I also explained to you the concept of tact?"
"You, Doctor, are hardly one to be talking." An undetectable smile crossed Seven's face. The Doctor had succeeded in teaching her humor, anyway.
The Doctor snorted, still scanning. "Fit as the proverbial fiddle," he informed her. "Any problems to report?"
"Only boredom. These scans are futile. I am perfectly well maintained. As you said, I am a 'fiddle.'"
"Indeed you are. But what I meant was is the nebula effecting your cortical implants?"
"No. It has had no discernable effect on me whatsoever."
"Good, glad to hear it. Well, if you run into anything unusual, stop by." He went on, somewhat hopelessly. "Or you could just come visit."
Her eyebrow raised. "Perhaps."
The Doctor sighed as she left. Sheesh, did he feel like an idiot.
******************************************* On the bridge, Captain Janeway stared out at the nebula. Just because she was stranded in the middle of nowhere, and responsible for the lives of over one hundred people, and under constant stress didn't mean she couldn't appreciate simple beauty. At the helm of her starship, she gazed at the shifting, colorful nebula ahead of her. Commander Chakotay was off duty at the moment. Commander Tuvok was at his post, as were Paris and Kim.
Paris spoke up. "Um, Captain, I know that it's really none of my business, but what happened with Ensign Redding? Was he up to something we should worry about?"
The Captain looked perplexed.. "Ensign Redding? What about him?"
"This morning, Chakotay sent Ensign Redding to your ready room. He got in trouble for fighting in the corridor."
"Fighting?" The Captain frowned. "Well, you're right, it isn't any of your business, but in this case I'm glad you brought it up. No one's been to my ready room, I was there all morning." She turned to Tuvok and gestured. "You have the bridge." He nodded understanding. She tapped her combadge before she was out of the room. "Ensign Redding, report to my ready room immediately."
"Yes, Ma'am."
******************************
"What's this I hear about you fighting in the corridors?" Calm rage was etched across her face."
Redding swallowed, terrified. The commander had given him strict orders to not tell the captain, orders that overruled the demand that he go to the ready room, something he had said for the audience's sake. What could he tell? How angry would the commander be? How much would the Captain suspect. Surely she knew that they were up to something.
The Captain did indeed know that, or rather, suspected it. She had noticed some strange behavior. It was those awful Maquis. She was beginning to think she'd been crazy to trust them. She hadn't really had a choice, there were enough of them to overtake the ship if she didn't appease them, make them feel welcome. Now she began to wonder if she had done the right thing. Her memories blurred, and all she could think about was her mistrust of the Maquis. She was sure that that had something to do with this brawl. "So, you want to tell me what this fight was about?"
"Ma'am, Ensign Parker accused me of being a traitor."
"And you think that gives you the right to beat him? In case you haven't noticed, Ensign, that is not how we resolve our conflicts here."
Redding stuttered. "But Parker, Ma'am"
"Will be dealt with later. Right now, we're focusing on your problem. What makes you think you have the right to beat someone for saying something you find offensive? Do you really think that's a productive way to deal with things? Do you think that's how were supposed to fix all our problems? Beat them away?" Her voice was still low, but Redding could hear the fury. He consoled himself by noticing that she seemed to think that it was just the action of a hot tempered individual, not a sign of an uprising. As long as she didn't suspect the truth, he could deal with the consequences, no matter how severe.
The question he didn't want to hear was coming. "And another thing." He winced. "Why didn't you come to me when Commander Chakotay ordered you?"
"I'm sorry Ma'am. I have no excuse."
"You deliberately disobeyed the Commander. Funny. You had no trouble following his orders when you were in the Maquis." There was a definite pique in her voice.
"He gritted his teeth. "Please consider it a one time mistake. I won't be making it again."
"Indeed. Consider your holodeck privileges suspended indefinitely. For the next three days, you are confined to quarters. That should give you some time to think about your actions."
"Yes, Ma'am." Security escorted him out.
When he was gone, she tapped her combadge again. "Ensign Parker, my ready room, now."
******************************
The Doctor was starting to understand Seven's feelings during her examination. Torres was now checking on his subroutines, making sure he was working properly. and her bedside manner was disastrous. Poor Mr. Paris, he mused. He considered telling her the joke, but judging by the look on her face, she might delete his head matrix if he dared. So he made an attempt at friendly chatter. "So how are you today, Lieutenant?"
"Horrible. I've been putting up with Starfleet know - it - alls all day."
The Doctor was shocked by her attitude. He knew B'Elanna tended to be a little. . . temperamental, but she hadn't been prejudiced against Starfleet officers for several years now. She considered herself one of them, and they, her. She was married to one for goodness sakes! The only time she ever used the word 'Starfleet' that way was referring to Harry, and that was just a joke between two friends, never insulting. The Doctor risked a minor comment. "Oh? Have you been having trouble with Starfleet officers."
She suddenly looked very suspicious. "No." She tried to relax a little. "No more than usual. People get on my nerves sometimes, that's all." The Doctor decided not to comment. "By the way, Doctor, who all has been in to see you lately."
The Doctor thought for a moment. "Well, Miss Wildman had an ear infection a couple days ago, but other than that. . ."
B'Elanna seemed interested. "What did you talk about. How is she, I mean?"
"Aside from the earache, she seemed fine to me." He rolled his eyes. "Apparently Flotter is doing well, also."
B'Elanna's relief was barely noticeable, but the Doctor had good senses. He could tell. Strange. "So, Lieutenant, do I have a clean bill of health?"
"What? Oh, you're fine." She turned to leave. "Computer, shut down EMH." But her back was turned, and she did not see that the Doctor was still there, looking very confused. He had been given the right to shut down his own program years ago. Why in space would she give the computer that command? It was as if she'd forgotten that he had been given the rights of a crewmember. How rude! He pondered this change in behavior for several minutes after she left.
****************************************************
Hmmm. What's going on on this weird ship? Who knows? Oh, wait, I know. But I'm not telling. Muahahahahaha!