#what even are starfleet classes

[thresholdbb]

What kinda training do they get before going on a mission though?

#WELP #new starfleet cultural competency training about to drop #what even are starfleet classes #do the captains have to do continuing education #I started this as a joke ppt for my interview but I might have to finish it #the opening slide looks pretty good imo #how very me to have questions about starfleet bureaucracy #I could give this presentation in my sleep and I haven’t even made it yet #about to leave the void and jump back into working for the red tape #melts into oblivion #memeish #and yeah went with voyager because of course I went with voyager #HELLO CHAKOTAY RACISM *narrows eyes*

[bumblingbabooshka]

Star Trek needs more dirtbag teens of different alien races hanging out 

#peace and unity is established through inviting some kid in your class to hang out at the spacemall with you #Human teen goth being like 'Yeah not experiencing emotions is totally rad T'Nara wanna play the lute in my band?' #I /KNOW/ teens can put aside their differences and bond over how lame and unfair their parents are #star trek A plot where tense diplomatic talks are happening and B plot where all the teens on the promenade just hang out and cause trouble #and the B plot is what convinces the aliens to do whatever the episode requires #'Don't hang out with that boy his mother is trying to blow up a shuttle' #'GOOD. I /hope/ she blows up the shuttle. GOD you don't understand ANYTHING...' #both the Starfleet kid and the villain of the weeks kid talk about how their parents are so stupid and who even cares about the main plot?? #You know what REALLY matters? What kind of video games do you have on your planet and also do you have friends that are cute?? #Star Trek needs more little alien kids who just want to play with each other #and more alien teens who just wanna chill and complain with each other #I believe in this

[suprsingr]

I have never in all my life had so many emotions about a tumblr poll but oh my GOD I'm so happy Garak won, lmao. That was so tense.

#remember in the early days when he was winning by a huge margin (as is proper) #and then the memesters and inexplicable union people and actual weird purist homophobes caught wind of it #and lost their gd minds #right up until the very end there were people like “BUT IT WOULD BE FUNNY” and ''BUT M*LES HAD THAT ONE UNION EPISODE'' #dude garak is not something very many people on here feel comfortable joking about #for like a thousand reasons #I adore the m*les meme but that wasn't an appropriate place for one #and you want to support the strike? whole reason garak had ziyal the teenager thrown at him and was essentially replaced by m*les #(even when it made no narrative sense) #was because of evil producers and executives. you know. the people we're PICKETING AGAINST? #out here in the real world? not the fictional ferengi one? #and wtf was all that stuff about him being a working class hero? earning his money? he lives in a MONEYLESS UTOPIAN SOCIETY WHAT DO YOU MEA #HE COULD HAVE BEEN A CELLO PLAYER BUT HE JOINED STARFLEET CUZ HE WANTED TO FIGHT. HE WORKS FOR FUNSIES. HE'S A MILITARY MAN. #he's in starfleet even though it actively makes his family's lives worse. AND his own. i'm so confused what people meant by that. #m*les just likes to suffer okay it runs in his family #if you cared about the working class and unions you a) Would Support Garak and b) Would Have Voted Rom Into The Finals #do NOT act like this was about unions. one person said it was and the rest of you glommed on even tho it made no sense. #and had little to nothing to do w/ whether or not he's the best star trek character. it was just left field and weird and it hurt my brain #then there was the homophobia. the borderline racism. the weird morality arguments that idek how to respond to. #and that's coming from someone extremely self-righteous and annoying about it. garak's my guy #tldr i like m*les ok. ds9 convinced me of his worth. to be clear i do think he's a good character #but no one was voting for him for any reason but weird random shit?? or hateful shit?? #and that was just exhausting. like i'm sorry but that hurt me #i'm just so glad it's over and justice prevailed #my goodness #where's my fainting couch #/rant

[incorrigiblerobot]

I find myself coming back to this scene a lot. First of all, it's hilarious. The timing is great and Boimler continuously screwing up the rules of time travel is perfect for his character, an obsessive rule follower who just can't help himself. Ortegas's reaction is so great and I love how she is the one Enterprise officer who seems to really like Boimler and Mariner as they are.

But the other thing I love about this episode is how Boimler and Mariner are proxies for the audience. Their visit to the Enterprise feels like what might happen if we visited the Enterprise.

First, they're fans! They love TOS and know everything about it(/them), down to the type of tricorders they used. Boimler wants to touch everything. He idolizes Pike, Spock and Una and Mariner is awestruck by Uhura.

Second, however, is the piece that has me really gaining an affinity for Lower Decks (beyond just really enjoying it) that I hadn't appreciated in its animated form because, even though it's canon, it still doesn't seem serious. And that is that the crew of the Cerritos are often fuckups. They're a bit out of their element on the Enterprise.

So much of Star Trek is typified by hyper-competence. The crews of the various ships the shows focus on are incredibly good at their jobs - and that's one of the great things about the shows! It's inspiring to see people calmly and confidently going about their duties. Not so much the Cerritos crew. Mariner is, of course, a badass, but she's an ensign on a California class ship for a reason. So is Boimler. They're not stupid. In fact, they're the ones who figure out how to get themselves back to the future. But they're so much less perfect than the officers on the Enterprise. In the very first episode Chapel confidently says "I know I'm good at my job." And she is. They all are.

The reason I love this scene (and the whole episode) so much is it's so relatable. I certainly don't consider myself a fuckup, I'm reasonably good at a reasonable number of things, but I have definitely fucked up before. Seeing Boimler and Mariner bumble around the Enterprise is inspiring in a different way. Because, despite their flaws, despite the many mistakes they make, they're still in Starfleet. They're still out there making history.

In a lot of ways, telling people you don't have to be hyper-competent to make a difference is more inspiring than giving them an ideal to aspire to.

California class.

#star trek #strange new worlds #lower decks

[comic-sans-chan]

cursed modern human garashir au where ds9 is an old ruined resort that was built by some evil rich motherfuckers years ago and was recently seized back by the native people whose land and economy it had destroyed. it's since been converted into an affordable apartment complex sort of situation (just... with a pool, bar, restaraunts, spa and tennis court built into it lol) and is run by sisko and kira. since it is rundown, odo gets hired back on to keep kids from further vandalizing it and o'brien's team gets hired on from the nonprofit organization sisko works for to fix the place up best he can. dukat is the old overseer of the property who drops by sometimes to remind them he and his hospitality business still exist, and my, what a fine job they’ve done renovating the place! it’s actually nice again. sure would be a shame if someone bought the property out from under them (lmao jk kardasi hospitality and starfleet are friends! no hard feelings. they should collaborate on some future projects, actually).

garak's a sad bitch who just lost his amazing morally dubious nepotism career at obsidian corp. (which absorbed kardasi hospitality) and moved into the complex just for the comfortingly familiar architecture. even tho he's not on the payroll for his (secret) dad's evil exploitative company anymore he's still vital to its continued efficiency and is an absolute sucker who still does unpaid shady work for them from time to time. so no one in the complex likes him, but also he's a very pleasant and fastidious queer man who pays his rent on time and has completely taken over the laundry room, to the benefit of everyone, because all the machines actually work now, it's always tidy, and there's a variety of forever-stocked detergents and soaps available, plus an iron?? there was not an iron before garak moved in. which is how it eventually becomes public knowledge that garak has an online tailoring and fashion design business, and he's actually pretty good at restoring clothes that get fucked by the washing machine or eaten by rats, soooo. yeah. they let him stick around.

meanwhile julian's a hot doctor who works at the local hospital and is absolutely buried in student debt that he refuses to let his moderately-wealthy family help him with because they're awful people who had him on illegal drugs without his knowledge since he was a little kid. they were afraid he had something wrong with him, apparently. he was too far behind in his class or w/e. they couldn't handle having a kid with special needs, so they pumped him full of dangerous experimental stimulants. only reason he found out is because he snuck off somewhere to start transitioning and had some tests done that revealed all the crazy shit in his system. he's insanely lucky he didn't end up in the hospital with seizures or fall into a coma or worse. not to mention his parents still dead-name him left and right over a decade later. it's a whole mess and a huge secret, because he technically has a history with illegal drug abuse, and it's a partially ongoing history because going cold turkey off drugs he's been on since he was six is Not A Good Idea, so??? fuck his life, actually. he lives in the apartment just down the hall from garak's. 

garak hates the country his dad's company expanded into and would like nothing better than to move back home, but it's not really logistically possible. especially since everyone there hates him cuz his (secret) dad's company is a mega-corporation that's completely taken over everything p much and is a complete monopoly nightmare, and he did... kinda... work there for decades. no one would hire him if he went back. it would be an extreme conflict of interest, since everyone wants to stay on tain's good side, including garak. but starfleet is interested in him, so he does some begrudging contract work for them sometimes, but he really has no desire to join them. he just wants to resume his old career and reclaim his assets.

julian's hospital is owned by starfleet, tho. his scholarship into medical school was also from starfleet, in fact--they're the only reason he was able to (sort of) afford becoming a doctor at all. so he's a big fan, even tho they are pretty hardcore anti-drugs in a way that's made him have to forge medical records and risk serious legal charges and prison time. julian comes across as a squeaky clean medical professional and an adorable idiot, but he's intimately familiar with back-alley dealings. which is kind of how he ends up helping garak with his drug addiction, and keeps said addiction off the record.

but basically, how it begins is julian likes to support the local restaurants in the complex and garak finds him there and thinks he's gorgeous, and it proceeds as expected. they fuck nasty and become codependent. ten years later, julian lives in a modest house with garak in his home country and garak irons all his old university hoodies.

#julian's addicted to trashy romance novels with mysterious ceo love interests with fancy high rise apartments and private jets #if they have an accent Even Better and garak has a thick one #so when he meets garak he's immediately drooling #but he later finds out garak was never especially wealthy he was the bastard son of the housekeeper in his (secret) dad's mansion #and as an adult he was Not paid well so he lived pretty much like a normal person #he does not drive an italian sports car it's just a kia #but garak Was on his way to taking over his dad's company and becoming filthy rich and he Is familiar with that lifestyle #so he plays it up to impress julian in the beginning of their relationship #saving up to take him to fancy hotels and restaurants in exotic locations for business purposes and doing weird sex stuff #this eventually peters out into them just loving each other for who and what they really are #but julian can't deny finding garak particularly irresistible when he's in a suit and talking about the stock market #garashir #my posts

[starfleetskunkworks]

So I'm thinking about California-class starships again and Why They Are The Way They Are. I have a pet theory that they and the crews assigned to them are the result of personnel shortages during the war with the Dominion.

Starfleet took heavy losses in the early days of the war and had to press cadets into early service. It would make sense that they'd have to relax their standards for recruitment from what we see in TNG, and we meet a lot of colorful Starfleet characters during that time.

I think a lot of them got rushed through training. I think a lot were accepted to the Academy in the last year of the war when they otherwise wouldn't have been, and the Fleet decided to let them continue their education. I think they might not have had access to the best instructors or equipment due to the needs of the front-line.

So when the war ends, what do you do with these officers? Do you give up on them? Do you cashier them out? Those might be the things we'd expect but Starfleet seems to try to bring out the best in its officers, so I believe that's what they're trying to do.

They're taking these folks and assigning them to a sort of Auxiliary Program Lite, serviced by "new" ships made from old parts (there's a reason for that even in a post-scarcity economy that I want to make a separate post about). They are, crucially, mixed in with more traditional Starfleet officers. These are people who didn't get assigned to a ship of the line for whatever reason, but there's nothing really wrong with them.

For example, Rutherford is a great engineer. Tendi is extremely competent and also likely a political feather in Starfleet's cap. Boimler is Boimler. And Mariner is the kind of officer who would be serving on the Enterprise if it weren't for her desire to avoid promotion.

They all have things they need to learn, and it seems that they are, from the California program. And I think that may be the point.

#star trek #lower decks #uss cerritos #deep space nine #dominion war

[cantsayidont]

While this ranks relatively low on my overall list of complaints about STAR TREK: DISCOVERY and STRANGE NEW WORLDS, something I find annoying about them is that they've really built up the size and strength of Starfleet to something closer to what it is in STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, which contradicts TOS in ways that have far-reaching story effects.

TOS repeatedly indicates that in that period Starfleet has only a handful of ships in the Enterprise's class, presumably because they're resource-intensive to build and operate. As Kirk and John Christopher discuss in "Tomorrow Is Yesterday":

CHRISTOPHER: Must have taken quite a lot to build a ship like this. KIRK: There are only twelve like it in the fleet.

That plainly doesn't mean that Starfleet has no other ships, but ships of what TOS describes as the "Starship" class ("Constitution-class" is a later coinage) are uniquely capable. As Merik, former commander of the SS Beagle, explains in "Bread and Circuses":

MERIK: He commands not just a spaceship, Proconsul, but a starship. A very special vessel and crew. I tried for such a command.

This special status is a central part of the premise of TOS: It's the reason why the Enterprise is assigned such a diverse array of duties, and why what the Enterprise does is so important to the plot. Even into the TOS cast movie era, we're frequently told that the Enterprise is the only ship in the sector capable of responding to a problem or threat, and the crew is rarely in a position to call for reinforcements even where that would be tactically or strategically advisable.

While that makes duty on one of these ships very risky (as evidenced by the number of the Enterprise's sister ships that are lost with all hands in TOS, including Constellation, Defiant, and Exeter), as Merik's remark indicates, it's also a plum assignment, and one for which there's obviously fierce competition. The TOS bible makes much of the fact that Kirk is the youngest person ever to command one of these starships, and he also appears to be one of the lowest-ranking. (Many of the other starship captains we see are fleet captains or commodores, as well as being older than Kirk.) This comes into play at a variety of points: For instance, it's at the root of Ben Finney's animosity toward Kirk in "Court Martial" (and presumably why Kirk's peers are quick to give him the cold shoulder when he's charged with negligence in Finney's apparent death), and it's part of the tension in "The Doomsday Machine," where Kirk and Spock have to maneuver around the fact that Matt Decker outranks Kirk and is clearly the senior officer.

The limited number of starships also provides a useful Watsonian explanation for the dichotomy of a capital warship (which the Enterprise unequivocally is) being used for scientific research and exploration missions. Although TOS is reluctant to say much about civilian life within the Federation, we can probably assume that such costly starships are the subject of a lot of political wrangling, and the different roles the Enterprise plays probably reflect those tensions: The Enterprise's scientific duties may be a concession to those who (like David Marcus in STAR TREK II) are wary of Starfleet's military role, and perhaps an effort to extract a greater civilian return on the Federation's obviously substantial military investment. It might also be a diplomatic ploy, or an attempt to maneuver around arms control treaties with rival powers like the Klingons and Romulans. (Arms-limitation treaties are probably the most plausible explanation for the Enterprise-A being so hastily decommissioned and its entire class apparently being mothballed shortly after STAR TREK VI.)

DISCOVERY and STRANGE NEW WORLDS pay lip service to the specialness of ships of the Enterprise's class while undermining the point by indicating that Starfleet also has hundreds if not thousands of other, slightly smaller starships with 80 or 90 percent of the Enterprise's capabilities, carrying out a similar range of missions. I can see why they've gone that way, and there's obvious precedent for it in the TOS cast movies, which depict several other classes of Starfleet ships, but interposing that into the TOS era inevitably weakens the premise of the original stories, and renders many of the conceits of TOS unintelligible. (If it were up to me, I would attribute the expanded range of ships to changes between TOS and the era of the movies, which are set years later and have different narrative priorities.)

This retroactive Starfleet expansion also exacerbates the increasingly jingoistic militarism of modern STAR TREK, which is uncomfortably pronounced in both the Abrams films (which got money from the Pentagon for it) and in the recent shows (which I suspect are also getting DOD money, although I haven't seen that specifically confirmed). The large-scale fleet maneuvers of the finale of PICARD, for instance, are frankly terrifying, and would be even without the contrivances of the plot. A Federation that celebrates "Frontier Day" with a massive display of military power within the solar system, obviously aimed at awing and intimidating citizen and adversary alike, seems like a pretty harrowing "post-scarcity socialist utopia," even by the standards of a show that's always been about the crews of a spacegoing navy doing interstellar colonialism.

#teevee #star trek #star trek tos #star trek discovery #strange new worlds

[toboldlygohome]

"I'm not giving up on you!"

Leonard McCoy X Reader

Summary: Following a terrible attack on the Enterprise, Dr. McCoy does everything he can to save the heavily-injured reader.

Character(s): Leonard "Bones" McCoy

Warning(s): Wounds, Death, Implied violence, Ends in fluff

Dr. McCoy carefully navigated the sea of bodies, careful not to step on any one of them. The Enterprise had been boarded little more than thirty minutes ago. Bones followed the path of destruction, hoping to find some survivors. No such luck.

McCoy scanned every body for signs of life, but yielded no results. He grimaced and trudged onward. He hated this feeling of powerlessness. So many good people were dead and there was nothing he could do about it. If only he had gotten down here sooner, maybe there wouldn't be so many casualties.

Leonard rounded a corner and was disappointed to find even more bodies strewn all over the floor. But amidst the flashing red lights, he saw you. You were leaned against the wall, blood staining your blue uniform. His tricorder picked up your heartbeat and he immediately hurried to your side.

"Hey, can you hear me?" He asked, snapping his fingers near your ear. Much to his surprise, you slowly opened your eyes.

He couldn't believe you were alive, let alone conscious. Your arm was a mangled mess of burns, you had a massive laceration in your lower abdomen, you were sitting in a pool of your own blood, and you had a terrible concussion. Your groan came out as more of a choked gurgle.

Leonard wasted no time in prepping a hypo to ease your pain. "Can you speak?"

"Yeah," You managed weakly.

"That's good. That's really good. Can you tell me where it hurts?" He asked.

"It hurts everywhere," you murmured.

"Perfect."

"Perfect?" You asked.

"It means you still have feeling in your limbs. That's a really good sign," Bones jabbed the hypo into your arm and started digging into his bag. He had to get you stable if you were going to have any hope of surviving this. "I'm Dr. Leonard McCoy. Can you tell me your name darlin'?" He asked, trying to ease you into a sense of calm.

"Ensign Y/N Y/L/N. Biology department."

"On, I know about you, you're the one who wrote that dissertation on the possible medical uses of Aldebaran Serpent venom. You graduated top of your class in the starfleet academy. I heard you've got a promotion coming up." Leonard said, hoping to keep your mind alert. He didn't want you passing out with that concussion, not until he was sure there wasn't some internal bleeding going on that his scanners weren't picking up.

"Yeah, if I make it that far..."

"You're gonna make it, trust me." He swallowed. You could see it in his face. The chances of you living weren't very high.

"You're a terrible liar doctor McCoy...I'm gonna die here, aren't I?" You whispered.

"I brought the captain back from the dead using the blood of a homicidal maniac. I've performed greater miracles than this. You ain't gonna die, not if I have anything to say about it." He said, already working to disinfect the gaping wound in your stomach. "Just keep talking to me, can you do that?"

"I'll try..." You struggled to keep your eyes open. "I-I... I smell something burning..."

"Don't worry about that." Leonard said firmly. "Just...tell me about..." He grasped for a topic that wasn't your maimed body or the smell of burning hair. "Tell me about home. What's your family like?" Leonard started to autosuture the laceration.

You ignored his question and tilted your head down to look down at the damage. Bones grabbed your face and forced your eyes up to his. "Don't look at it. Just look at me, okay?"

"Mkay...nice face at least." You smiled weakly.

"Oh?" he got back to his work, but kept talking. "I've always been told I got a face only a mother could love. What's so nice about it?" He asked.

"You have pretty eyes... and..." You lost your train of thought.

"And what darlin'?"

"Huh?"

"I got pretty eyes and what?" he asked, fighting against the knot appearing in the pit of his stomach. He didn't know you, but he'd like to. You were a tough cookie and he respected the hell out of it. He could see it in your eyes. You still had so much to offer the world... the universe. He couldn't let you die like this. He wouldn't let you die like this.

"Oh...I like your...your forehead wrinkles...makes you look distinguished," you attempted another smile.

"Gotta say sweetheart, that might just be the nicest compliment I've ever received." Leonard met your gaze for just a moment before returning to his task.

"Well, I've got more where that came from..." You leaned your head against the wall and looked at the ceiling. "...Might throw up..."

"If you feel like you are, just tell me. Okay darlin'?"

"Mkay..."

You both fell into silence and Leonard labored to think of some way to get you talking again. The autosuture wasn't working fast enough for his liking. He still had about two and a half inches to go. If he didn't work fast enough, you were gonna die.

"...Everything's all fuzzy. Cold." You murmured. A low rumble echoed through the halls as if punctuating your dark statement.

"I bet. You lost a lot of blood, but you'll be okay." Leonard clenched his jaw.

"There are others...gotta help the others McCoy. I'm a lost cause."

"You are no such thing. I'm saving you dammit." He didn't have the heart to tell you the other people in the hallway were already dead. A sudden, sharp jolt shook the ship. Leonard grunted as he tried not to fall into you.

"I'm gonna die... I never even got to ask out that doctor. Never had the guts..." You mumbled, eyes struggling to focus on anything.

"What doctor?" Leonard asked as he continued closing you up.

"Y'know. The grumpy one." You said.

Leonard's expression darkened. He was trying dammit, but not nearly hard enough. You were growing delirious. You didn't even realize what you were admitting to him. Your eyes fluttered closed, but you kept talking.

"I don't really know him, but he saved a friend of mine once... He's uh..." You gathered your thoughts. "He's real smart. So dedicated to his patients. I really admire that... Also got this dry sense of humor, and a really handsome voice. I wouldn't have minded taking him out sometime. Buying him flowers." You hummed.

"He's the kind of guy you bring home to mama, I think...Well...My mama at least." You looked at Leonard, eyes swimming with grief. "I'm not scared. You have to tell her for me. That I wasn't scared...I have people back at home. Can you tell them I love them?" You whispered, just as Leonard finished closing your abdominal wound.

Leonard breathed a sigh of relief as he started wrapping you with a bandage. "You're gonna tell them yourself darlin'. You're gonna make it, you know why? Because you're strong. Resilient as a rubber band." He tied off the bandage and started going to work on your arm. "I'm gonna get you stable and we'll get down to the medbay, then you'll make a swift and miraculous recovery, just in time for you to earn the rank of Lieutenant. How does that sound?"

"..." You didn't respond.

"Y/N?" He asked. Your eyes were closed. Your heartbeat was growing fainter by the second. "No No. Dammit, come on! I'm not giving up on you!" He emptied hypos into your arms and legs. A cocktail of medicines were brewing inside of you, fighting to keep your heart beating. He waited with baited breath for your readings to change on his tricorder.

Eventually, your heartbeat grew stronger and your breathing deeper. Then, to his astonishment, you opened your eyes again.

"Welcome back, you gave me a start there." Leonard flashed a relieved smile.

"Sorry...didn't mean to fall asleep," You smiled back.

Suddenly, the red lights turned off and the hallway lit up in its usual bright white light.

"I know darlin'. You're awake now, that's what matters." He pulled out his communicator. "Nurse Chapel, do they have the bastards detained?... Good. I need a stretcher on deck 15, as well as a recovery team. Prep the protoplaser and the burn chamber for the arrival of ensign Y/L/N." After her confirmation, he hung up and pointed his scanner down the hallway to see if there were any more heartbeats. Nothing.

Bones sighed and hung his head. The bastards were thorough, he had to give them that. He found only one survivor out of how many hallways? He was curious about how the security team managed to take them down, but that would be a conversation for a different time.

"Goddamned bloodthirsty space beasts..." He hissed.

"Tell me about it," you chuckled. "Certainly did a number on me, huh?"

"How are you feeling?" Leonard leaned against the wall beside you.

"Numb all over... I suspect you had something to do with that?" You turned your head to look at him.

"I injected you with a hypo for pain relief right when I found you." He met your eyes.

"Funny. I don't think I remember that."

"You're definitely on the loopy side. Can't tell if it's from the blood loss or an adverse reaction to the medicine, but we'll figure all that out soon."

"You can go now. Someone's coming to get me right?"

"You ain't getting rid of me that easily. I'm staying with you until your stretcher arrives." He crossed his arms.

"But there's got to be others that need help too, right?" You closed your eyes. "I'm fine, you should help them."

"It's against protocol to leave a critical patient alone. I'm not leaving until your ride arrives." Just then, he heard the sound of the hover-stretcher. "Speak of the devil, it's about goddamned time." He stood and addressed the two nurses. He spoke to them in hushed medical lingo. You had no idea what he was talking about, but it didn't sound good.

Leonard helped load you onto the stretcher. "I'm passing you off to Nurse Bell and Nurse Valinsky. They're going to take great care of you."

"As opposed to you taking bad care of me?" You smiled tiredly.

"Very funny," He smirked. "I'll catch up with you soon. Don't miss my face too much, you hear?"

"You're asking for the impossible, Dr. McCoy," You joked. The nurses guided you down the hall and around the corner. Leonard stared out at the crowded hallway, hoping his recovery team would arrive soon. Until then, he would just have to look for living patients on his own.

A doctor's work is never done.

~~~

When you awoke, you felt heavy. It was dim in the medbay and all was quiet, save for the occasional beeping of the biobed. You attempted to sit up, but winced the moment you put pressure on your arm. From the shoulder down, your limb was covered in bandages. You felt a deep ache all the way through your body and decided it was best to lay back down.

You tried to remember how you ended up here, but everything after the initial attack was a blur. You remembered the grumpy doctor, you remembered him mentioning your dissertation, he said something about pretty eyes, and you remember being so tired, but trying so hard to focus on him.

You looked around the room, hoping there might be a nurse nearby. Instead you found a room full of people sleeping in biobeds. There was a light on in the office at the end of the room, but you had no way of knowing if there was actually someone inside.

You scanned the controls to your left until you found a call button. Once you pressed it, you heard shuffling in the office. Much to your surprise, Dr. McCoy came shambling out.

"It's about time you woke up," Leonard took a look on your screen to check all your vitals. As you watched him, the events of your last encounter came flooding back. Distinguished forehead wrinkles? Seriously?

"Your heart-rate is kicking up," Bones smirked "Is that because of me?" He joked.

You rolled your eyes, "how long was I out?"

"About forty-eight hours."

"Two days?!"

"Better keep it down darlin'. Don't want to wake the neighbors." He slowly raised the bed into a sitting position and handed you some water.

"Thanks," you said hoarsely, "I didn't even realize I was thirsty."

"That's what I'm here for." He grunted as he copied some data from your biobed to his PADD.

"Bringing me water?"

"Keeping you from dying of dehydration," Bones corrected.

"Aw, and here I thought I had my own personal butler," you smiled and sipped your water. 'He really does have pretty eyes,' you thought while watching him work. Who were you kidding? It wasn't just his eyes that were pretty, it was all of him. You cleared your throat and took another sip. "Anyway, what are you doing here so late? I didn't think you worked gamma shift."

"I normally don't, but there are a lot of reports to file and not a lot of time to do it."

"That bad huh?...How many dead?" You asked softly.

"Fifty-six," Leonard sniffed pulled out his kit.

"Damn... and what about the pirates?"

"In custody back at Yorktown." Leonard administered a hypo into your arm. The soreness melted away almost immediately, but the ache in your chest didn't.

"I would have been one of them if it weren't for you..." You whispered. "You didn't give up... even when you should have."

"Any doctor worth his salt wouldn't give up on the likes of you, not when you were so keen on living. Ain't seen nothing like it in a long time. Your body just kept going long after it should have shut down." Bones explained, "And you kept telling me it was hopeless, but I could tell you were hoping for a miracle."

"So you gave me one," You smiled up at him.

"I told you I would. They don't say I have legendary hands for nothin'," McCoy smirked.

"Still, thank you for not giving up on me," you laughed. "I definitely owe you one."

"Ask out that doctor of yours and we'll call it even," Leonard spoke so casually, you nearly didn't register what it was he just said.

"I-I- my what?" You asked, dumbfounded. Your heart-rate picked up again and Leonard couldn't mask his amusement.

"You should get some rest, Nurse Chapel will be by in a few hours with some food for you. We're putting you on a soft food diet until your internal wounds heal some more. If you need anything before then, you know where the call button is." Bones started back to his office, but stopped just short.

"Oh, and Y/N?"

"Y-Yeah?"

Leonard sent you a smug look. "I like daisies," He said before disappearing behind the door.

You laughed and rested your head on your pillow. 'Daisies huh?' You thought to yourself. You weren't sure how you were gonna pull that off this far from Earth, but if Dr. McCoy could perform miracles, why couldn't you? Of course, the flowers would have to wait until you were released from medical care. You didn't mind too much though, Dr. McCoy was going to be there to take care of you.

And he wasn't giving up on you anytime soon.

....................

Taglist: @shadowbriar

If you want to be added to my taglist, feel free to reach out!

Thank you for reading!

#bones #bones x reader #leonard mccoy #leonard mccoy x reader #star trek #star trek fanfiction #star trek x reader #x reader #bones mccoy #mccoy/reader #leonard mccoy star trek #leonard mccoy x injured reader #reader fanfiction #reader insert

[sallytwo]

new star trek show about a bunch of starfleet academy cadets who do fuck all. asking the big questions like ‘what if star trek had 85% more relationship drama? and was about a bunch of guys who suck?” anyway here’s squadron 7022.

background notes i couldn’t fit anywhere else:

takes place vaguely in the early 2300s. characters on the same refs are roomate groupings.

1/C, 2/C, 3/C, and 4/C just stand for ‘first class/ second class’ etc. like first class cadet (meaning senior) and moving down in seniority.

margaret goes by ‘marnie’ (this would not fit on her sheet. sorry)

morgan’s freshman squadron got wrapped up in this huge galaxy-wide life-or death plot. morgan, who was always at soccer practice, had no idea this was going on. when the news about this broke, half the squad got sent out on this amazing assignment tracking down this plot. morgan got reassigned to a new squad. and of course only the sophomore squads still had room, hence why she’s here.

morgan also thinks the only reason she was placed in THIS squad is because they’re terrible at intramurals. and marnie hates losing to the other squads. since morgan joined there has been a marked increase in the squads win/loss rate.

sidney lived for a few years up by dakota, when her parents were stationed on a starfleet base there. their senior year, dakota got a spot at the academy, and sidney (legacy) did not. she’s still mad about this, even though she got in the next year.

dakota took a gap year after freshman year to ‘explore himself’ . sidney is extraordinarily mad about this too. also explains why they’re in the same grade.

it’s hotly debated who actually is the guidon (the bearer of their squadrons flag, in picture 2) . it’s pretty much been traded through all the underclassmen, though currently it rotates through kiv (forgets it all over the place), sidney (gets wayyyy to aggressive with it) and dakota (doesn’t give a shit about any of this).

kiv and dakota are also vaguely dating. both of them forget this a lot though. and they’re also sort of not.

finally most of my information on how squads work at starfleet academy comes from the book ‘the best and the brightest’ . i also drew some stuff from the nova + red squadrons from tng and ds9 respectively and from personal experience from going to a regimented academy. lol

#myart #star trek #star trek oc #star trek ocs #starfleet academy #i spent a lot of time on this and these guys so i want people to see them. hi. #ignore the terrible worlds of picard and snw and come into my world. of beauty #orginal concept is from TWO YEARS AGO when i finished watching community. lol.

[ourobororos]

wanted 2 make star track ocs ^_^

Roska Promor- one of the first cardassians to join starfleet academy, during the height of the dominion war... currently an ensign on an oberth class starship. stubborn, abrasive, difficult to work with at times+ doesnt always follow orders esp ones she doesn't believe in BUT she is very capable and sensitive deepdown. everyone believe in roska

Kihan (3)- former dominion field commander, when her third clone was created she was cryofrozen with a bunch of other vorta clones in a secret bunker so they wouldnt get obliterated once the first cloning facility bload up. she was woken up after the war and gets to decide what SHE wants to do with her life... wow... how do u even figure that out as a vorta. shes learning how to live life after her only purpose was 2 commit the atrocities + meets roska on a survey mission or whatever and yuri becomes real

#my art #st #star trek #deep space nine #ds9 #star trek oc #vorta #cardassian #starfleet #blood tw #also like i forgor to mention in my last ds9 art but vorta barcode headcanon by havi-art is everything 2 me

[thresholdbb]

Can we talk about The Dying Swan moment in Coda? As someone who was once a very serious ballerina, I need to talk about the Dying Swan. Here's your context --

CHAKOTAY: Harry's clarinet solo was okay. I could have done without Tuvok's reading of Vulcan poetry. But the highlight of the evening was definitely Kathryn Janeway portraying the Dying Swan. JANEWAY: I learned that dance when I was six years old. I assure you, it was the hit of the Beginning Ballet class.

Have you seen The Dying Swan? It is dramatic.

Here, take a minute:

First of all, this dance is much too advanced for a six-year-old, even if they’re doing it in demi pointe. (Six-year-olds emphatically should not be in pointe shoes btw.) The dance is almost entirely bourees and arm movements done to very subtle musical cues, not the foundational ballet moves typically taught in Beginning Ballet.

This is a very vulnerable, dramatic dance that is effective because of its subtleties. The performer would need to embody that vulnerability in some way for a convincing performance. It's short, but it's a solo piece -- all eyes on you. I mean, it was choreographed for a prima ballerina, BUT THAT'S NOT MY POINT

Can you imagine our unflappable Captain Janeway willingly getting in front of her crew to do this ballet? I get that it’s thematically relevant to the plot of Coda, but since Janeway is only vulnerable in front of her crew when it means putting herself in harm’s way, it seems like a wild decision. She tends to hold herself apart from her crew, maintaining the professional distance of the captain. Further, when she does any creative pursuit, it is almost always in private, since her sister was the artist in the family and she was the scientist. As a captain, she commands Voyager in a much different way than she would as a dancer with this piece. I'm not saying she never shows vulnerability because she definitely does, but not necessarily in this way. Then when she talks about it with Chakotay, she just casually brushes it off with a laugh like no big deal.

There’s also the question of costume – would she have gone full tutu? Done it in her Starfleet uniform? An impeccable yet flow-y white suit? She does get into costume and command a performance in Bride of Chaotica!, but Coda is still kind of early days for our captain. Arachnia aligns more with what we know about Janeway's character.

Granted, it is Chakotay laying down these complements about her dancing ability and he is clearly biased. To be fair, Neelix does too before they leave in the shuttle. If she did this dance and performed it poorly or amazingly, I feel like the crew would look at her a bit differently afterwards.

Canonically she did The Dying Swan, but I certainly have trouble picturing it happening.

#does everyone let it slide because she gets mind killed a bunch of times and attends her own funeral? #this throw away line has been living rent free in my mind for months now #coda is also a ballet term fun fact #star trek voyager #coda #Captain Janeway #this death doesn't mean anything though because no one else is saved so not janeway self-sacrificing goals #yes yes they probably just picked the first artistic performance with death in the title cause it's thematically relevant #i've thought about it much more than a normal person probably should #No one said I was a good ballerina but I did it for a long time #may or may not have filmed a video about this in my cosplay for a different platform #maybe have been sitting on it cause of editing and weird dudes being into me like why no #also let tuvok read his poetry i bet it's great #alien grim reaper dad is a great concept very creepy bring him back for more angst #just a little insane about the dying swan don't mind me #also insane about coda and voyager and janeway in general ok you got me #meta #I was falling asleep on the couch but then I had to rant about coda I’m sorry

[space-helen]

Pressure

Words: 706

Pairing: Jim Kirk x Reader

A/N:  I’ve kinda gone a different way but I hope this is ok! Sorry for taking a second to post!

Request: Hey!! I was coming by to do some boops and I saw your post saying requests are open! No stress if you've since closed them, but if you're still taking some, then how about some fluffy AoS Kirk? Maybe when they're all still at Starfleet Academy, like studying or getting up to trouble or something in that realm? No pressure if you're not vibing with it for whatever reason! Thanks for the boops 😄💗💗 - @captainsophiestark

______________________

You flopped onto your bed as Jim followed you into your room. “I can’t actually believe that they’ve set us another exam.” you brought your hands up to your eyes and covered them “I don’t think I can physically take anymore.”

The man looked at you sympathetically and sat on the bed beside you “It’s getting intense.”

You groaned “I just wish they’d back off slightly. I knew it’d be hard work but this is ridiculous.”

The man nodded “You do take more extra classes than the average person though Y/N. You might want to consider-”

“But I’m interested in all areas.” you removed your hands and sat up to look at the man.

“I get that. I really do. I even admire it. I don’t think they expect people to take as many extra classes as you do. Even though I’m feeling the pressure, you have double, if not triple, the work because of the extra classes you take.” he said matter of factly whilst keeping his sympathetic expression. 

You mulled it over and could feel a heaviness hit you. “I’m just so used to doing everything. I don’t know what to stop.”

“They expect you to be specializing by now. Here, let's forget about it for now and make the decision another time.”

You could feel the tears welling up in your eyes from nowhere and quickly tried to wipe them away without him noticing.

“Y/N don’t cry.” he said softly and reached his arm around you to pull you into his side. He gave you a comforting hug and rubbed your arm up and down “It’ll be ok. It’s ok to feel overwhelmed sometimes.” 

You nodded and he released you slightly. “Let's get some food and then we’ll work together to make a plan and start the work alright?”

You agreed to the man and watched as he stood up “You wait here and make a list of everything we need to do. I’ll grab us food and snacks.”

You did as you were told. Quickly changing into comfier clothes you began to make a list of all of the upcoming tests and assignments you had due in. Once Jim arrived back the two of you ate before settling back onto your bed ready to work. The man grabbed a nearby blanket and wrapped you in it playfully. “Since you’re always cold and will just complain in ten minutes time.” he joked.

Grabbing you work the two of you were quickly able to come up with a plan on when to train, practice and study the material you had to go through. As you spoke it quickly became evident on what classes you preferred over others and started to make a positives and negatives list of each class. Jim advising you on future opportunities as you did so.

“I really hope we get a job on the same ship.” Jim spoke up as he squeezed squeezed you to his side. You weren’t sure when you’d sat side by side against your headboard with his arm around you but you weren’t going to complain, it felt natural.

“I hope so too.” you agreed as you leaned into him more, tiredness taking over.

The man continued to sort through lists and content as you watched, leaning your head on him fully you could feel your eyes getting heavier before they fell closed entirely.

The man hadn’t realised you’d fallen asleep until he’d asked you a question and had no reply. Looking down he could see how content you were. Tucking the blanket around you more he quickly tidied everything away on the beside table the best he could without waking you or moving drastically from his position. 

Once done he gently brushed the hair out of your face and smiled, his eyes exploring your face before relaxing into a comfortable position. For a moment he let his mind flicker to the future. You were his best friend and if that was all it was going to be he was ok with that, but if it was something more he’d be happy with that too. All he knew is that he wanted you in his life and couldn’t imagine a world without knowing you.

Tag List: (open) All: @perasperaadastrawriting @asgards-princess-of-mischief @trippol-threat @captainsophiestark 

Star Trek: @heyitsaloy  @angel-with-wings-castiel @starfleet-imagines @captainsophiestark @perasperaadastrawriting @butchers-girl

#star trek x reader #jim kirk x reader #star trek aos x reader #captain kirk x reader

[flippyspoon]

Keeping Stride

NOTE: SNW Spirk ficlet featuring my favorite subject: why Jim is horny for Spock to be his XO someday.

Spock was not looking for conversation with anyone or for anything at all really, other than to complete his routine cardio in the deck five gym. 

Spock was on the treadmill, and running at a comfortable sprint in perfect form, his mind mostly occupied by the question of an usual atmospheric density on an otherwise M-class planet, when Lieutenant Jim Kirk showed up and hopped on the treadmill next to Spock.

Spock nodded in greeting to Kirk and could not decide if it would be productive for Kirk to start talking to him or not. But it was irrational to decide whether he wished for it. Because it was Jim Kirk. As far as Spock could see so far, Jim Kirk was very likely to start talking to you if the social occasion allowed for it at all.

Jim cranked up his treadmill and started running at a sprint nearly equal to Spock’s, though Spock was not running near his top speed. But he noticed it.

Still, he also noticed that Jim indeed did start talking, and did not seem to have very much trouble running and holding a conversation at the same time.

“Say, Spock. Can I ask you something? And please tell me if I should shut up.”  Jim glanced over at him, eyes bright.

“You may,” Spock said in between breaths. “And I will.”

That made Kirk chuckle. “Do Vulcans fantasize?”

Spock raised a wary eyebrow and Jim laughed again, ducking his head. “Sorry! No, I don’t mean… Nothing untoward. I mean, about the future? Things you want in life? Dreams? That kind of thing?”

Spock looked straight again and considered the question as he kept this stride. “I would not frame it as fantasy. We have goals which we work toward. We rarely visualize our goals as daydreams. Instead, we focus on actively pursuing them.”

“Heh.” Kirk nodded, arms swinging. “That’s kind of what I figured. I suppose, I wondered if it was any different for you. Being half human?”

“I cannot say my human side has not been apparent,” Spock said, squinting at the twinge in his side and just as quickly compartmentalizing it so the pain was simply gone. “Especially as of late. I have been exploring my emotions more often to…mixed results. But, I admit, I still do not see any productive use in fantasy.”

“Oh, see…” Jim laughed again. Spock had noticed that Jim laughed a lot. Spock did not dislike this trait. “Fantasy can be a very active part of achievement for me! Visualizing my wants is motivating. Now, some humans do all the fantasy part without the work. That’s no good at all.”

“What is it you visualize?” Spock asked, before he could think twice about asking.

Kirk grinned, and tapped the treadmill controls, cranking up his speed another notch. “Captaining this ship, mostly.”

One of the emotions Spock had been toying with recently came skipping out to play and Spock smiled at Kirk whose grin widened at Spock’s reaction. “As you are now the youngest XO in the fleet,” Spock said, picking up his pace a bit to stay well ahead of Kirk, “I would not put it past you.”

“You had command of the ole girl for a minute there,” Kirk said, nodding at him. 

“Briefly.”

“And you stole the ship?”

Spock couldn’t quite read the tone while looking ahead as he sprinted a little harder. But when he looked over at Kirk, the grin had turned a little sly.

“It was necessary,” Spock said simply.

“Stole the Enterprise to aid a former crewmate who was not even Starfleet at the time, against orders to fly to a Klingon mining colony,” Kirk went on, “threatening a treaty-”

“Lieutenant, are you asking because you disagree with my choices while in command?” Spock asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Not necessarily,” Kirk said. “But, it is a surprising choice for a Vulcan, isn’t it? We tend to think of you as rule followers, I think.”

“To follow the rule of law,” Spock said, turning up his speed one more notch, and exerting further effort even as he continued the conversation (though it was more difficult, and he found himself breathing much harder), “is not always the logical choice.”

“Would other Vulcans say the same?”

Unlikely, Spock thought.

“I imagine, it depends on the Vulcan.”

“Interesting.” Kirk laughed yet again and something about his expression made Spock run faster, close to his capacity. Then, to his astonishment, he saw Kirk meeting his stride, drops of sweat sliding from his temple to his throat.

The conversation ended, at least temporarily, as they were running much too hard and fast to speak. This continued for several minutes. There was only the sound of their breath and the pounding of their feet on the tread. Spock glanced over and saw Kirk staring straight ahead, his brow furrowed, his mouth turned down in a grimace. But he managed to keep pace with Spock.

The safety check lights on Kirk’s treadmill turned red and beeped.

“You are going to collapse,” Spock informed him.

Kirk clenched his teeth. “No, I won’t. Hey, Spock- ugghh-”

Spock expelled a half infuriated puff of breath, and reached over to slam the emergency stop button on Kirk’s tread. Kirk stumbled for a moment before sliding off, cackling with glee, bending over to hold his knees as Spock came to a stop and hopped off to join him.

“Are you alright, Lieutenant?” Spock said. He crossed to the synthesizer against the wall to retrieve a cup of water which he brought to Kirk.

“Yeah.” Kirk straightened up, stretching, and gratefully took the water. “I was just having fun. Wanted to see how long I could keep up with you.”

“Longer than I would have expected,” Spock allowed. “But I did not relish the thought of carrying you to sickbay.”

Kirk nodded and walked to the wall by the synthesizer, sliding down to sit on the floor. Because Spock was enjoying his company, he sat down next to him as they caught their breath.

“You know,” Kirk said, “when I do fantasize about being captain of the Enterprise, I often imagine who would be my first officer. You’d make a great one, I think.”

“You desire a first officer who has admitted he may steal your ship?” Spock said. Though he had to admit to himself, he said it to watch Kirk laugh again.

Kirk met his expectation and threw his head back, slapping his knee. “Actually? Maybe. Any worthwhile captain should have an XO who challenges them, right? And I love a challenge.”

“Clearly.”

“I’m sure you’d never steal my Enterprise though?” Kirk smiled wide, eyes twinkling.

Spock stared for a moment before he thought to respond.

“I will make no such promise, Lieutenant,” Spock said.

Then Kirk slapped his knee when he laughed and Spock thought: He is quite fascinating.

“Hey Spock, what’re you doing right now? Want to play some chess?” Kirk got to his feet, stretching, his shirt riding up and exposing a tight stomach.

Spirk blinked, momentarily distracted, and said, “I would like that, Lieutenant.”

#spirk #k/s #kirk/spock

[imagines--galore]

||The Roommate Experiment|| Chapter One

Summary: Ever since she was a child Kealoha Wailani has always had a fascination with the world beyond. And getting into Starfleet Academy brings her one step closer to making her dream of exploring the galaxies a reality. But a slight error in the computer systems has caused her to become roommates with a male, rather then a female. A half-Vulcan half-human by the name of Spock. Having no other option available, the two of them decide to treat their living situation as an experiment. But experiments have a tendency to go awry, and this one does so in the most spectacular of ways.

Pairing: Spock x Kealoha(OC)

Rating || Genres || Warnings: T. Romance. None yet, but I’ll add them as I go along.

Previous Chapters - Prologue

A/N: Let the experiment begin! Also, I think actually establishing a relationship between characters before the actual relationship is something I love doing : P

Despite the amazing start of her new semester at Starfleet, it didn’t take long for Kealoha to slowly become more then a little overwhelmed with the amount of classes she had chosen to take on. It wasn’t that any of them were irrelevant to her final major, she had yet to decide which specialty she would be taking up, Kealoha simply wanted to get a feel of everything before she decided on a specialty.

Her Tūtū had told her just how important it was to pick a specialty and stick with it to the end. Kealoha had heard one too many stories from her Tūtū of how people wouldn’t be able to decide what they wanted to do once they got into Starfleet and they would loose track of themselves.

But that was not about to happen to Kealoha.

She wasn’t about to loose sight of her goal.

And if that meant taking on more classes then any other student, then she would do so.

She was up before dawn, and out the door within the hour. A few hours at the library, before rushing off to her first class. While other students enjoyed free hours of no class here and there, Kealoha just didn’t have that. There was usually a class scheduled during that time, and even her lunch hour was spent finishing up an assignment or doing some reading that was required.

Not to mention the extracurricular she had signed herself up for. She had calculated that since there were five days of the week, she could join five clubs. Which was why she had joined the Xeno-Biology Club, Combat Club, Swim Team, Xeno-Flora Club and, just because she thought it would be fun, Xeno-Culture Club. Since she was a First Year, she couldn’t volunteer for head any clubs  and such, but Kealoha was eager to get started on that as well, once the year was up.

While her first few weekends had been free, as the month wore on, those days became packed with extra work and club duties as well.

Perhaps she had bitten off more then she could chew?

It was no surprise that with her hectic schedule she had no time to really make friends. There were people she would say hello to here and there, but nothing more.

She hadn’t even had the chance to get to know her roommate since that first day. Kealoha was sure he had his own classes he was busy with, they did share a few classes here and there, but her timetable just didn’t give her any free time to actually sit down and speak to him. There were fleeting moments, here and there, where she would feel guilty about ignoring him. But it wasn’t her fault. She just had so much to do.

Whenever she returned to their shared rooms she would be so tired from the running around, the studying, the extracurricular activities, and the clubs that she would just slump into bed once out of the bathroom and fall into an exhaustive sleep.

And that was her schedule for the first one and a half month at Starfleet.

It was another beautiful day in the city of San Fransisco. The sun  was shining and despite warnings of a thunderstorm approaching, most of  the student body at Starfleet Academy had chosen to ignore the impending  weather change and simply enjoy the clear day.

Kealoha, however, was not having a good day.

Or even a good week.

She had barely gotten any sleep and with the first exams approaching, she was beginning to feel the pressure of everything bearing down on her. She did her best to not show it, only breaking out into frustrated tears when she was alone, but it was beginning to get harder and harder.

On that particular day, she had been running from one building to the other to get to her classes. She hadn’t had breakfast and was clearly beginning to feel the effects of running around on an empty stomach. So, when a call came on the Intercom, informing the students that there wouldn’t be any more classes the rest of the day, on account of the Professors and Tutors being called away to the Starfleet Headquarters, Kealoha nearly sobbed in relief.

But free time didn’t mean she could laze about.

No it meant more time to study.

It wasn’t until she had nearly reached the library that she suddenly realized she had forgotten her PADD back in her room.

A frustrated sound fell from her lips, before she began to trek back to the dormitories. The heat of the afternoon sun bore down on her, and she felt a slight wave of dizziness wash over her, which she quickly pushed aside.

Punching in the code to her room, she was greeted by the sight of Spock lying on his bed and reading a book. He appeared more relaxed then she felt in that moment, ironic given that he was half-Vulcan and they didn’t do emotion.

He glanced up to catch her eye. “Greetings Ms. Wailani.” She rolled her eyes. “How many times do I have to say it Spock? Its just Kealoha. Or even Kay, if that’s too difficult to remember.” Quickly giving her side of the room a once-over she frowned when she didn’t see her PADD. “Spock have you seen my PADD? I can’t find it.” Kealoha laid down on her stomach to look under her bed. Of course there was no possibility of it being there, but she had to check.

But when she went to stand back up, she did so a little to quickly. The sudden shift in balance, not to mention the empty stomach, lack of sleep and running under a hot sun culminated in another wave of dizziness, this one much stronger and faster then the previous one had been.

Her world went dark for a few........seconds, perhaps minutes. She had no idea how long.

What she did know was once her eyes flickered open, she managed to make out the blurred image of her roommate leaning over her. “Are you alright Ms. Wailani?” His voice sounded as if it were coming from the other end of a corridor. She moaned softly, turning her head away. Unable to formulate words, she only gave a small nod.

She felt him move away from her before returning a few moments later. This time she felt him wrap an arm around her shoulders before carefully helping her sit up. A glass of water was pressed to her lips which she drank greedily. As the coolness from the water soothed her, Kealoha began to be aware of her surroundings once more.

And found her ability to speak once more when she said. “Shouldn’t have skipped breakfast this morning.” She muttered, raising a hand to rest against her forehead where her head still felt like it was spinning.

“It is the most important meal of the day.” Spock so helpfully reminded her. She only made a small sound of approval, before slowly beginning to slide her way to the edge of her bed to lean against it instead. “I could sleep for days.” The young woman muttered to herself as she raised a hand to muffle a yawn that escaped her.

“Given your over-packed timetable I am not surprised are your exhaustion Ms. Wailani.” Kealoha opened one eye to look at him where she was still sitting on the floor in front of her. “How did you know?” She asked, not really in the mood to guess how he had figured that out.

If Vulcan’s could blush, Kealoha suspected he would have. Instead he looked away from her and replied. “You once left your PADD open on your timetable while in the bathroom. I happened to pass by and though I had no intentions of prying, I couldn’t help but glance at it involuntarily. I apologize if it was an intrusion of your privacy.” He added, to which she simply shook her head.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve accidentally looked at your PADD a couple times as well. No fault in being curious.” She was starting to feel a little better, which prompted her to open both her eyes and finish off the rest of her water. “I'm sorry if I disturbed you Spock.” She said, referring to the fact how she had fainted just then. He frowned. “What are you apologizing for Ms. Wailani? You did not faint deliberately.” His voice was so serious when he said those words that it prompted Kealoha to give a small laugh. “No, that only happens in movies. But then you have no reason to be so nice to me. I haven’t exactly been a good roommate.” She mused, suddenly looking guilty.

“And how did you come to such a conclusion?” He moved to sit down cross-legged in front of her. Finding that speaking helped focus her, Kealoha shrugged. “Well, I assume this is your first time on Earth for so long away from your family, and I bet it hasn’t been easy. I know I miss my family and home, and they’re only a ride away. But you? You’re lightyears away. When I say I haven’t been a good roommate, I mean that I haven’t been around to ask you if you need any help or if there is anything you would need. And that is just really rude of me.”

There was a moment of silence before Spock spoke. “While I appreciate the thought Ms. Wailani, I have not needed any assistance. I am perfectly capable of handling things on my own.” She looked at him, frantically shaking her head. “That is not what I mean. I’m sure you are more then capable, but I’m just being a bad person for not offering any help. My mother would surely tell me off before throwing a sandal at my head. She’s always saying she did not raise a bad person.”

It seemed the mention of her mother was a point of interest for Spock. “Why would your mother throw a shoe at your head?” He asked, previous irritation at her assumption that he was not capable diminishing slightly. Kealoha gave a small laugh. “Well, you see my brothers and I had a habit of getting in trouble when we were children. And to show that she was very serious about her scolding, Mama would throw sandals at our heads. Never to hit us. Just to get her point across. Then again with nine of us and only one of her, she had to use tactics that agreed with her.” She giggled softly as Spock raised an eyebrow at her. “Nine?” He asked, a little perplexed.

Kealoha nodded. “Yeah, nine. My father, me, and my seven brothers.”

This had to be the first time she actually saw a positive emotion in his gaze. Honestly, no one could hide their reaction when she told them how many brothers she had. She grinned. “Yes, I have seven brothers and I am the only girl. Actually the only female to be born in perhaps, three or four generations.” She admitted. “What about you? Do you have any siblings?”

The half-Vulcan shook his head. “No.” He responded simply, to which Kealoha frowned. “Didn’t you get lonely?”

Did he?

Truthfully Spock hadn’t allowed himself to think it over. At least not as an adult. When he was a child, he couldn’t help but wish for a sibling. Someone to share his time with. A childish impulse, he deduced later on. But as he got older, he accepted he would be an only child.

And that was that.

“I have never thought about such things. And I was never alone. I had my parents.” He watched as his roommate hummed a little in response. She looked like she was about to reply, but then a low gurgling sound echoed in the room.

Despite the tanned tone of her skin, Spock could clearly see the blush that stole across her face. “Well I suppose that is my cue to get something to eat.” She slowly stood up, careful to not have another blackout. Spock was ready in case she faltered even a single step.

“I do not mean to pry Ms. Wailani.” He began, despite his mind telling him not to ask her such a personal question. But he was curious. “Why have you signed up for so many classes and activities. Taking on so much will only effect the final result.” Kealoha hummed under her breath as she pursed her lips. “Thats a bit of a long story. But if you come down to dinner with me, I can tell you all about it.” Perhaps it would do her some good to take a break. The world wouldn’t end if she didn’t do something productive for a few hours. Besides, being near Spock seemed to do wonders for her frayed nerves.

“That will be acceptable.”

                                            ————————–

Fifteen minutes later

“Is it the norm for you to skip breakfast?”

“Not really. But I woke up a little late this morning and had to skip it, otherwise I would’ve missed my class.”

“Yes, I do recall you nearly falling over when you entered the Lecture Hall at the very last minute.”

“Yes well, not one of my finest moments.”

                                            ————————–

Half an hour later

“-and I figured if my Tūtū could do so much and still have a successful career, be an amazing wife and a good mother, then I could at least get a head start with the first one.”

“Seeking inspiration from another source is acceptable, but you should not have to overwork yourself just to prove to yourself to her.”

“Thats the thing. I don’t think I want to prove myself to her.”

“Your family?”

“A little, but not entirely.”

“Then?”

“Myself.”

                                            ————————–

An hour later

“-and I believe that was the first time I allowed my emotions to overwhelm my logical thinking, resulting in a fist fight, as well as being sent to the Headmaster, with my Father in session.”

“Well, you couldn’t help it. They insulted you and your mother. If it were me, I would’ve done the same thing.”

“Yes, but you are human and I am half-human and Vulcan. I should not have allowed my emotions to get the better of me.”

“Still, please tell me the other kid looked worse then you did.”

“I am not one to condone violence, but I do believe I broke his nose and his jaw.”

“Remind me never to make you angry.”

                                            ————————–

Two hours later(Maybe)

“What exactly was the purpose of such an act?”

“It was just for fun. But mostly to get revenge on her for breaking my brother’s heart.”

“So in retaliation you poured sugar into her hovercar?”

“I would’ve done worse. But my Father, talked me out of it.”

“Why would you fight for your brother? Would it not be better for him to fight his own battles?”

“I suppose it would. But in our family, if you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us.”

“That is a rather.....interesting way of looking at things.”

                                            ————————–

Three hours later(????)

“For what logical reason would would your parents oppose to your having a male for a roommate?”

“Not my parents. Mama and Papa, trust my judgement. I have seven brothers Spock. And each one of them is as over-protective as they come. Not only because I’m their only sister, but also because I’m the youngest.”

“Does such a dynamic exist in all families with siblings?”

“Well yeah, I suppose, for most of them.”

“It is rather strange that they would be so protective of you. Do they not believe you are capable enough to defend yourself?”

“Oh, they know I am. Its just because......well, they love me. And they want to protect me.”

“But I am of no danger to you.”

“Yes, I don’t see it that way. But they’re my brothers. All they will see is their little sister sharing rooms with a male.”

“Ah, I see now.”

“Oh good, because I had no intention of going into further detail with you.”

                                            ————————–

Time is an irrelevant construct

"Spock?”

“Yes?”

“I think the Dining Hall is closing.”

Their gazes quickly shifted away from one another to look around. They were the only ones left, and it had been hours since they had both arrived. Kealoha flushed a little at the fact that the both of them had been speaking for so long, and neither had thought of looking at the time even once.

“We should get back to dorms?” Spock suggested as he stood. She nodded, standing up as well. Once the both of them had deposited their trays back on the counter, they were quick to exit the building.

Night had fallen and it was unnaturally quiet. Kealoha glanced at the clock tower, blinking in astonishment once she realized what time it was. “We were in there talking for hours?!” She exclaimed, turning to look at her roommate who appeared just as surprised as she was.

“I must admit I have never spoken to someone at such length before.” He revealed. Kealoha couldn’t help but feel a little bubble of pride at such a prospect. “Well you could’ve stopped me anytime you liked.” She joked, lightly nudging her elbow against his arm.

He gave a little frown at her action, but let it slide. “Why would I have stopped you when I did not wish it?” Kealoha’s steps slowed slightly, before she resumed her previous pace, walking next to him and keeping with his much larger strides easily.

“So are you saying you liked talking to me?” She asked, grinning up at him. There was a long stretch of silence following her question. But not an uncomfortable one. Kealoha could practically see the gears in his head shifting as he searched for an answer to her question.

“I found speaking to you to be a rather pleasant way to pass the time.” He finally concluded, to which you hummed in agreement. “As did I. So, drawing from both our conclusions, would it be safe to assume that we are now friends?”

Once more he was a little slow with his response, though there was no reluctance in his expression when he spoke. “Yes, it would be.”

Kealoha grinned in response.

#spock x reader #spock x oc #spock x y/n #spock #star trek #the roommate experiment #star trek 2009

[bijoumikhawal]

Bite the Hand that Starves You: Chapter Five

Fic as of this chapter contains: discussion of abortion, references to drug use, intersex and trans characters, torture/graphic violence, colonialism and its aftermath, implied sexual violence, disassociation

Kardasi: peikirvi- would translate to something like "concubine", specifically refers to an individual that socially presents as male, and was assigned such at birth, but can carry children (and often could impregnate someone else), who is legally bound to someone. Usually this is done with a pre-existing couple who has fertility issues.

Cheoche and cheyeda: could be translated as something like "patron" and "vassal". "Che" in Kardasi refers to charity, which is viewed as a duty to society rather than a choice made of good will. More specifically, a cheoche is a wealthy family/clan who takes on the affairs of a poorer or weaker one (the cheyeda), legally binding the two together for several generations. This can be typified in three ways: the cheyeda being a family who was once great and has become destitute, the family of a beloved artist, or a family of the "service class". For the latter, having a cheoche often provides a stable income, food, housing, and better schooling and training. Some cheyeda even have inheritance rights from their cheoche. However, while the relationship is glorified as going above and beyond ones duty, it is a system rife with abuse. The Tain and Garak families are bound this way.

Kisam- a matchmaker

kashmim- Cardassian time unit roughly equal to nine years

---

“I’ll be just a moment.” Garak said, sensing someone enter the shop and hearing the small noise maker he’d attached to the door be set off by the sliding motion of the door.

He finished the slight adjustment of the clothing in front of him, and turned around. “What can I-“

The words died In his throat when he saw just who had walked into his shop. Suddenly he was both full of white hot anger, and felt like a young, easily manipulated schoolboy again. “What are you doing here, Lokar.” He leaned into the anger. There was no time to question why he was alive, or how. The fact that his punishment had initially been execution still was within reason, given this… sight.

“Lokar? Oh, Elim, we were much closer than that, weren’t we?” Barkan leered at him, his voice, once simply gruff, now like sandpaper over the ears. A lesser man wouldn’t have noticed the hatred burning under his gaze. He looked around. “Charming little shop. I expected you to be up your elbows in soil or circuitry the next time I saw you.”

Garak moved so that the display table in the middle of the room was solidly between the two of them, and his way into his backroom was clear.

Not for the first time, he wished there was more than one entrance and exit to his shop. It had after all, been purposely designed so any proprietor within could be easily cornered by the Cardassian soldiers sent to fetch him. Almost all the shops had similar design features. He simply was unfortunate enough to be more intimately acquainted with them than the other merchants. The only other that had been there in those days was Quark, and his establishment had the privilege of at least one exit on every level.

“There isn’t much soil here I’m afraid, and I doubt Starfleet would allow a random civilian to get his hands in their circuitry.” He quashed the temptation to ask after Paladine and Kel. Barkan would only lie, and mock him all the while.

Barkan tilted his head. “A shame. You looked so at home when you were tending orchids on Romulus.”

Something about that made Garak snap. “You’re begging for an assassination, coming here.” Garak snarled. “The Bajorans did not forget who started ore processing here.”

Barkan sighed. “Such a shift in conversation, and here I was being civil.” He started to stalk in front of the table, not leaving Garak with a clear shot out the door. “And frankly, I’m surprised you’d say such a thing. After all, there are Bajorans that certainly remember you, yet look at you- sitting so nicely in your shop.”

Oh yes, they remembered him- that first morning, after the withdrawal, they certainly remembered him. In his low moments, he used to wish Odo hadn't interfered.

“You're being horribly cold to me, you know.” Barkan chided him. “A good Cardassian would be hospitable, even to a stranger.”

“I could hardly afford the hospitality you're used to.”

Loudly, someone cleared their throat. Garak saw Odo filling the doorway now, and had rarely felt such relief in his life. “Garak, is there a problem here?” He eyed Barkan suspiciously.

“No, constable.” He said in a tone that doubtlessly would only convince Odo that there was, in fact, a problem. “Lokar here was simply lost. He was looking for Del Floria’s, I believe.”

Barkan clearly recognized Odo, eyes flicking down to his Bajoran uniform with distaste. “It's nice seeing you again, Odo.”

Odo crossed his arms. “Del Floria’s is on the other side of the Promenade.”

Barkan smiled. “Thank you. Always helpful, aren't you?” He began walking out. “I’ll be on the station for the next few days, Elim.” He clapped Odo on the chest. “I have a great deal of catching up to do with Dukat, now that I’m returning to public life.”

Odo rubbed his chest, staring after him.

---

One could say Barkan Lokar possessed certain characteristics. Among them, unfortunately, was persistence. Going about his day, Barkan kept appearing just on the edge of his vision. Often, Odo was there as well.

Garak acted as though he hadn't noticed either of them. Things were stabilizing, now. He was able to (mostly) focus on work again. The outbreak of kunowaat- which he'd noticed, but hadn't been able to concern himself with- had no new patients, according to the station rumor mill. A Ferengi festival was upcoming.

It had been three days since Dr. Ammshah left.

Garak had a special delivery to pick up. He'd placed it before this whole mess, knowing it would take awhile back then. He'd almost forgotten it until today- when he got a message from the vendor saying it'd be dropped in corridor J, not too far from where it connected to the promenade. Little foot traffic to worry about, but still accessible.

Unfortunately, that made it an excellent tome for Barkan to be direct in his efforts once more. The seeming lack of presence as he entered the hall gave no comfort. Garak often regretted teaching Barkan what he'd learned from the regnar.

He could delay- his delivery wasn't out in the open- but it wasn't just that.

He had no desire to wait for Barkan to act.

He sensed the shift as the lights changed- they were kept dim here, due to the lack of traffic. It saved a bit of power. He kept walking.

With more time to plan, he could have put himself at great advantage. But then… he'd have to explain himself, after. And no matter what, that would go very poorly for him.

Barkan formally announced himself with a hand on Garak’s wrist.

Garak turned, twisting his way out of the grab. “Rather forward, aren't you?”

“Did you hit your head, Elim? I'm rather curious about where this amnesia of yours has come from.”

“I had hoped for your death. I think you'll find a better answer in that than playing doctor.” Garak said. And yes, he had. He’d felt foul and yet he knew that best outcome would be this man’s blood on his hands.

“You did a lot more than hope.” Barkan stepped forward. Perhaps he was goading Garak to run further down the corridor, away from the promenade.

“And was about as effective, it seems.” Garak didn't give in, standing firm.

“Oh, I wouldn't say that.” Barkan lunged forward him. Garak ducked, punching him in the ribs. Barkan wheezed out a laugh, catching himself. “I've learned my lesson about underestimating you.”

Garak waited. Watched. It was almost like the pit- his energy crashed against Barkan's, even as he stayed against the wall, catching his breath from the blow. Then- his foot came out, catching Garak’s weaker leg, and sending him back against the opposite wall.

Barkan turned, lunging again. He seemed more intent on grappling Garak than striking him. Garak dodged him again, this time not bothering to try and hit him.

That changed things. Garak had expected a fight- a most likely deadly one, yes, but something he could get it over with. Barkan was a hitter when angry, and not especially good with self control in private. He normally had no plan, simply seeking a way to satisfy his anger. Going with a grapple meant he had one.

He had to get out of here.

Barkan had kept him with his back facing more corridor- to get to the promenade, Garak had to get past him.

They both stayed locked in stance. Seeing what move the other would make- had Barkan figured out Garak had switched expectations?

Garak moved first, aiming to hit Barkan on his left arm and get past him.

The blow landed, but Barkan pivoted, turning and slamming them both against the wall.

Barkan’s hand moved to his chest, as though to press his comms for the Cardassian ship docked, when an alarmed voice called out.

“Garak!” Julian was quickly making his way towards the two of them.

Barkan startled at the interruption, and Garak took the opportunity to send him down to the floor by elbowing him in the face. He moved quickly, grabbing the doctor by the arm and steering the both of them to the more populated parts of the station.

“Garak, what was that about? Do you want me to call security? God, you’re bleeding!”

Garak touched his neck. It seemed at some point, Barkan had managed to scratch the unprotected skin in the center. “Doctor, in the future I would advise against you walking around near derelict parts of the station by yourself.” He stole a glance behind them, turning his torso. No sign of Barkan. Unfortunately, he knew Garak’s favorite trick, so that couldn’t be assured.

“Me?! Garak, I came looking for you. It was halfway through our usual lunch appointment, you hadn’t shown up, you weren’t in your shop, you hadn’t messaged me to say you had to miss it this week-“ Julian took a breath. “And I either found you being attacked, or…”

“The first option, I assure you.” It wasn't really soothing, Garak could tell, but it gave Julian more time to breathe instead of talking.

“My question stands about security, then.”

By now there were at least a dozen other people milling about, and Garak allowed himself to relax into his usual state of awareness. “No, I do not want to report this to security.” Dimly, he realized that Barkan had seen Julian with him. If Dukat hadn’t told him about the incident with Rugal, then surely now he would be on Barkan’s radar. “I might perhaps discuss it with constable Odo, off the record.”

Julian stopped him. “I doubt you’ll go to the infirmary with me to get your neck seen to.”

“You would be correct.”

Julian sighed. “Will you wait outside while I grab some equipment and let me do it in your shop, then?”

Garak considered it. “Yes, doctor.”

---

Sisko was going over his weekly communique from Starfleet went Odo came in early. He set aside the padd. "Constable. I've been eager for our daily meeting."

"Did something happen?" Odo tilted his head slightly.

"Dr. Bashir made a report today regarding something he hoped we'd coordinate on."

"A report about Garak." Odo harrumphed. "Coincidentally, that's why I'm here early today. One of Dukat's guests is someone you need to be aware of."

"Sounds like this is going to be a long talk. Take a seat, Constable."

Occasionally, Odo would remark that neither made any difference to him and remain standing, but not today. "Barkan Lokar was murdered close to three years ago. Today I saw him on the promenade."

Sisko sat up a little straighter at that.

Odo took a breath, considering. More out of imitation, Sisko guessed. "Lokar was the mastermind of the mining operation on Terok Nor, though he left the day to day to Dukat. His presence on the station, for that reason alone, is a security threat."

"And then there's the reason Dr. Bashir made his report." Sisko tapped his fingers on this desk. "He said he suspected they knew each other."

"He suspected correctly. Garak was Lokar’s… the closest translation would be concubine, peikirvi. His wife stayed on Prime, but Garak traveled with Lokar while he was on duty. Back then I only knew of Garak as “Elim”."

Sisko didn't hide the displeasure on his face at hearing the closest translation of the word. "I see."

"Garak was also supposed to have killed him. At the beginning of peace talks with the Federation, when the military was starting the evacuation of all non-essential personnel, Lokar stayed to help Dukat close out the mines. I was ordered by both to keep Garak confined to quarters, ostensibly for his own safety. A week later, he was found trying to steal a runabout by a patrol. The officer who found him tried to return him to his quarters, where they found Lokar's body, strangled." Odo paused. "No close examination of the body was allowed. Garak was incredibly agitated and bore injuries. I suspect he may have been intoxicated as well, but no testing was carried out. Dukat decided no further investigation was needed- to him, it was obvious there was a fight, and Garak had gone too far. Something about how the two had known each other since military school, and that Garak must have let old grievances get to him."

"I presume he was more biased than that." Garak at military school… now there was an odd picture.

Odo hmphed. "Of course. Lokar was his closest friend that wasn't a subordinate. He'd requested that the Central Command allow him to handle things personally. Garak was sentenced to labor under military detention after execution was denied for whatever reason, and Dukat assigned him to work as a tailor. Then he was intentionally left behind during the final evacuation."

Sisko gave in to the urge and grabbed his baseball. "So. I have a dead man walking, who happens to be one of the most hated men on the station, if not all of Bajor, and he has a personal violent history with one of our primary informants on Cardassia, who he's harassed today already."

"Twice."

"Twice." Sisko repeated, rubbing his temple. "First, keep an eye on Garak, but be subtle about it. Second, look into Lokar's whereabouts between now and then. Third, keep an eye on him, and don't be subtle. Increase security around the meeting tomorrow. Try to leave any investigation of the murder aside until Lokar is off the station. The rest, I leave to you."

Odo nodded. "As for my usual report…"

---

They'd tentatively resumed lunch. A day off from their usual schedule, unfortunately. There was a relieving quality to it- just like how the ones between the incident with the implant and this one had been, though stained with tension.

Three days worth of meetings... then Barkan would be off the station. He'd still be Garak’s problem... but at a distance.

Garak put that out of his mind. He had a young man to castigate. "As usual, it seems you don't understand your own literature. It's incredibly obvious that-" Garak stopped.

"Garak? Cat got your tongue?" Julian asked, amused.

Garak didn't bother chastising him for using idioms that gave the universal translator trouble. His attention had been pulled away by his parasite. Not only was Barkan around- he was walking toward them, which was what bothered Garak enough to stop.

Was he really going to do this in public?

The look in Barkan's eyes was cold, the way it was the first night Garak had navigated out of the wilderness successfully. Barkan’s gaze somehow became more cruel upon seeing Julian. “Ah. And here I had hoped you had some sense of properity within you.”

Julian tensed, recognizing the voice. "I didn't know Dukat had adopted the policy of giving his crew shore leave while a meeting is currently in progress."

Ignoring Julian, Barkan continued. “I never released you, Elim.”

“Never released me? I wasn’t aware I was a game bird.” Garak didn't deny the implication- the kind of person Barkan was, he'd take that as proof. The best thing to do was step around it, distance yourself from it.

"Game birds are better behaved."

The rest of the replimat was unsubtly looking over at them. Was that his game? After all, there are Bajorans that certainly remember you, yet look at you- sitting so nicely in your shop.

Many of the Bajorans previously on the station had left after withdrawal. Most of the people who associated Garak and Lokar that Garak still had to interact with weren't Bajoran- Odo, Quark and his staff, and so on.

It wasn't that Garak had never been publicly accosted by another Cardassian before. Most ignored him, but a few lacked the self control. What was making this differ was that anyone listening- even if they didn't quite get the implications, and many Bajorans did- could tell this was personal.

It was hard to predict how this would impact him down the road.

"Game birds don't follow orders, Lokar. They fly out of instinct. Perhaps you can relate." Garak turned away from him. "Speaking of, do mind your manners, doctor."

Dr. Bashir had been staring at Barkan the whole time. His attention snapped to Garak once called upon, eyes shifted, but still visibly thinking about how to get rid of Barkan. It was charming.

"I'm sorry, Garak. At my age I should know how to focus on a conversation, and not ignore someone."

Garak didn't laugh, but he did smile a bit. "Being aware of your flaws is good, but you need to act against them." He chided. "What would you do if you were at a medical conference, and ended up snubbing someone important because there was a fight at the snack bar you couldn't ignore?"

"How crass, Ten Lubak." Barkan said, sounding genuinely disappointed as he stalked away. He'd gotten what he wanted, after all- no need to linger.

---

Pay me a visit. And do not dress ostentatiously. The message read.

Garak frowned at it. When he was younger, he would have wondered if being ordered to return to his childhood home was a test, given that he was not to do so unless under specific circumstances. At this point, he knew the summons themselves were not the test.

He had a green outfit that would work well enough. It was a nice day- he might as well walk.

His mother was the one to greet him. "They're in the study." she told him. No recognition beyond what she'd give a normal guest- this was not a personal visit on Tain’s end, then. And, he already had a guest.

He nodded to her. “Thank you.”

Garak had not often gone upstairs when he lived here, and even less often to the study. He opened the door himself- he was allowed to, after all. Tain had his guests escorted if he felt guarded about such a thing as them opening doors by themselves.

He'd already had on a smile, and kept it firm even upon seeing the other guest.

He had expected Barkan would check if his “Elim Vronok” story was true, but this seemed a little much. At least he knew the role to play now; Elim Vronok, disgraced Bamarren washout who found out he was a bastard, changed his name, and now was a service class gardening drone. That still left the test…

“Barkan Lokar. I didn't expect to see you again so soon after our last meeting.” He gave it a formal distance, with a little warmth. He turned to Tain and bowed forward. “Patron.” Most likely, Lokar was here because Tain was officially the Garak family’s cheoche (this branch, anyway).

“You're being terribly formal, Elim. Sit, we have kanar.” Tain gave off the appearance of being relaxed, his presence withdrawn. And he did indeed, have a bottle of Kanar out and open. The two of then had each already poured a glass.

Garak did as he was told (it was never a request) and sat in the spare chair, pouring himself some kanar. Owing to the status of Elim Vronok compared to the room, he poured just half of the usual amount. “Might I ask what the occasion is?”

“How long has it been since Bamarren, Elim?” Barkan asked, looking into his drink.

“About two kashmim.”

“Two kashmim.” Barkan repeated. “As you know, Palandine and I were already betrothed back then. We formalized our relationship after completion of our studies at Bamarren. Two kashmim… and we only have one child.”

Garak bowed his head. “My condolences.” It was terror, to have just one child- that was only one opportunity for your hopes, ambitions, continuation of your name, and of course, only one opportunity for Cardassia. It would weigh especially heavy on Barkan, the man who taught Garak the real meaning of the word opportunity.

Deaths had decreased from what they'd been just before Garak was born, with hunger and illness rampant before the state made reforms. But both still hounded children in particular. And war…

Barkan sighed. “I love Kel dearly. The responsibility of being the only Lokar of her generation would crush her. Seeing you on Romulus reminded me… that I have options.”

The artifacts Tain kept on the walls suddenly made the room feel smaller.

So. That was what he'd come for. A slight panic must have appeared somewhere in him- his eyes, his posture. Barkan set down the glass, making a beseeching gesture. “I've been perfectly formal in discussing the matter before you arrived.”

Of course he had. He was wearing his newfound refinement like a shawl. Garak hadn't even been worried about Tain hearing of his school boy liaisons until it was alluded to.

Garak smiled as though relieved. “As fits the occasion.”

How did Barkan know? Had it come up while he was checking his Vronok story or had it been known at Bamarren and kept quiet as future leverage?

“Why me?” Garak asked, cloaking the question in a blend of bashfulness and humility. “Surely your family could find you a peikirvi, or a kisam could look further afield.”

Barkan smiled- the same smile he'd used on Garak at Bamarren. “I already know you, Elim. I came to like you and respect you during our time at school. I know you and Palandine won't destroy the household with petty strife. Those are guarantees I cannot get, no matter how clever my family or a kisam is, if I am marrying a stranger.”

“Well argued. Don't you agree, Elim?” Tain looked to him.

Barkan was friends with Skrain Dukat. Son of Procal Dukat, the would be coup leader. That was Tain’s angle here. Keep close to Barkan to keep aware of the Dukats.

How funny. Procal would despise his son's friend if he could see this now. An aristocratic military man raising a service class bastard to the honor of his peikirvi- what a fit he and every other member of the True Way would have.

“Very well argued.” How fortunate for Tain, that Barkan had thought of this himself and come to Tain as Garak’s cheoche. The latter was no matter of fortune, of course. Just good planning. As was this: positioning Garak this way had the potential to be very good planning.

Who was Garak to deny the will of his father, patron, head of the Order?

---

Julian knocked on the door frame to alert Sisko of his presence. "I have forms for you to sign." This was the last thing he needed to do- then he was off to bed.

"Oh, wonderful." Sisko lowered the padd he was looking at. "Inventory reports?"

"Among other things." Julian replied. He handed the data rod over to Sisko. "There's also requisition forms and a post-hoc form for that medical consult I had to call in." Normally, Julian would have done that before whoever he'd called in arrived, but Dr. Ammshah had caught him off guard.

"Did that go well?" Sisko connected the rod and the padd.

"Confidential." Julian said.

Sisko's brows raised as he skimmed the papers. Julian could pinch himself- normally, he would at least say if something went well. His knee jerk response gave the opposite impression, and he couldn't correct it. Sisko could probably guess who the consult concerned, and of course, had just reported to Odo the other day...

"This... is a long set of requisition forms." Sisko said after a moment. "Even for how many people have been ill."

"That's just how this disease is. It doesn't help that it's one of those where people tend to catch something else while already sick." Julian leaned on the back of the chair across from Sisko.

"How have you and the infirmary staff been holding up? Anyone giving you trouble?"

"No, no trouble- it's about as you'd expect." Julian replied. "We aren't being pushed to our limits yet, but we'll all be very glad when this is done with."

Sisko's eyes lingered on him, not bothering with subtlety as he squinted at Julian's face, then his uniform. "You're sure?"

"I'm sure. I'm very careful to make sure I don't give anyone more work than they can handle, and we managed to borrow a few nurses from the nearest outpost planetside." This was true- and key to this, just as much as the extra nurses, which of course no one else knew, was that Julian could do the work of two people in the infirmary. He was careful about it. No one noticed anything obviously unusual. "It's under con-"

A yawn rudely interrupted him. Julian felt his face warm slightly.

Sisko sighed. "Don't be over eager, doctor. It's better to ask for help early on if you need it, and to overestimate."

Julian laughed. "Thank you, sir, but I know my limits, and the limits of my staff."

"Good. Keep them in mind, and don't be shy to ask when you need something." Sisko nodded at him and raised the padd in Julian's direction. "I'll send these off once I'm done."

Julan inclined his head. "Thank you again."

#ds9 #garashir #garashir fic #Ds9 fic #Fic: bite the hand that starves you

[staringdownabarrel]

One of the things that really annoys me about the Star Trek community on Reddit is that so many people there are adamant about treating Starfleet as if it's the Federation's military and nothing else. What really annoys me about it is that it leads to a lot of conversations about why this or that character isn't being subjected to an up-or-out policy the same way military personnel might in the real world.

This is the kind of view that's absurd on the face of it. Starfleet is the Federation's military, but it's also more than that. A lot of the work it does is stuff that would be done by other government departments or by private entities in the real world. This includes stuff like science and exploration (what they're explicitly focused on), disaster relief, transporting colonists to new colonies, providing transport to ambassadors, and so on. Even in cases where some of this is being done by organisations outside of Starfleet, the shows portray Starfleet being involved in some capacity.

There also isn't a clear delineation between ships and personnel who are mostly working on the military side of things and those that are mostly doing the science, exploration, and civil service work. The same hero ship whose mission in one episode is to deal with some military confrontation or another can often be dealing with a non-military issue in the next.

Yes, there are some ships and some officers that are implied to mostly be focused on that (e.g., Captain Jellico on the Cairo, or basically anything Admiral Nechayev is up to), but it can't be taken as a given that this has been their entire career. It's often just the assignment they have right now. It's been shown that someone can go from a generalist ship to being on a specialist mission. Barclay, for example, was on the Enterprise-D and -E for years, but his next assignment was on the Pathfinder project looking for Voyager.

Coming from that perspective, having an up-or-out policy doesn't make a lot of sense. A lot of people do go get a job and just stay in that position for decades. This isn't really as common with Millennials or Gen Z, but it was common enough with Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, who largely wrote and produced the older Trek shows. Plus, a lot of the people in Starfleet are people doing very specialised jobs that there wouldn't be too many other people capable of doing, so they can't just go, "Oh, you're like 40 and still a lieutenant? You're being drummed out."

Another thing here is that some of these ships are on very long-term assignments. The Excelsior had been on a three-year cataloguing mission prior to the destruction of Praxis for example, and the Enterprise had been on a five-year mission in deep space around the time of the Klingon war in Discovery. This is something that'd only get more pronounced as time went on. One of the big reasons why ships in the TNG era were designed to have families onboard is because a lot of these ships, the Galaxy-class particularly, are designed for ten or twenty year deep space assignments.

In cases like that, it doesn't really make sense to have an up-or-out policy. These ships are hundreds of light years away from Federation space for years at a time, so once someone is promoted to a point where they should be a department head or a first officer on a different ship, they'd have no other ship to go to. Even for someone who really wanted to go up the chain of command on those ships, it'd make more sense to have them as a lieutenant for five or ten years and then bump them up to lieutenant commander when they're actually able to be transferred to a different ship.

I think it also ignores the actual practical reason why up-or-out policies exist in real world militaries. In real life, there's only a limited number of postings available, even in very large militaries. It's not like in other industries where you can just bide your time for an opening at another company; if you're in the military and want to continue working in that field, there's only one employer. If someone stays in one position for too long, they're clogging up space that would otherwise be taken by someone who actually wants that position and eventually the one above it.

This is less of a concern in Starfleet. A fleet of around 40 ships is considered to be a huge deal in The Best of Both Worlds, set in 2366-7, but a decade later, Starfleet's fielding these huge fleets with hundreds of ships in them during the Dominion War. Between the huge size of those fleets compared to the size of the fleet five or ten years earlier and due to the wartime losses, they struggle to find enough warm bodies to actually crew them.

Even outside of that, the Federation is constantly expanding during the early centuries of its existence. In 2161, the Federation was founded with four members, and by First Contact in 2373, it had 150 members. That's 146 members in about 110 years. On average, once one new member joins, it'll be less than two years before another does. This is before considering the huge amounts of colonisation of planets that the Federation apparently does.

Just due to that, there'd always be a need for more and more Starfleet ships just to protect that amount of space. While in real life, the up-or-out policy is there to benefit the career oriented, Starfleet doesn't need it as much. For people who are dead set on going up the chain, there's always going to be another ship available pretty soon.

So overall, I don't think Starfleet is hurt by not having an up-or-out policy. I think if anything, it has the opposite problem. It's not really attracting enough people to crew all the ships it actually needs to do its job.

All of this is one of the reasons why I feel like a lot of Reddit Star Trek fans are fans of the franchise in the same way World War II wonks are history buffs. Yeah, the World War II wonk can tell you all the major battles, can describe to you in great detail every weapon used in the war, and can give opinions on how the T-34 compared to the Panzer or whatever, but they struggle when it comes to describing the political situation and how it's affected world politics ever since. Similarly, a lot of Reddit Trekkies can give you a broad overview of the canon and can describe to you in great detail what any given class of ship is shown to be capable of, but they often struggle in dealing with the actual thematics of the show.

#star trek #reddit #rant