Look Before You Leap

Posted on Mon Feb 13th, 2023 @ 10:34am by Ensign Gianna Djokovic & Ensign Gazo Daw
Edited on on Thu Mar 9th, 2023 @ 5:06pm

1,207 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Prelude to Rebirth
Location: Starfleet Academy, Earth
Timeline: 15 July 2395

[ON]

Daw was walking with Gia through the quad, having just finished up an eight-mile run through the obstacle course, with phasers. His PT uniform was soaked through and his hand was sore from gripping the phaser. It might only be a low-level version of the venerable Starfleet weapon but in his mind, it was the real thing. Daw wasn't a warrior. He could shoot straight and rarely was afraid but he'd rather have been figuring out problems on a computer. But here he was tagging along with his best friend, trying not to wreck his knees.

"So you're really going to go through with it," Daw asked, They were headed back to the armory to turn in the weapons. It was near dusk and the sky was a smear of red and pink. "The Firebird? The captain of the Venture said they would be glad to take us back after what we did to rescue their ship. And... uh... I heard some scuttlebutt about the Firebirds. Some crazy stories."

"The Venture is a good ship and crew. It would be a strong posting," Gia acknowledged, her short, dark hair still damp from the evening's activities but otherwise, she seemed to have recovered from the training. The phaser rested easily in the holster around her waist, it bobbed slightly with her stride as they walked. She bit her lip and wondered how much to engage him on the subject.

"But yes, the request is as good as done," she eventually commented with a sharp nod and animated hand movements as she continued with the pace. "Captain Llwyedd is a great officer. And Commander t'Aegis... If those things are true, if what they're saying is right, they had reasons for doing them and they were for the greater good. It's the paradox of command. Sometimes you have to break some eggs to get the job done." There was no doubt in her voice, but she didn't look over at him.

They weren't alone, other cadets were passing through the quad as well. It was one of the busiest parts of the academy. He could hear a dozen conversations on a dozen topics and, as always, he felt a deep sense of belonging. That was what bothered him. He lowered his voice when he spoke again.

"Gia, you're possibly throwing your career away. I heard in my Particle Propulsions lab, from Cadet Zente, you know the guy with the huge forehead, that anyone, anyone, who got assigned to the Firebird was either going to just die because the ship is wrecked or never get promoted because they were only sending screw ups there. There are great officers all over the fleet. What makes these ones special enough to risk all that?" He said.

"Because I owe it to them? Because they're like family to me and we have to have people we believe in," Gia came to a sudden stop and grabbed Daw's sleeve, pulling him to face her directly. Her cheeks were flushed red, but not from the earlier PT now, and her eyes gave away the certain intensity that burned behind them, an intensity Daw knew well. "You know I don't give a fuck what Zente thinks, but he's right about one thing. This is not going to be an easy assignment. It's not a stepping stone on a career path, but think about it."

She held up one finger. "Hear me out. It could be an even better opportunity than that. What does Starfleet love more than winning?"

Daw saw the sincerity in his friend's eyes and he felt the passion in her voice. He thought about what she was saying and had to admit that succeeding was often the overriding factor when it came to Starfleet and rules. He could name a dozen captains whose careers should have been ruined but went on to have stellar careers,

But in his head, Gia's words played again. Because they're like family to me and we have to have people we believe in.

"You're right," Daw said. "So I'm going with you."

Gia narrowed her eyes as she processed his declaration and she looked, in a word, perplexed. She couldn't tell him not to because she'd clearly made her point so well and she also couldn't in good faith endorse this course because it was risky.

Another part of Gia realized the two of them together were a pretty unstoppable team, as they'd already proven in so many trainings and simulations, and this made her heart sing. A smile slipped onto her lips only to disappear a fraction of a second later.

"No!" She swatted his arm emphatically. "You were supposed to say 'I don't know Gia, what does Starfleet love more than winning?' and then I was going to say 'An underdog.' You robbed me of my moment." The smile quickly melted back into place as she came back around to his answer. "Really, though? You would do that?"

Daw knew that he'd been lucky to meet Gia and even luckier that she'd gotten past his dorkiness and accepted him as her friend. He wouldn't have learned as much, achieved as much, or dreamed as much without her. "Gia, when I left Bajor on my way to the academy, my father hugged me, which wasn't something he was prone to do. He also gave me one bit of advice. 'Walk with the prophets', he said and I didn't think much of it because I'm Bajoran. I joined Starfleet for the challenge. To prove to myself that I could be one of the best engineers in Starfleet. But now I see that the prophets were guiding me all along. To you. And maybe to the people on the Firebird. People that I can believe in," he said and then punched her on the arm. "So, yeah, we are doing this together. Underdogs."

Gia gave a dip of her head in agreement as she rubbed out the spot on her arm and slowly turned back toward the armory to continue on the way. "You know I would support your decision no matter where you wanted to go, but I think I'm really excited about this now."

"Don't get too excited. I'll probably keep robbing you of your moments at the worst possible time ad try to embarrass you. But I'll have your back the whole time.

They had crossed the quad and were approaching the dormitories Daw pointed. "Going to be a party later on, You want to go, or should we start packing our stuff?" he said but then continued. "No, we better get packing. The party can wait."

Daw strode towards the armory, a reluctant Gia in tow. All around them, the academy continued, students flowing towards classrooms or the meal hall. Gia and Daw cut across the grain, moving through some of the smaller crowds, breaking their own trail.

[OFF]

Cadet Giana Djokovic
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Cadet Gazo Daw
USS Firebird NCC-88298

 

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