Command Performance

Posted on Tue Jul 21st, 2026 @ 3:13am by Lieutenant Commander David Erickson & Lieutenant Commander Valerie Novis

1,297 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: ARYL 1X04: All the Friends We Can Get
Location: XO's Office

David never liked being summoned to a superior officer's superior office, but he was also smart enough not to argue with it. He walked up to Valerie's door and rang the chime, standing at attention, waiting.

Valerie waited from behind her desk for several seconds. Her summons had gone out not too long ago, in fact he hadn’t needed a second one to make his way in, but appearances must be maintained. “Enter.” She looked up from the PADD she had been reading from, settling her face into something that would give away none of what she was feeling.

David walked in and stood at attention, staring straight ahead. "You asked to see me, Ma'am," he said, formally.

“Yes, Commander Erickson, I did. Take a seat.” There was one chair in front of the desk, the other was in a corner. It was a message all of its own: This was the principal’s office.

David let out a hint of a sigh and sat down across from her, resisting the urge to sit back and cross his legs. He sat up straight and stared at her, barely blinking. "Ma'am," he said.

“We need to discuss something that happened on the bridge, Commander: comms discipline. We were on an open comm when you vehemently objected to the Captain’s commands, which weren’t her doing in any case. By doing so, should anyone around the Captain have heard what you said, you could have put her and all of the away teams in serious jeopardy. Do you understand that?”

David nodded. "Yes, Ma'am. I apologize for the breach of protocol. I...lost my self-control at the wrong moment and forgot the comm line was open. It won't happen again."

“Good.” Valerie leaned forward and propped her face on her hands atop the desk, “Because, David, I agreed with you entirely, I just couldn’t say it out loud.”

David looked at her and relaxed his posture a bit, his shoulders sagging as he fell back against the back of the chair. "The fact that we can literally be ordered to stand by and watch a genocide..." he shook his head. "I just wanted to do....something."

“I wanted to set the ship’s phasers to a wide stun setting and fire on the crowd and Drenkul security forces alike. The last update I got is over a thousand dead and we could have prevented it if we’d only throw away our own moral code and I think we should have. As it is, I’m going to be including a very politic version of that in my own after action report to Starfleet Command. We got dropped in a shitty situation and it turned out the worst way possible.”

"I can't say I agree with calling it a moral code when it's used to justify immoral behavior. And, a thousand dead?" he said, giving an incredulous scoff. "I guarantee that's a lie. A hundred thousand maybe. A million by now. They're not going to stop at a thousand protestors. They're going to go after their families, their friends, anyone who ever sold them a drink of water. They are going to punish their lessers until--" he grabbed his knees, as if physically restraining himself. "Sorry," he said quietly after a moment. "Shitty situation doesn't begin to cover it."

“I’m sure you’re right, the killing won’t stop.” Valerie said quietly, “And because of what we did, part of that blood is on our hands. We didn’t mean to do it, didn’t intend it, but by stopping the assault on the government forces, we gave the Federation’s sanction to it. Maybe they’ll read my report, maybe they won’t. But if you’re willing to write one from what you saw down there, I’d be happy to append it to mine. Maybe if we can get enough people to give evidence towards it, either we’ll kick Drenkul loose or maybe be ordered to intervene for humanitarian reasons.

No point in intervening in a graveyard, David thought but held his tongue. Two responses were warring within him, but he shoved them both aside for the only logical answer. "You'll have my report within the hour, Ma'am," he said, quietly.

"Thank you." Valerie truly did appreciate it, "Is there anything you'd like to say? I do mean on or off the record, nothing you say here will make it beyond those doors."

"Yes," David said, a bitter edge in his voice. "Quite a bit, much of it unbecoming of an officer." He took a breath. "I'm just relieved the Captain is all right, and thoroughly pissed about how this turned out. I'm going to write my report and then go to my quarters and try to figure out how I'm going to sleep tonight."

"Get it off your chest, David, or it's going to fester." Valerie stated in a concerned voice, "Trust me, I've been around this road enough times that I. Know. Not this specific situation, but others."

David sighed. "I'm not saying I wanted a bloody revolution, but I now wish I'd done more to help the rebels succeed. Now it's all a waste. I toed a line, trying to avoid violating the Prime Directive, but trying to keep Karane and I safe, and part of me is pissed I did anything to help, when I'm supposed to sit on the sidelines, and part of me is pissed I didn't help them pull this off and stop the carnage they're now experiencing. I don't know how to reconcile the two feelings."

That was the problem and that was a genuine one. The memories of before she was Valerie had examples galore of bad situations turning sideways. This was just several levels worse. "Orders versus Morals." She stood from her desk and came around the desk to lean up against it, "It's never an easy thing to reconcile. I was lucky, in command up in space, so I didn't have to see anything going on the ground up close. The only 'win' scenario we had was to not be there at all. You had the worst of it all, David, you and Karane, because you were forced to directly oppose your own crewmates. If you had helped them pull it off, would you have been able to live with what they would have had to do to the security teams? And what do you think that those same people are feeling right now, knowing what's going on back on Drenkul? No one is happy about this situation, except maybe those Admirals and politicians back on Earth."

"Don't call politicians animals; it's insulting to the animals," David quipped. He wasn't meeting her eyes, instead his focus elsewhere closer to the floor, leaning his cheek on a fist. He finally looked up at her and sighed, shrugging. "I need to go write all this down while it's still fresh," he said. "Permission to return to my quarters?"

"Granted, Commander." Valerie stood from her leaning position on her desk and started her way back to her chair, "And Commander?" She put some edge in her voice now to make him meet her eyes, "After your report is submitted, feel free to let Lieutenant Inda know she's relieved for 'morale' purposes. Let's confine those particular activities to the appropriate times, if you will?"

David had the good manners to blush and nodded. "Yes, Ma'am," he said. He wanted to joke about his original romantic timeline being delayed by a kidnapping, but he couldn't muster the effort. He stood up and put his hands behind his back. "Thank you, Ma'am," he said, then walked solemnly out of the XO's office.

 

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