An Orion out of Water

Personal Log Star Date 2394

Today was my first day as a Star Fleet cadet aboard the U.S.S. Frakes, an Intrepid-class science vessel. It was recently commissioned for xenobotany and xenobiology operations in the Gamma quadrant as part of a tenuous agreement with the Dominion to continue exploration despite the Hur'q troubles. Today also happened to be her maiden voyage, and to say it was a rocky start would be a drastic understatement. It all started when I was given my first duty rotation assignment in engineering…

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“Have the calibrations been finished on the Warp Core yet?” Commander Turvok asked in his typical Vulcan monotone.

“Let me check…yes, commander. Warp Core is calibrated and ready to go.” Ensign Murgock, the young female Klingon I was working alongside replied.

“Very good. We should be departing shortly.” Turvok stated. “Cadet Mejarin, run a secondary systems diagnostic as a precaution before we leave from space dock. It will be a good learning exercise."

“Yes commander. Right away.” I replied.

Being an Orion in Starfleet wasn't easy. There was still a lot of distrust for my people, and I had to work extra hard to overcome those preconceptions. But I was determined to succeed.

“Cadet, when you have finished the diagnostic, please check the polarization of the warp nacelles.” The Commander ordered.

“But sir, Intrepid class nacelles don't require polarizing…” I corrected rather nervously.

“You are correct, Cadet.” Turvok noted. “I am impressed. Most first day Cadets simply agree in an attempt to demonstrate their compliance. Few dare to correct their commander.”

I beamed at the praise, a rare occurrence from a Vulcan, and continued running the diagnostic. Murgock sidled up next to me, and I could feel her presence looming.

“I am told Orion males are quite strong.” She growled. “Are you familiar with Mok'Bara?” She inquired.

“I am trained in both Mok'Bara as well as Vulcan Suus Mahna.” I replied, swallowing heavily. The attentions of a Klingon female could be quite…hazardous.

“Perhaps during our free time we might engage in some sparring.” She offered in invitation. I nodded, as refusing would probably have been even more hazardous than accepting.

“Ensign, I need you to calibrate the conduits in Jeffries Tube 237.” Commander Turvok instructed, referencing the GNDN tubes.

“Right away, commander.” She said, giving me a final lingering look before departing.

Commander Turvok approached and took her place, reviewing the calibration I was in the midst of.

“That was well handled.” He stated. “And I am surprised. I would not have expected an Orion to take the time to learn the Klingon Mak'Bara, let alone the Vulcan Suus Mahna.”

“My people know little of other races beyond what they needed to know for piracy.” I explained. “I wanted to overcome that ignorance, so I studied different Federation cultures.”

“A commendable endeavor.” He acknowledged.

“I found the various martial forms particularly interesting, as they serve as both physical and mental conditioning.” I added.

“A fine observation.” He nodded. “When you finish your calibration, you may go to the forward observation deck. I am told cadets find the sight of dropping out of warp on their first mission to be…inspirational.” He gave a final look at my work before moving off to supervise another ensign who was adjusting shield frequencies.

Eventually my calibrations were completed and, with the blessings of my commander, I made my way to the turbo lift and headed to the forward observation deck. While this wasn't my first trip at warp, it was my first trip as a cadet on a Federation starship, and I was honestly looking forward to seeing the Bajoran Wormhole for the first time.

On the observation deck, I could see several other cadets had also gathered. T'Preia, a Vulcan linguistics and communications major from my class nodded in greeting when I waved to her. Gok'Mal, a Klingon exchange cadet from the Klingon Empire, stood apart from everyone, glaring over his glass of blood wine. And cadet Teisha Reed, a human from the Mars colony, waved me over to sit next to her at the viewing window.

While most of the cadets in my academy class had viewed me with suspicion, or even outright hatred, Teisha had been different. The daughter of a diplomat in Starfleet, she had grown up around non-member races and understood better than most the difficulties those of us who chose a career in Starfleet faced. Her friendship had been invaluable during my years at the academy.

Brushing a strand of her shoulder length brown hair behind her ear, she scooted over to make room for me. My heart raced as she smiled up at me as I joined her. As always, I prayed she didn't notice my sudden nervousness.

“Hersk!” She greeted me excitedly. “Isn't it amazing that we're both serving our first rotation together?” She asked, gripping my hand with both of hers and beaming. I'm pretty sure my heart took up gymnastics at that very moment.

“It is.” I squeaked out, then cleared my throat. “It is.” I repeated, voice thankfully back to its normal timber. “What department did they start your rotation in?” I asked.

“Communications, under Commander Gravat.” She replied. “I was supposed to be performing a routine update of the shipwide universal translator, but mostly just listened to him go on and on about Bajoran philosophies.” She laughed. “For a Tellarite, he was surprisingly knowledgeable on the subject.”

I laughed along with her. The image of a Tellarite debating Bajoran philosophy was certainly unexpected. We soon settled down and she released my hand, to my dismay.

“Where did they start your rotation?” She asked, the twinkle of mirth still in her eyes.

“Engineering with Commander Turvok.” I answered. “He tried to test me with a trick order to see if I'd just agree without question.” I explained.

“You, agree without question? He definitely didn't read your file.” She teased.

“Oh, and one of the ensigns invited me to Mok'Bara sparring with her.” I mentioned.

“Oh really?” She said, her tone bemused with a hint of, dare I hope, possessiveness? “And did you take her up on her offer?” She asked, eyes narrowed.

“One's bones do not remain unbroken by outright refusing the invitation of a Klingon female.” I explained. “But I'm sure I can arrange it so that our free times rarely overlap, and she'll lose interest.”

“Wise choice.” She smirked. “I don't relish sharing my personal punching bag.” she joked, punching my arm. I laughed and rubbed my arm in feigned hurt.

“Hey, I'm not THAT bad!” I argued sheepishly.

“Please. Your Anbo-Jyutsu is attrocious.” She laughed.

“Well sorry if I prefer to actually see my opponent.” I laughed along with her.

After a bit more teasing, we settled down into quiet observation. The stars streaking past from the observation window was a sight I'd never tired of, nor was Teisha's company something I was in a rush to see end.

It wasn't long before more cadets, and even a few ensigns, arrived on the observation deck. Shortly after, the ship dropped out of warp, the stars coming back into stark detail. From the observation window we could see the colorful swirl of the Bajoran Wormhole.

As we neared, the small ball of rotating light that indicated the wormhole's location expanded. Like a pupil dilating, the wormhole twisted outward into a swirling vortex of light and color. In her excitement Teisha grabbed my hand, and I relished the casual ease of the intimacy from a non Orion as we both watched in awe as the ship entered the vortex.

As the ship transitioned from normal space to the interior of the wormhole, the observation deck was bathed in splashes of teal, purple, and blue light. The sudden contrast caused Teisha to start, and her grip on my hand tightened briefly before easing. She looked down and then met my eyes, smiling in embarrassment but not letting go.

All too quickly it was over. The view shifted from the swirling colors of the wormhole to the twinkling black of normal space, and we all got our first look at the Gamma Quadrant. But the experience was slightly marred by the overbearing presence of the Dominion cruiser posted to monitor traffic from the Alpha Quadrant.

Teisha's com badge chirped, and a gruff voice broke the silence.

“Cadet Reed, report to communications.” Commander Gravat ordered.

“Guess the break's over.” Teisha sighed, releasing my hand. The pressure of her grip lingered as she stood.

“Save me a seat in the galley later.” She made me promise. “I really am glad we're on this mission together.” She added with a smile before dashing off.

With Teisha gone I saw no reason to stay on the observation deck, so I started to head back to engineering to see if there were any other tasks to complete. On my way to the turbo lift I noticed Ensign Murgock getting on. Not wanting to spend a turbo lift ride alone with her, I quickly darted down a different corridor before she could spot me, taking a longer route back to engineering.

As I was about to round another corner, I heard harsh voices speaking ahead. They sounded Jem'Hadar and, not sure what was happening, I stopped to listen, my curiosity overruling my caution.

“You have no business here.” A guttural voice declared.

“The Federation has an agreement with the Dominion.” A voice I instantly recognized as Captain Terra'lek explained.

“But Section 31 doesn't.” A second voice countered.

Section 31? I thought. Why would a renowned captain like Captain Terra'lek have ties to a seedy organization like them? And how had the Jem'Hadar gotten aboard without alerting the ship's internal sensors?

“I assure you,” the captain continued in the typical condescending tone of Andorians, “nobody here is Section 31.”

“Do you take us for fools?” The first voice demanded. “Dominion Intelligence has suspected Section 31 is behind this intrusion from the moment the request was made.”

“Suspected, as in not confirmed.” The captain pointed out.

“Suspicion is enough for us. You will take your vessel and leave the quadrant.” The second voice ordered.

“Well, as this conversation is happening in private rather than over the main channel, I can assume two things.” The captain began to explain. “First, you don't have enough proof to make this accusation openly. So my guess is that ship out there is unaware of this ‘suspicion.’”

I peeked around the corner, watching as the captain confronted two large Jem'Hadar soldiers, hand casually resting on his phaser. Sensing the rising tension I silently cursed the regulation prohibiting cadets from carrying weapons around the vessel when not on security rotation.

“And second, if that ship out there is unaware, then you are here without their knowledge,” The captain grinned, “meaning you won't be missed!” He shouted, drawing his phaser as both Jem'Hadar closed on him.

A phaser beam cut across the corridor wall by my head, searing a vicious gash in the panelling as the first Jem'Hadar grabbed the captain's hand, deflecting fire away from itself. The second Jem'Hadar quickly joined in, tackling the captain and sending his phaser skidding across the deck.

At the sight of the captain going down, any reservations I might have had disappeared. I quickly darted down the hall, coming up behind the first Jem'Hadar as he reached for his kar'takin while the captain was occupied. Dropping low I swept a leg out, connecting with the Jem'Hadar's knee, hearing a satisfying pop as he went down with a yell.

Hearing his companions yell, the second Jem'Hadar paused in his wrestling with the captain to see what had occurred. This distraction allowed the captain to get an arm loose, and he quickly took advantage by smashing his elbow into his opponent’s nose. With a sickening crunch the Jem'Hadar, caught off guard, loosened its hold and the captain scrambled free.

The first attacker was back on his feet in no time, only a tad unsteady. He aimed a brutal backhand my way, which I avoided with a navorkot roll, coming up behind him as his momentum brought him about.

The captain, now free, dove for his phaser as the second Jem'Hadar drew his kar'takin blade and charged. The hum of the phasers beam crackled as it connected, driving the Jem'Hadar to its knees. A second beam caused it to spasm before collapsing to the corridor floor.

Meanwhile, I had managed to get my opponent into a Mak'Bara choke hold, but was slowly losing the battle to maintain it against its superior strength. The sudden hiss of phaser fire, followed by the Jem'Hadar going rigid in my grasp, informed me that the captain had risked a shot to put an end to his attackers.

Looking over, I saw the captain standing there calmly, phaser pointed directly at my chest.

“Well, this is an unfortunate turn of events, cadet.” He drolled as if he wasn't aiming a killshot at one of his subordinates. “I do regret the necessity, though.” And began to engage the weapon.

“Wait!” I shouted, causing him to pause. “I just saved your life.” I pointed out, counting on his Andorian sense of honor.

He slowly lowered the phaser, seeming to think it over. Then he holstered it and gave me an appraising once over.

“Cadet Mejarin, correct?” He asked.

“Yes, sir.” I affirmed, unsure where this was going.

“Computer, what are Cadet Mejarin's qualifications?” He asked aloud.

“CADET FIRST CLASS HERSK MEJARIN. RANKED TOP IN HIS CLASS IN HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT AND MARKSMENSHIP.” A robotic voice read off from my file. “RECEIVED MULTIPLE ACCOLADES FOR TACTICAL ANALYSIS AND LINGUISTICS. AWARDED COMMENDATIONS FOR LEADERSHIP AND DIPLOMACY. REQUESTED APPOINTMENT TO U.S.S. FRAKES.”

“Regular boy scout, aren't you?” He chuckled. “Well, you did save my life. I suppose I can give you a chance to save yours. How much did you hear? And don't bother lying.” He instructed, his antennae twitching.

“I heard their accusation that you were Section 31.” I admitted. “And that you didn't deny it.”

“Wise choice.” He said. “I have to ask. With credentials like yours, why aren't you serving on a ship like the Enterprise?” He inquired.

“Seriously?” I asked, and he nodded. “On the Enterprise I'd be up against the best Starfleet has to offer. And I'd be fighting an uphill battle with the handicap that comes with the stigma of my people.” I explained bitterly. “As an Orion I'd be a diplomatic prop at best, a liability at worst. And while the crew would no doubt accept me regardless of my origins, I'd always question whether Starfleet saw past it.”

“So why request rotation on my ship?”

“A mission into a quadrant most of the Federation has never been to, captained by a decorated officer with the legacy of clan Shran within the Federation?” I scoffed, deciding that if these were my last moments, I'd be blunt. “Here I could distinguish myself. I could rise above the expectations, overcome the prejudices, and prove unequivocally to Starfleet and The Federation that Orions can be more.” I stood taller. “That I can be more.”

“Ambition. I like it.” He said, admiration in his voice. “I'll give you a choice. I have a team and a mission from Section 31, and I could use someone like you on it. Agree, and I promise you'll leave this ship with a glowing recommendation from a ‘decorated officer’ and Starfleet will have no doubts about what you are capable of.”

“And if I refuse?” I asked, already knowing the answer. His hand dropped to rest casually by his phaser.

“Deep space missions are very dangerous, especially for cadets.” He left the full threat unsaid.

Knowing I was trapped I thought back on my day. The pride at Commander Turvok's praise. The joy at spending time with Teisha. I couldn't leave her alone on this ship, not now. And the unexpected turn simply because I wanted to avoid an awkward turbo lift ride. I knew that despite the captain's words, there would be no coming back from this. My career would forever be tainted, even if nobody else knew. But I was Orion, and we were survivors. So, accepting the choice I was about to make, I met the captain's expectant gaze.

“What are your orders, Captain?” I said, sealing my fate as he smiled knowingly.