USS Dark Fire (IC)

[milkmaiden38]

Hora

“I agree with you. But does he respond to logic? Can he learn from it? The things he said about us show a complete lack of awareness—of what we do, how this ship functions, and what it takes to keep all these people alive out here.”

She folded her arms, irritation simmering just beneath her calm tone.

“You and I both respect the welfare of this crew. Every decision we make is about accomplishing the mission in the safest way possible. We’d be Orion kileen bugs if we didn’t value the people under our command.”

Hora paced a step, gathering momentum.

“And in return, what we need is a crew we can trust to do the jobs they’re assigned. That trust is what makes the ship efficient. Without it, we’d have half the crew hovering over the other half, second‑guessing every action. Nothing would get done. That’s the real danger—not incompetence, but the collapse of trust.”

She exhaled, letting the tension bleed out.

“As for titles, saluting, all the military traditions—those aren’t empty rituals. They’re symbols of pride and professionalism. If he refuses to follow them, well… it doesn’t make him look rebellious. It makes him look foolish.”

Hora paused, softening slightly.

“I know you know all this. I’m just talking it through so I don’t march down there and bite his head off. Any other thoughts? I’ll schedule a meeting with him soon.”

 

[sereneotter00]

◅ ALFREDO ARAIZA ▻​

“Hey, it’s no problem. If you would’ve given me a few minutes, I could’ve found other clothes,” he replied charmingly, thankful for her awareness. The least he owed her was to make her not feel embarrassed. “Assuming there were some male options. I don’t think I’d be too comfortable in a bikini.”

He shrugged at her remarks on their artificial intelligence. “With the things people in here come up with, I wouldn’t be surprised at this point.”

Araiza had had a few casual run-ins with the Ensign, same department and all. Maybe a greeting here and there at social events over the years, but he hadn’t ever sat down to truly converse with her. She fit into the category most of his leveled peers were in: people who he could rejoice with at a personal distance. He wasn’t too fond of closing the gap.

The man gave her switch into seriousness a funny look. “Cook, you’re allowed to laugh. Don’t worry about having to be one or the other. Besides, this technically counts as casual conversation until I’m reinstated.”

He gave a quick look around the room, pacing in silence while the woman answered. Quite relaxed, visibly approachable. He didn’t like being in holodecks too often—something about their realism really put him off—but the present projection didn’t seem too dramatic.

“I think that’s a common risk,” he agreed, “and I guess I was looking for more specifics. Don’t get me wrong, it’s something I wanna make less of a possibility, but things happen real fucking fast around here, so I wanted to see if anything in particular stood out. You’re more on the field than I am.” He could only pray it would stay that way.

He let out a hum. “We don’t really talk much, do we? How’s being with the big dogs treating you? Been okay?”

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870611.1220

Reeves:
“As to whether he will respond to Logic, I cannot say.” Reeves commented as he stood in her office, his hands behind his back and his spine straight. Some considered him a hard-ass, but he was nice compared the way Captain Marcus had been.

If Araiza had done this under Marcus, he’d have been ejected out an airlock. But maybe that was what Araiza needed. A hard ass. Not someone being nice and trying to help him through things.

“I would advise not biting his head off, but being firm with him. I have been soft on him. Trying to convince him, trying to work with him to change. It may have failed.”

“Captain Marcus ran a very tight ship. If Mr. Araiza respects you, he may be more compliant and less resistant.”​

 

[milkmaiden38]

Ensign Riley Cook
“For hull‑breach protection… you could deploy an emergency force field,” Riley said, hands moving as if sketching the idea in the air. “It’d hold back the pressure and give you a pocket of breathable air. If you built in a vacuum gap, you’d get some insulation too. It wouldn’t last long—maybe a few minutes depending on the power source—but it’s something.”

She shifted to the next thought without losing momentum.

“Another issue we ran into was communication. The universal translator needs time, and we don’t always have that luxury. If the HiiKii had misread our actions, things could’ve gone sideways fast. So… what if we used holo‑images until the translator syncs? Simple visuals. Friendly gestures. Yes/no symbols. Just enough to show we’re not hostile. Comms matter.”

Riley tapped the nacelle with her fingers, warming to the topic.

“And concealment. We can cloak the ship—why not cloak the away teams members too? Hard to target what you can’t see.”

She paused, then softened a little.

“As for working with senior leadership… honestly, it’s been great. I came aboard with a bad attitude. This wasn’t my first choice. But I love it here now. The Commander is awesome, and the Captain’s given me real opportunities. I’ve made a few small mistakes and one huge one, but she’s been fair. She gave me another chance. Did I answers your question?”

Hora
“Thank you for the advice,” Hora said, nodding with genuine appreciation. “You’re a remarkable executive officer. I know I’ve said that before, but you keep performing so well I have to keep repeating it.”

She straightened her uniform jacket.

“I’ll be in my quarters.”

With that, she stepped out of the seldom‑used bridge office, leaving the Commander, and headed for her quarters.

 

[sereneotter00]

◅ ALFREDO ARAIZA ▻​

He considered her suggestions. “I don’t like the idea of force fields in open fire and combat, mostly because damage can happen from both ricochet and taking up an excess of space. It can be a hazard. But it does give me an idea.” It was the insulation that granted it. Filters went to his mind.

Having personally seen their translator in action, he nodded in agreement. Naturally, they couldn’t just have an interpreter out with them every time, but maybe they could patch those faults up. “Elaborate images might be too much, since it could just be turning into a round of charades, but I think it’s a good idea to have some descriptions of basic commands. I know an X isn’t universal, but more often than not its familiar. Might as well cut some confusing time.”

“Cloaking people as the ship is might be more delicate and bulky than we’d like for people who are alive and have to be agile, but I’m open to looking into it.” For all he knew, there was something there. He personally enjoyed playing with light concoctions. Mirrors and colors were fascinating to work with.

Araiza wasn’t about to kill the woman’s spirit. He kept his opinions to himself, listening attentively. “Yeah, they’re an odd bunch, but I am glad to hear they’re treating you well.”

“Yeah, you answered them just fine. I’m trying to get a better grip on exactly what we might need, and anecdotes never hurt anyone. I’ll leave you to your part-time beach resort.”

Araiza offered her a friendly grin, then headed out the door with a half wave. “Don’t be a stranger, Cook,” he called out, exiting from the holodeck.

It felt good to have someone to bounce possibilities off with, but it felt suffocating knowing he still couldn’t do anything with it. It took no more than twenty steps for him to pause, groan to himself, and change his direction.

“Dark Fire, tell the captain I’m stopping by for a chat at her place. Be there in a few. If you could also lead me there it’d be great. I don’t know where the hell I’m headed. I don’t frequent these areas.”

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870611.1225

Reeves:​

As the Captain went to her quarters, Reeves returned to the Bridge taking his usual position at his station instead of taking the Captain’s Chair. Granted he could but he could do more where he was, and still had access to all the information on the Bridge.

Though he did raise an eyebrow Lt. j.g. York jumped from the Command Seat with the look of a child caught with a hand in the cookie jar. It didn’t help that several pairs of eyes twitched to look at sensors and status lights with the same guilty look.

A couple taps and Dark Fire was giving him a video-recording on a flat screen instead of the usual holo-image. With a set of subtitles allowing him to see what happened and was said while he and the Captain had been gone.

Looking up his eyes slowly took in each and every person present. His face was better than any poker player, unreadable as a statue. The last to he looked at where Miller and York.

Shutting off the display before anyone accidentally saw it it went back to focusing solely on the tactical information flowing across the holo-image.

Tapping into the Xeno-lab he watched the alien specimens as scans were run on them. They’d be returned to the planet soon, and then they’d depart. Whether the Captain would communicate with the overseer/supervisor or not would be up to her.

***

Dark Fire:​

“The Captain has been informed of your intent, if you follow the green light it will take you to her. I find it necessary to inform you that Starfleet has made several attempts at developing personal force fields as well as personal cloaking devices, so far this has been ineffective due to the power requirements of such devices. Or when a power source was constructed to power the unit, it had a degenerative effect on the DNA structure of the wearer. The data has been sent to your duty station for when you are able to return to duty.”

 

[milkmaiden38]

Hora
When Dark Fire informed Captain Hora that Lieutenant Araiza was en route to her quarters, she froze. Surprise hit first. Panic followed a heartbeat later. She was not ready. She had planned to review his entire service record, Commander Reeves’ notes, the psychological assessments, and a handful of similar disciplinary case studies from across the fleet.

“DRAK,” she hissed in Orion, already pulling up his file. She made it through the first page before Dark Fire announced his arrival.

“DOUBLE DRAKS.” This time it came out with enough force to qualify as a minor expletive event.

She was in the middle of changing. As in: standing in her quarters wearing nothing but her underwear.

https://rule34.xxx/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=7948228&tags=she-hulk+ai_generated+

“Dark Fire, tell Lieutenant Araiza I’ll be one moment,” she ordered, trying to sound like a composed starship captain and not a flustered Orion scrambling for pants.

A holographic uniform would’ve solved everything, but she’d disabled the holo‑emitters in her living room. The bedroom emitters still worked beautifully, but taking this meeting in there would send a message she absolutely did not intend to send. She needed the real uniform. The actual fabric. The dignity.

One frantic minute later, she looked every bit the proper Federation captain—albeit one who could have stepped off the cover of Starfleet Command: The Alluring Edition.

“Lieutenant Araiza, please come in,” Hora said as the doors parted. She was seated behind her desk, posture crisp, expression neutral. She rose as he entered. “Please, take a seat.”

She gestured to the chair opposite her, then folded her hands with practiced calm.

“How can I help you, Lieutenant?”

 

[sereneotter00]

◅ ALFREDO ARAIZA ▻​

The man absorbed the program’s information, giving a few nods only to end with a glance upwards. “Sometimes I wish I had your knowledge, D. By that I mean knowing the fun parts of people’s business. Not intimate, just fun. You’re an exhibitionist’s blessing.”

“Thanks for guiding me here,” he dismissed as he stopped before the captain’s door. At her request for additional time, he stood relaxed, shifting his weight from leg to leg. He should’ve expected the delay.

Once the doors parted, the realization of his presence sunk in. He had managed to avoid it his entire walk. Araiza could be quick on his feet physically. Verbally? It brought him more trouble than the people responsible for him enjoyed. He had a severe case of word vomit.

“I do appreciate you letting me drop by. I know it’s a surprise, but given how much I want to return to work, I figured I’d see how fast I can get there,” he began, following the woman inside. He shook his head at the seat proposal. “No thanks, I’m here for a quick chat.”

And boy, did he plan to make it quick, because God forbid, if he elongated his stay, he would only worsen his situation. “I’m gonna talk, and I need you to not say a word until I’m finished. Cool? Cool.”

“Look, if you’re looking for an apology, you need to let it go. I’m not apologizing. I’m not sorry for what I said because I meant it. I’m not sorry for being angry that my boundaries were tossed aside, either. I’m never gonna be the guy who gives an insincere apology just to save face. I cannot be paid to give a shit about what most people think of me, no matter how decorated they are, as long as I know I’m doing a good job. And I’ve done a hell of a job for years now. And if I’m willing to be a better person, it’s so I can perform better. That’s why my guys are getting an apology and better behavior from me. They deserve it. I’ve always understood that. If I didn’t have a good delivery of it, that’s my problem that I’m correcting for them and for myself.”

He spoke in a tone too soothing for the message he was trying to convey. It felt unnatural for a man who developed the vocal cords for projection. “Bottom line: I don’t care to argue with you anymore. The only thing I continuously and will always care about is trying to keep the people on here safe. My sense of accountability comes from keeping deaths low and knowing that at least I’m trying. And right now I need to get back to trying, because every day that I’m not in that lab is one less day that everyone could be better protected.”

Araiza’s hands stayed clasped behind his back, although his face tracked with his nonchalant phrases to come. “The way I see it, we have two options here: One: you and your guys let me do what I do best under my assigned chief, and with enough luck some of you will become drinking buddies and the rest will just be people I ignore in the hallways. Or two: we keep going in these time-consuming circles until Reeves inevitably decides it’s far easier to turn you and me into high-grade fertilizer for the ship’s botanical team rather than having to deal with two unbelievably brash people. Your call; I’m cool with either. I’ve always felt like I’d bloom some nice hyacinths. Or maybe they’ll use me for some lentils. They have a very low water consumption.”

“All you have to do is stop acting like you know me, and in return I’ll stop acting like I know you. If I’m gonna change, I can promise you it’s not gonna come from whatever you or Reeves or anyone else has to say. You can shove titles and ranks down my throat as much as you want: it will never be something I don’t find dull. I didn’t develop respect for Frye and Marcus because they showed up with a tag. They earned my trust. If that’s something you—not me—care about getting from me specifically, then I’m willing to observe. I know my capabilities, what I’ve given to this ship, and how much I can still give. If that’s not enough, if some empty ‘sorry’ or mediocre attempt at kumbaya is more important, then let me go so at least weapons will have a guide they can turn to. We’re losing time.”

He was also losing his voice. He should’ve grabbed a glass of water prior to stopping by. He’d spent too much of the day shifting through various environments. By the time he finished, it was noticeably raspy, but he needed to get his thoughts out before he went with his usual verbiage.

 

[milkmaiden38]

Hora
“Lieutenant Araiza,” Hora began, offering a polite, measured smile, “I’m glad to hear you still wish to serve the Federation, this ship, and return to duty.”

Her hands folded together on her desk, her posture relaxed but unmistakably in command. “Now I have to determine whether you should remain in the Federation, remain on this ship, and return to your previous position. To do that, we need to revisit what happened.”

Her tone stayed even—clinical, almost. “About a week ago, a nonhuman colleague—someone you’d shared meals with, someone you’d flirted with—experienced a moment of cultural and emotional crisis. In that moment, she touched her lips to yours. You reported the incident and demanded she be removed from your team. Your chain of command did not comply. You grew angrier… and you quit.”

Hora let the silence stretch just long enough to make the point land.

“This ship hosts dozens of species. Humans are the minority. The probability of cultural misunderstandings is not just high—it’s inevitable. So I have to ask myself: how will you react the next time something like this happens? Or when you are the one who accidentally crosses another species’ cultural boundary?”

She tilted her head slightly. “But the most interesting part is this: you weren’t primarily upset about the kiss. You were upset that your chain of command didn’t follow your orders. That is the part that concerns me.”

Her voice softened, but only by degrees. “Respect in the Federation isn’t a courtesy—it’s the backbone of trust, loyalty, and professionalism. It’s what allows a diverse crew to function as a single, disciplined unit. Respect acknowledges the dignity of every individual, regardless of rank or species, and it creates the shared purpose that keeps this ship alive.”

She leaned forward, not threatening, but engaged. “You did not show that respect. You don’t know all the factors the CHENG weighed when deciding to keep the Ensign in your group. If it wasn’t an emergency, the CHENG should have explained those reasons. And if you still disagreed, you could have brought it to the XO or to me. We both maintain open‑door policies.”

Hora exhaled slowly. “Crew members are expected to treat each other with dignity. Leaders are expected to model that dignity. Effective leaders put the mission and their people first. Toxic leadership—leadership that is self‑serving, inflexible, or dismissive—undermines everything we stand for. Disrespect shown by a leader can spread like cancer. You are a leader of a group”

She held his gaze. “So before I decide your future here, I need to know whether you understand that… and whether you’re capable of doing better.”

 

[milkmaiden38]

Hora’s Demonstration

“To demonstrate respect… let me show you something.” Hora rose from her chair and strode into her bedroom.

“Computer, recreate Lieutenant Araiza’s speech to me. Reverse the roles. He is Captain Araiza. I’ll be Lieutenant Hora.”

Dark Fire complied, projecting the two holographic figures.

“Dark Fire,” Hora added, “pause the playback whenever I raise my hand. I’ll need to make… snarky commentary. Begin.”

The hologram of Lt. Hora started speaking.

“I appreciate you letting me drop by. I know it’s a surprise, but given how much I want to return to work, I figured I’d see how fast I can get there.”

Hora lifted her hand. “Excellent start—immediately disrespecting the captain’s time. Bold strategy, Hora.”

Playback resumed.

“I’m gonna talk, and I need you to not say a word until I’m finished. Cool? Cool.”

Hand up. “Ordering your commanding officer not to interrupt. Did you pick that up in Orion sensitivity training? Because I certainly didn’t.”

Playback.

“Look, if you’re looking for an apology, you need to let it go. I’m not apologizing. I’m not sorry for what I said because I meant it. I’m not sorry for being angry that my boundaries were tossed aside, either. I’m never gonna be the guy who gives an insincere apology just to save face. I cannot be paid to give a shit about what most people think of me, no matter how decorated they are.”

Hand up again. “Fascinating. No one asked for an apology. And then she goes ahead and tells Captain Araiza she doesn’t respect him. Efficient, if nothing else.”

Playback.

“As long as I know I’m doing a good job. And I’ve done a hell of a job for years now. And if I’m willing to be a better person, it’s so I can perform better. That’s why my guys are getting an apology and better behavior from me. They deserve it.”

Hand up. “Ah, yes—the implication that senior leadership doesn’t deserve respect. Lovely touch.”

Playback.

“Bottom line: I don’t care to argue with you anymore. The only thing I continuously and will always care about is trying to keep the people on here safe. My sense of accountability comes from keeping deaths low and knowing that at least I’m trying. And right now I need to get back to trying, because every day that I’m not in that lab is one less day that everyone could be better protected.”

Playback continued.

“The way I see it, we have two options here. One: you and your guys let me do what I do best under my assigned chief, and with enough luck some of you will become drinking buddies and the rest will just be people I ignore in the hallways. Or two: we keep going in these time-consuming circles until Reeves inevitably decides it’s far easier to turn you and me into high-grade fertilizer.”

Hora raised her hand. “You know, I think Lieutenant Hora is easy on the eyes. But she missed a few options here. No more interruptions.”

Playback.

“All you have to do is stop acting like you know me, and in return I’ll stop acting like I know you. If I’m gonna change, I can promise you it’s not gonna come from whatever you or Reeves or anyone else has to say. You can shove titles and ranks down my throat as much as you want: it will never be something I don’t find dull. I didn’t develop respect for Frye and Marcus because they showed up with a tag. They earned my trust. If that’s something you—not me—care about getting from me specifically, then I’m willing to observe. I know my capabilities, what I’ve given to this ship, and how much I can still give. If that’s not enough—if some empty ‘sorry’ or mediocre attempt at kumbaya is more important—then let me go so at least weapons will have a guide they can turn to. We’re losing time.”

“Remove playback” Hora asked Dark Fire and the holograms fade.

She turned to the real Araiza.

“I don’t think Lieutenant Hora put her best foot forward in that speech. What do you think?”

 

[sereneotter00]

◅ ALFREDO ARAIZA ▻​

At the recall of the original event that led to his departure, Araiza remained quiet. He remained stiff and silent, his traditionally careless looks appearing more refined. He was anything but.

He began with feeling angry, with the urge to refute for what seemed like the hundredth time what was told. no matter how much he stressed his discomfort. How he had turned to someone he trusted and been villainized and guilted. How each time he was sure that he wasn’t wrong for not wanting to kiss someone and he wasn’t wrong for not wanting to interact with them afterward he was told he was selfish. How, despite him having shut down a future with said person prior to the kiss, it was ignored and how his flirting was used as justification. It made his stomach turn. It made his chest tighten. He felt nauseous.

The next time it happened? Would he even bother to acknowledge it when no one in the chain of command seemed to care? When no matter how many times he explained the event, as far as quoting it verbatim, everyone seemed more concerned with him having an issue with it rather than how he was doing? The most insulting claim was him somehow not being upset about the kiss, as if the discomfort hadn’t triggered the entire chain of events. It felt like a slap in the face. These were the people he was supposed to approach as a team. Araiza kept his eyes on the woman as she went on. At that point, her words might as well have been white noise. He couldn’t focus. The walls felt as if they were closing in on him. He could feel the back of his eyes burning. It felt humiliating.

He didn’t bother pretending like he had paid attention to her demonstration. In any other condition, he would’ve had multiple notes of his own. He could’ve spent hours in sarcasm. But right then, as he stood with newfound sweat dripping down his forehead and the sound of his heartbeat thumping in his ears, he couldn’t even begin to try. He hadn’t experienced panic attacks enough to identify them, but his realization of how truly alone he was on board couldn’t have helped.

He had to get out of there. He needed to breathe.

He caught the last of her words. What did he think? His voice was just above a whisper. “I think neither of us are good people.”

Araiza didn’t hesitate to ask Dark Fire to transport him to his quarters right after. There, at least, he could come undone with dignity.