241407.xx ¦¦ JL Doctor Scarlet Rogers & Lieutenant Commander Tierney Rinehart ¦¦ Fight For Openness

Posted on 241407.10 @ 8:51pm by Commander Tierney Rinehart & Lieutenant Scarlet Rogers MD

Doctor Rogers was frustrated and needed some time to get to grips with the events prior and those to come. She sighed and stretched out whilst in the holodeck. The room had been cybernetically transformed into a peaceful white room. She had set the computer to help her with her combat training. Scarlet often found the conflict of interests hard to deal with. As a doctor she wasn't supposed to hurt or kill people, but being in Starfleet, sometimes it meant that she would potentially have to. She recalled a time where she did kill somebody, she recalled how she tried to save him afterwards. It killed her a little inside. She looked around her slowly and noticed a figure walking in through the imaginary door, Scarlet thought it was just the computer program and readied herself in a defensive stance.

Tierney had received the call, the prompt for her presence in the holodeck little over an hour ago. And with great trepidation, though a new sense of music in her soul given the events of the night prior, she'd taken to the corridors. If it hadn't been the fact the doctor was the one to summon her, she'd have likely ignored the call. Even in the given situation, she only responded to certain key individuals -- the beauty of being intelligence and playing by an entirely different set of rules; only those in a place of privilege could manipulate your schedule. The doctor, however, fell into a unique place in Tierney's level of importance hierarchy.

The brightness of the room forced the petite woman to shield her almost too-large eyes, allowing them to adjust to their billowing whiteness of the program as the doors settled shut, and disappeared, behind her. Instantly she recognized the room to be more of a dojo, a den for learning martial arts - combat... Her specialty before she'd been recruited into SFI. "Elbows in." She quipped, noticing Scarlet's quick stance, "Feet only a shoulder width apart or you'll never be able to respond quick enough to get out of the way." And so it began, with Tierney offering a quick bow.

Scarlet relaxed her stance and smiled, "I didn't think you'd show. I know that you would be the best person to ask, and even though we aren't really friends as such, you are not under any obligation. I need help. I find combat a slight conflict of interest. I have therefore only ever scraped through tests and so on. I do not enjoy lessons, but I feel I need them being that I am soon to be going somewhere where it will potentially be needed. If I need to defend someone or myself, then I would like to be able to do so. I do not want to learn to attack, only defend. I would also, probably be a bit of a damsel in distress in one sense, and I cannot guarantee that anything bad would happen whilst I was with someone who could and would protect me. Again, you are under no obligation."

"Breathe." The redhead held up her hands, "You're going to be ok. It's just a thing and it's a valuable thing to know given the amount of schtaka we're about to be involved in."

Scarlet smiled at ease, "Thank you, but I just don't like away missions. Not one has gone right yet."

"The day one does go right, we'll all be dead." She chuckled, "We generally don't get sent into happy situations." It was a morbid sense of humor, dark and uncanny -- so not normal for her pretty and almost ethereal demeanor, but the truth was seldom lovely. "And as such... We need to prepare even though we aren't normally the fighting type."

"When push comes to shove, man will defend themselves, just like rats in a corner," Scarlet shrugged.

The star-child shrugged, "that's one way of putting it, another way would be to say that the rule of only the strong surviving is still very much in effect." And with that, the slightly shorter woman took up a careful stance. "Now... Feet shoulder width apart, elbows in."

Scarlet smirked a little, thankful for the aid of the woman. She stood in stance as commanded, to the best of her ability

"You want the hand furthest from your face to be no higher or lower than chin height. You're going to use that hand to defend and block. The hand closest to your body is going to be your striking hand." Tierney prompted, wiggling the fingers on her own dominant and passive hands to show the difference.

"The best things in life are. Need I remind you of your love interest?" The redhead grinned wildly, winking and moving to set a passive strike for the doctor's face, waiting to see a block.

Scarlet blocked it slowly, "True I suppose, but there are rumours flooding about a certain captain holding hands with an unidentified woman. Her description sounded a lot like you."

Tierney nodded her approval of the block before stepping in, foot over foot, to swipe low, testing the other woman's reflexes. "The crew says a lot of things. Do you really think the Captain would consort with me? You heard the man. Kill shot." She deadpanned, feeling her heart race at memory of being lead across the bridge by her hand. He was bold, to say the least, bold.

"He might be covering his own ass," she shrugged and took a step back to avoid the kick, "I don't trust him."

"Covering his own ass in what regard?" Tierney asked with a furrowed eyebrow, appreciative that Scarlet was able to talk and work at the same time. A bonus. She continued winding forward, turning slightly, escalating their strange dance as she looked for further perceived weaknesses.

Scarlet kept up relatively quickly, not being perfect, but attempting to be as good as possible, "If he was seen with you in that manner, he would not be a trusted captain. The whole ship is on edge. It would be like mine and Thelin's relationship but worse."

"Sometimes the best defense, is a good offense." A cupped hand sailed high, followed by a much lower one, aimed for the ribs. The meaning of her words could easily have been taken both ways, about their lesson and about the conversation circulating around the Captain. "One person saw us. An ensign on the bridge. As far as I'm concerned, they're a liar and it never happened." Tierney added, surging forward only to halt the feigned attack.

"So you're sleeping with the captain?" Scarlet frowned a moment, "that explains why he won't listen to me about alternative options for this mission, he wants to please you."

"So you're sleeping with the captain?" Scarlet frowned a moment, "that explains why he won't listen to me about alternative options for this mission, he wants to please you."

The attack, the posture, it dropped and Tierney sighed, looking at the doctor. "No. Truthfully, I haven't slept with him." She replied, "Last night was the first time we ever saw each other outside of a professional capacity."

"You want to date him?" the Doctor stood straight relaxing her guard.

A shrug rounded out the Intel officer's shoulders, "Maybe. I guess." She was almost childlike, living in the moment like a school girl relishing her first good crush.

"No offence to you," Scarlet said calmly trying to be sympathetic, "But this is one of those times where you need to choose between the ship and your heart."

It was there that she froze and nodded in thought. "Can I be frank?"

"Of course," the doctor shrugged.

"If we all may die, why not live to the fullest those last few moments?" Tierney's voice was soft as bells, barely there as it filtered through the air as gossamer.

"Philosophy is a pile of bull right now," Scarlet frowned, "Have you ever loved before?"

"Once." She nodded, "Never acted on it. Lost him to the ether."

"You know how much it hurts to lose someone though," Scarlet sighed, "Consider the downsides. I am begging you to consider the impact this will have on the rest of this ship. If you love this ship so much, I suggest you don't mess with it."

"One could say you should take your own advice. You're our life line, you control whether we live or die from any known injury or disease and yet you consort in the shadows with someone they trust even less than they trust me." Tierney pointed out, finding a seat and sitting cross legged on the chilled floor. "I can demand his discretion, but I can't force him to deny what he wants. That could potentially be more damaging to everyone involved."

"Rinehart, no-one trusts intelligence anyway, you'd be giving them another reason not to trust you. People on board this ship do not have an option but to trust me. The captain would be a bigger hit to this ship, that a mere engineer, whom I outrank." Came the reply.

She nodded, studying her hands as they folded in her lap, "My grandfather once ran the same gauntlet... Numerous times. He chose career over love until it was almost too late." Tierney smiled almost sadly, "I'm a byproduct of that prolonged failure and denial of what he truly wanted. If he'd just followed his heart instead of his mind, I wouldn't be here." She spoke in that same soft tone as before, looking up to face the woman who had started to become her friend, her confidant. "I love this ship and it's history... My blood runs through it, but I can't follow the same mistakes of the past or condemn the Captain to do the same."

"The captain has not yet filled his new shoes," Scarlet began sitting down opposite the woman, "He needs time to get his head around things before he pounces in lust."

"I thought about that, been thinking about that." She nodded, toying with a loose strand of hair that had fallen from her pony tail. "He's a good man, Scarlet. A real good man."

"I'm sure he is," Scarlet looked to the floor, "I'm just unsure about him, still."

Tierney nodded, moving to hug her knees and rest her chin atop them, "I'm afraid, though, that he's doing this because he wants to keep my loyalty. Not because he wants me for me... But rather... What I know."

Tierney nodded, moving to hug her knees and rest her chin atop them, "I'm afraid, though, that he's doing this because he wants to keep my loyalty. Not because he wants me for me... But rather... What I know."

"That would make a lot of sense," Scarlet grimaced, "I mean, he did threaten to kill you."

A soft snort came with a smile and the shake of her head, "He did." The smile widened and she turned to rest her cheek on her knees in order to better be able to look at Scarlet. "Then again, so did you."

"This is true, but at least I did it in good humour," Scarlet grinned and chuckled a little.

"You did. He was serious... and with good reason." The smile broadened in amusement, "I'd probably threatened to kill me too given the situation."

Scarlet laughed, "Just don't go actually killing yourself, the paperwork is too damn frustrating."

"The thought had crossed my mind, but why give them the satisfaction?" The redhead winked.

"That's the spirit," the doctor replied, "I think the captain would enjoy me being being a desk bored stiff from the paperwork if you did commit suicide."

"There's no honor in suicide anyway. It's cheating. They want me dead, they'll have to do it themselves." Tierney sniffed and feigned studying her nails. "And I wish them luck with that one."

Scarlet smiled, "You'll be ok. I've got your back," she paused a moment, "Actually, unless I'm just patching you up, you might not be ok."

"Eh. You're not too shabby." Her attack was swift, uncalled for, hidden. Tierney's weight was quickly distributed on to arms that released her legs and planted squarely at either side of her body, supporting the unfurling of her legs and sending them neatly sailing towards the backs of the Doctor's knees.

"Eh. You're not too shabby." Her attack was swift, uncalled for, hidden. Her weight was quickly distributed only arms that released her legs and planted squarely at either side of her body, supporting the unfurling of her legs and sending them neatly sailing towards the backs of the Doctor's knees.

Scarlet landed on her knees, "What the..." she began before sweeping her leg round, taking Tierney's feet from under her.

Having only been beginning to throw herself to her feet, the counter attack was a brilliant move that landed the Commander on her back with a thud. She winced at the sharp pain that radiated through her shoulder blades, not the best position to land, but she smiled at the suddenness. The doctor had a killer instinct. "Nicely done." She called out, throwing herself back onto her feet swiftly, this time paying close care not to be in strike range.

Scarlet immediately felt guilty for hurting Tierney, "I'm sorry are you ok?" She went to go offer a hand to check out the woman's spine before continuing.

"I'm perfect." She grinned, showing the palms of her hands to the concerned woman, "No blood, no foul. It happens when you spar. I'm impressed you took the shot!"

"You're impressed?" Scarlet questioned, "All I feel is guilt and my instincts tell me to fix you up."

"Extremely." Tierney nodded and stood quietly, allowing her to approach. "This isn't about denying your instincts, it's about keeping yourself alive in the long run. If it'll make you feel better, you can run a tricorder over me."

"If you collapse, or bleed, or I hear a crack or pop, we'll stop," Scarlet smiled a little uneasy. Scarlet would never attack first so waited a little getting back into stance.

Rolling her shoulders, the Commander nodded. "Deal." Tierney was quick to find her stand and wound towards the doctor. "For a peaceful person, Doc, you have me believing you've done this before." She grinned and flew towards the slightly taller woman, a flurry of hands as she reached to conquer a wrist, hoping to get it behind the doctor's back.

Scarlet caught the commander's hands and through her to the floor, "I may have with my prior captain, Vokar. He had, interesting methods of teaching." She then sighed, "We also had an incident or two on the USS Pendragon."

Twisting, the smaller woman caught Scarlet's arm under her own, using the leverage to drag the woman down with her and pulling her fingers and wrist back. "Vokar?" She huffed in effort and surprise, that name was well known. The Pendragon was well known.

Scarlet hesitated in making another move, "Yes, he was my first captain. I've only been on-board one ship before this."

"You run with a lot of alleged traitors, you know that?" The Intel officer's mind was whirling, flipping through internal monologue and knowledge that had been gleaned over years of keen listening and hacking private files. "All of them falsely accused, but accused none the less."

"Sorry," Scarlet questioned managing to pin Tierney to the floor.

The redhead huffed and wrapped her slender fingers around the doctor's wrists, using her as leverage to pull herself up and throw Scarlet over, moving to sit astride her stomach, pinning her arms over her head. "Never apologize for your alliances. They are what they are."

"No, no, I meant that I don't understand," Scarlet blew a piece of her fringe out of her eye, "What has been accused of?" Scarlet decided to stay where she was until after the reply. She was a little stunned.

"Vokar, Thelin, myself. All have been accused of the oldest of sins since the inception of military history." Tierney replied, tilting her head, "Though... Vokar has his secrets I can't divulge and they're nothing to be concerned about." She studied her student for a short while, considering the actions, considering the possibilities. "In this case, dear Doctor, you're prone. You have gravity against you. Any half decent opponent will keep you from rolling using your own weight against you." She continued, falling back into teaching rather than breathing secrets no one needed to know. "There's only one way out. Slide your hands upwards, it'll force your opponent to be pulled down flush with you. Force them to lift their seat into a two point in order to accommodate for the sudden added length of your arms, and that's when you have them. Use your knees to push up and catch their rears, tipping them forward and head butt them if you have to. You'll be able to get away."

"I'm a little shocked, and yet not shocked at the same time," Scarlet began looking up to her hands a second, "Why should I do what you say when I can just..." Scarlet quickly brought her feet to Tierney's stomach and kicked her off.

Tierney was throw backwards, holding tight to Scarlet's wrists and coming off sideways to hit the deck coughing "Because physics would normally defy that option." She managed to wheeze as she pulled the woman over, fighting against the savage burn of a broken rib to sit on the Doctor's back, folding her arms neatly behind her with one hand, and grabbing a handful of hair with the free one, gently using it to guide the woman's head uncomfortably up and back. "Next time, I don't take it easy."

"Makes sense," Scarlet groaned a little, "You ok?"

"I'll need you to put me back together." Tierney released her and rolled off onto the mats with a wheeze. Her hands immediately went to where the pain stemmed in her rib cage and fire seemed to burn throughout her torso and chest as she struggled against the need for a deep breath. "I think you broke me, Doc."

Scarlet knelt up slowly and put her hands on where Tierney complained about and made sure it wasn't broken, "I think you'll have a bad bruise, but I doubt it's anything more. I can't feel a break or fracture," Scarlet sat on her heels, "You'll probably find that you are in shock so breathe a moment."

The eyes of the star-child followed Scarlet's hands, her skin quivering beneath the foreign touch of another living being. It immediately reminded her of how long she'd spent devoid of interaction of any form. "Ok. I'll just breathe..." She practically whispered, the stress and chaos welling up under her skin and digging it's claws into the same hurt that had been opened by the sparring injury. It was a nothing injury. Something the intrepid little dynamo would have been able to shake off and flounce away from with ease -- but it was the atmosphere, the pain she'd buried from the mistrust, the threats, the confusion surrounding the concept of giving away her heart and trust to the Captain.

Tierney wasn't Vulcan. She was a woman. A young, half human, half highly attuned sensitive being, and she was hurt emotionally. Her eyes closed for a second, blocking away the view of the doctor as she lay there and attempted to gather her thoughts, "What would you do?" She asked, "About everything. About the climate, being watched for the slightest wrong move with people holding guns with hair triggers... What would you do?"

"I'd try not to give people a reason to hate me more," Scarlet started, "I would confide in my friends, or at least try to make them. I would go with my gut instinct about people, so I know who I could trust as a friend. In these times, all you have to do is open up about one stupid little thing, and it could be blown out of proportion by the wrong person." Scarlet moved her hand to Tierney's shoulder, "You are strong, and I know you will do the right thing."

"I do." Tierney nodded as she slowly brought herself into a sitting position and regarded the other woman quietly. "I appreciate it. More than you know.

"I know," Scarlet offered the woman a hug, "You are going to do the right thing at the end of this."

For the second time in twenty-four hours, Tierney allowed herself to be embraced and chose to return the symbol of affection. "I am. I'm doing everything I can to keep our heads above water."

Scarlet let go of the woman, "You need to consider your next steps. We are going to be shipped out of here soon."

"There are things coming, Scarlet. Things I can't talk about... but they're coming and they're our best hope." Tierney replied, rocking back to perch on her knees.

"You don't need to tell me specifics, but I would like a heads up as to the potential risks. I have a crew to care for," Scarlet cautioned.

Another nod as she settled her resolve marked Tierney's acknowledgement. "When I assess them and know more, you'll know what they are. I promise you that. "

"I need to know as a matter of life or death, for this ship. I'm counting on you," Scarlet stood up and offered a hand to Tierney, "I'm going to get you to the medbay, just in case I missed something on initial examination, ok?"

"You can do that... Count on me." The Commander accepted the doctor's hand, climbing to her feet and slowly starting to cling to hope. "Fair enough. It was a good hit." She replied offering a smile.

"I doubt anything is wrong, but better safe than sorry," Scarlet chuckled, "I'm not going on this mission a man down, especially if it's you."

"Just bruised ego." She chuckled a light laugh of her own as they head for the door. The program came to a halt, revealing darkness and grid work once again. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Scarlet wrapped her arm under Tierney's so she could support her walking as they walked steadily to the medical bay.