Heavy Lies the Heart

Posted on Fri Feb 23rd, 2024 @ 5:11pm by Lieutenant Commander Kevin Lance

Mission: Visit to Eden
Location: USS Chuck Norris
Timeline: Current

on:
{Bridge, Deck 1}

Kevin sat in the Captain's chair on the bridge of the USS Chuck Norris. And sat. And sat. And sat.

He was faced with the conundrum of command, that of having very little to do. Certainly, he had a myriad of decision to make, plans to formulate, orders to be given. But the actual work of executing those orders fell to others.

When he was Chief Tactical Officer aboard the Independence, there was always something that he needed to do, something that required his direct intervention. Even as Chief Flight Control Officer on the Norris, he was busy during a crisis, keeping the ship out of harms way and maneuvering to achieve the Captain's will.

Now with orders issued and plans being made, he had nothing to do but wait until the junior officers came up with something. Nothing to do but brood and worry.

Based on coincidence, he believed that he had a good idea of generally where the Captain and crew had been taken but he needed precise information to plan and pull off a rescue. Scanning for other ships was more about keeping Kronnelti busy than any real threat. But what gnawed at him most was the disappearance of Mira.

Kronnelti has said that she was taken away by lizardmen who said that they had taken her 'home'. He also said that Mira and Sul'juk had speculated that there were other Trills aboard the alien ship. That lead Kevin to the logical conclusion that Mira was in one of the biomes on the alien ship. Analyzing and cataloging all 33 biomes would be extremely important to finding her.

As he waited, his foot tapped nervously on the deck and the fingers of his right hand drummed impatiently on the arm rest. Periodically, he would bark at one of the junior officers for an update only to be disappointed that analysis was not yet complete. Frustration slowly turned to anger and the other officers started to avoid Kevin as much as possible.

It was will a start when he recognized the impact that his impatience was having on the bridge crew. Belatedly he remember the admonishment that he had given Kronnelti. I need you to think and act like a Star Fleet officer, he thought of himself, not a man in...love?

Was he in love with Mira? The question gave him pause. What was love anyways? There were plenty of interpretations of love in philosophy, classical literature, and pop culture. None of them seemed to fit how he felt about Mira.

The attraction was evident but love must be more than that. He was move concerned about her welfare than he was about any other crew member, even the Captain. He felt pain at the thought of losing her and fantasies about their reunion crept unbidden in his conscientiousness.

Kevin felt an instinctive need to protect her. He wanted to take away her pain and give her joy. He was jealous of the relationship that others had with her and was eager to prove himself the worthiest of her affections.

It was at once the same and different as he had felt about Kera. That relationship have been borne of lust but had been unable to bear the demands of duty.

"Lieutenant Commander?" Ensign Sel’uk interrupted, "We have completed the analysis of the biomes.

Kevin snapped out of his reverie and adopted a much more professional demeanor. "Show me," he ordered in a calm and collected manner.

off:

Lieutenant Commander Kevin Lance
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Chuck Norris