Star Trek: Voyager Lower Decks Story: Parallax

[Dingo]

This is part of a series of Lower Decks type fanfics that take place over various Voyager episodes. This was started with my before and after fic on Caretaker.

Before, Part I: LTJG Carl Stevens headed into the Mess Hall for breakfast. He sat across the table from LT Deborah Kinnian. He glanced at his PADD before asking: "So what do you think of these new integrated duty rosters?"

"I think they're great. Reese is awesome though I think he's got ADD." Deborah replied.

"Yeah. Reese can get that way." Carl replied with a smile.

"Yesterday aftrenoon as I was heading to get some sleep I saw him taking apart the isolinear processor of the Drake." Deborah replied.

"I told you you were getting a good if somewhat high strung worker with Reese." Carl replied.

"Apparently so. Anya had to tell him to take time off. He's come up with some interesting ideas how to tweak the power on the Class 9 shuttles." Deborah replied.

"Like I said Reese is a real go getter. When he was in the Technical Support Flight he was constantly tweaking all the small craft in the hangar." Carl replied.

"I remember. We had a brief stop at your base for a few hours and I remember him asking me if we wanted him to install a Class Six sensor suite. I remember saying no and then having him tell me that he improved the efficiency of the maneuvering thrusters by fifteen percent anyway." Deborah replied: "The runabout was just a bit twitchier on takeoff because of it."

Carl chuckled: "Classic Reese."

"Ahni thinks he's one of the most insanely high strung individuals she's ever met." Deborah replied with a smile.

"Ahni?" Carl asked: "I'm not sure I know who that is."

"Oh. She's Ahni Jetal. She's one of the shuttle pilots that works with me. She's usually my co-pilot whenever we fly." Deborah replied.

"Reese works directly for her I think. Right?" Carl asked.

"Yeah." Deborah replied: "He's already reconfigured the sensor array of every shuttle in the shuttle bay and now he's planning an engine overhaul on the Drake..."

"Like I said. Classic Reese. We had to force him to take a vacation once. Everyone jokingly says he left fingernail marks in the tarmac when Chief dragged him to the nearest transport to Risa." Carl replied.

"I gotta get to work. Sorry to cut you off." Deborah replied.

"Not a problem. I've gotta check back in with LT Durst in five minutes anyway to prepare the night shift report for LT Tuvok's consumption." Carl replied as they reached the door: "After you?"

Smiling at the gentlemanly gesture Deborah walked into the corridor in time to nearly get bowled over by Lieutenant Carey who was racing for Sickbay with blood seeping between his fingers. Right behind him was Lieutenant Tuvok with Lieutenant Baxter alongside him.

"Joe? What happened to you?" Deborah asked.

"Deb! The woman is insane! I swear she's out of control!" Carey said.

"Who?" Deborah said.

"B'Elanna Torres struck Mr. Carey in Engineering, Lieutenant." Tuvok said: "He must go to Sickbay immediately."

Tuvok noticed LTJG Stevens behind LT Kinnian: "Mr. Stevens I expect a full report on this incident no later than 0700 hours together with your night shift report. I will expect that your recent pattern of lateness with that report will cease immediately."

"Yes sir." Stevens replied.

"Is it wise to appoint Mr. Stevens, a Maquis, as an investigating officer? He might have some biases." Baxter said.

"I have enough professionalism, sir, to see to it that the investigation is carried out properly." Stevens replied icily before stalking off down the corridor.

---

"Stevens, why is Lieutenant Tuvok telling me that the morning security report is twenty minutes late?" Peter Durst asked.

Stevens replied, "Lieutenant Tuvok appointed me the investigating officer over that assault case in engineering."

Saints! Why the hell did Tuvok appoint a Maquis to investigate Torres? I'm definitely going through his report with a fine toothed comb. Durst thought.

"I take it you don't approve our superior's decision, sir." Stevens replied.

"Mind your tone Stevens." Durst replied.

"I would mind it if you wouldn't take this opportunity to point out the fact that I am a Maquis officer and thus my objectivity is compromised." Stevens replied.

"Stevens one more outburst from you and you're going on report." Durst replied.

"Yes sir." Stevens replied.

"Dismissed." Durst replied.

Stevens stalked out of the security office brimming with anger himself...

---

To be continued...

 

[USS Fardell]

An interesting look at the situation.

 

[CaptainSarine]

I like this. A real glimpse into some behind the scenes events, and brings out the tension between Starfleet and the Maquis nicely.

Very well done!

 

[Dingo]

Before and During

Before and During: "Ensign Wildman," Stevens began as he sat across from her in the Mess Hall: "I understand you were in Engineering when the incident occurred."

"Yes." Samantha Wildman began.

"What do you remember?" Stevens asked.

"Well we had an isolinear chip failure on one of our computers in the science lab and I went to engineering to get a replacement and have the damaged component worked on." Samantha replied: "I'd arrived in Engineering at the tail end of a particularly vicious argument between LT Carey and LT Torres. I rounded the corner just in time to see B'Elanna's fist knock LT Carey to the ground and see security respond."

"By your observation would you state that LT Torres was provoked?" Stevens asked.

"From what I saw it appeared that LT Torres overreacted." Samantha replied and glanced at the former Maquis who was busily entering the information onto his PADD.

"I'll note that in my report." Stevens replied: "Thank you for your time."

"You're welcome. Do you need anything else from me?" Samantha replied.

"Not as of late." Stevens replied before he stood up to go find his next witness.

---

"Reese? What are you doing now?" Ensign Ahni Jetal asked as she saw the ventral access trunk of the Shuttlecraft Drake had just been removed. Several components were all over the deck. Telltale signs of the Maquis crewmember's work.

She could see a pair of legs sticking out of the access trunk and could hear the sound of an microdyne recoupler being used.

Reese heard Jetal's voice and came out of the access trunk. His face had streaks of carbon blackening it and his uniform had just as much. His sleeves were rolled up and sweat dampened the gold of his operations uniform.

"What exactly have you been up to?" Jetal asked.

"Well I noticed that there was a strange whirring sound whenever the forward stabilizer would engage. So I'm taking it apart and reassembling it." Reese replied.

"This must've been what Chief said when he said he was all over it." Jetal replied with a smile.

Reese smiled back at her as he gazed at her dark eyes and noted how she wore her short hair that day. "You look great this morning." Reese said and catching himself added: "Not that you don't always look great other mornings."

Jetal smiled and said a shy: "Thank you."

She headed back up to her office before Reese headed back to his work.

She headed upstairs where LT Deborah Kinnian was already working at her computer console. "Hey." Deborah said with a smile.

"Hey." Ahni replied, "I swear Reese has ADD. If he discovers anything sounds iffy with a shuttle he's all over it. No wonder the Engineers weren't happy to give him to us."

"He's quite a little dynamo." Deborah remarked and noticed Ahni was blushing.

"What's with the blush?" Deborah remarked.

"Uh. Just something Reese said. He said that I looked nice this morning. Just a compliment." Ahni replied.

"I think he likes you." Deborah replied.

"Think that's why he works like a maniac?" Ahni replied.

"No. Carl told me that's how Reese always acts. And I remember when I was with the 172nd SAR Squadron they had to force him to take a vacation." Deborah replied.

"I believe it." Ahni said before she saw the enigmatic smile on her supervisor and friend's face, "What?"

"I am venturing to guess the blush means its mutual." Deborah replied.

"What?" Ahni said: "Well maybe. I think he's cute if a tad high strung."

"Maybe someone more mellow in his life might make him less of a workaholic." Deborah replied.

"Whatever. I'm going outside." Ahni Jetal said and walked out of the office.

 

[Dingo]

During

During: "I swear she is a madwoman." Carey said as he sat in the Mess Hall with Deborah.

"She does have somewhat of a temper." Deborah agreed.

"Somewhat of a temper? That's an understatement." Carey replied.

"She really isn't all that bad. You just have to learn to deal with her." Deborah replied.

"Since when do you take the side of the Maquis?" Carey replied.

"I'm not taking the side of the Maquis. We just have to learn to deal with them since we're stranded on the other side of the galaxy." Deborah replied: "And besides they're not all bad."

"You've got Reese working for you right? The man has ADD." Carey grumbled: "Not to mention you're friends with Lieutenant Stevens."

"They're going to be working with us for the forseeable future Joe. We have to get along." Deborah replied.

---

"So is it true?" Seska said as Carl Stevens walked by on his rounds that passed through Engineering.

"Is what true?" Stevens replied.

"That you're doing Tuvok's dirty work?" Seska said.

"I'm simply investigating the circumstances regarding their altercation in Engineering as per my duties." Stevens replied.

"Just remember not to side against your own side." Seska said.

"You'd do best to mind your tone." Stevens fired back.

"Don't burn your bridges Stevens." Seska said as she headed away from him.

---

Ahni Jetal went back into the shuttlebay to find that Reese was putting away his tools. His sleeves were rolled up and his thinning brown hair still had some lubricants in it.

"Finally taking a break?" Ahni said with a smile.

"Yeah." Reese said: "I got the forward stabilizer on the Drake revamped."

"Want to get lunch?" Ahni said.

"Is it that time already?" Reese said and scratched his head. His spanner was still clutched in his right hand.

The pair headed up to the Mess Hall and took their food from Neelix before sitting down.

Jetal was about to ask Reese about something when the ship shuddered.

She and Reese and every other crewmember in the Mess Hall rushed to their posts.