ficlets for the where_no_woman September drabblefest
Title: Freedom's Reign
Prompt: 11. There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom.
Fandom: Star Trek AOS
Rating: G
Word Count: ~650
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Gaila
Summary: Gaila came to Starfleet Academy for freedom, just not the kind most expect.
Disclaimer: Characters mentioned are used without permission and are trademarks of CBS/Paramount/Gene Roddenberry. I do not own them and am simply borrowing for my purposes. Please don't sue.
(pimped to st_reboot, trekfics and where_no_woman)
"Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide." -- Napoleon Bonaparte
-------------------
People like to make assumptions about Gaila. After all, she's an Orion and everyone knows that Orions are slave traders and that the women are practically controlled by their overactive hormones. (Except that the Orion Syndicate is not, in fact, what it appears to be to outsiders and, yes, female Orions secrete pheromones that keep most species of males comfortable in their presence but Gaila hardly needs sex all the time. She simply has sex when it suits her and if that's more frequent or with more partners than the average Terran women, well, that's her choice. Besides it isn't like she's forcing anyone to do it with her-- pheromones or no, she wouldn't do that.)
Likewise, she receives strange glances from time to time that she comes to realize contain pity and other similarly unwelcome emotions. (Gaila learns this because she observes others receiving them as well. And, while they are infinitely preferable to the judgmental stares and glares of scorned women who perceive her to have wronged them in some way, she hardly appreciates them. She is not in want of sympathy; she simply is and that is fine with her.)
It's the odd roundabout questions about how she escaped from her old life that bothers her most, though. How can Terrans be so very misinformed? After explaining a handful of times that, yes there is a certain stigma for selecting a life away from the Syndicate, but all she'd done was ask her family unit for permission to attend Starfleet Academy after applying, she has her answer. Terrans are mostly inexplicably disappointed by her benign tale. (Why that is, she isn't certain, since she knows hers is not unlike the majority of Academy cadets.) Eventually, though, she grows tired of this and takes to indicating she does not wish to speak of it, so they remain misinformed.
Gaila is curious about where these misconceptions of her so-called slave society come from, so she studies up on ancient Earth history. Slavery, it seems, was common practice in various forms in many Terran societies for longer than it hasn't been. The really interesting stories, though, are those of the slaves. It's their tales of hiding and fighting, of inequality and relying on strangers helps her to understand what it is her fellow cadets expected to hear. They believe, as with Terran slaves of the past, it is physical freedom she came to Starfleet for.
That's their mistake, she thinks. The kind of freedom she sought is not unlike that which most children wish to have from their parents once they've reached full maturation. The only difference for Gaila is that, as an Orion, she had to leave her entire society behind to find it. (Because if she'd stayed-- if she'd lived her life under Syndicate rule as good Orion girls are meant to-- she would have little to no say in her future and expected to follow her superior's dictates without question. Here she has the freedom to choose her own path. Here she can be and do whatever she wishes and it's as frightening as it is exhilarating.) (She thinks it's not the stigma but the fear that keeps more Orions from doing the same.)
Still, if there's one thing she's learned from her study of slavery it's this: there is truly no greater power on any world than the need for freedom. None. It's what pushes children to leave home in the first place, what fuels things like revolution and rebellion, what gives hope when there shouldn't be any at all. No matter what kind of freedom a being is seeking, there is no power that will stop them-- except, perhaps, death (and even then it's questionable). Gaila likes that. It makes her feel connected, just a little, to everyone everywhere. (And maybe, in the end, that's what freedom's really all about.)
Title: her honor bright
Prompt: 19. "I'm waiting. For an apology."
"You better check the temperature in Hell first."
Fandom: Star Trek (AOS)
Rating: G
Word Count: ~400
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Nyota Uhura, OFC (grandmother), OMC, mentions of parents
Summary: Uhura stands up for what she believes in. Unfortunately, at sixteen, all it gets her is in trouble. Thankfully her grandmother can provide some perspective. (Or, Uhura is a mouthy teen.)
Disclaimer: Characters mentioned are used without permission and are trademarks of CBS/Paramount/Gene Roddenberry. I do not own them and am simply borrowing for my purposes. Please don't sue.
(pimped to st_reboot, startwek, trekfics and where_no_woman)
There were certain things Nyota Uhura could simply not abide. Condescension was a big one-- especially if it had anything to do with ethnicity, gender or age. (All were arbitrary and, more importantly, things no one had any control over... with the possible exception of gender but that was generally an entirely different issue.)
In this instance, it was a teacher she'd spoken out of turn to. Her instructor, Mr. Lampada, had made some disparaging remarks about Tellerites and Uhura had objected quickly and succinctly. She'd been silenced with a stern, "That is quite enough, Miss Uhura."
Now, she and Mr. Lampada were standing staring at each other. "I'm waiting," he said finally. When she refused to reply, a defiant expression on her face, he elaborated: "For an apology, Miss Uhura."
That, she thought, would not be happening any time soon. Perhaps when it rained swine or the hot place called Hell froze over. "No."
There was shock on her teacher's face. "Excuse me?"
Uhura's expression was a stony mask. "No," she repeated stiffly. "There is no excuse for your bigotry. And I will not apologize when it is you who is wrong."
"Enough of your insolence," he snapped, his face an interesting shade of puce. "You will go to the principal's office for punishment."
Silently, Uhura picked up her things and made her way from the classroom. Even at sixteen, she already conducted herself with a sense of poise some people never achieved. With her back straight and eyes sharp, she sat through a reprimand from the principal and, after unwillingly writing an apology to Mr. Lampada, a lecture from her parents about respecting her elders and authority.
After dinner, Uhura searched out her grandmother. She curled beside the old woman on a loveseat and told her story, finally releasing the frustration and humiliation she'd kept tightly inside herself.
In response, her grandmother didn't coddle her-- would never, in point of fact. Instead, she hugged Uhura tightly and proudly commended her for standing by her convictions. "It does not matter that your teacher believes he won," she explained in her soft melodic tone. "Even if it is you alone who knows the truth that does not stop it from being the truth."
The following day, Nyota Uhura walked into Mr. Lampada's classroom with her head held high. With her convictions unchanged and the truth on her side, it wasn't so difficult-- even after being made to write the false apology letter.
-------------------
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall." -- Confucius
Title: hope is a four letter word
Prompt: 22. I can only conclude that I'm paying off karma at a vastly accelerated rate.
Fandom: Star Trek (AOS)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1000
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Christine Chapel, OFCs, mentions of Jim Kirk, Leonard McCoy; McCoy/Chapel
Summary: Christine Chapel does not like hostile work environments or Leonard McCoy, and she's not shy about letting people know about it-- especially her family. Featuring assorted female cousins and siblings.
Disclaimer: Characters mentioned are used without permission and are trademarks of CBS/Paramount/Gene Roddenberry. I do not own them and am simply borrowing for my purposes. Please don't sue.
(pimped to mccoy_chapel, st_reboot, trek_het, trekfics and where_no_woman)
When Christine Chapel learns that Jim Kirk has been given command of the Enterprise-the freaking Enterprise, seriously!-she wonders if some kind of joke is being played on her. She isn't nearly as surprised when Leonard McCoy is named the ship's Chief Medical Officer (from what she's seen, those two are practically attached at the hip), but that doesn't mean she hadn't been hoping for different news.
Because, see, Dr. Leonard McCoy is pretty much the most ornery bastard this side of the Mississippi. (The way she hears it, he used to be the most ornery bastard that side of the Mississippi and isn't it just too damn bad he couldn't stay there?) She's only worked with him a little bit and mostly during the Narada incident, which, admittedly, had everyone on edge but still. It's not good.
And why does this matter? Well, as luck would have it (the bad kind, obviously), Christine is set to be the ship's Head Nurse. And, while she's knows McCoy is plenty competent, she really isn't looking forward to what will undoubtedly be a very hostile work environment. (She'd also really been looking forward to working for Dr. Puri, God rest his soul, which only adds to her bitterness over the whole thing.)
"I can only conclude," Christine announces gravely after explaining the situation to a mostly interested audience of sisters and female cousins, "that I'm paying off karma at a vastly accelerated rate." She takes a large sip of her drink, not bothering with any explanation of what said karmic misdeeds are-most already know, anyway, and those that don't probably aren't old enough (yet).
The cousin closest to her age, Elizabeth (or Lizzy-Beth, as she's often called), scoffs. "So he can be difficult," a severe understatement in Christine's estimation but she only makes a face to convey that message; "I've never known you to take a 'grin and bear it' attitude."
Christine snorts because isn't that just the God's honest truth? "I never said I wasn't going to tell him what's what." It's part of her job as Head Nurse. Really. "It would just be nice if there was someone above him that would tell him where to stick it from time to time." Because his rank and position means he can ignore or overrule her anytime he wants to and, given his stubborn nature, she certainly wouldn't put it past him.
One of Christine's younger sisters, Caitlyn, makes a tsking noise in an unintentionally fantastic impersonation of their mother. "Honestly, Christie, there's no way he can be as bad as you say." Her family has been claiming this for days but, as none of them have actually met the man, she's inclined to call bullshit. "If he was, who would give him command of the flagship's Sickbay?"
"Jim Kirk." Christine spits his name out like a curse.
Naturally, this is lost on her family; they're all too busy swooning to various degrees. (Even the married few, shame on them.)
"You're so lucky," chirps the youngest of the group, a cousin nicknamed Winnie (although no one can quite remember why as her actual name is Margaret). She's perched precariously on a stool, starry eyed at the mention of the famed captain. "Jim Kirk is a fox."
Winnie's sister, Sarah, snorts and shakes her head. "And a hero," she adds in a tone that would probably work better if she had more than eighteen months on Winnie. It's a mix of, 'Isn't that young thing silly?' (which Sarah cannot pull off) and the kind of exasperated fondness one can only ever have for a sibling (which she can).
Christine rolls her eyes. (She's so tired of hearing about The Amazing Jim Kirk Who Saved Them All. Which, okay, actually has more to do with her own nerves about being assigned under him than anything else because, seriously, he did save the whole fucking planet. But regardless-) "Whatever. He's on my shit list, too."
That's when the oldest in the bunch, a cousin-in-law named Maggie who may be Christine's favorite relative (possibly because they aren't blood related but more likely because she's been like an older sister to Christine-who is the eldest in her bloodline-since marrying into the family seventeen years earlier), smirks just a little evilly. "I bet you sleep with one of them before the end of your first six months out there."
Her expression alone makes it clear Christine is aghast at the suggestion. (Seriously-they're both her bosses! And she'd learned her lesson after that whole Korby thing.) Still, she's a big enough person to admit that they're both rather fine male specimens. But only to herself.
(So when she and McCoy end up having really amazing angry sex after fighting over the staff's six month reviews for hours-a month late, for the record, because things are busy and most of them are still figuring out this working on a starship thing-she doesn't admit that aloud, either. She'd love to girl talk it out with Maggie, but she knows the smug response she'd get back wouldn't be worth it.)
(Although Christine does crack when it happens a few more times and then once when they aren't even angry because she has no idea what the hell is going on or what he wants from her and they are breaking a bunch of regulations here, seriously. And the "I told you so" is even forgiven because Maggie's advice helps her get her head on straight and push McCoy into telling her what the fuck he wants.
Which turns out to be a relationship and, hey, she can work with that. So then they're together. Like for real dating and stuff. Go figure. It's still a hostile work environment, though, because McCoy is grumpy, snappy and short-tempered on duty-as always. The only change is that now Christine can punish him later. As it turns out, that makes all the difference in the world. Go figure.)
Prompt: 11. There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom.
Fandom: Star Trek AOS
Rating: G
Word Count: ~650
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Gaila
Summary: Gaila came to Starfleet Academy for freedom, just not the kind most expect.
Disclaimer: Characters mentioned are used without permission and are trademarks of CBS/Paramount/Gene Roddenberry. I do not own them and am simply borrowing for my purposes. Please don't sue.
(pimped to st_reboot, trekfics and where_no_woman)
"Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide." -- Napoleon Bonaparte
-------------------
People like to make assumptions about Gaila. After all, she's an Orion and everyone knows that Orions are slave traders and that the women are practically controlled by their overactive hormones. (Except that the Orion Syndicate is not, in fact, what it appears to be to outsiders and, yes, female Orions secrete pheromones that keep most species of males comfortable in their presence but Gaila hardly needs sex all the time. She simply has sex when it suits her and if that's more frequent or with more partners than the average Terran women, well, that's her choice. Besides it isn't like she's forcing anyone to do it with her-- pheromones or no, she wouldn't do that.)
Likewise, she receives strange glances from time to time that she comes to realize contain pity and other similarly unwelcome emotions. (Gaila learns this because she observes others receiving them as well. And, while they are infinitely preferable to the judgmental stares and glares of scorned women who perceive her to have wronged them in some way, she hardly appreciates them. She is not in want of sympathy; she simply is and that is fine with her.)
It's the odd roundabout questions about how she escaped from her old life that bothers her most, though. How can Terrans be so very misinformed? After explaining a handful of times that, yes there is a certain stigma for selecting a life away from the Syndicate, but all she'd done was ask her family unit for permission to attend Starfleet Academy after applying, she has her answer. Terrans are mostly inexplicably disappointed by her benign tale. (Why that is, she isn't certain, since she knows hers is not unlike the majority of Academy cadets.) Eventually, though, she grows tired of this and takes to indicating she does not wish to speak of it, so they remain misinformed.
Gaila is curious about where these misconceptions of her so-called slave society come from, so she studies up on ancient Earth history. Slavery, it seems, was common practice in various forms in many Terran societies for longer than it hasn't been. The really interesting stories, though, are those of the slaves. It's their tales of hiding and fighting, of inequality and relying on strangers helps her to understand what it is her fellow cadets expected to hear. They believe, as with Terran slaves of the past, it is physical freedom she came to Starfleet for.
That's their mistake, she thinks. The kind of freedom she sought is not unlike that which most children wish to have from their parents once they've reached full maturation. The only difference for Gaila is that, as an Orion, she had to leave her entire society behind to find it. (Because if she'd stayed-- if she'd lived her life under Syndicate rule as good Orion girls are meant to-- she would have little to no say in her future and expected to follow her superior's dictates without question. Here she has the freedom to choose her own path. Here she can be and do whatever she wishes and it's as frightening as it is exhilarating.) (She thinks it's not the stigma but the fear that keeps more Orions from doing the same.)
Still, if there's one thing she's learned from her study of slavery it's this: there is truly no greater power on any world than the need for freedom. None. It's what pushes children to leave home in the first place, what fuels things like revolution and rebellion, what gives hope when there shouldn't be any at all. No matter what kind of freedom a being is seeking, there is no power that will stop them-- except, perhaps, death (and even then it's questionable). Gaila likes that. It makes her feel connected, just a little, to everyone everywhere. (And maybe, in the end, that's what freedom's really all about.)
Title: her honor bright
Prompt: 19. "I'm waiting. For an apology."
"You better check the temperature in Hell first."
Fandom: Star Trek (AOS)
Rating: G
Word Count: ~400
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Nyota Uhura, OFC (grandmother), OMC, mentions of parents
Summary: Uhura stands up for what she believes in. Unfortunately, at sixteen, all it gets her is in trouble. Thankfully her grandmother can provide some perspective. (Or, Uhura is a mouthy teen.)
Disclaimer: Characters mentioned are used without permission and are trademarks of CBS/Paramount/Gene Roddenberry. I do not own them and am simply borrowing for my purposes. Please don't sue.
(pimped to st_reboot, startwek, trekfics and where_no_woman)
There were certain things Nyota Uhura could simply not abide. Condescension was a big one-- especially if it had anything to do with ethnicity, gender or age. (All were arbitrary and, more importantly, things no one had any control over... with the possible exception of gender but that was generally an entirely different issue.)
In this instance, it was a teacher she'd spoken out of turn to. Her instructor, Mr. Lampada, had made some disparaging remarks about Tellerites and Uhura had objected quickly and succinctly. She'd been silenced with a stern, "That is quite enough, Miss Uhura."
Now, she and Mr. Lampada were standing staring at each other. "I'm waiting," he said finally. When she refused to reply, a defiant expression on her face, he elaborated: "For an apology, Miss Uhura."
That, she thought, would not be happening any time soon. Perhaps when it rained swine or the hot place called Hell froze over. "No."
There was shock on her teacher's face. "Excuse me?"
Uhura's expression was a stony mask. "No," she repeated stiffly. "There is no excuse for your bigotry. And I will not apologize when it is you who is wrong."
"Enough of your insolence," he snapped, his face an interesting shade of puce. "You will go to the principal's office for punishment."
Silently, Uhura picked up her things and made her way from the classroom. Even at sixteen, she already conducted herself with a sense of poise some people never achieved. With her back straight and eyes sharp, she sat through a reprimand from the principal and, after unwillingly writing an apology to Mr. Lampada, a lecture from her parents about respecting her elders and authority.
After dinner, Uhura searched out her grandmother. She curled beside the old woman on a loveseat and told her story, finally releasing the frustration and humiliation she'd kept tightly inside herself.
In response, her grandmother didn't coddle her-- would never, in point of fact. Instead, she hugged Uhura tightly and proudly commended her for standing by her convictions. "It does not matter that your teacher believes he won," she explained in her soft melodic tone. "Even if it is you alone who knows the truth that does not stop it from being the truth."
The following day, Nyota Uhura walked into Mr. Lampada's classroom with her head held high. With her convictions unchanged and the truth on her side, it wasn't so difficult-- even after being made to write the false apology letter.
-------------------
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall." -- Confucius
Title: hope is a four letter word
Prompt: 22. I can only conclude that I'm paying off karma at a vastly accelerated rate.
Fandom: Star Trek (AOS)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1000
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Christine Chapel, OFCs, mentions of Jim Kirk, Leonard McCoy; McCoy/Chapel
Summary: Christine Chapel does not like hostile work environments or Leonard McCoy, and she's not shy about letting people know about it-- especially her family. Featuring assorted female cousins and siblings.
Disclaimer: Characters mentioned are used without permission and are trademarks of CBS/Paramount/Gene Roddenberry. I do not own them and am simply borrowing for my purposes. Please don't sue.
(pimped to mccoy_chapel, st_reboot, trek_het, trekfics and where_no_woman)
When Christine Chapel learns that Jim Kirk has been given command of the Enterprise-the freaking Enterprise, seriously!-she wonders if some kind of joke is being played on her. She isn't nearly as surprised when Leonard McCoy is named the ship's Chief Medical Officer (from what she's seen, those two are practically attached at the hip), but that doesn't mean she hadn't been hoping for different news.
Because, see, Dr. Leonard McCoy is pretty much the most ornery bastard this side of the Mississippi. (The way she hears it, he used to be the most ornery bastard that side of the Mississippi and isn't it just too damn bad he couldn't stay there?) She's only worked with him a little bit and mostly during the Narada incident, which, admittedly, had everyone on edge but still. It's not good.
And why does this matter? Well, as luck would have it (the bad kind, obviously), Christine is set to be the ship's Head Nurse. And, while she's knows McCoy is plenty competent, she really isn't looking forward to what will undoubtedly be a very hostile work environment. (She'd also really been looking forward to working for Dr. Puri, God rest his soul, which only adds to her bitterness over the whole thing.)
"I can only conclude," Christine announces gravely after explaining the situation to a mostly interested audience of sisters and female cousins, "that I'm paying off karma at a vastly accelerated rate." She takes a large sip of her drink, not bothering with any explanation of what said karmic misdeeds are-most already know, anyway, and those that don't probably aren't old enough (yet).
The cousin closest to her age, Elizabeth (or Lizzy-Beth, as she's often called), scoffs. "So he can be difficult," a severe understatement in Christine's estimation but she only makes a face to convey that message; "I've never known you to take a 'grin and bear it' attitude."
Christine snorts because isn't that just the God's honest truth? "I never said I wasn't going to tell him what's what." It's part of her job as Head Nurse. Really. "It would just be nice if there was someone above him that would tell him where to stick it from time to time." Because his rank and position means he can ignore or overrule her anytime he wants to and, given his stubborn nature, she certainly wouldn't put it past him.
One of Christine's younger sisters, Caitlyn, makes a tsking noise in an unintentionally fantastic impersonation of their mother. "Honestly, Christie, there's no way he can be as bad as you say." Her family has been claiming this for days but, as none of them have actually met the man, she's inclined to call bullshit. "If he was, who would give him command of the flagship's Sickbay?"
"Jim Kirk." Christine spits his name out like a curse.
Naturally, this is lost on her family; they're all too busy swooning to various degrees. (Even the married few, shame on them.)
"You're so lucky," chirps the youngest of the group, a cousin nicknamed Winnie (although no one can quite remember why as her actual name is Margaret). She's perched precariously on a stool, starry eyed at the mention of the famed captain. "Jim Kirk is a fox."
Winnie's sister, Sarah, snorts and shakes her head. "And a hero," she adds in a tone that would probably work better if she had more than eighteen months on Winnie. It's a mix of, 'Isn't that young thing silly?' (which Sarah cannot pull off) and the kind of exasperated fondness one can only ever have for a sibling (which she can).
Christine rolls her eyes. (She's so tired of hearing about The Amazing Jim Kirk Who Saved Them All. Which, okay, actually has more to do with her own nerves about being assigned under him than anything else because, seriously, he did save the whole fucking planet. But regardless-) "Whatever. He's on my shit list, too."
That's when the oldest in the bunch, a cousin-in-law named Maggie who may be Christine's favorite relative (possibly because they aren't blood related but more likely because she's been like an older sister to Christine-who is the eldest in her bloodline-since marrying into the family seventeen years earlier), smirks just a little evilly. "I bet you sleep with one of them before the end of your first six months out there."
Her expression alone makes it clear Christine is aghast at the suggestion. (Seriously-they're both her bosses! And she'd learned her lesson after that whole Korby thing.) Still, she's a big enough person to admit that they're both rather fine male specimens. But only to herself.
(So when she and McCoy end up having really amazing angry sex after fighting over the staff's six month reviews for hours-a month late, for the record, because things are busy and most of them are still figuring out this working on a starship thing-she doesn't admit that aloud, either. She'd love to girl talk it out with Maggie, but she knows the smug response she'd get back wouldn't be worth it.)
(Although Christine does crack when it happens a few more times and then once when they aren't even angry because she has no idea what the hell is going on or what he wants from her and they are breaking a bunch of regulations here, seriously. And the "I told you so" is even forgiven because Maggie's advice helps her get her head on straight and push McCoy into telling her what the fuck he wants.
Which turns out to be a relationship and, hey, she can work with that. So then they're together. Like for real dating and stuff. Go figure. It's still a hostile work environment, though, because McCoy is grumpy, snappy and short-tempered on duty-as always. The only change is that now Christine can punish him later. As it turns out, that makes all the difference in the world. Go figure.)