Romulans Under The Skin

Posted on Jun 27, 2017 @ 6:33pm by Ensign Sofia Andersson
Edited on on Jun 27, 2017 @ 6:33pm

Mission: The Romulan Way

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"Romulans Under The Skin"
[previous post was "Not Like You" by Jerome]
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LOCATION: USS PHOENIX
SD [2.17] 0627.1700
SCENE: Corridor

Sofia had stepped into the corridor to clear her mind, an easy task given that she had not been part of the main diplomatic team. This function had been the closest she had ever been to actual Romulans and to be entirely honest, she hated it. Her only exposure to that particular race before now had been through stories and official accounts made to be part of various Academy classes. She did recall a few medical papers on Romulan physiology that she had been required to read, but that had been far from having to deal with them as creatures of flesh and blood.

During one of the survival training set within the Academy's holodekcs, her class had been separated into smaller groups, each one required to face a different scenario. Everyone had known that one of those dealt with the Romulans in one way or another, and as much as many of her classmates had hoped to land in that particular recreation, Sofia had prayed for the opposite. Apparently, some unknown cosmic force back then had liked her enough to grant that simple wish, leaving the Cadet with the Medical training to face a group of injured Cardassians instead.

That was then, but today the holographic Cardassians had been replaced with real Romulans, and although the scenario had not been one to test survival techniques, the diplomatic function had tested the Assistant Chief Medical Officer in a completely unexpected way.

With each step she took, Sofia wondered as to why she felt as she did? Never having had to deal with that particular race directly, there had been no concrete reason for her to hold such distrust towards them. Granted, the stories and official accounts had been less than flattering, but still she had been intelligent enough to realize that these had been embellished on some level to make the clear perfectly point. The Romulans were a race of conquerors that could not be trusted, to do so was to risk one's continued health and safety in more ways than could be counted.

Based on that alone, Sofia could not help herself but look at the Romulans with unequalled suspicions. Like the multi-visage actors that they had been so often portrayed to be, those in the Vulgar Tribble had put on a show for everyone to see, hiding with skilful expertise their true intents. Romulans or not, that would have been expected of any other race, but these particular guests were just better than most at it.

She disliked them, there was no arguing that fact. Asking her to smile and be polite while they sat on the other side of the table had been one thing, but it would not change the way Sofia felt and she was certain the gathering of Starfleet Officers in the Vulgar Tribble would not change the Romulans in any way either. This had been nothing more than a dance, an act put on by both sides to show their counterparts what could have been if they lived in another universe where history had not forged the Romulan Star Empire and the United Federation of Planets as it had.

Expecting that no one would truly notice her absence, Ensign Andersson continued on wanderings of the corridors, allowing her feet to take her wherever they would. As long as there was some measurable distance between the Romulans and her, she would be happy. Maybe one day as a Lieutenant or even as a Commander she would look upon such a situation with a greater willingness to alter her ways, but today she was nothing more than an Ensign, a medical assistant who could cash in on the freedom of her lower rank.

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NRPG:

Just a look inside Sofia's mindset towards the Romulans, which was as much a surprise to me as it might have been to you all. Maybe I can develop the actual reasons why at a later time, but for now I am happy to just have her be the openly distrusting type.

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Tiffany Reeve

Ensign Sofia Andersson
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS PHOENIX