Looking Back Through The Years, Part II

Posted on May 29, 2019 @ 3:18am by Lieutenant Jasmine Yu
Edited on on May 29, 2019 @ 3:18am

Mission: The Uncertainty Principle

“Looking Back Through the Years, Part II”

(contd from ‘Looking Back Through the Years, Part I’)

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Location: Hawaii, EARTH
SD: [2.19] 0528.0053
Scene: Yu and Chung Family Home


As soon as Lieutenant Jasmine Yu materialized on the front porch of her home, she heard a couple of barks and yaps amidst the sounds of the waves from the sea behind her. She smiled when a small furry creature jumped up on her and licked her face. “Hi Mai Li.” The corgi barked as she jumped up towards the raven haired woman again. As the dog jumped back down, she padded around and wagged her tail. Jasmine laughed, petting the little dog – a family pet for close to eight years. She remembered the time when her parents first adopted Mai Li, a five week old puppy then. It was during her final year at the Academy when the young woman came home for the weekend, only to be greeted with a cute and pleasant surprise. She recalled just how adorable Mai Li was as a puppy – well the corgi was still adorable.

She heard yapping and tilted her head sideways, when her eyes and smile widened. A corgi puppy with a light and brown fur like Mai Li, stood, bouncing and wagging its tail – its tiny brown eyes filled with delight. Jasmine knelt down in front of the puppy. “And where did you come from, little one?”

“What do you think, Jasmine?” Her father, Victor Yu, inquired, stepping out onto the porch, along with her mother, Qui Chung. “Do you like her?”

Yu slowly got up to a standing position to greet her parents. “Well, yes.” After sharing hugs with them, she turned her attention back to the puppy. “I can’t believe you’ve decided to adopt another puppy.”

“Actually,” Qui said, gently lifting the puppy into her arms. “We adopted her for you.” She smiled, handing the corgi to her daughter.

“Mom…dad.” Jasmine was lost for words as she eyed the pup in her arms, a warm smile gracing her features. “I don’t know…what…”

“Happy Birthday, Jasmine!” Both mother and father said the words as they pulled the young woman and the new puppy into an embrace. Mai Li let out a bark and jumped around, eager to join in.

Qui chuckled, letting go and hugged the older dog. “Yes, Mai Li. You get a hug too.” The dog responded with a bark.

“She’s so adorable.” Jasmine was now overwhelmed with emotion as she gazed affectionately at her new puppy. “Mom, Dad. Thank you.”

“Well, I remember how much you wanted a puppy of your own,” her mother said. “And since it’s your thirtieth birthday, your dad and I decided to give you something special.”

“Thanks, I couldn’t have asked for anything better.” Jasmine pulled the puppy closer to her chest before she gently placed her on the ground – the pup now bouncing up and down, yapping happily.

“Why don’t we all go inside?” Victor waved at the two women towards the front door. “Lunch is ready and we have prepared all of Jasmine’s favourites.” He grinned.

“How long do you plan to stay on Earth for?” Qui inquired – both women and the dogs followed Victor inside.

“Not sure. A few weeks.” The Asian woman stopped for a brief moment, closing her eyes and inhaled in the salty and sulphuric smell of the ocean. It was great to be home.

-------------------------

Location: USS CAMELOT
Scene: Bridge
TI: Seven years ago


It had been nearly a week since Yu came onboard the Excalibur class vessel. As the newly minted Ensign stepped through those large double doors, she felt her stomach acids churning and palms sweating. She was standing in the ship’s bridge, her gaze moving around the room and then made her way towards the tactical station. The young woman inhaled in a deep breath, pulling a strand of her black hair behind her ear. This was her first shift in the bridge and she was quite nervous, giving a quick sidelong glance in the direction of the Ready Room. Yu swallowed a lump, recalling that embarrassing first meeting with the CO on her first day.

Jasmine didn’t find out it was the Captain she had run into when she was in a rush to get that cat to the security department before the CO returned until the next morning. The moment she had entered the main office, Cato - without giving her a moment to settle in – took her to task over the incident. It turned out the Captain’s shuttle had returned about five minutes earlier than scheduled and Yu was too pre-occupied with finding the feline to notice. Cato was apparently upset over her mishap with the CO. He yelled at her about how she failed a simple task by not getting the cat to security before the Captain’s return – well she was tempted to argue that no one informed her about the shuttle arriving a few minutes early. A heads up would have been nice but she had endured his harsh words without protest.

The Bajoran hybrid even added in his tirade – and it was more a tirade than a dressing down – that she had embarrassed herself and the department as a whole by not only allowing the animal to knock the Captain’s PADD but also just leaving the scene in a dash without apologizing. She sighed, admitting he did have a point as she had made a mistake in not looking up to see whom she had come across by that turbo lift. A simple apology might have gone a long way but instead she was left with wondering whether her career would be over before it began. For that whole morning, she had agonized over whether the Captain was going to order her transfer or worse have her booted out of Starfleet. A week had passed and so far none of that had happened…yet.

When she had finally met with Commander Haley on that same morning, the Human/El Aurian chief didn’t even mention the incident and just gave her next assignment. It was like the incident had never occurred as unlike Cato, Matthew was polite and eager to help her get going with her responsibilities. One of the tasks was getting familiar with the ship’s tactical systems as well as spend some time with the Bridge simulator. His reason was that she’d be doing a few shifts in the bridge while the ship was at base.


Now here she was, starting her first shift in the bridge and hoped it would all go smoothly for her. She nearly jumped out of her skin at the whirring sound of the doors parting and as the Ensign glanced behind her, she let out a sigh of relief – her muscles relaxing. A male Caitian entered the room, stroking the hairs on his chin and stopped before turning on his heel to make his way towards her.

Jasmine acknowledged the ExO’s approach with a polite nod. “Commander Grimbuir, how may I help you?”

Commander Meowi Grimbuir, the Camelot’s first officer, stood about two-three inches taller than the Asian. Like all members of his species, he had distinct feline features such as the cat-like ears and tail. His skin was covered in soft, dark brown fur coat and his golden eyes were filled with a certain warmth that provided comfort to others. Before he was ExO, Grimbuir was a science officer, having served at various postings focused mostly on scientific missions. From reading his bio, Jasmine found his educational background to be quite interesting. At the Academy, the Caitian majored in science, focused heavily on courses in the biological sciences and minored in Counseling. The minor in Counseling largely explained his ability to foster productive relationships amongst officers and resolve interpersonal conflicts. From what she heard from Meera, his patience was second to none and rarely lost his cool in heated situations.

Yu had first met the Caitian on her fourth day in sickbay when she was reporting for her physical. Unlike her first meeting with the Captain, this one went rather smoothly and Grimbuir had managed to put her at ease. Jasmine could see why many officers and crewpersons alike felt comfortable in their interactions with him.

“Ensign,” the Caitian spoke in his soft, baritone voice. “I just wanted to check to see how your first week is going so far.”

“Fine, sir.” Jasmine maintained a calm and polite tone in her voice. “I am still finding my way around things but I’m getting there.”

“I am glad to hear.” He nodded. “I’d best leave you to it then.” The Caitian turned around and made his way out of the bridge.

[[Cato to Ensign Yu.]]

“Yu here.”

[[Report to Cargo bay 2 for guard duty.]]

Jasmine furrowed her brow, sporting a bewildered expression. “Sir,” she began with a polite tone. “Commander Haley has put me on bridge duty for the whole shift. Has he changed orders?”

[[Ensign,]] Cato spoke in a stern voice. [[You follow orders not question them. Is that understood?]]

“Yes sir.”

[[Good, now head down to Cargo bay 2. Cato out.]]
Jasmine let out a sigh of exasperation, becoming a little annoyed. This wasn’t the first time the sudden switch in her tasks had occurred. Haley assigned her one task and then a couple of minutes later, Cato contacted her and just abruptly reassigned her to a different job. It had happened many times since her second day, making her wonder if Cato or both he and Haley were punishing her for the incident with the Captain. She bit her lip, believing the other assistant seemed petty enough to do it but the Chief – which she found it hard to believe. Haley had seemed approachable and very helpful to her. She wondered whether the two men were playing something akin to good cop, bad cop. Jasmine sighed again, considering whether she should put in a transfer or just hang in there till the situation improved. Or maybe it was all Cato and Haley was unaware. She wondered whether the Bajoran/Trill was really that upset over her lunch with Meera. If that was the case, then the man was really petty. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn’t hear footsteps approach her.

“Ensign Yu.” A female voice broke the Ensign out of her reverie.

Jasmine blinked, looking up to find a human woman in gold uniform standing in front of her. It was Lt. Commander Sol, the ship’s chief of operations whom she had briefly met during the lunch with Meera. The brown haired woman had barely spoken a word to her at the time and now she was here speaking with the Asian.

“Lieutenant Commander Azula Sol,” the other woman spoke, breaking into a tiny smile. “In case you haven’t read the ship’s manifest, I’m the chief of operations – but I’m assuming you have anyway.”

Jasmine nodded, not sure what to say and didn’t want her next word to offend the operations chief.

“I didn’t get a chance to officially welcome you the other day when you were having lunch with Commander Song,” Sol continued. “I needed to return to the bridge immediately and was only in mess hall to quickly pick up my lunch.” She then smiled. “Anyway, welcome aboard, Ensign.”

“Thank you, Commander.” Jasmine returned a weak smile, relieved that she had met another friendly face amongst the senior staff.

“How are you finding your first week here?”

“Fine and I’m learning quite a lot but still have a long way to go, I guess.”

Sol narrowed her eyes, her voice taking on a more serious tone. “Excuse me, but I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation with Lieutenant Cato. He has ordered you to report for yet another guard duty on your first bridge shift.”

“Yes, Commander.” Yu nodded. “I have to leave now.”

“You seem conflicted at the orders?” Azula lowered her voice to a whisper. “Look, I know it’s not my place to interfere in another department’s affairs so this will be sort of informal.”

Jasmine sighed, awaiting the other officer’s next word and arched a brow.

“A little piece of advice, one I believe will help you a lot in your career,” she said, still whispering. “In a situation where your chief gives you an order and then later another senior officer – lower in rank than the chief- changes the order, well it’d be a good idea to ask the chief for clarification.”

“Okay.” Jasmine was tempted to smack her head. **Why didn’t I think of that? Would have saved me from all that guard duty work.” She sighed.

Sol leaned forward. “In the event the chief isn’t available and you’re not sure whose order to follow, the rule of thumb is follow the order of the senior of the two.” She then grinned, speaking in a normal voice. “Well, I’ll see you around. Good luck, Ensign.” Thus the Ops officer turned around and headed below towards her own station.

Jasmine gulped, contemplating the other woman’s advice, when Cato called.

[[Ensign, what’s taking you so long,]] he demanded angrily. [[You are supposed to already be at cargo bay 2.]]

“Sir,” she began calmly. “Commander Haley ordered me to take this shift in the bridge and I have to remain at my station until he relieves me.”

[[Well, I am relieving you now, Ensign.]] She could tell he was getting angrier. [[I can do that as your superior officer. Report to your new post. Cato out.]]

Jasmine sighed, making a decision that could possibly end her career - choosing to stay put. She needed to be sure whether Haley authorized Cato or the Bajoran hybrid was acting on his own. She turned around when the doors parted and let out a sigh of relief when spotting Commander Haley enter. The Human/El Aurian nodded at her.

“How’s everything going?

Jasmine bit her lip, inhaling in a deep breath. “Commander, I was wondering if I could request clarification from you.”

“Clarification for what?” Matthew raised an eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest.

She inhaled again, feeling a little nervous. “Lieutenant Cato has ordered me to report to Cargo bay 2 for guard duty and my question was if you…told him to issue the order.” She swallowed a lump.

“Hmm…” Matthew pondered for a moment, running his fingers through his dark blond hair. “Ensign, I haven’t issued any such order. My orders are for you to take this shift in the bridge.”

“Sir, if I may, again.” The Asian woman wore a puzzled expression, wondering if the other assistant might be attempting to sabotage her. “Why did Lieutenant Cato issue the order in the first place if it wasn’t your intention to put me on guard duty?”

“I’m not sure.” Matthew shrugged, looking confused. “I don’t know why he’d do that without checking with me first.”

“Sir, permission to speak freely.” Her frustration had now reached its limits, unable to understand her chief’s – what she perceived – a dismissive attitude towards her.

“Okay.” He nodded, taking a quick peek behind him in the direction of the Ready Room.

Jasmine inhaled in a deep breath again. “Sir, in the past week, I had been receiving rather conflicting orders.”

“Conflicting? What do you mean?”

“Well, I receive an order from you,” she began, sounding as calm and polite as possible. “And then a couple of minutes later, Lt. Cato comes up with a different order and thinking it came from you, I had complied until today.” She went on to list out the different orders on each day, where Haley gave her a task and Cato changed it to a different one – mostly to guard duty covering various areas in the ship. When she was done, there was a look of confusion in the Chief’s eyes.

“Ensign, I never authorized Cato to issue those orders. So the question now is who completed the tasks I assigned you, because I had the impression you did, judging from the reports. Are you saying you didn’t?”

“Commander,” she said, slowly raising her voice yet maintaining a respectful tone. “With all due respect, I find it disconcerting that one of your assistants has decided to act on his own and issue orders without your knowledge and expect me to follow them without question. Now I find out someone else has pretended to be me and submitted reports claiming I had completed fulfilling the tasks you had initially assigned me before Lieutenant Cato changed them. I’m sorry, sir but this is all confusing. I mean I’d have liked some clarification….” Her voice trailed in the end as in her rambling, Jasmine didn’t immediately realize the room had gone silent and everyone, including the chief’s attention, was elsewhere. She felt her breathing and heart rate elevated, following the direction of Matthew’s gaze and stifled a gasp. Her brown eyes fixed on a Trill woman, standing just outside the Ready Room. The young woman froze, feeling the colour drain from her face.

Captain Anaqueen Spankryz gave off a cool demeanor, her expression hard to read. As she began approaching the tactical station, Jasmine bit her lip, immediately standing in attention. The Asian could listen to her heart racing as she attempted to compose herself though she also mentally kicked herself for a ‘second’ embarrassing moment with the CO. **Why did I have to put my foot in my mouth?**

“Captain.” Commander Haley broke the tense silence radiating in the room. “Ensign Jasmine Yu, the new assistant security and tactical officer, fresh from the academy.”

“I know,” the CO said with a detached tone in her voice. “We have already met but unfortunately I wasn’t able to properly welcome Ensign Yu as she was rather pre-occupied at the time.”

Jasmine pressed her hands on the console, feeling her legs about to give away. She inhaled in a deep breath to calm herself down as her eyes were still fixed on the Trill. Judging from her tone, Jasmine got the impression that the Captain didn’t sound exactly pleased about the incident at the turbo lift with that fussy cat.

“Was I interrupting something?” Spankryz asked, addressing the half-El Aurian. Apparently, Yu had discovered on her third day that both the Chief and the Captain were married.

Matthew shook her head. “No, I was just answering some of Ensign Yu’s questions as this is her first bridge duty.”

“Okay.” Anaqueen nodded. “Commander, if you’re done here, then come with me to the Ready Room. There are some matters I need to discuss with you.”

“Yes, Captain.” Haley complied by following the CO to her Ready Room, leaving a rather befuddled young assistant security officer.

As the doors closed behind the chief, Jasmine inhaled in a deep breath, eager to just get through this shift. **I just have to focus and everything will be fine. **

“So it’s just you and me, Ensign Yu,” Sol spoke up, whirling her chair around to face the Asian. “The Bridge is usually not this quiet but considering we’re on shore leave, a lot of the personnel are spending some time on either Earth or Luna.”

“Yes…I suppose.” Jasmine still seemed mildly shaken up from the brief exchange with Spankryz. She was nervous. Her chief was in a meeting with the Captain and in a state of paranoia, Jasmine had assumed they were discussing about her.

“So, Ensign,” Sol said, wearing a tiny smile. “I read from your files that you live in Hawaii.”

“Yes.” Yu raised an eyebrow. “I was actually born in Rochester, then spent most of my childhood in space – both my parents serve in Starfleet and then during high school, we finally settled down in Hawaii.”

“Hawaii has nice beaches,” Sol commented. “I’ve been there a couple of times.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, Commander, where do you come from?”

“Oh I don’t mind.” The other woman smiled. “I was born in Buenos Aires but spent the majority of my childhood, shuffled around the four quadrants. My parents were diplomats.”

Jasmine’s lips slowly crept into a smile - her muscles relaxing, releasing the tension out of her body.

“Good, now that you’re relaxed, Ensign, we can go to work.” The Ops chief grinned, turning around.

Jasmine sighed, trying to remember what she learnt from all that training with the Bridge Simulator.

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Scene: Turbo lift -> Security Centre
TI: Several hours later


Jasmine sighed, leaning against the wall. Her shift in the bridge was over and she was headed down to the security department before signing off for that day. She had hoped to catch Haley and speak with him. The turbo lift halted and when the doors parted, half dozen marines stepped inside. A human female with distinct East Asian features stood next to her.

“Deck 26,” the other Asian ordered. As the lift resumed moving, the female marine glanced at Jasmine and smiled. “Are you the new girl?”

“I’m sorry?” Jasmine raised an eyebrow.

“She’s sorry,” a tall humanoid male remarked, choking with laughter. “What’s she sorry for?” From the insignia on his collar, Jasmine deduced he was a sergeant.

The Asian marine smiled. “I heard security got a new assistant.”

“Yes, that’d be me.”

“Well, that confirms it,” the marine said. “You are the new girl.”

“Ensign Jasmine Yu, pleased to meet you, Lieutenant?”

“Mina Choi.” The marine was a person of Korean descent. “2nd Lt. Mina Choi, Deputy MCO and I am pleased to meet you, ‘new girl’.”

“Actually, Ensign Yu would suffice.” Jasmine turned red when the other marines laughed.

“Wow, so serious!” said a Saurian male, another sergeant. “Why are folks in security so serious?”

“Yeah, loosen up.” Jasmine didn’t see whom the female voice belonged to.

Choi grinned, waving at her group to calm down. “No, I like ‘new girl’ and so I will always call you ‘new girl’ and you can call me ‘Big Boss’.”

**Big Boss. ** Jasmine furrowed her brow. **Wonder if the MCO is referred to as Super Big Boss. **

When the turbo lift stopped at her destination, she got off in a hurry, not eager to spend a moment longer in the turbo lift with the marines. As she left, Choi called after her. “I look forward to facing you in a fighting ring and see what you are made of, ‘new girl’.” Jasmine sighed, when the marines began chanting, ‘new girl. Welcome new girl. So serious, new girl.’ just as the doors closed and then headed for the Chief’s office.

As soon as the doors closed behind her, Cato stood up from his station and marched towards her. Jasmine sighed, hoping she didn’t have to deal with her fellow assistant. She stood in silence, waiting to hear what the man had to say. At the moment, she wasn’t exactly thrilled with him and Haley for all those conflicting orders.

“Ensign,” the Bajoran hybrid began, sounding predictably condescending. “The Camelot has high standards for its officers and I know for a fact the Captain only wants those of high caliber serving under her and frankly, Ensign after observing you for the last week, you just do not cut it. I don’t see you going far in your career.”

Jasmine bit her lip. That statement cut deep but she still held her head high, trying not to look weak.

“Look, don’t feel bad,” he said, switching to a more patronizing tone. “I am sure there will be a much easier posting somewhere suitable for your talents, one where you can have a nice, comfortable time.” He just left it at that and left, leaving her a little annoyed.

It was at that moment when Jasmine felt a sudden bout of confidence and the determination to succeed. Cato thought she couldn’t cut it on this ship – well she was going to prove him wrong and show him she was deserving of her spot there. Of course that all hinged on the Captain not sending her away.

“Ensign Yu.”

Jasmine turned around and spotted Haley standing in front of her. “Commander.”

“Ensign,” he began in a soft voice. “I understand you are frustrated and I won’t blame you if you choose to put in for a transfer to another posting.”

“Me putting in for a transfer?” She blinked in confusion. “Sir, I have no intention of doing that unless it’s what you and the Captain want. I know she wasn’t happy with the way I behaved today and that other day.”

“You’re definitely not going to be transferred,” he assured. “In fact, there is something I need to tell you.”

Jasmine inhaled, feeling nervous but didn’t say anything.

“Lieutenant Cato didn’t act on his own when he issued those orders, countermanding my own,” Matthew said. “I directed him to do it and set it up to make you think he was acting rogue and leaving me in the dark about everything.”

“I don’t understand, sir.”

“See, Ensign.” Haley let out a sigh. “I wanted to test how you handle stress and your ability to adapt to changes in circumstances.” He smiled. “I am happy to report you did well.”

Yu’s mouth dropped, her eyes widening. “Thank you, sir.” She then arched a brow. “But why test me in the first place?”

“I wanted to see if you’re the type of officer who just blindly follow orders.”

“I don’t follow. Aren’t we supposed to follow orders issued by a superior officer?”

“Correct.” Haley nodded. “You should follow orders but also understand why those orders were issued in the first place. Also, there will be some situations when an order by a superior officer may be questionable or something that would violate Starfleet regulations or endanger lives and you may need to act accordingly.”

“How will I know when such a situation arises?”

“You will as you gain experience.” Haley smiled. “Look, I believe you have the makings of a fine officer despite having much to learn. In time, you will be able to smoothen out those rough edges.”

“Thank you, sir.” Jasmine felt elated like a weight lifted from her shoulders. She wasn’t expecting the conversation to turn out like this.

“One more thing,” he continued. “While I appreciate you bringing up your concerns to me or asking for clarifications in orders issued, in future, it’d be best if you do that only in the confines of this office space and not in the bridge.” He then grinned.

“Yes sir, I will.” A moment ago, Jasmine believed her time on the Camelot was over but the conversation with Haley had lifted her spirits, making her look forward to her time here.

“Also, we will be setting off on our next mission in one week,” Matthew informed.

First mission. How exciting? Jasmine smiled, feeling the excitement rising within her.

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Location: Hawaii, EARTH
Scene: Yu family home
TI: Present


“So what name are you going to give her?” Qui asked, eyeing the new puppy with affection. The trio made their way into the living room. Mai Li and the corgi puppy trotted beside them with the little one following the adult corgi around.

Jasmine pondered for a moment, shifting her gaze to the puppy and then back to her mother, smiling. “Wei.” She nodded. “Yeah, I’ll call her Wei.”

“So Wei Yu then.” Her mother smiled, turning to the older corgi. “Here that, Mai Li Yu, you now have a little sister but she will be living with Jasmine.” Her response was a joyous bark and tail wagging.

Jasmine furrowed her brow, picking up the puppy. “Well, I am still deciding whether I should take Wei with me on the Phoenix or leave her here, where she will be safe with you and dad.”

“She’s yours, Jasmine. I believe she should be with you.” Qui raised an eyebrow. “Now, unless I’m mistaken, isn’t your Captain a dog lover. I mean he owns that pug…Smooshy right, considering that dog freely roams around the ship?”

“Oh no, mom,” Jasmine chuckled, her eyes widening. “Smooshy actually belongs to one of our counselors not the Captain.” Kane – fond of Smooshy – the raven haired woman found that hard to believe.

[[Hey, lunch’s ready at the back.]]

“Come on, Jasmine. Your dad’s waiting.” Both mother and daughter as well as the two corgis hurried along.

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NRPG: Another installment of Jasmine’s backstory. More will be coming soon :) The backstory posts will cover Jasmine’s time on the Camelot during the years, 2427 – 2431. In the next chapter, I will start covering Yu’s time on the Camelot in the year 2428.

Yes, I finally decided for her to have a pet!


~*~
Ranjani S.
Writing for

Lieutenant Jasmine Yu
Chief of Security and Tactical
USS PHOENIX