Jibun to heiwa o tsukuru tame ni (. . . to make peace with oneself. . .)
Posted on Tue Jan 29th, 2019 @ 10:59am by Lieutenant JG Élan Val & Lieutenant JG Miko Sato
1,490 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission: Ghost of a Chance: Epilogue
Élan felt a change throughout the Hyperion, and she couldn't quite identify the change or the exact reason why. She knew it had something to do with the recent encounter with Romulan pirates, but there was more to it than that. The ship itself felt different, the surviving crew seemed different. The Trill officer wasn't sure what else to do, other than continue with her daily routine. It was after her regular duty shift, and she was bored with going to either the Starlight or her quarters, so she had instead taken to roaming the ship. The signs of the recent conflict were gone, but the haunted memory remained. After a brisk walk through the labs on Deck Six and Hydroponics, Élan found herself on Deck Three and on her way to her quarters. With her mind in deep thought, she walked right by her door and further along the corridor until a large set of double doors at the end of a corridor stopped her. Looking up, she hissed as she realized she had arrived at the arboretum. She hadn't visited since she had ended her relationship with Divaro, mostly because of the fresh and painful memories that the place held. Standing there, Élan silently debated in her mind what to do, to enter and face the demonic memories or to hide from them. After what seemed like hours, she placed a hand over her abdomen where Val squirmed in effort to settle the symbiont down before she took a step forward and tapped the controls.
The arboretum looked a little different than Élan remembered. Shortly after removing Daniel from her life, she had ordered the hydroponics crew to make changes to it, and she had to nod in acceptance that they had done a really good job. A small pond at the center of the compartment was mostly hidden by a series of well placed trees. There were other places that offered a quiet place to retreat to if one wanted a few solitary minutes, along with several benches and even a few chairs that reclined. The adjoining science lab was closed, reminding Élan of the late hour. Deciding to at least take a look around, she stepped forward and raised her eyebrow when she noticed someone sitting in one of the 'hidden' benches. Mostly out of curiosity, Élan stepped closer until the other officer finally heard her and looked up. To Élan's surprise, it was her professional nemesis, Lieutenant Miko Sato.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was you," Élan said in surprise. "I'll leave you alone."
"Please, you don't have to," Miko said, equally surprised that of all the people for her to encounter here it would be Lieutenant Val. "I've been meaning to speak to you, anyway."
"Oh?" Élan asked, tilting her head in curiosity as she stared at the medical officer.
"Will you join me?" Miko asked, waving her hand towards the empty space beside her.
Élan's mind raced with several excuses, but in the end she silently nodded and sat down.
"Lieutenant," Miko began, then paused, shook her head, and started over. "If I may be direct, Miss Val, I've been giving some thought to our general dislike for each other. I realize we didn't have the best start, and that I may have caused some additional conflict between us, but I'd like for us to put an end to it. We don't have to be friends, but I'd at least prefer for us to not be enemies. The crew of this ship seems to be quite capable of encountering those without us looking to each other to fill that role."
"I actually have to agree with you," Élan said, nodding her head in agreement. "I've been wanting to talk to you, but we've circled each other like rabid wolves and I'm sure our work schedules didn't help out."
Miko nodded silently and grew quiet, not sure what to say next. After a few moments, she turned back to Élan and spoke. "So, if not friends, at least allies?" she said.
Élan smiled just a little and nodded. "We can agree to that, although I'd like for us to least least try to be friends," the Trill said.
"I don't know about that. You're a science officer, I'm in medical," Miko started.
"Medical is a respectful field in of itself," Élan said. "Even if it technically falls under the category of science."
"See, there you go, wanting to claim yet another field to lord your geek-fullness over," Miko said shortly, although there was no rancor to her voice.
Élan laughed, the first true laugh she had experienced in a long time. "Well, it is the science of medicine. As a medical officer, you hold a bachelor of science in medicine in order to serve as a medical officer. Technically, it is a field of science."
"You're impossible, you know that?" Miko said, shaking her head with a smile. "Ok, maybe you're right, in some small way. But I don't see you taking charge over sickbay because of that little technicality."
"Screw sickbay, I'll take stellar cartography any day," Élan said.
"Good," Miko said. "My mother would be glad of this. She always used to tell me 'Teki to heiwa o tsukuru koto wa, jibun to heiwa o tsukuru kotodesu'."
"I never learned Japanese," Élan said.
" . . . to make peace with an enemy is to make peace with yourself . . . " Miko translated.
"It makes sense," Élan said as she thought over the words. She could almost feel Val absorbing every second, taking in a piece of new knowledge. "If I'm not mistaken, is it not true that the Japanese have a saying for making peace?"
"Jibun to heiwa o tsukuru tame ni, which means to make peace with oneself," Miko replied.
Élan nodded silently. After a moment, she looked over at her new friend. "So, I understand you tried to one up me on who has done more damage to the ship," she said with a smile.
"I dropped a grenade and now everyone is going to have a laugh at my expense," Miko said with a sigh. "I regret making peace with you. You're a terrible friend."
Laughing, Élan wrapped an arm around Miko and hugged her. "I wish I could have seen the look on everyone's faces. The irony of the entire situation is just too much to simply let the opportunity to harass you over it pass me by."
"Uh-huh. You just wanted to to pick on me for dropping a grenade in the brig," Miko said. "Just wait until I have something to lord over you, you spotted hussy."
"Don't feel too bad. I almost destroyed half of the ship before we even left Earth," Élan said.
"Yeah, how did you do that?" Miko asked, shaking her head.
"I didn't pay attention to a chemical experiment I was supposed to be monitoring and the reaction was . . . well, explosive. We destroyed the primary chemistry lab and almost took out the compartment next to it," Élan said with a slightly haunted look to her eyes.
"Well, that certainly outdoes me," Miko said, shaking her head. "I don't think I did that bad, then. If the chief science officer almost destroys half the ship by not paying attention, then a medical officer with limited combat training dropping a grenade isn't too bad."
"That's the point I'm trying to make, Miko," Élan said. "You made a mistake. I'm not saying I'm not going to take the opportunity to give you grief because of it, because in a way it's hilarious, but you shouldn't feel bad about it. You survived the encounter, and I hoped you learned something from it."
"From what I'm understanding, I'm thinking that I should leave all of the explosive related incidents to a more qualified expert," Miko said. After a pause, she turned towards her new friend and gave her a mischievous grin. "And that apparently isn't you," she added.
Élan laughed and shook her head. "No, I've given up explosives," she said. "I'm leaving that for the security department." Checking the time, she sighed and shook her head. "As much as I hate to end a good time, I'm afraid I must call it a night," she said as she stood. "It was good talking to you, Miko."
"I'm afraid that I enjoyed it as well, Élan," Miko said as she stood and offered a small bow. "I'm going to stay here for little while longer."
Élan smiled and nodded before she stepped towards the door. She felt lighter, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. There was no other or easy way to explain it. Leaving the arboretum, she smiled as she headed straight towards her quarters. Perhaps, she thought, things were starting to shift to the bright side for the Hyperion and her crew.
Lieutenant Élan Val
Chief Science Officer
&
Lieutenant Miko Sato (NPC)
Medical Officer
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