The Penelope Paradox (Backpost)

Posted on Mon Jan 15, 2024 @ 2:08pm by Commander Cullen Walker & Lieutenant Penelope Naroot

1,439 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: A Lost Endeavour
Location: Walker's Quarters

Walker was in his quarters meditating. He trained in several types of martial arts and Meditation. This one was Vulcan. His Stepmother was Vulcan. His siblings were half Vulcan. He went to the Vulcan school as a child. He heard the notification buzz. "Enter."

The doors opened and Penny stepped in. She'd just gotten off shift and was still in uniform. She had her hands clasped in front of her and was already turning the color of her uniform top. "Hello," she said, stepping into his quarters. "I thought...we should talk."

Walker nodded and stood up. "I got played twice. Once by an evil Penelope and once by the good Penny. I have no hard feelings for you protecting yourself and your identity. There was a time that the descendants of Eugenics couldn't serve in Starfleet. I understand why it was done. The evil one used my faith and culture against me. She offered me something important to us."

Penny frowned. "I didn't...'play' you, Cullen," she said, sounding hurt. "I'm sorry, maybe this was a mistake. I'll see you on the bridge. Good night." She stepped back, heading for the door.

He answered her. "Play wasn't the right word. I'm sorry. I have no hard feelings for you, regardless of the word."

She stopped and didn't look up to meet his eyes. "All right," she said. "Still, I'm sorry for what she did. They weren't intending to hurt anyone, but they went after our weaknesses to keep us...safe. They didn't take into account the emotional damage."

"She knew exactly what to say to a Heathen."

"Because I read the book you gave me on how to talk to a Heathen," Penny said, guiltily. "I don't....I don't know how to say I'm sorry in a way that really expresses how I feel. I'm embarrassed and humiliated and hard feelings or no, if you never want to speak to me again, I'll understand. Just...please know I didn't know what they had planned, and I regret I let them get that far."

Cullen looked at her, "You sought knowledge. They abused that knowledge. I'm not blaming you for them. We are friends. We are shipmates. I'm not going to mistreat you for their actions. You know that is against my code. Do you understand me?"

His directness brought her up short, and she nodded. "Understood." She took a breath. "I also...wanted to say thank you."

Cullen nodded, "Thank me for what?"

"Zach told me you had my safety code," Penny said. "The only way you could have gotten that is from Nicole. She trusted you to keep it safe and keep me safe, and you did. Thank you."

"I'm a Walker. We protect people. We start wars to protect people. We Unite enemies against worse enemies to protect people. It is what we are bred for. It is what we have children for, always choosing the best to make children with. It's not the only reason we start families." He laughed. "I kept it with the pictures of my children."

Penny blushed hard at the mention of having children. "Organics really put a lot of stock in that, don't they," she said. "I know what you said to my twin. I'm...flattered...you considered me worthy of procreation."

As an Organic, Walker answered, "Heathens more so than others. Our children have family tree books. When an Oath is taken, the next Generations uphold the Oath. We don't run from it. To meet that oath head on, we need courage, strength, honor, and intelligence. You may not be Warrior Class, but you do have all of those characteristics."

"Well, two of them, maybe," Penny sighed. "Book smarts, sure. People smarts? Still a work in progress. And after what happened, I don't know how courageous I feel, or how honorable."

Walker laughed, "I didn't say we were perfect in all those fields. I can read a Scene. I can find the chink in someone's emotional armor. I can find an old injury that someone hides. I was taught that if you believe someone to be of value, you show her what drives you. I completely fell on my face with that one and showed her the death of my brother. I was a fuck up before that. I was on the verge of getting kicked out of Starfleet. After his death, I buckled down, I got invited to Field Intelligence." He stuck his tongue out at her. "You're here. You're facing this. That takes courage. Facing me takes courage after this weirdness."

She tilted her head in her "thinking pose" and mulled that over. "I suppose," she said. "I guess I felt you deserved an upfront apology, same as Zach. If I'm going to stay on this ship, I need to know where I stand with people. I'm glad I can count on you, though." She gave him a smile. "Thanks for talking with me, Cullen."

Walker smiled, "I'm going to wait a minute before I do anything other than a formal apology to Addams. It turns out, I was very violent with him and then I glued him to a wall."

"Yeah...I know," she said, slowly. "What 'other' were you considering? I think he's kinda taken the apology as is."

Walker winced because she obviously knew more than he did. "Not so much words. Eventually prove he doesn't have to be afraid of me. Make up for my actions, even if it takes years."

"If it helps, he doesn't seem to be upset over what happened," Penny said, trying to be helpful. "Maybe it'll just take some time. I know some people take a while to process things."

The situation messed Walker up, "A man's true character comes out when he's drunk.A man's true character comes out when he's drunk." He was afraid that the violent streak that Walkers had was his true nature. It is why they pushed for self control so fiercely. "Your reputation is what others think of you; your character is what you truly are. Reputations can be manipulated; character can only be developed and maintained."

Penny tilted her head again. "So...a person's true character only comes out when they're drunk?" She considered that. "Maybe then, you two should drink together."

Walker closed his eyes, "I'm afraid that I'm really that person who glued him to the wall." He was equivocating being drugged with drunk because of the loss of control. "I don't want to be that person."

Penny tilted her head. "Why did you do it? You never told me what prompted it. Were you just trying to escape Sickbay?"

Looking up. "The other one declared intent in being my mate. We had sex, during which she drugged me. I passed out. I went to Sickbay because my heart rate wasn't regulating and I couldn't force regulation with meditation. I smelled you, her, on him. My intent was to kill him. I was going to do it with a ritual knife. The other one interrupted me while I was getting the knife. She sexually drugged me again. I woke up in Sickbay."

Penny's brow creased. "It was probably me," she said. "He and I had been sitting together. But why did that make you..." she paused as her analysis caught up. "Oh...so you were jealous? Territorial over a mate?"

Walker nodded, "I thought I was smelling you on him which I probably was as you said. I thought I had bound myself to you in word and deed. Word and deed in combination are pretty much marriage in my religion. It was jealousy, but it was also anger that someone had slept with my mate, the mother of my future children. I logically understand now she wasn't you and it wasn't you who bound herself to me. At the time, I didn't know there was two of you. It was Jealousy and Betrayal and Anger."

"Well...to be fair...I didn't know there were two of me either," Penny said, trying to lighten things. "Do you want me to talk to him on your behalf?"

Walker smiled at her lighthearted humor and then answered, "you can."

Penny grinned and stood up. "Okie dokie. We'll get this all smoothed over in no time." She leaned over and gave him a hug and then stood up, blushing slightly. "I need to get going, but I'll see you later?"

Walker grinned, "In all likelihood, yes. I write the bridge schedule. When I have better people working my shift, I don't have to do as much."

Penny waved and left his quarters.

 

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