Women In the Middle - Part III

Posted on Sun Apr 19, 2026 @ 5:53am by Lieutenant T'Lul & Lieutenant JG Brianthe Oaxaca

1,253 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Jubilee
Location: Arboretum
Timeline: MD01 - late afternoon after Ace Advice

[PREVIOUSLY]

"We met when she came here to look around. She ended up helping us find a way to detect animals that have crept into the arboretum. She's now helping us keep people out during the passing of the comet." She wasn't going to mention Ace because Bri wasn't sure this involved him.

[CONTINUED]

"Ah, yes, I heard about the comet. I will be working with security to improve their responses to anticipated difficulties," T'Lul answered somewhat conversationally. "How did you come about having Matilda work for you? Station records seem to reflect that the Assistant Chief Operations Officer, Ace Cannon, was working with you. So, it seems unusual that he suddenly stopped working here. Did something happen that caused him to stop working here?"

"Ace assigned himself here. And he worked with Paula, not me. The two of them don't get along. So, when Matilda came to have a look around and we got talking about the animals, she had some interesting ideas. Because of that, I asked her to be the person to help us. I'm only on the station part time, so I needed someone Paula could work with."

"That is logical," T'Lul answered. "Can you explain why Ace and Paula do not get along?" Why is she not telling me what Matilda had told me? Does she not know anything about Matilda and Ace's fight? I do not think that is likely. So who is she protecting, and why? I certainly know about Ace's disdain for Paula and my advice to him regarding the apology.

"I don't understand the whole story. I was on Pangaea at the time. But it was something about Ace wanting to protect the arboretum and saying something about maybe setting up a control for the torpedoes and then dragging Paula through the bowels of the station. It was confusing. All I know is they don't agree on all the details and they don't like each other."

"And you did not try to sort it out more?" T'Lul asked, her head cocking slightly to the right side. "Do you like both Paula and Ace?"

Two odd questions. "When you have two people with different memories of the same event, you either go to the computer for verification--if you can--or leave it. As the station was under Cardassian control at the time, I simply chose to leave it alone. It's not worth it. Even if I found the truth, it won't change the way they feel about each other, so it doesn't really matter. Are all these questions about Ace and Paula?"

"You've evaded my question whether you like both Paula and Ace. Why?" T'Lul inquired without answering Bri's question.

"And you evaded mine," Bri countered. "Both Paula and Ace are my friends. I also work with Paula." She looked at T'Lul for a moment. "Did Ace complain to you about Paula?"

T'Lul answered, "In fairness, I asked my question first, but now that you have answered, I will do the same. No, my questions are not solely related to Ace and Paula. I, actually, am more interested in Matilda. These questions about Ace and Paula were based on establishing a chronology. Besides, does Ace seem like the sort of person that would come to a counselor for anything?" T'Lul asked back.

"No," Bri replied slowly. "But neither does Matilda." She paused for a moment. "Is she that mad at Ace?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny any answer to that question," T'Lul answered. "Though, I am curious why you would ask why should would be 'that mad at Ace.' Would you please expand upon your question and explain the facts behind it?" T'Lul remembered that pleasantries were always important to allowing humans to feel more comfortable in expressing matters.

Bri shook her head. "No. If you don't know about it, then it's not for me to say. Sorry."

T'Lul raised an eyebrow at Bri. The woman was almost as private a counselor. She had to respect that. However, it did make her investigation a lot more difficult. After all, she could not confirm that both Matilda and Ace had given her information on this topic and acting on it could be perceived as a breach of her patient-client privileges. "You may have missed your calling, Brianthe. You keep confidences well."

She could say it was part of her training, but she didn't. Instead, Bri smiled. "Don't you think we all need to do that more often?"

T'Lul tilted her head and said, "I do not know about all. That is overbroad. However, discretion is something that humans often lack." She sat silently while she mused the apparent problem longer. "That said, if some things are not said or expressed, I have learned that it could to lead to isolationism, depression, and feelings that others lack understanding. Therefore, I can only conclude that there is balance somewhere. I am interested in discovering that. Similar problems exist amongst Vulcans. My theory, however, is not popular amongst my kind."

"Oh?" That piqued Bri's curiosity. "What is your theory on Vulcans?"

"That Vulcans aspire to be lesser computers, eschewing emotions for logic," T'Lul answered. "It is not a popular opinion but I cannot find a flaw in my logic." She shrugged lightly.

"Harsh, but some Vulcans do tend to believe that logic is the be all and end all of existence," Bri agreed. "But not all are so extreme."

"Perhaps not," T'Lul replied thoughtfully. "However, my thesis was enough that I was encouraged to seek other places to continue my research. So, I came to Starfleet. It does provide a unique opportunity for me to obtain a larger data set. Half-Vulcans are particularly interesting for these purposes and we have a rather high population of them on this station currently."

"Yes, but with a station this size and this far from the heart of the Federation, that's not surprising." Bri shrugged. "Still, you should get a good sampling here for your research."

"I agree. So, why did you come here?" the Vulcan asked curiously. "Certainly, plants could be found anywhere. So could Arboretums. Why here?"

"I was assigned here." Bri shrugged. "We don't generally get to choose our assignments, but I like it here and hope I can stay for a while."

"Why do you like it here?" T'Lul asked curiously.

That surprised Bri as she thought the answer was obvious. "On a starship, the arboretum is relatively small. Here, I have four levels that cover ten decks. Plus, I have a garden and grove of trees on the planet where I can experiment with hybrids. It's an amazing opportunity. Plus, Alanna and I have become good friends. So, I have a job I love, a good friend, and more opportunities than I have time for."

"You could do the same on a planet," T'Lul observed. "However, when added to the good friend and job you love, it certainly computes. What other opportunities do you have?"

"Right now? Those two are plenty. They keep me busy and they keep me going between the station and the planet. On the station I have Paula to take over when I'm gone, and I really don't have to worry about feeding and watering the garden and grove on the planet." Bri paused, then added, "Well, not often. I do have to check on them, but not as often as I do here."

(To be continued...)

Lieutenant JG Brianthe Oaxaca
Botanist
Deep Space 5 & Pangaea

&

Lieutenant T'Lul
Chief Counselor
Deep Space 5

 

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