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[Brian Graham 0]

Joint Duty Log

Lt. Cmdr. Brian Graham and Ens. Segami recording

USS Excalibur

Stardate 200603.22

 

Atticus swung round a corner and into the open doorway, he aimed his phaser-rifle left and right, slowly pacing forwards. After a few moments of looking around the room he nodded and lowered the weapon but kept his grip on it tight.

 

"I think this one's all clear sir!" The Trill security officer shouted.

 

There was no response.

 

"Sir?" he called out again and just like the first time there was no reply. His heartbeat sped up a notch.

 

Suddenly there was a flash of movement in the darkness. Something had quickly entered the room from the alternate entrance. Atticus raised the rifle to shoulder height and placed his sights dead on target, ready to fire.

 

He didn't know his target was Liuetenant Commander Graham.

 

Brian scanned the room from his perspective. Dim, but clear. He focused his attention on the other entrance, where Ensign Segami had entered. He looked past him, seeing no intruder attempting to sneak up on Segami from behind. He did however, notice the business end of a phaser rifle being pointed at him.

 

He dropped his weapon from the attack stance and stood to his normal height and walked across the room toward Segami.

 

"Apologies, Ensign. I noticed at the last minute that there was another entrance. The last thing we need is for any intruders to get loose into a larger area."

 

The Trill, heaved a deep sigh of relief, changing to a relaxed stance. "Sorry sir, but you scared the daylights out of me, I thought I'd found one of those Scorpion creatures. Why'd you jump out like that Commander, knowing I was searching in here? I might have killed you."

 

"Simple, I trust you to have the skills to defend yourself, and to check your targets before you fire at them. There was also the possability that an intuder was in here, in which case a lone crewmember may have caused them to slip. In which case, I was covering you. That goes back to the trust thing. You're right though, clear. Let's move on."

 

Atticus followed the Commander out and into the hallway. They'd cleared almost every space onboard Excalibur, leading Atticus to the conclusion that the Scorpions had probably disappeared with their vessel, taking Mr. Kennin with them. This loss dragged his mind back to their own departmental losses that day.

 

"Those two people of ours that died..." Segami said, the words forcing themselves out, "...Idana Iot and Motaris Ron...did you know them well sir?"

 

Brian sighed internally. Due to the career choices he had made, his response would probably sound cold and devoid of feeling which wasn't so in reality.

 

"Probably not as well as I could have."

 

There, it was out, a short reply, telling the truth of the situation. He knew who they were, remembered their faces, reports, statistics. Iot, born on Luna, specialized in low gravity combat, obviously had experience from where she grew up, and it showed, she had been excellent in the training exercises. Ron, Benzite, smart, quick. Could calculate the needed phaser setting to take down a ship's shields, but not damage the hull in his head, -his head-. Was good at stradigama too, though Brian had never played him at it, though he had heard remarks around the department of how he creamed others at it.

 

He felt the loss, but at the same time, he couldn't dwell on it, not now, with so much at stake. Things like this were a cold fact out here, anywhere. People

die in Starfleet, and especially in this department, and even more especially given the combat situation they were in. Everyone is told that the first day at

the Academy, or at enlistment and were reminded practically on a weekly basis. Everyone relies on someone else on a starship, and Security is relied on to be

at the front of any attack. You have the honorable duty of protecting others,but that also almost always puts you on the firing line, and so far, Brian had

been able to use that line of reasoning to move on when something like this happens, but he cursed himself for it, and he figured everyone else cursed him for it too in some way.

 

Atticus was troubled by his own feelings too, he actually felt slightly indifferent to these deaths, as if they lacked importance. It wasn't malicious, he just couldn't get the thought of "her" out of his head and it overpowered all his emotions. Two people in his own department had sacrificed themselves, another crewmember had gone MIA and the only death he could mourn was Kathleen's. It was the same a couple of days earlier at the battle of Camelot. He wanted to feel bad for the right reasons so much but it was impossible. Every time Atticus thought he was over the events back on the Shanghai he was reminded at how badly they had hurt him. That was why he'd almost begged the Commander to give him a reprimand today, not really for his actions during the battle, which were standard procedure to the letter but for the thoughts inside his mind.

 

But like Brian Graham, Atticus Segami knew that there is a time and a place for all things and this was not the time nor place to be getting in touch with oneself. He focused on the mission at hand: To find and neutralise any remaining threat onboard Excalibur.

 

Brian stood off to the left of the closed doorway and brought his rifle up.

Steeling himself, he nodded to Segami, who hit the door control. He went in

moving, turning left immediately and focusing on that corner of the room,

trusting Segami had him covered.