Chief of Security

Posted on Sat Feb 15th, 2025 @ 11:22pm by Lieutenant Hadir Prenar & Petty Officer 1st Class Mina Kar

2,742 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: A marathon not a sprint
Location: Deck 2 - Prenar's quarters
Timeline: MD09 - 11:50

[ON]

Petty Officer 1st Class Mina Kar glanced down at her PADD as she walked to the Senior Officers' quarters. The new Chief Security had arrived and been assigned his quarters. Luckily, Lieutenant Volsung hadn't taken the residence of those quarters while he was acting Chief, so it had meant she had been able to do a quick inventory before he arrived, as well as check that things like the shower and replicator were working.

She hadn't been as fortunate when the new First Officer had arrived, but Slattery had barely been in his quarters since arrival and he hadn't complained, so she assumed everything was fine.

She wasn't sure how this was going to go though. Scuttlebutt had spread through the ship, so she knew that Lieutenant Hadir Prenar was Cardassian. One of the other enlisted had even offered to do this for her, which had earned them an raised eyebrow and the question to why. The reply had been babbled, but she had gotten the gist. And said she was fine with it. Because she was. She was as Cardassian as she was Bajoran in that sense.

She checked her reflection in the screen of the PADD, the way she always did when she was meeting officers. Appearances mattered, so did complying with what was affectionately occasionally referred to as 'grooming standard'. She didn't understand it, but her hair was within regulation, although rather than a bun she had put her hair up with intricate braids. Her uniform was also spotless, since she had put on a clean uniform before coming here. It had made sense, since whenever she could she was in the more practical jumpsuit that allowed her the movement of picking things up, crawling under things and generally not worry too much.

Once the initial check of her appearance was done she rang the chime. She had ensured to come here when the computer said the Lieutenant was in, rather than waste a trip. She was nothing if not efficient.

Hadir had met with the Captain, the Chief Medical Officer, and the members of his department. Now, after all those meetings it was finally time to settle in and make the ship his home. He had raised the temperature to a balmy 95 degrees Fahrenheit, perfect for a Cardassian. He had removed the outer jacket of his uniform to allow his neck to breathe as it were. The collars of these uniforms were not made with Cardassians in mind. I am going to have to see if I can get one specially made. Hadir thought.

He had just placed a picture of his mother on the night stand when the door chime rang. When the doors opened the person that was revealed caught him slightly off guard. She was definitely of Cardassian and Bajoran heritage. But more than that Hadir was taken with her beauty. "Petty Officer please come in. What can I do for you?"

She looked at him for a long moment, words stopped in her throat. He looked like most Cardassian men she had met, although those were few over the last twenty years. But his eyes, they were the most intense green she had seen. Not something she had seen from a Cardassian, or any species, in her life. She regained herself after a second, giving him a small smile. "I'm Mina Kar, the Quartermaster," she said as she walked in. "I'm here to see if there's anything you need, and to make sure you are happy with your quarters." She fell back on her training and the reason she was here, to cover up for her brief lapse. She also took the time to take him in. He was pale, paler than her which was rather impressive. And the scar that ran along his cheek gave him an edge of danger. He was taller than her, not unusual, and had the muscular built she had come to associate with Security.

Hadir smiled and motioned toward the couch. "Thank you for coming by, please have a seat. I am Hadir Prenar but you can call me Hadir, as you are no doubt aware I am the new Chief of Security." He poured himself a coffee, it was something that he took up at the Academy. Coffee was while on duty and kanar was for off duty. He was taken by her beauty so much that he found himself thinking about the protocol of an officer and an enlisted person. Hadir put those thoughts to the side and spoke before the silence became too awkward. "May I call you Mina?" Hadir attempted to find a way to do away with ranks. He had to get to know her.

She looked at him with surprise at the informality, slowly taking a seat as if she was worried she would break the chair somehow. "Yes Sir," she said, before she gave him a small smile. She hadn't expected it, but realised just because she assumed a Cardassian would be more strict she had expected it of him. But she herself was not that formal either, so why make the assumption? "Hadir," she corrected herself, with a small shake of her head and a soft chuckle.

"Is there anything I can get you?" Hadir asked as he thought what to do next. Often the calculating mind of a Cardassian came in handy. This was just such a time as an idea came to him. "As Chief of Security I feel it is my duty to know a little about everyone who I have to protect aboard the ship. So, tell me a little about yourself." This was his veiled way of getting to know her. Not since the Academy had he been taken by woman.

She tilted her head, studying him for a moment. "Nothing to drink, thank you," she said, because her mind were on his words. "I don't think you need to protect me...I'm quite good at taking care of myself." She watched them before she smiled, because she hadn't taken offense at it. More, she couldn't resist pushing back on it. "Well, as you can see...I have Cardassian and Bajoran parents. I was born on Bajor. And I joined Starfleet, and I have been serving ever since in Operations. This is my first posting as Quartermaster, so naturally I take it very seriously."

"Everyone should take all of their duties seriously. It takes everyone to keep this ship running. Whether you think so or not, it is my duty to keep this ship and everyone on it secure. But I have no doubt that you can keep anyone in check." He returned her smile before he took another sip. "You know I suppose we are kindred spirits of sorts. Both of us not truly fitting in with our people, and finding a home in Starfleet." Hadir always liked how Bajorans were so passionate about just about everything they did. He could see that passion in her right now.

"I know why I would not fit in," she said as she looked at him, sitting back in the chair a little bit. She regarded him calmly, a small smile curling her lips, as she simply took her time to study him. She could not read minds, but she was decently good at body language. He was very informal given their rank differences and she attributed it to her own appearance. If he was like her, just seeing a face with familiar features...it felt odd and comforting. Reduced the feeling of isolation. "I am trying to figure out why you joined Starfleet."

"No need to figure m'dear. Simply ask..." Hadir began with a broad smile. "Simply put I have something to prove. When I went to the Academy, Cardassians had perhaps the worst reputation in the galaxy. Coming off the Dominion War, Cardassia was in shambles and no one wanted to help because of my people's history. So, I joined Starfleet to prove that Cardassia could be a viable member of the intergalactic society. That the sins of the past did not lay out the scope of the future. So, here we are a few years later and Cardassia itself has joined in on that fight. The government has been restructured and has begun the path to peace." He spoke frankly and without deception. His voice filled with passion for the topic at hand.

She studied him at the words, clearly taking it in before she nodded. "Seems a decent reason," she said with a small smile. She had tensed a little at the informal language...she was sure no one had ever called her dear in her life. "And are you enjoying your new posting?" it was a polite question but the curiosity in it was clear. She was wondering how he had been received by Security and the ship.

"I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy my time in Starfleet. I find that most humans are quick to change their minds when you give them reason to do so. However, I still have to go out and prove myself. I have noticed the sideward glances, the way some change their speech patterns into hushed tones when I am around. This is especially true with Bajorans, and rightfully so I may add. Time as it is said heals all wounds. Thus far my time of the Wolff has been fruitful. The Captain has welcomed me with open arms and the Security Teams work professionally with little show of their personal feelings." Hadir smiled and sipped his drink. The smile covered up a deeper meaning. One that said he did not have many friends and welcomed this conversation.

She looked at him with interest, nodding as she watched him. She was glad to hear that on this ship, he had been treated fairly. Or more, not heard any slurs. "It's the downside of looking like we do," she said after a moment. She sat back, holding his eyes. "My mother was the Cardassian. My father Bajoran. And...as rare as it is, they...genuinely cared about each other. They were scientists." And her father had been called a traitor for it. Or pitied. Depending on who she had talked to, or what she remembered when she was little. "It was their common deity."

Now it was Hadir's turn to be interested. "It is rather fascinating that a Cardassian embraced the Prophets. Definitely not something I have ever heard of. Can I ask how she came to the Prophets."

"She didn't," Mina laughed as she shook her head, considering it. "Not truly, but she made me read all I could and spend...many years getting my ears squeezed. No, her deity was science, same as my father's. But she was very firm I should know all sides of my heritage, for how else would I know myself..." the way she said it showed it was clearly what her mother had told her again and again.

Hadir assumed the religion in question was the prophets, he never thought that it could be something else. He chastised himself for such an assumption. "Of course! It is the Cardassian way. To know family, your heritage is to know yourself. Perhaps the best quality of the old Cardassia was the connection to family." Ironically that connection was also the bane of Hadir's existence. Considering the hunt that his father led to find him.

"Well, family is all," she said with a small smile. Not that she had many of those left. So when she spoke, it was from the heart. "But family is more than the blood. You can choose it too. Those you serve with, those you call friends. They can be your family too."

"Well said, well said indeed. That is something I wholeheartedly agree with. In fact I have little to no contact with my blood family. There is the family that you choose and the family that chooses you." Hadir smiled in return. This woman was indeed full of surprises.

Mina nodded as she held his eyes. "And you will find your family here. Security stick together and...you have some good ones there. Some who have been here a decently long time."

Hadir sipped his drink and nodded in agreement. "As, I have learned. However, I am afraid that some of them may resent me as I have been given the Chief position over them. I do hope that they get over that but, who knows. When one serves on a vessel for a while and gets passed over one usually does not take it well."

She looked at him before she shook her head, a small smile coming to her. "Don't worry about Magnus," she said softly. "He never takes things like that to heart. He is not likely to try and stab you in the back, as long as you take care of those in your department."

"And that is what I aim to do. As you are no doubt aware family is everything to a Cardassian. The crew that I serve with is all I have anymore in the way of family." Hadir replied there was a small amount of sadness in his voice.

She nodded as she looked at him, her eyes tilted to the side at the tone she heard. "It is not just the crew you serve with now...it is the ones you've served with before. It is easy, here, to stop connections once you move ships. Don't. Hadir, relationships and friendships need to be cultivated, tended to like a garden."

That was something he had never thought of in all the years he had been in Starfleet. Hadir Prenar was very much the type that when he moved on his friendships moved on as well. "Thank you. That is very sound advice and something I will have to take under advisement. You are wise beyond your years." He said with a broad trademark smile.

She chuckled softly, shaking her head at that. "I've not made many friends along the way. But those I have made, I keep close. Even if they're on other ships or planets." She studied his face, taking it in, the expressions he kept so close to the surface. "Loyalty is not just a Cardassian trait."

"No indeed it is not." Hadir replied almost immediately. Then he added. "You may not have made many friends along the way. But, I will tell you this much. You just made one now."

She smiled at that, looking at him with interest. "Always useful for me to have allies in high places," she joked and stood, watching him. "Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to make your stay here more comfortable. I can also change your quarters default temperature and humidity settings."

"You know that would be most kind. If you would do that for my quarters and my office please. And perhaps if you wish in due time allow me to take you to dinner." Hadir took a shot in the dark, it was a chance he could let get away.

She watched him with clear surprise, her eyes widening with it. Her usual confidence and, frankly, a little arrogant looking façade fading. "I..." she looked down, swallowing. "I'd like that," she finally said and gave a small smile to meet his eyes. She had not expected it.

It had been quite some time since Hadir had risked asking anyone out. However, he was sure glad that he took the risk here. "Very well. Shall we say Saturday in the Mess Hall at 1800 hrs." He did not want to seem too presumptuous and ask here to his quarters.

"Yes," she said and nodded, giving him a small smile. "I shall see you there and then," she added, to make it clear. She let out a breath and moved to the door. "I'll fix the controls when you are on shift, it'll need...some time, and I have taken up enough of yours. It will be done by tomorrow."

"Great, thank you Petty Officer. I do appreciate all of your hard work. I look forward to our dinner." Hadir said with a smile. It had been quite some time since he met a conversationalist as good as Mina.

[OFF]

Petty Officer 1st Class Mina Kar
Quartermaster
[pnpc Slattery]

&

Lieutenant Hadir Prenar
Chief Security/Tactical Officer

 

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